Chapter 04: Reason to reach out…
I woke up on the sound of the faint wind.
When I opened my eyes, my room was dark and I could only see my surroundings vaguely. But I heard a quiet something. It was a suspicious WHOOSH sound. Then I felt a bad chill on my neck.
Who was there? I got up alarmed and approached the window—- at that moment.
CLASH! With a loud noise, the glass of my window broke.
But that wasn’t all. The curtain hung up on the frame of the window got ripped off and the sallow full moon light fell into my room. I was blinded and jumped back.
I had heard a sharp puff of air.
I was already in a panic, when yet another sharp puff of air along with someone else was sent after my head in pursuit. It burst over me, who had fallen down, without mercy and for a moment my mind felt dizzy. I was breathing out moaning on the floor and readied myself for the next attack, when someone entered my room from the window with a light step.
In the darkness I raised my head and focused my gaze.
A silhouette bathed in the moonlight. It was unexpected small. It must have been a girl. When I looked at the silhouette, I inadvertent widened my eyes.
Two wings were spreading behind the silhouette. It were pitch black wings that weren’t even shining when lightened by the moonlight.
The word “Devil” crossed my mind and I realized that the attacks from earlier were similar to old man Bram’s attacks. But
“Guh!”
But they were faster and heavier than Bram’s.
Upon the next attack, my body was blown away in the air and then hit against the wall.
I received a heavy blow to my back and my breath was taken away, but the attacks didn’t stop there. Something directly hit me in my stomach, then slowly pressing onto my abdominal region with force. With the wall behind me, I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t ready myself for the next attack.
The girl slowly came closer and steady reached out both her hands towards my neck. But her hands were lightly shaking.
“….It’s your fault. Because you led me astray. You took her from me. So I have to act this time…. Or she’ll be taken away again….”
Hesitantly, the girl steadily increased the strength in her grip and strangled my neck. But her voice was still weak now as it would change into sobbing at any time.
And I found that voice familiar.
“…Ma…chi….na….?”
I said agonizing while my neck was strangled and the girl loosened her grip in confusion.
At that moment— A flash in my room.
Along with the light, the silhouette of the girl was enlightened.
Long, red hair and amber eyes. The one, who was strangling my neck, was indeed Machina.
Machina was a devil? Normally one would feel fear when realizing that, but I didn’t. Nor did I get angry about being strangled.
Instead my chest tightened and hurt.
—She had a teary expression.
Machina still had her teary expression and was glaring at me.
How weird. When I realized that I didn’t want her to make such an expression while strangling me… I forced myself to smile. I wanted to tell a stupid joke like usually, but since I was strangled, no words came out.
After a moment of distress, she became stumped.
“….Why. Why are you smiling!”
With confusion in her eyes, Machina shouted angrily. Then she gradually loosened her grip on my neck and finally let go of it.
The moment her hands let go of my neck, I coughed on reflex, but I opened my mouth to say something to Machina.
But in the next moment, the light that still enlightened my room grew stronger.
The bright light blended my eyes and I closed my opened mouth. While holding my hands up, I faced the light.
The bright light that enlightened my room— It came from the talisman on the wall.
The talisman from Gogyou-san emitted a light and was flattering like it had an own will.
Was it reaction to Machina…?
When I looked at the talisman while covering my eyes, I heard a sudden and loud BAM sound from the veranda window. Then someone tumbled into the room through the earlier opened window.
That person stood up and draw a sword from the sheath at the hips in a surprising fast speed. The tip of the drawn blade pointed at Machina’s throat.
“Get away from Nanjou-kun.”
Confronting Machina with a sharp voice.
The black-haired girl, who emitted a dignified, yet threatening aura, was
“Gogyou-san? Why are you here…?”
I was surprised at the unexpected appearance of her, when a knock on my door disturbed this whole situation.
“What’s the matter, Shinobu-san? It’s going to bother the neighbors, you know?”
Along with Luna’s worried voice, the door opened.
Naturally our gazes focused on Luna, who came inside.
Luna realized the situation, widened her eyes in surprise and when she looked at Machina,
“Machina….?”
Luna said surprised.
When Machina received Luna’s gaze, she was close to tears for a moment. But she quickly averted her gaze from Luna and moved towards the window. There she turned around and said still teary.
“Nanjou, it’s your fault. You took my sister from me…That’s why I’ll take your precious person away too….!”
She squeezed the words out, then leaped out of the window, spread her wings and flew away.
“Nanjou-kun, I’ll explain it in detail later!”
