Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 6 - Chapter 5

Reminiscence (Part 2)

Sunday, December 20th

Sunday, the following day.

Koutarou and Kiriha were going out for the second time this weekend. Koutarou and Kiriha were taking the same train they had yesterday, but their destination this time was the amusement park.

“Damn those Sun Rangers... Yesterday was a mess...”

Koutarou grimaced as the zoo came into view through the train window. It was still a good distance away, but the closer they got, the more vividly Koutarou recalled the day before, and the worse his mood grew.

“I’m sorry, Koutarou,” Kiriha said with a weak smile and an apologetic look on her face.

In truth, they were supposed to visit the amusement park yesterday, but they’d run out of time after their encounter with the Sun Rangers. Kiriha felt badly about it.

“Kiriha-san, there’s no need for you to apologize. They’re the ones at fault.”

“That might be true, but... I’m still sorry, Koutarou.”

As Kiriha tilted her head, her hair fluttered slightly and her smile changed. It became a happy one rather than an apologetic one.

“...You’re quite a woman, you know...”

All that had changed was her smile and the tilt of her head, yet when she apologized again, all the negative emotions vanished from Koutarou and he returned to his normal, cheerful self.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Good.”

Koutarou smiled too, albeit a bit distantly. Kiriha revealed rare, refreshing expressions like that from time to time. Up until now, Koutarou had always tried to ignore them to keep himself from getting pulled in by her. But he treasured them now that he no longer thought she was trying to do anything like that. Kiriha had a fantastic smile, and he took a moment to let it sink right in to his heart.

You really are quite impressive...

But that led to a new set of doubts. Koutarou couldn’t figure out why Kiriha would intentionally do things to try and make him suspicious or untrusting of her. If she revealed her true intentions and smiled at him like she just had, Koutarou would probably easily obey her.

“You’re quite a man yourself.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Koutarou’s faint smile curled into coy smirk. Kiriha had stimulated his sense of humor.

“Heh, what do you think?”

“You really are quite a woman...”

Koutarou and Kiriha smiled together as the train rolled along the tracks.

“I found them! They just came through the entrance!”

“Good job, Sanae. Ruth, have the unmanned craft continue tracking them.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

“I see them too!”

Theia, Ruth, Sanae, and Yurika were again following after Koutarou and Kiriha. They were waiting in the same alley as the day before for Koutarou and Kiriha to come out from the station.

“At 10:10 AM, they begin walking towards the amusement park.”

After issuing commands to the unmanned craft, Ruth recorded a verbal account of Koutarou and Kiriha’s actions using her bracelet. Shizuka had to work again today too, so Ruth had promised her another report. Shizuka was dying to know about Koutarou and Kiriha, but unlike the other four girls with a personal stake in the matter, Shizuka was just curious.

“But it’s still suspicious. Just like yesterday, both Satomi-san and Kiriha-san are acting completely different from normal.”

“Koutarou’s definitely being fooled by her sex appeal.”

“Koutarou’s an idiot and honest to a fault!”

“There are countless knights that have lost their way over a woman. Satomi-sama is just lacking in self-awareness!”

Koutarou and Kiriha were calmly walking down the street together in stark contrast to the anxious girls secretly following them. But much like yesterday, Koutarou and Kiriha looked closer than ever. The four girls each had their own opinions on Koutarou’s relationships with women, but they were all equally on edge as they watched the situation develop.

“Let’s go, Your Highness!”

“Yes, we wouldn’t want to lose sight of them now. Let’s hurry after them!”

“Roger!”

“Okay!”

And so the four girls ended up spying on Koutarou and Kiriha just like they had the day before.

The first thing Kiriha did after they entered the amusement park was take Koutarou to a small theater that showed movies related to events the park was holding. Right now, it was being used to promote a new anime.

“Is this really what you wanted to do?” Koutarou asked when he returned from buying tickets and pamphlets.

“Yes. This is fine,” Kiriha replied and nodded contentedly.

She took her pamphlet from Koutarou and stroked the cover. It was with the same affection she might pat a child on the head, so Koutarou assumed she was getting sentimental.

She might really be feeling nostalgic...

Koutarou looked down at his own pamphlet, which read “Kabutonga, the King of Beetles: The Movie” in large letters. The movie was a theatrical rendition of an anime that aired ten years ago, and it was being shown again as a promotion for the newest edition to the series: Kabutonga, the King of Beetles: Second Impact! There were other events being held along with the screening to promote the new show too.

Kiriha hadn’t said much of anything serious to Koutarou during the two days he’d spent with her, but he noticed that when she did, she kept saying things like “in the past” and “ten years ago.” From that, Koutarou gathered that the places they’d been visiting had something to do with her childhood. If that was true, then the same might be true for the movie. He figured that’s what had gotten her feeling nostalgic.

“Koutarou, look.”

Kiriha presented a brand new metallic foil card to Koutarou. It read “Kabutonga No. 1: Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle,” followed by a picture of a hero striking a pose in an outfit designed after the beetle. It was a trading card included as a promotion with certain snack foods, and it was very popular with kids at the time. It had been reprinted and added in as an extra with the pamphlet for the movie.

This is... Kiriha-san’s...

Koutarou remembered seeing the card before. Though the last time he saw it, it wasn’t brand new. It was aged and worn enough that it had lost most of its luster. On top of that, it had been scribbled on.

“Kiriha-san, isn’t this...”

“Heh...”

Kiriha smiled. It was bright and innocent, and it radiated the fond nostalgia she was feeling. It was the best smile Koutarou had gotten yet today. Seeing that gave Koutarou his answer.

It must be, which means...

In Koutarou’s mind, Kiriha’s behavior the past eight months and the events of the past two days all lined up in accordance with a certain principle. It all led to a single answer. However, knowing that much wasn’t enough to assuage Koutarou’s doubts. Like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, Koutarou was missing one piece before the big picture would really be cleared up for him.

“You’re surprisingly feminine.”

That was all Koutarou truly understood right now.

“How unfortunate. I’ve been trying to act feminine all this time...”

“You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”

Koutarou lightly tapped Kiriha on the forehead with his fist.

