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Hidan no Aria - Volume 14 - Chapter 2




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Volume 14: Unbidden Ocean Mist–Aquamarine Kreuz

Chapter Two: Rampan Castle

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Leaving the Deville and Z8 for Rampan to take care of, we rode off in two courtesy Ford Lincoln limousines.

Reki joined us from the roof a surprisingly close 4 storey building, pushing her way through the a la carte Peking Duck restaurant on the first floor…

As a result of Aria’s ruling that『Shirayuki and Riko shouldn’t be close to me』, I ended up riding with Reki and Shokatsu in the other car.

Insisting ‘Ladies first’, Shokatsu let Reki go first, then me, before sliding onto the L-shaped VIP seat to sit beside us.

This is a lot different than what I expected…

And so we were on our way to the mysterious location of Rampan Castle.

Sparkling champagne, Bollinger, and Dom Perignon were in the cooler, but to people like us that don’t drink alcohol, it’s worth less than water.

Swiftly reading my expression, Shokatsu reached behind the back seat–

「Well then, how about this?」

He poured Wilkison ginger ale into a champagne glass, then poured himself a glass from the same bottle and set it on the table.

This… is one of the lowest tricks in the world of Butei.

When an enemy offers you a drink, they are asking: 『Are you afraid it’s poisoned?』 and wait to see your response.

My throat was dry, so I drank it and asked,

「So what kind of fighting ability do you have? Back there you looked pretty impressive as you rode in. Some kind of ESP?」

I demanded of Shokatsu, who, at a glance, was very weak.

「None. I possess nothing of the kind. If I had attacked you, you would have been able to subdue me without effort.」

He replied as he tipped his glass back casually.

That… was unexpected. I don’t think he’s lying.

Looking back at me,

「That display was calculated to lead you to a specific conclusion. In regards to Rampan…It was calculated to bring about a settlement with you.」

「…」

So my peace proposal–

Was fully accepted.

Were you able to turn even this to your advantage?

Shokatsu–you!

Were you able to… fool my Hysteria Mode?

That poker face and intelligence. He was able to do it!

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that his intelligence is on par with Sherlock’s!

As Kana used to say: ‘Shooting bullets all around is easy. The real challenge is to dominate without firing a single shot.’

That is what Shokatsu has managed to do. And he did it right in front of me, so I have no reason to boast.

Now I can see… he is a very different type of enemy.

「…You said that the Koko were『not assigned a fighting role.』What exactly was their job supposed to be?」

「I had a feeling you might ask that. Their task was to ply you with food and drink, actually.」

「Huh? They did just the opposite!」

「My apologies.」

He said with a bob of his head.

How dare you apologize so normally! You don’t even look sorry!

「However, they have kept Ms. Kanzaki’s hairstyle for your benefit.」

After he said something I didn’t understand, Reki whipped her face around and shot me a sharp glare.

Why are you mad at me, Reki? Aren’t you barking up the wrong tree?

「Formerly, they were assigned the supervision of Son, but they have since been relieved of that responsibility. Son got along well with the Koko in their time together. It seems that they get along much too well, and that is an issue.」

I see. They worked together because of the established relationship between them, huh? But about that dismissal…

「That is something I would appreciate. Separating the Koko and Son that is.」

I realised my words could have been construed as a complaint.

It seems Shokatsu’s role is one that keeps him busy keeping the more rash members of Rampan in check. As the leader of Baskerville, I feel some sympathy for him.

He seems to be in charge of the Hong Kong branch that is composed of non-combatant clerical staff without a fighting force. Whenever any of the members step out of line, he is the one who steps in to correct the issue.

The man standing in front of me has a special kind of personality. No matter what kind of hero you have, if you don’t have a sharp staff, all you’d have is a mass of disorganised people.

When it comes to a group of armed forces, it is very important『whether or not you have a sharp person』. With Sherlock in command, I.U.’s reach blazed throughout the entire world.

To be honest, I’m not very confident in my own mental abilities–

Shokatsu is not the type of enemy I’d want to face too often. I get the feeling that he’s a real tactician, a senior officer. Even compared to the self-styled tactician Jeanne–whether in covert or open actions–I am clearly the inferior. For that reason, I can appreciate Shokatsu Seigen’s considerable talent…

This man…

I noticed this small point, even as I exhausted my last-ditch trick, Hysteria Mode. I was close enough to see that, although I don’t comprehend the particulars. But noticed the problem. I don’t want to bring up a topic that might cause trouble so,

「By the way, your Japanese is amazingly good. Have you been involved with the Yakuza long?」

I tried to draw him out with idle gossip. He gave a normal reply.

「Not at all. Rampan has had a long trade relationship with I.U. The common tongues spoken by everyone aboard ship were Japanese and German. The Koko speak simple Japanese–the Manchukuo dialect, I believe.1 I picked mine up there and here.」

He said, playfully switching up the order of his words as he tipped his glass back.

**************************************************************************

The western part of Hong Kong is too steep for many buildings. Because of that, nature is abundant and looking out the large windows at the scenery was pleasant. It was like a resort. It was like Atami on the outskirts of Tokyo.2

As we continued on this carefree excursion, the sun began to set–

We finally got out at Sheuung Wan Marina’s yacht mooring.

Back at OZONE, Riko had explained what Shokatsu had said inside the car about Rampan’s pirate origins. The final vestige of that history, Rampan Castle, floated on the ocean. But is wasn’t a boat, it was a mobile floating structure. It was a smaller version of Academy Island, a sort of megafloat.

A small cruiser internally structured like a single storey hotel was moored amidst a packed crowd of sports and cabin cruisers, and we boarded it…

Quite a while after departing the yacht mooring,

「I see it! I see it! It’s Rampan Castle! Wahoo~!!!」

Making a ruckus, Riko dragged us all up on to the deck. Then,

「Whoa!」

「What the–! That’s really amazing!」

「Whoa! How flashy!」

「I know! I know! The inside is even more shiny!」

「……」

Myself, Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, and Reki reacted, three of us taken aback, one buzzing with excitement, and the other impassive as we gazed at the magnificently luxurious floating structure.

By eye, it appeared to be about 200 metres by 50. It looked like someone had plunked a 3 story building down on the ocean. The roof was indigo.3 In place of the traditional shachihoko4, it had dazzling golden Chinese dragons. The outer wall had a base vermilion colour with light turquoise, white, and a splash of gold. The whole length of the wall was packed with carvings of dragons, tigers, tortoises, and Chinese phoenixes.The entirety of the huge castle was an exquisite work of art.

It is far and away, more impressive than the ordinary World Heritage site.

「Gold, huh…」

Because I am so exclusively used to Japanese things and haven’t seen much of the word, the only word that came to mind was the childish『amazing』.

I wonder how much it cost to build such a floating structure?

Just how wealthy is Rampan?

On top of that, it doesn’t look anything like a secret criminal hideout. It’s surrounded by everyday Chinese junks, and Coast Guard cutters are patrolling nearby. Although it is built to be able to be towed by tug boats, as we got closer, I could tell from the green algae build-up on the edges that it spends most of its time at anchor. Even so, it was impressive. By Japanese standards, such criminal activity should be impossible.

Bringing the cruiser alongside so that we could enter the front of Rampan Castle,

「Now then, please enter.」

Shokatsu said as a crowd of little girls in Chinese dresses streamed out from behind the Chinese dragon statues placed on either side of the entrance. Smiling as they took our hands they helped us up from the cruiser.

Aria had brought her hover skirt along… and she was being careful, treating the YHS/01 like a fragile item.

Because people lived on it, even thought its on the water, Rampan Castle was so large that there was no sense of motion.

「……」

From what I can see on the outside– This castle on the sea is incapable of rapid movement.

The waves here are small, and if we left the coast, the waves wouldn’t be so calm. Therefore, I am not worried about being kidnapped. On top of that, the building is full of windows and doors, so there are exits everywhere.

It should be fine to go inside.

With that attitude in mind, I entered the structure, and everyone else followed.

Ivory, jade, and coral engravings covered the walls and ceiling of the large inside hall.

「Thank-you! Thank-you! My, its been while-ile! Since I was in I.U.!」

It seems this place is familiar to Riko, and all the little girls are squealing over her. They know her well, and she is taking great delight in fawning over them.

Really… you shouldn’t act so familiar. Rampan is our enemy. Aren’t they criminals, after all?

But, come to think of it, Riko was a phantom theif and criminal in the beginning, so this must only be natural. Besides, this is Riko we are talking about, and if they suddenly try to capture us, I’m sure she can make a clean escape for herself. That might be why she ran away from Aria with me, she is a master of escape.

I think Riko suggested we come so that we could figure out the whereabouts of Rampan Castle… Not because she really wanted to play, right?

「Alright! Is it okay if Riko-rin drinks this whole thing?」

…Oh…

Having been served some kind of Dragonfruit welcoming drink, Riko began drinking straight from the bottle.

Hey! Quit that! You’ll be no good in a fight, and we won’t be able to count on you.

Still, we have Aria, Shirayuki, Reki and me. We should be okay and be able to carry on negotiations satisfactorily.

Koko and Son arrived in another cruiser slightly after us, and were issued a sharp order to be our escort.

**************************************************************************

We were guided up to the second floor VIP room where we saw the setting sun over Victoria Bay–

…Wow…

The marble floor was covered with red carpet, golden dragons twisted around the pillars, and red carvings covered the mirrored walls…

Dazzling the eye, if you looked up, you would see a golden chandelier in the shape of a Chinese phoenix hanging above from red cords.

[These guys must really like the colours red and gold…]

「In China, red is the colour of fate and gold and yellow represent fortune…」

Shirayuki gave a wry smile at my grumble.

With all these flashy things, it’s impossible to be at ease, We are Japanese, after all, and the room is ridiculously large. Only Reki seems unaffected, sitting in the throne-like chair alongside the wall. The Riko shouted:

「Allllriiiight!」

She dove onto the large canopy bed where ten people could sleep side by side, rubbing her head into the soft feather pillows.

You act like you’re at home.

The English Aria said–

「It isn’t a bad room, but the lack of a Christmas tree is unacceptable.」

She said as if it were the perfectly natural thing to say as she crossed her arms and sat in the decadent chair beside Reki like a set of dolls on Girl’s Day, Chinese style.5

「A tree? It wouldn’t go with this room.」

「It’s not a question of fitting in or not! I wasn’t asking you anyway. Christmas is the day after tomorrow!」


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Don’t be so fussy.

「Just look at it. This is a strictly Chinese room.If you put a tree in here, it’ll be chaos…」

「Chaos, hmmm…」

Crap. That’s what Miss Aria says when she’s angry. It would create a problem if the children get upset. I have to do something. I am the man who makes the impossible possible. Maybe I can distract them with origami or something?

