Aria’s heart stopped pounding, and we proceeded quietly up the stairs…
A strong western wind was blowing as we came up on the west side of the rooftop.
Rampan Castle was similar to a Japanese castle in that the sides curved up at a slope to meet at the top ridge line.
Where in Japan there would be shachiko, here there were 2 metre tall golden dragons facing outward.
On the eastern side of the ridge line–there was another gold dragon and three other figures.
First, with long black hair flowing in the breeze and striking a pose, there was Son. Even from a distance I could tell it was not Kou.
Next to her and wearing gaudy Qing Dynasty formal court attire was Jinyan–one of the Koko sisters. This is the one that uses gases and explosives, and she had a perfume bottle clutched in her hand.
Standing last with both wrists tied behind his back behind Jinyan, was Shokatsu in full regalia.
Behind them… Two red flags were hoisted.
The five-point star of the People’s Republic of China and the bauhinia flower flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Glancing quickly behind us, I saw the Japanese and British national flags.
The must have been watching Aria and I make our way up.
「A fight on top of the roof, huh…?」
The words escaped my lips–
This is similar to the fight we had on Kikuyo’s roof, on top of the Kagataka Family’s mansion.
Right now, I have with me a girl with about the same fighting power as G-3.
But it was all over in an instant.
Right now, I am out of options just like he was.
it looks like I’ve been brought back to repeat my younger brother’s failure.
「An amazing trap! It doesn’t look like there’s a way out.」
Aria admonished me, indicating that the ‘moat’ around the castle–the open sea outside of Victoria Bay–was covered with innumerable boats.
Consisting of everything from small ferry boats to cruisers; fishing boats and freighters; to row boats, they combined to form a huge circle. Rampan’s affiliates truly span the entire spectrum of society.
「It’s beautiful that ship is tending a fire. I wonder if it’s supposed to mimic Son’s Golden Crown?」
As everyone maintained their position… I spoke my thoughts aloud.
To be honest, the entire scene was beautifully captivating.
The ring of boats all began closing in on Rampan Castle and they started packing in more closely. The dotted line of the halo was rapidly becoming solid. It was like some kind of open-water synchronised swimming performance.
「As reckless as ever, Kinji. Take a look, there’s no space to swim through between them.」
For Aria, who can’t swim in the first place, there truly is no escape.
From the instant we set foot in the castle, they were planning a fight like this–in order to kill Aria.
But right now she is wearing a cool smile on her face, and said nothing of this.
–*Step!* *Step!*
Across the thick balance beam-like ridge.. Son padded easily barefoot.
The ridge is a straight line. To the left and right are the roof tiles and a steep slope.
The terrain greatly favours the Nyoibou with its straight line of attack.
Now I understand why Son likes to fight on rooftops.
Behind Son, stood Jinyan and Shokatsu.
Also being aware of the effective range of handguns, I am also glad of the contracted space.
「Go, Aria.」
「OK, Kinji.」
Matching our enemy, we advanced across the ridge.
Then as we both closed distance… Son suddenly halted.
It’s still a little far to use handguns, but it looks like she meant to stop and wait for something.
All together, we have represented… Zhuge Liang, Kong Ming; Cao Cao, Mengde; Sherlock Holmes; Tohyama no Kin-san; and in addition to these descendant, the real Son Goku. It’s utter chaos.
Surprisingly, the first to break the silence was Shokatsu.
「This duel is a battle of FEW. It will decide the victory between Rampan and Baskerville. We are ready.」
In making this declaration, he adopted the clipped, rapid style of the Koko.
Shokatsu laid the groundwork to bring a foreign power (Baskerville) into Hong Kong Rampan to preserve the balance of power with Shanghai Rampan. And in order to do that, he is using FEW as an excuse. A cunning strategy, although he is no longer in control here.
The Koko tried to use money to bring me under Shanghai Rampan’s influence…
But if Son defeats us here, then Baskerville will be under『Hong Kong’s aegis』.
His plan is that Hong Kong Rampan continues to bear the responsibility of FEW as Baskervill, in both appearance and actual fact, falls under his umbrella.
But all that is based on the assumption that I will lose.
「The top of Rampan Castle is our stawge. There are many eyes on us from the sea. So calling it a personal fight is impwossible. We Koko are participating. Our family name is hounourable– so we will have a formal duel with Kinchi and Awia. Son and me. It will be a bwattle of genewals and their second-in-commands.」
Jinyan said– but I can’t remember ever fighting her.
For some reason, I got the idea that she was a weapon smith like Hiraga-san.
When it comes to the Koko sisters, there are way too many weapons that I haven’t heard of. Within their own specialty, they are unrivaled『wonders』and it would be strange if they didn’t have their own independent logistical support.
It appears she must have come and gone a lot on I.U. and was the brain behind the super-cavitation passenger ICBM torpedo, and the no-recoil machine gun that Jeanne told me about.
That is to say.. of all the Koko sisters, she is the weapons specialist and lacks all combat ability.
The atomiser in her hand is for self-defence–the explosive bubbles in her hand would be carried by the western wind. The tailwind is to our advantage, and is no favour to Jinyan.
Even so, she is calm–
She plans to leave the fighting to Son and her insta-kill laser.
With luck, it will take me and Aria out at the same time… Even if Aria survived, she counts on the fact that Son could take care of Aria not long after.
To be honest– that’s a bit unreasonable of an expectation.
Apart from me, Aria is skilled in her own right.
Even after that chronic fit she just had, I still don’t want to fight Aria.
In reality, this is a one-on-one fight between me and Son.
Reluctantly, I have come to accept that.
「–Die now!」
Jinyan shouted for the start of the battle, and from below–
*Go~ng!*
Once more, the large copper bells sounded.
*Go~ng!*
The second time, Son and my eyes met.
*Go~ng!*
After the third chime, they stopped. It appears this was the signal for the final battle between fellow generals.
Everyone in the anchored boats heard it.
Looking out with Hysteria mode… I could tell that those aboard were office worker, grocers, students, bus drivers, police officers, ice cream vendors, transit officials… men and women of all ages were looking up to us atop the roof.
From below, we could hear sporadic bursts of gunfire, signalling the end of the melee.
It was understood that all the fighting until now culminated in this final phase of the rooftop battle…
No one will interfere in this fight,
It seems that Chinese culture keeps a clear separation between the human wave tactics of total warfare and single combat between two generals.
It’s almost like the duels depicted in The Three Kingdoms between Guan Yu and Lü Bu, as well as Zhao Yun and Xiahou En. The rank and file will not interfere. It looks like they are limiting combat to elite soldiers and support from an ally is allowed like Zhang Fei in Guan Yu’s fight.1
It isn’t a bad thing. I don’t sense the presence of snipers either.
Then– *Whoosh!*
Son raised her hand, signaling her coming victory to those in the boats, then,
*Raah!*
Cheers went up.
It’s easy to see what the Koko did here.
China and Hong Kong are the heroes here, while the former Anglo-Sino occupiers and administrators are the villains. It’s like a wrestling match.
Bu that’s fine. I guess I’m playing the bad guy. After all the faux-terrorists and Yakuza I’ve fought, I’m tired of playing the good guy.
「Now then, may I ask you a question…?」
I asked Son as my good guy character was warped into a scoundrel.
「…Who are you?」
After I asked the question, Aria, Jinyan, and Shokatsu looked puzzled…
Son grinned, baring a canine.
「The Fighting Buddha, Kowloon Monkey King, Son Goku!」
「I’ll ask again. Do not make me ask a third time! Who are you!?」
「I told you!」
Son answered in the male version of Japanese she took from me.
「–So you are going to keep your secret, Son? Well, that is everyone’s right, I suppose.」
「If you wanted to know, you should have stayed in Japan. You question would have made more sense there. The part that makes sense is making me very angry. Right now I can see you.」
Son said that she could『see』me–
She means that her laser is turned toward me.
I didn’t want to make a cheap threat.
But I know about your true identity.
「Understood. I will not ask again. By the way, I already know that you are a failed Scarlet Goddess.」
Called into question by a woman, I cannot help but answer honestly…
「So Kou talked? Stupid girl! It is half true..」
It appears that Son cannot exercise control over Kou, and so she made a face that said:『Oh, well.』
「Alright, Tohyama. It would be bad if you answered me when I did not answer you, so instead, I will teach you what it means to『live.』」
Instead of what, I wonder.
At my confused expression, Son grinned an let out a laugh.
「Living is just『killing time for a long, long time until you die.』and finding interesting ways to do it.」
–Interest driven existence?
That sounds like something Riko would say.
「So, Tohyama?」
「Sounds difficult.」
「Half of this world is boring.」
「…?」
「Love is fun. You have love. But there’s one thing missing. The thing that would make this world interesting–you don’t have war.」
Son said, and from her eyes… I got the feeling that she wasn’t joking.
「I suppose you could become a mercenary.」
「I could. But none of these present wars are interesting. It’s waged by weak people carrying guns, shooting back and forth until one side or the other is annihilated. It’s like competing for so many rocks. This world, like The Three Kingdoms Period– lacks the polished gems that were the fights between fellow superhumans!」
Son shouted, shaking both fists in front of her chest like a spoiled child.
「I love meeting others who have surpassed human understanding in real life-and-death combat. That is the ultimate passion that burns inside of me. War and Love are the same– the highest form of game!」
Love and War. War and Love. What kind of games are those?
What horrible values!
However…
「–It is my destiny to play games. Destined for『Love』and destined for『War』– like a goddess」
Now I see.
She is truly the Scarlet Goddess.
Son is being herself– did she just answer my first question?
Tamamo told me once before.
Those with Hihiirokane will prefer Love and War. She is possessed by a goddess’ violent stirrings of passion and belligerence
Son’s tale is terribly sad.
Then there’s Kou’s story. While implanting Son and the Scarlet Goddess into Kou, the process involved『being sealed in a cave for 3 years.』That span of time matched the 3 years that Sherlock told me were necessary to inherit the power of the hidan– Living with it for 3 years, that period also precisely matches the required length to complete the Hihiroirokane’s karagane『rule-based contract』.2
…Ah…
Love. War. Irokane. Irokaneayame. Karagane. Those of the Hotogi Shrine that can control Irokane. The Tohyama warrior and Hotogi miko that killed the Scarlet Goddess. The Study in Scarlet. The Scarlet Heaven Scarlet Sun Gate3Sherlock showed me. The hyper-stealth Sherlock talked about.What my brother told me in the beginning–
–『The Hidan no Aria』–
******************************************************************
Until now, all these things had been scattered pieces, but now with the mental abilities of Hysteria Mode… They all fell into place like pieces of a puzzled.
I understand a lot of things now. Even things I wish I didn’t.
–But there’s no worrying about that now.
But after receiving this shock, I can’t just turn away.
I’ve already set foot into a world of deities like Son, and this is just another fact. I have to fight beings like that. I have to accept them.
Calm down. Calm down…Kinji!
「…」
Aware that she could become the Scarlet Goddess herself, Aria… remained silent.
Even her facial expression did not change much.
But I know that Aria is doing her best to keep her calm.
She’s upset.
She must have guessed as much, inheriting a good sense of intuition from Sherlock. She’s probably arrived at about the same conclusion that my logical reasoning has led me to.
–Aria–
「The Hidan no Aria. Even now I can see it. The Irokane is everything. Everything is Irokane. Very soon, it will happen. Love and War will blossom as the Goddess comes to life…」
Son spread her arms wide as if in kindly welcoming a sister.
Aria did not reply.
Those words about ‘one being everything and everything being one’– aren’t those are the words from Reki’s marriage proposal?
Recalling that instance was a little embarrassing, but… thankfully there was something I didn’t quite understand. The mystery deepened, and that was a good thing.
The mystery had to do with Irokane… and it will unravel like any other. So, I have to thank you, Son.
Expressing my own feelings,
「Love and Warm, huh? Sorry, but those are huge themes and neither of them suit my tastes.」
I faced Son and fixed her with a sharp gaze.