“That hurts, Koutarou. How could you treat a woman’s face like that?”

She exaggeratedly held her forehead and glared at Koutarou. Seeing that, Koutarou sighed.

“Stop fooling around and let’s go. The movie’s going to start without us.”

“That would be a problem.”

But the tension was only momentary. The two of them soon returned to smiling as they entered the theater filled with children.

“A theater, huh?”

“This is bad.”

“Yes, this is bad. Very bad.”

Seeing Koutarou and Kiriha go into the theater, Sanae and Theia looked at each other with grave expressions. They both knew this meant certain danger.

“Why? C-Could it be that Satomi-san wants to take advantage of the darkness to make a move on Kiriha-san?!”

Yurika, still unaware of the real danger at hand, was worried about something completely unrelated.

“Of course not! There are kids all around them!”

“The problem has nothing to do with them.”

“Then what is it?”

Yurika stared at Sanae and Theia with a quizzical look on her face. The two girls then glanced over their shoulders at the same time.

“Satomi-sama and Kiriha-sama have entered the theater. I’m putting the unmanned craft on standby above it.”

They looked at Ruth, who was currently giving commands to the unmanned craft. Yurika followed their gazes.

“...It’s Ruth?”

She realized who they were talking about, but she didn’t understand what the problem was. She couldn’t imagine what Koutarou and Kiriha going into a theater had to do with Ruth. Still confused, she leaned in to whisper with the other girls so Ruth couldn’t hear them

“That’s right. In fact, I regret taking her with us now.”

“Yurika, take a good look at the sign by the theater. Just don’t raise your voice, no matter what you see.”

Theia and Sanae were worried Ruth would notice the sign first, so they casually moved in front of her to obstruct it.

“The sign?” Yurika asked, blinking a couple of times in confusion.

She then looked towards the theater and saw the very sign they were talking about.

“Eek!”

She covered her own mouth to keep from shrieking, but it may not have even been necessary. She was so surprised that she probably wouldn’t have been able to anyway.

The sign read: “Parents and children alike, please enjoy this special screening of the masterpiece Kabutonga, the King of Beetles: The Movie to commemorate the broadcasting of Kabutonga, the King of Beetles: Second Impact!”

“Th-There’s nothing to enjoy about that!”

Unlike the modern anime industry that relied heavily on CG, the decade-old movie had been entirely produced using hand-drawn cells. Yurika couldn’t help but feel hatred coming from the taunting smile of the hero on the poster. To her, he looked like a demon that had crawled up from hell with the metallic beetle carapace used to transform in his hand.

“Jeez, you idiot! Don’t be so loud!”

“Shhh! Shhh!”

“Hmmph, mhhhm, hmmhmm!”

Theia and Sanae pounced on Yurika as soon as she started making a fuss. Ruth was mostly observing things through the unmanned craft’s point of view, so she hadn’t seen what was written on the sign. But if Yurika kept it up, she would notice sooner or later. That was the last thing Theia and Sanae wanted.

“Quit messing around! Do you understand the situation?”

“Mmh, mmh, mmh!”

“If you make a fuss again, you know what’s going to happen, right?”

“Mmh! Mmh! Mmh!”

Sanae and Theia quietly threatened Yurika, and Yurika anxiously nodded her head in response. They were being dead serious, but if the situation were reversed, Yurika knew she might be doing the same thing.

“Is there something wrong?”

Noticing the commotion, Ruth turned around. With no idea what was going on, she just stared at the other girls and waited for an answer. Sanae and Theia quickly jumped off of Yurika and the three of them began clamoring for a cover-up.

“I-It’s nothing, Ruth! It looked like Yurika had a small pebble stuck in her shoe! So I was just thinking of getting it out for her!”

“Yeah! Right, Yurika?”

Theia was planning on surviving the situation by pretending they were helping Yurika with something minor, and Sanae was quick to play along.

“Huh? Really?”

Yurika, however, misunderstood Theia and immediately looked down at her shoes. Of course, there was no pebble to be found.

“I don’t see any pe—”

“...Shut up!”

A thud rang out.

“There is one. In the pattern by the heel.”

“I-Is that so?”

Ruth looked at Yurika, who had begun crying for some reason, with a questioning look. However, before she could say anything else, Theia walked up to her, grabbed her by the hand, and walked in the opposite direction of the theater.

“Let’s go, Ruth.”

“Your Highness? Are you okay with leaving Satomi-sama and Kiriha-sama?”

Theia continued walking, trying her best to tear Ruth away from the theater. At the very least, she wanted to put some distance between them and Yurika.

“I don’t mind. Just leave the unmanned craft on standby until Koutarou comes out. The movie will probably last for over an hour, and I don’t intend to just sit here and wait for them.”

“But what if they do something ind—”

“That won’t happen. Did you forget that they’re surrounded by kids in there?”

“Now that you mention it...”

“Koutarou might look unreliable, but he won’t dare do anything to traumatize children like that.”

“Yes, of course. That is certainly true.”

Ruth was worried about just leaving, but after hearing what Theia had to say, she quickly changed her mind and was soon walking alongside her contentedly.

“Would you give it a break?”

“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to...”

“If you do something like that again, I’m going to possess you and keep your mouth shut for you.”

“Anything but that!”

Just a short while later, Sanae and Yurika followed after Theia and Ruth. Although it might just have been an excuse that Theia came up with on the spot, there really was no point in waiting outside the theater for over an hour.

“Hey, everyone, why don’t we all go see the haunted house since we have the time? I hear it’s really scary.”

“I don’t mind.”

“That does sound like fun.”

“I absolutely refuse! I live with a ghost, so why would I need to go see a haunted house?!”

After leaving Koutarou and Kiriha behind, the four girls were all ready to explore the amusement park for themselves. They had about two hours until the movie ended, so they had plenty of time to enjoy it.

However, none of them knew what lay ahead. None of them had any idea that another event was being held at the venue outside the haunted house. It was a tragedy that could have been avoided if only they had paid more attention to the sign at the theater. Unfortunately, since they’d had to leave in a hurry, no one had the chance.

