Chapter 158

Chapter 158 “A Strange Power / Mask, the Third”

Translator: Ranzan

「…what are you doing?」
「Nothing worth intro-ducing myself for . 」
「I haven’t asked that anyway, it’s pretty obvious from how you talk . 」
With the girl’s unique speaking while pausing, there was no doubt who it was .
「You’re wr-ong . 」
She cleared her throat .
「I’m not intro-ducing myself…I have no…name . 」
「I’m starting to feel deja vu talking to you like this . 」
He was half shouting at her . He remembered that he had the exact same conversation the first time he met her .
「Let me just ask though, did someone teach you to look like that?」
「Of…course . 」
「…heh!」
What do you mean, the girl twitched her head aside as if to say .
Taiyou spit out a laugh at her without thinking . Like a girl…way too much like a girl .
Shirokiyami, the strongest swordsman, the beautiful girl who had attacked the seven wives of Taiyou .
While Taiyou was conversing with the girl, Leticia’s men were moving forward and eventually tied up all the beaten women of Saegusa Tsukumo .
Looking back, he asked the girl more .
「I mean, what is that? That colorful mask of yours that may or may not match your code name . You should have picked white (shiro) and black (yami) . 」
「My name…isn’t Shirokiyami…」
「What?」
「My name…my name…」
「You said at first you don’t have one . Don’t worry, you don’t have to think one up . 」
「…Mask…the Third . 」(a play off Lupin the Third)
「The famous thief?!」
「Let me just tell you…this cute girl is sca-ry…」
「You’re getting it mixed up . 」
「I’ll cut…you!」
「Run! The cutest girl in the world is here! Run!」
What a gratifying conversation these two were having .
He knew why this girl had come out with a mask on, and after talking to her he seemed more at ease .


It was a short moment, but so much already hadn’t gone right…nothing was different…so this casual talk with this girl had the calmness of being at home again .
He wanted it too feel even calmer, but he had to check something first .
「I see…I could care less about your name . But could you tell me the reason that you’ve come here?」
「Your wife…I have…her . 」
「I knew it . 」
「What is she talkin’ about?!」
Leticia stuck her head out the window .
「So ya know who this girl is?」
「Don’t you know her?」
「Sure! Shirokiyami, White-snow death goddess . The strongest swordsman, pretty famous as a human weapon for her tactics . 」
「Tactics? Don’t you mean technique?」
「Yeah . 」
「Huh…I guess I get it . 」
Someone like Taiyou that thinks of purpose and means as different things means that he thinks of strategy and technique also as different .
A strategic human weapon . It would be too much of an exaggeration for some to say that about one person, especially about a young beautiful maiden, which Taiyou thought was strange .
He thought it was strange because he had actually fought her before .
「Well, this seems like fate . But, the wife you’re holding, is it Aoba?」
Mask the Third nodded slightly .
「That idiot! Youran Juunishima?!」
「She’s in my hands as of the last…new moon . 」
「Now that’s a cool way of saying it!」
「Ya had a mysterious strength…right? What’s yer purpose? The reason ya carried her off?」
Leticia had the tone of demanding an answer . Taiyou and this girl had an unknown incident before he came to this island, and she was worried at how familiar they were .
「…」
「Answer me!」
Leticia shouted, but Taiyou raised a hand to quiet her .
「What the?」
「If it’s Youran you’re worried about, she’s okay . I can assure you . 」
「…what does that mean?」
Leticia toned down, but began staring now at Taiyou .
Taiyou ignored her and asked Shira…no, Mask the Third .
「I have a thought for you . 」


「Gul-p . 」
「Don’t say you’re gulping . 」
「I can assure her life and fi-delity . 」
「Thanks . 」
He already knew that she was okay, but he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t his enemy .
No, if she was there to fight him, there’s no reason she would have arrived wearing a mask . Even though it was obvious who she was, because she was concealing who she was it was proof she was not hostile to Taiyou and the others . If you thought about the reason why she didn’t fight before, it was clear .
She was the one that stole Youran and Aoba from Saegusa Tsukumo .
With this is mind, Taiyou could finally relax . He lifted his head up, and breathed out all the air in his lungs in relief .
「Well . 」
Once that was over he faced Leticia and looked straight at her .
「Why ya doin’ that?」
「I want to borrow something from you . 」

