Я часто вижу страх в смотрящих на меня глазах.... ©
Tokyo Legislative Bureau Forth Ward
Английский язык, в два раза больше слов, чем в предыдущем пстоLooking at that signboard, Kusanagi couldn’t help but let out a scornful laugh. No many how many times he saw it, he thought it was a weird name. The true identity of this building, which wore the skin of a proper government office, was the blue clan’s- Scepter 4’s headquarters.
Apparently, the name comes from how they claim up front to be dealing with ‘special foreigners’. But that’s just something like a metaphor. In actuality, they don’t deal in people who are from different countries, but rather those with different abilities- in other words, people with supernatural powers.
Even amongst that, the type they dealt with the most were people who naturally gained abilities without joining a clan or receiving power from a king, Strains. Because there were cases where Strains, who had neither an organization they were affiliated with or a king to listen to, used their powers to commit crimes.
When Scepter 4 discovered an unregistered Strain, they were to take them into custody, and send them to centers for education and research under the golden king’s jurisdiction. Because of that, from before the golden clan and the blue clan already had an intimate relationship. But…
“With one of ‘em without a king, there’s no way they’d be able to keep up an equal relationship.”
He didn’t know what things had been like before. But, now at least, one couldn’t see the blue clan as anything but a bunch of hired security guards being used by the golden clan.
“…it sure is tragic, ain’t it. A subject who’s lost their king.”
Saying that to himself, Kusanagi went through the forth ward’s gate.
Kusanagi was led into a meeting room further in by a person from Scepter 4 in blue clothes, even as they gave him painfully suspicious looks. One way or another, Scepter 4 was supposed to be an organization that considered protecting the law amongst those with superhuman powers to be their principle. He figured it would probably be alright, but if there was someone here who thought they might as well take the opportunity to squash a red clan executive, would he be able to return in one piece, Kusanagi thought to himself half whimsically. He supposed he’d be completely outnumbered, so it might be difficult. Sitting on the meeting room’s old sofa, the amount of time he had to wait was about as long as it took to smoke one cigarette.
A heavy knocked filled the air, and then door opened. Putting his shortened cigarette in the ash tray, Kusanagi stood up.
The person who appeared was a man who looked just over forty. One could figure that he was that old from his face, but from his blank expression that went beyond tiredness, and the way he moved as though even taking a single step was tiresome, one would think he were someone older, like an old man. His formal uniform also seemed to be neglected and worn-out.
“…So you’re that guy? The red clan’s adviser, Kusanagi Izumo.” Said the main in a heavy, weary-sounding tone. Kusanagi smiled.
“Well, I’m not somethin’ as big and important as an adviser… you’re Scepter 4’s deputy commander, Shiotsu Gen-san, correct?”
In response to Kusanagi’s words, for some reason Shiotsu spat out a ‘ha!’ and smiled scornfully.
“Deputy commander, huh.”
“…am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not. Unfortunately, right now, there’s no one here who’s any better than this mediocre guy.” Saying that sullenly, the deputy commander sat down on the sofa across the low table. The old thing let out a stupid sounding ‘swoosh’ as air escaped from it.
“Want some tea?”
“No.”
“Figured. You shouldn’t put anything from enemy territory into your mouth carelessly.”
“Oh, is this enemy territory for me?”
“Isn’t it?”
Sinking into the sofa while leaning sloppily on the back, Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi. Kusanagi didn’t confirm or deny it.
“…today, I’ve come to apologize. Yesterday, our kids apparently caused you some trouble.”
Shiotsu didn’t try to respond immediately. He looked up at Kusanagi while his mouth stayed closed.
“It’s against the rules to trespass on another clan’s territory. It’s Scepter 4’s duty to punish those who deserve it.” Shiotsu said quietly, and as though he were chewing on sand. Kusanagi nodded.
“I understand.”
“…but, there was a problem with my subordinates who attacked first without properly assessing the situation, apparently. And anyway, chief Mizuchi doesn’t seem to want to make a fuss out of this case. There’s no need for you to apologize to me. If that’s all you wanted, leave.”
Kusanagi looked at Shiotsu’s expression silently for a moment, then got his cigarette box out from his pocket.
“Mind if I smoke?”
“…I told you to leave.” But, even as he said that grudgingly, he gave permission by gesturing with his chin.
Kusanagi took a cigarette out from the box and put it in his mouth, then lit it with his lighter. A small flame lit up its end. Smoke rose.
“Yesterday, the ones who got into trouble with our kids were the twins from your place. It sounds like they’re pretty young. Even younger than me, maybe?”
“So what?”
“Well. It’s just… it’s been ten years since the previous blue king passed away, hasn’t it? So I was just a bit interested, since if there were such young clansmen, then they must’ve been only children when they joined.”
Shiotsu clocked his tongue a little, and also got some cigarettes out from his pocket. When Kusanagi offered his lighter, Shiotsu paused for just a moment, before tiredly getting up from the back of the sofa and leaned out to use the fire.
“They were a special case.” Said Shiotsu as he held the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger and smoked it with a displeased face.
“Their parents were members of Scepter 4, you see. Then they died on duty during a certain incident. Those two were twelve at the time. Since they didn’t have anyone else to go to, Scepter 4 decided to take care of them as a group, but… those guys, they went to the previous king and asked to be made members of Scepter 4 themselves. Since they wanted to take over their parents’ dying will.” Only at the moment that he was speaking about the previous blue king did light appear in the tired-out deputy’s eyes. When the previous king was alive, he must have also been a member full of hope, one could feel from those eyes.
“And then…”
“He gave in. He made those two, who were still children, into clansmen. Of course, he hadn’t intended to let them work as actual members for a while. He probably just wanted to respect their wishes and raise them slowly.”
‘Probably just wanted to’, meaning that didn’t come to pass.
Kusanagi knew what happened after that. He knew, and he still asked.
“Then what?”
“…It was two weeks after those two became blue clansmen… that the Kagutsu incident happened.”
The Kagutsu incident. The incident that happened ten years ago when Japan’s geography changed. People who knew what had happened called the place that had been dug out in a circle the ‘Kagutsu Crater’ after the man who had been at the center of the explosion.
Kusanagi breathed slightly.
“If I recall correctly, the previous blue king passed away during the Kagutsu incident.”
At Kusanagi’s words, Shiotsu’s slack body which had been sinking into the sofa tensed slightly. Wrinkling his brow, he answered shortly.
“Yeah.”
“It must have been such a shock for the brothers, who were children and had just become blue clansmen. Since right as they decided to take over their parents’ wills and decided on which back they should follow, it vanished.”
Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi.
“…You’re not being sympathetic.”
“No, I’m not.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Kusanagi smiled like he would at a customer in his bar, and said,
“What occurred ten years ago was really a tragedy, but I was wonderin’ what happened to the sense of justice you guys were surely holdin’ on to at first even then.”
Shiotsu didn’t change his sloppy posture. But, his eyes alone began to shine dangerously.
“…are you trying to provoke me?”
“I’m aware that I’m bein’ rude. However, from what I’ve heard, the brothers who got into trouble with our kids didn’t seem to care a whole lot about justice or anythin’.”
“Are you trying to gloss over what your comrades did?”
“What I’m tryin’ to say is,” Kusanagi raised his voice. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shiotsu.
“Can you guys vow to your own king that your actions are nothin’ to be ashamed of?”
The atmosphere in the room tensed. Kusanagi could clearly sense killing intent rise from the man who was sitting loosely in front of him.
Kusanagi focused on the cigarette still in his fingers. So that should the other guy get into ‘that mood’, he’d be able to respond right away. The shortened cigarette flame wavered slightly in response to Kusanagi’s thoughts.
“…you won’t respond right away?”
“We have no king anymore.”
Kusanagi breathed out slightly.
“That’s your answer, huh.”
Shiotsu smiled thinly, but his eyes still shone with the killing intent reflected within.
“Right now, no one here can vow to their king that they have nothing to be ashamed of… we’re just a group of cowards who couldn’t even be at their king’s side when Kagutsu happened.”
Kusanagi frowned slightly at the words that were spat out.
“It’s not cool to talk down on yourself like that.”
“Shut it.”
“You’re not cool, but you’re not really a bad guy, I guess.”
As he said that, Kusanagi shoved his shortened cigarette into the ashtray. The fire crackled and vanished. Standing up straight, he turned to look right into Shiotsu’s petulant eyes.
“I’ll take that as a warning to ‘not believe me’. You should know what we’re feeling. Even then, you don’t say one word of excuse… you don’t intend to defend what you’re protecting, and you don’t think the work you’re doing right now is what’s right.”
Shiotsu didn’t reply, and only looked sullenly at Kusanagi. Kusanagi was smiling.
“You’re tryin’ to be shameless, but do you not wanna regain your honor? We’ve lost any intention of trusting chief Mizuchi, and if it comes to a fight over that girl, we plan to face it… would you still become our enemy if that happened?”
“That’s our work.” It was a deep voice with all expression deadened. Even the sulky atmosphere from earlier had vanished, and a wall that seemed to shut everything out had been born.
Kusanagi decided it was time to go.
“…excuse me. Even though I just came to apologize, I ended up startin’ a long conversation.”
Kusanagi bowed one and stood up. As he was walking to the door, Shiotsu’s voice came.
“Not to mention us, I can’t recommend making an enemy out of the golden clan.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“You.” Shiotsu’s voice rose for a moment. Kusanagi turned to look at him without thinking. His greying head could be seen from behind, still seated on the couch.
“…what do you think about the Kagutsu story?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you trying to act like it’s unrelated to you?”
Right then, Kusanagi shuddered slightly.
He inwardly clicked his tongue at the fact that he had.
“That your king, that Suou Mikoto is different from the previous red king, Kagutsu Genji… can you vow it?”
…He asked something unpleasant. Kusanagi made a complicated face somewhere between annoyance and a bitter smile. But, they had both asked something unpleasant. However, Kusanagi still didn’t feel the urge to talk self-deprecatingly like Shiotsu had.
“He’s different, our king.”
Shiotsu went ‘hmph’.
“I hate red kings. Their nature as king is too dangerous… Suou Mikoto might also become a Kagutsu at any little provocation.”
“…by provocation, you mean?”
“Anything. A waver in his mentality, indulging in his power, strong interactions with another king… especially, killing another king.”
At the end of that sentence, Kusanagi suddenly remembered something he had heard before.
“The previous blue king passed away while trying to stop Kagutsu’s rampage, correct?”
“…yeah. In truth, he should’ve killed Kagutsu before he became like that. But, even if he had been able to, then the Crater’s name would’ve just changed from the Kagutsu Crater to… the Habari Crater. Our previous king was pulled along by Kagutsu before that, and his own Weismann value got messed up. If he had killed Kagutsu, his own Sword of Damocles would’ve fallen.”
The smell of tobacco filled the room. Kusanagi thought that it was a weirdly quiet place. Suddenly, he felt homesick for the noisiness of his bar.