Meanwhile, Shizuka was on the job, meaning on a stage wearing a full bodysuit. Her performance during last week’s show had caught the eye of a professional, so she’d been scouted to participate in another show that would double as an audition. Of course, it was also a hero show.

“Poison scales don’t affect me! Have you forgotten that my body is a machine? Absorbing Madame Butterfly’s ability backfired, Scarab King!”

Shizuka acted out the scene in accordance with the hero’s voice flowing out from the speakers.

The acting should be exaggerated, exaggerated...

Even though she had been told to exaggerate the acting, compared to practicing for the Blue Knight play in November, a hero show needed to be even more over the top. Since her helmet covered her face, she had to make bigger, more dramatic gestures to make her character easier to understand.

As if she was doing a karate demonstration, Shizuka powerfully pointed at the actor in a large beetle costume in front of her. And as if he’d been waiting for exactly that, a deep, male voice came through the speakers.

“So what, Kabutonga No. 1?! Even if they don’t work on you, what about the humans around you?!”

As the voice resounded from the speakers, the Scarab King started his own set of gestures. Unlike the homemade hero show from last week, all of the dialogue was done over the speakers. A big part of the actors’ job was moving around with the lines to make it clear who was speaking.

“Oh no! That was your goal all along?!”

As she pretended to be overly surprised, female extras began surrounding her. They were civilians being controlled by Scarab Kings poison scales.

“Blast, you coward! Fight me fair and square!”

“I refuse! Good guys like you hide behind words like ‘fair and square’ to give yourselves an advantage! That makes you the coward, Kabutonga No. 1!”

“Curse you, Scarab King! Your only skills are in twisting people’s words and planning such nefarious deeds!”

The extras closed in, shrinking their circle as they trapped Kabutonga No. 1. Kabutonga No. 1 was a hero of justice, so he couldn’t just attack innocent women who were being controlled.

“Don’t worry, No. 1!”

“Just leave those women to us!”

That was when two new Kabutongas appeared on the stage. They had large horns and bigger builds than No. 1. They were Kabutonga No. 1’s allies, Kabutonga Hercules and Kabutonga Atlas.

“You’re here, Hercules! Atlas!”

Kabutonga No. 1, the hero Shizuka was playing, was designed after the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Because of that, it had a smaller body compared to Hercules and Atlas, and in turn required a smaller actor. Shizuka was chosen for the part for her small frame and her precise movements on stage.

“Stag-man created an antidote for the poison scales, so just leave this to us!”

“No. 1, you take care of Scarab King!”

“Thanks, guys! I’m counting on you! Here I gooooo!”

Following the script, Shizuka slipped through the circle of women and closed in on the Scarab King. Before Shizuka was involved, they couldn’t rely on scenes that required dexterous movements like that. So in that sense, she was already living up to the stage director’s high hopes.

“That traitor again?! Curse you, Stag-man!”

“Scarab King, your ambitions end here!”

Using the momentum from her run over to him, Shizuka took a flying leap. In reality, there was a trampoline hidden in the floor that couldn’t be seen from the audience. And with a well-timed jump, Shizuka got good air before coming crashing down feet first on the Scarab King.

“Kabutongaaaa Kiiiiiiiick!”

Just before the kick actually connected, fireworks and smoke filled the stage. Using it as cover and a distraction, the Scarab King crouched down and Shizuka landed on a cushion right behind him. It would be dangerous for both actors if she actually landed a kick like that.

But the children didn’t know any better, and they cheered wildly all the same. To them, it looked like the Kabutonga Kick had caused the Scarab King to explode.

“You’re good, Shizuka-chan!” the Scarab King whispered to Shizuka as he quickly got into position.

“Ahaha, thank you very much!” Shizuka happily thanked him as she waited for the smoke to clear and the show to go on.

“C-Curses... Well done, Kabutonga No. 1... But you didn’t win using your own power! I lost to Stag-man! No, I lost to our own technology!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Scarab King!”

Shizuka swung her right arm around in a wide circle and put her hand on her chest.

“You simply lost to the justice budding inside of Stag-man’s heart!”

“A just heart? I won’t accept it, and I won’t accept this... That kind of thing is...”

Scarab King slowly collapsed.

“You haven’t seen the last of us...”

The hand he held out towards Kabutonga No. 1 collapsed to the ground before it could reach him. They were final moments of a great evil, and it was some splendid acting from a veteran that had played villains for several decades.

“We will return... as many times as it takes! Kabutonga, all you’ve done... was for nothing... Wahahahahaha... haha... ha...”

Scarab King’s laughter grew weaker and eventually faded away as with his last breath. The women were saved by the antidote, and the story was going to have a happy ending. At least, it was supposed to.

“Uwaaah!”

“Wh-What’s with this girl?!”

The actors for Hercules and Atlas were suddenly screaming. Since a voiceover was used for the dialogue, the actual actors talking was forbidden. Surprised at the sound, Shizuka turned around, and when she did, she saw Kabutonga Atlas flying through the air.

Atlas’s actor was a large man, and the costume he wore was big and weighty. He slammed into the floor with a resounding, heavy thud that worried even the children. Atlas didn’t move a muscle after that.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, Hercules-chan...”

A lone girl carrying a large flyswatter appeared on stage. She was the one that sent Atlas flying.

“Is that...?!”

“I was getting worried since I hadn’t seen you for so long...”

“R-Ruth-san!”

It was Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha, the very same one Shizuka got along well with at school and at Corona House.

“I was worried that you might be out breeding somewhere!”

An ominous light gleamed in Ruth’s eyes. It was the look of a dangerous predator. Holding the large flyswatter with both hands, she’d spotted her prey. Her next target was Kabutonga Hercules. Ruth had made her way on stage to rid the world of these evil(?) beetles.

“As I thought, your numbers have increased, Hercules-chan! And look how big you’ve gotten!”

“Wh-What?!”

Unsure of how to react, Kabutonga Hercules simply stood still. He thought that Ruth was just an extra and that he’d somehow gotten the script wrong. He looked out towards the stage director as if asking for help.

“Now’s my chance!”

Not missing that opportunity, Ruth rushed forward.

“How foolish of you to leave yourself open for me!”

