MAY 13, 2019 ~ BAKAKABASAN
Chapter 3 is here, my fellow fans. Rejoice!
For *ahem* certain reasons, I could probably say that this was the chapter I’ve wanted to see. Not to spoil, it, but I took particular pleasure translating it.
Well, can’t think of anything else to say, so on to the chapter!
Chapter: 3 Masquerade Ball–Masquerade
At the 15 minutes advance landing announcement, my eyes fluttered open, and looking out the window–
I saw the countryside stretching out below us, divided up like a puzzle with criss-crossing paths.
We must be over France, and that’s what I’m seeing.
The sloping ground below looks somewhat orange. There must be a lot of red clay in the soil.
Then at 1500 Central European Time, flight JAL405 landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Taking a step out into the cold outside the plane, I was met with a faintly sweet flower-like aroma. It smelled like Palmolive detergent. it must just be how this place smells.
Finishing my Immigration Check, I got the French stamp on my passport–
Then exiting the Arrival Gate, I met up again with the rest of Constellation by the electronic Philips sign showing an image of Cézanne’s『The Card Players』
「When it comes to Caravan V, where possible, we will split up into at least 2 groups and carry out separate tasks. Seeing as we’ve been pushed ahead a year, 2 groups is just enough. There will be Jeanne’s group of me and Jeanne heading to Paris, and Nakasorachi’s group, consisting of Nakasorachi, Shima, and Watson going to Brussels.」
I said, according to the plan Jeanne, Watson, and I had discussed earlier.
Our tactics were primarily devised by Jeanne–
First, keep Nakasorachi and Shima who were unconnected to FEW from getting drawn in by getting them away from the front lines in Paris.
Also, if Jeanne and I come across any members of GRENEDA and have to withdraw, then there’s already a refuge prepared in Brussels.
The capital of Belgium, Brussels is situated north of Paris and is a safe town currently under DEEN’s influence. And with MEDICA’s Watson there as a defensive garrison, our defence is complete.
Then as the one who didn’t even pack a change of clothes in my suitcase…
In my role as Constellation’s auditor, I reviewed the rules.
「On the trip you can do whatever you want. Go sight see and take pictures. No one can make you do anything. However, you should think ahead and realise that this isn’t just an opportunity to play around. The world is becoming more and more connected each year. Butei should be no exception. One of these days, we’ll probably have to come to Europe again for work. If you spend all your time here as a tourist, you’ll lose your life if you have to fight here in the future. Nothing good will come of it when you’re invited back. So that isn’t the case, you should try to learn as much as you can, even if you end up wandering around. This trip is a journey of learning. That is all.」
I said, because it was written in the Auditor’s Manual…
「Y-yes.」
「Oka~y!」
Nakasorachi answered first, her face betraying her trepidation at being out of the country for the first time, as Shima warmly smiled without a care in the world.
I get the feeling that neither of them heard any of my instructions. That’s Constellation for you.
「Tooyama.」
Watson, who was arranging her hair that had become slightly dried out during the long flight, approached me for a private word.
「As I said before, if a problem comes up, just run north. A car or train will see you from Paris to Brussels quickly. If we’ve already surrendered, then go on to Amsterdam, then London after that. Each leg shouldn’t take you more than a few hours. Bear it in mind that in Europe, going from country to country is like going from prefecture to prefecture in Japan. 」
It was a relatively simple explanation, but,
「Don’t talk about running away. On the contrary, I’ll take back Spain and Germany.」
Being somewhat keyed up by traveling overseas, I answered somewhat eagerly.
「I’m glad to see you so positive, but don’t be careless. Europe is different than Asia, and GRENEDA holds the upper hand.」
Even now, Watson stubbornly refused to relax her vigilance–
「Jeanne. Please take care of Tooyama.」
Saying that, she led Nakasorachi and Shima away.
********************************************************
From the airport, guided by Jeanne, we took the Réseau Express Régional towards Paris. I took a Keisei Skyliner-esque train with Jeanne and arrived at Gare du Nord Station… and was surprised.
Despite the fact that the station was crowded with travellers and was one of the main entryways to Paris, it was dim, dingy, cold, and I spotted a few questionable people sprinkled throughout the crowd. Homeless people and drug addicts hung around the walls and armed guards in camouflage and carrying FAMAS bullpup machine guns patrolled the area.
Public safety must be bad… So, this is the fabled『City of Flowers』Paris…
Jeanne was walking beside me, so I couldn’t say that, but I felt somewhat disillusioned.
However, the darkness perfectly matched my gloomy mood. I had gotten used to dirty places in Hong Kong. Dealing with places will poor levels of public safety is part of the job, so it wasn’t an issue.
Besides… the hotels here are probably cheap. So, it might just suit me just fine.
「Say, Jeanne. I should probably start looking for a hotel around here.」
Jeanne, who had been walking with her suitcase, stopped in her tracks and said,
「Please, save yourself the needless expense. This area isn’t very good either. Stay in my room.」
She said completely straight-faced…
「What are you saying? You’re a girl!」
「Yes. Is there a problem with that?」
「Well, no, it’s…」
Flustered, I suddenly had trouble speaking Japanese.
As I scratched the back of my head, Jeanne laughed.
「Fufu! Are you, scared of staying with a witch?」
「No, I’m used to Shirayuki, but..」
「Then follow me. There are a bunch of pickpockets around the station.」
With the matter still undecided… Jeanne walked over toward a taxi stand.
And with no other alternative in sight, I followed.
Eventually, we entered a taxicab, and Jeanne said,
「Galerie des Arcades. 76 Avenue Champs-Elysées, sil vous plait.」
And I was startled by the way she addressed the driver in perfectly fluent French.
In Paris… although it’s only 5 PM, it’s already getting dark. That’s to be expected because it’s located at a higher latitude than Sapporo. Even so, it probably wasn’t so cold, thanks to the mild westerly winds
As the taxi made its way into the heart of downtown Paris–
Gradually, the neighbourhoods became more and more resplendent.
Even the stores and restaurants became more high-class.
Just like Hong Kong, Paris has a large social disparity.
As had that thought, I noticed something–
I was now in the Paris I had seen in films.
Large avenues running through the city, with sculptures dotted here and there, and magnificent stone building crammed together. Their milky white walls were a theme that tied them all together and gave a sense of unity.
Each of these building probably has some kind of historical values. Rather, they all are probably 100 or 200 years old. Paris, unlike Tokyo, hasn’t seen the ravages of war and destruction of earthquakes.
Perhaps at Jeanne’s request, the driver made a small detour to take the scenic route.
「Tohyama.」
Jeanne tapped me lightly on the shoulder–
Pointing through the window at the corner of a plaza, there was a statue of an imposing golden female knight. I didn’t need any explanation. This was France’s national heroine, Jeanne D’Arc.
Jeanne looked at me with a wry smile and smug look.
I response to her extremely self-satisfied look, I returned a smile.
「Paris doesn’t have any high rises, you know, Tohyama.」
「It… definitely appears so. The tallest seems to be about 10 storeys.」
「We have historically restricted the number of tall building by law in order to preserve the natural landscape.」
I see. So much like a piece of art, the town itself was carefully planned out. That must be why it is so fascinating.
「There is only one tall building.」
Jeanne said as she pointed with her finger–
And there was the flood-lit Eiffel Tower, gleaming golden with the moon beside it in the night sky.
*****************************************************************
Despite the fact that I had just lectured everyone, I was completely caught up in the role of a tourist–
The taxi headed down Paris’ main road, Champs-Élysées which was decorated for New Years’.
It was like Tokyo’s Omotesandou, a broad avenue lined with all kinds of high-class brand stores. People were bustling down the glittering street happily.
But once we stepped out of the taxi to stand in the cold street… from a distance it looks beautiful, but the street and trees are dirty. This town is covered in rubbish. From this sight, the opposite of the highest Japanese ideal of hygiene is demonstrated.
「Let’s go, Tohyama.」
Jeanne said, and turned toward one of the building facing out on to the Champs-Élysées– and it led to short, stone arcade where an old horse drawn carriage would have passed. Our suitcases rolled down the beautifully geometrically patterned tiled ground as we walked.
Antique shops and accessory shops, shoe stores, boutiques, and cafes… all these shops were ranged beside each other, and at the corner there was a door with an automatic lock.
It appeared to lead to the upper floor– which appeared to be a rental apartment block.
Once Jeanne entered a code, the door opened, then we got on to an elevator with gilded edges… but this elevator is completely different from an elevator in Japan.
First, the outer doors were opened by hand, and when we entered to choose our floor– Jeanne selected the third floor (which including the rez-de-chaussee1 would be the fourth in Japan)– and once chosen, and the inner door closed by hand, the system finally began to move.
Then stepping out onto the third floor… as they would call it in Europe, we stepped out into a dimly lit corridor that had a flowery smell.
「Here.」
Jeanne pulled a key from her long wallet and moved to open the room numbered 303b that appeared to be hers…
「Is this really alright?」
「This room in the 8th arrondissement is my personal property, so do not fear being an imposition. My family home is in the 16th arrondissement.」
「No, that’s not what I meant… It’s what I said about coming here about a boy staying in a girl’s room who lives alone. Well, that’s…」
「With the exception of members of my family, this will be the first time a man has been here. But que sera sera.」
–With a *Click!*, Jeanne opened the door.
The last bit was not in Japanese, so I didn’t understand exactly what she meant.
Run!
That was how I felt, summed up in a single word.
I’ve been in Reki, Aria, and Riko’s rooms, but that was in the girl’s dormitory, which in itself felt like it crossed a line.
But this time it is where I’ll be staying. Of course, there are no other students, and no former female JSDF dormitory parent. It will truly just be the two of us living under one roof. My stomach aches.
But… I…
… I was tired. Really tired.
What’s more, it was 6 PM in the winter in Paris, but in Japan that was 2 AM.
Even though I had taken a nap during the flight, the jet lag made my stomach ache unbearable.
I was fine in Hong Kong since it was only 1 hour behind, but Paris being 8 hours behind is more severe.
–There’s no help for it.
I’ll stay the night. It would be hard to find a hotel now, and this area is expensive.
「…Thanks for hosting me.」
For those reasons, I followed Jeanne into her room–
I-I’m here. And there’s the good smell unique to girls’ rooms. She must be gone most of the time, but the scent of her pheromones must linger.
It was like the smell of green grass, fresh and invigorating… an exclusively female scent.
In an instant my eyes snapped open. The good smell made me worry about it being too much for my Hysteria Mode.
The electricity came on with a crackle, and still wearing her shoes, Jeanne entered– it was a living room with indigo blue wallpaper. The floor was dark brown wood.
It was a fashionable room straight out of a French film, very mature.
I entered without taking off my shoes… but it didn’t seem right. I looked around the entryway, wanting to take them off, and the place for shoes were lined with Jeanne’s boots and pumps. There didn’t appear to be any space for my shoes.
「… I don’t have many high heels. They are hard to move in. As a Butei, I must be ready for anything.」
I thought that I should complement the room, but before I could say anything–
「No, that’s not it. I hate them. I’m tall, and I don’t want to look any taller in heels.」
Jeanne frowned as she placed her suitcase along the wall.
「… That’s not surprising. I thought the ideal for French girls was a petite silhouette, right? Dressed up smartly in a Chanel suit or something…」
「It depends on what time you are talking about, Tohyama. Right now, Riko and Aria have the『cute』figure that is in vogue among Parisiennes.」
Jeanne huffed about her height as she adjusted the thermostat. She was sulking.
Suddenly, I felt that I had made a mistake in my choice of conversation topics, but…
No matter what Jeanne said, I don’t think she’s that tall. I don’t think she’s even 165 cm.
But she must have some kind of complex about it. I could also bring up the time before when she wore a maid cafe costume in her secret room in the girl’s dormitory.
「…」
In order to avoid saying anything more to make her upset, I kept my mouth zipped as I surveyed the room.
It appears that Jeanne is a bookworm from the bookshelves of books in French, and the desk with a candle and reading glasses. The living room was very chic, but… the power of feminine fashion in the bedroom was prominent, and somewhat girlish. This place demonstrates the dual nature of Jeanne’s hobbies.
On a Rococo style dresser that Riko would love, all kinds of cosmetics and accessories were piled. I get the sense that they aren’t kept in any kind of order.
I didn’t miss the fact that on the glass shelf where a crystal and rosary were placed– there was a ring with the design of the『伊』character surrounded by the letter『U』. 2
That’s probably I.U’s class ring.
Originally… Jeanne was a member of I.U. She was… an enemy.
I remember being caught up in Jeanne’s trap and having to fight while protecting Shirayuki…
「Coming from Japan to Europe, the time difference will make you feel like you are staying up to all hours. Drink some coffee and it will wake you up. I’m used to it, so I’ll be alright.」
Jeanne’s voice came suddenly from the kitchen.
Pretending I didn’t see the ring, I said,
「Well… when I get back to Japan, it’ll feel like I’m always getting up early. That’s rough. I hate getting up early.」
I tried to deflect with small talk as we moved to the table–
「Do you believe that we will return?」
Jeanne asked, narrowing her ice blue eyes and staring directly at me.
「…?」
Putting a sugar cube into my double espresso from the saucer that came with it, I furrowed my eyebrows.
Will we get back…? What do you mean?
I think it’s a joke, but I don’t get it.
「Fufu! I’ll play a song to welcome you.」
Looking happy for some reason, Jeanne gave me a sidelong glance as she strolled over toward the upright piano by the wall… Sitting on the piano bench, she began to play–『Joan of Arc at the Stake』
That’s the song that Jeanne was playing when I met her again at Butei High. I remember the piece from then.
Somehow… I feel that she’s seen through me.
I listened to the elegant piano melody…
… Huh? The timing of the music slowed slightly.
Looking over at Jeanne… She began nodding off. Despite what she had said, she was falling asleep.
Suddenly, her head drooped, and she fell asleep…!
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this! Someone falling asleep while playing the piano.
「O-oi! Jeanne!」
She slumped suddenly, and I caught her back to hold her up…
「Mmmmmnnn.」
Jeanne let out a slightly ridiculous sound.
Extremely tired, her eyes weren’t fixed on any one thing.
「Voulez-vous… sortir pour prendre… le repas…?」
「Oi! Speak Japanese!」
「… Eat… Let’s eat, Tohyama. It will help a bit in staying awake.」
Lifting her to her feet using both arms, Jeanne then staggered toward her closet.
Eat…? Isn’t this a strange time to get hungry since the in-flight meal. It wasn’t very good. Maybe that is why she wants to get something to eat?
I wrestled with that question, gulping down coffee as I waited for Jeanne to change.
After she was done, Jeanne put a coat and muffler on over her sailor suit uniform… then, going into the bedroom she bent on one knee in front of the dresser, and taking a perfume bottle, she sprayed it lightly inside her skirt.
「What was that?」
「Devienne No. 6. Eau de Regere.」
「So what’s that is Japanese?」
「It can’t be put into Japanese. In English, it would be called Eau de Cologne. It’s a light perfume.」
As she approached, I could smell the fresh feminine scent…
「Why did you put on something like that?」
I asked, turning slightly red and complaining.
Thereupon, Jeanne pulled up her muffler and cutely burying her chin into it as she said,
「My grandmother taught me. When she turned 20, she did it whenever meeting a man.『You never known when a man will take his chance with a girl』, she said. That’s just how it is for French girls.」
Saying this, her white cheeks mysteriously blushed slightly.