「I…I’m going to look around. Butei are investigators, after all.」

I lied. I am only capable of matching Riko’s skills of evasion when it comes to Aria, and I fired off an ad-libbed excuse, hastily ducking through a door to an exterior balcony.

Not wanting to stay within a bad-tempered Aria’s sight, I left for the second floor balcony attached to the outer wall of Rampan Castle from which I could see the ocean.

Scouting the area really would be a good thing to do.

–Perhaps to shield against the summer rays, ample eaves jutted out overhead.

Just in case, I release my gun’s safety as I walked along the wall beneath the eaves…

Looking through the windows from the outside, I could tell that rather than a combat base, this was a repository for treasure organised like an art museum.

What Riko said about Rampan and I.U. came back to me…

If I recall correctly, I.U. was a bit like this. Rampan seems like a floating Chinese I.U. Besides the extravagant appearance, the construction seems haphazard and old. It looks like it has been renovated many times. There are many parts that are wooden.

Unlike I.U. it also feels like I am walking on solid earth.

As I was gathering my thoughts, I came to another section… It seems to be some kind of botanical garden.

There were several girls with hair done up into dumpling shaped buns, but they seemed to be non-fighters. As I recall, most of the members of Rampan are in legitimate lines of work. Doesn’t that leave your defences full of gaps?

Well…I supposed that with just the Koko sisters and Son, you don’t have to worry about fighting strength.

**************************************************************************

「I’m back!」

I said, as I circled back around the covered walkway to the VIP room–

…!?

Inside the room, there were 4 a-angels6..! What’s this…!? It’s heavenly….!

Rubbing my eyes, I saw it was Aria and the rest of the girls.

Instead of angels, the 4 by no means angelic Butei girls were… sloppily dressed in ethnic Chinese clothes.

Reki was sitting in the same chair and position she had been when I left, wearing evergreen silk clothing. Drastically different, she looked like she was a high ranking nobleman’s daughter from some Chinese period drama. I got the feeling that she might start using language like『thou』. It came with trousers, and she had removed her headphones.

「Yahoo, Ki-kun Look! Look! Everyone in Rampan cosplays!」

Ha ha ha, very funny.

With her legs in an unnatural X-shape, Riko ran toward me–while wearing a marvelous indigo blue China dress.

That… suits you surprisingly well.

Even though I hadn’t heard him say it,『Blonde hair works surprisingly well in a China dress』came to mind as something rash Mutou would say.

On the other side, with a more compatible long black hair, Shirayuki said…

「Oh! Oh! Oh! Kin-chan, I’m not finished yet…!」

The golden cord that drew the edges of the slit that ran up to the waist of the disheveled scarlet dress was unfastened.

Through the side slit from calf to thigh, soft creamy skin peeked out, and at the top, there was a glimpse of white cloth… Taking into account its position…

IMG_0085


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The instant Hysteria Mode was about to kick in, my ear was grabbed.

「Ow-wow-ow!」

「How dare you come back when we’re in the middle of changing!」

I was dragged toward Aria who was wearing Chinese clothes.

By the way, Aria, your clothes scream: Chinese Vampire.

She is wearing clothes matching the Koko’s Qing Dynasty Manchu government official’s clothing. They are pink in colour and came complete with a matching hat and cloth shoes.

I-it’s cute. Everyone is beautiful.

「Y-you’re all wearing gifts from the enemy! We didn’t come to play; we came to negotiate! Where’s you’re sense of caution and bulletproof uniforms!?」

I ranted.

「We fought and they got dirty. So they said they would wash them.」

ChinAria huffed as she turned her back to me and sulked. The top half of her twin tails were braided.

「Riko was the first! I was last, and even Reki changed!」

She tried to pin the blame on Riko.

Aria, you really are a brat….but how far can that go?

「Yuki-chan was the first to touch them and say『Waah! It’s silk!』」

Riko, the one Aria had pointed out and the second brat, immediately tried to pass the buck to Shirayuki.

「A-Aria was the most excited to try them on! She said『I want to try it on right away!』」

Shirayuki is Shirayuki and had no hesitation blaming Aria.

To which Aria pointed once more at the bit of underwear showing at her hip…!

「Sh-Shirayuki! Before you start making excuses, you should put that on properly!」

「Please leave!」

Aria used her『Jumping on the spot dropkick』Baritsu move and with a kick, sent me crashing into one of the round ornaments held by the dragon sculptures–

「Haaaah!」

Shirayuki tried a diving catch. We rolled together on the floor as she tried to save me. But now Shirayuki’s dress was even more disheveled…

Her long, soft legs were completely exposed–understanding that, I quickly lay face-down to avoid Hysteria Mode. Aria and Riko sent up a cry at the state of Shirayuki’s lower half, and I recognised that I had avoided hysterising by a hair’s breadth.

「N…..no. Everyone can see, but…. if Kin-chan-sama wants to see… I… want to show you… I’m a good girl.」

As she clung to my back, she muttered this unintelligible phrase.

Each grabbing a leg, Aria and Riko pulled and dragged Shirayuki back in order to separate us.

「D-do… whatever you want about the clothes! I don’t care anymore!」

I said as I staggered to leave the room again…

「Ki-kun, take a commemorative photo of us in front of this wall! We’ll all line up!」

Riko passed me her rhinestone studded mobile, and before I knew it, the 4 girls had arranged their clothes, lined up, and were looking back at me.

Dammit! What do you always act like complete tourists? I wonder if I should throw it out the window.

**************************************************************************

Shortly after sunset…

A message from Shokatsu invited us to a first floor dining hall, and as soon as we entered, we saw the walls were decorated with large Celadon porcelain vases, a variety of swords, and other things surrounding red lacquered tables. There, maids with dumpling shaped hair in a Mandarin dresses had just finished carrying something in–

–It was an Imperial feast. A comprehensive menu consisting of food lavishly provided from across all of China. One table after the next was covered and piled high with rare delicacies. Even the appearance was elaborate, and the smells were enticing. Likely at Shokatsu’s direction, anything that did not suit Japanese taste was excluded, and a high standard of quality service is apparent.


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But… I had looked forward to having one thing before coming to Hong Kong.

They don’t have any ramen…!

I wonder if it was too common, too ordinary to make it?

A traditional Japanese banquet doesn’t include beef bowls, after all.

But that is what I want to eat–authentic Chinese ramen.

Even as I looked over the food with a touristy sense of taste, from beside me, Aria’s silken sleeves rustled as she folded her arms.

At one of the tables, Shokatsu raised an eyebrow.

「–I assure you there is no poison. I’m sure that you suspect that.」

He added parenthetically.

「Would you like a food taster? If they took a bit of each dish, we would have much less food…」

Steam rising from shark fin soup fogging his glasses, Shokatsu said with his usual smile on his face–

「Of course. Whatever I want to eat, you’ll taste for me first. So, hmmmmm…」

The latter half of Aria’s words became lost because she had subconsciously caught a peach bun that had appeared before her and began munching on it.

Ah… Some things never change.

Aria has been defeated…

Rampan is all too aware of Aria’s favourite food, and the peach bun pyramid of her dreams has been realised here in Hong Kong. Gobbling that down, Aria reached out for a peach bun parfait that was some kind of blend of Eastern and Western sweets. There were also peach bun noodles, peach bun porridge–everything in this strange menu was disgustingly peach bun flavoured and drew her in. And just like Kirby, everything was pink.

Meanwhile, Shirayuki was eating some ankake noodles in a dignified manner with chopsticks…

「D-Delicious…! I’ll make this for Kin-chan next time! May I ask how you made this?」

She asked the little girl serving as interpreter like this was some kind of cooking class.

…Shirayuki has succumbed to this wine-and-dine approach as well…

I don’t even see Riko.

My last hope, Reki, was seated at the table, looking on with glassy eyes like a doll…

In front of her, the Deluxe Maple flavour CalorieMate caused her reddish-brown eyes to sparkle. Then, with wary squirrel-like movement, she began eating.

Reki, even you… well, I guess it is about time for dinner.

Really though, that’s only a partial loss. Due to her lack of communication skills she is unsuited to negotiate. Back with Butei High’s principal she did nothing but state her demands. So, from the start, she was not involved in our negotiations with Rampan.

So, I guess it’s all been left to me…

Looking around at the rest of my team, I thought I had been under-served–

But with soft movements, two extremely beautiful women in China dresses appeared on either side of my seat, holding a spoon and chopsticks up in a『Say ‘Ahhh’』manner.

Uh…

This…

「Take this, Stupid Kinji!!」

Here it comes!

With a peach bun still in her mouth, Aria ran around the back of her chair.

「To think you’d already be up to things like that! You good for nothing!」

Yanking my chair back, I looked up as she towered over me and stamped her feet.

「Hmm. I see that Tohyama-san is the type that prefers women’s butts…」

Shokatsu observed, his glasses glinting.

Don’t get the wrong idea!

「O-Oi, that’s bad manners, Aria! Eat or kick, pick one!」

I said–

From how many times I was kicked, I should have known that she had already chosen ‘kicking’.

In the end, I wasn’t able to eat anything from the Imperial feast. This isn’t the first time a tragedy like this has happened in the history of China, is it?

I stole a bar from Reki’s pile of fruit flavoured CalorieMates. If she eats this much, it will defeat the purpose of diet food, after all. So I put it in my pocket.

I waited on the balcony I had been on earlier for things to calm down…

Once I had judged a sufficient amount of time for Aria to cool down has elapsed, I peeked through the VIP Room window–

I heard giggling, and all the girls were in a party mood.

They are thoroughly enjoying themselves at Rampan Castle. Without me.

And of course, the one in the centre if it all is Riko. She is doing a song and dance impression of the Momokuro group that Aria and Shirayuki are greatly enjoying. Sitting seiza in circle of girls, Reki is expressionless, but clapping along to the beat.

Those girls… this is what they really came to do!

And looking closer, next to them was a large bowl. Manjuu, moon-cakes, and other fruit jellies overflowed it.

Girls. Is that all they eat?『Always having room for dessert』is one of the 7 mysteries of womankind.

「A word, if you all have a moment.」

I wrenched the door from the balcony open, gathering their attention.

「We learned about this at Butei High. Such extravagance is like bait for fish.」

It was obvious from Rampan’s reception.

All the wealth, supplying favourite foods, it was all meant to wear us down. Shokatsu had even mentioned how much it had all cost.

At a glance, it all looks very expensive, but it is infinitely cheaper when compared to the cost of having to annihilate your enemies. Moreover, it seems to have been all too effective.

To an organisation like Rampan, this is a cost they can ignore.

I have to act like the Leader.

I can’t run.

I can’t give in.

I’ve made up my mind to reject it all.

「You’re all classic examples of what a Butei should not do. Criminals flash their expensive cars and possessions, feed you delicious food, then they figure out your weakness… You’re terrible… terrible Butei…!」

As I said that, I got the feeling that I was narrating my own experience being entertained by the Yakuza in Tokyo.