–Don’t talk to Aria.
–Talk to me.
Casting me a warning glance,
「Haha! The Tohyama warriors have not changed a bit.」
With her perpetually partronising attitude, Son assumed she could manipulate anyone.
In the car chase the other day I noticed something…
Son is a woman, or at least a feminine being.
For the time being at least, she has taken on the role of a『goddess』.
When it comes to Hysteria Mode, the important point is whether or not this goddess and I can have offspring… Can we? I don’t know.
In that case, my natural instinct is to say『Leave it all to me, and I’ll take care of it.』
That means I can’t hurt her.
That must have been what she wanted.
Not being able to hurt her makes defeating her laser even more of a challenge than it already was.
「Tohyama. The Kung Fu. The car chase. It was fun! You gave me Love and War. So much that tears came to my eyes. So in return– I will put all my love into this shot.」
「Is that how you show love? As expected of war god.」
「You and that miko are my natural enemies. Finding a way to entertain myself in this world was a real problem. I really never expected to fall in love with my arch-nemesis, but that’s love for you!」
Son’s hair fluttered in the wind…
Meanwhile, a pale scarlet light began to spread.
Strangely enough, the wind hadn’t changed.
What I was seeing didn’t make sense. Supernatural power was rising inside of Son. And it showed no sign of stopping.
Son closed her eyes and settled her breathing… at least that was what it looked like.
All around us… *Brrrrrr!*… without anyone laying a single finger on them, the indigo roof tiles began to rattle. And it began to spread.
「…?」
Aria began to look at the ocean beneath her feet.
It was shaking. The castle. The sea. The very air. And Son was at the center of it.
It was no earthquake. It was perhaps another level of… 『Fa jin』. In Japanese, it would be called『Ki』.4
The sea around Rampan Castle began to bubble and foam, and even the mountains and stars appeared to quiver and shift. it struck me–like a gust of wind– Son Goku’s ki.
…Hmph…
Son… is definitely some kind of god-like being.
I can literally feel it on my skin.
Standing in front of her– I am an ordinary high school boy.
Even my last hope, Hysteria Mode is ordinary.
I don’t feel the blood flow of Berserk or King Mode where my central nervous system is accelerated beyond 30 times.
「– Farewell, Tohyama–」
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly everything stopped shaking.
All at once, everything around us became still… even the wind stopped.
Does this mean Son’s… spirit, blade, and body are in perfect harmony?
「I love the countless meeting of blades and fists. But I’m already done with that. So there’s the Nyoibou. It’s a one-shot win. With the Nyoibou, it’s black and white. If I fire, I will win.」
With that declaration…
Son’s right eye began to glow.
In the middle of the dark indigo night, under the white moonlight…crimson shone…!
「The Nyoibou mirrors my emotions. It reaches as far as my emotions and strikes others down. It’s range surpasses any sniper rifle and is only mitigated by atmospheric attenuation and the curvature of the earth. Defeating it is absolutely unachievable.」
As Son spoke, making preparations to fire the laser, Shokatsu and Koko retreated slightly.
「There was one other ability that I wanted to show you. The Somersault Cloud. In modern ESP terms, you might call it Imaginary Jump5, but even more simply『Teleportation』. That is to say, Tohyama, you can’t run away from me. You have not choice but to accept it.」
I hadn’t heard that before. She can teleport.
I know now. Hearing about that new ability, what am I supposed to think?
「–Aria, step back. You can’t stand between Son and me. You are always by my side…」
Even at this stage, as I whispered this in a sweet voice, what was I to think of Aria blushing red?
At the words『You are always by my side』,
「Really, you say that now of all times…!?」
And Aria’s eyes narrowed the way they always do whenever she is happy.
Then there was a *Click!* *Click!*
And she raised both her guns, tilting one so that the expelled shell casings did not fly in front of the other.
「Fufu! You are such an amusing and embarrassing man, Tohyama. Even in this position, you still find a way to place yourself in front of the pretty girl.」
「You are correct. Is there something else I should do?」
I answered as Son snorted and Aria flailed wildly.
「I can handle one more cute girl, Son. Will you only target me?」
「What do you mean, Tohyama?」
「Even if you are a god– I will not allow you to hurt Aria.」
At my declaration…
Aria lowered her guns and flailed her arms, and Son made an annoyed face.
Are you jealous, Son?
「So, Son, let those beautiful eyes reflect only me.」
「…Are you prepared to die?」
「For Aria’s sake, I would.」
*Clatter!*
At that, Aria dropped her guns entirely. Then her empty hand trembled.
「Good. Love is good. Love, blooming like a flower–」
Son chanted slowly.
Then imitating her earlier pose, she stretched out her arms.
She was probably measuring angles.
In addition to establishing line of sight, she was clearly taking aim in my direction.
Now… Son’s eye shone like a red star. It swiftly increased in brightness.
If I remember correctly, it is about as bright as the time G-3 was shot.
Even Kou said so. Son cannot stop. She must fire.
From what I remember, I have 8 seconds.
「–But here, that flower will scatter.」
The blow will come at the speed of light.
5 more seconds–!
「If you are going to scatter it, then scatter it.」
With what might be my last words, I used a softer inflection.
I’m still in Hysteria mode. If that is the case, then I can do it.
Believe in me, Son. Fire at me, not Aria.
If you do–
–Then it won’t work. This last-minute Anti-laser strategy that I just devised.
Yes. As Riko expected, I thought of something with Aria beside me and the power of Hysteria Mode.
Son, you said that defeating your laser was『absolutely unachievable』and『impossible』.
But that word is taboo when it comes to me.
It was forbidden on the day that I first met Aria.
Is it impossible? That is a word I cannot say.
Because I am– Enable.
Of course, I’m not sure if it will work or not. I give it about a 50-50 chance.
But I will risk it. Because there is no other way.
Then–my world–
Whenever I am in Hysteria Mode, the world becomes strangely slow-motion.
Just this once it became ultra slow, like a high-speed camera.
The world and everything in it seemed to come to a standstill.
First, I took action to counter the enemy laser.
Son cannot stop, and so there is no use in secrecy or wasting time.
But… then something strange happened.
Fromm beside me, Aria fired.
She picked up her guns, and pointed them at me–?
The gunpowder combusted, burning red hot and a .45ACP bullet exited the muzzle.
They could do nothing else besides fly onward. The bullet stayed its course and struck me– only afterwards did I consider the significance of Aria’s shot.
The laser now coalesced.
–Contradiction–
The laser struck at the speed of light.
The time it would take to reach me was almost zero.
This means that there was piratically no time in flight between the firing of the bullet and its impact.
Kou told me herself what the laser’s『exposure time』was–and in Hysteria Mode, I remember from when G-3 was shot that it was precisely 0.9559 seconds.
Just under 0.1 seconds of duration.
If that is the case, then the laser will not reach me, as it just flashed.
Having time when you have no time.
Having something when you have nothing.
–That may be a contradiction.
But when it comes to me, a contradiction is no contradiction at all.
Contradiction? It’s alright if we change the meaning of the word.
A contradiction is『an invincible spear and shield』born from old stories.
What I did was『change a spear into a shield』and alter the story just now.
Sorry, Sherlock!
It seems like Shokatsu borrowed from Sherlock–
I have also borrowed from him as well.
In essence, my anti-laser strategy used no kind of skill. A primary-schooler could do it.
Just now, when I took action…
I held in my hand the longest metal object I had, that you could call a spear if you wanted to– my scramseax– and threw it. However, in a very precise manner. The creation of my contradiction allowed for no error, however slight. I recalled that the diameter of the beam was only 7mm and aligned the scramseax with it from tip to the tang covered by the handle– in a perfectly straight line.
With Hysteria Mode’s increased powers of concentration, this becomes a simple task.
–『Changing a spear into a shield』
This defense method is actually quite old.
Used by Japanese samurai, it is called『Rear Blade Entrapment』6
In essence, using the relatively soft ‘mine’ portion of one’s own blade to intercept the enemy’s at just the right angle–then the edge of the enemy sword bites into it, literally stopping it.
It’s a Tohyama family technique, passed down from my grandfather’s grandfather…There’s even a cheap sword left behind by my 4th generation ancestor with a distinct V-shaped notch neatly cut into it’s backside by an enemy sword.
My anti-laser strategy『Contradiction』– is an extended form of that technique.
Fortunately the scramseax is a straight sword, so the whole of the blade was able to be used.
–Scramseax.
You were so unobtrusive such that I even forgot that I carried you at times, but now was your time. Your once in a lifetime opportunity.
This defense strategy had some aspects that I can only trust to you.
Pride of the British Empire, you were not a dull blade. Thus I trusted you to protect me with the flag of your country at my back.
「–!」
In my ultra slow-motion word, the Nyoibou–
Suddenly flashed into existence as a brilliant scarlet beam.
As that happened, I saw my thrown scramseax perfectly blocked it.
The beam struck the tip of the blade, and it melted like a blossoming flower.
The beam had been on for 0.01 seconds.
The battle between spear and shield would last less than a second.
0.02 seconds passed.
The melting did not stop.
The tip continued to expanded like a piece of blown glasswork, and at 0.03 seconds the bubble burst suddenly.
0.04 seconds passed.
The laser has already penetrated to the centre of the scramseax.
I watched the milk crown like shape of the burst time spread out like an unfurling umbrella.
At 0.05 seconds–
–I knew what would happen.
In terms of winning and losing, I was going to lose.
From tip to tang, the scramseax is 70cm and 8mm long.
From what Kou remembers, she was unable to penetrate the potential enemy target Battleship Yamato’s main armour– however, it seems that the melting point of the scramseax is somewhat lower than that of Yamato’s high strength low alloy steel. That difference proved deadly.
–The scramseax was being pierced by the laser and would be complete in less than 0.1 seconds.
The laser boasted such enormous power, even that short space of time was enough…
I would be struck through. Along with the two flags behind me.
The moment drew closer to 0.1 seconds.
0.6, 0.7, 0.8– the laser pierced the scramseax–!
In that microsecond, I was unable to shut my eyes to the world, when in front of my eyes–
*Bang!*
In front of my chest, I saw Aria’s bullets blooming.
…I…it… stopped the laser…!
Spinning as they melted, they blossomed like roses… spreading through the cool air, their petals entwined… finally taking on a star shape.
Then in that instant–
–Time began to flow once more.
First a blast of hot air like like from a blacksmithy hit me from the front with a *Whoosh!*
Due to their swollen shape, Aria’s bullets whistled momentarily through the night sky… the twirling through the air… they spun around like a boomerang and returned to land on the tiles near our feet.
The scramseax had swollen, increasing its surface area by many tens of times, and due to it’s thin structure, it immediately cooled and hardened in the night air. Then like parsley…
It fell down in front of me,shaped like『an opened umbrella.』
–Seeing me standing even after the laser had fired, Son…
「…」
As the light faded from her eye, said nothing.
She must have understood that the scramseax at my feet had somehow pretested me.
Jinyang stared with open mouth, and Shokatsu widened his usually slitted eyes, both at a loss for words.
…They do not know what to feel or think.
China boasted a legendary existence, Rampan’s trump card–Son Goku.
They just saw their sure-fire attack defeated before their eyes.
「Even if you are still standing after the attack, I told you that I would win– is that not what you said. Son?」
Seeing that was what had happened, Son wiped the surprised look from her face.
Then calmly, *Spin!*
Pivoting to the right, her tail now faced me.
Turning to the shocked Jinyang, she said one or two words in Chinese.
To which Jinyan made a face that said:「Huh!? Seriously!?」, and Son grit her teeth and gave a small nod…
「I won’t repeat myself.」
She said as she stared past me to look across Victoria Bay.
With a *Plop!*, Jinyan slouched to the floor in total shock, and after a brief silence…
She took a small communication device that seemed to be hidden in her twin tails and spoke a few words of Chinese into it.