“Regardless, should something happen to a king, another king is required in order to stop it. Now, there’s no longer a blue king… do you think there’s something you can do when your king crumbles?”
Kusanagi didn’t reply. He excused himself in a flat voice and left the room.
++++++++++
“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”
In response to Totsuka’s announcement, Suou frowned.
Behind Totsuka, Anna was staring in his direction half hidden. Even though she was staring shamelessly right at him, the fact that she was doing it from behind Totsuka made it kind of annoying.
“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”
Perhaps because Suou didn’t reply, Totsuka repeated himself.
“That so.” When Suou, unable to reply any other way, said this in a way that implied he didn’t care, Totsuka smiled.
“Good for you, Anna-chan! King didn’t say no!”
“Ah?”
“Then, let’s go! King, can you leave right away?”
Suou grabbed Totsuka’s face. Even though his cheeks were being squished and his face was getting twisted in a stupid way, Totsuka didn’t mind and kept smiling.
“Who. Said. He’d. Go with you?”
“Oh, come on, King, do you intend to betray an innocent young girl’s expectations?” Said Totsuka in a muffled voice.
Anna fixedly, fiiiixedly continued to stare at Suou’s face. In response to those expectant eyes, Suou let go of Totsuka and looked away uncomfortably.
“You see, Anna-chan’s never gone to an amusement park.”
“Is that so.”
“So, she’d like to try going.”
“Then go.”
Even when he said that in a fed-up way, the power of Anna’s silent gaze was strong. Those large eyes like glass spheres were single-mindedly directed at him. It appeared as though the smiling Totsuka believed Suou would lose to Anna’s eyes, and that was annoying too.
“Before,”
Anna opened her mouth softly.
“Dad and mom said they’d take me to the amusement park… but, we didn’t get to go.”
Anna’s parents had died in a traffic accident. Though, he didn’t know whether the reason they hadn’t been able to go was their deaths or not. Anna had merely said the truth, and hadn’t been trying to make Suou sympathetic or anything. But, if he refused now, Totsuka appeared to be prepared to go ‘you fiend!’ and call him names. And Anna, despite being expressionless, was still sending a gaze that was weirdly passionate in his direction.
This isn’t a good day, Suou thought as he inwardly clicked his tongue.
The group walked through a park filled with happy voices and pleasant music.
“Mikoto-san, Mikoto-san! Do you want to get on the jet coaster!?” Said an excited Yata as he turned around.
“Aah?” With a voice that was annoyed to the extreme, Suou glared bullets at Yata. Yata went ‘I’m sorry!!’ and bowed.
“King, that’s not the face of someone visiting an amusement park!”
“You’re the one who made me come.”
Totsuka let Suou’s voice and glare pass through one ear and out the other with a smile. Beside Yata, Fushimi walked as he muttered ‘why me, too’. It appeared that Kamamoto had completely opened up with Anna, and the two of them were eating crepes together. Anna’s was strawberry, but Kamamoto’s was a mix of chocolate and banana, and Kamamoto told her ‘I’ll eat the rest if you can’t finish it’ in a way that it was hard to tell whether he was being nice or just being a glutton.
“I haven’t been to an amusement park since I was a kid!” To Yata, who was excitedly looking like he was having fun, Totsuka responded with a smile.
“It’s my first time, I guess?”
“Really? You haven’t gone a single time?”
“I didn’t really get a chance…”
In the end, nominally for the sake of taking Anna, five grown men were walking around an amusement park.
It was a surreal scene.
Suou, who had been walking furthest back, sat down heavily just when they were passing a smoking area bench.
“Hey, King-.”
“Shut it, go play as much as you want.”
Totsuka smiled wryly at Suou, who said that in an annoyed way while lighting a cigarette.
“Don’t go home before us, okay?” Totsuka said, pointing a finger at Suou. Then he took Anna and went towards the attractions. Yata kept looking back at Suou, but followed Totsuka and company.
Suou rested his arms on the back of the bench and looked up at the sky. It was a blue sky with hardly any clouds. The smoke from the cigarette in Suou’s mouth wavered slightly as it rose. Come to think of it, he felt like it had been a really long time since he had looked up at the sky like this. Recently, he hadn’t cared about the weather. Since he had spent a lot of time cut off from the outside world.
…since that brat came, he had kept being dragged out.
A doll-like girl with scarce expression. She accidentally stepped into what was inside him and passed out, and despite passing out she said ‘Mikoto’s dreams are fine.’ with a face that really looked like she were fine.
“This is stupid.” He said self-deprecatingly when he realized he was starting to care.
On a fine, clear day at the amusement park, passing families kept starting and glancing at the good-for-nothing looking man reclined on the bench.
This was just plain stupid.
Anna’s favorite was spinning coffee cups to death.
She’d get into a red cup, and spin it around to the limits of Kamamoto’s power. After getting off, the guys were all groggy, but on top of her expressionless face, even though it was extremely hard to tell, her eyes were gleaming in glee.
Anna, who had only left the impression of being doll-like, was actually enjoying herself, it seemed. Even when riding the jet coaster, Anna didn’t move a single eyelash and only had her eyes blaze. After riding aggressive rides one after another until almost sunset, they had Anna who was tired from playing rest while Yata and Kamamoto went to buy juice. When they came back, she was sitting beside the fountain. Spreading out the sleeves of her frilly clothes, which used lots of blue cloth, she looked like a doll someone had left behind with her hands quietly in her lap.
Totsuka, who was standing in front of Anna, wasn’t smiling for once, and seemed to be paying attention to something around them.
“Totsuka-san?” When Yata said something to him, Totsuka looked like he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, sorry, thanks.” Totsuka smiled and took the juice Yata handed him.
“Here ya go.” Kamamoto gave Anna some blood orange juice. It’s orange juice with a color like tomato juice.
“Huh, what about Saruhiko?” Yata looked around, since he couldn’t see his friend.
“He wasn’t with you guys?”
Apparently, he had gotten away at some point. Yata clicked his tongue in exasperation.
“That guy, he went off on his own, didn’t he.”
He had always worked at his own pace and didn’t try to match up with others ever since they had met, but it seemed like it had been getting worse recently.
“Yata and Saru-kun are also a strange combination, huh.” Totsuka said this, smiling around his juice’s straw.
“Are we?”
“Yeah. The fact that you’re mismatched is the interesting part, though. You’ve been friends since middleschool, right?”
Yata noisily sipped his cola while remembering the time around when he met Fushimi.
“Ah, yeah, I guess he wasn’t the type of person in my class I’d normally become friends with. But somehow… I guess you could say we both kinda felt irritated at nothing in particular, or felt frustrated…”
Remembering the melancholy that nothing could be done about from those days, yet not being able to explain it well, Yata suddenly raised his eyes while muttering. Totsuka had a soft expression on his face as he looked at Yata like he was watching over him.
At that expression of Totsuka’s, Yata somehow started feeling uncomfortable.
When Totsuka was horsing around with them, he was weirdly childish, or just didn’t make them feel like there was an age gap, but sometimes he’d make a face that would made one think he were more of an adult than their real age gap. Yata had just a little bit of trouble dealing with Totsuka in those moments.
“…what?” When he asked that with a petulant look, Totsuka went ‘hm?’ and tilted his head.
“You were making a weird face just now.”
“‘Weird’, that’s mean… I just was wondering if you felt the same way now.”
Now? Yata tilted his head, then immediately shook it.
“Since I joined Homura, not at all. Everyone messes around and laughs, and if something happens we just blow it away. If Mikoto-san is close by, then I don’t have any opening to feel frustrated, anyway.”
“I wonder if it’s the same for Saru-kun?”
In response to that unexpected question, Yata blinked once or twice.
“Eh?”
“I wonder if Saru-kun, who felt the same way as you, is also letting himself be saved by us?”
It was a question he’d never even thought of. It wasn’t something he had thought of, but he tried thinking about it, and came up with a simple answer.
“I dunno, but isn’t he?”
Being beside Suou, there wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t have their hearts moved and wouldn’t have their blood boil, Yata thought simply. Totsuka didn’t comment on Yata’s answer, just said ‘I see’, and then put on a face like he was looking somewhere distant again.
“Hey, Totsuka-san, hasn’t your head been above the clouds several times since earlier? What’s up?”
“Hm? No, it’s nothing… shall we get going soon?” Saying that with the same expression, Totsuka threw his empty cup into a trashcan.
“Anna-chan, Kamamoto, soon… wh, whoa!” Looking over in Anna and Kamamoto’s direction, Totsuka leaned back a bit. Yata also raised his voice in a ‘haah?’.
“…what are you doing?” Asked Totsuka as he tilted his head.
Kamamoto was lying on his back on the side of the fountain, and Anna was curled up on that big, round stomach like a kitten.
“Welll, Anna-chan showed some interest in my stomach, so.”
“Why are you looking proud!?”
“Ah, do you wanna sit on it, too, Yata-san?”
“Of course I don’t!”
While Kamamoto, who looked like a lazy walrus, was going at it with Yata, Totsuka smiled at Anna who was using that walrus’s stomach as a bed.
“How is it? Kamamoto’s stomach.”
“…soft.”
“Good for you-. What do you wanna do? Rest here for a little bit longer? Or go play again? It’s already sunset, so if you’re tired we could also go home soon…”
“…go play.” Said Anna as she got up from Kamamoto’s stomach.
Apparently, Anna was really relaxing and having fun today. Totsuka began to discuss with her which ride to go on next while smiling. While watching that, Yata noticed that the back of her skirt was dirty. Probably, when she had sat on the fountain, something from that had gotten on her.
“Your butt’s dirty.”
“Hey, Yata-saaaan! There’s got to be a different way to say that!”
Anna twisted her neck to look at the back of her skirt. Pursing her lips in a way that was slightly embarrassed, she patted her skirt over and over. However, the place she was thumping was off, and the sandy spot wasn’t even half erased.
Oh, right, this kid can’t see anything but red, Yata remembered. He wouldn’t be able to see a grey stain on grey, either. Totsuka casually reached out and brushed it off instead. Yata started.
“Wha, why are you touching her behind!”
“Eh, that’s how you saw it!?”
“Yata-saan… look, now Anna-chan’s gone and hid behind Totsuka-san.”
“Eh!? Why am I the one who seems like the lolicon here!?”
Yata turned red and glared at Totsuka and Kamamoto, before scowling and looking down at Anna.
“More importantly, why’re you wearing blue clothes?”
If you can’t see anything but red you ought to wear red, Yata thought simply. If you can’t see the color of your clothes, then you can’t see what’s on them, can you. Anna looked up at Yata. In the face of the young girl’s straightforward eyes, he wavered a bit.
“…I got them at the center.”
Yata frowned without thinking at the word ‘center’, which only held suspicion and negative feelings for him. Moving his gaze to Totsuka and Kamamoto, they were also making an odd face and looking at Anna.
“Was the person who gave them to you the chief?” When Totsuka asked that gently, Anna nodded.