To me, who had lost momentum not even 10 seconds later, they replied:

「Understood!」

「Got it! Even with everyone in this state, I’m alright.」

「Uuuuuugh!」

「….Yes.」

「Forget about that, Kinji. When we get back, you had better not come empty-handed. You have to get me a Christmas Tree!」

Four of them answered, without a hint of repentance. The fifth remark was Aria’s as she raised her gun.

Sitting seiza with impeccable manners, Shirayuki spared me a kind look…

「Never mind that, Kin-chan. You didn’t eat anything earlier, did you? We have sweets, but they will fill your stomach. I can make something like a red bean paste soup.」

She held out an adzuki bean soup. For all my words, with my hunger, I could not resist her caring nature…

「Well, they do say:『You can’t fight on an empty stomach.』」

I gave in to the sweetness as I said that–my empty stomach helping to make up my mind…

It was delicious. I allowed the slightly sweet taste to absorb in to my tongue, throat, and stomach.

「Here, have some Haw flakes.7 It looks like jellied bean paste, but it’s bittersweet.」

… I ended up eating, didn’t I?

『If you’re eating poison, you might as well lick the plate.』

But even if I am eating, I won’t let down my guard against Rampan. I have already been wined-and-dined by the Yakuza, and I was alone then.

「–Whoa! Super delicious!」

I saw Riko suddenly jump up after having poured some juice into a red, leopard-shaped faceted goblet from a gourd.

Then after another *Glug!* *Glug!* *Glug!*, she gulped it down.

「What is this? It is delicious!」

Aria echoed, Camellia eyes wide as she drank from her cup.

Still kneeling, Reki held her glass in both hands on her knee. She seems to have drank it already.

「…Huh!? If it’s so good, give us some!」

I had only eaten a little, so I was truly hungry, so I took the gourd from Riko……Bitter. It has an unpleasant taste.

I can discern a blueberry flavour… but from the cupful I drank, I can’t tell why they think it’s so delicious.

But having filled her own golden cup to the brim, Shirayuki…

「Yes. This is of the highest quality, with an even better aroma than warmed sake.」

She said, with a triumphant look on her face as she pronounced her judgement.

Does China have such a juice…?

I furrowed my brow in suspicion as I saw the gourd passed around between Aria, Shirayuki, and Riko…

「Hey, Shirayuki. Will you give me little more of that, please….?」

Aria asked Shirayuki timidly. With just as much reservation, she held out her cup.

That’s strange. Usually Aria is more assertive toward Shirayuki.

Then from kneeling, Shirayuki relaxed into a cross-legged position… and with a *Whipsh!* k-kicked at Aria!?

「Kyaa!」

Aria fell over with a distinctive cry that is typically Shirayuki’s.

What is this strange Aria-Shirayuki role reversal?

I’ve witnessed a lot of paranormal phenomenae, but this is the strangest thing I have ever seen.

「Fufufu…!」

Satisfied, Shirayuki chuckled in her throat.

One leg flat, she raised the other knee, foot flat on the ground. Even though she was wearing a skirt!

Th-this is the way I’ve seen onis sit as they drink sake in picture books.

…Sake…

Then I looked all over the gourd Shirayuki was holding.

On the bottom–『Blueberry Sake』was written.

I should have noticed…!

「…」

Looking warily around her, Aria–

「Waaaaaaaaaaaah! Shirayuki is bullying me!」

She plopped herself down, sobbing.

What the heck!

She would usually shoot at Shirayuki, but now she’s crying. This is something totally out of character. She must be a maudlin drunk.

For her part, Shirayuki’s eyes burned…

「This pink Butei…」

I’ve never seen this kind of attitude from her, as she scowled red-faced at Aria. Then without warning, she snapped.

「–Whenever she–or any girl for that matter–talks to Kin-chan-sama he acts differently! His mood is especially good when it’s you! The whole time, he’s smiling and acting lovey-dovey…! And as I watch over my husband from a distance,I just don’t understand it at all!」

Scary! What’s this!? Who is that guy you mentioned at the end that has your eyes glazing over, Shirayuki?

Occasionally she lapses into Kuroyuki, but if I had to name this… it would be Akayuki.8

With a face like a red ogre, she is driving Aria to tears. How drunk is she?

「Oh-ho! This is an interesting scene!」

Taking a video on her mobile, Riko seems normal although she had drunk the most.

It seems she can handle her alcohol.

Rather, she always acts as if she’s drunk. So if she actually is, there’s no different.

「O-oi! Stop it! Don’t film Shirayuki! like this!」

「Eh? Why do you have to ruin it? This new Shirayuki is quite striking indeed!」

「Hey! Hey! She’s curled up like a pill bug! Ahaha! So funny! Show me more!」

Curled into a defensive ball, Aria rolled around the room.

I get the feeling that this isn’t the first time Shirayuki has been drunk. Come to think of it, I hear that the Hotogi Shrine has a brewery to make offertory sake. This miko must have pilfered from the stock.

「Ahahahahaha!」

「Waaaaaaaaaah!」

IMG_0106

Shirayuki was a happy drunk, Aria a sad drunk, and as I grappled with Riko for her mobile, I looked over to my last hope. Reki….

Zzz…Zzz…!

She’s still kneeling in the same spot, but her eyes are closed and she is dozing off.

S-so you’re a sleepy drunk?

「Tohyama-kun…」

Huh? What did Reki say?

I bent down in front of her, but her eyes were still closed in slumber.

You’re able to fall asleep kneeling… I wonder just how often you do this? How can you sleep like this!?

**************************************************************************

「S~o hot!」

Akayuki cried, then stripped off her China dress–

Out of dire necessity, I leapt into one of the large vases in the room for refuge.

Steeling my will, I ignored all the racket that Aria, Shirayuki, and Riko caused for the next 8 minutes.

I scrolled through several film sites for a while to distract my self…

Hey, they’re making a sequel to The Dark Knight!

After checking to see that everything in the VIP room was silent… I slowly raised my head to peer out.

Because of the red ogre, the room had been trashed.

Casting my gaze about, I saw Aria had drunk herself into unconsciousness, and both Shirayuki and Reki were also on the floor.

Shirayuki was in her underwear, spread-eagled, with a broad smile plastered on her face…

… and I had to work to quiet my excited nerves from seeing the worst possible thing for me with my Hysteria Mode.

Avoiding that sight as much as possible, I took a blanket from a wicker basket and covered her… gently prying away the gourd of sake.

「No, no, no…」

She mumbled in her sleep. I managed to do so, and she remained asleep.

Reki was still kneeling, shaking slightly, and had managed to sleep without falling over. She was able to fall asleep in the midst of the earlier chaos.

Aria sniffled as she hugged herself in a sound sleep.

The only thing in their heads are sleepy thoughts…

Disappointed in Baskerville’s lack of wariness. I look around–

Riko was writing『awful』on Aria’s forehead in ink, and I said:

「Watch things here.」

「Roger!」

Following that brief conversation, I left the VIP room that was unquestionably a total wreck… and I went back to scouting the interior of Rampan Castle.

It has to be getting late. Any kind of surveillance on us is bound to get lax, so I should try to find out as much as I can, as an INFORMA student should.

**************************************************************************

Checking my Beretta, I left the VIP room and headed toward Rampan Castle’s second storey hall.

A water jug was placed under a stone statue of a dragon, and I drank some of the water that flowed from its mouth to refresh myself.

Am I the same as Riko, in that I don’t get drunk…?

I really don’t know. I hear that it’s hard for people to gauge for themselves whether they are drunk or not.

Well, in China there isn’t an age limit for drinking, so it wouldn’t be illegal…9

I do have a small headache, but maybe I just have a strong constitution.

In small amount, alcohol does not cause a total loss of control, but, depending on the person, it increases circulation, courage, and other things.

It is addictive, however, and causes a loss of mental faculties…so it is not something Butei should indulge in.

In this case, I’m sure it was an accident for the Baskerville girls and, given time, they’ll be able to sleep it off. But coming to the enemy’s base to negotiate is the worst time to do so. As I recalled the disastrous scene in that room…

Just where am I supposed to sleep tonight!?

The room has that lavish bed, but If Riko and I huddle together in that bed, I don’t know what the others will say it the morning. And it would be a huge problem if Riko did something to activate my Hysteria Mode.

This is awkward.

There are three things Butei need to watch out for… Black work, poison, and women.

Black work– It is night. This hall is gloomy.

Poison–alcohol is a poison to minors.

Finally, to round out the day, there’s women, and I don’t I know how that happened!

I need to find some kind of storage room good enough to spend the night in so I don’t have to go back to that VIP room full of girls.

As I walked through the hall…I came upon an oddly bright staircase leading to the third floor.

「……?」

As I got closer, I understood why it was so bright.

–Who makes a staircase out of gold!?

I got the impression that it wasn’t just gilded.

The steps were made of long gold plates connected by more gold, covering the horizontal and vertical faces.

Raising my eyes even slightly… it was a magnificent sight.

…I wonder if I could I have a small shaving…?

That thought flitted momentarily through my mind.

As I looked up to the third floor, a little girl beside me tugged on my sleeve.

She said:

「Kinchi.」

–Aria?

It’s Aria. Smiling at me.

But weren’t you on the second floor…?

As I pondered that fact, she multiplied into 2, no, 3 Arias.

「Wha-What’s this… Aria….?」

「Kinchi, come with me!」「Now then, come!」「This way!」

The four Arias all smiled at me as they tugged on my hand and belt, leading me toward the third floor.

Then, a large door with『Pleasure』written in red ink and golden edges opened and they guided me into a purely Chinese-styled room with a crimson theme. Inside was a large bed with bamboo shades covering the walls, 4 PS3’s, PSP’s, and sets of Mahjong were scattered about and… other toys meant for 4 people.

–Then I realised.

These girls… are the Koko sisters!

All of them are made-up to look like Aria.

Don’t they have black hair? Why did they change?

「Koko…!」

Looking around, the windows were covered by bamboo shutters. The door was closed, and it was a closed room impossible to see into from the outside.

「Kinchi-!」

Seizing on my indecision, one of the Koko sisters latched onto me. Then two of the other sisters…

*Gong!* *Gong!* *Gong!*

Alternated striking two gongs.

Then the four of them… hoisted up a dragon made of paper mache on poles and swirled it around me.

It isn’t a hostile action, but I wonder what it is…

It seems they want me to enjoy it, so it must be some kind of welcome. It was cute, but…

「O-oi, Koko! I don’t know what you are planning, but I have no intention of getting along well with you. We are still enemies…」

I don’t know which one it was, but I narrowed my eyebrows as I spoke to one of them. However, they still grinned back at me with an unwavering smile on their faces.

「We Koko do not want to fiwght Kinchi. We wish to offer ourselves as your underlings.」

「We want to do owr best to make it up to you!」

They flattered, but I knew there had to be some ulterior motive to this reception.