Then,
*Go~ng!*
From below, a large gong sounded loudly once.
It seemed to signal their defeat…
The sound of foghorns were added to it from the boats surrounding Rampan Castle, consoling the loser and praising the victor.
「Koko…Jinyan. That was very gracious of you. Thank-you.」
I said as the horns still sounded.
「Honour is very important to the Chinese. If we were not gracious in defeat, we would rightly be criticised.」
Jinyan said as she turned aside and puffed her cheeks sulking.
Finally… the tension in the air evaporated, and I spared a glace to my partner beside me…
Aria stood silently with arms folded as the westerly wind ruffled her twintails once more.
She understood that the fight was over, but the emotions on her face were still a bit muddled.
I think she only understood the significance of her shots after firing… is that it?
I took a few steps along the roof towards Aria’s bullets…
With a brief touch to make sure they were not hot, I pinched them between my fingers and picked them up.
Then with its now conical shape– I took the『opened umbrella』shaped scramsaex that had also cooled and placed it atop the roof’s ridge.
They were difficult to balance, but by forcing it to bend slightly… it now looked like a coloured cone from a playground.
「Aria. I believe that you asked something of me, did you not?」
I said over my shoulder as Aria made a「?」face watching me stand up the scramseax.
She was as bewildered as ever.
On top of the ruined scramseax, at its peak, I placed one of the star-shaped .45 ACP bullets…
Making a star shape above a cone.
「…Here. It is the Christmas tree that you wanted.」
Made entirely of metal, and decorated only with a star on top.
I this OK, I wonder? Using one of the British Empire’s greatest treasures for raw material?
Made by Son Goku. It’s a rare tree that has no equal in the world.
With a wink and a small smile, Aria moved closer to the tree.
「…You really do drive me crazy. I guess, I should have been more patient.」
Then she made the gesture for『good grief』that westerners do so well.
Then she spun her guns and stowed them back in her holsters.
But… right now I am very amazed with you, Aria.
In that world of a few fractions of a second, you fired your bullets at just the right moment.
Such an act is comparable to threading a sewing needle while dashing at full speed.
Even so, you still managed to pull it off.
There are simply no words to describe this gun prodigy.
However…
「You knew what you were doing, didn’t you, Aria?」
「What’s that?」
「What you did to stop Son’s laser.」
「Yeah. I knew what I was doing, but I really didn’t think about it.」
「Did you realise that the tree was not long enough?」
「That wasn’t it. Just that you messed up. That’s all.」
Is that so? Then at that point–Aria was not paying attention to Son, but was watching my movements.
She must have seen and understood what I was doing, then acted to help.
That’s… incredible! Even though I only came up with the move on the spot, she was still able to grasp it and act.
「As expected of Sherlock Holmes great-granddaughter. I am amazed by your sharp insight.」
As I smilingly praised her, Aria’s cheeks darkened slightly as she looked up at me.
Then pursing her lips,
「That’s not it. I knew– because you’re my partner!」
She muttered shyly.
Is that how it is? Telepathy? Well, Aria and I have been together a long time.
–Now then–
I turned to face Son.
Looking out over the ocean, she noticed my gaze and turned to look at me.
「…This was a first for a human. You took a shot from my Nyoibou.」
She said…
More or less, I suppose. My younger brother did survive being hit first.
But I won’t tell her that. Son is too proud for that.
「Kill me.」
Son said as she turned back to look out at the sea…
「I will not. Tamamo respects you and I don’t want to be told off.」
I said, shrugging my shoulders.
「There’s also Butei Regulation 9!」
Aria nitpicked from beside me.
Confirming my agreement with a tight lipped smile to Aria, I tried again with Son.
「Son. You are making too big a fuss over one loss. Everyone loses sometime. What is the saying?『Even monkeys fall from trees』」
…I tried to joke, but Son didn’t smile.
I was sure that it would work on the monkey, Son Goku. But now…
「–Tohyama. For winning a『match』of FEW, I’ll tell you something good. You definitely stopped my Nyoibou. But that was just one of my many techniques.」
Ahh… Now I understand.
Son still had the Somersault Cloud– the teleportation technique called Imaginary Jump, but didn’t get to use it.
I just won, but right now she doesn’t even feel like trying to win.
I turned back to Son, ready to call her a poor loser and cheer her up.
「But that’s not all. I feel as is I’m no more than a single hair from my head.」
Huh…? What she said was a little hard to understand.
In The Journey to the West, Son Goku cut off some of his hair and used magic to create an alter ego, but I think the context here is slightly different.
speaking to me so strangely, Son’s eyes widened–
She saw Aria.
「… Tonight was fun. So it was good. So, Tohyama warrior. Fight. And keep fighting. Love and fight. That is what the Tohyama family does best.」
These words… What do they mean?
Have you met the Tohyama’s of the past? No, that is unlikely.
—Ahahahaha!–
Even in defeat, Son gave a victorious laugh, and finally…
「Son is tired. I lost. I won;t do so again until something strikes my interest. Let’s fight again somewhere in this world. Until then.」
Saying that, Son suddenly staggered–
She had been standing until now, but now her body leaned to the side as if she fainted…!
At the movement that looked like she would fall to her own death, surprised, Aria rushed to her side and I followed after..
Her long black hair fluttering, she collapsed like a pole and her skirt–
「Ah! Ayii!」
Jinyang, quickly pulled it down with both hands/
Then, with her balance lost, Son plopped down to a seated position on the ground, and– No, now I understand– Kou woke up and opened her eyes..
「…? Wh-where… am… Ahhhh…!」
With a cowardly voice that did not see to come from the same set of vocal cords, Kou screamed at finding herself on top of the roof.
Then there was a *Splat!*
Kou threw herself down to cling to roof face down. Even her tail was pressed close to the tiles.
Seeing this, Aria made a small sound of astonishment and checked herself, smoothing down the fabric over her nonexistent bust.
Coming to the side of the three Rampan members…
I felt a certain amount of relief.
Someone controlled Son, and from what she said, she was tired of such an existence.
That person was a woman. in Hysteria Mode I understood what she really meant.
I had set out to save Kou from Son….
And I had done that somewhat.
「…I thought that stopping the Nyoibou was impossible. But to change Son into Kou without Patra’s Key…!」
In shock at the continuous unfolding of events, Shokatsu’s slitted eyes goggled in astonishment.
Nearing Shokatsu, I cut the rope that bound his wrists with my butterfly knife–which had already stopped glowing.
「Shokatsu, there are no such things as impossible… Don’t give up quite yet.」
Thinking of his illness, I added that last bit, to which Shokatsu grinned wryly and shook his head.
「Ah well… you are a man of some stature. You have shown me how you have overturned all good sense. It think it would only be foolish of me to remain bound by the laws of reason.」
Making the same gesture of resignation as Aria, Shokatsu…
Then as if nothing at all had happened, he took up a position with each of his palms pressed together as one would entreat a god. Then bowed.
「I feel as if I should take a knee or bow my head, but now Rampan and Baskerville would do well to get along. It would be best to say that it is a partnership of equals, would it not?」
「What’s that now!?」
Even with Shokatsu and Jinyan in seiza, Aria frowned at his opening words.
「–What I mean is that Rampan is now a fellow member of『DEEN』, and as such we should support each other.」
Shokatsu responded calmly as Aria was confused…
As if seeking validation, he looked up at me.
「The Koko sisters have acted rather wildly… can you deal with this internally?」
「At least within Hong Kong. For this most recent act of rebellion their rank will decrease.」
Shokatsu glared from behind his round glasses.
Still crouching, He scowled at Jinyan who looked back with an innocent look on her face.
Shokatsu, you can make a very scary face.
「From here on out, the Koko sisters will become even more aware and diligent in their assigned tasks. As your underlings they…」
「I have already declined the kind offer.」
「What a shame. Won’t you please reconsider? They may be somewhat difficult to manage, but they do excellent work.」
Calmly proposing that after seeing their string of violent acts and having been seized by them, Shokatsu is no ordinary person.
Are you trying to push them off on me?
I already have my hands full with one violent twintail. Adding 4 more to make 5, I can only imagine what would happen to me.
…Well…
…Having things forced on me. That pretty much sums up my life up until now.
「Even so, Tohyama-san, I do not wish to sing my own praises, however– Rampan’s has now switched from GRENEDA, becoming a part of DEEN, but the disposition of Shanghai is best suited for fighting in FEW…」
Shokatsu offered advice…
My opinion is the same.
To the best of my knowledge, from the place where FEW started in Japan, DEEN has expanded, gaining the advantage.
With the subsequent loss of power accompanying the defeat of a major player like Rampan, it is entirely possible to launch a large counter attack. It would be a simple matter to attack and–
–*Plam!*
Ouch…!
「What are you doing Kinji? It’s time for a review meeting!」
Aria punched me as hard as she could with a serious face, cancelling any plans I had as Shokatsu laughed and covered his mouth with his hand.
Aria tapped the former scramseax, now Christmas tree.
「You said it yourself, your sword–now turned into a shield– was too short! Tell me, just what were you going to do if you didn’t have me to back you up, hmm? You really a huge idiot! You had me so worried! Really Kinji! You’re… a…」
Huh?
You suddenly lost steam in the middle of your usually uninterrupted stream of nagging.
It wasn’t anything I did. I was just『regretting that I was born』as per usual with a meek, servile expression on my face, but…
Changing quickly from stomping full force on the『Rage at Kinji accelerator』to slamming on the brakes, Aria… *Ba-dump!… *Ba-da-dump!*… With a sudden surge of emotions, Aria’s camellia shifted away and her face turned red for some reason I don’t understand.
「…R-really…it… would have been bad if I wasn’t here…!」
–She muttered with a frown.
She was talking to herself, but it was definitely loud enough for me to hear.
Somehow that statement seemed, to be leading Aria to a『So we should always stay together 』.
Realising where her own words were taking her, and she became embarrassed because she did not want to say that… even so she kept talking, but turned to the side.
That’s a good thing.
I made something she likes in Hysteria Mode earlier.
So now, in response, she is thankfully hesitant and saying thing like『S-so w-what do you have to say for yourself…! 』
If I don’t switch to offensive tactics, I’ll be here all night getting lectured again.
「Well then, how about this–」
I took the hand Aria had punished me with and cupping my hand around it raised them.
I saw it in a movie where a gentleman asked a lady to dance at a ball.
「Fwah?」
Even in this state, the British aristocrat Aria responded to the invitation for her hand and stretched her fingers out.
「Let’s stay close to each other.」
Gently grasping her hand like I had seen in the Western film『Roman Holiday』, 1,2,3– as expected.
To my flawless reenactment of Gregory Peck’s charter, Aria matched my rhythm like Audrey Hepburn did. All while wearing a look of shock.
Looking up nervously, it seemed her body still remembered the steps as she followed mine– her pink twintails fluttering beautifully–
On the third beat, I spun Aria through a half-turn as I remained stationary.
My left hand resting on her delicate back, I did not release my right hand either.
I was then embracing Aria from behind, on hand over her shoulder…
The two of us then looked out over the night where Hong Kong Island was separated from the Kowloon Peninsula by Victoria Bay.
「I-I never thought you knew how to dance! This is such a surprise. Where did you learn?」
「It was by force, and in Rome, I believe.」
「…Huh?」
Baring a canine, Aria tried to turn halfway around, but I held her hips firmly in place.
With a small noise, Aria turned back toward Victoria Bay…
Below, Aria was flushed from neck to ear and a smell wafted up.
「…Wha!?」
In response to her gasp of surprise.
「What are you surprised at?」
Lowering myself level with Aria’s head, I stooped slightly to whisper in her ear.
Then after a brief silence…
Aria turned to answer me in quiet voice.
「…Y… your body… i-is… surprisingly big…」
Isn’t that because you’re tiny?
But if I say so, I would end up getting knocked off of here into the ocean. So I will remain silent.