While saying that, Gogyou-san put her leg onto the window bench and leaped outside, going after Machina. Hastily I ran over to the window and when I looked outside, Gogyou-san put both her feet against the tree in the garden and turned her body around. Then she kicked away from the tree and landed on the concrete wall. She chased after Machina.
Damn, she was athletic.
Impressed I turned around and faced the door.
“Shinobu-san! I’m going too!”
Standing in front of the door, Luna said so while staring at me.
I could see her strong resolve in her eyes.
It seemed Luna knew Machina and that she was concerned.
“Okay, let’s go.”
I answered with a short nod. I sprinted out of the room and down the stairs to the front door. I hastily unlocked the door, jumped outside and when I looked around, I could see Gogyou-san in the distant.
As not to lose track of her, I chased after Gogyou-san.
But after a while, Gogyou-san suddenly stopped.
“….Kuh”
She was frowning frustrated.
Seeing that expression, I understood.
She had lost sight of her.
I raised my gaze to the sky in front, but there was no sign of Machina.
I made a small sigh, when Gogyou-san suddenly lowered her head with a “Sorry”.
“If I hadn’t failed back then, you wouldn’t get put in danger…”
Gogyou-san said another “Sorry”, but…. Back then? Did she mean when Nazuna left the house? She mentioned she failed a job, but… her opponent was Machina?
“Then the hybrid devil you spoke of….”
“It’s Orangelo-san. She’s also the one, who sucked the life-force of the patient in the hospital and defeated the exorcists.”
I was surprised by these news, Gogyou-san explained that she didn’t recognize Machina when she transferred in, since she was half-human, half-devil. And that she couldn’t win against her before, since she was too strong.
“…But it was a surprise when she came to school normally, even though I knew of her identity. At first I thought she was looking down on us exorcists and was planning to suck the life-force of the students…but it seems I was wrong.”
Then Gogyou-san looked straight at me and said.
“I don’t know why, but she’s obsessed over you. I believe she wants to take your soul and literally make you her slave. That’s why I kept an eye on your surroundings.”
“I see. Thanks.”
When I thanked her, Gogyou-san lowered her head with a “Sorry” again for some reason.
“….I kinda used you as a bait. And then I even let her get away….”
“No, don’t sweat it. You were just worried about me, right?”
Gogyou-san made a really sorry expression, so I clapped her shoulder, when I heard a “Shinobu-san” from behind.
When I turned around, Luna came running over. Once she looked at Gogyou-san and me, she made a sad expression and opened her mouth.
“Ehm, where’s Machina…?”
“Ahh, sorry, but we lost—“
I stopped in the middle of the sentence. I looked at Luna and asked.
“Reminds me, you seem to know Machina. How?”
“Ah, right. She, Machina is my little sister.”
“Mhm, I see, your sister—wait, sister!?”
I got an unexpected answer, so my thought progress stopped for a moment. But I got my gears back to work and pondered.
When Machina was Luna’s sister, then she came here to take her back just like old man Bram…?
I shook my head on that thought.
If she only came to get Luna back, she wouldn’t be so obsessed with me.
“Why is Machina so obsessed over me? Actually, she doesn’t resemble you at all, Luna.”
I mumbled that with their difference in character in mind, but it seems Luna mistook for appearance. She said while smiling and shaking her hand.
“It’s only normal that we don’t look alike. After all Machina and me aren’t sister related by blood. Machina is the real daughter of my step-father.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. She has the same hair and eye color as father, hasn’t she.”
Now that she mentioned it.
Old man Bram had red hair and amber eyes just like Machina.
Reminded me, he said he married a human woman.
Right, that was why Machina was half-human, half-devil.
There I suddenly remembered the word “Failure” that Machina had uttered sadly.
And also Machina’s words from earlier.
—– It’s your fault. You took my sister from me…That’s why I’ll take your precious person away too….!
When I thought about the meaning behind these words, Nazuna’s face appeared in my head.
Was she going after Nazuna?
I didn’t want to believe it, but I couldn’t discard that possibility. Furthermore, I had shown her Elni’s house and told her that Nazuna was there.
When I told Gogyou-san and Luna about that, they both nodded and said.
“That’s possible. For now, let’s confirm if Nazuna-chan is safe.”
“….Yeah. Machina might just be lonely, since I came over here. Then she saw me getting along with Shinobu-san and Nazuna-chan, so she…. couldn’t keep her emotions in check anymore.”
Luna continued with a “That’s why”.