I understand a girl wanting to smell nice, but a man taking his chance…? What does that mean? I have no idea at all.
*******************************************************
From the first floor of the jewellery box-like arcade, we exited on to the Champs-Élysées…
「Tohyama, you have a chance.」
Jeanne whispered softly, as she poked my arm with her small handbag.
「Chance? What do you mean?」
「Chance to carry my bag.」
「Carry you bag yourself.」
「Let me teach you. When a man and woman walk together, it is a man’s duty and honour to carry the woman’s bag.」
With a *Squeeze!* she forced her goat leather bag on me.
What the heck!? It’s not even heavy at all! You should have carried it!
I thought as I held her bag, and Jeanne looked from beside me, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
Then, suddenly, while grinning, she entwined her arm with mine.
「Wh-what!? Let go!」
「It’s fine, it’s fine! Quite the opposite, a man and woman walking together at night being so distant would be strange.」
I don’t particularly know what is normal and what would be strange…
Jeanne was surprisingly insistent. But I was tired and shaking free would take energy that I didn’t have.
So, I left our arm linked–and I thought a bit about when Kaname had done this on New Years’…
We walked down the Champs-Élysées, next to a row of horse chestnut trees in the evening.
「Over there is Louis Vuitton flagship store. The store is more popular in Japan than it is in France. Across the way is Renault’s showroom. There’s a McDonalds.」
As a local, Jeanne was excitedly pointing out and explaining this and that to me.
In actuality, the Champs-Élysées was long, broad, and the fashions were not limited to French brands.
Even the flagship of Aria’s favourite Chan Dior, was located on a nearby corner.
「It has everything, doesn’t it?」
As I admired the sight, Jeanne continued to look smug. She looked up from beside me happily.
This cheerful disposition…
It’s somewhat different than her usually tense expression.
She’s probably able to relax now that she is in her home country.
Rather, this Jeanne–seems like the real Jeanne. I get that feeling for some reason.
But personally, this is a problem.
She’s acting cute, and that’s an emergency. I suddenly became aware that as our arms remained twined, my elbows… occasionally struck her surprisingly soft, perfectly sized, well-formed… portion of her body that couldn’t be anything else.
It’s hitting them! Don’t you notice my elbow touching you breasts! You air-headed girl!
*****************************************************
*****************************************************
As a matter of course, the main street was full of flashy restaurants catering to tourists–
「Do you want to eat here?」
「I don’t like that kind of noisy place.」
Jeanne asked, and I replied as we strolled a bit further down the street and turned a corner.
Just by turning off the street, it became significantly quieter…
Here was restaurant that wasn’t too decorated, but it appeared neat and elegant.
On the stone wall, there was a silver plaque with 4 stars.
As we walked the streets of Paris and the night wore on, it appeared that the shops were closing up for the night– but when Jeanne walked into the dining hall of a restaurant attached to an antique looking hotel, an Onee-san maid jumped in surprise.
Then after Jeanne spoke 2 or 3 words in French… a small, plump, older man with a『ハ』shaped moustache and wearing gold rimmed spectacles and a three-piece suit appeared from behind the host’s desk.
This well-dressed Super Mario character appeared to be the manager.
He appeared to be flustered and seeing Jeanne, his eyes opened in an expression of『O Mon Dieu!』
Then contrary to his sophisticated appearance–
–*Kneel!*
Keeping a respectful distance from Jeanne, he took 2 steps back and knelt gracefully.
With one hand on his chest and tears in his eyes, he looked up toward Jeanne and spoke some words of greeting.
I don’t know that much about French culture, but I understood the significance of this scene at a glance.
From all appearances, it looks like the manages is part of what would be called a samurai family in Japan– namely, a soldier descendant of knights.
As he remained in this grand posture to greet Jeanne, I figured he must be a descendant of the first Jeanne D’Arc’s attendant.
This respect for her… nowadays, must be passed down in secret.
Standing to his feet, the manager and Jeanne carried on a conversation in French about me that I didn’t understand, using the words『Monsieur Tohyama』and『samurai』… then he grinned.
His whole face lit up in a smile, and he led us into the restaurant attached to the hotel.
**************************************************
Each of our seats were comfortable and came with silver tableware laid on top of white tablecloths–
「It looks like you pulled some of your connections… this is a nice restaurant. Is that really okay? I don’t know the table etiquette.」
「Don’t worry. Just use your own country’s etiquette and eat with confidence. We French have historically had a respect for culture. They have already been instructed to provide you with chopsticks.」
We had this conversation before a breadbasket was carried over.
Then the manager carried over and deftly opened a bottle of wine. Then after Jeanne inspected the scent, he poured it.
Being entertained with wine… I don’t want to just drink it. I’m not eager for a repeat of Hong Kong.
「This is just a light course.」
Jeanne said about the very well-chosen white wine–
We were served a coin-shaped appetiser of crushed tomato, cheese, and caviar, accompanied by a seafood dish with salmon, spinach, and asparagus cream sauce.
My chopsticks were metal, and I was able to use them well. I was grateful for that, because I wasn’t able to use the butter knife like fish knife well.
Then a domed meat dish appeared… what kind of meat is this? I can’t tell by the taste.
「Jeanne, what is this?」
「Rabbit, wrapped in herbs and cooked.」
「Rabbit…?」
This was the first time I had eaten it, and as I pondered that fact,
「Don’t you know what a rabbit is. It’s an animal that looks like this.」
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she raised her hand above her head and pantomimed rabbit ears.
C-cute! She did that, seriously thinking I didn’t know what it was.
*****************************************************
「… Now for the battle. What should we do?」
I asked once the meal was mostly concluded…
The Diamond Dust Witch answered absently as she savoured the taste of cold sherbet,
「First, I will contact our comrade in DEEN, Meiya.」
She mentioned the slightly nostalgic name.
Meiya– the alcohol guzzling Onee-san from the Vatican. Her personality was distant, but she wore and brandished a huge sword.
She was a beautiful woman with large breasts, and because she was older, she was more attractive to me personally…
「Meiya is the『Saint of Celebratory Light』. The enemy calls her『The Witch of Celebratory Light』. As you are unfamiliar with ESP powers, I will give the abbreviated explanation that she is a『very lucky』female warrior.」
That’s an incredibly abridged explanation! I’d like a bit better explanation of her tendencies and tactics.
Seeing my expression, Jeanne said–
「Luck is the oldest area of magical study… More recently, the continuing study has become one of the most important. However, it is also one of the most dangerous.」
「Dangerous?」
「The nature of luck is balance. What I mean is that luck is made up of『good things and bad things happening』. All of Meiya’s Catholic Church sacred arts are tied to the improvement her luck in combat, but because of that, somewhere else her luck must worsen.」
Hmmm. I think I kind of understand….
If she wants to increase her luck in a fight, in exchange, her luck in something else will decrease.
That definitely could be dangerous. A battle is not simply all about fighting.
「What I mean is that neither good luck nor bad are absolutes. Luck is a probability. Even if you could raise your good luck to 99%, you would still experience 1% bad luck. The converse is also true.」
I see.
I wonder how Meiya manages such a thing?
However, I wouldn’t understand anything else I heard about magic,
「Do you know where Katze and her allies are? Have you found Regiment Hex’s secret base?」
I switched topics from our ally to the enemy that had slipped into Hong Kong.
「We have discovered a few locations, but they were each temporary bases. What DEEN is searching for now is Regiment Hex’s『Armoury』– their weapons depot.」
「Armoury…? What kinds of weapons do they have?」
「Guns, of course; tanks and cruise missiles are likely.」
「If they have such things, shouldn’t finding them be easy?」
「Even so, we haven’t been able to locate them. They are undoubtedly concealed in an unconventional location.」
Unconventional location…? Like the ocean? Something like I.U.
But there can’t be a huge U-boat.
「The trouble with Katze and her allies is that while calling themselves Regiment Hex, they do not solely rely upon magic.. They are also quite skilled with modern weapons. If we could discover and assault their armoury, the European front would become considerably simpler to manage.」
From what I know… magic is considerably unreliable. So, it appears they have avoided relying on it and struck a balance of『Magic』+『Weapons』.
On the other side, from what I have heard, it seems that the Vatican relies completely on magic. From what I’ve learned about Liberty Mason by observing Watson, it seems that they lean toward covert use of conventional weapons.
… That’s the reason why the European front has been such an entrenched battle. It seems that they have burnt their fingers, when it comes to Regiment Hex.
*************************************************************
After Jeanne forced the manager who had refused payment to accept her money…
We both exited onto the side street off of Champs-Élysées that had become cold enough for water to freeze and began talking.
「According to Liberty Mason’s intelligence, Katze is currently in Paris. She typically is headquartered in Strasbourg, but she doesn’t appear to be in Paris for any strategic reason…」
「No strategic reason? What could it be? But– if we happened to come across her while she is alone, we might have the opportunity to arrest her.」
「Paris is vast. We have almost no chance of locating her, even with all the power of surveillance available to Liberty Mason. With all that, they could not locate her. However, if we do come across her, we should strike swiftly.」
Liberty Mason is a famous secret society with members all over Europe. I’ve known that name for a long time.
In order to become a member, you have to come from a good family with assets or have some kind of special skills, and in that respect, they differ from Rampan– but there were still a lot of them. If you could leverage that power, you could use it to do all kinds of things in Europe.
As our breaths puffed white, we fell silent for a moment and we turned onto another side street…
「… Huh? Where does this street go? We aren’t going straight home?」
I asked Jeanne as I began to walk in the opposite direction.
Then Jeanne twined her arm in mine once more and squeezed.
「Tonight has been somewhat enjoyable. Let’s walk a bit longer, Tohyama.」
When she spoke of tactical matters, Jeanne had adopted a calm manner, but now her expression softened suddenly into one of girlish enjoyment.
… I wonder if it might be the effect of the wine? But I don’t think she drank that much.
So, as she suggested, we walked down the side street until it joined the main street–
「…!」
— It was a triumphal arch.
The Arc de Triomphe, built to commemorate the victories of Napoléon Bonaparte… I could see the famous Parisian landmark.
50 metres high and well-lit, the gate’s milky white surface glittered, giving off a grand majestic image.
「All streets lead toward the arch, Tohyama.」
Seeing my amazement, Jeanne commented, looking happy once more.
Then rearranging her muffler,
「Let’s do that, Tohyama.」
She pointed at a small 12 metre diameter pond down a street that circled the triumphal arch.
It seems that they used part of the wide street to make a small skating rink.
Simply mark off the perimeter, fill it with water, and the cold of winter will freeze it solid.
Safety was likely a concern, but that didn’t seem to bother the children who slid along happily.
Adults and tourists hesitated, content merely to watch… I accompanied Jeanne, and she played a few Euros to the Onee-san in charge.
「O-oi!.」
「This rink is only open at night. Let’s skate!」
Narrowing her eyes in girlish pleasure, Jeanne smiled carrying skates in her hands.
Changing her shoes, she pushed out onto the ice rink…
「…Ach!」
It had been a while since I had skated, so I was a bit unsteady.
「Ha!」
Jeanne stepped through the entrance to the rink and took my hand to steady me. Our breaths turning white, Jeanne and I skated among the cute kids of Paris– skating around the edge of the rink, and sometimes in an S shape. Several times we linked hands to avoid falling.
… It was actually a lot of fun.
When I had to stop suddenly to avoid bumping into a child, a natural smile formed on my face.
「That was close.」
「Fufu!」
Jeanne and I exchanged smiles–
Then she skated up to a short distance away from me and she spun.
She executed a graceful turn, the tip of one skate slightly piercing the surface of the ice. Then after her professional ice skater performance, she spun, made a graceful movement with her hand, and bowed–
Her hand, raised into the starry sky, gestured toward the arch.
「Bienvenue en France.」
The Diamond Dust Witch on a skating rink.
Just like one of those Parisian statues. Jeanne was like a beautiful angel.
Then as if Jeanne had wanted to deck the scene in diamond dust– snow began to fall upon Paris.
Ha! It was just the cold. It might even accumulate tomorrow.
********************************************************
Returning to Jeanne’s room in the light snow, I borrowed her partitioned bathroom before heading to bed.
There was curtain that could be draw across the tub and the water fell from above for a hot shower…
But… how are you supposed to soak in the tub?
As hot water filled the tub, I crossed my arms.
This tub is longer than those in the Butei High units, but also shallower. The water only reached knee height. I don’t want to be cold after turning off the hot water, but… how am I supposed to do that…?
I stepped into the coffin-like tub and laid myself out to submerge myself in the water.
I wanted to submerge myself up to the shoulders, but by doing that my knees could not help but stuck out above the surface.
Is that intentional? If you don’t do that, you can’t get in. This bathtub is a mystery.
「…」
But… even so, the sense of security gained from the hot water made me begin to nod off…
…*Click!*…
「–Tohyama. Where did you go?」
Jeanne’s voice…!
My eyes widened, despite the fact that I was going to fall asleep.
Rather, it seemed that Jeanne was in the bathroom! From the other side of curtain, I couldn’t see.
Perhaps unable to see my silhouette on the curtain, Jeanne– *Fwish!*
「…!」
She opened the curtain!
Although this time it was Jeanne, it was usually Shirayuki–
It had been 8 months since this kind of reversed gender situation had happened!
Although I was a man and had been seen naked, I did not raise my voice to scream… Flustered, I shifted my upper body to hide the important bits.
On the other side, Jeanne, did not respond like Shirayuki–
「Fufu!」
With a giggle, she smiled. She seemed amused at seeing my panic.
「Wh…what? Don’t laugh. When Japanese people take a bath, they lie in the tub.」
「In France we have an old saying. Soaking in hot water shortens your life.」
「The Japanese have the greatest life expectancy. Rather, close the curtain!」
Turning red, I panickingly ordered because my hands were unusable for a certain reason…
「It is necessary to be naked in a bathroom. It is nothing to be ashamed of.」
G-get out of here! That’s Western logic. But trying to make that point here is illogical!
「– It’s still embarrassing!」
In desperation, without attempting to conceal anything, I closed the curtain.
*******************************************************
Afterwards, Jeanne walked out of the bathroom and back into the room recklessly wearing a thin set of underwear. It seems that she has no reservations about being seen naked after bathing.
I weathered the shock of being able to see through the ultra-thin lace by shear effort and a steel will–
Regardless… all I want to do now is go to sleep.
Good grief, Jeanne! Don’t you know if I hysterise, then you’ll be the one in trouble…?
Well, Jeanne’s room seems designed for single occupancy.
I suspected, but this was the first time I checked with my eyes… there is only one bed.
So, I will sleep on the floor. The sofa in the living room is too small to sleep on.
I carefully peeked into the bedroom to check, and Jeanne was already in her pyjamas…
「Well then, goodnight. It’s been a long day, literally. I’ll sleep on the floor.」
I said…
Jeanne undid her long silver hair.
「?」
Lying on her stomach, she closed the music box she had open and looked back at me quizzically.
「You won’t get any rest that way, Tohyama. Sleep in the bed.」
「But there’s only one. What will you do?」
「I’ll sleep here too. We can both sleep in it.」
Jeanne… You… Do you understand what you’re saying? We aren’t little kids. Do you really mean to suggest that a man and woman sleep in the same bed?
As I wondered that… Jeanne tapped the cream coloured bed…
It did look awfully soft, and comfortable to sleep in.
Well… Jeanne is an airhead, so maybe she doesn’t understand the significance of a man and woman sleeping together in the same bed.
If that’s the case, then this is totally unlike the time Riko sneaked into the dormitory bunk beds.