Due to my Hysteria Mode, Aria is secreting all kinds of Beta-endorphins, and she is trembling from her toes to her fingertips.
It’s cute…
「It’s cold, isn’t it? I’ll hold you until the sun rises and it gets warmer.」
I teased once more,
「It’s cold, isn’t it? I’ll hold you until the sun rises and it gets warmer.」 should this be here twice ?
「Mhm, I’m already warm.」
She declared, refusing the offer with considerable difficulty. Her expression of will was not particularly strong.
Ultimately though, it collapsed, and my Hysteria Mode enhanced hearing I caught her small voice saying:
「I wish time could stop.」
It no good, Aria. What you said may happen.
Jinyang, Shokatsu, and even Kou’s shocked stares at my back are becoming a little embarrassing…
To Aria, however, it’s just her and I.
I’m the type that others can;t tell when I get excited. It’s the same when I am angry as well.
「Kinji.」
「Yes?」
Aria turned to me, red-faced–
「The ICC, Ritz Carlton… OZONE, I’m sorry.」
When I was lost, when Aria used Baritsu on me, she apologised for all those times.
「I was in the wrong.」
「No. When it comes to you, Kinji… I have no emotional control…. Ever since we met, I’ve never been able to stop myself. So…」
As she spoke, little by little, Aria’s voice became choked by tears.
Then,
「Someday I might get mad at you… I-if that happens… a-and something like OZONE happens… and you and I… hate each other…」
She seems afraid of being hated… She’s trembling with very word.
What’s that?
Did she say something like that?
「So if I get angry at you– What I mean is, I don’t want things to be the same as now.」
I gave a tight smile to her words, as Aria stared at me blankly.
It’s cute. Those moistened eyes.
Thinking that, my smile became naturally more gentle.
「Do you think that I hate you right now? Could I hate the one I am embracing now?」
As if in thought, she tilted her head across my chest– she replied『Me?』and twisted around.
Aria turned 180 degrees and clung to my chest.
Her head buried in my blazer, she looked happy and was very affectionate. Thanks to Hysteria Mode, I understood all that by touch alone.
「Aria. When we get back to the ICC, why don’t we have a leadership meeting… dinner for just the two of us? We’re already two days late.」
I whispered into her ear…
Aria nodded her head vigorously many times into my chest.
Holding her head softly with my right arm–
I expressed my gratitude by planting a kiss on top of her hair.
Aria.
Even if I can stop a bullet moving at the speed of sound and defend against a laser at the speed of light, I have no wealth like Aria’s.
Even so, helping each other in this way, we are equals.
So right now, as I hold your hand– let us put this brief fight and everything else behind us.
Doing that, a weight would lift from my shoulders.
As the late night wind blew across the warm South China Sea on this Christmas Eve, I reflected on the many things that I learned.
In Japan, I did not see how large the gap was.
Here, the distance between me and my partner was reinforced, and I am unable to delude myself otherwise. It’s like the poverty of North Point contrasted with the opulence of OZONE.
But even if people despair, that is not an end.
There’s nothing to be done for it, but to live on, move past things, and recover. Like my present self.
So that I can hold you in my arms again.
But that is not all that I have to do.
There are things that need to be done after moving on.
I have a new purpose.
Except for fighting, it is possible to change one’s self little by little–that is my purpose. This change is not something that can be accomplished in 1 or 2 years. It doesn’t even matter if it takes a long time. The end goal is worth it, and above all… as a man, I can’t just sulk about being a useless, uncool person.
–I can make up the difference between us.
That is, if I keep moving forward. It’s a steep slope, but Aria is at the top of those steps. I should put out my best effort.
Moving forward, little by little.
Didn’t Yuan work her own way up? Working hard to break free of poverty?
I can do that. If so, then surely…
Right now, it feels like a temporary allowance, but someday i will be able to stand next to Aria on my own merits–
Each time I stroked her arm there was a「Hn…」or「Ahn…」sound in Aria’s anime-like voice, and I thought to myself:「Ah, our time together is almost at an end.」
The sound of Riko and Shirayuki’s footsteps could be heard.
「…Kinji…」
As Aria breathed those words into my chest….
「Hey now! Hold it!」
「Sne~aky! You just want to be alo~ne with Aria!」
I heard Shirayuki exclaim in a Kabuki style manner7, and Riko huff angrily.
In front of me, Aria jolted of surprise, and looking back with a tight smile… found Reki standing directly behind me.
Well, with Aria and Reki here, and Shirayuki and Riko rushing over,
That makes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Then there was Jinyang who had thrown herself down on the rooftop and was yawning, and Kou who was hiding her red face with her hands but was still peeking out from between her fingers… but the first to be dealt with were the ladies from Baskerville.
If that’s all there is, then yeah. I’m still within the limits of my ability.
As I embraced them all– from my pocket,『Hana no Uchi ni』began to play from my mobile.
…Huh? It isn’t any of these four, so who could be calling me?
With a wink to keep them all in check, I looked at my mobile… and there was a video call coming in.
And it was from a international number… coming from Kaname.
My cute little sister who went to nurse G-3 at his base in Honolulu or Havana.
Facing the screen, I answered the call,
『Merry Christmas, Onii-chan! It’s already the 25th here!』
*Pop!* *Pop!*
Kaname set off several crackers onscreen… inside one of the rooms in Butei High girls’ dormitory.
There were signs on the table that some people had cut up and eaten an entire cake.
From the shiny pointed hat she was wearing, I guessed she was at a Christmas party.
Onscreen, the time was displayed as 11.43 due to hour time difference… so it was till Christmas Eve here, even though Christmas had already come to Japan.
「Since you’re in Tokyo right now, is G-3 alright?」
Worried, I asked.
『Yup! The combat surgeon at his base, Tsukumo gave him some weird herb that made him all better– he’s already up and kicking. Just yesterday at the base he was benching 203kg.』
What are you doing, Kinzou? It’s not that I don’t understand wanting to show your subordinates that you’re alright, but if you overdo it, you’ll reopen your wound. Are you trying to match some American record, or something?
Well… That’s G-3 for you: get shot one day, and the next he’s running a triathlon wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
He’s definitely fine then, I guess, so that settles that, I suppose.
『Onii-chan, what are you doing right now?』
「We just finished up another part of FEW. From now on, everyone in Rampan will lend their power to DEEN.」
I said.
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
Wearing her school uniform, Kaname applauded on the screen–
『That’s my Onii-chan! First conquering Tokyo, then subjugating the rest of Asia!』
She praised me with a smiling face… Hey! Hey! Pumping her fist….
『Then Europe is next!』
Her chestnut brown hair bobbed up and down with her fist.
『–That sounds pretty cool, right? Far East Warfare; European Front. I was talking with Tamamo-chi earlier. Both the Vatican and Liberty Mason have exhausted their supply of superhuman soldiers.』
Just when things here and with Aria had calmed down… Now we’re going to Europe?
If things don’t go well, it might spread to Japan. It might be well to go listen to this situation report.
「Is Tamamo there as well?」
『Yeah, but right now she’s in the bath with Jeanne and Nakasorachi-san.』
Now that she said something, I realised she was in Jeanne’s room.
Jeanne and Nakasorachi… I’m sure those girls’ and their team Constellation went to Singapore, but they must have already gotten back.
Caravan II’s has an open schedule and itinerary, and it looks like they chose to come back early.
『Until now in Europe, it’s been the warhawks of I.U. survivors under Patra against Katze’s Regiment Hex. In battle, they’ve been mowed down, so GRENEDA has had to hire some ridiculously powerful mercenaries.』
「…Mercenaries? Is that so?」
『According to Tamamo-chi.』
「Hired muscle. Who are they? How many?」
『2 people. They are Asian, and as illogical as it may be, they is absolutely no information on them. We’ve been calling them–《Bewitching Blade》and《Demon Sword》.』
What Kaname told me was unsettling–
On top of that, the mood atop Rampan Castle’s roof was unsettled.
Son and Jinyan were standing, looking out toward Victoria Bay and having a conversation about something in Chinese.
Aria, the one who started the fight, and the four Baskerville girls were also looking over the bay.
There’s… something strange happening on the ocean.
Putting down the mobile for a moment, I looked too–
…Fog…?
It captured my attention.
Even now, I can hear the chattering from the boats surrounding Rampan Castle.
–An ocean mist.
But the fog isn’t covering the whole ocean, only a part of it at sea level.
It’s an unnatural scene, as if a cloud had descended on the ocean’s surface.
It then spread, slowly… oh, so slowly to the east and west and toward Hong Kong.
Looking at the mist…
I remembered.
It was like a nightmare from the time I fought on I.U.– Sherlock called it『preparation for a lesson』and he manipulated heavy fog to block my field of view. This looks like that. I don’t know why, but it’s here for some reason…!
As the mist slowly crept its way across the ocean, atop the water and literally pushing its way through the fog…
The tip of an impossibly large ferry nosed its way forward.
…That’s…a tanker…!?
An oil tanker. By eye, I’d say it was 270 metres long and 45 metres wide.
I couldn’t tell what its name and nationality were, but from Mutou’s wide smattering of knowledge– I knew it was a supertanker. Larger than a small aircraft carrier, it’s a huge ship.
From the water up, it had the typical colour scheme with red and black sides; and a white deck, but the red portion was nearly invisible running below the waterline.
It has a full load of oil.
The noise from on top of the roof, inside the castle, and the boats surrounding it increased…
A moment later….
Wah!
There was a cry as we witnessed something unbelievable.
..It seems like…
Out of the frying pan and into the fire… isn’t that what they say.
We saw her.
–Our next enemy.
『Onii-chan, did you hear me? On the Europe front… I think Patra knows, but the girl she’s been fighting is 20th century Europe’s greatest nightmare.』
Hearing Kaname’s voice reminded me that it had become a one-way call.
「Kaname, let’s pick this up later, okay? Sorry– but you can see that.」
On the tanker rear deck–
The usual large Panamanian, Japanese, and America flags fluttered.
Another flag was spotlit, and caused Aria to let out a low exclamation.
「–A swastika…!」
Used in the Second World War by Germany.
It was a reversed version of the Nazi party’s flag….!
********************************************************
Notes:
1. Not really familiar with the story behind this, but apparently in these generals met to decide the fate of armies by single combat and no one interfered.
2. From the Japanese Wikia:
It seems that there are two types of ‘contracts’ that allow humans access to the power of Irokane. ‘rule-based’ that carry a whole bunch of conditions, and emotion based, which I don’t know too much about. Anyway, this calls back to stuff earlier in the series..
3. Hiten Hiyoumon of earlier volumes. The ball of cool scarlet light that Aria used to destroy Patra’s pyramid. Sherlock explained a lot of this back in volume 5. Might be worth a re-read.
4. Okay… Difficult concept to try to explain, but here goes.
Both the Chinese and Japanese believe in an internal ‘life force’ energy concept known as ‘Chi’ or ‘Ki’. If you’ve seen old King Fu movies, you’ve probably seen a dramatically overblown presentation of the concept where people become invincible and suck the life out of several other ninjas to increase their power. Basically, the thought here is that one can harness this naturally occurring energy present within all things inside one’s self, concentrate it, and channel it into martial arts techniques to increase power.
The Chinese term here specifically has to do with this kind of violent release application, thought the Japanese concept of ‘Ki’ as a whole has a much broader context and dimension.
5. Kanji say ‘short distance discontinuity world bridge’. I’m assuming this is like a hop through another dimension.
Frozzen- It’s like the meme, where a guy teleports behind you and stabs you with a katana, and says: [Pff, nothing personal, kid]
6. Literally, ‘Mine Entwine/Arrest’. “Mine” is the technical Japanese term for the back of the katana and is made of softer metal.
7. Style of Japanese theatre drama. Very stylised and over the top. Think about the crazy stereotypical stuff and open jokes aimed at the audience that go on in some comedy/drama television shows, and you can get the idea.