「–So awfter Shokatsu dies…!」

The lead sister said dangerously as she held up a hand, stopping the dragon train.

They all stopped behind her, but they kept talking.

「Within a year or two, Rampan Shanghai will send a gweat assassin to the Hong Kong branch.」

「Then we will be able to take over the Hong Kong bwanch.」

「After that, Kinchi will be able to become the leader of the bwanch!」

「Then Wampan Castle, all the serving girls, the Koko shisters, all of it would bewong to you!」

They finished each other’s words in perfect synchronisation as they each looked up at me and spoke their part.

「D-don’t drag me into Rampan’s internal politics! I don’t want to become the leader of Rampan. As for the girls, they make things worse. I don’t even want to move from my room at Butei High to Hong Kong!」

Hearing that, the Koko sisters’ mouths fell open. The looked like startled pigeons, and began mumbling. The look on all their faces said:『I don’t understand why』, and they started talking in Chinese…

「Wh-what!?」

「We thought Kinchi hated being a stewdent at that horrible school! It’s stwange that he wants to take such a loss.」

「With such gweat leadership, someone with that kind of abiwity should sell it for as much as they can.」

「It’s just good business sense. Evwyone does it.」

Are these Chinese values? No, even in Japan a capable worker can be lured away to a new job by higher pay, and this is the case in foreign business as well.

The more I learn, the more I become convinced that Rampan is a huge enterprise. In contrast to the Yakuza, they are able to closely control the government with money and connections.

To go from『Butei High student』to『Head of Rampan』…

That would be such a huge leap towards a successful life. Considering the numbers alone, most people would say that it was absurd to refuse. However–

「That horrible school is terrible. But turning my back on it in an instant would be dishonourable. I won’t do it a second time. If I betrayed them for money and power I’d be the laughingstock of Grenada’s Rampan forever. As a man, I cannot accept.」

As I spoke of the Japanese values of『duty』,『shame』,and『being a man』the Koko sister looked at me, unable to understand.

Huh? Is offering money and women all you know how to do to negotiate?

As I watched, the four of them consulted together in Chinese. Then one of them looked at the rest with a look that said:『So that’s what we have to do….』and the others nodded their agreement.

They looked at me with faces like they were about to play a trump card in a game, and I got a bad feeling.

「–Kinchi likes Awia, right?」

「….Huh?.」

This time I was the one who looked surprised at the wild statement.

「You can’t fool another woman!」

「It’s really qwite obvious!」

All of them spread their arms and ran… scattering statuettes of birds and flowers, they flew toward an antique Chinese chest of drawers. Then…

Oi…!

Then with flap of cloth, I saw them all take off their Butei High sailor suits and undress in an instant!

I turned my back toward them and plopped down, as the f-four of them stripped to their underwear, wearing bottoms, but no tops. How bold!

When you’re as flat as Aria, I wonder if it is OK to not wear a bra…?

「We hawve collected information on evwything Awia wears!」

Having the same figure, they took out a cheerleader, maid, bunny, and primary schooler outfit from their wardrobe. What’s this? They have changed into all the various costumes Aria has worn!

–*Gasp!*…!

I didn’t want to look, so I covered my eyes with both hands, but I had still seen them. All of them shared the same walnut coloured, chipmunk stripe children’s panties. Contrary to what you might expect of them, the Koko sisters panties were different with the first kanji in each of their name on them.10

Then as I sat like a tortoise counting prime numbers–

「Kinchi.」

I heard my name. It was awfully close.

I couldn’t run away because I didn’t know how to escape, so I slowly raised my head…

The Koko sisters squatted around me, surrounding me on all four sides. There was no escape.

「You aw a man. And we aw women.」

「So you should use us like women.」

「But this will be owr first time.」

「So we might not be very good.」

This can’t be happening. The Koko sister’s halting Japanese has failed to penetrate my consciousness…

「「「「Heave-ho!」」」」

In chorus, they shouted as if they were raising a portable shrine.

The four sisters carried me to the other side of the bamboo blinds that hid the bed and tossed me onto it. Then, one after another, wearing a lecherous Riko-like expression, they climbed up to the bed.

「…O-…. Wh-what do you think you’re doing…!」

Finding myself in a scene out of Riko’s games like that where the female knight is cornered by a mob of lechers, I raised my upper body and tried to scramble away backwards, but with a *Thump!* , my back fell flat on top of the bed.

Dressed as a cheerleader, maid, bunny, and primary schooler, the Koko sisters crossed the bed one step at a time… *Step* *Step!*

「Pwetend we’re Awia.」

They spoke that wild statement.

「P-pretend you’re Aria?」

The cheerleader and bunny moved to casually straddle my legs. The maid and primary schooler hugged my arms, pressing my entire arm up to the shoulder against them.

「There’s no way Kinchi gets awong with Awia.」

「Especiawy after your tewible recent fight, right?」

「So we will take Awia’s place.」

「Unlike Awia, we would be kind to Kinchi and his total slave…」

Whispering this in my ear at a tantalising close distance… one of the sisters dimmed the lights.

…*Gasp*…!

When I first met them, I confused them for Aria, but… for some reason…right now, they really do look like Aria.

IMG_0127

The alcohol that I drank earlier has my blood rushing to my head in response to the Koko sisters’ advances. I must be the type that has a delayed reaction to alcohol.

「Kinchi. You’we always making excuwses.」

「But we reawy like you. You know that, right?」

「So we’ll do anything you say.」

「Yes… Whatever you want. What is it…?」

… A-a kind Aria…

I can’t believe it.

No, this is an illusion of the Koko sisters’ produced by Rampan’s alcohol. I know it’s not real. But even so–this illusion makes me feel good…

There are four Aria’s in front of me that I can’t take my eyes off of.

「Now, now, is there something you want us to do…Kinchi? 」

「Or is there something you want to do…?」

「Tell us what you want, and we’ll do it.」

「Each of us will do it, one at a time.」

These Arias have me flustered. They are touching me all over, rubbing their hands like a massage with their 8 hands.

Th-They are… ridiculously good at it!

Fatigue is melting away from my body. Without having to move around, they are forcing me to relax–

They are making me feel like a king.

This is… the complete opposite of how things normally are. Usually I’m the slave, and Aria is the Queen, but now I’m the King and Aria is the slave. Moreover, there are four of them attending me.

It’s hard to resist something out of my most pleasant dreams. I can’t help but enjoy it.

What Riko had said back on the bullet train about a『revel at Rampan Castle』suddenly became clear.

「–Say, will you call me ‘Aria’?」

The Aria in the maid outfit asked in a strangely pleading tone while pressing my cheeks together between her hands…

「A-Aria.」

I replied.

I said it, and as if the Koko sisters had been waiting expectantly for those words, they laughed and smiled, holding on to me with arms and legs.

I got the feeling that the 4 sisters had some kind of prior agreement arranged between themselves. Whatever was to come, I am a man, and the Koko sisters are girls, and if this situation continues to develop, things will happen rapidly…

…*Ka-thump!*…

It was my troublesome condition–Hysteria Mode was finally kicking in.

In the past, for some reason, Aria has been able to flip that switch easily, but it’s even the few times that Riko has disguised herself as Aria it’s worked just the same.

「Kinchi, I really like you.」

「Do you like me too?」

「Kinchi~!」

「Kinchi…」

The way that they seem to be trying hypnotise me by calling my name… is c-cute. And so is Aria.

Of course there were differences, but the numbers make up for it. I’m the kind of person that is okay with multiple partners.

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

*Ka-Thump!*…

Th-this can’t be good!

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

「Kinchi.」

「What the hell are you doing, Kinji!!!」

With gritted teeth… a fifth Aria appeared?

The sound of grating teeth filling the room, her eyes locked on me.

「Th-th-these Koko brats are dressed up like something from m-m-my past that I would like nothing more than to forget….!」

Her voice shook in terrible anger.

–Th-this is the real Aria…! I can tell from her usual Gardenia scent. I made to stand up quickly, but the Koko sisters piled on top of me so I couldn’t.

「Who are you calling a brat!?」

「We’re 14!」

Two of the sisters shot back angrily as I struggled to rise–meanwhile they slipped off my belt for some reason and lowered my trousers slightly.

What the heck is this! As they unzipped my zipper, the real Aria in the doorway shook her twin-tails angrily.

「Is that so…」


She widened her reddish-purple eyes and glared threateningly, letting the tone of a hostile military commander creep into her voice.

Th-that voice!

Any normal person would faint at such a tone, retreating into their subconscious, but thanks to my half-assed mental training at Butei High, I didn’t swoon.

With a lightning movement, Aria drew her twin pistols, angrily strode over to the bed, and climbed on top of it as it flexed and swayed beneath her.

As you might expect, the Koko sisters drew back and moved to escape behind me–

By doing so however, their movements forced me to the front.

M-my servants have betrayed me!

The bed continued to flex as Aria took an imposing stance in front of me.

Oh no…

「–Raaaaaargh!」

Letting out a shout that no beautiful girl should ever give, she unleashed a murderous low kick at my knees that was proven to have bent a bundle of 3 metal bats into a『く』shape and where the Koko sisters had been clinging moments earlier.

It appears that Aria is the kind to shake off the effects of alcohol quickly. However, I’d much rather deal with a blubbering Aria…!

「Haaaa…!」

Seeing me struck down in a single blow:

「Heh!」

「Ya!」

「Ha!」

「–*Twin Snake Decapitation*!」

In rapid succession, the first three Koko sisters feinted at Aria–Finally the youngest looking one wrapped her twin-tails around Aria’s neck. Then, wrapping her legs around Aria’s abdomen, she began to strangle her!

Upon a closer look at the youngest sister’s twin-tails, it looks like this is the one whose hair Reki cut with her bullets because it appears to be artificial. Whatever it was, it was able to hold tension better than normal hair.

If the Koko have Aria caught up in their knock-out technique, I think I might survive…

「–Double Snake Bye Bye!」

Baritsu has the same technique!

Aria wrapped her pink twin-tails around the Koko sister’s neck and squeezed! Using the strength of her arms and back, she pulled her hair tight to strangle the one behind her.

Uhm… It would be a problem if Aria lost, but if the Koko sisters lose, Aria will kill me. Which one should I support?

With this ugly choking battle going on in front of us, the other 3 sisters were waving their fists in the air cheering their youngest sister and saying things like:『You can do it!』and『Kill!』. Because of that I shouted『Come on Aria…!』, considering that to be the safest option for my future.

Aria shouted『Bloody Hell!』and struck the Koko sister in the butt with a Muay Thai-like knee strike.

The second that the Koko’s leg lock loosened, Aria used her hair to hurl her overhead with some kind of head throw you won’t find written about in any Martial Arts manual.