After all, it would allow me to sleep above the floor where dirty shoes have been worn…
Exhausted, I didn’t say another word–
I compromised and sat on the bed. Wow! I was really soft like a cloud.
With a *Click!* Jeanne turned off the light besides the bed, and I laid on my side, putting my back to Jeanne… *Whoomf!* As I expected, it smelled like Jeanne. It was a good scent, but the fact that it was clearly feminine was troubling.
But since I’m tired, there’s nothing that can stop me going to sleep.
Then as I pulled up the blanket…*Rustle!*,*Rustle!*…
「…」
Jeanne shifted behind me for some reason. Almost like she was sitting up.
With a rustle of sheets, I heard the blankets move– but it was fine. In my tired state, I didn’t give it another thought.
And after falling asleep, I turned my back to Jeanne would lay again.
Goodnight, Jeanne.
…
……
… Rest well…
Then I felt something incredibly softer than the bed– the sensation of her breast pushed up against my back. Jeanne was hugging me from behind!
「Oi, Jeanne!」
Confused, I grabbed for Jeanne’s arm and felt bare skin. What about the pyjamas you were wearing?
Did you just take them off?
I tried to sit up, but because Jeanne was clinging to me, I couldn’t.
Reaching behind me, I felt a smooth depression. This is Jeanne’s waist.
She is wearing lace underwear–
「Why aren’t you wearing anything!」
「I’m wearing Chanel No. 19.」
I don’t care if you’re wearing perfume!
Since I was in a back-mounting position, I tried to apply practical martial arts theory to grab her wrist to remove her arms– but she anticipated that. Jeanne used her gentle, slightly cold fingers and grasped the palms of my hands. Almost playfully, she intertwined our fingers in the dark…
Covering the back of my hand with her palm, Jeanne held my hand in this strange manner–
「Fufu!」
–She laughed an adult-like laugh into my collar.
She acted like an older girl that had cornered a younger boy– irritating me–
I tried to break free with sheer strength, but her vast knowledge of fencing raised her grappling skills quite high.
Then, using her advantage she twisted her arm and shoulder to roll me over.
The I– ended up in the middle of the bed on my back.
Jeanne’s posture was like that of a knight riding a warhorse as she straddled me. But as the horse, I was face up.
**********************************************
**********************************************
In the moonlight coming from the window, Jeanne’s silver hair and lily-white skin stood out, shining mysteriously.
Her pale white skin showed through the delicately thin lace underwear.
Decorated with silver thread, both her white breasts glittered. Not too big and not too small, they formed perfect hemispheres. With a narrow waist, she could boast of a perfect figure with a small, cute bellybutton a bit higher. She was slender without seeming delicate, and her limbs were like an antelope’s.
And right now, I am the closest person in the world to all of them.
It seems that has happened until now was part of Jeanne’s plan… and the eyes that looked down at me said『You understand』even as I thought『I don’t understand at all』.
*Thump!* *Thump!* — My heart wouldn’t stop pounding–
I was happening. Because of this beautiful woman.
The blood flowing to my core boiled hot like the Sun.
The European debut of Hysteria Mode.
「– Are you frightened, Tohyama?」
Jeanne whispered as she touched a cool hand to my chest.
「..Relax. I am frightened as well. This is my first time with a man like this. However… I have heard it rumoured that you are quite experienced. So, I will leave the rest to you.」
My Hysteria Mode fuelled brain– made a sudden realisation–
I finally understood what Jeanne was thinking…
And it was a mistake.
I stretched a hand up and ran my fingers through her silver hair.
Then… I cradled her well-shaped ear. It had become hot.
I had to check. Jeanne, you are very brave. However–
「Please explain.」
「We are a man and woman. What explanation is necessary?」
The two of us going a date in this gorgeous town, sharing a romantic meal, then coming back and pressing our bodies together under one roof… Everything had been part of Jeanne’s plan to lead up to this intimate moment. Even to the extent of me raising my hand.
But…
Jeanne, you don’t really want this, do you?
This affection for me doesn’t reach all the way to the top.
Jeanne is a member of Constellation–a member of the survivors of I.U. She’s not a member of Baskerville.
Until now, there has been a firm line separating our respective positions.
But now–
Due to her own mistake, I’ve been shipped off to the front lines in her home country.
I believe this has to be an apology.
Jeanne has a strong sense of personal responsibility, and she created this weakness so…
「… You’re trying to make up for things, aren’t you? That’s what this is about.」
「That is correct. I couldn’t say it, but DEEN holds an inferior position in Europe We are fighting a rear-guard action. This time, the chances that you and I will die are quite high. I drew you into this hopeless situation, so I have to make up for it.」
The situation was a Jeanne had said. I tried not to think about it, but we really were surrounded on all sides.
This night may be the last night the two of us are alive.
「…I understand. Then there is something I want to ask you to do as well.」
I said, and Jeanne nodded in response–
Without a word, she draped her body over mine.
It was an adult action.
I made a small, bitter smile… and pulled her back and head close.
「I only want one thing, Jeanne. Don’t pretend to be strong.」
At those words–
Jeanne raised her head slightly, and she peeked up at my face as we were so close our noses brushed each other. Her beautiful ice blue eyes were like pools where diamond dust spirits lived.
「No, there’s one more thing. It’s not good for a girl to be so cold.」
Saying that, I pulled up the down coverlet that had slipped off to cover us both.
Jeanne was an awfully proud girl.
She might have wanted to appear to be in earnest, but she was actually only pretending.
In reality, she was pretty easy to understand and a bit airheaded… but at the heart of it, she was just a girl.
And this girl– as a descendant of knights, lives in an underworld awash in blood.
That… must be something that is hard to bear. No matter how you spend your life.
「Jeanne. If you become tired of carrying that burned… don’t hesitate, you can share it with me.」
This time, I drew Jeanne’s ear close to my mouth and whispered…
Jeanne’s blue eyes misted slightly as they fixed themselves on me.
For the first time, those eyes reflected Jeanne’ own weakness. The real Jeanne–
「–『It is a man’s duty and honour to carry a woman’s bag』isn’t it?」
As I repeated her own words back to her, Jeanne said…
「..Toh…yama…」
Those blue eyes, now red, shed drops of tears.
Tears running down her face, Jeanne lowered her head…and pressing her head into my chest– she wept softly.
Somehow, that was a relief.
「…Tohyama. I have a request.」
「A request?」
「You had two for me!」
Jeanne said in a somewhat spoiled manner as she tightened her embrace slightly.
Then averting her eyes–
「… There is something that I have wanted to be called. Even when I was a little girl, I was never treated as a woman.」
「What do you want to be called?」
「『Young lady』…」3
–Oh.
I’m sorry Jeanne.
You are more mysterious than anyone I know, and I failed to pick up on the fact–
I missed it even though I am in Hysteria Mode.
You must have carried this desire within you for the last 8 months.
「I will remember.」
「Do not look down on me. I have an excellent memory.」
「Ha ha!『You really are an amazingly intelligent young lady.』」
「…!」
I spoke the same words I had used when we had fought in the underground storage area last May.
Hearing them, Jeanne started… and clutched her hands to her chest in delight.
Back then, I had thought that Jeanne was embarrassed… but she was actually happy. In the middle of a battle, this strong-willed woman had been treated like a young lady.
This girl really is a young lady.
You said something similar some time ago, but a man doesn’t need a reason to fight to protect a woman.
I am here, and you shouldn’t feel responsible.
And so, without anything left to talk about–
We fell into a peaceful asleep, still holding on to each other.
…*Chirp!* *Chirp!*…
In Paris, awaking to the sound of sparrow song…
Jeanne was not in the bed.
In the aftermath of Hysteria Mode, my head was clear–
Last night, I was able to side-step Jeanne, but I also remember a bunch of embarrassing things I said. I want to die.
Ugh! I hate myself.『 It’s not good for a girl to be so cold』Such stupidity! The girls of Baskerville should never get a hold of any evidence of what happened.
In a gloomy mood, I changed clothes and entered the living room…
Jeanne stood at the window in the morning sun– *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
Like a dance, Jeanne swung the legendary blade Durandal.
It’s not combat practice, but rather a『sword dance』, but an exercise to the refresh the feeling of weight and length of the blade as part of a fully-fledged knight’s training. In Japanese swordsmanship, it is like a kata, daily training that not even a master would neglect. Although I rarely do so myself.
「Good Morning, Tohyama.」
Jeanne turned to face me, wearing a white blouse and green checked skirt– these normal clothes look a bit like a Japanese high school girls’ uniform.
I haven’t seen her in anything besides a Butei High sailor suit and waitress cosplay, so this is new. These must be what Jeanne usually wears. Even the way Jeanne has put up her hair is a bit different and cute.
「Have you been training all morning? You must be tired.」
「I enjoy training」
We tried to speak with each other as if the events of last night hadn’t occurred…
「…」
「…」
Ah… this is no good. Things between us are awkward and difficult.
This awkwardness is confirmation that we both distinctly recall the events of last night and are embarrassed.
Bringing it up again would be rude. That dangerous sequence of events must not be repeated.
I want last night to be quickly forgotten and for things to return to normal.
Sensing my desire, Jeanne stopped twirling her sword and returned it to its sheath–
「–The sword is the pride of a knight. I wonder if it is the same for a samurai’s katana?」
She tried to reconnect us with a neutral topic.
「It is. A katana is a warrior’s soul… or so they say.」
My words failed halfway through as I remembered what my『Contradiction』had done to the scramasax. My life is full of things I’d rather forget.
When I went into the bathroom to wash my face, in the clothes dryer… Jeanne’s pyjamas and mine were entwined. I was thankful that I had done the washing, but it was a bit embarrassing.
「Have some breakfast. I bought all kinds of things at the market.」
Jeanne said, peeking her head slightly into the bathroom and smiling.
「Sorry, I’ll eat.」
In an uncomfortable, newlywed-like atmosphere, Jeanne and I sat together at the table… *Munch!* *Munch!*
Jeanne cut a baguette with a bread knife.
「Do not worry. Baguette is cheap. By law, it cannot exceed a fixed price. It is so that the poor will not starve.」
「Huh. Kind of like a French version of welfare?」
We carried on this conversation as I ate a lettuce and meat paste sandwich and drank hot coffee to wake up.
With coffee in hand, the two of us headed out onto the cold balcony… no more snow had fallen, and last night’s snow had accumulated.
「Tohyama, you are kind.」
–Jeanne said, giving me a wry smile.
It seems that my desire didn’t make it through to her. She’s bringing up last night.
「… Not really. It was a tricky spot.」
「I don’t know what will happen tonight. But I am resolved to it.」
Because it seemed that she was going to launch into a full review, I wanted to change the topic somehow–
I desperately looked around for something else to bring up.
And because Jeanne’s grey hair was sparkling like silver, I said…
「Your hair. Is pretty.」
I said as I looked at her. I planned to cleverly segue to discuss shampoo, but Jeanne *Snatch!* She grabbed a hold of her own hair in her hand…??? Huh??
… What? Why are you blushing? With your white skin, it’s easy to tell.
「Why did you compliment me at such an odd time? You seem considerably skilled at this. You must be a natural born Lothario.」
「W-why do you say that? I just said what I thought about what I saw.」
「That… is what I mean!」
Setting the coffee cup down on the bronze table, Jeanne gathered a bit of the snow accumulated on the handrail… *Crunch!*
With a mischievous smile she hit me with a snowball.
「You’re… cold!」
I gathered up snow from the table, and with flick of my wrist, threw the mini-snowball I made.
*Dodge!* Jeanne avoided it.
「Ha-ha!」
I saw that the second projectile she had made was already on its way toward my head.
Ouch! It’s hard! You’re using your ESP power!
Then Jeanne and I… had a small snowball fight on the balcony.
Actually, we had a real snowball fight. I was up against the Diamond Dust Witch, alone. What was I thinking?
But… it was fun. Jeanne had fun. Surprisingly, she did not seem to tire of it. This display of innocence so different from her usually composed self was interesting.
Even her natural air-headedness– seemed to have fallen away. This was the first time we really spent time together.
**************************************************
That night, after 7 o’clock…
「– I’ve been in contact with Meiya. She wants us to come meet her at the Palais Garnier.」
Jeanne announced as she took an indigo dress out of the closet.
「Garnier… an opera house?」
I said while looking at my mobile.
「Opera house is the common name for the opera. Palais Garnier is different. You should change.」
Jeanne passed me a white tuxedo in a vinyl garment bag.
「A tuxedo…?」
「No, it is a smoking jacket.」
Jeanne pointed out my mistake but…
Why do you have these clothes?
When I put it on in the living room, it was a bit large.
There was something that bothered me a little, though. With its size, Jeanne couldn’t have used it to disguise herself as a man.
They’re probably someone else’s clothes…
I spared a glance toward the bedroom– Jeanne was there carefully applying makeup before going to the Palais
Jeanne was now putting on earrings.
It seems rather rude to bring up something so trivial, but I’ve been given a hand-me-down tuxedo to wear…
Regardless, these are good clothes. Even someone as ignorant of fashion as me can tell that.
I never thought that I’d be caught wearing a black tuxedo, but–this one is white.
It looks good. I don’t know anything about girl’s clothes, but these are some good-looking guys clothes,
Wearing a tight dress, Jeanne said,
「I bought this in the antique gallery below. It is for you.」
She tossed me a plain white mask that hides everything above the nose.
It looks like something the mysterious Phantom lurking in the theatre in the『The Phantom of the Opera』would wear.
「Do I really have to wear something like this?」
「Yes. It is a masquerade ball.」
After finishing changing and putting on makeup, Jeanne entered the living room– she was like an elegant cover model straight from an adult fashion magazine, and different from Aria’s cover appearance.
No matter what she wears, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, but the style and arrangement of her clothes are flawless.
「Riko kindly gave this to me. So… how does it look?」
Jeanne wore a large cat face mask covering her eyes, along with the cat ears that Riko had given her when we left Japan.
She was cat-Jeanne, or『Meow-nne 』(as Riko would say.)
While straightening my necktie, Jeanne said,
「Like us, Meow-a might have a tail as meow-ll. The meow-squerade ball is a good to throw them meow-ll off at meow-nce.」
「Right… uhh…」
「Hiding meow-r face, meeting up with your allies while eluding meow-r enemies, then slipping away in a car. We meow-ll use this Cold War spy technique at the medieval French meow-masquerade ball.」
「Uh, I understand why we’re using a masquerade ball. But why are you talking like a cat?」
「Do you not wish me to? I thought you would enjoy it.」
Slightly peeved, Cat-Jeanne hit my chest lightly…
Putting on my mask, I had to confess that I did just a bit.
I understand. This masquerade ball is like a cosplay event… meant to allow people to meet while hiding their identity. I’ve learned something new.
*************************************************************
The opera house–
It was even more fantastic than the triumphal arch we passed yesterday and a veritable chalk white palace.
It was in a neo-baroque style… and it looked like it was a huge decorated cake.
On the roof were golden statues of the godly patrons of Art, and the outer wall were crowded with carvings. It was hard to find a place that wasn’t decorated. France lacks wabi-sabi culture.4
Using her connections at the hotel from yesterday, Jeanne called a limousine, and we both stepped out–
We entered the palace entrance through a small iron side door in the that looked a bit like a secret entrance.
The place was usually a tourist trap, but today it was reserved for the masquerade ball.
The furniture inside was antique, and the space was dim and cramped…
… this all seems suspicious.