Aria’s heart stopped pounding, and we proceeded quietly up the stairs…
A strong western wind was blowing as we came up on the west side of the rooftop.
Rampan Castle was similar to a Japanese castle in that the sides curved up at a slope to meet at the top ridge line.
Where in Japan there would be shachiko, here there were 2 metre tall golden dragons facing outward.
On the eastern side of the ridge line–there was another gold dragon and three other figures.
First, with long black hair flowing in the breeze and striking a pose, there was Son. Even from a distance I could tell it was not Kou.
Next to her and wearing gaudy Qing Dynasty formal court attire was Jinyan–one of the Koko sisters. This is the one that uses gases and explosives, and she had a perfume bottle clutched in her hand.
Standing last with both wrists tied behind his back behind Jinyan, was Shokatsu in full regalia.
Behind them… Two red flags were hoisted.
The five-point star of the People’s Republic of China and the bauhinia flower flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Glancing quickly behind us, I saw the Japanese and British national flags.
The must have been watching Aria and I make our way up.
「A fight on top of the roof, huh…?」
The words escaped my lips–
This is similar to the fight we had on Kikuyo’s roof, on top of the Kagataka Family’s mansion.
Right now, I have with me a girl with about the same fighting power as G-3.
But it was all over in an instant.
Right now, I am out of options just like he was.
it looks like I’ve been brought back to repeat my younger brother’s failure.
「An amazing trap! It doesn’t look like there’s a way out.」
Aria admonished me, indicating that the ‘moat’ around the castle–the open sea outside of Victoria Bay–was covered with innumerable boats.
Consisting of everything from small ferry boats to cruisers; fishing boats and freighters; to row boats, they combined to form a huge circle. Rampan’s affiliates truly span the entire spectrum of society.
「It’s beautiful that ship is tending a fire. I wonder if it’s supposed to mimic Son’s Golden Crown?」
As everyone maintained their position… I spoke my thoughts aloud.
To be honest, the entire scene was beautifully captivating.
The ring of boats all began closing in on Rampan Castle and they started packing in more closely. The dotted line of the halo was rapidly becoming solid. It was like some kind of open-water synchronised swimming performance.
「As reckless as ever, Kinji. Take a look, there’s no space to swim through between them.」
For Aria, who can’t swim in the first place, there truly is no escape.
From the instant we set foot in the castle, they were planning a fight like this–in order to kill Aria.
But right now she is wearing a cool smile on her face, and said nothing of this.
–*Step!* *Step!*
Across the thick balance beam-like ridge.. Son padded easily barefoot.
The ridge is a straight line. To the left and right are the roof tiles and a steep slope.
The terrain greatly favours the Nyoibou with its straight line of attack.
Now I understand why Son likes to fight on rooftops.
Behind Son, stood Jinyan and Shokatsu.
Also being aware of the effective range of handguns, I am also glad of the contracted space.
「Go, Aria.」
「OK, Kinji.」
Matching our enemy, we advanced across the ridge.
Then as we both closed distance… Son suddenly halted.
It’s still a little far to use handguns, but it looks like she meant to stop and wait for something.
All together, we have represented… Zhuge Liang, Kong Ming; Cao Cao, Mengde; Sherlock Holmes; Tohyama no Kin-san; and in addition to these descendant, the real Son Goku. It’s utter chaos.
Surprisingly, the first to break the silence was Shokatsu.
「This duel is a battle of FEW. It will decide the victory between Rampan and Baskerville. We are ready.」
In making this declaration, he adopted the clipped, rapid style of the Koko.
Shokatsu laid the groundwork to bring a foreign power (Baskerville) into Hong Kong Rampan to preserve the balance of power with Shanghai Rampan. And in order to do that, he is using FEW as an excuse. A cunning strategy, although he is no longer in control here.
The Koko tried to use money to bring me under Shanghai Rampan’s influence…
But if Son defeats us here, then Baskerville will be under『Hong Kong’s aegis』.
His plan is that Hong Kong Rampan continues to bear the responsibility of FEW as Baskervill, in both appearance and actual fact, falls under his umbrella.
But all that is based on the assumption that I will lose.
「The top of Rampan Castle is our stawge. There are many eyes on us from the sea. So calling it a personal fight is impwossible. We Koko are participating. Our family name is hounourable– so we will have a formal duel with Kinchi and Awia. Son and me. It will be a bwattle of genewals and their second-in-commands.」
Jinyan said– but I can’t remember ever fighting her.
For some reason, I got the idea that she was a weapon smith like Hiraga-san.
When it comes to the Koko sisters, there are way too many weapons that I haven’t heard of. Within their own specialty, they are unrivaled『wonders』and it would be strange if they didn’t have their own independent logistical support.
It appears she must have come and gone a lot on I.U. and was the brain behind the super-cavitation passenger ICBM torpedo, and the no-recoil machine gun that Jeanne told me about.
That is to say.. of all the Koko sisters, she is the weapons specialist and lacks all combat ability.
The atomiser in her hand is for self-defence–the explosive bubbles in her hand would be carried by the western wind. The tailwind is to our advantage, and is no favour to Jinyan.
Even so, she is calm–
She plans to leave the fighting to Son and her insta-kill laser.
With luck, it will take me and Aria out at the same time… Even if Aria survived, she counts on the fact that Son could take care of Aria not long after.
To be honest– that’s a bit unreasonable of an expectation.
Apart from me, Aria is skilled in her own right.
Even after that chronic fit she just had, I still don’t want to fight Aria.
In reality, this is a one-on-one fight between me and Son.
Reluctantly, I have come to accept that.
「–Die now!」
Jinyan shouted for the start of the battle, and from below–
*Go~ng!*
Once more, the large copper bells sounded.
*Go~ng!*
The second time, Son and my eyes met.
*Go~ng!*
After the third chime, they stopped. It appears this was the signal for the final battle between fellow generals.
Everyone in the anchored boats heard it.
Looking out with Hysteria mode… I could tell that those aboard were office worker, grocers, students, bus drivers, police officers, ice cream vendors, transit officials… men and women of all ages were looking up to us atop the roof.
From below, we could hear sporadic bursts of gunfire, signalling the end of the melee.
It was understood that all the fighting until now culminated in this final phase of the rooftop battle…
No one will interfere in this fight,
It seems that Chinese culture keeps a clear separation between the human wave tactics of total warfare and single combat between two generals.
It’s almost like the duels depicted in The Three Kingdoms between Guan Yu and Lü Bu, as well as Zhao Yun and Xiahou En. The rank and file will not interfere. It looks like they are limiting combat to elite soldiers and support from an ally is allowed like Zhang Fei in Guan Yu’s fight.1
It isn’t a bad thing. I don’t sense the presence of snipers either.
Then– *Whoosh!*
Son raised her hand, signaling her coming victory to those in the boats, then,
*Raah!*
Cheers went up.
It’s easy to see what the Koko did here.
China and Hong Kong are the heroes here, while the former Anglo-Sino occupiers and administrators are the villains. It’s like a wrestling match.
Bu that’s fine. I guess I’m playing the bad guy. After all the faux-terrorists and Yakuza I’ve fought, I’m tired of playing the good guy.
「Now then, may I ask you a question…?」
I asked Son as my good guy character was warped into a scoundrel.
「…Who are you?」
After I asked the question, Aria, Jinyan, and Shokatsu looked puzzled…
Son grinned, baring a canine.
「The Fighting Buddha, Kowloon Monkey King, Son Goku!」
「I’ll ask again. Do not make me ask a third time! Who are you!?」
「I told you!」
Son answered in the male version of Japanese she took from me.
「–So you are going to keep your secret, Son? Well, that is everyone’s right, I suppose.」
「If you wanted to know, you should have stayed in Japan. You question would have made more sense there. The part that makes sense is making me very angry. Right now I can see you.」
Son said that she could『see』me–
She means that her laser is turned toward me.
I didn’t want to make a cheap threat.
But I know about your true identity.
「Understood. I will not ask again. By the way, I already know that you are a failed Scarlet Goddess.」
Called into question by a woman, I cannot help but answer honestly…
「So Kou talked? Stupid girl! It is half true..」
It appears that Son cannot exercise control over Kou, and so she made a face that said:『Oh, well.』
「Alright, Tohyama. It would be bad if you answered me when I did not answer you, so instead, I will teach you what it means to『live.』」
Instead of what, I wonder.
At my confused expression, Son grinned an let out a laugh.
「Living is just『killing time for a long, long time until you die.』and finding interesting ways to do it.」
–Interest driven existence?
That sounds like something Riko would say.
「So, Tohyama?」
「Sounds difficult.」
「Half of this world is boring.」
「…?」
「Love is fun. You have love. But there’s one thing missing. The thing that would make this world interesting–you don’t have war.」
Son said, and from her eyes… I got the feeling that she wasn’t joking.
「I suppose you could become a mercenary.」
「I could. But none of these present wars are interesting. It’s waged by weak people carrying guns, shooting back and forth until one side or the other is annihilated. It’s like competing for so many rocks. This world, like The Three Kingdoms Period– lacks the polished gems that were the fights between fellow superhumans!」
Son shouted, shaking both fists in front of her chest like a spoiled child.
「I love meeting others who have surpassed human understanding in real life-and-death combat. That is the ultimate passion that burns inside of me. War and Love are the same– the highest form of game!」
Love and War. War and Love. What kind of games are those?
What horrible values!
However…
「–It is my destiny to play games. Destined for『Love』and destined for『War』– like a goddess」
Now I see.
She is truly the Scarlet Goddess.
Son is being herself– did she just answer my first question?
Tamamo told me once before.
Those with Hihiirokane will prefer Love and War. She is possessed by a goddess’ violent stirrings of passion and belligerence
Son’s tale is terribly sad.
Then there’s Kou’s story. While implanting Son and the Scarlet Goddess into Kou, the process involved『being sealed in a cave for 3 years.』That span of time matched the 3 years that Sherlock told me were necessary to inherit the power of the hidan– Living with it for 3 years, that period also precisely matches the required length to complete the Hihiroirokane’s karagane『rule-based contract』.2
…Ah…
Love. War. Irokane. Irokaneayame. Karagane. Those of the Hotogi Shrine that can control Irokane. The Tohyama warrior and Hotogi miko that killed the Scarlet Goddess. The Study in Scarlet. The Scarlet Heaven Scarlet Sun Gate3Sherlock showed me. The hyper-stealth Sherlock talked about.What my brother told me in the beginning–
–『The Hidan no Aria』–
******************************************************************
Until now, all these things had been scattered pieces, but now with the mental abilities of Hysteria Mode… They all fell into place like pieces of a puzzled.
I understand a lot of things now. Even things I wish I didn’t.
–But there’s no worrying about that now.
But after receiving this shock, I can’t just turn away.
I’ve already set foot into a world of deities like Son, and this is just another fact. I have to fight beings like that. I have to accept them.
Calm down. Calm down…Kinji!
「…」
Aware that she could become the Scarlet Goddess herself, Aria… remained silent.
Even her facial expression did not change much.
But I know that Aria is doing her best to keep her calm.
She’s upset.
She must have guessed as much, inheriting a good sense of intuition from Sherlock. She’s probably arrived at about the same conclusion that my logical reasoning has led me to.
–Aria–
「The Hidan no Aria. Even now I can see it. The Irokane is everything. Everything is Irokane. Very soon, it will happen. Love and War will blossom as the Goddess comes to life…」
Son spread her arms wide as if in kindly welcoming a sister.
Aria did not reply.
Those words about ‘one being everything and everything being one’– aren’t those are the words from Reki’s marriage proposal?
Recalling that instance was a little embarrassing, but… thankfully there was something I didn’t quite understand. The mystery deepened, and that was a good thing.
The mystery had to do with Irokane… and it will unravel like any other. So, I have to thank you, Son.
Expressing my own feelings,
「Love and Warm, huh? Sorry, but those are huge themes and neither of them suit my tastes.」
I faced Son and fixed her with a sharp gaze.