“Oh no!”

Quick on her feet, Shizuka dashed towards them. She was planning on stopping Ruth.

I knew this would happen if I told them the details about this new gig, which is exactly why I didn’t! How did Ruth end up here anyway?!

When it came to beetles, the normally peaceful and calm Ruth turned into an unstoppable force of violence and hatred. It was the result of deep-seated trauma over a certain incident involving beetles. It had scarred her so badly that she completely lost control of herself at the mere mention of the bugs.

That was why Shizuka had intentionally kept the details of her new job from Koutarou and the others. She knew exactly what Ruth would do if she told her that the show was about beetles. The safest option seemed to be making sure she never found out.

But in spite of everything, Ruth was now here anyway, and Hercules was her next victim. Regardless of how it’d happened, Shizuka knew she needed to do something now or else Hercules’s life would be in danger.

“Move!”

“Whoa!”

Shizuka pushed Hercules aside and confronted Ruth on her own. Hercules’s actor had no idea how dangerous Ruth really was in this state. He would’ve been done for before he even realized what hit him. The only real way to protect him in this situation was for Shizuka to face Ruth herself.

“Heh... Heh heh... Another new beetle appears... Heh heh, to think you’d come out on your own...”

“Ruth-san, snap out of it! It’s me, Shizuka!”

“Oh, I’m only doing what the Pardomshihas’ honor and tradition compels me to do.”

Ruth swung down the flyswatter.

“And it compels me to destroy you beetles!”

“She’s fast!”

Shizuka caught the handle of the flyswatter with her left forearm. She was lucky it wasn’t the top of the flyswatter, and that her thick costume dispersed some of the blow’s power. But even then, Ruth’s strike had tremendous force behind it.

“This is bad, No. 1! It seems like the antidote isn’t working on that girl! You need to somehow defeat her without hurting her!” Hercules’s voice rang out from the speakers.

The antidote hadn’t worked on Ruth, so she was obeying the Scarab King’s orders and attacking the Kabutongas. The stage director had decided to spin the whole ordeal in a way to keep the show going in order to survive the situation. He was asking Shizuka to win.

“You make it sound so easy!” Shizuka complained as she continued to block Ruth’s attacks.

Using her flyswatter, elbows, heels, and even the backs of her hands, Ruth was attacking Shizuka with astoundingly sharp moves. Her berserk mind had gained complete control of her body and turned her into a battle machine.

Shizuka was just barely able to defend herself against the onslaught. Ruth’s attacks were all based on instinct. They were unpredictable and flew at her with overwhelming speed. Because of that, just blocking them was hard enough. But to add to the difficulty, Shizuka was wearing Kabutonga’s costume, which was hard to move in. With things as they were, it would take a miracle to defeat Ruth without hurting her.

“Please stop moving. I’ll make it easy for you!”

“Kyaaah!”

Ruth’s flyswatter grazed Shizuka’s nose. She’d almost been hit dead on, and the thought sent a chill down her spine.

“I just can’t hold back at a time like this! I’m going to go all out, Ruth-san! Don’t hate me for this, okay?!”

“Hate you?! Of course I do! My chest is filled with burning hatred for you!”

Ruth continued with her sharp attacks. Shizuka dodged them and changed her fighting stance. It was no longer Kabutonga’s, but one of her own.

“Quit moving around!”

“Satomi-kun, you better buy me something nice later!”

Shizuka exhaled and closed the distance to Ruth in an instant.

“Do you want to seduce my Satomi-sama that badly?!”

Hearing Koutarou’s name conjured up bitter memories for Ruth. She recalled how she’d felt when Koutarou had embraced her, and worse, how she’d felt when he then whispered that beetle’s name instead of hers. It sent her spiraling into a deep depression not unlike despair.

I won’t allow Satomi-sama to choose a beetle over me again! I won’t stand for it!

Ruth couldn’t process the oddity of Kabutonga No. 1 uttering Koutarou’s name. She just desperately wanted to protect what was precious to her and keep that from being stolen away from her.

“Nooooooooooo!”

Ruth shouted with all her might as she brought down the flyswatter. It cut through the air with a whistle. It was the most powerful attack she’d unleashed today.

“This is...?! But...!”

However, Shizuka deflected the blow to the left at the very last second, then used the momentum of her move to tackle Ruth with her right shoulder.

“Agh!”

The blow hit Ruth in the pit of her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her body to stiffen up.

“All right!”

She could feel the effects of the blow on Ruth. Convinced of her victory, Shizuka stopped attacking and stood up. As she did, Ruth began slumping over.

“C-Curse you, b-beetles...”

Shortly thereafter, Ruth fainted. It was her vendetta against beetles that had kept her in the fight until the bitter end. After confirming Ruth was out cold, Shizuka finally relaxed.

“Phew... Even with a cake or two from Satomi-kun, this wasn’t worth it...”

Holding on to Ruth, Shizuka smiled wryly inside her helmet.

Koutarou and Kiriha ate lunch after they finished their movie, then went to visit the attractions at the park. The merry-go-round and the tea cups, the haunted house and the house of mirrors. The attractions Kiriha insisted they go to were all more suited for children. However, now that he vaguely began to understand her intentions, Koutarou didn’t voice a single complaint.

I think it might be better to treat her like a child than as a girl my age...

That was how Koutarou saw Kiriha today, and he wasn’t wrong. Kiriha had a rather childlike smile on her face as they went from attraction to attraction. It had given him pause yesterday, but today he just laughed loudly with her. That’s because he knew that behind that smile of hers, this was something near and dear to Kiriha’s heart.

“Koutarou, let’s ride that next!”

“The ferris wheel, huh? All right, let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

By the time Kiriha pointed out the ferris wheel, Koutarou had already begun running. Today’s Koutarou wasn’t losing to Kiriha in terms of being childish. Kiriha quickly followed after him, and the two of them raced towards the ride. By the time they reached the platform, the line had just emptied.

“Koutarou!”

“Yeah!”

They smiled and nodded at each other as they passed under the gate and approached the ride. The ferris wheel in this amusement park was big. It was even the largest in the prefecture when it was constructed ten years ago. By the time Koutarou and Kiriha reached the gondolas, just looking up at it required them to crane their necks.