Everyone inside was dressed in elegant clothing, and a mysterious mood wafted from the droves of people milling about.
Everyone is wearing a mask, so I am a bit wary of them. Well, Jeanne and I are as well…
Although it was called a ball, there wasn’t any dancing. Rather, it seems like a place to meet and talk in secret.
There were women there is conspicuously elaborate dresses who moved like performers. A woman was talking pleasantly with an athlete that she could not freely meet in public, and it appeared to be a lover’s tryst.
A sunburnt man who could not entirely rid himself of the scent of gunpowder was probably an Italian Mafioso from Corsica. He was probably here for some kind of drug deal.
As for everyone else… there was an IT business professional, a politician, a soldier, a female entertainer… They were all here.
This place seems to have a very unstratified atmosphere.
These people are carrying on all kinds of shady underground business.
In Japan, it would be a high-class traditional restaurant and a meeting of high-level executives– here is just a lot more people. French society seems to be flexible enough to tolerate this to a certain degree.
Thinking about that, this masquerade ball sees like a place where anyone can be reasonably comfortable.
「–Meow.」
I heard Jeanne make a cat noise…
She showed me a stuffed horse toy.
「What’s that?」
「A cat with a horse is an amusing sign. Meiya will be a dog with a cow.」
「I don’t think that it’s very funny…. , but what you’re saying is we have to find『the girl wearing a dog mask and carrying a cow plush』?」
「Let us split up for a bit to look around. There are more people here than expected. We will rendezvous again in 5 minutes.」
Saying that, Jeanne set off into the small, bustling round hall while wearing the high heels she expressed dislike for.
Alright then… I suppose I’ll head toward the next floor. I headed up the fancy staircase–
Light shone from a crystal chandelier the size of a compact car onto the extremely beautiful pure white marble grand staircase.
It was amazing! The building was shaped like a five-level horseshoe. Such scenes are not limited to fairy tale books. From the stairs that had become a place to converse, I looked out in amazement–
「Oh, Pardon!」
As I stood in the crowded place, a drunken scholarly looking person bumped into me.
Then the masked man… *Clink!* I heard something strike on object my breast pocket.
「–?」
Something metal was in my tuxedo breast pocket. It was probably in there from before Jeanne had given it to me.
From being a Butei, I’ve picked up the habit of checking for explosives… so I took it out… it was a silver-plated pendant. The kind that has pictures inside.
「…」
It’s probably something the last person who wore it left behind.
Thinking that as a climbed the grand white marble staircase… I tried to open it.
Inside, there was a time picture of what appeared to be a picture of a 14 year-old Jeanne from before her time at I.U– with 3 older white males, and she was riding double with one of them on a white horse.
In this picture…the two of them look happy. Sincerely happy.
Then man in the picture had good looks that would put an actor to shame.
… Perhaps an old lover?
I can’t tell, but I get that impression.
Such a tasteless action…
Due to the nature of the work, Butei are private people. However, we have the ability to pry into someone’s past. In an actual investigation there are no shortage of things to pry into, and I know how unpleasant such a thing is to the subject.
So, especially when it comes to fellow Butei– unless they are hostile, there’s a rule that their past is a private affair that will not be investigated.
What’s more, this involves a member of the opposite sex.
Speaking of myself, I know how delicate an issue it can be.
So… why am I doing this?
Was I caught up in the suspicious mood on the masquerade?
So, I’ll pretend not to have seen it. I won’t tell anyone about it. Even Jeanne.
「…」
But even so…
Something weighed on my chest.
Just like that, the comfortable mood of the masquerade ball was lost.
When I got to the top of the stairs, there was an antique carpet laid out in the hall…
As I searched for Meiya under the masks, my eyes halted at the sight of something.
The bar.There, many different colours of alcohol were being poured into separate glasses.
Alcohol., huh…?
I had a bad experience in Hong Kong, but I wonder if I should have a little. It’s free, after all.
The colourful cocktails sparked under the chandelier light. Just the sight of it was pleasant and having a drink might raise my spirits. Besides, France is country where it’s OK to drink after you’re 16.
And as I approached–
The current bartender was producing red, blue, and yellow cocktails in bulk, and using both hands… *Grab!*
*Slup!* *Clack* *Slup!* *Slup!* *Clack!* Clack!*
A woman had just taken 5, no 10, drinks in rapid succession.
Wh-who is this woman? She’s putting down alcohol like Wanko soba.5
People had gathered and were chattering about this person’s drinking ability.
But… from beneath her dress there was a dog’s tail…
And as I leaned over to see if she had a horse plush…
「Haaa! Delicious!」
*Brrrm!*
Turning towards the onlookers, she showed off her breasts that were the size of small melons–*Ba-dong!* Immediately, they captured my attention.
「…!」
Bouncing with such vigour as I had only dreamed of, I fell back to sit on floor.
「…Hmm? Oh… now what do we have here? Tooyama-san! It’s been a long time!」
I squinted, looking past the dog mask that covered everything above her nose…
Clutching a cow plush toy to her udder-like bosom, it was Meiya.
Meiya Romano. The 18 year-old half Japanese, half Italian.
An exorcist from Vatican City, part of Rome Butei High Canossa– what would be considered an S-Rank fifth-year student in Tokyo Butei High. Formerly one of Kana’s juniors.
Gentle in appearance, this fighting Onee-san had been the first to announce that she would join DEEN at Bandire.
Since then, she has led the fight against Regiment Hex and held her own, previously proving her prowess by fighting Hilda and cutting off her head.
According to Jeanne, she apparently has the ability to affect the fortunes of war.
「I have been troubled by all kinds of thoughts… But I thought, if only you could come, and now you are actually here. Oh, thank God!」
Absent mindedly, Meiya crossed herself.
Well, at the very least. now that I’m here, that’s one more thing in our favour. At least I’ve managed to rendezvous with allies.
Her blond hair waving freely, dog-Meiya gave me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
「It has been a while, hasn’t it?」
Because she was, more or less, my senior, I answered respectfully…
「What’s this? Such formality. Please, just talk to me like a normal friend.」
Meiya said, narrowing her eyes as her long lashed stuck out from behind the mask.
「O-oh… alright.」
However…
Meiya’s blood vessels stood out from her white skin. Her shoulders were bare, and her large breasts stood out in her dress. Below her waist, her buttocks stuck out prominently.
She is very sexy. Despite the fact that she is part of the church.
「Tooyama-san, you took down Rampan last month. You are one of Japan’s mighty samurai. Now that you are here, it will surely breathe new life into the European front. Now then… let’s do our best to exterminate the few pests from GRENEDA!」
Meiya pumped her hands in a Japanese ‘heave-ho’ gesture, and… *Thunk!’
From somewhere behind her, she pulled out a huge sword and it fell to the floor.
Thankfully she left it in its sheath. It would be a problem if it damaged the expensive carpet.
As for the sword… we’re okay. Everyone around us thinks it’s a cosplay prop and is laughing.
That is just like you… treating your human enemies like insects…
Is that really okay? She is certainly my ally, after all.
Then I realised. She had been drinking alcohol, and that meant she was charged with magical power.
Jeanne and I formed a hastily constructed team and adding someone else to increase our fighting strength–surely wasn’t a bad idea at all.
I tried to pick up the sword off the floor, but… What is this sword? It’s super heavy.
It’s a lot heavier than it looks. Is it made of depleted uranium or something?
Holding the sword, I staggered under the weight… trying to hand it back to Meiya…
–*Clang!* *Trip!*…
As I tried to pick it up Meiya… stooped down…!
Then I found myself unable to breath, my nose–not being covered by the mask– ended up buried in Meiya’s breasts that would put a Holstein cow to shame. What do I do now!?
「Oh my…!」
Meiya clapped both hands to her cheeks, looking delighted for some reason…
it was what Riko would call a serendipitously naughty situation.
Is this due to Meiya’s effect on good luck? No, it can’t be. Something like this has the danger of setting off my Hysteria Mode. This is the pinnacle of unluckiness…! Did she just bring me bad luck!?
Feeling entertained, the French people around us began whistling and catcalling.
In the middle of the uproar– *Clonk!* *Clonk!* *Clonk!*
「Tohyama! People are watching, what are you doing? … Meiya? Is that you?」
It appears that when I didn’t show up after five minutes, Jeanne started looking for me in her high heels, mask, and cat ears. It looks like she used her cat ears sound collector to do it.
「Yes. Is that your voice, Jeanne? I’m so glad we found each other.」
「Were you attacked by Tohyama?」
「About that… He suddenly hurled himself at my chest, and I just didn’t know what to do…」
While rearranging the front of her dress and feigning ignorance, Meiya didn’t exactly deny it.
「Th-that’s not it! Her sword–」
I began to explain, but already Jeanne had her arms crossed and was not listening…
「This man has the bad habit of suddenly assaulting women on occasions. Back in Tokyo while we were doing surveillance work, he suddenly assaulted me. This was when I was still weak from the wounds I suffered from Hilda.」
I-I remember that, Jeanne…
If I’m not wrong, that was when Watson kidnapped Aria and Nakasorachi was conducting audio surveillance–
I was in Hysteria Mode Berserk and treated Jeanne roughly.
「So he does this to everyone? I’ve always had this idea…!」
For some reason, Meiya’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
What kind of ideas did you get from Jeanne’s explanation?
However, thanks to Jeanne’s interruption, my blood flow levels fell below the level required for hysterising–
Then Jeanne took a few steps.
Heel clicking, she went to lean on the bar and ordered a dry martini.
Underneath her mask, the corners of her mouth were turned down into a perfect frown. She seemed angry.
And… I get the feeling that she’s angry about something besides my mistake in not meeting back up with her.
She took the cocktail in her hand and gulped it down in agitation.
「O-oi, Jeanne. Let me explain. What happened just now was a complete accident. To be honest, I don’t know what you’re mad about. It’s strange for a Butei to drink.」
「… I am not angry.」
「Yes you are! Something’s come between us–」
「It is nothing.」
Cat-Jeanne avoided the topic, denying the truth.
Then, with glinting ice blue eyes, she looked at her own and Meiya’s chest.
Then turning back at me– *Boosh!*
She threw the horse plush at me.
Gasping, the onlooking French people made sounds of amusement. Almost as if they were watching an opera.
It appears that they understand what is going on, while I, one of the involved parties, do not understand. What is this?
Will someone explain it to me? Why is Jeanne mad? If possible, can you do so in Japanese?
「Wh-what is going on? What are you…」
「Look into your heart. No. In your case, asking is pointless. By the way, Tohyama. The best way to train a horse– is with a whip.」
From somewhere within her dress, she pulled out a whip that she was carrying for some reason…!
「In the West, in some countries we use a whip to punish children.」
Another display of European culture. Aria employs the Japanese method of striking with fists!
「… I will have you reflect upon each girl you have defrauded and use paint to reinforce the punishment of your misdeeds. Tohyama. You have insulted, both myself and Meiya. An insult must be answered according the rules of chivalry.」
With a *Snap!* *Snap!*, Jeanne snapped the short whip as she said this incomprehensible statement– It looked like a real whip.
The spectators buzzed in excitement at the scene out of an S&M show, but I pushed them aside–
Of The 36 Stratagems, none can match retreat!6
I dashed away as fast as I could! And I still don’t know why she is angry.
But there was a *Clack* *Clack* *Clack*
Jeanne chased after me in her heels. Perhaps she was using the cat ear sound collector to track the sound of my footsteps.
「.Tooyama-sa~n! Jeanne-sa~n! You two give it your best!」
Waving that damned heavy sword in one hand, Meiya. called out in encouragement. You really are an absurd person! I knew it!
*************************************************************
I wondered if I could run out to large balcony and jump into the Seine– but below, there was only stone pavement. There was only one door leading back inside the palace. It was a dead-end.
Catching up to me Jeanne,
「–Hmph!」
She wielded the whip in earnest, and I used my slightly hysterical reflexes to dodge it.
It missed by a paper’s thin margin, and the tip slipped into the handkerchief pocket on my chest— then flew back between the palace’s white pillars.
Then it pulled the photograph pendant out– and it clattered to the ground.
It rolled across the ground and came to rest by Jeanne’s feet.
「–!」
And her hand froze.
For a moment, an expression of curiosity overtook her face… then Jeanne picked it up… then, holding it in her hands, crossed her arms and clutched it to herself.
「Was that it, Tohyama?」
「…?」
Huh? For some reason, her voice sound like her mood had improved slightly.
「Men are simple creatures to understand. You threw yourself at Meiya out of jealousy.」
I definitely didn’t do that, but…
The tiger Jeanne has become a cat once more, so I’ll go along with that story.
If I bring up the photograph pendant from the tuxedo’s pocket… it looks like I might be able to get through this.
「… Did you, live with this man?」
I broke the Butei taboo… but it seemed like she had good memories of falling in love, and they calmed her down.
「You will never meet him. He is my older brother, Pierre.」
With a *Click!*, Jeanne opened the pendant–
「My mother divorced and remarried twice, so we have different fathers.」
… That additional qualification… didn’t make her meaning very clear.
Because I didn’t have anything to say to that, I gestured toward the balcony.
Jeanne wanted to explain things, and she came to stand calmly beside me.
「My family is exclusively matrilineal. And so, after my older brother came of age… he was disowned despise this custom of separating family!」
… So that’s it. They must have been close. Jeanne’s older brother was handsome.
「Is Pierre-san… your older brother, doing well? Do the two of you talk?」
I have a younger brother and sister from a different mother– so I asked out of sympathy.
「Yes. Pierre married a Swiss man who is an art dealer in the Netherlands. They are living happily in Cannes. He is an avant-garde painter and quite successful.」
Jeanne grinned and laughed as she spoke about her brother.
I see. That’s good.
She must have thought I was jealous of the money he’s gained from his creative occupation.
………
That’s no good though! I tried to ignore the second half of what she said after hearing the first. Should you really be sharing such important information about your brother!? I don’t think so.
We’re overseas. So Japanese logic doesn’t always apply.
I learned this in Hong Kong, so I couldn’t act surprised.
Well… Jeanne is unusually popular with the girls… perhaps she takes after her brother. Perhaps even, if her atrocious drawings were shown in the right venue, she’d be hailed as an artistic genius?
Surprisingly… Jeanne and I had quite a bit in common.
Although knight and warriors are different, they both inherit the responsibility to fight for justice and honour.
Siblings can be difficult.
Especially if they are of a different gender, race, nationality, or appearance–
We both carry a similar fate. Jeanne and I.
Because that is the case… I want to help her even more on this European front.
Not out of pity, but rather camaraderie.
*******************************************************
1. In France, the ‘first floor’ is the floor above ground level. The ground level floor is called the ‘rez-de-chaussee’ and is seen as an entryway, and not counted in the count of floors.
2. There appears to be another amalgamation of Japanese and German culture. The reading of the kanji here would be romanised as ‘I’, so this is I.U., I’m pretty sure. Also, the Kanji is used in the name of Italy.
3. Original word if ‘Ojou-san’. Closest meaning I can come up with is ‘respectable, well-bred young woman’. It is a bit pretentious to use in casual conversation and is often used sarcastically as a derogatory term, but it fits Jeanne’s personality well.
4. Wabi-sabi
5. Specific style of noodles with the traditional experience where you quickly eat your noodles and then get your bowl immediately refilled in constant repetition.
6. Kinji is making reference to a Chinese essay on political, social, and military strategy often referred to as The 36 Stratagems and a historical utterance by a general. Read HERE under Origin.