With a solid *Thunk!*, the youngest Koko hit the wall, falling off the bed. Then Aria mounted me to deliver a series of hammer blows and execute me for her Chinese debut.

As the youngest sister hit the ground:

「You lecher! They didn’t even put up a tree, so tell me: What do they have that I don’t!? Well! Give me a detailed and precise explanation, Perv-Kinji!」

I’m caught in hammer blow hell…!

I was just cheering you on! But I’m used to having things like this happen to me, so I’ll try to avoid death by trying to control her wrists from below. But I was immediately shutdown! As I desperately tried to squirm out…

「How adorable! 」

At some point Riko had appeared on the bed, holding a mobile in her hand. H-help me! Stop recording!

「Since we’re finally here we’ve got to take loooooots of pictures, don’t we? Capture all the good memories? Aria-chan’s film will be called『Cold Inverted Love』. You knew it was a bunch of fake Arias, but you still got REALLY worked up over them anyway!」

「Wha- Wha-!…. Riko! You shouldn’t say something like that to a tsundere! 」

「…Eh? I didn’t realise… 」

While I was butting heads with Riko, Aria didn’s stop assaulting me with her fists.

Ever since our huge fight at OZONE, Aria has flipped out at me on very short notice. Such abuse (sad to say) is normal, however–

–When I was lost on Hong Kong Island, she was worried.

****************************************************************************

「Oh, look! A peach bun UFO outside the window!」

It was a weak bluff, but it tripped up Aria enough that I was able to escape hammer blow hell.

Then I dashed for the first floor banquet hall and dove into a large pot–

Inside, I was safe and hidden from Aria and slept.

The next day, my Christmas Eve morning began inside the pot.

Why do I feel like eating pickled plums…?

I grumbled as I emerged from the pot that had proven to be surprisingly comfortable.

With the pleasant feeling of my scramasax on my back, I moved to a chair.

I wonder if I can get one of these for my place? Bulletproof.

I considered whether I should go up the stairs to the VIP room…?

I opened the door a crack and peered inside, but since it was still early morning, Shirayuki and Reki were still asleep.

Shirayuki had drunk a lot of that sake… She was going to have a nightmare of a hangover. Well, you reap what you sow.

Reki had drunk a reasonable amount and was sleeping with an angelic expression on her face. You should wear that face more often.

Aria-sama had claimed the huge bed for herself, as was sleeping with a peaceful expression while wearing a nightcap. Did you shoot something?

The sheets and blanket were slightly disturbed, but Riko wasn’t sleeping. She’s probably out playing. That girl has always been lively.

「…」

From the cruiser, I had seen an open air cafe on the top floor that I wanted to get coffee from, so I climbed the golden stairs I had seen yesterday…

… Reaching the third floor, it was a sprawling cafeteria.

It looked like a tropical resort with a colourful bar counter that had all kinds of western spirits in bottles ranged in rows behind it. There was even a billiards table and piano.

There weren’t any guards because it was so early.

I spotted the coffee-maker I was looking for. It was a Swiss Jura brand automatic.

I guess this is that place that they entertain when they have Western guests…

I brewed an espresso and crossed to the open terrace…

「…」

There were reclining deck chairs where you could look out at the dawn sky over the ocean–

–There, wearing her usual modified uniform, sat Riko. With the same cup that I held in her hands and a slightly listless cast to her eye, she gazed out at the horizon.

She was calm, without a trace of her usual childishness…

For an instant, my usual expectations were cleared away, and she looked awefully mature. She…

Looked to be a beautiful woman of about 20. Her mother must have been an unparalleled beauty. Even now she is cute enough, and when she grows up she’ll be the kind of devilish woman who can make any man her captive. She gives of a unique impression that is different from Aria, Shirayuki, and Reki–

「Morning, Riko. It’s early for you.」

I want to look at her more, but that was for selfish reasons. Only marginally under her spell, the sound of my own voice snapped me back to reality.

「Riko likes to get up early while travelling.」

With a smile, she turned back toward me, her pig tails swaying.

Getting up early on a trip, huh?

It’s not that I can’t understand that.

You have good taste, Riko.

「Morning, Ki-kun. How do you like Rampan Castle? Super flashy, isn’t it?」

Pushing her upper body up off the chair, her face returned to her usual infuriating expression. I hadn’t noticed until now, but this might be Riko’s act. At least in public.

「From our battle up until now, everything has been fine, and Rampan clearly wants to make a good impression, but… It all seems too flashy and vulgar.」

I said to my neighbor Riko, sitting in the chair beside her and staring into my dark coffee.

「Ehh? But Riko loves it. I guess you could say that Rampan Castle is really ‘rampan me up’!」

「Aren’t bad puns a crime?」

「Well, the other day, Aria made the bad pun that:『Shirayuki is shir-ak-ing off!』. It’s so close. Only the『yu』 doesn’t fit.」11

「…Aria said that. I wonder if Rampan thinks we’re the joke here. She’s Baskerville’s Vice-Leader. I don’t think that she will fall to mere peach buns, but I am worried.」

When receiving hospitality from a hostile organisation, it is the Leader’s job to understand the effect it has on each member. Particularly the amount of psychological influence they hold over them. It’s important.

When the person themself says:『I’m not under their control at all.』, coming to an accurate assessment is hard, but knowing in broad terms if they are『completely under control』,『half under control』, or『not under control at all』is essential. It places you at a disadvantage in negotiation, especially if a principal member becomes too friendly with the enemy.

Riko was commenting on the awkward broken relationship between myself and Aria. I got angry at her after I had gotten lost, and at worst, created the possibility of a break-up. I should sound out the situation with her…

「Aria is super happy, did you know? She got a huge tube of cream.」

「What was it?」

「It was a Chinese Herbal treatment that said it was supposed to double the size of your breasts!」

「…」

Rampan isn’t quite as clever as they believe. Aria’s eyes wouldn’t light up in pleasure at such a thing, wouldn they? They might not realise how dangerous that might have been. What kind of strange cream is that anyway?

All in all, that’s a good thing.

Besides, even if they double in size, you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.

「By the way, Riko remembered something about Aria.」

With a slight creak of the deck chair, Riko crossed her legs under her frilly skirt.

「Riko felt a little sad yesterday. Back when Riko disguised herself as Aria, Ki-kun went all goggle-eyed!」

「What are you saying?」

「Ki-kun went really crazy for the Koko’s Aria impersonations. When it comes to Aria, I realised that she is special to Ki-kun. Ha ha ha!」

Riko slapped me on the shoulder…

…She made a face to say ‘Don’t you remember that?’

「Did you… drink too much sake? You’re not taking this situation very seriously!」

Because I wasn’t in Hysteria Mode, I couldn’t really understand what she said, so I made a confused face.

Seeing that, Riko grinned and chuckled with a face that said:『Sometime boys are adorable!』

What’s with that condescending look!? That girl is really making me angry.

「I guess it’s not a mystery when it comes to who you like.」

「What are you saying?」

「When I think about who you like, I’m not really sure if it makes me happy or unhappy.」

「I don’t understand!」

「Ki-kun, you’re an impossible sort of person! But impossible games get Riko fired up!」

Riko looked up and laughed loudly into the sky.

What is this, really?

「By the way, it’s Christmas Eve.」

She suddenly switched topics…

Well, she always does this, so I don’t care one way or another.

「It’s still morning, so isn’t it a bit early for holiday greetings?」

「Shouldn’t you give a girl in Japan holiday greetings earlier rather than later? If you forget, she might pout. My old Amica thought Christmas Eve and birthdays were the most important, Ki-kun! Everyone has their own preferences though, so you should learn what they are! You celebrated Aria and Yuki-chan’s birthdays, didn’t you? They were amaaazing!」

She changed the topic again. She brought up Christmas and birthdays, despite the fact that I hadn’t said a word about either.

But I’ll be sure to celebrate her birthday… but what’s an amaaazing celebration?

I bought Aria a ring from a street stand and Shirayuki got flowers. But in either case, with Aria I had to add the condition『Don’t just shoot me』, and with Shirayuki『Be my bodyguard』.

「Were they amazing…?」

I asked, tilting my head.

「Ho Ho!」

Riko gave a throaty chuckle.

What was so amazing!

「My! That’s just like you, Ki-kun! You’re a natural gigolo! Ah! Even Riko is amused! But… You don’t know Riko’s birthday, do you?」

Riko flashed me a furtive sideways grin, and I tried to mimic her speaking style–

「Why! I do know it!」

I fired back words calculated to annoy her. Whereupon Riko gasped and made an astonished face.

In fact, I did know Riko’s birthday. The other day when Jeanne came over to Play at INQUESTA, they were talking about it. It was a very peaceful day, that’s why I remember it.

Damn Riko. That’s what you want to know all along, wasn’t it?

Well, now that I told you that I knew, you want something on that day, don’t you? I could get you a plush from a crane game or something.

「…」

I didn’t say anything else.

「Ah…U-Umm…」

Riko began flailing her arms wildly, and her blush circuit activated. Then:

「Ahahaha! It’s really gotten hot out!」

She said as she played with her frilly skirt. Because of that, her familiar vanilla scent wafted toward me…

It wasn’t a scent that I particularly disliked, and I turned a little red. Why the heck are you drawing attention to your lower body!? You’re completely exposing your thighs!

As I looked away in embarrassment:

「So indecent, Ki-kun! So bold!」

Speaking these incomprehensible words, she clung to me in an embrace.

If you think that, then why are you hanging on to me?

I really don’t understand girls.

But it seems that Riko is planning to keep hugging me. Then she smoothly moved her mouth close to me ear–

「Kou is on the underwater levels. I get the feeling it’s probably the lowest. Right now it’s not Son, so it has to be Kou.」

Riko whispered to me secretly.

…She must have investigated.

When we arrived at Rampan Castle, she pretended to be the most excited to play–but the information thief Riko scouted the castle’s interior grounds.

Knowing where enemy soldiers are placed is the most important thing to grasp at the moment.

「I even have people I can use. Your reputed liking for women is an advantage here, Kinji. They and I work well together. I give negotiations a 50-50 chance. If it turns into a fight, when I give the order–you evacuate.」

I stared at this hidden side of Riko that was suddenly revealed and the indescribable strange charm she exuded…

With but a brief moment of consideration, I nodded slightly in agreement.

I was under the impression that the enemy was negotiating because they did not want to fight, but I should be wary of that conclusion.

Moreover, instead of just wandering around to scout like I did, Riko had recruited spies…that’s quite an accomplishment.

I almost asked just who these agents were, but,

「Oh! I do hope I am not intruding?」

We heard a nonchalant voice from the stairs.

Grinning at the sight of Riko clinging to me on the deck chair with narrow eyes behind round glasses… was Shokatsu. Rampan’s leader, Seigen Shokatsu.