“I’ve certainly gotten much bigger...”

Kiriha had a nostalgic look on her face as she stared up at the structure. In her memories of this place, she was unable to see the top when she stood there and looked up as a child. But after ten years of growing, that was different now.

“Kiriha-san?”

Hearing Koutarou’s voice, Kiriha looked back down and saw him calling for her in front of the slowly moving gondola. Behind him was the attendant in charge of holding the door open and waiting for them.

“Yes, excuse me.”

Kiriha ran towards Koutarou and the attendant as she apologized.

Now that I think about it, the same thing happened back then.

Kiriha recalled how her younger self had looked up at the ferris wheel with sparkling eyes as the boy she was with called for her.

“Kii-chan?”

“Sorry, I’m coming!”

The boy was about the same age Kiriha was now. She was so young at the time, she couldn’t remember his face after all these years. But there was one thing she remembered clearly above all else even now, and that was how much she loved him.

“Hup!”

As Kiriha approached, she’d taken the boy’s hand and gleefully hopped into the gondola. With the memory fresh in her mind, Kiriha smiled like a mischievous child as she looked at Koutarou.

“Hup!”

“Ah, hey...”

Spurred on by her nostalgic desires, Kiriha grabbed Koutarou’s hand and hopped into the gondola.

“That’s dangerous.”

“That’s dangerous.”

In that moment, the voices of Koutarou and the boy from her past overlapped. They both had scolded her the exact same way.

Onii-chan...

The decade-old memories all came flooding back to her, escaping her eyes as tears.

“Heh... I’m sorry...”

The attendant outside closed the door and locked it. The well-maintained gondola then rose into the air without making a sound. But Koutarou was too distracted by Kiriha to notice any of that.

“Kiriha-san...?”

Tears trickled down Kiriha’s cheeks. They sparkled in the light of the gentle winter sun shining through the window. For a moment, Koutarou was rendered speechless by the beauty of those tears.

“Koutarou...”

Kiriha grabbed at her chest with both hands. It wasn’t just tears now; there was a steady stream of emotion was flowing up from the bottom of her heart too.

I really do still love him...

After spending two days reliving her memories, Kiriha finally reached a conclusion. And she felt that she needed to tell Koutarou about it.

“Koutarou, there’s something I want to tell you.”

Still holding on to her chest with her left hand, she wiped her tears away with her right. But it was no use. They just kept coming. Kiriha gave up on wiping them away and smiled at Koutarou.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to tell me.”

Kiriha was about to give Koutarou the answer he’d been wondering about all week. However, having tagged along with Kiriha over the weekend, Koutarou no longer felt like he needed to hear her say it. Over the past two days, Koutarou had become convinced that Kiriha would never do something terrible.

“I feel like it doesn’t matter so much anymore.”

Koutarou was smiling. He already understood. Even though Kiriha might invade the surface, he knew that she wouldn’t do it in a violent or cruel way.

And the reason for that seemed to be buried in her past. He could tell it probably had something to do with the spots they’d been visiting, but since they were special, precious memories to Kiriha, Koutarou didn’t want to pry.

“No, please listen. You have a right to know.”

However, Kiriha shook her head and looked him right in the eye.

“And more than anything, I want you to know. As my only friend on the surface, I want you to know my true wish.”

Kiriha’s words had a certain weight to them. It seemed to be coming from the light shining deep within her eyes. For the first time, they were aglow with the warm light of trust and friendship. The sight shook Koutarou, but he could feel the small place in his heart for her growing.

“If you’re willing to call me a friend, of course I’ll listen.”

“...Thank you, Koutarou...”

It had been eight months since Koutarou first met Kiriha. And after all of this time, the two of them finally became friends.

“Where should I start...?”

As she said that, Kiriha lifted her hand to her cheek to wipe away the last traces of her tears.

“Anywhere’s fine, isn’t it? It’s not like we’re in a hurry.”

“That’s true. Then let’s start from the beginning.”

Looking straight at Koutarou, Kiriha unhurriedly began telling her story. Koutarou sat up straight and faced her as he listened. The gondola was slowly rising, and had now reached the halfway point to the top. At this height, they could see past the buildings of the park, and the distant scenery came into view. With the day winding to its end, the vista illuminated by the setting sun was particular striking.

“Ten years ago, I got into a fight with my father and ran away to the surface.”

“Really? I can’t imagine you getting into a fight with anyone.”

He knew it was normal for kids to fight with their parents, but Koutarou just couldn’t imagine Kiriha getting emotional in a fight like that. He hadn’t seen it happen even once over the past months.

“Ten years ago, I was still a child. It’s not like I had the mind of an adult at that age.”

“I guess that’s fair.”

Although she was very mature now, Kiriha too had once been a child. Although that much was common sense, it was still almost unbelievable to Koutarou. As Koutarou laughed, a smile formed on Kiriha’s lips, and the stiff atmosphere in the gondola quickly lightened up.

“At that age, my mother had just passed away, so it was an unstable time for me. I got into a fight with my father over something trivial and ran away from home.”

“I understand how you must have felt.”

“That’s right... You lost your mother too.”

Both Koutarou and Kiriha had lost their mothers when they were younger, so they had an easier time understanding each other in that regard—especially now that they thought of each other as friends.

“...Anyway, when I ran away from home, I went to the place I’d always been forbidden to go: the surface.”

Though Kiriha was looking at Koutarou, there was a distant look in her eyes now. She was watching her past unfold, starting with running away ten years ago.

“And that’s when I met him.”

“Who?”

“A boy around the same age we are now. I don’t remember his name. I’m sure he told me, but all I can remember is calling him Onii-chan.”

The most precious of all her treasured memories was meeting a boy on the surface.

“Ahaha, so you had a cute side to you too.”

Koutarou couldn’t imagine Kiriha calling anyone “Onii-chan” nowadays. The thought was funny enough that he burst out laughing.

“You say that like I’m not cute now.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought up until yesterday.”

“And what about today?”

“You have a surprisingly cute side to you.”