“He said they were a present… Honami also said they were cute.” While saying that, Anna’s expression, which have been relaxing in a fun way until then, became stiff. Her expressions were lacking, so it was at a level where you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t paying a lot of attention, but perhaps because they had been together since earlier, Yata was able to notice the change.
‘I see’ went Totsuka in a light voice. Yata felt frustrated, like he had something stuck between his teeth, but Totsuka didn’t show even a hint of negative feelings.
“Well then, Anna-chan, what do you want to ride next? It’s about time for the park to close, so I guess the next one will be the last, but…”
“That.”
Anna pointed towards the sky without hesitation.
“I want to see the sunset from there.”
++++++++++++
In response to the atmosphere of the amusement park, which seemed to be forcing those in it to be bright and happy, Fushimi had felt such tiredness that it made him feel ill, and he found an opening to get away from Anna and company. It seemed to be about close to closing time, so the guests were beginning to head home. While he thought about whether it would be okay for him to just go home already, Fushimi found an empty bench and practically threw himself down on it.
As he looked up at the madder-red sky absentmindedly while his body felt tense, suddenly someone sat heavily down next to him. Looking over, Fushimi started. It was Suou. Ripping the seal off of a new box of cigarettes, he took one out and lit it. Shoot, Fushimi thought while fidgeting in response to feeling uncomfortable to the extreme. But, if he were to get up now, it’d be even more awkward.
“…what happened to those guys.” Suou said that in a way that implied he didn’t care while not looking at Fushimi.
“They should be… resting somewhere, I think…” When Fushimi answered awkwardly, Suou went ‘mm’ in a way that still sounded like he didn’t care. Without any comment or complaint about how Fushimi had gone off on his own (not that he wanted to hear that from Suou, who had had zero intention of going along with this from the beginning), Suou just boredly blew some cigarette smoke.
A silence fell.
…this was awkward.
Fushimi tried to casually come up with an excuse to leave, while feeling irritated at the park’s bright background music as if to take things out on it. Suou, without minding Fushimi’s situation at all, and as if Fushimi wasn’t there at all, just coolly leaned back on the bench alone.
“…Mikoto-san, it’s surprising that you’d go along with something like this.” When he opened his mouth desperately, Suou went ‘hmph’ and smiled in response.
“You too.”
“…if it’s an order from above, then it can’t be helped, so.” After he ended up talking back like a child, Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly. Gone to an amusement park on an order. There wasn’t anything more stupid. And anyway, it wasn’t like Totsuka had given an order or anything. He had just smiled like usual and said ‘Saru-kun, you come too’. Not that he had let Fushimi get a word in, but. Fushimi thought he hated that part of that person.
“Fushimi.” Suou called while letting ash fall from his cigarette. Fushimi looked up and at Suou, who was sitting next to him.
“Have you noticed?”
“Eh?” What, he couldn’t ask because his pride got in the way. As usual, Suou still wasn’t looking in Fushimi’s direction. Fushimi closed his mouth and payed attention to his surroundings. Narrowing his eyes behind his glasses, he fixedly paid attention to his surroundings- and realized with a start.
“Ah, King, Saru-kun.” At the same moment, a voice spoke to them. Looking over, he could see Totsuka and company coming down the road. Anna, letting her blue clothes flutter, ran over. She came up to the bench, then stopped short. In response to Anna, who was standing right at the edge of the space and looking fixedly up at Suou with a serious face, Suou made an oddly uncomfortable face.
Totsuka, who caught up, smiled and looked at Suou.
“Come with us for the last one, at least.”
It was close to closing time. If they planned to continue playing, then this would probably be the last one. When Suou got up looking like it was a pain, Yata went over with a face like a dog wagging its tail. Feeling irritated by that, Fushimi clicked his tongue a little and stood up. Grabbing Yata’s collar, he dragged him.
“Whoa, what, Saru!”
“C’mere for a sec.”
When Fushimi dragged Yata away from the others, Totsuka tilted his head and looked at them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t ‘what’s wrong’ me.”
Fushimi turned his face halfway to glare at Totsuka. Totsuka smiled to change the subject as if saying ‘you figured it out, huh’. Kamamoto looked like he didn’t get what was going on and looked back and forth between Suou and Fushimi in a troubled way, but in the end, as though to follow Yata who was being dragged away, he went with Fushimi and company.
++++++++++
“Closed Today”. In front of the ferris wheel which had that sign on it, Anna’s shoulders fell a little.
Apparently, Anna had been quietly looking forward to seeing the sunset from the ferris wheel. Totsuka scratched his cheek in a troubled way because he hadn’t been able to grant what Anna wanted even though she hardly ever said she wanted anything.
“Hmm, what should we do.”
“…it’s okay. It’s fine.” Anna reasonably shook her head. To that manner which made her seem like she was trying to swallow her disappointment, Totsuka looked around to try and find at least a place where one could see the sunset well.
Suou, who had been yawning boredly a little ways off, let out a little sigh. His arm picked up Anna and held her on his hip.
“King?”
When Totsuka tilted his head, Suou’s other arm reached out and lifted him up like a rice sack.
“Wha, wai…”
And then Suou’s legs kicked the ground.
Their bodies floated up. The scenery flowed down all at once like a waterfall. With sleek movements like a feline beast, hardly making any noise at all, Suou’s body flew up into the air carrying Anna and Totsuka, and he landed on top of a gondola halfway up the ferris wheel. Right away, he jumped up again.
In not even two seconds, Totsuka and company were at the tallest point of the amusement part, the top of the ferris wheel. When Suou was just about to land, he carelessly threw Totsuka down onto the roof of the gondola.
“Owowow… whoa.” Totsuka, who had landed on his behind on the roof, had Anna lowered onto him.
“-Ah… Anna-chan, are you okay?” Said Totsuka as he held Anna on his lap so there was no chance of her falling. Even Anna looked surprised at the sudden happening. Totsuka smiled wryly.
“Do it after you give us a warning. Look, Anna-chan’s surprised.”
After blinking several times with a surprised face, Anna slowly moved her large eyes.
High.
Even among all the large rides like jet coasters, this ferris wheel was especially high. Around it was nothing, and one could see far away. The trees that surrounded the amusement park, and the pack of buildings beyond it. The setting sun was about to sink beyond all that. The red sun way dying the town the same color. The sky was the color of melted crimson, and the ground was also filled with red light.
Anna fixedly gazed at that scenery. Anna, who was watching the sunset without moving, had her hair stroked by the wind.
“Totsuka.”
Hearing his name and looking up, Totsuka saw that Suou was standing on top of the gondola with his hands in his pockets, and looking in a different direction from the sunset. Suou’s slightly narrowed eyes were looking at various places in the park as though to confirm something.
“Is this why you brought me out?”
Totsuka understood what Suou was saying and smiled wryly.
“It was Kusanagi-san’s idea, though.”
“Seems like we’ve been followed all day.”
“Since King kept his distance, I thought they might move, but… it turns out the other guys were surprisingly cautious, too.”
Anna looked up at their conversation. Totsuka met her eyes and smiled, but he didn’t explain anything, and looked back at Suou.
“There’s a lot of them, isn’t there.”
“…yeah, if it was just you guys, then even if YataFushimi were here, you might’ve been beaten by numbers.”
“Yeah. That’s why I had King be our insurance. Sorry.”
Suou finally looked at Totsuka and Anna. His eyes met Anna’s.
“Those guys, they’re suspecting that I’ll turn this brat into my clansman, aren’t they.”
“Probably.”
When Totsuka nodded, Anna seemed disturbed. Her expression didn’t change much, but he could tell clearly that her eyes showed a troubled waver.
“Meaning they’ve got a reason why it’d be a problem if someone took this one.”
Suou took a step forward on top of the gondola’s roof. Right at the edge of the roof. He stood where the tips of his toes would be stepping on air.
“What are you going to do?”
“Scatter them. You were intending to make me do that anyway, right?”
When looked at in a scolding, exasperated way, Totsuka smiled wryly.
They could feel that the other side was hiding something in relation to Anna. It was surely becoming a seed of nervousness for them that Anna was currently amongst the red clansmen. If the other side was carried away by that nervousness and tried to go out of their way to retrieve Anna, they could unashamedly fight back.
They hadn’t gotten enough of an excuse to go that far, but just being surrounded by this amount of people was enough of an oddity. For Homura, it was a fine situation for them to pick a fight.
“You guys stay here.” When Suou said that and was about to jump down, Anna’s hand moved. She grabbed Suou’s sleeve.
“Mikoto.”
Her tone was no different from usual, and it was quiet and thin, but there was a deep uneasiness in it. Anna looked up at Suou and shook her head. He frowned.
“…it’ll be done right away.” Unusual for Suou, he said it like he was trying to lessen that unease, but Anna’s relying eyes didn’t change.
“Honami is…” Saying her aunt’s name, Anna closed her mouth again.
“Are you worried about her? Without you worrying, those guys won’t lay a hand on a civilian. There’s an agreement.” Even when Suou said that, Anna’s expression didn’t soften. Seeing that and understanding something, he clicked his tongue loudly.
Suou took Anna’s small hand, and in a way that implied he was having trouble controlling his strength (it looked like he was seriously unsure about how much strength to use in order to not destroy it), and made her let go. She looked up at him helplessly. Without saying anything more, Suou signaled at Totsuka just once with his eyes and jumped.
++++++++
Suou landed on the ground.
Due to his landing from a ridiculous height, the ground trembled. Straightening up, he looked around. It seemed as though while he was on top of the ferris wheel, closing time had come. There were no civilian guests around. Or perhaps the blues had evacuated them. Either way, it was convenient for Suou.
He closed his senses. Closing his normal senses as a human being, he opened something deeper. The world’s atmosphere changed. He directly felt his power as a king, that he usually kept closed up within himself and did his best to not pay attention to.
Deep within his chest was the presence of a smoldering, magma-like flame. It smoldered and writhed, like it wanted to go wild on the outside even now. He pushed down a melting desire to loosen the bindings and let free the blames within his body. The flames in his chest let out a voice of objection as they were forced down. His temple ached. But, Suou smiled faintly.
His pupils opened, and from his body a torrent of light spilled out. As though called by Suou’s power, far above his head the sky twisted, and a red luminous body appeared. That luminous body started off as nothing but a speck of red light. That shined dazzlingly, then explosively swelled. From that burst of intense light, a gigantic sword appeared.
…Sword of Damocles.
That was proof of a king, and it held the duty of disciplining the king.
“What, is no one going to show themselves?”
The blue clansmen who had followed Anna still hid themselves, and not a single one responded to Suou’s taunt. It was a matter of course. There were no humans who would come right out after having a king’s power shown to them. But, just their presence vividly came across. A waver in the atmosphere that was as though they were intensely disturbed, and not sure whether they should run or not.
Suou snorted once, and let loose a torrent of red power from his body. The earth shuddered with a rumble, and waves of red light spread out with him at the center.