「O~oh my! And we went to a~all this trouble to have some time alone together! I’m so~o disappointed!」

Already Riko had lapsed back into her silly public facade and began pouting, making horns with her fingers at Shokatsu.

Since he had appeared just as we were discussing ways to counter Rampan, I wore a slightly upset face–

The way Riko set it up, it looked like a lover’s rendezvous.

「When it come to balance of yin and yang, the two of you are truly compatible. To tell you the truth, with all the women surrounding Tohyama-kun, I have considered each potential pairing. But I think that you two are the best couple.」

While trying to curry favour with Riko, he reached the bar counter. Then he noticing we were drinking coffee, he smiled and asked:

「Can I get you another cup?」

Goodness, you’re as agreeable as ever. It’s hard to feel any animus toward this kind of enemy.

But in that yin and yang, are you saying I’m the yin? I hate how you can say such rude things so casually.12

「When you think of China, tea might come immediately to mind, but recently coffee has become quite popular. For the two of you from Japan, our coffee may be too sweet… As someone with a sweet tooth myself, I can attest that the Chinese like their coffee sweet.」

Shokatsu deftly donned an apron over his civil official’s clothes–he took bauhina flower-shaped13 cake from the refrigerator and arranged them on a plate with the manner of a professional pastry chef. Enough for us and him, simultaneously brewing three cups of coffee. Trying to wake us up by raising our blood sugar, is that what this is?

But… He…

Out of habit from INQUESTA, I observed him, and he looked like to be of weak build. Unlike other men, his mustache was totally absent. Even I have sparse growth.

He isn’t effete like Wu Chan-sensei from LEZZAD, but he simply lacks any masculine traits. Even his voice is pitched high.

His hair is neatly done, and even the fastening cords on his fashionable clothes are in impeccably order and little changed from yesterday.

I get the impression that he likes fashion and domestic affairs, and even now he is enjoying waiting on us…

For some reason, I think that this is the『Real Shokatsu』rather than the one we saw after our fight with the Koko sisters. He’s just a naturally gentle person.

「Please show the Koko sisters affection. I do hope that, as a man, you will take care of them. Though, I do wonder if you could handle all 4 of them at once?」

He said, grinning all the while as he took the cakes from the tray and placed them and individual cups of coffee near of us, then sat in the deck chair beside us.

Seeing the cake, Riko cheered and began to eat eagerly, while I sighed at her.

「What am I supposed to do with them? They didn’t particularly make me feel welcome yesterday.」

As circumstances took shape, I turned to my own cake that was made of fruit.

「You are entirely welcome to use them as concubines. As your subordinates, they would make excellent retainers. Otherwise, those children would be the terror of Shanghai Rampan, causing no end of trouble in future.」

「Concubines…you say. The future. I have no intention of over-staying our welcome.」

「A wise bird chooses a tree to nest, and a capable retainer chooses his lord. If you accepted, you would be a new kind of leader, taking the next generation of Hong Kong Rampan into the future.」

「I don’t think the Koko sisters would agree. Rampan and I aren’t a good fit. First of all, I’m not rich.」

「Compatability and money are traits that determine status within middle management. At the top it’s ability, because when push comes to shove, it’s that kind of person people look to for guidance. With the power to turn enemies into allies–what might be called personal charisma–that ancient wisdom is what’s important. The ability to bring people together.」

Geez…

「I understand a talent shortage, and even a dunce like me can flatter someone. But usually I’m the one being led and turning an enemy into an ally isn’t an ability I have.」

「There’s Riko Mine-san over there, then there’s Jeanne-san, Watson-san, Hilda-san, and the G-3 and G-4 siblings–」

Shokatsu began ticking off my old enemies on his hand…listing all those who were now my allies.

You haven’t done your research.

In cases like Jeanne, she became my classmate as the result of a plea bargain, the same for Riko. In cases like Hilda… it’s hard to say how I managed it. You’re overestimating me.

「You are able to bring together people with different personalities and different ideologies and fuse them into one cohesive group. Rampan and Baskerville are opposed in Far East Warfare, but in the future why might they not be brought together? Even Reki-san’s Ulus may unite with Rampan. Every group in the entire world coming together under one banner, one group, one association–then there would be no need to compete with each other and lasting peace would be achieved. You and your allies can be the starting point.」

「Such a Chinese thought! All I’ve heard is a wild dream.」

Riko snorted, scoffing at Shokatsu’s words.

「Are dreams not important? For generations, my family has asked:『Who can make the kind of world that we want to see?』Tohyama-san, I want to see the world that you can make–the one I believe you can.」

What he’s saying is… he wants me to take all the secret, underground organisations in the world: Rampan, the Ulus, the Vatican, Liberty Mason, G-3’s group, and the vampires and force them all into one group, and by doing so create world peace and place where all humanity unites in brotherhood.

It isn’t a bad idea. But even though it’s not wrong… it’s highly impractical. I don’t think it will be achieved in my lifetime, and I won’t be around to enjoy it.

But Shokatsu isn’t one who is thinking on a small personal scale. Those words have to do with eternal ideas I can’t understand and things human beings can’t see. Those words are an ideal.

They aren’t something for today or tomorrow, but a distant future. It doesn’t matter if I will be around to see it happen. I just have to live my life moving toward that principle.

Being able to say things like that…

That makes him a great man.

When you think like that, distinctions like friend and foe lose importance. Such an outlook that is focused on something other than money and fighting–like the Koko sisters and I are–is magnificent. That he can think of something like that in the middle of all the fighting in Far East Warfare proves he is no ordinary man.

「Ah!」

Shokatsu suddenly made a face as if he had just remembered something. From the sleeve of his civil official uniform, he withdrew a small mother of pearl case.

「Yes, yes, here is the Karagane14 for Aria-san.」

…!

Handed over to me as if it were nothing, I opened it…

Inside, wrapped up in a red cloth, was a familiar scarlet coloured gemstone.

The scarlet bullet fired and lodged near Aria’s heart–it was part of the covering that served to shield her from its negative influence. Crystallised, it looked like a gemstone.

There were originally 7, but now there are only 3. The one in this box makes it 4.

Riko was surprised at the appearance of the Karagane too and peered into the box as well.

「…Is this real?」

Shokatsu smiled and nodded at Riko’s words.

It doesn’t seem to be a trick.

「Why are you giving this to us now?」

I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

「Well, I had simply misplaced it. I remembered, and looked for it yesterday.」

He replied, still smiling as at me as I fell back into my chair in shock. Riko also collapsed back into her chair.

「–In both Hong Kong and Shanghai, I took the time to analyse the situation. I learned a lot.」

「Didn’t you think about using this in our negotiations?」

「I intend to do so now. Of course, you will need to make proper arrangements to return it to Aria-san’s Hidan. However, in order to do so you will have to return home… And you can only do so by coming to an agreement with us. Now then, will you come to an agreement with us as soon as possible?」

He has a devilishly sharp mind!

No matter if I wither up and die, I am Aria’s partner. When it comes to her, blood rushes to my head, and I want to do something quickly. I do owe her a recent debt for buying back my mobile for me from Cat Street.

「Alright, we’ll accept it. We can’t reciprocate, but it was exceedingly… kind of you.」

「We would very much like to make peace with the Crouching Dragon. We are quite busy.」

「Busy?」

「Hong Kong Rampan is involved in many more than one conflict in Far East Warfare. Dealing with issues on those other fronts is fully occupying our attention. As things stand now, a large conflict would involve military personnel from across the whole of China. The expense to pay them all would be unfathomable. Therefore, reconciliation is a good strategy.」

It appeared Shokatsu has no intention of hiding their internal situation–

「You’ve changed a lot, Shokatsu.」

Having finished eating her cake, Riko asked in a suspicious tone, letting a bit of her other side show.

「–Let us not speak of the past. It is not a pleasant topic for you either.」

In answering, Shokatsu’s voice took on a slight edge. The morning light glinting off his glasses, his slitted eyes took on a serious expression.

「…?」

Riko needled Shokatsu into a making a mistake, and as I tilted my head, Riko turned toward me to explain.

「The old Shokatsu was more direct, rowdy person. He worked desperately to fight Sherlock, and they were on equal footing.」

…Sherlock Holmes…?

So he’s capable of fighting on equal terms with Sherlock, huh? This scarecrow?

In my fight with Sherlock, I was somehow just barely able to win by the skin of my teeth, at best… He is my greatest enemy.

But he managed to elude capture.『Apprehending Criminals』is part of a Butei’s job, so when I think about it, it was actually a defeat. And this man is his equal?

My eyes widened as Shokatsu responded.

「Not at all. I was the loser.」

He said, waving his hand in a gesture of denial…

「Non, I saw it. At the end of the fight Sherlock…」

「No, no, when we fought, I certainly lost.」

「…gave up the fight.『Shokatsu-kun. Please take care for the rest of your life』, he said.」

「…」

He continued to smile, but said nothing…I remember seeing this expression sometime before.

「…Are you…ill…?」

In response:

「Even with Chinese and Eastern medicine–there are things that cannot be managed.」

He did not deny it. So that’s how it is…?

When I saw him for the first time atop the Kagataka Family mansion, I though that he looked like he has some kind of sickness. Perhaps it is incurable. But that’s not something I can say.

From habits I picked up at INQUESTA… I pick out as many personal details as I can when I meet an important person.

I started by considering whether he had gained or lost weight. In terms of weight, he had lost a significant amount since the declaration of war on Empty Island. And it had been sudden–even if he was trying to lose weight. This is the first time I’ve seen him thin. It wasn’t like an athlete trying to get in shape, or an actor trying to fit a role, either.

–The Koko sisters had talked about taking over Shanghai Rampan from Hong Kong in about 1 or 2 years. That might be because they know of Shokatsu’s illness.

The words… won’t come.

It is not merely ‘unfortunate’. I want to make sure that he lives long enough to see this huge dream fulfilled.

「Please do no make that kind of face. One life or death is of no consequence. Youth from an island nation–turn your face toward the far future of a wide world. If you expand your outlook, it will become abundantly clear to you the path you must walk!」

Saying such an idealistic thing with a smile, then he said:

「I love Rampan. I want it to succeed in the future. In the middle of Far East Warfare, as both sides vie for dominance, they require a great leader.. I wish to make sure of my successor. And you, Tohyama, are my first choice.」

–Because it cannot be you. I understand.

Then, as if to make light of his previous words, he turned his slitted eyes away to look over Hong Kong Island.

「I will only be able to maintain Rampan’s peace in Hong Kong for one, maybe two years. Shanghai Rampan is riding the wave of the Chinese Economic Boom and is steadily gaining strength. There is a difference in ideology between Hong Kong and Mainland China–it is known to Rampan as『The Hong Kong Contradiction』Hong Kong Rampan is a mutual aid cooperative like ancient Rampan and Liberty Mason–Shanghai Rampan is of the new model with strong resemblance to the Yakuza of Japan. It is harder to learn what is good, and much easier to learn what is evil. I have observed the plain signs of Shanghai Rampan’s treacherous hijacking.」

Shokatsu spoke that pessimistic outlook…

But I do not posses the power to change it. While unfortunate, I don’t have the ability to alter Rampan’s fate. I’m sorry, but you cannot change my mind. I am a Butei. Not a leader of outlaws.