“I’ll meet her and persuade her. Machina is by no means a bad girl. She should understand when we talk.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
I had come to the same conclusion.
Someone, who couldn’t leave a crying kid alone and couldn’t finish me off…… who always had a teary expression, couldn’t really do harm to Nazuna, could she?
The answer was NO.
I just wanted to talk to Machina and started running towards the parched river bed.
* * *
While suppressing my impatience, I continued to run and reached the river bed—Elni’s house.
And close to her house, I could silhouettes confronting each other.
When focused my eyes, I could see it were Machina, Elni and Nazuna.
In front of the big tent, Elni confronted Machine while covering Nazuna.
“Elni!”
I raised my voice and headed down to the river bed. I approached Machina as a pincer move. Immediately behind me followed Gogyou-san and Luna.
There Machina turned around and looked at me.
Her expression was filled with anger. But for some reason, it also looked sad to me. I took a step forward because I wanted to call out to her.
“Stay away.”
Along with a sharp warning, an abnormal noise sounded around Machina.
WHOOOSH. A sound like air was being concentrated. A transparent ball that made a sharp sound while spinning. That was what appeared around Machina.
“I won’t show any mercy when you get closer.”
Upon these words, Gogyou-san put her hand on the sword on her waist and took a battle stance. When I shifted my gaze to Elni, she, like she didn’t know any fear, had her arms spread out to shield Nazuna.
Amidst this tension,
“Machina.”
A gentle voice echoed and Luna took a step closer to Machina. When Machina saw that, she shouted.
“Why, Sister!”
BAM. Along with a sharp sound, the ground to Luna’s feet broke open.
“Why are you with a guy like that! There’s no reason you have to obey such a guy, Sister! That chocker too was placed on you by that guy, wasn’t it? That’s just weird! You’re a devil. It’s weird for you to become the slave of a human! Staying with that guy…Why aren’t you coming home?”
Her shouting was filled with sadness rather than with anger.
“….A devil?”
Nazuna’s small voice echoed mysteriously loud over the river bed.
“Luna-san… is a devil?”
Nazuna had most likely believed that Luna was a foreigner I brought along. She looked dumbfounded at Luna.
“Nazuna-chan, I—“
Luna opened her mouth in an attempt to answer her, but Machina cut her off.
“Sister is a devil.”
Straight to the point.
“She’s different from you guys. She’s different from weak humans! Don’t lump her together with weak humans! You would never be able to stand on equal grounds with her! You can’t stay with her forever! The difference to humans is too great! There’s…. There’s no way devils can live together with humans!”
That shout sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
To that sadly echoing voice,
“You’re wrong.”
Nazuna answered while lightly shaking her head.
“That’s just wrong. Why can’t she stay with us just because she’s a devil? Why do you say she’s different? …Nothing is different. It doesn’t matter that she’s a devil. Luna-san is….”
Nazuna looked straight at Luna. Luna’s eyes were filled with uneasiness, so Nazuna smiled and said.
“Luna-san is part of my family. A precious family member. …Even when she’s a devil, I want to stay with her forever. I love Luna-san. That’s why—“
“Don’t screw around!”
Machina had turned around and cut off Nazuna with her voice.
“…What’s wrong with your head? Stay with a devil forever? You…. can only said that because you don’t know anything about us!”
Machina continued with a shaking voice.
“In the end you’ll betray her too! Humans are always like that! They’re only kind at the beginning! But in the end they betray you! You too, will just call us “Monsters” and leave when you get to know about us! Even though we didn’t do anything, you label us “monsters”!”
Machina shouted with her fists tightly clenched.
“…You don’t know anything about us… So don’t…. dare to run your mouth!”
Then along with a sharp noise, the ground at Elni’s feet, who stood there sheltering Nazuna, exploded in a cloud of dust. But Nazuna moved unimpressed by that. She ignored Elni, who was trying to stop her, and took a step closer to Machina, confronting her.
“Saying we don’t know anything is not true!”
She shouted in a big voice to negate her.
“I know lots of things about Luna-san. She’s pretty, kind and smart, but she’s bad with machines and sometimes fails at things. She actually hates getting up early, but she gives it her best so that she can wake up my brother. She’s always trying her hardest. And she loves my brother and me very much….”
There Nazuna looked straight at Machina and said.
“Being a devil doesn’t matter. I love Luna-san. She always welcomes me back, pats my head and hugs me tightly. I love this kind Luna-san very much. That’s why I want to always be with her. Even as a devil, Luna-san is Luna-san. You have no clue how I feel. I would never call Luna-san a “monster”!”