–Don’t talk to Aria.
–Talk to me.
Casting me a warning glance,
「Haha! The Tohyama warriors have not changed a bit.」
With her perpetually partronising attitude, Son assumed she could manipulate anyone.
In the car chase the other day I noticed something…
Son is a woman, or at least a feminine being.
For the time being at least, she has taken on the role of a『goddess』.
When it comes to Hysteria Mode, the important point is whether or not this goddess and I can have offspring… Can we? I don’t know.
In that case, my natural instinct is to say『Leave it all to me, and I’ll take care of it.』
That means I can’t hurt her.
That must have been what she wanted.
Not being able to hurt her makes defeating her laser even more of a challenge than it already was.
「Tohyama. The Kung Fu. The car chase. It was fun! You gave me Love and War. So much that tears came to my eyes. So in return– I will put all my love into this shot.」
「Is that how you show love? As expected of war god.」
「You and that miko are my natural enemies. Finding a way to entertain myself in this world was a real problem. I really never expected to fall in love with my arch-nemesis, but that’s love for you!」
Son’s hair fluttered in the wind…
Meanwhile, a pale scarlet light began to spread.
Strangely enough, the wind hadn’t changed.
What I was seeing didn’t make sense. Supernatural power was rising inside of Son. And it showed no sign of stopping.
Son closed her eyes and settled her breathing… at least that was what it looked like.
All around us… *Brrrrrr!*… without anyone laying a single finger on them, the indigo roof tiles began to rattle. And it began to spread.
「…?」
Aria began to look at the ocean beneath her feet.
It was shaking. The castle. The sea. The very air. And Son was at the center of it.
It was no earthquake. It was perhaps another level of… 『Fa jin』. In Japanese, it would be called『Ki』.4
The sea around Rampan Castle began to bubble and foam, and even the mountains and stars appeared to quiver and shift. it struck me–like a gust of wind– Son Goku’s ki.
…Hmph…
Son… is definitely some kind of god-like being.
I can literally feel it on my skin.
Standing in front of her– I am an ordinary high school boy.
Even my last hope, Hysteria Mode is ordinary.
I don’t feel the blood flow of Berserk or King Mode where my central nervous system is accelerated beyond 30 times.
「– Farewell, Tohyama–」
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly everything stopped shaking.
All at once, everything around us became still… even the wind stopped.
Does this mean Son’s… spirit, blade, and body are in perfect harmony?
「I love the countless meeting of blades and fists. But I’m already done with that. So there’s the Nyoibou. It’s a one-shot win. With the Nyoibou, it’s black and white. If I fire, I will win.」
With that declaration…
Son’s right eye began to glow.
In the middle of the dark indigo night, under the white moonlight…crimson shone…!
「The Nyoibou mirrors my emotions. It reaches as far as my emotions and strikes others down. It’s range surpasses any sniper rifle and is only mitigated by atmospheric attenuation and the curvature of the earth. Defeating it is absolutely unachievable.」
As Son spoke, making preparations to fire the laser, Shokatsu and Koko retreated slightly.
「There was one other ability that I wanted to show you. The Somersault Cloud. In modern ESP terms, you might call it Imaginary Jump5, but even more simply『Teleportation』. That is to say, Tohyama, you can’t run away from me. You have not choice but to accept it.」
I hadn’t heard that before. She can teleport.
I know now. Hearing about that new ability, what am I supposed to think?
「–Aria, step back. You can’t stand between Son and me. You are always by my side…」
Even at this stage, as I whispered this in a sweet voice, what was I to think of Aria blushing red?
At the words『You are always by my side』,
「Really, you say that now of all times…!?」
And Aria’s eyes narrowed the way they always do whenever she is happy.
Then there was a *Click!* *Click!*
And she raised both her guns, tilting one so that the expelled shell casings did not fly in front of the other.
「Fufu! You are such an amusing and embarrassing man, Tohyama. Even in this position, you still find a way to place yourself in front of the pretty girl.」
「You are correct. Is there something else I should do?」
I answered as Son snorted and Aria flailed wildly.
「I can handle one more cute girl, Son. Will you only target me?」
「What do you mean, Tohyama?」
「Even if you are a god– I will not allow you to hurt Aria.」
At my declaration…
Aria lowered her guns and flailed her arms, and Son made an annoyed face.
Are you jealous, Son?
「So, Son, let those beautiful eyes reflect only me.」
「…Are you prepared to die?」
「For Aria’s sake, I would.」
*Clatter!*
At that, Aria dropped her guns entirely. Then her empty hand trembled.
「Good. Love is good. Love, blooming like a flower–」
Son chanted slowly.
Then imitating her earlier pose, she stretched out her arms.
She was probably measuring angles.
In addition to establishing line of sight, she was clearly taking aim in my direction.
Now… Son’s eye shone like a red star. It swiftly increased in brightness.
If I remember correctly, it is about as bright as the time G-3 was shot.
Even Kou said so. Son cannot stop. She must fire.
From what I remember, I have 8 seconds.
「–But here, that flower will scatter.」
The blow will come at the speed of light.
5 more seconds–!
「If you are going to scatter it, then scatter it.」
With what might be my last words, I used a softer inflection.
I’m still in Hysteria mode. If that is the case, then I can do it.
Believe in me, Son. Fire at me, not Aria.
If you do–
–Then it won’t work. This last-minute Anti-laser strategy that I just devised.
Yes. As Riko expected, I thought of something with Aria beside me and the power of Hysteria Mode.
Son, you said that defeating your laser was『absolutely unachievable』and『impossible』.
But that word is taboo when it comes to me.
It was forbidden on the day that I first met Aria.
Is it impossible? That is a word I cannot say.
Because I am– Enable.
Of course, I’m not sure if it will work or not. I give it about a 50-50 chance.
But I will risk it. Because there is no other way.
Then–my world–
Whenever I am in Hysteria Mode, the world becomes strangely slow-motion.
Just this once it became ultra slow, like a high-speed camera.
The world and everything in it seemed to come to a standstill.
First, I took action to counter the enemy laser.
Son cannot stop, and so there is no use in secrecy or wasting time.
But… then something strange happened.
Fromm beside me, Aria fired.
She picked up her guns, and pointed them at me–?
The gunpowder combusted, burning red hot and a .45ACP bullet exited the muzzle.
They could do nothing else besides fly onward. The bullet stayed its course and struck me– only afterwards did I consider the significance of Aria’s shot.
The laser now coalesced.
–Contradiction–
The laser struck at the speed of light.
The time it would take to reach me was almost zero.
This means that there was piratically no time in flight between the firing of the bullet and its impact.
Kou told me herself what the laser’s『exposure time』was–and in Hysteria Mode, I remember from when G-3 was shot that it was precisely 0.9559 seconds.
Just under 0.1 seconds of duration.
If that is the case, then the laser will not reach me, as it just flashed.
Having time when you have no time.
Having something when you have nothing.
–That may be a contradiction.
But when it comes to me, a contradiction is no contradiction at all.
Contradiction? It’s alright if we change the meaning of the word.
A contradiction is『an invincible spear and shield』born from old stories.
What I did was『change a spear into a shield』and alter the story just now.
Sorry, Sherlock!
It seems like Shokatsu borrowed from Sherlock–
I have also borrowed from him as well.
In essence, my anti-laser strategy used no kind of skill. A primary-schooler could do it.
Just now, when I took action…
I held in my hand the longest metal object I had, that you could call a spear if you wanted to– my scramseax– and threw it. However, in a very precise manner. The creation of my contradiction allowed for no error, however slight. I recalled that the diameter of the beam was only 7mm and aligned the scramseax with it from tip to the tang covered by the handle– in a perfectly straight line.
With Hysteria Mode’s increased powers of concentration, this becomes a simple task.
–『Changing a spear into a shield』
This defense method is actually quite old.
Used by Japanese samurai, it is called『Rear Blade Entrapment』6
In essence, using the relatively soft ‘mine’ portion of one’s own blade to intercept the enemy’s at just the right angle–then the edge of the enemy sword bites into it, literally stopping it.
It’s a Tohyama family technique, passed down from my grandfather’s grandfather…There’s even a cheap sword left behind by my 4th generation ancestor with a distinct V-shaped notch neatly cut into it’s backside by an enemy sword.
My anti-laser strategy『Contradiction』– is an extended form of that technique.
Fortunately the scramseax is a straight sword, so the whole of the blade was able to be used.
–Scramseax.
You were so unobtrusive such that I even forgot that I carried you at times, but now was your time. Your once in a lifetime opportunity.
This defense strategy had some aspects that I can only trust to you.
Pride of the British Empire, you were not a dull blade. Thus I trusted you to protect me with the flag of your country at my back.
「–!」
In my ultra slow-motion word, the Nyoibou–
Suddenly flashed into existence as a brilliant scarlet beam.
As that happened, I saw my thrown scramseax perfectly blocked it.
The beam struck the tip of the blade, and it melted like a blossoming flower.
The beam had been on for 0.01 seconds.
The battle between spear and shield would last less than a second.
0.02 seconds passed.
The melting did not stop.
The tip continued to expanded like a piece of blown glasswork, and at 0.03 seconds the bubble burst suddenly.
0.04 seconds passed.
The laser has already penetrated to the centre of the scramseax.
I watched the milk crown like shape of the burst time spread out like an unfurling umbrella.
At 0.05 seconds–
–I knew what would happen.
In terms of winning and losing, I was going to lose.
From tip to tang, the scramseax is 70cm and 8mm long.
From what Kou remembers, she was unable to penetrate the potential enemy target Battleship Yamato’s main armour– however, it seems that the melting point of the scramseax is somewhat lower than that of Yamato’s high strength low alloy steel. That difference proved deadly.
–The scramseax was being pierced by the laser and would be complete in less than 0.1 seconds.
The laser boasted such enormous power, even that short space of time was enough…
I would be struck through. Along with the two flags behind me.
The moment drew closer to 0.1 seconds.
0.6, 0.7, 0.8– the laser pierced the scramseax–!
In that microsecond, I was unable to shut my eyes to the world, when in front of my eyes–
*Bang!*
In front of my chest, I saw Aria’s bullets blooming.
…I…it… stopped the laser…!
Spinning as they melted, they blossomed like roses… spreading through the cool air, their petals entwined… finally taking on a star shape.
Then in that instant–
–Time began to flow once more.
First a blast of hot air like like from a blacksmithy hit me from the front with a *Whoosh!*
Due to their swollen shape, Aria’s bullets whistled momentarily through the night sky… the twirling through the air… they spun around like a boomerang and returned to land on the tiles near our feet.
The scramseax had swollen, increasing its surface area by many tens of times, and due to it’s thin structure, it immediately cooled and hardened in the night air. Then like parsley…
It fell down in front of me,shaped like『an opened umbrella.』
–Seeing me standing even after the laser had fired, Son…
「…」
As the light faded from her eye, said nothing.
She must have understood that the scramseax at my feet had somehow pretested me.
Jinyang stared with open mouth, and Shokatsu widened his usually slitted eyes, both at a loss for words.
…They do not know what to feel or think.
China boasted a legendary existence, Rampan’s trump card–Son Goku.
They just saw their sure-fire attack defeated before their eyes.
「Even if you are still standing after the attack, I told you that I would win– is that not what you said. Son?」
Seeing that was what had happened, Son wiped the surprised look from her face.
Then calmly, *Spin!*
Pivoting to the right, her tail now faced me.
Turning to the shocked Jinyang, she said one or two words in Chinese.
To which Jinyan made a face that said:「Huh!? Seriously!?」, and Son grit her teeth and gave a small nod…
「I won’t repeat myself.」
She said as she stared past me to look across Victoria Bay.
With a *Plop!*, Jinyan slouched to the floor in total shock, and after a brief silence…
She took a small communication device that seemed to be hidden in her twin tails and spoke a few words of Chinese into it.