MAY 13, 2019 ~ BAKAKABASAN
Chapter 3 is here, my fellow fans. Rejoice!
For *ahem* certain reasons, I could probably say that this was the chapter I’ve wanted to see. Not to spoil, it, but I took particular pleasure translating it.
Well, can’t think of anything else to say, so on to the chapter!
Chapter: 3 Masquerade Ball–Masquerade
At the 15 minutes advance landing announcement, my eyes fluttered open, and looking out the window–
I saw the countryside stretching out below us, divided up like a puzzle with criss-crossing paths.
We must be over France, and that’s what I’m seeing.
The sloping ground below looks somewhat orange. There must be a lot of red clay in the soil.
Then at 1500 Central European Time, flight JAL405 landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Taking a step out into the cold outside the plane, I was met with a faintly sweet flower-like aroma. It smelled like Palmolive detergent. it must just be how this place smells.
Finishing my Immigration Check, I got the French stamp on my passport–
Then exiting the Arrival Gate, I met up again with the rest of Constellation by the electronic Philips sign showing an image of Cézanne’s『The Card Players』
「When it comes to Caravan V, where possible, we will split up into at least 2 groups and carry out separate tasks. Seeing as we’ve been pushed ahead a year, 2 groups is just enough. There will be Jeanne’s group of me and Jeanne heading to Paris, and Nakasorachi’s group, consisting of Nakasorachi, Shima, and Watson going to Brussels.」
I said, according to the plan Jeanne, Watson, and I had discussed earlier.
Our tactics were primarily devised by Jeanne–
First, keep Nakasorachi and Shima who were unconnected to FEW from getting drawn in by getting them away from the front lines in Paris.
Also, if Jeanne and I come across any members of GRENEDA and have to withdraw, then there’s already a refuge prepared in Brussels.
The capital of Belgium, Brussels is situated north of Paris and is a safe town currently under DEEN’s influence. And with MEDICA’s Watson there as a defensive garrison, our defence is complete.
Then as the one who didn’t even pack a change of clothes in my suitcase…
In my role as Constellation’s auditor, I reviewed the rules.
「On the trip you can do whatever you want. Go sight see and take pictures. No one can make you do anything. However, you should think ahead and realise that this isn’t just an opportunity to play around. The world is becoming more and more connected each year. Butei should be no exception. One of these days, we’ll probably have to come to Europe again for work. If you spend all your time here as a tourist, you’ll lose your life if you have to fight here in the future. Nothing good will come of it when you’re invited back. So that isn’t the case, you should try to learn as much as you can, even if you end up wandering around. This trip is a journey of learning. That is all.」
I said, because it was written in the Auditor’s Manual…
「Y-yes.」
「Oka~y!」
Nakasorachi answered first, her face betraying her trepidation at being out of the country for the first time, as Shima warmly smiled without a care in the world.
I get the feeling that neither of them heard any of my instructions. That’s Constellation for you.
「Tooyama.」
Watson, who was arranging her hair that had become slightly dried out during the long flight, approached me for a private word.
「As I said before, if a problem comes up, just run north. A car or train will see you from Paris to Brussels quickly. If we’ve already surrendered, then go on to Amsterdam, then London after that. Each leg shouldn’t take you more than a few hours. Bear it in mind that in Europe, going from country to country is like going from prefecture to prefecture in Japan. 」
It was a relatively simple explanation, but,
「Don’t talk about running away. On the contrary, I’ll take back Spain and Germany.」
Being somewhat keyed up by traveling overseas, I answered somewhat eagerly.
「I’m glad to see you so positive, but don’t be careless. Europe is different than Asia, and GRENEDA holds the upper hand.」
Even now, Watson stubbornly refused to relax her vigilance–
「Jeanne. Please take care of Tooyama.」
Saying that, she led Nakasorachi and Shima away.
********************************************************
From the airport, guided by Jeanne, we took the Réseau Express Régional towards Paris. I took a Keisei Skyliner-esque train with Jeanne and arrived at Gare du Nord Station… and was surprised.
Despite the fact that the station was crowded with travellers and was one of the main entryways to Paris, it was dim, dingy, cold, and I spotted a few questionable people sprinkled throughout the crowd. Homeless people and drug addicts hung around the walls and armed guards in camouflage and carrying FAMAS bullpup machine guns patrolled the area.
Public safety must be bad… So, this is the fabled『City of Flowers』Paris…
Jeanne was walking beside me, so I couldn’t say that, but I felt somewhat disillusioned.
However, the darkness perfectly matched my gloomy mood. I had gotten used to dirty places in Hong Kong. Dealing with places will poor levels of public safety is part of the job, so it wasn’t an issue.
Besides… the hotels here are probably cheap. So, it might just suit me just fine.
「Say, Jeanne. I should probably start looking for a hotel around here.」
Jeanne, who had been walking with her suitcase, stopped in her tracks and said,
「Please, save yourself the needless expense. This area isn’t very good either. Stay in my room.」
She said completely straight-faced…
「What are you saying? You’re a girl!」
「Yes. Is there a problem with that?」
「Well, no, it’s…」
Flustered, I suddenly had trouble speaking Japanese.
As I scratched the back of my head, Jeanne laughed.
「Fufu! Are you, scared of staying with a witch?」
「No, I’m used to Shirayuki, but..」
「Then follow me. There are a bunch of pickpockets around the station.」
With the matter still undecided… Jeanne walked over toward a taxi stand.
And with no other alternative in sight, I followed.
Eventually, we entered a taxicab, and Jeanne said,
「Galerie des Arcades. 76 Avenue Champs-Elysées, sil vous plait.」
And I was startled by the way she addressed the driver in perfectly fluent French.
In Paris… although it’s only 5 PM, it’s already getting dark. That’s to be expected because it’s located at a higher latitude than Sapporo. Even so, it probably wasn’t so cold, thanks to the mild westerly winds
As the taxi made its way into the heart of downtown Paris–
Gradually, the neighbourhoods became more and more resplendent.
Even the stores and restaurants became more high-class.
Just like Hong Kong, Paris has a large social disparity.
As had that thought, I noticed something–
I was now in the Paris I had seen in films.
Large avenues running through the city, with sculptures dotted here and there, and magnificent stone building crammed together. Their milky white walls were a theme that tied them all together and gave a sense of unity.
Each of these building probably has some kind of historical values. Rather, they all are probably 100 or 200 years old. Paris, unlike Tokyo, hasn’t seen the ravages of war and destruction of earthquakes.
Perhaps at Jeanne’s request, the driver made a small detour to take the scenic route.
「Tohyama.」
Jeanne tapped me lightly on the shoulder–
Pointing through the window at the corner of a plaza, there was a statue of an imposing golden female knight. I didn’t need any explanation. This was France’s national heroine, Jeanne D’Arc.
Jeanne looked at me with a wry smile and smug look.
I response to her extremely self-satisfied look, I returned a smile.
「Paris doesn’t have any high rises, you know, Tohyama.」
「It… definitely appears so. The tallest seems to be about 10 storeys.」
「We have historically restricted the number of tall building by law in order to preserve the natural landscape.」
I see. So much like a piece of art, the town itself was carefully planned out. That must be why it is so fascinating.
「There is only one tall building.」
Jeanne said as she pointed with her finger–
And there was the flood-lit Eiffel Tower, gleaming golden with the moon beside it in the night sky.
*****************************************************************
Despite the fact that I had just lectured everyone, I was completely caught up in the role of a tourist–
The taxi headed down Paris’ main road, Champs-Élysées which was decorated for New Years’.
It was like Tokyo’s Omotesandou, a broad avenue lined with all kinds of high-class brand stores. People were bustling down the glittering street happily.
But once we stepped out of the taxi to stand in the cold street… from a distance it looks beautiful, but the street and trees are dirty. This town is covered in rubbish. From this sight, the opposite of the highest Japanese ideal of hygiene is demonstrated.
「Let’s go, Tohyama.」
Jeanne said, and turned toward one of the building facing out on to the Champs-Élysées– and it led to short, stone arcade where an old horse drawn carriage would have passed. Our suitcases rolled down the beautifully geometrically patterned tiled ground as we walked.
Antique shops and accessory shops, shoe stores, boutiques, and cafes… all these shops were ranged beside each other, and at the corner there was a door with an automatic lock.
It appeared to lead to the upper floor– which appeared to be a rental apartment block.
Once Jeanne entered a code, the door opened, then we got on to an elevator with gilded edges… but this elevator is completely different from an elevator in Japan.
First, the outer doors were opened by hand, and when we entered to choose our floor– Jeanne selected the third floor (which including the rez-de-chaussee1 would be the fourth in Japan)– and once chosen, and the inner door closed by hand, the system finally began to move.
Then stepping out onto the third floor… as they would call it in Europe, we stepped out into a dimly lit corridor that had a flowery smell.
「Here.」
Jeanne pulled a key from her long wallet and moved to open the room numbered 303b that appeared to be hers…
「Is this really alright?」
「This room in the 8th arrondissement is my personal property, so do not fear being an imposition. My family home is in the 16th arrondissement.」
「No, that’s not what I meant… It’s what I said about coming here about a boy staying in a girl’s room who lives alone. Well, that’s…」
「With the exception of members of my family, this will be the first time a man has been here. But que sera sera.」
–With a *Click!*, Jeanne opened the door.
The last bit was not in Japanese, so I didn’t understand exactly what she meant.
Run!
That was how I felt, summed up in a single word.
I’ve been in Reki, Aria, and Riko’s rooms, but that was in the girl’s dormitory, which in itself felt like it crossed a line.
But this time it is where I’ll be staying. Of course, there are no other students, and no former female JSDF dormitory parent. It will truly just be the two of us living under one roof. My stomach aches.
But… I…
… I was tired. Really tired.
What’s more, it was 6 PM in the winter in Paris, but in Japan that was 2 AM.
Even though I had taken a nap during the flight, the jet lag made my stomach ache unbearable.
I was fine in Hong Kong since it was only 1 hour behind, but Paris being 8 hours behind is more severe.
–There’s no help for it.
I’ll stay the night. It would be hard to find a hotel now, and this area is expensive.
「…Thanks for hosting me.」
For those reasons, I followed Jeanne into her room–
I-I’m here. And there’s the good smell unique to girls’ rooms. She must be gone most of the time, but the scent of her pheromones must linger.
It was like the smell of green grass, fresh and invigorating… an exclusively female scent.
In an instant my eyes snapped open. The good smell made me worry about it being too much for my Hysteria Mode.
The electricity came on with a crackle, and still wearing her shoes, Jeanne entered– it was a living room with indigo blue wallpaper. The floor was dark brown wood.
It was a fashionable room straight out of a French film, very mature.
I entered without taking off my shoes… but it didn’t seem right. I looked around the entryway, wanting to take them off, and the place for shoes were lined with Jeanne’s boots and pumps. There didn’t appear to be any space for my shoes.
「… I don’t have many high heels. They are hard to move in. As a Butei, I must be ready for anything.」
I thought that I should complement the room, but before I could say anything–
「No, that’s not it. I hate them. I’m tall, and I don’t want to look any taller in heels.」
Jeanne frowned as she placed her suitcase along the wall.
「… That’s not surprising. I thought the ideal for French girls was a petite silhouette, right? Dressed up smartly in a Chanel suit or something…」
「It depends on what time you are talking about, Tohyama. Right now, Riko and Aria have the『cute』figure that is in vogue among Parisiennes.」
Jeanne huffed about her height as she adjusted the thermostat. She was sulking.
Suddenly, I felt that I had made a mistake in my choice of conversation topics, but…
No matter what Jeanne said, I don’t think she’s that tall. I don’t think she’s even 165 cm.
But she must have some kind of complex about it. I could also bring up the time before when she wore a maid cafe costume in her secret room in the girl’s dormitory.
「…」
In order to avoid saying anything more to make her upset, I kept my mouth zipped as I surveyed the room.
It appears that Jeanne is a bookworm from the bookshelves of books in French, and the desk with a candle and reading glasses. The living room was very chic, but… the power of feminine fashion in the bedroom was prominent, and somewhat girlish. This place demonstrates the dual nature of Jeanne’s hobbies.
On a Rococo style dresser that Riko would love, all kinds of cosmetics and accessories were piled. I get the sense that they aren’t kept in any kind of order.
I didn’t miss the fact that on the glass shelf where a crystal and rosary were placed– there was a ring with the design of the『伊』character surrounded by the letter『U』. 2
That’s probably I.U’s class ring.
Originally… Jeanne was a member of I.U. She was… an enemy.
I remember being caught up in Jeanne’s trap and having to fight while protecting Shirayuki…
「Coming from Japan to Europe, the time difference will make you feel like you are staying up to all hours. Drink some coffee and it will wake you up. I’m used to it, so I’ll be alright.」
Jeanne’s voice came suddenly from the kitchen.
Pretending I didn’t see the ring, I said,
「Well… when I get back to Japan, it’ll feel like I’m always getting up early. That’s rough. I hate getting up early.」
I tried to deflect with small talk as we moved to the table–
「Do you believe that we will return?」
Jeanne asked, narrowing her ice blue eyes and staring directly at me.
「…?」
Putting a sugar cube into my double espresso from the saucer that came with it, I furrowed my eyebrows.
Will we get back…? What do you mean?
I think it’s a joke, but I don’t get it.
「Fufu! I’ll play a song to welcome you.」
Looking happy for some reason, Jeanne gave me a sidelong glance as she strolled over toward the upright piano by the wall… Sitting on the piano bench, she began to play–『Joan of Arc at the Stake』
That’s the song that Jeanne was playing when I met her again at Butei High. I remember the piece from then.
Somehow… I feel that she’s seen through me.
I listened to the elegant piano melody…
… Huh? The timing of the music slowed slightly.
Looking over at Jeanne… She began nodding off. Despite what she had said, she was falling asleep.
Suddenly, her head drooped, and she fell asleep…!
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this! Someone falling asleep while playing the piano.
「O-oi! Jeanne!」
She slumped suddenly, and I caught her back to hold her up…
「Mmmmmnnn.」
Jeanne let out a slightly ridiculous sound.
Extremely tired, her eyes weren’t fixed on any one thing.
「Voulez-vous… sortir pour prendre… le repas…?」
「Oi! Speak Japanese!」
「… Eat… Let’s eat, Tohyama. It will help a bit in staying awake.」
Lifting her to her feet using both arms, Jeanne then staggered toward her closet.
Eat…? Isn’t this a strange time to get hungry since the in-flight meal. It wasn’t very good. Maybe that is why she wants to get something to eat?
I wrestled with that question, gulping down coffee as I waited for Jeanne to change.
After she was done, Jeanne put a coat and muffler on over her sailor suit uniform… then, going into the bedroom she bent on one knee in front of the dresser, and taking a perfume bottle, she sprayed it lightly inside her skirt.
「What was that?」
「Devienne No. 6. Eau de Regere.」
「So what’s that is Japanese?」
「It can’t be put into Japanese. In English, it would be called Eau de Cologne. It’s a light perfume.」
As she approached, I could smell the fresh feminine scent…
「Why did you put on something like that?」
I asked, turning slightly red and complaining.
Thereupon, Jeanne pulled up her muffler and cutely burying her chin into it as she said,
「My grandmother taught me. When she turned 20, she did it whenever meeting a man.『You never known when a man will take his chance with a girl』, she said. That’s just how it is for French girls.」
Saying this, her white cheeks mysteriously blushed slightly.
I understand a girl wanting to smell nice, but a man taking his chance…? What does that mean? I have no idea at all.