+++++++++
Anna had her mouth hanging open on top of the ferris wheel, and she stared up at the gigantic sword that had appeared in front of her eyes.
“It’s the Sword of Damocles.” Totsuka said. Anna opened her eyes wide, and continued to stare at the blade. Anna’s eyes sparkled red with the reflection of Suou’s sword’s light.
“It’s damaged.”
In response to Anna’s words, Totsuka smiled bitterly. As she had said, Suou’s Sword of Damocles was not taking a perfect form. The energy body in the shape of a sword was cracked in places.
The state of the Sword of Damocles was said to show the state of that king’s ‘Weismann Value’. A Weismann value was the stability of that king’s power. Suou’s Weismann value was constantly unstable.
“You see, King’s always in a state like he’s keeping a starving beast inside his own body, I think.” Totsuka said this as though whispering while he felt the heat from the Sword of Damocles on his skin.
“That beast is thrashing around because it wants to get out. It wants flesh and blood. But, King won’t let it do that… the damage on that Sword of Damocles might be scars from that fight, I think.”
Anna looked from the sword to Totsuka. He smiled at her, and then looked down.
“Though even if I say something like that, someone like me can’t understand.”
It’s not something someone other than a king could possibly understand. Below, Suou had just let loose his red-colored power. A red, hot aura. That came up from Suou’s body and spread out with fearsome force. It looked showy, but it had no attack power. But, for the blue clansmen surrounding him, it had a disturbing effect.
The blue clansmen, who had spent a long time since they lost their king, scattered and ran away when they touched a fragment of a king’s power. The ones who had been hiding themselves appeared, some fell as though their knees had gone weak when swallowed up by Suou’s red aura, and some ran from the aura as it pressed at them.
It was as though all the enemies had fled at a single snarl from Suou, who hadn’t even attacked. Looking at that, Anna quietly said,
“Is becoming a king something painful?”
In response to Anna’s question, Totsuka looked at her face.
“Anna-chan?”
With her usual expressionless face, like a soulless doll, Anna said,
“I’m going to become the blue king.”
++++++++++++
“We’re surrounded?”
In response to Fushimi’s words, Yata frowned. Quickly looking around as though to search the area for something’s presence, Yata clicked his tongue.
“The blues who are after that kid, huh.” Yata said with an annoyed face. Fushimi pulled his chin in slightly.
“Probably.”
“Seriously. I wonder if it’ll turn into a fight.” Kamamoto said this while rolling his arm like a warm-up exercise.
“Who knows. But, it’s probably for this that we got dragged all the way out here.”
When Fushimi said that without looking at Kamamoto, Yata clenched his fists.
“Alright! Let’s get it on!”
“Don’t rush.”
While looking over in an exasperated way, Fushimi got ready to move at any time. Probably, the reason why Totsuka had brought them was to be Anna’s bodyguard while she was apart from Suou. Move away from Suou and show an opening, then hit back when they were attacked.
Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking he didn’t like that. If that was the case, then they should’ve said so from the beginning. Well, in the case of simple-minded Yata, there’s no way he could hear that and then pretend there was nothing, but…
(Ah, and that, too.)
Figuring out Totsuka’s thoughts, Fushimi snorted. Even though he had a plan, separate from that, he had probably been thinking of something sickeningly sweet like wanting to simply have Anna enjoy herself.
It was so stupid.
Fushimi felt more irritated than was necessary, and put his fingers to his temple. It was the next moment. Suddenly, his whole body trembled. He opened his eyes wide and stiffened. What had assaulted him was a powerful pressure close to instinct. It was a fear that directly went to his instincts, like he was being glared at by a huge beast at a close distance.
Right afterwards, in the sunset sky, light was born.
Along with red light, the sky twisted, and from inside came a luminous body shaped like a sword.
“The Sword of… Damocles…” Said Fushimi in a faint voice. At the same time, from beneath the sword, an immense energy was born. A light holding a fearsome energy became a red pillar reaching to the sky, and that became red waves of light that spread as though to lick all over the insides of the park.
A wave of red aura went in front of Fushimi’s eyes. He couldn’t move. He was swallowed up by the hot red light and fell to his knees. Before he had realized it, Fushimi was kneeling down on top of the asphalt. His body was shuddering slightly. The red wave of aura had already vanished. It had no attack power and was simple a manifestation. It was just a show-of. Even though he knew that…
Fushimi’s body, in contrast to those thoughts, was completely afraid. Suou had simply roared to scatter the annoying rats scampering around. Despite that, Fushimi was afraid of that roar along with the rats and couldn’t stand.
“Awe…some.” Said Yata in a heated voice, as he stood in shock.
“Awesome! Mikoto-san really is great! For Mikoto-san, that was just like nothing, like he was just scaring them, right? Even then… even though it was just that…” Yata searched for words to use impatiently, with his cheeks red, as he grasped at his own chest.
“It, makes my soul shiver.”
Fushimi, on his knees, looked up at Yata. In his head that had gotten very dull, he thought that oh, come to think of it, Yata is standing up properly. Even though he himself was so pathetically kneeling down, Yata was standing up with his eyes sparkling.
“You okay?” Kamamoto asked and offered a hand as though to pull him up. Fushimi felt an unbearable shame at that hand. Even though this fatty called Yata ‘Yata-san’ and respected him, he’d offer his hand from above to Fushimi who had joined Homura along with Yata.
Even though he was the one who had always pulled along Yata, who was stupid and simple-minded and always running around getting nowhere. Why was Yata able to stand now, while he was pathetically on his knees and getting a hand offered to him.
Fushimi ignored Kamamoto and got up himself.
++++++++++++++
…I’m going to become the blue king.
In response to Anna’s confession, Totsuka opened his eyes wide.
“What?”
After Suou’s manifestation, the Sword of Damocles vanished. Now, beneath a sky that was only dyed red in the west by the nearly fallen sun, and in the east by the night’s deep blue, Totsuka faced Anna.
Anna’s blue skirt fluttered in the high place’s wind. Blue. That was a color Anna didn’t even know. At the moment, there was no blue king. That throne was open. And Strains were an existence called ‘those who couldn’t become a king’. But why would Anna wish for something like that?
“Why would you be something like a king?”
“…because I can see the ‘Slate’.”
‘Slate’. That was the thing that chose ‘Kings’. It was an object surrounded by a veil of mystery that had been found in Dresden and then carried to Japan after the war.
The system which determines a king was still mostly unknown. But, if it were Anna’s clairvoyant powers- powers that allowed her to ‘See’ all things, if she were able to directly access the ‘Slate’, then maybe it would not be impossible to become a king.
But.
“Is that what you want?”
Anna didn’t reply. In Totsuka’s mind, as though he were watching a film, he saw Suou until he became a king- as he became a king.
“…you can’t do that, Anna-chan.” Totsuka slowly shook his head.
“If you don’t want to, you shouldn’t be something like a king.” The words said with Totsuka’s own mouth quietly pricked at his chest. Anna looked fixedly at him. He looked straight back at those eyes, which seemed to see through everything.
With a thudding noise, the ferris wheel began to move. Looking, Yata, Fushimi, and Kamamoto were down at the bottom. It seemed like Kamamoto had moved the ferris wheel. Suou, who had scattered the blue clansmen, was leaning against the rails of the boarding area and smoking.
Sitting on top of the gondola’s roof and holding Anna, within the slowly moving and lowering scenery, Totsuka opened his mouth.
“Anna-chan, that day, you tried to run away from home, didn’t you? Didn’t you want to escape?”
Meaning the time when Yata and Kamamoto had come in contact with the blue twins. Anna had tried to leave Honami’s home alone, carrying luggage. Anna clammed up like she had been scolded.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? You were right. If you think you want to run, you should run.”
“I can’t run.”
Anna shook her head. Her small body felt as though it were wrapped in conflict.
“Why?”
When he asked that gently, Anna fell into silence again. It was as though the Anna who surrounded herself with high walls and hadn’t responded when spoken to the day they had met at the bar had returned. Totsuka remembered her words from earlier when she had tried to hold Suou back. He slowly opened his mouth and asked,
“If you don’t go back to the center, will something bad happen to Honami-sensei?”
Anna’s eyes wavered.
“Anna-chan.”
When he called her name a bit strongly, Anna looked up. Tightening her lips, she firmly looked at Totsuka’s eyes and said,
“I’ll protect Honami.”
The young girl who was supposed to be protected said that with a face full of decision. Anna’s small hands gripped her blue skirt.
“Today was fun.”
Saying that, Anna very slightly, to the point that one might think they were mistaken, smiled.
“So, it’s okay.”
What do you mean by ‘so’. What’s ‘okay’. Even if he wanted to ask, Anna’s words were completely rejecting the hand Totsuka and company tried to offer her.
Until the gondola reached the bottom, Anna would no longer open her mouth no matter what Totsuka said.
When the gondola Totsuka and Anna were on reached the bottom, Kamamoto stopped the ferris wheel. Totsuka picked Anna up in one arm and handed her over to Kamamoto below. Kamamoto took her and lowered her to the ground as though she were precious.
When Totsuka jumped down from the roof, Suou was just on the phone. He was responding generically with stuff like ‘yeah’ and ‘got it’, then hung up.
“Kusanagi-san?”
When Totsuka asked, Suou pulled his chin in a little.
“It seems like she was just leaving, so I had him go ahead and take her into his protection just in case.”
There wasn’t any indication, but he could tell they were talking about Honami.
“Was Honami-sensei okay?”
“Yeah.” As Suou said that, he looked at Anna, who was surrounded by Kamamoto and Yata. Anna was spoken to by Kamamoto and replied shortly. Between that, she looked in Suou’s direction. When their eyes met, Suou very slightly nodded. It was something too short to be called a signal, but Anna sighed as though relieved.
“…earlier, King asked if this is why I brought you out, right?”
Totsuka said in a stifled voice while looking in Anna’s direction. Suou raised one eyebrow slightly and looked to the side at Totsuka.
“Well, that’s certainly the case, but… but even if I didn’t have a plan, I would’ve dragged King along.”
Totsuka smiled looking at Suou, who looked questioning.
“Because Anna-chan had really wanted to play with King.”
“…why. It’s fine if you’re there, isn’t it.”
“I’m not enough.” Totsuka smiled and looked down at his own hand.
The scar from when he had touched Anna still vaguely remained on his fingers.
“That child likes strong people.”
“…what, is that supposed to mean.”
“It’s because you definitely won’t get hurt because of her.”
Totsuka thought that maybe, the reason why Anna was strongly attracted to Suou’s power at the same time as trying to avoid it, was because she felt like she wanted to rely on that strength. It looked like Anna had decided that she couldn’t depend on anyone. Forcing down the thought that she wanted to run away, she held a tragic determination.
…I’m going to become the blue king.
Totsuka made a serious face as he thought of Anna’s words from the top of the ferris wheel. In a small voice that wouldn’t reach her, he said,
“King. That child intends to become a king.”