Upon these words, Machina’s shoulder trembled lightly. Since she had her back to me, I couldn’t see her expression. But she looked like a little kid there.
I opened my mouth to call out to her—-when.
Gogyou-san made her move. She must have thought of it as a good opportunity as Machina exposed her back to us. She swiftly drew her sword and went towards Machina.
Machina turned around, as she noticed Gogyou-san’s footsteps, and waved her right hand at the same time.
Right after a sharp sound, the transparent ball came flying at Gogyou-san. Gogyou-san jumped back and avoided it. Along with that abnormal sound of concentrated air, various transparent balls appeared around Machina.
It were more than ten and when Machina raised her hand, the transparent balls—-the air bullets flew towards Gogyou-san while making a moaning air-cutting sound.
Gogyou-san jumped to the said to avoid them, but a couple of bullets chased after her face.
“Kuh!”
Immediately, Gogyou-san pulled out a couple of talismans and held them up like a shield, but they all tore and were blown away.
But in that short time, Gogyou-san managed to twist her body and avoid the bullets. Then she approached Machina from the right. But Machina also had time to form more bullets around her.
Gogyou-san once again defended against the storm of bullets with talismans. But there were too many bullets and the barrier of talismans broke quickly. Gogyou-san’s body was showered in bullets and blown backwards.
When I said that, I moved.
I was worried about Gogyou-san, but that wasn’t all.
Ever since she talked with Luna, she had made a teary expression.
So— I ran towards Machina.
Machina widened her eyes in surprise, since she didn’t expect my action.
“….What’s the plan? You saw my power, right? You can’t do anything. You aren’t an exorcists or anything. Just a normal human. You said you trained, but do you think you can win?”
When I stepped another step forward without answering, Machina made her move. After a little hesitation, she raised her right hand and sent the air bullets flying.
In my forward motion, I dropped to my knees and took a crouching stance. Then I made a fist with my right hand and hit the incoming air bullets with a full body thrust.
BAAAANG! The clashing of our powers caused a shockwave…. But that wasn’t all. I didn’t receive any damage.
“…What the.”
Machina said with a dumbfounded expression as she couldn’t believe what happened before her eyes.
“Now you understand, right?”
I approached her and continued.
“Can you afford to hold back?”
I laughed provokingly, when Machina held her breath. But in the next moment, she glared at me and pulled down her right hand swiftly.
Upon that all the air bullets around Machina came flying at me.
I couldn’t take on all of them. I could smash at best 2-3. I let all bullets that weren’t directed at my face hit my body and ran with my whole body in pain.
But I could bear with it. I put strength into my legs to stop my body from being blown away by the attacks. My body was hit by air bullets on every step I took. My arms that I used to defend screamed in pain. The inside of my mouth was cut and blood was flowing out from the edges of my lips. The places hit by the bullets were hot and started to hurt. But this still wasn’t enough to bring me down. I couldn’t afford to collapse.
I clenched my teeth, clung to my consciousness and advantaged towards Machina.
But why was I getting closer to her? Why wouldn’t I collapse?
Why would I go so far by enduring it with clenching my teeth?
Because Luna was looking worried at Machina? Because I wanted to help Gogyou-san? Because Nazuna was in danger?
—I felt that it was none of that.
I didn’t know the reason why I was approaching Machina myself. I couldn’t come to a clear answer. I had no clue. Still, I had the feeling I would understand when I reach her. I thought I would understand when I properly talked to her.
For some reason I had this certain hunch and advantaged without stopping.
I repelled, parried or smashed the incoming bullets.
I smashed half of them, the other half I missed…..No, I missed them on purpose.
“….Stop it already.”
Shock was written in Machina’s eyes.
“Any more and…. You’ll die.”
To her weak voice, I answered while coughing up blood.
“I won’t die. Who do you think I am?”
The moment I said that, Machina’s right hand trembled. She still shot the bullets with her hand trembling, but they didn’t hit me. They hit the ground to my feet, passed closely by my cheeks or crossed over my head.
….It was like she was afraid to hurt me.
That was why I reached out. I draw close and grabbed Machina’s hand. Her hand was trembling and from close up I could see that Machina was indeed close to tears.
And that moment, I understood.
I understood why I approached her while getting my body all beaten up. So I wanted to pat her little head this time, but
“—!”
Suddenly a silhouette approached from the side.
When I turned around in surprise, it was Gogyou-san with her sword raised. The brightly shining blade was evidently swung down aiming at Machina.