Then,
*Go~ng!*
From below, a large gong sounded loudly once.
It seemed to signal their defeat…
The sound of foghorns were added to it from the boats surrounding Rampan Castle, consoling the loser and praising the victor.
「Koko…Jinyan. That was very gracious of you. Thank-you.」
I said as the horns still sounded.
「Honour is very important to the Chinese. If we were not gracious in defeat, we would rightly be criticised.」
Jinyan said as she turned aside and puffed her cheeks sulking.
Finally… the tension in the air evaporated, and I spared a glace to my partner beside me…
Aria stood silently with arms folded as the westerly wind ruffled her twintails once more.
She understood that the fight was over, but the emotions on her face were still a bit muddled.
I think she only understood the significance of her shots after firing… is that it?
I took a few steps along the roof towards Aria’s bullets…
With a brief touch to make sure they were not hot, I pinched them between my fingers and picked them up.
Then with its now conical shape– I took the『opened umbrella』shaped scramsaex that had also cooled and placed it atop the roof’s ridge.
They were difficult to balance, but by forcing it to bend slightly… it now looked like a coloured cone from a playground.
「Aria. I believe that you asked something of me, did you not?」
I said over my shoulder as Aria made a「?」face watching me stand up the scramseax.
She was as bewildered as ever.
On top of the ruined scramseax, at its peak, I placed one of the star-shaped .45 ACP bullets…
Making a star shape above a cone.
「…Here. It is the Christmas tree that you wanted.」
Made entirely of metal, and decorated only with a star on top.
I this OK, I wonder? Using one of the British Empire’s greatest treasures for raw material?
Made by Son Goku. It’s a rare tree that has no equal in the world.
With a wink and a small smile, Aria moved closer to the tree.
「…You really do drive me crazy. I guess, I should have been more patient.」
Then she made the gesture for『good grief』that westerners do so well.
Then she spun her guns and stowed them back in her holsters.
But… right now I am very amazed with you, Aria.
In that world of a few fractions of a second, you fired your bullets at just the right moment.
Such an act is comparable to threading a sewing needle while dashing at full speed.
Even so, you still managed to pull it off.
There are simply no words to describe this gun prodigy.
However…
「You knew what you were doing, didn’t you, Aria?」
「What’s that?」
「What you did to stop Son’s laser.」
「Yeah. I knew what I was doing, but I really didn’t think about it.」
「Did you realise that the tree was not long enough?」
「That wasn’t it. Just that you messed up. That’s all.」
Is that so? Then at that point–Aria was not paying attention to Son, but was watching my movements.
She must have seen and understood what I was doing, then acted to help.
That’s… incredible! Even though I only came up with the move on the spot, she was still able to grasp it and act.
「As expected of Sherlock Holmes great-granddaughter. I am amazed by your sharp insight.」
As I smilingly praised her, Aria’s cheeks darkened slightly as she looked up at me.
Then pursing her lips,
「That’s not it. I knew– because you’re my partner!」
She muttered shyly.
Is that how it is? Telepathy? Well, Aria and I have been together a long time.
–Now then–
I turned to face Son.
Looking out over the ocean, she noticed my gaze and turned to look at me.
「…This was a first for a human. You took a shot from my Nyoibou.」
She said…
More or less, I suppose. My younger brother did survive being hit first.
But I won’t tell her that. Son is too proud for that.
「Kill me.」
Son said as she turned back to look out at the sea…
「I will not. Tamamo respects you and I don’t want to be told off.」
I said, shrugging my shoulders.
「There’s also Butei Regulation 9!」
Aria nitpicked from beside me.
Confirming my agreement with a tight lipped smile to Aria, I tried again with Son.
「Son. You are making too big a fuss over one loss. Everyone loses sometime. What is the saying?『Even monkeys fall from trees』」
…I tried to joke, but Son didn’t smile.
I was sure that it would work on the monkey, Son Goku. But now…
「–Tohyama. For winning a『match』of FEW, I’ll tell you something good. You definitely stopped my Nyoibou. But that was just one of my many techniques.」
Ahh… Now I understand.
Son still had the Somersault Cloud– the teleportation technique called Imaginary Jump, but didn’t get to use it.
I just won, but right now she doesn’t even feel like trying to win.
I turned back to Son, ready to call her a poor loser and cheer her up.
「But that’s not all. I feel as is I’m no more than a single hair from my head.」
Huh…? What she said was a little hard to understand.
In The Journey to the West, Son Goku cut off some of his hair and used magic to create an alter ego, but I think the context here is slightly different.
speaking to me so strangely, Son’s eyes widened–
She saw Aria.
「… Tonight was fun. So it was good. So, Tohyama warrior. Fight. And keep fighting. Love and fight. That is what the Tohyama family does best.」
These words… What do they mean?
Have you met the Tohyama’s of the past? No, that is unlikely.
—Ahahahaha!–
Even in defeat, Son gave a victorious laugh, and finally…
「Son is tired. I lost. I won;t do so again until something strikes my interest. Let’s fight again somewhere in this world. Until then.」
Saying that, Son suddenly staggered–
She had been standing until now, but now her body leaned to the side as if she fainted…!
At the movement that looked like she would fall to her own death, surprised, Aria rushed to her side and I followed after..
Her long black hair fluttering, she collapsed like a pole and her skirt–
「Ah! Ayii!」
Jinyang, quickly pulled it down with both hands/
Then, with her balance lost, Son plopped down to a seated position on the ground, and– No, now I understand– Kou woke up and opened her eyes..
「…? Wh-where… am… Ahhhh…!」
With a cowardly voice that did not see to come from the same set of vocal cords, Kou screamed at finding herself on top of the roof.
Then there was a *Splat!*
Kou threw herself down to cling to roof face down. Even her tail was pressed close to the tiles.
Seeing this, Aria made a small sound of astonishment and checked herself, smoothing down the fabric over her nonexistent bust.
Coming to the side of the three Rampan members…
I felt a certain amount of relief.
Someone controlled Son, and from what she said, she was tired of such an existence.
That person was a woman. in Hysteria Mode I understood what she really meant.
I had set out to save Kou from Son….
And I had done that somewhat.
「…I thought that stopping the Nyoibou was impossible. But to change Son into Kou without Patra’s Key…!」
In shock at the continuous unfolding of events, Shokatsu’s slitted eyes goggled in astonishment.
Nearing Shokatsu, I cut the rope that bound his wrists with my butterfly knife–which had already stopped glowing.
「Shokatsu, there are no such things as impossible… Don’t give up quite yet.」
Thinking of his illness, I added that last bit, to which Shokatsu grinned wryly and shook his head.
「Ah well… you are a man of some stature. You have shown me how you have overturned all good sense. It think it would only be foolish of me to remain bound by the laws of reason.」
Making the same gesture of resignation as Aria, Shokatsu…
Then as if nothing at all had happened, he took up a position with each of his palms pressed together as one would entreat a god. Then bowed.
「I feel as if I should take a knee or bow my head, but now Rampan and Baskerville would do well to get along. It would be best to say that it is a partnership of equals, would it not?」
「What’s that now!?」
Even with Shokatsu and Jinyan in seiza, Aria frowned at his opening words.
「–What I mean is that Rampan is now a fellow member of『DEEN』, and as such we should support each other.」
Shokatsu responded calmly as Aria was confused…
As if seeking validation, he looked up at me.
「The Koko sisters have acted rather wildly… can you deal with this internally?」
「At least within Hong Kong. For this most recent act of rebellion their rank will decrease.」
Shokatsu glared from behind his round glasses.
Still crouching, He scowled at Jinyan who looked back with an innocent look on her face.
Shokatsu, you can make a very scary face.
「From here on out, the Koko sisters will become even more aware and diligent in their assigned tasks. As your underlings they…」
「I have already declined the kind offer.」
「What a shame. Won’t you please reconsider? They may be somewhat difficult to manage, but they do excellent work.」
Calmly proposing that after seeing their string of violent acts and having been seized by them, Shokatsu is no ordinary person.
Are you trying to push them off on me?
I already have my hands full with one violent twintail. Adding 4 more to make 5, I can only imagine what would happen to me.
…Well…
…Having things forced on me. That pretty much sums up my life up until now.
「Even so, Tohyama-san, I do not wish to sing my own praises, however– Rampan’s has now switched from GRENEDA, becoming a part of DEEN, but the disposition of Shanghai is best suited for fighting in FEW…」
Shokatsu offered advice…
My opinion is the same.
To the best of my knowledge, from the place where FEW started in Japan, DEEN has expanded, gaining the advantage.
With the subsequent loss of power accompanying the defeat of a major player like Rampan, it is entirely possible to launch a large counter attack. It would be a simple matter to attack and–
–*Plam!*
Ouch…!
「What are you doing Kinji? It’s time for a review meeting!」
Aria punched me as hard as she could with a serious face, cancelling any plans I had as Shokatsu laughed and covered his mouth with his hand.
Aria tapped the former scramseax, now Christmas tree.
「You said it yourself, your sword–now turned into a shield– was too short! Tell me, just what were you going to do if you didn’t have me to back you up, hmm? You really a huge idiot! You had me so worried! Really Kinji! You’re… a…」
Huh?
You suddenly lost steam in the middle of your usually uninterrupted stream of nagging.
It wasn’t anything I did. I was just『regretting that I was born』as per usual with a meek, servile expression on my face, but…
Changing quickly from stomping full force on the『Rage at Kinji accelerator』to slamming on the brakes, Aria… *Ba-dump!… *Ba-da-dump!*… With a sudden surge of emotions, Aria’s camellia shifted away and her face turned red for some reason I don’t understand.
「…R-really…it… would have been bad if I wasn’t here…!」
–She muttered with a frown.
She was talking to herself, but it was definitely loud enough for me to hear.
Somehow that statement seemed, to be leading Aria to a『So we should always stay together 』.
Realising where her own words were taking her, and she became embarrassed because she did not want to say that… even so she kept talking, but turned to the side.
That’s a good thing.
I made something she likes in Hysteria Mode earlier.
So now, in response, she is thankfully hesitant and saying thing like『S-so w-what do you have to say for yourself…! 』
If I don’t switch to offensive tactics, I’ll be here all night getting lectured again.
「Well then, how about this–」
I took the hand Aria had punished me with and cupping my hand around it raised them.
I saw it in a movie where a gentleman asked a lady to dance at a ball.
「Fwah?」
Even in this state, the British aristocrat Aria responded to the invitation for her hand and stretched her fingers out.
「Let’s stay close to each other.」
Gently grasping her hand like I had seen in the Western film『Roman Holiday』, 1,2,3– as expected.
To my flawless reenactment of Gregory Peck’s charter, Aria matched my rhythm like Audrey Hepburn did. All while wearing a look of shock.
Looking up nervously, it seemed her body still remembered the steps as she followed mine– her pink twintails fluttering beautifully–
On the third beat, I spun Aria through a half-turn as I remained stationary.
My left hand resting on her delicate back, I did not release my right hand either.
I was then embracing Aria from behind, on hand over her shoulder…
The two of us then looked out over the night where Hong Kong Island was separated from the Kowloon Peninsula by Victoria Bay.
「I-I never thought you knew how to dance! This is such a surprise. Where did you learn?」
「It was by force, and in Rome, I believe.」
「…Huh?」
Baring a canine, Aria tried to turn halfway around, but I held her hips firmly in place.
With a small noise, Aria turned back toward Victoria Bay…
Below, Aria was flushed from neck to ear and a smell wafted up.
「…Wha!?」
In response to her gasp of surprise.
「What are you surprised at?」
Lowering myself level with Aria’s head, I stooped slightly to whisper in her ear.
Then after a brief silence…
Aria turned to answer me in quiet voice.
「…Y… your body… i-is… surprisingly big…」
Isn’t that because you’re tiny?
But if I say so, I would end up getting knocked off of here into the ocean. So I will remain silent.