© trashbunny.tumblr.com/
Английский язык, в два раза больше слов, чем в предыдущем пстоLooking at that signboard, Kusanagi couldn’t help but let out a scornful laugh. No many how many times he saw it, he thought it was a weird name. The true identity of this building, which wore the skin of a proper government office, was the blue clan’s- Scepter 4’s headquarters.
Apparently, the name comes from how they claim up front to be dealing with ‘special foreigners’. But that’s just something like a metaphor. In actuality, they don’t deal in people who are from different countries, but rather those with different abilities- in other words, people with supernatural powers.
Even amongst that, the type they dealt with the most were people who naturally gained abilities without joining a clan or receiving power from a king, Strains. Because there were cases where Strains, who had neither an organization they were affiliated with or a king to listen to, used their powers to commit crimes.
When Scepter 4 discovered an unregistered Strain, they were to take them into custody, and send them to centers for education and research under the golden king’s jurisdiction. Because of that, from before the golden clan and the blue clan already had an intimate relationship. But…
“With one of ‘em without a king, there’s no way they’d be able to keep up an equal relationship.”
He didn’t know what things had been like before. But, now at least, one couldn’t see the blue clan as anything but a bunch of hired security guards being used by the golden clan.
“…it sure is tragic, ain’t it. A subject who’s lost their king.”
Saying that to himself, Kusanagi went through the forth ward’s gate.
Kusanagi was led into a meeting room further in by a person from Scepter 4 in blue clothes, even as they gave him painfully suspicious looks. One way or another, Scepter 4 was supposed to be an organization that considered protecting the law amongst those with superhuman powers to be their principle. He figured it would probably be alright, but if there was someone here who thought they might as well take the opportunity to squash a red clan executive, would he be able to return in one piece, Kusanagi thought to himself half whimsically. He supposed he’d be completely outnumbered, so it might be difficult. Sitting on the meeting room’s old sofa, the amount of time he had to wait was about as long as it took to smoke one cigarette.
A heavy knocked filled the air, and then door opened. Putting his shortened cigarette in the ash tray, Kusanagi stood up.
The person who appeared was a man who looked just over forty. One could figure that he was that old from his face, but from his blank expression that went beyond tiredness, and the way he moved as though even taking a single step was tiresome, one would think he were someone older, like an old man. His formal uniform also seemed to be neglected and worn-out.
“…So you’re that guy? The red clan’s adviser, Kusanagi Izumo.” Said the main in a heavy, weary-sounding tone. Kusanagi smiled.
“Well, I’m not somethin’ as big and important as an adviser… you’re Scepter 4’s deputy commander, Shiotsu Gen-san, correct?”
In response to Kusanagi’s words, for some reason Shiotsu spat out a ‘ha!’ and smiled scornfully.
“Deputy commander, huh.”
“…am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not. Unfortunately, right now, there’s no one here who’s any better than this mediocre guy.” Saying that sullenly, the deputy commander sat down on the sofa across the low table. The old thing let out a stupid sounding ‘swoosh’ as air escaped from it.
“Want some tea?”
“No.”
“Figured. You shouldn’t put anything from enemy territory into your mouth carelessly.”
“Oh, is this enemy territory for me?”
“Isn’t it?”
Sinking into the sofa while leaning sloppily on the back, Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi. Kusanagi didn’t confirm or deny it.
“…today, I’ve come to apologize. Yesterday, our kids apparently caused you some trouble.”
Shiotsu didn’t try to respond immediately. He looked up at Kusanagi while his mouth stayed closed.
“It’s against the rules to trespass on another clan’s territory. It’s Scepter 4’s duty to punish those who deserve it.” Shiotsu said quietly, and as though he were chewing on sand. Kusanagi nodded.
“I understand.”
“…but, there was a problem with my subordinates who attacked first without properly assessing the situation, apparently. And anyway, chief Mizuchi doesn’t seem to want to make a fuss out of this case. There’s no need for you to apologize to me. If that’s all you wanted, leave.”
Kusanagi looked at Shiotsu’s expression silently for a moment, then got his cigarette box out from his pocket.
“Mind if I smoke?”
“…I told you to leave.” But, even as he said that grudgingly, he gave permission by gesturing with his chin.
Kusanagi took a cigarette out from the box and put it in his mouth, then lit it with his lighter. A small flame lit up its end. Smoke rose.
“Yesterday, the ones who got into trouble with our kids were the twins from your place. It sounds like they’re pretty young. Even younger than me, maybe?”
“So what?”
“Well. It’s just… it’s been ten years since the previous blue king passed away, hasn’t it? So I was just a bit interested, since if there were such young clansmen, then they must’ve been only children when they joined.”
Shiotsu clocked his tongue a little, and also got some cigarettes out from his pocket. When Kusanagi offered his lighter, Shiotsu paused for just a moment, before tiredly getting up from the back of the sofa and leaned out to use the fire.
“They were a special case.” Said Shiotsu as he held the cigarette between his thumb and forefinger and smoked it with a displeased face.
“Their parents were members of Scepter 4, you see. Then they died on duty during a certain incident. Those two were twelve at the time. Since they didn’t have anyone else to go to, Scepter 4 decided to take care of them as a group, but… those guys, they went to the previous king and asked to be made members of Scepter 4 themselves. Since they wanted to take over their parents’ dying will.” Only at the moment that he was speaking about the previous blue king did light appear in the tired-out deputy’s eyes. When the previous king was alive, he must have also been a member full of hope, one could feel from those eyes.
“And then…”
“He gave in. He made those two, who were still children, into clansmen. Of course, he hadn’t intended to let them work as actual members for a while. He probably just wanted to respect their wishes and raise them slowly.”
‘Probably just wanted to’, meaning that didn’t come to pass.
Kusanagi knew what happened after that. He knew, and he still asked.
“Then what?”
“…It was two weeks after those two became blue clansmen… that the Kagutsu incident happened.”
The Kagutsu incident. The incident that happened ten years ago when Japan’s geography changed. People who knew what had happened called the place that had been dug out in a circle the ‘Kagutsu Crater’ after the man who had been at the center of the explosion.
Kusanagi breathed slightly.
“If I recall correctly, the previous blue king passed away during the Kagutsu incident.”
At Kusanagi’s words, Shiotsu’s slack body which had been sinking into the sofa tensed slightly. Wrinkling his brow, he answered shortly.
“Yeah.”
“It must have been such a shock for the brothers, who were children and had just become blue clansmen. Since right as they decided to take over their parents’ wills and decided on which back they should follow, it vanished.”
Shiotsu glared up at Kusanagi.
“…You’re not being sympathetic.”
“No, I’m not.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Kusanagi smiled like he would at a customer in his bar, and said,
“What occurred ten years ago was really a tragedy, but I was wonderin’ what happened to the sense of justice you guys were surely holdin’ on to at first even then.”
Shiotsu didn’t change his sloppy posture. But, his eyes alone began to shine dangerously.
“…are you trying to provoke me?”
“I’m aware that I’m bein’ rude. However, from what I’ve heard, the brothers who got into trouble with our kids didn’t seem to care a whole lot about justice or anythin’.”
“Are you trying to gloss over what your comrades did?”
“What I’m tryin’ to say is,” Kusanagi raised his voice. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shiotsu.
“Can you guys vow to your own king that your actions are nothin’ to be ashamed of?”
The atmosphere in the room tensed. Kusanagi could clearly sense killing intent rise from the man who was sitting loosely in front of him.
Kusanagi focused on the cigarette still in his fingers. So that should the other guy get into ‘that mood’, he’d be able to respond right away. The shortened cigarette flame wavered slightly in response to Kusanagi’s thoughts.
“…you won’t respond right away?”
“We have no king anymore.”
Kusanagi breathed out slightly.
“That’s your answer, huh.”
Shiotsu smiled thinly, but his eyes still shone with the killing intent reflected within.
“Right now, no one here can vow to their king that they have nothing to be ashamed of… we’re just a group of cowards who couldn’t even be at their king’s side when Kagutsu happened.”
Kusanagi frowned slightly at the words that were spat out.
“It’s not cool to talk down on yourself like that.”
“Shut it.”
“You’re not cool, but you’re not really a bad guy, I guess.”
As he said that, Kusanagi shoved his shortened cigarette into the ashtray. The fire crackled and vanished. Standing up straight, he turned to look right into Shiotsu’s petulant eyes.
“I’ll take that as a warning to ‘not believe me’. You should know what we’re feeling. Even then, you don’t say one word of excuse… you don’t intend to defend what you’re protecting, and you don’t think the work you’re doing right now is what’s right.”
Shiotsu didn’t reply, and only looked sullenly at Kusanagi. Kusanagi was smiling.
“You’re tryin’ to be shameless, but do you not wanna regain your honor? We’ve lost any intention of trusting chief Mizuchi, and if it comes to a fight over that girl, we plan to face it… would you still become our enemy if that happened?”
“That’s our work.” It was a deep voice with all expression deadened. Even the sulky atmosphere from earlier had vanished, and a wall that seemed to shut everything out had been born.
Kusanagi decided it was time to go.
“…excuse me. Even though I just came to apologize, I ended up startin’ a long conversation.”
Kusanagi bowed one and stood up. As he was walking to the door, Shiotsu’s voice came.
“Not to mention us, I can’t recommend making an enemy out of the golden clan.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“You.” Shiotsu’s voice rose for a moment. Kusanagi turned to look at him without thinking. His greying head could be seen from behind, still seated on the couch.
“…what do you think about the Kagutsu story?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you trying to act like it’s unrelated to you?”
Right then, Kusanagi shuddered slightly.
He inwardly clicked his tongue at the fact that he had.
“That your king, that Suou Mikoto is different from the previous red king, Kagutsu Genji… can you vow it?”
…He asked something unpleasant. Kusanagi made a complicated face somewhere between annoyance and a bitter smile. But, they had both asked something unpleasant. However, Kusanagi still didn’t feel the urge to talk self-deprecatingly like Shiotsu had.
“He’s different, our king.”
Shiotsu went ‘hmph’.
“I hate red kings. Their nature as king is too dangerous… Suou Mikoto might also become a Kagutsu at any little provocation.”
“…by provocation, you mean?”
“Anything. A waver in his mentality, indulging in his power, strong interactions with another king… especially, killing another king.”
At the end of that sentence, Kusanagi suddenly remembered something he had heard before.
“The previous blue king passed away while trying to stop Kagutsu’s rampage, correct?”
“…yeah. In truth, he should’ve killed Kagutsu before he became like that. But, even if he had been able to, then the Crater’s name would’ve just changed from the Kagutsu Crater to… the Habari Crater. Our previous king was pulled along by Kagutsu before that, and his own Weismann value got messed up. If he had killed Kagutsu, his own Sword of Damocles would’ve fallen.”
The smell of tobacco filled the room. Kusanagi thought that it was a weirdly quiet place. Suddenly, he felt homesick for the noisiness of his bar.