“The ‘surprisingly’ part was unnecessary.”

Kiriha pouted, slightly dissatisfied. It was surprisingly cute in its own way, which only made Koutarou laugh harder.

“Anyway...”

Kiriha exhaled slightly, composed herself, and continued her story.

“He was a bit childish, but he was gentle and had a good sense of humor. He carefully listened to what I had to say, even though I was just a child.”

“I see...”

Kiriha continued talking, indulging feelings of both nostalgia and happiness. Based on the way she was acting, it was apparent that she really loved that boy. Koutarou felt a little bit envious.

“He was a lot like you, Koutarou.”

“Wow, you really think that highly of me?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have told you.”

“Don’t say something like that straight to my face...”

Koutarou blushed, a little embarrassed by Kiriha’s bold declaration. Not even Koutarou could keep his cool after a woman complimented him like that.

“If I hadn’t, that would have bothered you too, right?”

“So this was your real goal, huh?”

“Heh...”

Koutarou smiled as Kiriha flashed her mischievous grin. He was always being teased by Kiriha, but for some reason, he didn’t seem to mind today.

“After that, I then spent a few days with him. I was selfish as a child, so all I did was cause trouble for him.”

“That part of you hasn’t changed, you know?”

“Koutarou...”

“I can’t help but sympathize with the guy.”

After teasing him so, Koutarou found it strange that Kiriha would say that she was selfish as a child. If she didn’t think she was selfish now, just how selfish was she as a child?

“You’re really throwing me off... Today of all days, honestly...”

Kiriha smiled wryly. Normally she would dance circles around Koutarou, but today their roles had been reversed. He was giving Kiriha a hard time instead of the other way around.

But I suppose I don’t mind. It’s not like it’s unpleasant...

That change had come about because both Koutarou and Kiriha had accepted one another into the deepest part of their hearts, even if Kiriha still wasn’t aware of it yet. And since this new dynamic she found herself in wasn’t displeasing to her, she decided she was okay with it. Really, she was happy.

“He and I went all kinds of place together. We’d play in the park or go shop in the city. He even brought me along to the zoo and amusement park.”

Through the window, Kiriha looked out over the amusement park and then towards the zoo. As she did, she recalled the weekend’s events, and in her mind, they began to overlap with her memories from a decade ago.

“The zoo and the amusement park? Then...”

“That’s right, Koutarou. I had you go with me to the places I went with him.”

Kiriha nodded at Koutarou and pulled something out from her pocket. It was the aged trading card that had something scribbled on it in permanent marker. Seeing it, Koutarou pulled out the matching card he’d gotten with the pamphlet at the movie theater. It was almost exactly the same as Kiriha’s. Koutarou’s was just brand new, pristine, and still shiny.

“I got this card from him. It made me so happy... So much that I had him go to the movies with me too...”

Kiriha glanced down, but her gentle, warm gaze was directed at something much further off than the card in her hands. The card itself was a promotional item given out with snacks for the screening of the movie ten years ago. Kiriha’s card was so worn because she’d been treasuring it all this time. When she looked at it, she remembered the boy that had given it to her.

“...You loved him, right?”

Koutarou remembered Kiriha saying that while they were at the beach during summer vacation. She said she’d gotten it from someone she loved a long time ago.

“Yes. He was my first love.”

Kiriha slowly traced the pattern on the card with her finger.

Of course a memento of your first love would be precious to you...

Seeing Kiriha like that, Koutarou understood the meaning behind the gentle smile she would show from time to time. While they were at the beach house, he hadn’t fully appreciated what Kiriha meant when she said the word love, but he understood it perfectly now. She meant the longing, romantic love she’d harbored since childhood.

“But those exhilarating, blissful days were short...”

Kiriha dejectedly drooped her shoulders. She’d had a smile on her face until just a moment ago, and without it, she looked so lonely now.

“What happened?”

“They came to pick me up. I was a runaway child after all.”

“Oh yeah, you’re the daughter of a distinguished clan, right?”

Kiriha was the daughter of the People of the Earth’s chief. When she ran away, the entire clan went out looking for her. When they found her, she was of course taken back to the underground, meaning she was torn away from her beloved boy.

“And so we were parted. After that, I wasn’t allowed to go to the surface, so I never saw him again.”

“You wanted to though, right?”

“Of course. I may have been young, but I was serious about wanting to marry him.”

Still looking lonely, Kiriha managed a weak laugh. Her first love that blossomed when she ran away from home was cut short when she was taken back home. It was only for a few days, and ten years had passed since then, but Kiriha hadn’t once forgotten about it. It was like she was storing her feelings in the card in her hands.

“That’s why I applied to become the commander when it was decided that we would invade the surface.”

“What?!”

With those words, Koutarou’s eyes shot open wide. He was suddenly able to make sense out of why Kiriha had really come to the surface, and it left him astonished.

“So you agreed to invade the surface so you could meet your first love again?!”

“That’s right.”

Kiriha nodded. Koutarou’s guess was spot on.

“That’s why this invasion needs to happen peacefully. I couldn’t bring myself to fan the flames of war in the city where I met my first love.”

Kiriha had invaded the surface to find her first love. If it weren’t for the invasion, she wouldn’t have been allowed to go to the surface at all. But if the invasion was a disaster, meeting her first love again would only end in tragedy. That’s why she had to make sure things went peacefully and smoothly.

“Wait a minute. When you first arrived, didn’t you ask me to hand over room 106 so you could mass produce weapons?”

When Koutarou met Kiriha, she’d said she wanted to construct a shrine in room 106 to manufacture spiritual energy weapons like Karama and Korama. That didn’t seem to fit with what’d she just said about coming to the surface to find her love.

“In reality, that was a gamble of sorts.”

“A gamble?”

“By putting it that way, I was hoping that you would resist.”

“Aha!”

Koutarou had been doubting that Kiriha actually wanted to steal room 106. It turns out he was onto something all along.

“I needed you to resist. If the altar was completed in the early stages of the invasion, the radical faction would have pushed to use the weapons we made to finish the invasion through force. War against the surface had to be avoided at all costs. Nothing good would have come from obtaining room 106 back then.”