「Borrow somethin’?」
「Yeah, just any of the cars you have . 」
「You gonna kill her?」
「Yeah, I will . 」
「Okay, take whatever ya like . 」
「Thanks . 」
Taiyou said that and walked toward one car parked among many there . Leticia’s soldiers looked at him strangely, but after a wink from Leticia, all the soldiers moved away from the car he was standing near .
Taiyou stood in front of the car and faced Mask the Third .
「It takes me back, having to fight you again . 」
「It’s nice…to m-eet you . 」
「Oh, that’s right, this is the first time we met . 」
He smirked and laughed . It made him snicker to see a little girl like this act so stubbornly .
「Okay, let me ask you one more thing . If I beat you, will the girl Shirokiyami be mine?」
「I…guess?」
Though she tilted her head and inflected the answer as a question, Taiyou took the answer as the affirmative .
「Okay then . 」
Taiyou nodded, bent, and gripped the bumper of the car . He put power into his stance, and picked up the car in the air .
「Whoa!」「That much power with wounds all over?!」「He’s a demon…a monster!!」
Leticia’s soldiers mumbled among themselves .
「Waitwaitwaitwait!」
Leticia lifted out her hand to stop them . Taiyou quickly put down the car . The car landed with a thud on the asphalt and shook the earth .
「What is it?」
「What was all that ya said?」
「Now?」
「About her bein’ your girl?」
「Well, um, I just did I guess . 」
He had said it more as a comment, so hearing Leticia yell at him seemed to shut him up .
But saying nothing about it…well, that’s even more embarrassing, so he spoke again .
「Because of her promise, I’m going to fight her…and if I win, she’ll become a bride of mine . 」
「Whaaaaa?」
Leticia was again lost for words .
Taiyou felt even more embarrassed, and tried to explain himself further .
「I know it’s a bit brash, but, it seems there’s no other way . 」
「…」
「I mean I have to fight her, fight, and beat this girl sometime!」
He lifted his fist up and stuck it out, signalling his decision .
He looked back at the enemy he was to face . Even with the mask on, he knew it was her and his heart began to pound .
「Sooo…Leticia?」
Let me borrow the car, he motioned looking back at Leticia, who for some reason was now bent and shaking while holding her shoulders .
「What is it? Something wrong?」
「Yer wrong . 」
「Wha?」
「Ya…take something from me so ya can get at that girl . 」
「Wha? Well, yeah, to beat her . 」
「I mean, as a person . 」
「What?」
He asked again to hear what she meant by the second comment, while Leticia lifted her face again .
Her shoulders were still shaking, and her face was red in an expression that wasn’t shyness .
「Leticia?」
「Ya need to take a rest . 」
「Wha?」
Taiyou was surprised . Leticia’s beet-red face was covered with a strange smile .
A strange, unnatural smile that for some reason, made him feel some kind of pressure .
「No, I’m not done yet . 」
「Yer injured, ya can’t push yerself too far . 」
「But…」
「Take – a – rest . 」
「Um…」
He couldn’t describe and had never felt that pressure before .
It was pressure from a different vector that Shirokiyami’s murderous intent .
He wondered why, just like Leticia’s smile, that her sudden smile had appeared upon her beautiful face . He felt like a frog that was being stared down in a serpent’s smile .
「You…」
「Hmph!」
He tried to protest, then in the next instant .
「Gaaaahhhhgh!」
Taiyou was struck strongly in the stomach with a fist . It was a bodyblow that seemed to arc his stomach inwards .
His consciousness seemed to fade, and he tried to suppress this, but even so his mind seemed to be fading out into whiteness .
The bodyblow, in addition to the damage he had already taken, brought him to the edge of his awareness .
His mind spun, and he fell to the ground .
「Wha…t…the…」
「Relax and calm yer head . 」
「What…did you…」
「…hmph!」
「Hee…he-ee . 」
「Hey ya! With the laughin’ mouth! What’s with that face?!」
「I have a mas-k on…so you don’t…know . 」
「I can see it even with yer mask on!」
「Whoaaaaa, Iiiiii’ve seen something really crazy!」
「Did you see that?」「Yeah, that was a stronger punch than I could have done!」「Women are scaaaaary!」
The tumult finally started to settle .
Among his fading consciousness, he realized this was the first time he had passed out because of her, as Taiyou remembered her sword attack on him the previous time .
(Her martial arts don’t match her soft lips…)
With most of Taiyou’s worries resolved, he still thought about those lips as he finally lost consciousness .