“Regardless, should something happen to a king, another king is required in order to stop it. Now, there’s no longer a blue king… do you think there’s something you can do when your king crumbles?”
Kusanagi didn’t reply. He excused himself in a flat voice and left the room.
++++++++++
“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”
In response to Totsuka’s announcement, Suou frowned.
Behind Totsuka, Anna was staring in his direction half hidden. Even though she was staring shamelessly right at him, the fact that she was doing it from behind Totsuka made it kind of annoying.
“On this day, I would like to visit an amusement park.”
Perhaps because Suou didn’t reply, Totsuka repeated himself.
“That so.” When Suou, unable to reply any other way, said this in a way that implied he didn’t care, Totsuka smiled.
“Good for you, Anna-chan! King didn’t say no!”
“Ah?”
“Then, let’s go! King, can you leave right away?”
Suou grabbed Totsuka’s face. Even though his cheeks were being squished and his face was getting twisted in a stupid way, Totsuka didn’t mind and kept smiling.
“Who. Said. He’d. Go with you?”
“Oh, come on, King, do you intend to betray an innocent young girl’s expectations?” Said Totsuka in a muffled voice.
Anna fixedly, fiiiixedly continued to stare at Suou’s face. In response to those expectant eyes, Suou let go of Totsuka and looked away uncomfortably.
“You see, Anna-chan’s never gone to an amusement park.”
“Is that so.”
“So, she’d like to try going.”
“Then go.”
Even when he said that in a fed-up way, the power of Anna’s silent gaze was strong. Those large eyes like glass spheres were single-mindedly directed at him. It appeared as though the smiling Totsuka believed Suou would lose to Anna’s eyes, and that was annoying too.
“Before,”
Anna opened her mouth softly.
“Dad and mom said they’d take me to the amusement park… but, we didn’t get to go.”
Anna’s parents had died in a traffic accident. Though, he didn’t know whether the reason they hadn’t been able to go was their deaths or not. Anna had merely said the truth, and hadn’t been trying to make Suou sympathetic or anything. But, if he refused now, Totsuka appeared to be prepared to go ‘you fiend!’ and call him names. And Anna, despite being expressionless, was still sending a gaze that was weirdly passionate in his direction.
This isn’t a good day, Suou thought as he inwardly clicked his tongue.
The group walked through a park filled with happy voices and pleasant music.
“Mikoto-san, Mikoto-san! Do you want to get on the jet coaster!?” Said an excited Yata as he turned around.
“Aah?” With a voice that was annoyed to the extreme, Suou glared bullets at Yata. Yata went ‘I’m sorry!!’ and bowed.
“King, that’s not the face of someone visiting an amusement park!”
“You’re the one who made me come.”
Totsuka let Suou’s voice and glare pass through one ear and out the other with a smile. Beside Yata, Fushimi walked as he muttered ‘why me, too’. It appeared that Kamamoto had completely opened up with Anna, and the two of them were eating crepes together. Anna’s was strawberry, but Kamamoto’s was a mix of chocolate and banana, and Kamamoto told her ‘I’ll eat the rest if you can’t finish it’ in a way that it was hard to tell whether he was being nice or just being a glutton.
“I haven’t been to an amusement park since I was a kid!” To Yata, who was excitedly looking like he was having fun, Totsuka responded with a smile.
“It’s my first time, I guess?”
“Really? You haven’t gone a single time?”
“I didn’t really get a chance…”
In the end, nominally for the sake of taking Anna, five grown men were walking around an amusement park.
It was a surreal scene.
Suou, who had been walking furthest back, sat down heavily just when they were passing a smoking area bench.
“Hey, King-.”
“Shut it, go play as much as you want.”
Totsuka smiled wryly at Suou, who said that in an annoyed way while lighting a cigarette.
“Don’t go home before us, okay?” Totsuka said, pointing a finger at Suou. Then he took Anna and went towards the attractions. Yata kept looking back at Suou, but followed Totsuka and company.
Suou rested his arms on the back of the bench and looked up at the sky. It was a blue sky with hardly any clouds. The smoke from the cigarette in Suou’s mouth wavered slightly as it rose. Come to think of it, he felt like it had been a really long time since he had looked up at the sky like this. Recently, he hadn’t cared about the weather. Since he had spent a lot of time cut off from the outside world.
…since that brat came, he had kept being dragged out.
A doll-like girl with scarce expression. She accidentally stepped into what was inside him and passed out, and despite passing out she said ‘Mikoto’s dreams are fine.’ with a face that really looked like she were fine.
“This is stupid.” He said self-deprecatingly when he realized he was starting to care.
On a fine, clear day at the amusement park, passing families kept starting and glancing at the good-for-nothing looking man reclined on the bench.
This was just plain stupid.
Anna’s favorite was spinning coffee cups to death.
She’d get into a red cup, and spin it around to the limits of Kamamoto’s power. After getting off, the guys were all groggy, but on top of her expressionless face, even though it was extremely hard to tell, her eyes were gleaming in glee.
Anna, who had only left the impression of being doll-like, was actually enjoying herself, it seemed. Even when riding the jet coaster, Anna didn’t move a single eyelash and only had her eyes blaze. After riding aggressive rides one after another until almost sunset, they had Anna who was tired from playing rest while Yata and Kamamoto went to buy juice. When they came back, she was sitting beside the fountain. Spreading out the sleeves of her frilly clothes, which used lots of blue cloth, she looked like a doll someone had left behind with her hands quietly in her lap.
Totsuka, who was standing in front of Anna, wasn’t smiling for once, and seemed to be paying attention to something around them.
“Totsuka-san?” When Yata said something to him, Totsuka looked like he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, sorry, thanks.” Totsuka smiled and took the juice Yata handed him.
“Here ya go.” Kamamoto gave Anna some blood orange juice. It’s orange juice with a color like tomato juice.
“Huh, what about Saruhiko?” Yata looked around, since he couldn’t see his friend.
“He wasn’t with you guys?”
Apparently, he had gotten away at some point. Yata clicked his tongue in exasperation.
“That guy, he went off on his own, didn’t he.”
He had always worked at his own pace and didn’t try to match up with others ever since they had met, but it seemed like it had been getting worse recently.
“Yata and Saru-kun are also a strange combination, huh.” Totsuka said this, smiling around his juice’s straw.
“Are we?”
“Yeah. The fact that you’re mismatched is the interesting part, though. You’ve been friends since middleschool, right?”
Yata noisily sipped his cola while remembering the time around when he met Fushimi.
“Ah, yeah, I guess he wasn’t the type of person in my class I’d normally become friends with. But somehow… I guess you could say we both kinda felt irritated at nothing in particular, or felt frustrated…”
Remembering the melancholy that nothing could be done about from those days, yet not being able to explain it well, Yata suddenly raised his eyes while muttering. Totsuka had a soft expression on his face as he looked at Yata like he was watching over him.
At that expression of Totsuka’s, Yata somehow started feeling uncomfortable.
When Totsuka was horsing around with them, he was weirdly childish, or just didn’t make them feel like there was an age gap, but sometimes he’d make a face that would made one think he were more of an adult than their real age gap. Yata had just a little bit of trouble dealing with Totsuka in those moments.
“…what?” When he asked that with a petulant look, Totsuka went ‘hm?’ and tilted his head.
“You were making a weird face just now.”
“‘Weird’, that’s mean… I just was wondering if you felt the same way now.”
Now? Yata tilted his head, then immediately shook it.
“Since I joined Homura, not at all. Everyone messes around and laughs, and if something happens we just blow it away. If Mikoto-san is close by, then I don’t have any opening to feel frustrated, anyway.”
“I wonder if it’s the same for Saru-kun?”
In response to that unexpected question, Yata blinked once or twice.
“Eh?”
“I wonder if Saru-kun, who felt the same way as you, is also letting himself be saved by us?”
It was a question he’d never even thought of. It wasn’t something he had thought of, but he tried thinking about it, and came up with a simple answer.
“I dunno, but isn’t he?”
Being beside Suou, there wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t have their hearts moved and wouldn’t have their blood boil, Yata thought simply. Totsuka didn’t comment on Yata’s answer, just said ‘I see’, and then put on a face like he was looking somewhere distant again.
“Hey, Totsuka-san, hasn’t your head been above the clouds several times since earlier? What’s up?”
“Hm? No, it’s nothing… shall we get going soon?” Saying that with the same expression, Totsuka threw his empty cup into a trashcan.
“Anna-chan, Kamamoto, soon… wh, whoa!” Looking over in Anna and Kamamoto’s direction, Totsuka leaned back a bit. Yata also raised his voice in a ‘haah?’.
“…what are you doing?” Asked Totsuka as he tilted his head.
Kamamoto was lying on his back on the side of the fountain, and Anna was curled up on that big, round stomach like a kitten.
“Welll, Anna-chan showed some interest in my stomach, so.”
“Why are you looking proud!?”
“Ah, do you wanna sit on it, too, Yata-san?”
“Of course I don’t!”
While Kamamoto, who looked like a lazy walrus, was going at it with Yata, Totsuka smiled at Anna who was using that walrus’s stomach as a bed.
“How is it? Kamamoto’s stomach.”
“…soft.”
“Good for you-. What do you wanna do? Rest here for a little bit longer? Or go play again? It’s already sunset, so if you’re tired we could also go home soon…”
“…go play.” Said Anna as she got up from Kamamoto’s stomach.
Apparently, Anna was really relaxing and having fun today. Totsuka began to discuss with her which ride to go on next while smiling. While watching that, Yata noticed that the back of her skirt was dirty. Probably, when she had sat on the fountain, something from that had gotten on her.
“Your butt’s dirty.”
“Hey, Yata-saaaan! There’s got to be a different way to say that!”
Anna twisted her neck to look at the back of her skirt. Pursing her lips in a way that was slightly embarrassed, she patted her skirt over and over. However, the place she was thumping was off, and the sandy spot wasn’t even half erased.
Oh, right, this kid can’t see anything but red, Yata remembered. He wouldn’t be able to see a grey stain on grey, either. Totsuka casually reached out and brushed it off instead. Yata started.
“Wha, why are you touching her behind!”
“Eh, that’s how you saw it!?”
“Yata-saan… look, now Anna-chan’s gone and hid behind Totsuka-san.”
“Eh!? Why am I the one who seems like the lolicon here!?”
Yata turned red and glared at Totsuka and Kamamoto, before scowling and looking down at Anna.
“More importantly, why’re you wearing blue clothes?”
If you can’t see anything but red you ought to wear red, Yata thought simply. If you can’t see the color of your clothes, then you can’t see what’s on them, can you. Anna looked up at Yata. In the face of the young girl’s straightforward eyes, he wavered a bit.
“…I got them at the center.”
Yata frowned without thinking at the word ‘center’, which only held suspicion and negative feelings for him. Moving his gaze to Totsuka and Kamamoto, they were also making an odd face and looking at Anna.
“Was the person who gave them to you the chief?” When Totsuka asked that gently, Anna nodded.