The biggest obstacle for Kiriha, who wanted to invade peacefully, turned out to be a radical faction of her own people who were hell-bent on taking the surface by force. If she’d succeeded in taking room 106 too soon, there was a chance it would only fuel the fires of the radical faction. In order to prevent that, she intentionally tried to create a situation that would make it difficult for her to obtain the room.

“That’s why you kept trying to make me nervous, but never did anything.”

“I’m sorry, Koutarou. I could neither win nor lose the battle for room 106. If I won, the radical faction would mass produce weapons and march to the surface with them, and if I lost, they would move to take room 106 by force. It would mean a war for us either way.”

“And if that happened, your wish would never come true...”

Kiriha was a pacifist, so she wasn’t in favor of a military invasion to begin with. But she had a personal investment in this too. She wanted to make contact with the surface peacefully so she could see her first love once more. In order for that to happen, she had to bring the battle for room 106 into a stalemate, which was the part that had confused Koutarou until now.

“Really, if you had just said something, I would have cooperated with you from the get-go...”

Koutarou scratched his head and smiled wryly. Kiriha’s goals were perfectly reasonable. She was trying to prevent a war while looking for her long-lost love. If he’d known all that from the start, Koutarou probably would have volunteered to help her regardless of room 106.

“You’re not wrong, Koutarou. Thinking back on it, I should have just asked for your cooperation. But at the time, I had nothing to fall back on and I couldn’t truly trust you.”

“Well, I guess that makes sense. We had just met and all...”

Eight months ago, neither of them knew if they could trust the other. But things were different now. Kiriha revealing all of this to Koutarou was a sign of her trust in him, and Koutarou believing what Kiriha said was a sign of his trust in her.

“I’m really sorry, Koutarou”

“Huh?”

“It’s true I’ve been deceiving you all this time. I want to apologize for that.”

Kiriha had used a lot of methods to keep Koutarou from really trusting her. Everything from simple lies and inducement to trying to seduce or provoke him. She’d even gotten him to trust her only to turn around and make him put his guard up. Although she had to do it, she felt bad about it.

“It’s fine, really. Of course... I am a little disappointed as a man.”

Hearing Kiriha’s apology, Koutarou smiled wryly and shrugged. As he’d said, he did look somewhat disappointed. Koutarou wasn’t angry at Kiriha for everything that had happened up until now. It was all done for a good reason, and Koutarou could forgive her for that. She’d even helped him on more than one occasion, so there were no hard feelings. However, there was still one lingering let-down.

“Disappointed?”

“Yeah. If you’d been serious about pursuing me, I definitely would’ve felt more like a man.”

Koutarou was a healthy teenage boy after all.

“Koutarou...”

Kiriha was taken aback by Koutarou’s words, but her astonishment was brief. The next moment, she fell into a fit of energetic laughter.

“Pfft... Ahahaha!”

The setting sun was shining on Kiriha’s profile, but her smile was bright enough to put it to shame. It was probably the first time Koutarou had ever seen her truly smile from the bottom of her heart.

“You don’t have to laugh that much. I’m young, so it’s only natural.”

Koutarou was a little irritated at being laughed at like that. He crossed his arms in disapproval. However, the real reason Kiriha was laughing was quite different from what Koutarou was thinking.

“Hahaha... Koutarou, if those words are true, I would be proud as a woman.”

That was the reason that Kiriha believed in him. Satomi Koutarou was not the kind of man to fall for such cheap temptations.

After departing the ferris wheel, Koutarou and Kiriha headed towards another attraction. There was one final place that she wanted to go.

“By the way, Kiriha-san, are you having any luck finding your first love?”

“No, not quite. It was ten years ago after all. There are extremely few clues to go off of.”

Kiriha shook her head with bitter resignation. Her face was dyed red by the setting sun. It was now approaching evening, and the shadows trailing behind them grew longer with each passing minute.

“Well, if the only clue you have is that card, I guess that would be hard.”

“There is one more clue, but I don’t know if he still has it or not.”

The first time Kiriha had said anything about her first love was during their trip to the beach. It’d been a few months since then, but it didn’t seem Kiriha was any closer to discovering her love’s whereabouts.

“There just aren’t any leads to go on. Nobody remembers anything. Not even I remember his face. Even if I found him, how would I know?”

“I guess you’d have to talk to every man in this city closing in on his thirties.”

Kiriha had met this boy ten years ago. She said he appeared to be high school age at the time, so he was probably in his late twenties now. Unfortunately, that only helped narrow things down so much. It was a big city.

“He might not even live around here anymore. Even if he does, would he even remember meeting me?”

“But you can’t just give up.”

“That’s right...”

Kiriha nodded and wistfully looked up overhead. The darkening winter sky was perfectly clear.

“Do you love him that much?”

“Yes. Spending this weekend revisiting these places and these memories has reaffirmed that for me. Even now, I’m still in love with him.”

Kiriha’s feelings, like the sky, were perfectly clear. She would find him no matter what. Ten years had done nothing to shake her resolve.

“That’s why I want to met him again. I’m well aware that even if we do meet, he might not accept my feelings. But if I never see him again, I’ll never know and I’ll never be able to move on.”

They had only spent a few days together, but he was still her first love. Even as a child, Kiriha had known the significance of that.

But it was a long time ago. That boy would be an adult now, and he might have forgotten all about Kiriha. He might even be married with a family by now. Even so, Kiriha still wanted to see him. She didn’t want to ruin his current life. She just wanted to meet with him and confess the feelings she’d held in all these years. It didn’t even matter if he reciprocated those feelings or not. She just knew that she needed to tell him. If she didn’t, there was no way she’d ever be able to move on, much less fall in love with someone else. It was what had to be done in order to move forward with her life.

“I want to meet him, tell him how I feel, and put an end to this. Of course, I would be elated if he accepted my feelings.”

Kiriha smiled. It was a refreshingly honest expression. She’d never talked to anyone about this before, and the smile on her face now seemed like proof of her trust in the first person she’d chosen to tell. It was a sign that she really thought of Koutarou as her friend.

“So you refuse to half-ass it... Heh, I like it.”