*******************************************************
From the first floor of the jewellery box-like arcade, we exited on to the Champs-Élysées…
「Tohyama, you have a chance.」
Jeanne whispered softly, as she poked my arm with her small handbag.
「Chance? What do you mean?」
「Chance to carry my bag.」
「Carry you bag yourself.」
「Let me teach you. When a man and woman walk together, it is a man’s duty and honour to carry the woman’s bag.」
With a *Squeeze!* she forced her goat leather bag on me.
What the heck!? It’s not even heavy at all! You should have carried it!
I thought as I held her bag, and Jeanne looked from beside me, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
Then, suddenly, while grinning, she entwined her arm with mine.
「Wh-what!? Let go!」
「It’s fine, it’s fine! Quite the opposite, a man and woman walking together at night being so distant would be strange.」
I don’t particularly know what is normal and what would be strange…
Jeanne was surprisingly insistent. But I was tired and shaking free would take energy that I didn’t have.
So, I left our arm linked–and I thought a bit about when Kaname had done this on New Years’…
We walked down the Champs-Élysées, next to a row of horse chestnut trees in the evening.
「Over there is Louis Vuitton flagship store. The store is more popular in Japan than it is in France. Across the way is Renault’s showroom. There’s a McDonalds.」
As a local, Jeanne was excitedly pointing out and explaining this and that to me.
In actuality, the Champs-Élysées was long, broad, and the fashions were not limited to French brands.
Even the flagship of Aria’s favourite Chan Dior, was located on a nearby corner.
「It has everything, doesn’t it?」
As I admired the sight, Jeanne continued to look smug. She looked up from beside me happily.
This cheerful disposition…
It’s somewhat different than her usually tense expression.
She’s probably able to relax now that she is in her home country.
Rather, this Jeanne–seems like the real Jeanne. I get that feeling for some reason.
But personally, this is a problem.
She’s acting cute, and that’s an emergency. I suddenly became aware that as our arms remained twined, my elbows… occasionally struck her surprisingly soft, perfectly sized, well-formed… portion of her body that couldn’t be anything else.
It’s hitting them! Don’t you notice my elbow touching you breasts! You air-headed girl!
*****************************************************
*****************************************************
As a matter of course, the main street was full of flashy restaurants catering to tourists–
「Do you want to eat here?」
「I don’t like that kind of noisy place.」
Jeanne asked, and I replied as we strolled a bit further down the street and turned a corner.
Just by turning off the street, it became significantly quieter…
Here was restaurant that wasn’t too decorated, but it appeared neat and elegant.
On the stone wall, there was a silver plaque with 4 stars.
As we walked the streets of Paris and the night wore on, it appeared that the shops were closing up for the night– but when Jeanne walked into the dining hall of a restaurant attached to an antique looking hotel, an Onee-san maid jumped in surprise.
Then after Jeanne spoke 2 or 3 words in French… a small, plump, older man with a『ハ』shaped moustache and wearing gold rimmed spectacles and a three-piece suit appeared from behind the host’s desk.
This well-dressed Super Mario character appeared to be the manager.
He appeared to be flustered and seeing Jeanne, his eyes opened in an expression of『O Mon Dieu!』
Then contrary to his sophisticated appearance–
–*Kneel!*
Keeping a respectful distance from Jeanne, he took 2 steps back and knelt gracefully.
With one hand on his chest and tears in his eyes, he looked up toward Jeanne and spoke some words of greeting.
I don’t know that much about French culture, but I understood the significance of this scene at a glance.
From all appearances, it looks like the manages is part of what would be called a samurai family in Japan– namely, a soldier descendant of knights.
As he remained in this grand posture to greet Jeanne, I figured he must be a descendant of the first Jeanne D’Arc’s attendant.
This respect for her… nowadays, must be passed down in secret.
Standing to his feet, the manager and Jeanne carried on a conversation in French about me that I didn’t understand, using the words『Monsieur Tohyama』and『samurai』… then he grinned.
His whole face lit up in a smile, and he led us into the restaurant attached to the hotel.
**************************************************
Each of our seats were comfortable and came with silver tableware laid on top of white tablecloths–
「It looks like you pulled some of your connections… this is a nice restaurant. Is that really okay? I don’t know the table etiquette.」
「Don’t worry. Just use your own country’s etiquette and eat with confidence. We French have historically had a respect for culture. They have already been instructed to provide you with chopsticks.」
We had this conversation before a breadbasket was carried over.
Then the manager carried over and deftly opened a bottle of wine. Then after Jeanne inspected the scent, he poured it.
Being entertained with wine… I don’t want to just drink it. I’m not eager for a repeat of Hong Kong.
「This is just a light course.」
Jeanne said about the very well-chosen white wine–
We were served a coin-shaped appetiser of crushed tomato, cheese, and caviar, accompanied by a seafood dish with salmon, spinach, and asparagus cream sauce.
My chopsticks were metal, and I was able to use them well. I was grateful for that, because I wasn’t able to use the butter knife like fish knife well.
Then a domed meat dish appeared… what kind of meat is this? I can’t tell by the taste.
「Jeanne, what is this?」
「Rabbit, wrapped in herbs and cooked.」
「Rabbit…?」
This was the first time I had eaten it, and as I pondered that fact,
「Don’t you know what a rabbit is. It’s an animal that looks like this.」
Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she raised her hand above her head and pantomimed rabbit ears.
C-cute! She did that, seriously thinking I didn’t know what it was.
*****************************************************
「… Now for the battle. What should we do?」
I asked once the meal was mostly concluded…
The Diamond Dust Witch answered absently as she savoured the taste of cold sherbet,
「First, I will contact our comrade in DEEN, Meiya.」
She mentioned the slightly nostalgic name.
Meiya– the alcohol guzzling Onee-san from the Vatican. Her personality was distant, but she wore and brandished a huge sword.
She was a beautiful woman with large breasts, and because she was older, she was more attractive to me personally…
「Meiya is the『Saint of Celebratory Light』. The enemy calls her『The Witch of Celebratory Light』. As you are unfamiliar with ESP powers, I will give the abbreviated explanation that she is a『very lucky』female warrior.」
That’s an incredibly abridged explanation! I’d like a bit better explanation of her tendencies and tactics.
Seeing my expression, Jeanne said–
「Luck is the oldest area of magical study… More recently, the continuing study has become one of the most important. However, it is also one of the most dangerous.」
「Dangerous?」
「The nature of luck is balance. What I mean is that luck is made up of『good things and bad things happening』. All of Meiya’s Catholic Church sacred arts are tied to the improvement her luck in combat, but because of that, somewhere else her luck must worsen.」
Hmmm. I think I kind of understand….
If she wants to increase her luck in a fight, in exchange, her luck in something else will decrease.
That definitely could be dangerous. A battle is not simply all about fighting.
「What I mean is that neither good luck nor bad are absolutes. Luck is a probability. Even if you could raise your good luck to 99%, you would still experience 1% bad luck. The converse is also true.」
I see.
I wonder how Meiya manages such a thing?
However, I wouldn’t understand anything else I heard about magic,
「Do you know where Katze and her allies are? Have you found Regiment Hex’s secret base?」
I switched topics from our ally to the enemy that had slipped into Hong Kong.
「We have discovered a few locations, but they were each temporary bases. What DEEN is searching for now is Regiment Hex’s『Armoury』– their weapons depot.」
「Armoury…? What kinds of weapons do they have?」
「Guns, of course; tanks and cruise missiles are likely.」
「If they have such things, shouldn’t finding them be easy?」
「Even so, we haven’t been able to locate them. They are undoubtedly concealed in an unconventional location.」
Unconventional location…? Like the ocean? Something like I.U.
But there can’t be a huge U-boat.
「The trouble with Katze and her allies is that while calling themselves Regiment Hex, they do not solely rely upon magic.. They are also quite skilled with modern weapons. If we could discover and assault their armoury, the European front would become considerably simpler to manage.」
From what I know… magic is considerably unreliable. So, it appears they have avoided relying on it and struck a balance of『Magic』+『Weapons』.
On the other side, from what I have heard, it seems that the Vatican relies completely on magic. From what I’ve learned about Liberty Mason by observing Watson, it seems that they lean toward covert use of conventional weapons.
… That’s the reason why the European front has been such an entrenched battle. It seems that they have burnt their fingers, when it comes to Regiment Hex.
*************************************************************
After Jeanne forced the manager who had refused payment to accept her money…
We both exited onto the side street off of Champs-Élysées that had become cold enough for water to freeze and began talking.
「According to Liberty Mason’s intelligence, Katze is currently in Paris. She typically is headquartered in Strasbourg, but she doesn’t appear to be in Paris for any strategic reason…」
「No strategic reason? What could it be? But– if we happened to come across her while she is alone, we might have the opportunity to arrest her.」
「Paris is vast. We have almost no chance of locating her, even with all the power of surveillance available to Liberty Mason. With all that, they could not locate her. However, if we do come across her, we should strike swiftly.」
Liberty Mason is a famous secret society with members all over Europe. I’ve known that name for a long time.
In order to become a member, you have to come from a good family with assets or have some kind of special skills, and in that respect, they differ from Rampan– but there were still a lot of them. If you could leverage that power, you could use it to do all kinds of things in Europe.
As our breaths puffed white, we fell silent for a moment and we turned onto another side street…
「… Huh? Where does this street go? We aren’t going straight home?」
I asked Jeanne as I began to walk in the opposite direction.
Then Jeanne twined her arm in mine once more and squeezed.
「Tonight has been somewhat enjoyable. Let’s walk a bit longer, Tohyama.」
When she spoke of tactical matters, Jeanne had adopted a calm manner, but now her expression softened suddenly into one of girlish enjoyment.
… I wonder if it might be the effect of the wine? But I don’t think she drank that much.
So, as she suggested, we walked down the side street until it joined the main street–
「…!」
— It was a triumphal arch.
The Arc de Triomphe, built to commemorate the victories of Napoléon Bonaparte… I could see the famous Parisian landmark.
50 metres high and well-lit, the gate’s milky white surface glittered, giving off a grand majestic image.
「All streets lead toward the arch, Tohyama.」
Seeing my amazement, Jeanne commented, looking happy once more.
Then rearranging her muffler,
「Let’s do that, Tohyama.」
She pointed at a small 12 metre diameter pond down a street that circled the triumphal arch.
It seems that they used part of the wide street to make a small skating rink.
Simply mark off the perimeter, fill it with water, and the cold of winter will freeze it solid.
Safety was likely a concern, but that didn’t seem to bother the children who slid along happily.
Adults and tourists hesitated, content merely to watch… I accompanied Jeanne, and she played a few Euros to the Onee-san in charge.
「O-oi!.」
「This rink is only open at night. Let’s skate!」
Narrowing her eyes in girlish pleasure, Jeanne smiled carrying skates in her hands.
Changing her shoes, she pushed out onto the ice rink…
「…Ach!」
It had been a while since I had skated, so I was a bit unsteady.
「Ha!」
Jeanne stepped through the entrance to the rink and took my hand to steady me. Our breaths turning white, Jeanne and I skated among the cute kids of Paris– skating around the edge of the rink, and sometimes in an S shape. Several times we linked hands to avoid falling.
… It was actually a lot of fun.
When I had to stop suddenly to avoid bumping into a child, a natural smile formed on my face.
「That was close.」
「Fufu!」
Jeanne and I exchanged smiles–
Then she skated up to a short distance away from me and she spun.
She executed a graceful turn, the tip of one skate slightly piercing the surface of the ice. Then after her professional ice skater performance, she spun, made a graceful movement with her hand, and bowed–
Her hand, raised into the starry sky, gestured toward the arch.
「Bienvenue en France.」
The Diamond Dust Witch on a skating rink.
Just like one of those Parisian statues. Jeanne was like a beautiful angel.
Then as if Jeanne had wanted to deck the scene in diamond dust– snow began to fall upon Paris.
Ha! It was just the cold. It might even accumulate tomorrow.
********************************************************
Returning to Jeanne’s room in the light snow, I borrowed her partitioned bathroom before heading to bed.
There was curtain that could be draw across the tub and the water fell from above for a hot shower…
But… how are you supposed to soak in the tub?
As hot water filled the tub, I crossed my arms.
This tub is longer than those in the Butei High units, but also shallower. The water only reached knee height. I don’t want to be cold after turning off the hot water, but… how am I supposed to do that…?
I stepped into the coffin-like tub and laid myself out to submerge myself in the water.
I wanted to submerge myself up to the shoulders, but by doing that my knees could not help but stuck out above the surface.
Is that intentional? If you don’t do that, you can’t get in. This bathtub is a mystery.
「…」
But… even so, the sense of security gained from the hot water made me begin to nod off…
…*Click!*…
「–Tohyama. Where did you go?」
Jeanne’s voice…!
My eyes widened, despite the fact that I was going to fall asleep.
Rather, it seemed that Jeanne was in the bathroom! From the other side of curtain, I couldn’t see.
Perhaps unable to see my silhouette on the curtain, Jeanne– *Fwish!*
「…!」
She opened the curtain!
Although this time it was Jeanne, it was usually Shirayuki–
It had been 8 months since this kind of reversed gender situation had happened!
Although I was a man and had been seen naked, I did not raise my voice to scream… Flustered, I shifted my upper body to hide the important bits.
On the other side, Jeanne, did not respond like Shirayuki–
「Fufu!」
With a giggle, she smiled. She seemed amused at seeing my panic.
「Wh…what? Don’t laugh. When Japanese people take a bath, they lie in the tub.」
「In France we have an old saying. Soaking in hot water shortens your life.」
「The Japanese have the greatest life expectancy. Rather, close the curtain!」
Turning red, I panickingly ordered because my hands were unusable for a certain reason…
「It is necessary to be naked in a bathroom. It is nothing to be ashamed of.」
G-get out of here! That’s Western logic. But trying to make that point here is illogical!
「– It’s still embarrassing!」
In desperation, without attempting to conceal anything, I closed the curtain.
*******************************************************
Afterwards, Jeanne walked out of the bathroom and back into the room recklessly wearing a thin set of underwear. It seems that she has no reservations about being seen naked after bathing.
I weathered the shock of being able to see through the ultra-thin lace by shear effort and a steel will–
Regardless… all I want to do now is go to sleep.
Good grief, Jeanne! Don’t you know if I hysterise, then you’ll be the one in trouble…?
Well, Jeanne’s room seems designed for single occupancy.
I suspected, but this was the first time I checked with my eyes… there is only one bed.
So, I will sleep on the floor. The sofa in the living room is too small to sleep on.
I carefully peeked into the bedroom to check, and Jeanne was already in her pyjamas…
「Well then, goodnight. It’s been a long day, literally. I’ll sleep on the floor.」
I said…
Jeanne undid her long silver hair.
「?」
Lying on her stomach, she closed the music box she had open and looked back at me quizzically.
「You won’t get any rest that way, Tohyama. Sleep in the bed.」
「But there’s only one. What will you do?」
「I’ll sleep here too. We can both sleep in it.」
Jeanne… You… Do you understand what you’re saying? We aren’t little kids. Do you really mean to suggest that a man and woman sleep in the same bed?
As I wondered that… Jeanne tapped the cream coloured bed…
It did look awfully soft, and comfortable to sleep in.
Well… Jeanne is an airhead, so maybe she doesn’t understand the significance of a man and woman sleeping together in the same bed.
If that’s the case, then this is totally unlike the time Riko sneaked into the dormitory bunk beds.