“He said they were a present… Honami also said they were cute.” While saying that, Anna’s expression, which have been relaxing in a fun way until then, became stiff. Her expressions were lacking, so it was at a level where you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t paying a lot of attention, but perhaps because they had been together since earlier, Yata was able to notice the change.
‘I see’ went Totsuka in a light voice. Yata felt frustrated, like he had something stuck between his teeth, but Totsuka didn’t show even a hint of negative feelings.
“Well then, Anna-chan, what do you want to ride next? It’s about time for the park to close, so I guess the next one will be the last, but…”
“That.”
Anna pointed towards the sky without hesitation.
“I want to see the sunset from there.”
++++++++++++
In response to the atmosphere of the amusement park, which seemed to be forcing those in it to be bright and happy, Fushimi had felt such tiredness that it made him feel ill, and he found an opening to get away from Anna and company. It seemed to be about close to closing time, so the guests were beginning to head home. While he thought about whether it would be okay for him to just go home already, Fushimi found an empty bench and practically threw himself down on it.
As he looked up at the madder-red sky absentmindedly while his body felt tense, suddenly someone sat heavily down next to him. Looking over, Fushimi started. It was Suou. Ripping the seal off of a new box of cigarettes, he took one out and lit it. Shoot, Fushimi thought while fidgeting in response to feeling uncomfortable to the extreme. But, if he were to get up now, it’d be even more awkward.
“…what happened to those guys.” Suou said that in a way that implied he didn’t care while not looking at Fushimi.
“They should be… resting somewhere, I think…” When Fushimi answered awkwardly, Suou went ‘mm’ in a way that still sounded like he didn’t care. Without any comment or complaint about how Fushimi had gone off on his own (not that he wanted to hear that from Suou, who had had zero intention of going along with this from the beginning), Suou just boredly blew some cigarette smoke.
A silence fell.
…this was awkward.
Fushimi tried to casually come up with an excuse to leave, while feeling irritated at the park’s bright background music as if to take things out on it. Suou, without minding Fushimi’s situation at all, and as if Fushimi wasn’t there at all, just coolly leaned back on the bench alone.
“…Mikoto-san, it’s surprising that you’d go along with something like this.” When he opened his mouth desperately, Suou went ‘hmph’ and smiled in response.
“You too.”
“…if it’s an order from above, then it can’t be helped, so.” After he ended up talking back like a child, Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly. Gone to an amusement park on an order. There wasn’t anything more stupid. And anyway, it wasn’t like Totsuka had given an order or anything. He had just smiled like usual and said ‘Saru-kun, you come too’. Not that he had let Fushimi get a word in, but. Fushimi thought he hated that part of that person.
“Fushimi.” Suou called while letting ash fall from his cigarette. Fushimi looked up and at Suou, who was sitting next to him.
“Have you noticed?”
“Eh?” What, he couldn’t ask because his pride got in the way. As usual, Suou still wasn’t looking in Fushimi’s direction. Fushimi closed his mouth and payed attention to his surroundings. Narrowing his eyes behind his glasses, he fixedly paid attention to his surroundings- and realized with a start.
“Ah, King, Saru-kun.” At the same moment, a voice spoke to them. Looking over, he could see Totsuka and company coming down the road. Anna, letting her blue clothes flutter, ran over. She came up to the bench, then stopped short. In response to Anna, who was standing right at the edge of the space and looking fixedly up at Suou with a serious face, Suou made an oddly uncomfortable face.
Totsuka, who caught up, smiled and looked at Suou.
“Come with us for the last one, at least.”
It was close to closing time. If they planned to continue playing, then this would probably be the last one. When Suou got up looking like it was a pain, Yata went over with a face like a dog wagging its tail. Feeling irritated by that, Fushimi clicked his tongue a little and stood up. Grabbing Yata’s collar, he dragged him.
“Whoa, what, Saru!”
“C’mere for a sec.”
When Fushimi dragged Yata away from the others, Totsuka tilted his head and looked at them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t ‘what’s wrong’ me.”
Fushimi turned his face halfway to glare at Totsuka. Totsuka smiled to change the subject as if saying ‘you figured it out, huh’. Kamamoto looked like he didn’t get what was going on and looked back and forth between Suou and Fushimi in a troubled way, but in the end, as though to follow Yata who was being dragged away, he went with Fushimi and company.
++++++++++
“Closed Today”. In front of the ferris wheel which had that sign on it, Anna’s shoulders fell a little.
Apparently, Anna had been quietly looking forward to seeing the sunset from the ferris wheel. Totsuka scratched his cheek in a troubled way because he hadn’t been able to grant what Anna wanted even though she hardly ever said she wanted anything.
“Hmm, what should we do.”
“…it’s okay. It’s fine.” Anna reasonably shook her head. To that manner which made her seem like she was trying to swallow her disappointment, Totsuka looked around to try and find at least a place where one could see the sunset well.
Suou, who had been yawning boredly a little ways off, let out a little sigh. His arm picked up Anna and held her on his hip.
“King?”
When Totsuka tilted his head, Suou’s other arm reached out and lifted him up like a rice sack.
“Wha, wai…”
And then Suou’s legs kicked the ground.
Their bodies floated up. The scenery flowed down all at once like a waterfall. With sleek movements like a feline beast, hardly making any noise at all, Suou’s body flew up into the air carrying Anna and Totsuka, and he landed on top of a gondola halfway up the ferris wheel. Right away, he jumped up again.
In not even two seconds, Totsuka and company were at the tallest point of the amusement part, the top of the ferris wheel. When Suou was just about to land, he carelessly threw Totsuka down onto the roof of the gondola.
“Owowow… whoa.” Totsuka, who had landed on his behind on the roof, had Anna lowered onto him.
“-Ah… Anna-chan, are you okay?” Said Totsuka as he held Anna on his lap so there was no chance of her falling. Even Anna looked surprised at the sudden happening. Totsuka smiled wryly.
“Do it after you give us a warning. Look, Anna-chan’s surprised.”
After blinking several times with a surprised face, Anna slowly moved her large eyes.
High.
Even among all the large rides like jet coasters, this ferris wheel was especially high. Around it was nothing, and one could see far away. The trees that surrounded the amusement park, and the pack of buildings beyond it. The setting sun was about to sink beyond all that. The red sun way dying the town the same color. The sky was the color of melted crimson, and the ground was also filled with red light.
Anna fixedly gazed at that scenery. Anna, who was watching the sunset without moving, had her hair stroked by the wind.
“Totsuka.”
Hearing his name and looking up, Totsuka saw that Suou was standing on top of the gondola with his hands in his pockets, and looking in a different direction from the sunset. Suou’s slightly narrowed eyes were looking at various places in the park as though to confirm something.
“Is this why you brought me out?”
Totsuka understood what Suou was saying and smiled wryly.
“It was Kusanagi-san’s idea, though.”
“Seems like we’ve been followed all day.”
“Since King kept his distance, I thought they might move, but… it turns out the other guys were surprisingly cautious, too.”
Anna looked up at their conversation. Totsuka met her eyes and smiled, but he didn’t explain anything, and looked back at Suou.
“There’s a lot of them, isn’t there.”
“…yeah, if it was just you guys, then even if YataFushimi were here, you might’ve been beaten by numbers.”
“Yeah. That’s why I had King be our insurance. Sorry.”
Suou finally looked at Totsuka and Anna. His eyes met Anna’s.
“Those guys, they’re suspecting that I’ll turn this brat into my clansman, aren’t they.”
“Probably.”
When Totsuka nodded, Anna seemed disturbed. Her expression didn’t change much, but he could tell clearly that her eyes showed a troubled waver.
“Meaning they’ve got a reason why it’d be a problem if someone took this one.”
Suou took a step forward on top of the gondola’s roof. Right at the edge of the roof. He stood where the tips of his toes would be stepping on air.
“What are you going to do?”
“Scatter them. You were intending to make me do that anyway, right?”
When looked at in a scolding, exasperated way, Totsuka smiled wryly.
They could feel that the other side was hiding something in relation to Anna. It was surely becoming a seed of nervousness for them that Anna was currently amongst the red clansmen. If the other side was carried away by that nervousness and tried to go out of their way to retrieve Anna, they could unashamedly fight back.
They hadn’t gotten enough of an excuse to go that far, but just being surrounded by this amount of people was enough of an oddity. For Homura, it was a fine situation for them to pick a fight.
“You guys stay here.” When Suou said that and was about to jump down, Anna’s hand moved. She grabbed Suou’s sleeve.
“Mikoto.”
Her tone was no different from usual, and it was quiet and thin, but there was a deep uneasiness in it. Anna looked up at Suou and shook her head. He frowned.
“…it’ll be done right away.” Unusual for Suou, he said it like he was trying to lessen that unease, but Anna’s relying eyes didn’t change.
“Honami is…” Saying her aunt’s name, Anna closed her mouth again.
“Are you worried about her? Without you worrying, those guys won’t lay a hand on a civilian. There’s an agreement.” Even when Suou said that, Anna’s expression didn’t soften. Seeing that and understanding something, he clicked his tongue loudly.
Suou took Anna’s small hand, and in a way that implied he was having trouble controlling his strength (it looked like he was seriously unsure about how much strength to use in order to not destroy it), and made her let go. She looked up at him helplessly. Without saying anything more, Suou signaled at Totsuka just once with his eyes and jumped.
++++++++
Suou landed on the ground.
Due to his landing from a ridiculous height, the ground trembled. Straightening up, he looked around. It seemed as though while he was on top of the ferris wheel, closing time had come. There were no civilian guests around. Or perhaps the blues had evacuated them. Either way, it was convenient for Suou.
He closed his senses. Closing his normal senses as a human being, he opened something deeper. The world’s atmosphere changed. He directly felt his power as a king, that he usually kept closed up within himself and did his best to not pay attention to.
Deep within his chest was the presence of a smoldering, magma-like flame. It smoldered and writhed, like it wanted to go wild on the outside even now. He pushed down a melting desire to loosen the bindings and let free the blames within his body. The flames in his chest let out a voice of objection as they were forced down. His temple ached. But, Suou smiled faintly.
His pupils opened, and from his body a torrent of light spilled out. As though called by Suou’s power, far above his head the sky twisted, and a red luminous body appeared. That luminous body started off as nothing but a speck of red light. That shined dazzlingly, then explosively swelled. From that burst of intense light, a gigantic sword appeared.
…Sword of Damocles.
That was proof of a king, and it held the duty of disciplining the king.
“What, is no one going to show themselves?”
The blue clansmen who had followed Anna still hid themselves, and not a single one responded to Suou’s taunt. It was a matter of course. There were no humans who would come right out after having a king’s power shown to them. But, just their presence vividly came across. A waver in the atmosphere that was as though they were intensely disturbed, and not sure whether they should run or not.
Suou snorted once, and let loose a torrent of red power from his body. The earth shuddered with a rumble, and waves of red light spread out with him at the center.