Due to my Hysteria Mode, Aria is secreting all kinds of Beta-endorphins, and she is trembling from her toes to her fingertips.
It’s cute…
「It’s cold, isn’t it? I’ll hold you until the sun rises and it gets warmer.」
I teased once more,
「It’s cold, isn’t it? I’ll hold you until the sun rises and it gets warmer.」 should this be here twice ?
「Mhm, I’m already warm.」
She declared, refusing the offer with considerable difficulty. Her expression of will was not particularly strong.
Ultimately though, it collapsed, and my Hysteria Mode enhanced hearing I caught her small voice saying:
「I wish time could stop.」
It no good, Aria. What you said may happen.
Jinyang, Shokatsu, and even Kou’s shocked stares at my back are becoming a little embarrassing…
To Aria, however, it’s just her and I.
I’m the type that others can;t tell when I get excited. It’s the same when I am angry as well.
「Kinji.」
「Yes?」
Aria turned to me, red-faced–
「The ICC, Ritz Carlton… OZONE, I’m sorry.」
When I was lost, when Aria used Baritsu on me, she apologised for all those times.
「I was in the wrong.」
「No. When it comes to you, Kinji… I have no emotional control…. Ever since we met, I’ve never been able to stop myself. So…」
As she spoke, little by little, Aria’s voice became choked by tears.
Then,
「Someday I might get mad at you… I-if that happens… a-and something like OZONE happens… and you and I… hate each other…」
She seems afraid of being hated… She’s trembling with very word.
What’s that?
Did she say something like that?
「So if I get angry at you– What I mean is, I don’t want things to be the same as now.」
I gave a tight smile to her words, as Aria stared at me blankly.
It’s cute. Those moistened eyes.
Thinking that, my smile became naturally more gentle.
「Do you think that I hate you right now? Could I hate the one I am embracing now?」
As if in thought, she tilted her head across my chest– she replied『Me?』and twisted around.
Aria turned 180 degrees and clung to my chest.
Her head buried in my blazer, she looked happy and was very affectionate. Thanks to Hysteria Mode, I understood all that by touch alone.
「Aria. When we get back to the ICC, why don’t we have a leadership meeting… dinner for just the two of us? We’re already two days late.」
I whispered into her ear…
Aria nodded her head vigorously many times into my chest.
Holding her head softly with my right arm–
I expressed my gratitude by planting a kiss on top of her hair.
Aria.
Even if I can stop a bullet moving at the speed of sound and defend against a laser at the speed of light, I have no wealth like Aria’s.
Even so, helping each other in this way, we are equals.
So right now, as I hold your hand– let us put this brief fight and everything else behind us.
Doing that, a weight would lift from my shoulders.
As the late night wind blew across the warm South China Sea on this Christmas Eve, I reflected on the many things that I learned.
In Japan, I did not see how large the gap was.
Here, the distance between me and my partner was reinforced, and I am unable to delude myself otherwise. It’s like the poverty of North Point contrasted with the opulence of OZONE.
But even if people despair, that is not an end.
There’s nothing to be done for it, but to live on, move past things, and recover. Like my present self.
So that I can hold you in my arms again.
But that is not all that I have to do.
There are things that need to be done after moving on.
I have a new purpose.
Except for fighting, it is possible to change one’s self little by little–that is my purpose. This change is not something that can be accomplished in 1 or 2 years. It doesn’t even matter if it takes a long time. The end goal is worth it, and above all… as a man, I can’t just sulk about being a useless, uncool person.
–I can make up the difference between us.
That is, if I keep moving forward. It’s a steep slope, but Aria is at the top of those steps. I should put out my best effort.
Moving forward, little by little.
Didn’t Yuan work her own way up? Working hard to break free of poverty?
I can do that. If so, then surely…
Right now, it feels like a temporary allowance, but someday i will be able to stand next to Aria on my own merits–
Each time I stroked her arm there was a「Hn…」or「Ahn…」sound in Aria’s anime-like voice, and I thought to myself:「Ah, our time together is almost at an end.」
The sound of Riko and Shirayuki’s footsteps could be heard.
「…Kinji…」
As Aria breathed those words into my chest….
「Hey now! Hold it!」
「Sne~aky! You just want to be alo~ne with Aria!」
I heard Shirayuki exclaim in a Kabuki style manner7, and Riko huff angrily.
In front of me, Aria jolted of surprise, and looking back with a tight smile… found Reki standing directly behind me.
Well, with Aria and Reki here, and Shirayuki and Riko rushing over,
That makes 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Then there was Jinyang who had thrown herself down on the rooftop and was yawning, and Kou who was hiding her red face with her hands but was still peeking out from between her fingers… but the first to be dealt with were the ladies from Baskerville.
If that’s all there is, then yeah. I’m still within the limits of my ability.
As I embraced them all– from my pocket,『Hana no Uchi ni』began to play from my mobile.
…Huh? It isn’t any of these four, so who could be calling me?
With a wink to keep them all in check, I looked at my mobile… and there was a video call coming in.
And it was from a international number… coming from Kaname.
My cute little sister who went to nurse G-3 at his base in Honolulu or Havana.
Facing the screen, I answered the call,
『Merry Christmas, Onii-chan! It’s already the 25th here!』
*Pop!* *Pop!*
Kaname set off several crackers onscreen… inside one of the rooms in Butei High girls’ dormitory.
There were signs on the table that some people had cut up and eaten an entire cake.
From the shiny pointed hat she was wearing, I guessed she was at a Christmas party.
Onscreen, the time was displayed as 11.43 due to hour time difference… so it was till Christmas Eve here, even though Christmas had already come to Japan.
「Since you’re in Tokyo right now, is G-3 alright?」
Worried, I asked.
『Yup! The combat surgeon at his base, Tsukumo gave him some weird herb that made him all better– he’s already up and kicking. Just yesterday at the base he was benching 203kg.』
What are you doing, Kinzou? It’s not that I don’t understand wanting to show your subordinates that you’re alright, but if you overdo it, you’ll reopen your wound. Are you trying to match some American record, or something?
Well… That’s G-3 for you: get shot one day, and the next he’s running a triathlon wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.
He’s definitely fine then, I guess, so that settles that, I suppose.
『Onii-chan, what are you doing right now?』
「We just finished up another part of FEW. From now on, everyone in Rampan will lend their power to DEEN.」
I said.
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
Wearing her school uniform, Kaname applauded on the screen–
『That’s my Onii-chan! First conquering Tokyo, then subjugating the rest of Asia!』
She praised me with a smiling face… Hey! Hey! Pumping her fist….
『Then Europe is next!』
Her chestnut brown hair bobbed up and down with her fist.
『–That sounds pretty cool, right? Far East Warfare; European Front. I was talking with Tamamo-chi earlier. Both the Vatican and Liberty Mason have exhausted their supply of superhuman soldiers.』
Just when things here and with Aria had calmed down… Now we’re going to Europe?
If things don’t go well, it might spread to Japan. It might be well to go listen to this situation report.
「Is Tamamo there as well?」
『Yeah, but right now she’s in the bath with Jeanne and Nakasorachi-san.』
Now that she said something, I realised she was in Jeanne’s room.
Jeanne and Nakasorachi… I’m sure those girls’ and their team Constellation went to Singapore, but they must have already gotten back.
Caravan II’s has an open schedule and itinerary, and it looks like they chose to come back early.
『Until now in Europe, it’s been the warhawks of I.U. survivors under Patra against Katze’s Regiment Hex. In battle, they’ve been mowed down, so GRENEDA has had to hire some ridiculously powerful mercenaries.』
「…Mercenaries? Is that so?」
『According to Tamamo-chi.』
「Hired muscle. Who are they? How many?」
『2 people. They are Asian, and as illogical as it may be, they is absolutely no information on them. We’ve been calling them–《Bewitching Blade》and《Demon Sword》.』
What Kaname told me was unsettling–
On top of that, the mood atop Rampan Castle’s roof was unsettled.
Son and Jinyan were standing, looking out toward Victoria Bay and having a conversation about something in Chinese.
Aria, the one who started the fight, and the four Baskerville girls were also looking over the bay.
There’s… something strange happening on the ocean.
Putting down the mobile for a moment, I looked too–
…Fog…?
It captured my attention.
Even now, I can hear the chattering from the boats surrounding Rampan Castle.
–An ocean mist.
But the fog isn’t covering the whole ocean, only a part of it at sea level.
It’s an unnatural scene, as if a cloud had descended on the ocean’s surface.
It then spread, slowly… oh, so slowly to the east and west and toward Hong Kong.
Looking at the mist…
I remembered.
It was like a nightmare from the time I fought on I.U.– Sherlock called it『preparation for a lesson』and he manipulated heavy fog to block my field of view. This looks like that. I don’t know why, but it’s here for some reason…!
As the mist slowly crept its way across the ocean, atop the water and literally pushing its way through the fog…
The tip of an impossibly large ferry nosed its way forward.
…That’s…a tanker…!?
An oil tanker. By eye, I’d say it was 270 metres long and 45 metres wide.
I couldn’t tell what its name and nationality were, but from Mutou’s wide smattering of knowledge– I knew it was a supertanker. Larger than a small aircraft carrier, it’s a huge ship.
From the water up, it had the typical colour scheme with red and black sides; and a white deck, but the red portion was nearly invisible running below the waterline.
It has a full load of oil.
The noise from on top of the roof, inside the castle, and the boats surrounding it increased…
A moment later….
Wah!
There was a cry as we witnessed something unbelievable.
..It seems like…
Out of the frying pan and into the fire… isn’t that what they say.
We saw her.
–Our next enemy.
『Onii-chan, did you hear me? On the Europe front… I think Patra knows, but the girl she’s been fighting is 20th century Europe’s greatest nightmare.』
Hearing Kaname’s voice reminded me that it had become a one-way call.
「Kaname, let’s pick this up later, okay? Sorry– but you can see that.」
On the tanker rear deck–
The usual large Panamanian, Japanese, and America flags fluttered.
Another flag was spotlit, and caused Aria to let out a low exclamation.
「–A swastika…!」
Used in the Second World War by Germany.
It was a reversed version of the Nazi party’s flag….!
********************************************************
Notes:
1. Not really familiar with the story behind this, but apparently in these generals met to decide the fate of armies by single combat and no one interfered.
2. From the Japanese Wikia:
It seems that there are two types of ‘contracts’ that allow humans access to the power of Irokane. ‘rule-based’ that carry a whole bunch of conditions, and emotion based, which I don’t know too much about. Anyway, this calls back to stuff earlier in the series..
3. Hiten Hiyoumon of earlier volumes. The ball of cool scarlet light that Aria used to destroy Patra’s pyramid. Sherlock explained a lot of this back in volume 5. Might be worth a re-read.
4. Okay… Difficult concept to try to explain, but here goes.
Both the Chinese and Japanese believe in an internal ‘life force’ energy concept known as ‘Chi’ or ‘Ki’. If you’ve seen old King Fu movies, you’ve probably seen a dramatically overblown presentation of the concept where people become invincible and suck the life out of several other ninjas to increase their power. Basically, the thought here is that one can harness this naturally occurring energy present within all things inside one’s self, concentrate it, and channel it into martial arts techniques to increase power.
The Chinese term here specifically has to do with this kind of violent release application, thought the Japanese concept of ‘Ki’ as a whole has a much broader context and dimension.
5. Kanji say ‘short distance discontinuity world bridge’. I’m assuming this is like a hop through another dimension.
Frozzen- It’s like the meme, where a guy teleports behind you and stabs you with a katana, and says: [Pff, nothing personal, kid]
6. Literally, ‘Mine Entwine/Arrest’. “Mine” is the technical Japanese term for the back of the katana and is made of softer metal.
7. Style of Japanese theatre drama. Very stylised and over the top. Think about the crazy stereotypical stuff and open jokes aimed at the audience that go on in some comedy/drama television shows, and you can get the idea.