But even so…there is one thing about him that I can’t bring myself to dislike that I must point out.

「It’s a well thought out plan.」

I began–

After a brief pause, Shokatsu turned to look at me.

「…What you said was a noble goal. But there are no such things as『certainties』in this world. Even Sherlock, with all his reasoning and logic made mistakes.」

As the two discussed our common worthy rival, Shokatsu gave a small sigh and made a face that said『Oh really?』

「Is that so? Did even he miscalculate?」

「He didn’t count on me.」

「Ah! Now I see!」

「You have to understand! W-well, what I want to say is… you are giving up much too easily. Even Kou did so, it is a bad part of Chinese culture to give up too soon. Knowing when to give up is a good thing, but still… I am a Butei, so I have to use Butei language–」

I looked Shokatsu firmly in the eye like I had seen Ranbyou do in ASSAULT briefings.

「–Butei Charter, Article 10: Never give up. A Butei never, ever gives up. If you don’t like the future you see, you have to fight back. Even if it means fighting me, you have to live–not knowing when to quit!」

As he looked at me…Shokatsu’s eyes widened. Then he smiled. Still, smiling, he rose from the deck chair.

「Yes. I like you, Tohyama. You are so… Japanese.」

With the sound of fading footsteps, he walked away across the terrace…

「…This was pleasant. I heard rumours of『The man who could make the impossible possible』. As a way of showing my gratitude, please stay at Rampan Castle today. But you must require some time to prepare, so let us gather at the peace talk table tomorrow night. It is my sincere hope that in the following『Duel』that a man of your calibre will not be killed.」

「Killed?–Do you think I will lose to Son? You sound so sure.」

「Yes, I am sure. So let us proceed carefully with our negotiations. You said that『there are no such things certainties in this world.』In this case, I take it as an absolute. Son will destroy you. In all the ages and places, there has never been anyone who can win against the Nyoibou, and there never will be.」

「…」

This… negotiations are hard.

Shokatsu just implied that the laser Son had was certain death… and if I were honest, I don’t want to fight it either.

The other side has just laid out several conditions that must be accepted in order to avoid hostilities.

Namely: I must join Rampan.

If that were to happen…Baskerville would change alliance from Deen to Greneda, possibly causing a breakup of Deen.

Right now, I have to think about how to handle negotiations.

***************************************************************************

When you have something to worry about, you should do it while fishing.

Or so my grandfather used to say…

So, I started working out my negotiation plan while fishing from Rampan Castle’s pier-like first floor.

I mimed『I want to fish』to the maids with hair done up in dumpling buns, but apparently in Hong Kong they don’t use poles, so they handed over a plastic peg with line wound around it.

I thought about using my scramasax as a pole, but it would have been too difficult, so taking peg in hand–I put some shrimp on a hook, tossed it into the ocean, and sat down.

The rest of the world is enjoying themselves, planning parties, and here I am on the morning of Christmas Eve with this strange plastic spool, fishing.

…But it’s alright. Laugh if you want to.

I hear you can catch dusky rabbitfish here. They’re not even the poisonous type.

If negotiations break down and there’s a fight, then someone will get hurt. Shokatsu is the leader of the Moderates, but as for the rest of that ridiculous conversation…he suggested that we『Surrender unconditionally』. What should I do about that condition…? I’ve already taken the Karagane…

In Hysteria Mode this wouldn’t be a problem, I thought as I gazed out over the ocean…

I was taking a break from these morbid thoughts.

But no good ideas came to mind.

I tried very hard to recall my Strategy I classwork.

I can’t catch any of those rumouredly bountiful fish, either. I suck. At fishing, that is.

「–You really suck. At fishing, that is.」

I turned to see who had spoken…

Standing there was girl in a Chinese-style French Maid outfit that I remembered. She had irregularly braided twin tails.

「…Yuan!」

The one who helped me when I got lost in North Point, Yuan Meishi

「So you came to Rampan Castle? I’m surprised.」

「There’s no way you could be the guy from the rumours! After seeing you fight Son-sama on the tram, If I made a shocking report to Rampan and they dug deeper… I’d be ruined! If I said『we slpet together for a night』, it would mean disaster! There would be all kinds of weird misunderstandings! I was only your host until you came here!」

I didn’t really understand why Yuan was turning so red as she squatted next to me…

「Come with me.」

I heard her whisper behind me.

「…?」

Behind Yuan, through a window–there stood an aloof woman in her twenties. She wore a French Maid uniform, but it was slightly more ornate than Yuan’s.

「The head maid said:『Kou-sama has expressed a desire to see Tohyama』」

Yuan whispered into my ear when I looked like I still didn’t understand what was happening.

Kou…?

So I can meet with Kou before negotiations, huh?

If true, that would be extremely helpful. Of the two, Kou is the one friendly to me. I gave her those golden egg noodles. If things go well, she may even tell me Son’s weakness. For example: she gets weaker if you grab her tail. That would be a godsend, but–

「Alright, if that’s what Ram–」

「It’s not that simple! Listen to my situation! The head maid is 5 levels above me, and Kou-sama is 11. Do you think I can disobey?」

Like the times I had been glared at by a senpai or teacher, Yuan’s almond-shaped eyes drooped to the floor.

…I indicated the girl behind the glass with my eyes.

「So that the head maid? Does she understand Japanese?」

「She doesn’t.」

「Then we’ll speak in Japanese. My own position here is rather precarious.」

I said as we approached two other maids. The head maid gave them silent instruction, and Yuan explained the situation to the two serving as doorkeepers. Then they opened a door to a set of steps leading to the cellar. The stairwell passage had many doors, and we passed through them one by one–

Taking the opportunity:

「…I didn’t mean to trick you. When we met in North Point it was an accident.」

I apologised to the one walking beside me.

「I know. You’re not that kind of person.」

Yuan answered in Japanese, smiling radiantly.

She’s… a nice girl. I get the feeling that this is metropolitan courtesy and decency.

「Ever since you chased her, Kou-sama has been confined here to rest. In a way, everyone is suffering for the Koko sisters’ misdeeds.」

Yuan took the opportunity to explain…

I grasp all too well how things work within Rampan.

The Koko sisters are very good at making excuses and blaming others for their mistakes, and Kou is just the opposite.

They’re bullying Kou. Just because they’re stronger fighters. In North Point they were using her as a gofer.

That’s how I’m treated in Baskerville. I feel sorry for her.

As I gave a sigh, we reached a Chinese style confinement room…huh?

This is better looking than I imagined it would be.

It even has its own paper shaded oil lamp and a plate stacked with peaches. Kou must like to do puzzle books in her spare time.

I stopped feeling sorry for her.

As someone who spends time in bullet proof closets and inside jars, I’m the real pathetic one here.

Kou had her back toward us and was sprawled on a comfortable mat doing a Sudoku puzzle–

「Kou-sama. I have brought Tohyama-sama.」

At Yuan’s voice, Kou gasped and her tail formed into an『?』shape as she leapt to her feet in a panic, her micro-skirt becoming an issue.

Assuming a kneeling posture mid-air, she landed on the floor with a *Plop!*.

That looks like one of Shirayuki’s tricks.

「Wh….Why the heck are you wearing that Nagoya Girl’s Butei High uniform?」

I voiced my dislike for the short skirt.

「W-well….When the Koko sisters were in Japan and caused you all sorts of trouble, Juujuu set up her base at Nagoya Girl’s Butei HIgh and made all her preparations there. Then when she got the uniform and had Kou wear it, the sisters strangely seemed to like it…」

So that’s it. Sounds like them.

But it creates the problem of me not having any safe resting place for my eyes.

Turning away from Kou’s skirt, there was Yuan who was standing stiffly beside me, and as I looked at her,

「…An outfit that shows so much skin is embarrassing for me too…」

「No matter. I wanted to talk to you for a bit to see if you were Kou or Son. Now I’m sure you’re Kou.」

「Yes…」

「I fought Son yesterday. How are you doing? You look well.」

「Don’t worry. The more time I spend as Son, the more mental and physical fatigue builds up. So when I fight, it usually takes me about a day and a half to fully recover. So… until then, I am waiting here.」

…I see. So that’s why Shokatsu said that he wanted to wait until tomorrow night to negotiate. He must not be worried about Son violently disrupting the talks.

Kou is here now. It looks like he plans to use Son as a final trump card in the case negotiations fail–

「I heard about your fight with Son from the Koko sisters. You didn’t end up dying, but that’s only because Son was too busy playing. Son is a sore loser. Next time, she won’t be playing, and she will kill you immediately. That’s just how she is」

Kou’s despondent gaze lowered; she seems certain that Son will kill us.

「…A rematch. That’s something I pray never happens.」

「Tohyama. Please kill Son. If you kill me now, it will only end in chaos, but if you defeat Son in battle, the rest of Rampan has to accept you. By doing so… you’ll save me.」

Save Kou from Son–

I made that decision In Hysteria Mode.

But I will do it.

She is a girl with two hearts.

There isn’t any way but killing to separate them.

Killing her is the only way to save her…!

「Alright. I’ll kill you.」

Suddenly, the head maid broke out in Japanese.

*Riiiip!*

She removed some kind of mask-like make-up from her face.

The face underneath was–

「R-Riko…!」

Beside me, Yuan gasped in surprise.

「…We still have room to negotiate. Don’t say something so strange, Riko There’s Butei Regulation 9–!.」

「You’re too soft on little girls. It’s kill or be killed. That laser is a sure thing.」

The maid Riko clenched her fists.

Glancing across, she stared into Kou’s right eye.

「Enough of this jabber. I have a question for you. It’s a laser isn’t it? It would be dangerous if you shot it at me, and I don’t want to be hit.」

Riko fixed Kou with her gaze and began cross-examining her.

「So is there a way to beat it? Reflect it with a mirror, disperse it with steam, or some other complicated means? How about it Nee-cha~n?」

Riko ended in a sickeningly sweet tone, but…

Kou shook her head.

With her head hanging low like a cat-girl, Kou wagged her head from side to side..

「The Nyoibou is like a ray gun. Mirrors will melt in an instant, and steam will vapourise.」

Ah… is that so?

It different from the output of a small laser pointer.

In reality, it tore through G-3’s armour like it was made of paper and continued right through him.

It would pierce an armoured vehichle…no, even a battleships armoured plates.

「…The Nyoibou is an unrivalled spear. Contrary to what the legends say, it is not a penetrating weapon. It hits what is in its field of view so it does not miss. Because it is a ray of light, it does not deviate nor change path. So Riko’s point about ‘not wanting to be hit’ is entirely correct.」

She looked awefully sorry and depressed.