After all, it would allow me to sleep above the floor where dirty shoes have been worn…
Exhausted, I didn’t say another word–
I compromised and sat on the bed. Wow! I was really soft like a cloud.
With a *Click!* Jeanne turned off the light besides the bed, and I laid on my side, putting my back to Jeanne… *Whoomf!* As I expected, it smelled like Jeanne. It was a good scent, but the fact that it was clearly feminine was troubling.
But since I’m tired, there’s nothing that can stop me going to sleep.
Then as I pulled up the blanket…*Rustle!*,*Rustle!*…
「…」
Jeanne shifted behind me for some reason. Almost like she was sitting up.
With a rustle of sheets, I heard the blankets move– but it was fine. In my tired state, I didn’t give it another thought.
And after falling asleep, I turned my back to Jeanne would lay again.
Goodnight, Jeanne.
…
……
… Rest well…
Then I felt something incredibly softer than the bed– the sensation of her breast pushed up against my back. Jeanne was hugging me from behind!
「Oi, Jeanne!」
Confused, I grabbed for Jeanne’s arm and felt bare skin. What about the pyjamas you were wearing?
Did you just take them off?
I tried to sit up, but because Jeanne was clinging to me, I couldn’t.
Reaching behind me, I felt a smooth depression. This is Jeanne’s waist.
She is wearing lace underwear–
「Why aren’t you wearing anything!」
「I’m wearing Chanel No. 19.」
I don’t care if you’re wearing perfume!
Since I was in a back-mounting position, I tried to apply practical martial arts theory to grab her wrist to remove her arms– but she anticipated that. Jeanne used her gentle, slightly cold fingers and grasped the palms of my hands. Almost playfully, she intertwined our fingers in the dark…
Covering the back of my hand with her palm, Jeanne held my hand in this strange manner–
「Fufu!」
–She laughed an adult-like laugh into my collar.
She acted like an older girl that had cornered a younger boy– irritating me–
I tried to break free with sheer strength, but her vast knowledge of fencing raised her grappling skills quite high.
Then, using her advantage she twisted her arm and shoulder to roll me over.
The I– ended up in the middle of the bed on my back.
Jeanne’s posture was like that of a knight riding a warhorse as she straddled me. But as the horse, I was face up.
**********************************************
**********************************************
In the moonlight coming from the window, Jeanne’s silver hair and lily-white skin stood out, shining mysteriously.
Her pale white skin showed through the delicately thin lace underwear.
Decorated with silver thread, both her white breasts glittered. Not too big and not too small, they formed perfect hemispheres. With a narrow waist, she could boast of a perfect figure with a small, cute bellybutton a bit higher. She was slender without seeming delicate, and her limbs were like an antelope’s.
And right now, I am the closest person in the world to all of them.
It seems that has happened until now was part of Jeanne’s plan… and the eyes that looked down at me said『You understand』even as I thought『I don’t understand at all』.
*Thump!* *Thump!* — My heart wouldn’t stop pounding–
I was happening. Because of this beautiful woman.
The blood flowing to my core boiled hot like the Sun.
The European debut of Hysteria Mode.
「– Are you frightened, Tohyama?」
Jeanne whispered as she touched a cool hand to my chest.
「..Relax. I am frightened as well. This is my first time with a man like this. However… I have heard it rumoured that you are quite experienced. So, I will leave the rest to you.」
My Hysteria Mode fuelled brain– made a sudden realisation–
I finally understood what Jeanne was thinking…
And it was a mistake.
I stretched a hand up and ran my fingers through her silver hair.
Then… I cradled her well-shaped ear. It had become hot.
I had to check. Jeanne, you are very brave. However–
「Please explain.」
「We are a man and woman. What explanation is necessary?」
The two of us going a date in this gorgeous town, sharing a romantic meal, then coming back and pressing our bodies together under one roof… Everything had been part of Jeanne’s plan to lead up to this intimate moment. Even to the extent of me raising my hand.
But…
Jeanne, you don’t really want this, do you?
This affection for me doesn’t reach all the way to the top.
Jeanne is a member of Constellation–a member of the survivors of I.U. She’s not a member of Baskerville.
Until now, there has been a firm line separating our respective positions.
But now–
Due to her own mistake, I’ve been shipped off to the front lines in her home country.
I believe this has to be an apology.
Jeanne has a strong sense of personal responsibility, and she created this weakness so…
「… You’re trying to make up for things, aren’t you? That’s what this is about.」
「That is correct. I couldn’t say it, but DEEN holds an inferior position in Europe We are fighting a rear-guard action. This time, the chances that you and I will die are quite high. I drew you into this hopeless situation, so I have to make up for it.」
The situation was a Jeanne had said. I tried not to think about it, but we really were surrounded on all sides.
This night may be the last night the two of us are alive.
「…I understand. Then there is something I want to ask you to do as well.」
I said, and Jeanne nodded in response–
Without a word, she draped her body over mine.
It was an adult action.
I made a small, bitter smile… and pulled her back and head close.
「I only want one thing, Jeanne. Don’t pretend to be strong.」
At those words–
Jeanne raised her head slightly, and she peeked up at my face as we were so close our noses brushed each other. Her beautiful ice blue eyes were like pools where diamond dust spirits lived.
「No, there’s one more thing. It’s not good for a girl to be so cold.」
Saying that, I pulled up the down coverlet that had slipped off to cover us both.
Jeanne was an awfully proud girl.
She might have wanted to appear to be in earnest, but she was actually only pretending.
In reality, she was pretty easy to understand and a bit airheaded… but at the heart of it, she was just a girl.
And this girl– as a descendant of knights, lives in an underworld awash in blood.
That… must be something that is hard to bear. No matter how you spend your life.
「Jeanne. If you become tired of carrying that burned… don’t hesitate, you can share it with me.」
This time, I drew Jeanne’s ear close to my mouth and whispered…
Jeanne’s blue eyes misted slightly as they fixed themselves on me.
For the first time, those eyes reflected Jeanne’ own weakness. The real Jeanne–
「–『It is a man’s duty and honour to carry a woman’s bag』isn’t it?」
As I repeated her own words back to her, Jeanne said…
「..Toh…yama…」
Those blue eyes, now red, shed drops of tears.
Tears running down her face, Jeanne lowered her head…and pressing her head into my chest– she wept softly.
Somehow, that was a relief.
「…Tohyama. I have a request.」
「A request?」
「You had two for me!」
Jeanne said in a somewhat spoiled manner as she tightened her embrace slightly.
Then averting her eyes–
「… There is something that I have wanted to be called. Even when I was a little girl, I was never treated as a woman.」
「What do you want to be called?」
「『Young lady』…」3
–Oh.
I’m sorry Jeanne.
You are more mysterious than anyone I know, and I failed to pick up on the fact–
I missed it even though I am in Hysteria Mode.
You must have carried this desire within you for the last 8 months.
「I will remember.」
「Do not look down on me. I have an excellent memory.」
「Ha ha!『You really are an amazingly intelligent young lady.』」
「…!」
I spoke the same words I had used when we had fought in the underground storage area last May.
Hearing them, Jeanne started… and clutched her hands to her chest in delight.
Back then, I had thought that Jeanne was embarrassed… but she was actually happy. In the middle of a battle, this strong-willed woman had been treated like a young lady.
This girl really is a young lady.
You said something similar some time ago, but a man doesn’t need a reason to fight to protect a woman.
I am here, and you shouldn’t feel responsible.
And so, without anything left to talk about–
We fell into a peaceful asleep, still holding on to each other.
…*Chirp!* *Chirp!*…
In Paris, awaking to the sound of sparrow song…
Jeanne was not in the bed.
In the aftermath of Hysteria Mode, my head was clear–
Last night, I was able to side-step Jeanne, but I also remember a bunch of embarrassing things I said. I want to die.
Ugh! I hate myself.『 It’s not good for a girl to be so cold』Such stupidity! The girls of Baskerville should never get a hold of any evidence of what happened.
In a gloomy mood, I changed clothes and entered the living room…
Jeanne stood at the window in the morning sun– *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
Like a dance, Jeanne swung the legendary blade Durandal.
It’s not combat practice, but rather a『sword dance』, but an exercise to the refresh the feeling of weight and length of the blade as part of a fully-fledged knight’s training. In Japanese swordsmanship, it is like a kata, daily training that not even a master would neglect. Although I rarely do so myself.
「Good Morning, Tohyama.」
Jeanne turned to face me, wearing a white blouse and green checked skirt– these normal clothes look a bit like a Japanese high school girls’ uniform.
I haven’t seen her in anything besides a Butei High sailor suit and waitress cosplay, so this is new. These must be what Jeanne usually wears. Even the way Jeanne has put up her hair is a bit different and cute.
「Have you been training all morning? You must be tired.」
「I enjoy training」
We tried to speak with each other as if the events of last night hadn’t occurred…
「…」
「…」
Ah… this is no good. Things between us are awkward and difficult.
This awkwardness is confirmation that we both distinctly recall the events of last night and are embarrassed.
Bringing it up again would be rude. That dangerous sequence of events must not be repeated.
I want last night to be quickly forgotten and for things to return to normal.
Sensing my desire, Jeanne stopped twirling her sword and returned it to its sheath–
「–The sword is the pride of a knight. I wonder if it is the same for a samurai’s katana?」
She tried to reconnect us with a neutral topic.
「It is. A katana is a warrior’s soul… or so they say.」
My words failed halfway through as I remembered what my『Contradiction』had done to the scramasax. My life is full of things I’d rather forget.
When I went into the bathroom to wash my face, in the clothes dryer… Jeanne’s pyjamas and mine were entwined. I was thankful that I had done the washing, but it was a bit embarrassing.
「Have some breakfast. I bought all kinds of things at the market.」
Jeanne said, peeking her head slightly into the bathroom and smiling.
「Sorry, I’ll eat.」
In an uncomfortable, newlywed-like atmosphere, Jeanne and I sat together at the table… *Munch!* *Munch!*
Jeanne cut a baguette with a bread knife.
「Do not worry. Baguette is cheap. By law, it cannot exceed a fixed price. It is so that the poor will not starve.」
「Huh. Kind of like a French version of welfare?」
We carried on this conversation as I ate a lettuce and meat paste sandwich and drank hot coffee to wake up.
With coffee in hand, the two of us headed out onto the cold balcony… no more snow had fallen, and last night’s snow had accumulated.
「Tohyama, you are kind.」
–Jeanne said, giving me a wry smile.
It seems that my desire didn’t make it through to her. She’s bringing up last night.
「… Not really. It was a tricky spot.」
「I don’t know what will happen tonight. But I am resolved to it.」
Because it seemed that she was going to launch into a full review, I wanted to change the topic somehow–
I desperately looked around for something else to bring up.
And because Jeanne’s grey hair was sparkling like silver, I said…
「Your hair. Is pretty.」
I said as I looked at her. I planned to cleverly segue to discuss shampoo, but Jeanne *Snatch!* She grabbed a hold of her own hair in her hand…??? Huh??
… What? Why are you blushing? With your white skin, it’s easy to tell.
「Why did you compliment me at such an odd time? You seem considerably skilled at this. You must be a natural born Lothario.」
「W-why do you say that? I just said what I thought about what I saw.」
「That… is what I mean!」
Setting the coffee cup down on the bronze table, Jeanne gathered a bit of the snow accumulated on the handrail… *Crunch!*
With a mischievous smile she hit me with a snowball.
「You’re… cold!」
I gathered up snow from the table, and with flick of my wrist, threw the mini-snowball I made.
*Dodge!* Jeanne avoided it.
「Ha-ha!」
I saw that the second projectile she had made was already on its way toward my head.
Ouch! It’s hard! You’re using your ESP power!
Then Jeanne and I… had a small snowball fight on the balcony.
Actually, we had a real snowball fight. I was up against the Diamond Dust Witch, alone. What was I thinking?
But… it was fun. Jeanne had fun. Surprisingly, she did not seem to tire of it. This display of innocence so different from her usually composed self was interesting.
Even her natural air-headedness– seemed to have fallen away. This was the first time we really spent time together.
**************************************************
That night, after 7 o’clock…
「– I’ve been in contact with Meiya. She wants us to come meet her at the Palais Garnier.」
Jeanne announced as she took an indigo dress out of the closet.
「Garnier… an opera house?」
I said while looking at my mobile.
「Opera house is the common name for the opera. Palais Garnier is different. You should change.」
Jeanne passed me a white tuxedo in a vinyl garment bag.
「A tuxedo…?」
「No, it is a smoking jacket.」
Jeanne pointed out my mistake but…
Why do you have these clothes?
When I put it on in the living room, it was a bit large.
There was something that bothered me a little, though. With its size, Jeanne couldn’t have used it to disguise herself as a man.
They’re probably someone else’s clothes…
I spared a glance toward the bedroom– Jeanne was there carefully applying makeup before going to the Palais
Jeanne was now putting on earrings.
It seems rather rude to bring up something so trivial, but I’ve been given a hand-me-down tuxedo to wear…
Regardless, these are good clothes. Even someone as ignorant of fashion as me can tell that.
I never thought that I’d be caught wearing a black tuxedo, but–this one is white.
It looks good. I don’t know anything about girl’s clothes, but these are some good-looking guys clothes,
Wearing a tight dress, Jeanne said,
「I bought this in the antique gallery below. It is for you.」
She tossed me a plain white mask that hides everything above the nose.
It looks like something the mysterious Phantom lurking in the theatre in the『The Phantom of the Opera』would wear.
「Do I really have to wear something like this?」
「Yes. It is a masquerade ball.」
After finishing changing and putting on makeup, Jeanne entered the living room– she was like an elegant cover model straight from an adult fashion magazine, and different from Aria’s cover appearance.
No matter what she wears, a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, but the style and arrangement of her clothes are flawless.
「Riko kindly gave this to me. So… how does it look?」
Jeanne wore a large cat face mask covering her eyes, along with the cat ears that Riko had given her when we left Japan.
She was cat-Jeanne, or『Meow-nne 』(as Riko would say.)
While straightening my necktie, Jeanne said,
「Like us, Meow-a might have a tail as meow-ll. The meow-squerade ball is a good to throw them meow-ll off at meow-nce.」
「Right… uhh…」
「Hiding meow-r face, meeting up with your allies while eluding meow-r enemies, then slipping away in a car. We meow-ll use this Cold War spy technique at the medieval French meow-masquerade ball.」
「Uh, I understand why we’re using a masquerade ball. But why are you talking like a cat?」
「Do you not wish me to? I thought you would enjoy it.」
Slightly peeved, Cat-Jeanne hit my chest lightly…
Putting on my mask, I had to confess that I did just a bit.
I understand. This masquerade ball is like a cosplay event… meant to allow people to meet while hiding their identity. I’ve learned something new.
*************************************************************
The opera house–
It was even more fantastic than the triumphal arch we passed yesterday and a veritable chalk white palace.
It was in a neo-baroque style… and it looked like it was a huge decorated cake.
On the roof were golden statues of the godly patrons of Art, and the outer wall were crowded with carvings. It was hard to find a place that wasn’t decorated. France lacks wabi-sabi culture.4
Using her connections at the hotel from yesterday, Jeanne called a limousine, and we both stepped out–
We entered the palace entrance through a small iron side door in the that looked a bit like a secret entrance.
The place was usually a tourist trap, but today it was reserved for the masquerade ball.
The furniture inside was antique, and the space was dim and cramped…
… this all seems suspicious.