After hearing Kiriha out, Koutarou grinned contentedly. This kind of thing was right up his alley. Wanting to solve a problem, regardless of the odds and regardless of the outcome, was rather close to the awkward way Koutarou lived his own life. He really felt like he understood what she meant, and he felt closer to her than ever.

“Koutarou?”

“Kiriha-san, I’ll help you too, so let’s find him.”

Inspired, Koutarou wanted to help Kiriha. He felt invested in this, almost like he was looking for his first love. That was the strength of the bond he’d forged with Kiriha.

“Huh?”

Kiriha’s eyes opened wide in surprise at Koutarou’s sudden offer. She’d never expected him to want to help.

“I just wanna get a look at the mug of the guy that could make a woman like you feel that way.”

“Koutarou...”

Kiriha reflexively clutched her chest, her eyes moistening.

That’s right... That’s the kind of man you are...

Kiriha was reminded all over again how she had come to trust Koutarou. He was clumsy and awkward, but earnest and kind. That’s why she’d revealed everything to him. This sweet reminder was just the cherry on top. She was truly happy.

“And besides, now that I’ve heard this much, I want to see what happens next.”

“...Thank you, Koutarou...”

Kiriha smiled and bowed deeply with her hands still on her chest. It was the only way she could think to show her gratitude right now.

“Stop it. Don’t worry about it. We’re friends, right?”

“That’s right.”

Kiriha slowly looked up. When she did, it seemed the tears had passed. She was emotional, but she certainly wasn’t upset.

“That said, watching over someone else’s love life does make you feel a bit jealous.”

“That’s true. I understand how you feel.”

After blinking a couple of times, Kiriha began cheerfully smiling again. It was again a special sign of her friendship with Koutarou.

“That’s why, after we get everything sorted out with this guy of yours, you’re going to introduce me to some cute underground girl. Got it?”

“Got it. I’ll try my hardest.”

“Then we have ourselves a deal!”

Koutarou nodded and flashed a wide grin back at Kiriha. It was the same kind of smile he often had on his face around Kenji, and it was a sign he’d started to think of Kiriha as a precious friend in much the same way.

“With that said, let’s hurry up and find this guy. For the sake of my future as well.”

“But of course. I need to push some girl from a distinguished clan on you so I can use you as a foothold for the surface invasion immediately.”

“Hey now...”

“Heehee...”

Kiriha smiled mischievously and dashed away from Koutarou. Her glossy black hair shone radiantly in the fading sunlight.

She’s surprisingly childish sometimes. But I guess that makes sense. As a leader of the underground dwellers, this isn’t a side that she can show just anyone.

Koutarou chased after Kiriha while thinking about that.

“Hey, wait up!”

“No way!”

Ignoring Koutarou’s pleading, Kiriha ran away from him with a bounce in her step. Looking at her from behind, Koutarou couldn’t see any trace of her normally calm and composed attitude. She looked just like a child. And like a child, Koutarou chased after her for a while.

“Hup!”

Kiriha took one last leap and landed by planting both of her feet on the ground. Her hair fluttered behind her and continued to do so as she spun around to greet Koutarou as he came running up.

“Is tag over already?”

“Yes. This is where I wanted to come.”

Kiriha nodded and pointed over her shoulder.

“Something else totally out of character, I see.”

“You think so?”

Kiriha cheerfully smiled.

She had led Koutarou to a roller coaster. Like the ferris wheel at the park, this roller coaster was the largest in the prefecture when it was built. While it had since lost that title, it was still staggeringly high. The intertwined rails, boasting a height of seventy meters with a sixty-five meter drop, spread out before Koutarou and Kiriha.

“...No, actually, I take it back. This might be just like you.”

This weekend had given Koutarou the opportunity to get to know Kiriha much better. While she was usually cool and collected, her inner child was a force to be reckoned with. Knowing that much about her, of course she’d pick the roller coaster.

“It sounds like you’re calling me a tomboy. I don’t like it.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”

“That’s mean, Koutarou.”

Laughing, Kiriha approached the gate to the ride.

“So do you have a special memory of the roller coaster too?”

Koutarou followed after her. Kiriha then stopped in front of the sign next to the entrance.

“Yes and no. Ten years ago, I wasn’t able to ride it.”

Kiriha smiled wryly as she turned around.

“You couldn’t ride it? Was there too long of a line?”

Past the gate was an orderly line up to the platform. Seeing that, Koutarou assumed she meant the line must have been too long that day. In fact, when it was the largest roller coaster in the prefecture, it had an equal reputation for long lines.

“No, that wasn’t it. Look here, Koutarou.”

“Let’s see... ‘You must be at least 140 centimeters to ride this attraction’?”

On the sign was an illustration of a child measuring heights. The number 140 on the ruler was in big, bold font. For safety reasons, children under a certain height weren’t allowed on the ride.

“This tomboy was too short ten years ago, you see. I wasn’t allowed to ride it.”

“Ah, so part memory and part regret, huh?”

Koutarou imagined a much smaller, younger Kiriha selfishly demanding to ride the roller coaster as the boy and the ride attendant tried to soothe her.

“Heh, that’s too bad...”

The mental image was too funny, and Koutarou couldn’t help laughing at the thought.

“I don’t like the way you said it, but yes, that’s right.”

“You’re surprisingly persistent.”

“Of course. I’m a woman who’s still in love with a man she met ten years ago, remember?”

“That’s true.”

Koutarou and Kiriha had another good laugh together before going to get in line. It wasn’t too long, so it looked like they’d only have to wait about ten minutes.

“The roller coaster...” Kiriha muttered as they joined the end of the line.

Hearing her soft voice, Koutarou looked her way, but Kiriha was pensively taking in the sights. To Koutarou, it looked like she was reminiscing about the past.

But why...

There was something in Kiriha’s expression that seemed lonely. It bothered Koutarou. She didn’t look like someone who was about to conquer one of her life’s greatest regrets.

Could it be that...

As he stared at Kiriha’s profile, Koutarou was intensely contemplating what might be going on with her. Just as he was on the verge of a conclusion, the ground started shaking intensely.