+++++++++
Anna had her mouth hanging open on top of the ferris wheel, and she stared up at the gigantic sword that had appeared in front of her eyes.
“It’s the Sword of Damocles.” Totsuka said. Anna opened her eyes wide, and continued to stare at the blade. Anna’s eyes sparkled red with the reflection of Suou’s sword’s light.
“It’s damaged.”
In response to Anna’s words, Totsuka smiled bitterly. As she had said, Suou’s Sword of Damocles was not taking a perfect form. The energy body in the shape of a sword was cracked in places.
The state of the Sword of Damocles was said to show the state of that king’s ‘Weismann Value’. A Weismann value was the stability of that king’s power. Suou’s Weismann value was constantly unstable.
“You see, King’s always in a state like he’s keeping a starving beast inside his own body, I think.” Totsuka said this as though whispering while he felt the heat from the Sword of Damocles on his skin.
“That beast is thrashing around because it wants to get out. It wants flesh and blood. But, King won’t let it do that… the damage on that Sword of Damocles might be scars from that fight, I think.”
Anna looked from the sword to Totsuka. He smiled at her, and then looked down.
“Though even if I say something like that, someone like me can’t understand.”
It’s not something someone other than a king could possibly understand. Below, Suou had just let loose his red-colored power. A red, hot aura. That came up from Suou’s body and spread out with fearsome force. It looked showy, but it had no attack power. But, for the blue clansmen surrounding him, it had a disturbing effect.
The blue clansmen, who had spent a long time since they lost their king, scattered and ran away when they touched a fragment of a king’s power. The ones who had been hiding themselves appeared, some fell as though their knees had gone weak when swallowed up by Suou’s red aura, and some ran from the aura as it pressed at them.
It was as though all the enemies had fled at a single snarl from Suou, who hadn’t even attacked. Looking at that, Anna quietly said,
“Is becoming a king something painful?”
In response to Anna’s question, Totsuka looked at her face.
“Anna-chan?”
With her usual expressionless face, like a soulless doll, Anna said,
“I’m going to become the blue king.”
++++++++++++
“We’re surrounded?”
In response to Fushimi’s words, Yata frowned. Quickly looking around as though to search the area for something’s presence, Yata clicked his tongue.
“The blues who are after that kid, huh.” Yata said with an annoyed face. Fushimi pulled his chin in slightly.
“Probably.”
“Seriously. I wonder if it’ll turn into a fight.” Kamamoto said this while rolling his arm like a warm-up exercise.
“Who knows. But, it’s probably for this that we got dragged all the way out here.”
When Fushimi said that without looking at Kamamoto, Yata clenched his fists.
“Alright! Let’s get it on!”
“Don’t rush.”
While looking over in an exasperated way, Fushimi got ready to move at any time. Probably, the reason why Totsuka had brought them was to be Anna’s bodyguard while she was apart from Suou. Move away from Suou and show an opening, then hit back when they were attacked.
Fushimi clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking he didn’t like that. If that was the case, then they should’ve said so from the beginning. Well, in the case of simple-minded Yata, there’s no way he could hear that and then pretend there was nothing, but…
(Ah, and that, too.)
Figuring out Totsuka’s thoughts, Fushimi snorted. Even though he had a plan, separate from that, he had probably been thinking of something sickeningly sweet like wanting to simply have Anna enjoy herself.
It was so stupid.
Fushimi felt more irritated than was necessary, and put his fingers to his temple. It was the next moment. Suddenly, his whole body trembled. He opened his eyes wide and stiffened. What had assaulted him was a powerful pressure close to instinct. It was a fear that directly went to his instincts, like he was being glared at by a huge beast at a close distance.
Right afterwards, in the sunset sky, light was born.
Along with red light, the sky twisted, and from inside came a luminous body shaped like a sword.
“The Sword of… Damocles…” Said Fushimi in a faint voice. At the same time, from beneath the sword, an immense energy was born. A light holding a fearsome energy became a red pillar reaching to the sky, and that became red waves of light that spread as though to lick all over the insides of the park.
A wave of red aura went in front of Fushimi’s eyes. He couldn’t move. He was swallowed up by the hot red light and fell to his knees. Before he had realized it, Fushimi was kneeling down on top of the asphalt. His body was shuddering slightly. The red wave of aura had already vanished. It had no attack power and was simple a manifestation. It was just a show-of. Even though he knew that…
Fushimi’s body, in contrast to those thoughts, was completely afraid. Suou had simply roared to scatter the annoying rats scampering around. Despite that, Fushimi was afraid of that roar along with the rats and couldn’t stand.
“Awe…some.” Said Yata in a heated voice, as he stood in shock.
“Awesome! Mikoto-san really is great! For Mikoto-san, that was just like nothing, like he was just scaring them, right? Even then… even though it was just that…” Yata searched for words to use impatiently, with his cheeks red, as he grasped at his own chest.
“It, makes my soul shiver.”
Fushimi, on his knees, looked up at Yata. In his head that had gotten very dull, he thought that oh, come to think of it, Yata is standing up properly. Even though he himself was so pathetically kneeling down, Yata was standing up with his eyes sparkling.
“You okay?” Kamamoto asked and offered a hand as though to pull him up. Fushimi felt an unbearable shame at that hand. Even though this fatty called Yata ‘Yata-san’ and respected him, he’d offer his hand from above to Fushimi who had joined Homura along with Yata.
Even though he was the one who had always pulled along Yata, who was stupid and simple-minded and always running around getting nowhere. Why was Yata able to stand now, while he was pathetically on his knees and getting a hand offered to him.
Fushimi ignored Kamamoto and got up himself.
++++++++++++++
…I’m going to become the blue king.
In response to Anna’s confession, Totsuka opened his eyes wide.
“What?”
After Suou’s manifestation, the Sword of Damocles vanished. Now, beneath a sky that was only dyed red in the west by the nearly fallen sun, and in the east by the night’s deep blue, Totsuka faced Anna.
Anna’s blue skirt fluttered in the high place’s wind. Blue. That was a color Anna didn’t even know. At the moment, there was no blue king. That throne was open. And Strains were an existence called ‘those who couldn’t become a king’. But why would Anna wish for something like that?
“Why would you be something like a king?”
“…because I can see the ‘Slate’.”
‘Slate’. That was the thing that chose ‘Kings’. It was an object surrounded by a veil of mystery that had been found in Dresden and then carried to Japan after the war.
The system which determines a king was still mostly unknown. But, if it were Anna’s clairvoyant powers- powers that allowed her to ‘See’ all things, if she were able to directly access the ‘Slate’, then maybe it would not be impossible to become a king.
But.
“Is that what you want?”
Anna didn’t reply. In Totsuka’s mind, as though he were watching a film, he saw Suou until he became a king- as he became a king.
“…you can’t do that, Anna-chan.” Totsuka slowly shook his head.
“If you don’t want to, you shouldn’t be something like a king.” The words said with Totsuka’s own mouth quietly pricked at his chest. Anna looked fixedly at him. He looked straight back at those eyes, which seemed to see through everything.
With a thudding noise, the ferris wheel began to move. Looking, Yata, Fushimi, and Kamamoto were down at the bottom. It seemed like Kamamoto had moved the ferris wheel. Suou, who had scattered the blue clansmen, was leaning against the rails of the boarding area and smoking.
Sitting on top of the gondola’s roof and holding Anna, within the slowly moving and lowering scenery, Totsuka opened his mouth.
“Anna-chan, that day, you tried to run away from home, didn’t you? Didn’t you want to escape?”
Meaning the time when Yata and Kamamoto had come in contact with the blue twins. Anna had tried to leave Honami’s home alone, carrying luggage. Anna clammed up like she had been scolded.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? You were right. If you think you want to run, you should run.”
“I can’t run.”
Anna shook her head. Her small body felt as though it were wrapped in conflict.
“Why?”
When he asked that gently, Anna fell into silence again. It was as though the Anna who surrounded herself with high walls and hadn’t responded when spoken to the day they had met at the bar had returned. Totsuka remembered her words from earlier when she had tried to hold Suou back. He slowly opened his mouth and asked,
“If you don’t go back to the center, will something bad happen to Honami-sensei?”
Anna’s eyes wavered.
“Anna-chan.”
When he called her name a bit strongly, Anna looked up. Tightening her lips, she firmly looked at Totsuka’s eyes and said,
“I’ll protect Honami.”
The young girl who was supposed to be protected said that with a face full of decision. Anna’s small hands gripped her blue skirt.
“Today was fun.”
Saying that, Anna very slightly, to the point that one might think they were mistaken, smiled.
“So, it’s okay.”
What do you mean by ‘so’. What’s ‘okay’. Even if he wanted to ask, Anna’s words were completely rejecting the hand Totsuka and company tried to offer her.
Until the gondola reached the bottom, Anna would no longer open her mouth no matter what Totsuka said.
When the gondola Totsuka and Anna were on reached the bottom, Kamamoto stopped the ferris wheel. Totsuka picked Anna up in one arm and handed her over to Kamamoto below. Kamamoto took her and lowered her to the ground as though she were precious.
When Totsuka jumped down from the roof, Suou was just on the phone. He was responding generically with stuff like ‘yeah’ and ‘got it’, then hung up.
“Kusanagi-san?”
When Totsuka asked, Suou pulled his chin in a little.
“It seems like she was just leaving, so I had him go ahead and take her into his protection just in case.”
There wasn’t any indication, but he could tell they were talking about Honami.
“Was Honami-sensei okay?”
“Yeah.” As Suou said that, he looked at Anna, who was surrounded by Kamamoto and Yata. Anna was spoken to by Kamamoto and replied shortly. Between that, she looked in Suou’s direction. When their eyes met, Suou very slightly nodded. It was something too short to be called a signal, but Anna sighed as though relieved.
“…earlier, King asked if this is why I brought you out, right?”
Totsuka said in a stifled voice while looking in Anna’s direction. Suou raised one eyebrow slightly and looked to the side at Totsuka.
“Well, that’s certainly the case, but… but even if I didn’t have a plan, I would’ve dragged King along.”
Totsuka smiled looking at Suou, who looked questioning.
“Because Anna-chan had really wanted to play with King.”
“…why. It’s fine if you’re there, isn’t it.”
“I’m not enough.” Totsuka smiled and looked down at his own hand.
The scar from when he had touched Anna still vaguely remained on his fingers.
“That child likes strong people.”
“…what, is that supposed to mean.”
“It’s because you definitely won’t get hurt because of her.”
Totsuka thought that maybe, the reason why Anna was strongly attracted to Suou’s power at the same time as trying to avoid it, was because she felt like she wanted to rely on that strength. It looked like Anna had decided that she couldn’t depend on anyone. Forcing down the thought that she wanted to run away, she held a tragic determination.
…I’m going to become the blue king.
Totsuka made a serious face as he thought of Anna’s words from the top of the ferris wheel. In a small voice that wouldn’t reach her, he said,
“King. That child intends to become a king.”
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@темы: official-info, k project