Everyone inside was dressed in elegant clothing, and a mysterious mood wafted from the droves of people milling about.
Everyone is wearing a mask, so I am a bit wary of them. Well, Jeanne and I are as well…
Although it was called a ball, there wasn’t any dancing. Rather, it seems like a place to meet and talk in secret.
There were women there is conspicuously elaborate dresses who moved like performers. A woman was talking pleasantly with an athlete that she could not freely meet in public, and it appeared to be a lover’s tryst.
A sunburnt man who could not entirely rid himself of the scent of gunpowder was probably an Italian Mafioso from Corsica. He was probably here for some kind of drug deal.
As for everyone else… there was an IT business professional, a politician, a soldier, a female entertainer… They were all here.
This place seems to have a very unstratified atmosphere.
These people are carrying on all kinds of shady underground business.
In Japan, it would be a high-class traditional restaurant and a meeting of high-level executives– here is just a lot more people. French society seems to be flexible enough to tolerate this to a certain degree.
Thinking about that, this masquerade ball sees like a place where anyone can be reasonably comfortable.
「–Meow.」
I heard Jeanne make a cat noise…
She showed me a stuffed horse toy.
「What’s that?」
「A cat with a horse is an amusing sign. Meiya will be a dog with a cow.」
「I don’t think that it’s very funny…. , but what you’re saying is we have to find『the girl wearing a dog mask and carrying a cow plush』?」
「Let us split up for a bit to look around. There are more people here than expected. We will rendezvous again in 5 minutes.」
Saying that, Jeanne set off into the small, bustling round hall while wearing the high heels she expressed dislike for.
Alright then… I suppose I’ll head toward the next floor. I headed up the fancy staircase–
Light shone from a crystal chandelier the size of a compact car onto the extremely beautiful pure white marble grand staircase.
It was amazing! The building was shaped like a five-level horseshoe. Such scenes are not limited to fairy tale books. From the stairs that had become a place to converse, I looked out in amazement–
「Oh, Pardon!」
As I stood in the crowded place, a drunken scholarly looking person bumped into me.
Then the masked man… *Clink!* I heard something strike on object my breast pocket.
「–?」
Something metal was in my tuxedo breast pocket. It was probably in there from before Jeanne had given it to me.
From being a Butei, I’ve picked up the habit of checking for explosives… so I took it out… it was a silver-plated pendant. The kind that has pictures inside.
「…」
It’s probably something the last person who wore it left behind.
Thinking that as a climbed the grand white marble staircase… I tried to open it.
Inside, there was a time picture of what appeared to be a picture of a 14 year-old Jeanne from before her time at I.U– with 3 older white males, and she was riding double with one of them on a white horse.
In this picture…the two of them look happy. Sincerely happy.
Then man in the picture had good looks that would put an actor to shame.
… Perhaps an old lover?
I can’t tell, but I get that impression.
Such a tasteless action…
Due to the nature of the work, Butei are private people. However, we have the ability to pry into someone’s past. In an actual investigation there are no shortage of things to pry into, and I know how unpleasant such a thing is to the subject.
So, especially when it comes to fellow Butei– unless they are hostile, there’s a rule that their past is a private affair that will not be investigated.
What’s more, this involves a member of the opposite sex.
Speaking of myself, I know how delicate an issue it can be.
So… why am I doing this?
Was I caught up in the suspicious mood on the masquerade?
So, I’ll pretend not to have seen it. I won’t tell anyone about it. Even Jeanne.
「…」
But even so…
Something weighed on my chest.
Just like that, the comfortable mood of the masquerade ball was lost.
When I got to the top of the stairs, there was an antique carpet laid out in the hall…
As I searched for Meiya under the masks, my eyes halted at the sight of something.
The bar.There, many different colours of alcohol were being poured into separate glasses.
Alcohol., huh…?
I had a bad experience in Hong Kong, but I wonder if I should have a little. It’s free, after all.
The colourful cocktails sparked under the chandelier light. Just the sight of it was pleasant and having a drink might raise my spirits. Besides, France is country where it’s OK to drink after you’re 16.
And as I approached–
The current bartender was producing red, blue, and yellow cocktails in bulk, and using both hands… *Grab!*
*Slup!* *Clack* *Slup!* *Slup!* *Clack!* Clack!*
A woman had just taken 5, no 10, drinks in rapid succession.
Wh-who is this woman? She’s putting down alcohol like Wanko soba.5
People had gathered and were chattering about this person’s drinking ability.
But… from beneath her dress there was a dog’s tail…
And as I leaned over to see if she had a horse plush…
「Haaa! Delicious!」
*Brrrm!*
Turning towards the onlookers, she showed off her breasts that were the size of small melons–*Ba-dong!* Immediately, they captured my attention.
「…!」
Bouncing with such vigour as I had only dreamed of, I fell back to sit on floor.
「…Hmm? Oh… now what do we have here? Tooyama-san! It’s been a long time!」
I squinted, looking past the dog mask that covered everything above her nose…
Clutching a cow plush toy to her udder-like bosom, it was Meiya.
Meiya Romano. The 18 year-old half Japanese, half Italian.
An exorcist from Vatican City, part of Rome Butei High Canossa– what would be considered an S-Rank fifth-year student in Tokyo Butei High. Formerly one of Kana’s juniors.
Gentle in appearance, this fighting Onee-san had been the first to announce that she would join DEEN at Bandire.
Since then, she has led the fight against Regiment Hex and held her own, previously proving her prowess by fighting Hilda and cutting off her head.
According to Jeanne, she apparently has the ability to affect the fortunes of war.
「I have been troubled by all kinds of thoughts… But I thought, if only you could come, and now you are actually here. Oh, thank God!」
Absent mindedly, Meiya crossed herself.
Well, at the very least. now that I’m here, that’s one more thing in our favour. At least I’ve managed to rendezvous with allies.
Her blond hair waving freely, dog-Meiya gave me a hand and pulled me to my feet.
「It has been a while, hasn’t it?」
Because she was, more or less, my senior, I answered respectfully…
「What’s this? Such formality. Please, just talk to me like a normal friend.」
Meiya said, narrowing her eyes as her long lashed stuck out from behind the mask.
「O-oh… alright.」
However…
Meiya’s blood vessels stood out from her white skin. Her shoulders were bare, and her large breasts stood out in her dress. Below her waist, her buttocks stuck out prominently.
She is very sexy. Despite the fact that she is part of the church.
「Tooyama-san, you took down Rampan last month. You are one of Japan’s mighty samurai. Now that you are here, it will surely breathe new life into the European front. Now then… let’s do our best to exterminate the few pests from GRENEDA!」
Meiya pumped her hands in a Japanese ‘heave-ho’ gesture, and… *Thunk!’
From somewhere behind her, she pulled out a huge sword and it fell to the floor.
Thankfully she left it in its sheath. It would be a problem if it damaged the expensive carpet.
As for the sword… we’re okay. Everyone around us thinks it’s a cosplay prop and is laughing.
That is just like you… treating your human enemies like insects…
Is that really okay? She is certainly my ally, after all.
Then I realised. She had been drinking alcohol, and that meant she was charged with magical power.
Jeanne and I formed a hastily constructed team and adding someone else to increase our fighting strength–surely wasn’t a bad idea at all.
I tried to pick up the sword off the floor, but… What is this sword? It’s super heavy.
It’s a lot heavier than it looks. Is it made of depleted uranium or something?
Holding the sword, I staggered under the weight… trying to hand it back to Meiya…
–*Clang!* *Trip!*…
As I tried to pick it up Meiya… stooped down…!
Then I found myself unable to breath, my nose–not being covered by the mask– ended up buried in Meiya’s breasts that would put a Holstein cow to shame. What do I do now!?
「Oh my…!」
Meiya clapped both hands to her cheeks, looking delighted for some reason…
it was what Riko would call a serendipitously naughty situation.
Is this due to Meiya’s effect on good luck? No, it can’t be. Something like this has the danger of setting off my Hysteria Mode. This is the pinnacle of unluckiness…! Did she just bring me bad luck!?
Feeling entertained, the French people around us began whistling and catcalling.
In the middle of the uproar– *Clonk!* *Clonk!* *Clonk!*
「Tohyama! People are watching, what are you doing? … Meiya? Is that you?」
It appears that when I didn’t show up after five minutes, Jeanne started looking for me in her high heels, mask, and cat ears. It looks like she used her cat ears sound collector to do it.
「Yes. Is that your voice, Jeanne? I’m so glad we found each other.」
「Were you attacked by Tohyama?」
「About that… He suddenly hurled himself at my chest, and I just didn’t know what to do…」
While rearranging the front of her dress and feigning ignorance, Meiya didn’t exactly deny it.
「Th-that’s not it! Her sword–」
I began to explain, but already Jeanne had her arms crossed and was not listening…
「This man has the bad habit of suddenly assaulting women on occasions. Back in Tokyo while we were doing surveillance work, he suddenly assaulted me. This was when I was still weak from the wounds I suffered from Hilda.」
I-I remember that, Jeanne…
If I’m not wrong, that was when Watson kidnapped Aria and Nakasorachi was conducting audio surveillance–
I was in Hysteria Mode Berserk and treated Jeanne roughly.
「So he does this to everyone? I’ve always had this idea…!」
For some reason, Meiya’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
What kind of ideas did you get from Jeanne’s explanation?
However, thanks to Jeanne’s interruption, my blood flow levels fell below the level required for hysterising–
Then Jeanne took a few steps.
Heel clicking, she went to lean on the bar and ordered a dry martini.
Underneath her mask, the corners of her mouth were turned down into a perfect frown. She seemed angry.
And… I get the feeling that she’s angry about something besides my mistake in not meeting back up with her.
She took the cocktail in her hand and gulped it down in agitation.
「O-oi, Jeanne. Let me explain. What happened just now was a complete accident. To be honest, I don’t know what you’re mad about. It’s strange for a Butei to drink.」
「… I am not angry.」
「Yes you are! Something’s come between us–」
「It is nothing.」
Cat-Jeanne avoided the topic, denying the truth.
Then, with glinting ice blue eyes, she looked at her own and Meiya’s chest.
Then turning back at me– *Boosh!*
She threw the horse plush at me.
Gasping, the onlooking French people made sounds of amusement. Almost as if they were watching an opera.
It appears that they understand what is going on, while I, one of the involved parties, do not understand. What is this?
Will someone explain it to me? Why is Jeanne mad? If possible, can you do so in Japanese?
「Wh-what is going on? What are you…」
「Look into your heart. No. In your case, asking is pointless. By the way, Tohyama. The best way to train a horse– is with a whip.」
From somewhere within her dress, she pulled out a whip that she was carrying for some reason…!
「In the West, in some countries we use a whip to punish children.」
Another display of European culture. Aria employs the Japanese method of striking with fists!
「… I will have you reflect upon each girl you have defrauded and use paint to reinforce the punishment of your misdeeds. Tohyama. You have insulted, both myself and Meiya. An insult must be answered according the rules of chivalry.」
With a *Snap!* *Snap!*, Jeanne snapped the short whip as she said this incomprehensible statement– It looked like a real whip.
The spectators buzzed in excitement at the scene out of an S&M show, but I pushed them aside–
Of The 36 Stratagems, none can match retreat!6
I dashed away as fast as I could! And I still don’t know why she is angry.
But there was a *Clack* *Clack* *Clack*
Jeanne chased after me in her heels. Perhaps she was using the cat ear sound collector to track the sound of my footsteps.
「.Tooyama-sa~n! Jeanne-sa~n! You two give it your best!」
Waving that damned heavy sword in one hand, Meiya. called out in encouragement. You really are an absurd person! I knew it!
*************************************************************
I wondered if I could run out to large balcony and jump into the Seine– but below, there was only stone pavement. There was only one door leading back inside the palace. It was a dead-end.
Catching up to me Jeanne,
「–Hmph!」
She wielded the whip in earnest, and I used my slightly hysterical reflexes to dodge it.
It missed by a paper’s thin margin, and the tip slipped into the handkerchief pocket on my chest— then flew back between the palace’s white pillars.
Then it pulled the photograph pendant out– and it clattered to the ground.
It rolled across the ground and came to rest by Jeanne’s feet.
「–!」
And her hand froze.
For a moment, an expression of curiosity overtook her face… then Jeanne picked it up… then, holding it in her hands, crossed her arms and clutched it to herself.
「Was that it, Tohyama?」
「…?」
Huh? For some reason, her voice sound like her mood had improved slightly.
「Men are simple creatures to understand. You threw yourself at Meiya out of jealousy.」
I definitely didn’t do that, but…
The tiger Jeanne has become a cat once more, so I’ll go along with that story.
If I bring up the photograph pendant from the tuxedo’s pocket… it looks like I might be able to get through this.
「… Did you, live with this man?」
I broke the Butei taboo… but it seemed like she had good memories of falling in love, and they calmed her down.
「You will never meet him. He is my older brother, Pierre.」
With a *Click!*, Jeanne opened the pendant–
「My mother divorced and remarried twice, so we have different fathers.」
… That additional qualification… didn’t make her meaning very clear.
Because I didn’t have anything to say to that, I gestured toward the balcony.
Jeanne wanted to explain things, and she came to stand calmly beside me.
「My family is exclusively matrilineal. And so, after my older brother came of age… he was disowned despise this custom of separating family!」
… So that’s it. They must have been close. Jeanne’s older brother was handsome.
「Is Pierre-san… your older brother, doing well? Do the two of you talk?」
I have a younger brother and sister from a different mother– so I asked out of sympathy.
「Yes. Pierre married a Swiss man who is an art dealer in the Netherlands. They are living happily in Cannes. He is an avant-garde painter and quite successful.」
Jeanne grinned and laughed as she spoke about her brother.
I see. That’s good.
She must have thought I was jealous of the money he’s gained from his creative occupation.
………
That’s no good though! I tried to ignore the second half of what she said after hearing the first. Should you really be sharing such important information about your brother!? I don’t think so.
We’re overseas. So Japanese logic doesn’t always apply.
I learned this in Hong Kong, so I couldn’t act surprised.
Well… Jeanne is unusually popular with the girls… perhaps she takes after her brother. Perhaps even, if her atrocious drawings were shown in the right venue, she’d be hailed as an artistic genius?
Surprisingly… Jeanne and I had quite a bit in common.
Although knight and warriors are different, they both inherit the responsibility to fight for justice and honour.
Siblings can be difficult.
Especially if they are of a different gender, race, nationality, or appearance–
We both carry a similar fate. Jeanne and I.
Because that is the case… I want to help her even more on this European front.
Not out of pity, but rather camaraderie.
*******************************************************
1. In France, the ‘first floor’ is the floor above ground level. The ground level floor is called the ‘rez-de-chaussee’ and is seen as an entryway, and not counted in the count of floors.
2. There appears to be another amalgamation of Japanese and German culture. The reading of the kanji here would be romanised as ‘I’, so this is I.U., I’m pretty sure. Also, the Kanji is used in the name of Italy.
3. Original word if ‘Ojou-san’. Closest meaning I can come up with is ‘respectable, well-bred young woman’. It is a bit pretentious to use in casual conversation and is often used sarcastically as a derogatory term, but it fits Jeanne’s personality well.
4. Wabi-sabi
5. Specific style of noodles with the traditional experience where you quickly eat your noodles and then get your bowl immediately refilled in constant repetition.
6. Kinji is making reference to a Chinese essay on political, social, and military strategy often referred to as The 36 Stratagems and a historical utterance by a general. Read HERE under Origin.