Riko even put on a disgusted expression.

「It’s useless! Ki-kun, having that powerful a weapon shouldn’t be allowed. There’s nothing else like it! 」

「Well then, we’ll all just have to come to an agreement. First of all, this is Rampan’s headquarters. Son and the Koko sisters are sure to want to make up for their losses, but we don’t want things to come to that.」

I folded my arms and pondered the situation.

I wanted to consider about something else for a bit.

「I would like to know more about this laser as well. Will you tell me about it?」

「Yes. I planned from the start to tell you about it. What do you want to know?」

「Alright. So… a sniper rifle is able to fire armour-piercing rounds…thinking about that…first I want to know about capacity. How many shots does it have? Can it shoot in rapid succession?」

「It fires once. It cannot fire rapidly. In case someone closes in to grapple, the other eye will glow, but it is only a trick. Only the right eye can fire.」

–So it can only fire once, huh?

That’s inconvenient, but it seems like a logical restriction on such a sure-fire technique.

She should be able to bring down the enemy commander in a single shot. In that case a second shot would be unnecessary.

「How long does it take to reload?」

「Roughly a day. It needs 22-24 hours. Right now I can’t, and if you look closely at the iris, you’ll be able to tell whether I can fire or not… That’s why the talks have been postponed for a day. If negotiations fail, please treat it as if Kou will become Son once the Nyoibou is fully charged.」

So it needs about a day to recharge.

That’s good news, but if you think about it, it doesn’t really make much sense. As soon as she fires, it’s done. If she misses, Kou will be completely vulnerable.

「How long does the laser last?」

Riko asked from beside me.

「I don’t want to guess, but something like point-zero something.」

「Hmm… So it’s only for an instant. What about the beam’s diameter?」

「Half the size of a pupil, about 7mm.」

Hmmm… This isn’t very useful information. Simply listing off the characteristics doesn’t help, does it…?

「They say there is nothing that it can’t pierce, but such a thing has to exist. For example, you couldn’t pierce the entire Earth.」

Kou gave a wry smile to my juvenile question–

「No, I could not.」

I thought about what I would have said if she had said that she could, but instead I made a sensible reply.

「Is there anything you couldn’t pierce? Something in your long history?」

「W-well, there was one thing. During the second World War… Kou was used as a soldier. I escaped an enemy experiment, it was a test actually–despite firing with all my strength, I could only piece its armour a few milimetres…」

「Oh! What was it?」

「Battleship Yamato.」

A moment passed in silence.

「To tell the truth, I think it was something learned from the Americans and devised by the People’s Liberation Army. It was 67 centimetres of high strength steel.」

From what I recall from ASSAULT, Yamato’s armour was 65 centimetres at it’s thickest. The Chinese won’t be hit anytime soon.

However…

「Riko, I need you to steal the Yamato.」

「Wait a minute! That’s a hu~ge order right there!」

Looking back at each other… we both hunched our shoulders in disappointment.

She remembers that she really couldn’t shoot through the battleship’s armour.

That kind of armour would be impossible to get nowadays.

Even if you could get it, you couldn’t wear it,

I had to give up on the idea.

「Is there any other kind of trick, Kou? A special technique to avoid getting hit?」

Asking the enemy how to defeat them must be the last sign of impending doom—

「There is not.」

Kou definitively shook her head then looked up at me with her black eyes.

…!…

I remember the last time I saw those eyes, running away in fear. Back in the street of North Point, when Kou resigned herself to death—it was the same look!

「However, there appears to be a method to misdirect the attack. It seems to require several preconditions. If you kill Son immediately afterwards, there will be no trouble at all.」

「Misdirect the attack…?」

I furrowed my eyebrows.

「–One of you friends is a Japanese miko, isn’t she?」

She asked, glancing up at me suddenly.

「…? You mean Shirayuki? What about her?」

Because she had told me all of these things, I answered honestly…

「Her family name is Hotogi. Unless I am mistaken?」

「…No, that’s right.」

「She carries a Japanese Tachi, doesn’t she?」

Kou had spoken correctly each time…

「Yes. She does, You seem to know a lot. Did Son keep a diary? Or did you ask the members of Rampan about her?」

Kou replied softly,

「No. I could sense its presence.」

To which she added–

「Hmm… Back when Son changed to Kou, Son’s consciousness may not have recognised her… At least I hope so…」

Looking slightly pensive, she muttered something to herself.

「Oi! Is is possible… Shirayuki’s sword might be able to change Son into Kou?」

「Yes. It can switch between the two. But the Hotogi… It may have been a long time since the ancestral ritual has been performed. If so, this plan is not feasible… From now on, however, I will proceed under the assumption that she know the ritual and all the necessary preparations. 」

「Ho… hold on a minute! Are you saying that there is some connection between Son and Shirayuki? What is this about『Son’s consciousness』…? Who are you…both of you?」

I asked Kou as she once more looked up at me.

「The Hotogi family is ancient, and they wielded Hihiirokane in Japan–but it was at the order of a contemporary emporer that they became mikos: the family of the Himiko15. Shirayuki is one of their descendants.」

I was rightly surprised by the answers to my first questions, but I was even more astonished by the answer to my second.

「Kou is simply Kou. But Son is not a perfect god. She is a defective『Scarlet Goddess』.」

……!

–Scarlet Goddess!–

The raging thing we want to stop the Hidan embedded in Aria from turning her into?

That means…

Son is the same kind of being.

As we spoke of such things in this gilded cage, Riko and I gulped.

Kou continued,

「–In my chest there is some irremovable Hihiirokane. A long time ago it was implanted surgically by Hotogi mikos.」

She said.

Th…They really are quite similar.

「Sherlock told me that he fired a large mass of Hihiirokane in the form of a Scarlet Bullet into Aria. I didn’t believe it, it sounded ridiculous…! 」

「The Hotogi blade is how humanity has harnessed the power of Hihiirokane–a man-made tool. In modern terms, it is something like a control rod.」

Control rod. That’s a word I’ve heard somewhere before.

Now I’m positive that I saw Son shy away from Shirayuki’s sword. And the name engraved on it is Irokaneayame

It had been stolen once from the Hotogi by Patra. After having been recovered from the Mummy’s Chamber, something that I hadn’t understood at the moment finally made sense…

Running down it’s length was a pattern of metal that looked to have been shaved down from a core.

Irokaneayame was made of irokane!

It sounds like something Riko might make a bad pun from.

How did I not notice the similarity between their names before?

‘Ayame’ always sounded like a name for the iris flower, but I never made the connection to the word for ‘cut’ or ‘slice’.16

Even without accepting the story about her family’s historical connection, there’s still some kind of link between Irokaneayame and Hihiirokane.

But why?

Shirayuki and Aria are both a part of my everyday life, and they both have a connection to HIhiirokane.

Are our relationships the product of mere chance?

I don’t know.

The more I think about it outside of Hysteria mode, the less I understand it.

Something has been stirring on the fringes of my life…

Slowly, steadily inching toward some final goal, in such a way that neither Aria nor Shirayuki have realised. Something big… Like the time Sherlock had been pulling all those strings behind the scenes at IU… It’s happening.

Maybe I’m starting to see the larger picture that Shokatsu talked about. But, like he said, I’m just a boy from a small island nation. I don’t understand because it’s my nature to overlook what is right in front of me.

This isn’t something I should try to figure out on my own.

–Returning from my own musings, I asked:

「…You said that the Nyoibou has some warm-up time before it can fire, didn’t you?」

The topic returned to Kou’s strategy for her own defeat.

「The most obvious sign is the right pupil shining red. The light will become brighter and brighter until the moment it is about to fire. Once it reaches that point, it is impossible to halt. At that instant the Hotogi miko should, use her control rod–changing Son into Kou. Then Kou will miss on purpose. Then you should shoot to kill.」

She said. And I… remained silent.

Kill… Kou…

Together with Son.

I don’t want to do that.

The gentle, loveable Kou… No, the violent Son, is someone who must be destroyed.

But… I understand.

I know what must be done.

Looking across at Riko… I can tell by her silence that she understands as well.

–This plan just might actually work.

It will work if Shirayuki and I can make the necessary preparations.

No matter how I look at it… I have to believe in this plan to defeat both Son and Rampan… I understand there isn’t any other way.

「Tohyama. I leave this plan in your hands. The Hotogi miko must make proper arrangements, and you must steel yourself for the moment, but I believe that we can make the preparation within 24 hours. I realise that you’re a boy, but even though this is a fixed fight– but please do your best to win.」

Then Kou grinned and laughed.

Even after discussing your death with your executioner, you’re still unfazed. What… Courage. Bravery. No,… Resolve.

You may look like a primary schooler, but you’re awefully grown-up…

Like a Sengoku Era Chinese general, a valourous Amazon.

IMG_0201

(END OF CHAPTER)

******************************************************

Notes:

1. Manchukuo was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia from 1932 until 1945.

2. Popular resort beach location.

3. The ‘Ram’ character in ‘Rampan’ means ‘indigo’.

4. Mythical carp with head of a tiger typically used to decorate building roof ridges.

5. Day in Japan where dolls representative of the Emperor, his family and court are displayed on a shelf with red cloth celebrated on March 3. The dolls are very expensive and typically every girl has at least two of the main dolls. They are commonly family heirlooms.

6. ‘Tennin’ in the original. Divine Messengers and companions of the Bhodisattiva. Similar to angels.

7. Chinese sweet made from Japanese Hawthorne tree fruit.

8.‘Red snow’ like Kuroyuki is ‘Black snow’ and Shirayuki is ‘White snow’.

9. There is, legally, but it seems implied to be lazily enforced.

10. Funny thing, the first kanji of their names are related to their area of tactical specialty

11. This is a pun in Japanese like the one on Rampan, but the first one works a lot better. Took me 30 minutes to figure out how to make the last one work in English. Not perfect, but it’s close… The actual pun is better because it says: ‘Shirayuki is fired’ or ‘Shirayuki has messed up’, revealing that Aria’s been short-tempered recently. I think I like this caring side of Riko… She’s not as ditzy as she lets on…

12. Yin is associated with female aspects. In relation to a male, it means he is more passive and less archetypically masculine.

13. Known as the Hong Kong Orchid, it appears on all the money and even the flag of Hong Kong.

14. ‘Golden Shell’ in Japanese. Covering for the Hidan in Arias back preventing the hidan from turning her into the Scarlet Goddess

15. ‘Scarlet miko’. Refers to the same ‘hi’ in ‘hidan’ and ‘hihiirokane’. Also one on the mikos mentioned by Tamamo at Kinji’s grandparent’s home in the last volume.

16. The sound ‘ayame’ in various Kanji readings can mean either of these three things. Unless written out, it can be ambiguous.





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