My body moved on it’s own. I jumped in front of Machina to protect her and exposed my body to the incoming blade.
I saw Gogyou-san’s face painted in horror, but the sword didn’t stop. For a moment, Gogyou-san had tried to pull back, but that failed due to her shock. Then the sound of cutting through air.
“Ugh!”
Along with Gogyou-san’s moaning, the blade aiming for my shoulder changed course. But the blade made a sharp noise and cut my chest.
At the same time I broke out a cold sweat, the cut on my chest was hot like a burn and my consciousness faded away.
Immediately a couple of screams emerged and someone rushed over to me, but
“Stay away!”
I shouted with an angry voice.
The wound of my chest wouldn’t stop bleeding, but so what? I wouldn’t die of this, nor would I collapse of it. I still hadn’t told Machina anything.
I faced Gogyou-san, who stood there dumbfounded with her blade soaked in blood. Gogyou-san dropped her sword.
“….Nanjou-kun….Why? That devil was trying to hurt Nazuna, you know?”
Gogyou-san spoke with a raspy voice, whereupon I shook my head and said.
“She can’t do something like that. She might have sucked the life-force of the patients in the hospitals, but she hasn’t killed anything, right? She only hurt the exorcists too. She never crossed the last line. Isn’t that so? She just came here to meet Luna. To meet Luna, who I summoned here.”
“….But, Nanjou-kun, you were nearly kill—“
“She won’t kill.”
I interrupted Gogyou-san and declared.
“If I was a bother, she could have just erased me… She has the actual power to do so… yet she couldn’t do so. Because she’s kind.”
Gogyou-san widened her eyes and I continued with a “Hey,”.
“Do you think someone, who couldn’t leave a crying kid alone, would be able to kill a person? Take a good look at her. For a while now she’s holding back her tears.”
When I turned around, Machina was indeed making a teary expression.
“She’s dishonest and selfish and is always quick to kick me, but….I like her. I also know that she can be kind.”
The scene of Machina reaching out to the crying kid as the first floated in my head.
“That’s why I’ll protect her. Sorry, Gogyou-san, but can you pull back here…?”
I said that while coughing up blood, when Gogyou-san’s eye flickered with perplexity as she was at a loss what to do. At that moment,
“….Why?”
—A small voice echoed.
When I turned around, Machina sat there with a perplexed expression.
“Weren’t you going to protect your precious person at all costs? You said you became strong for that. So why are you protecting me now? The one you should be protecting isn’t me, but sister! All this blood… When you die, you can’t protect anyone….!”
While looking at me, Machina shouted anxious.
Certainly my body was wounded all over and continued to bleed and I would faint if I were to relax. But
“I won’t die from this.”
I slowly reached out my hand.
“So what are you saying. Before you said it was just normal to help a crying kid. This is just the same. I can’t leave you, who was always close to tears, alone. That’s why I’ll also protect you.”
I smiled naturally.
Yeah, right. That was what I always wanted to do.
I wanted to pat her head with the teary expression.
That was all…
“…Idi….ot…”
Machina bit onto her lips as to hold in something. But in time, big tears came out of her eyes and a sobbing from her mouth.
“Why? Why are you so kind to me? When you took away my sister from me. Humans are always like that…”
Machina continued while wiping away the tears that ran down her cheeks.
“Humans took away my mother from me too. And they killed her, saying she was a devil.”
That was what old man Bram said before.
—My wife was killed by humans.
“Humans always take precious people from me. That’s why it’s my turn now! Even I want a precious person! Is that wrong of me? You take away, so I have no choice to do the same, yet….”
Machina said with a voice filled with sobbing while her hands trembled.
“I can never pull it off. I’m only ever robbed off things. I’m sick of that!”
Tears flowed down endlessly. Machina shouted hoarse.
“I wanted us to be together forever. Not just mom, but sister also disappeared…. I was left all alone again. Because I’m a failure, nobody helps me. Because I’m neither devil or human, nobody likes me.”
A failure. Neither human or devil, a hybrid devil.
She was probably despised by devils as a failure and condemned by humans as a monster.
“So I only had sister left, yet you took her away… That’s why….”
Machina hit on my arm with her face messed up by tears.
A small and weak hand. She had always been enduring it with these hands. Continued hated by her surroundings and continued being robbed of things. But, despite that she couldn’t do it herself. She couldn’t take away someone else’s happiness.
“Sorry.”
I reached out my hand once more.
“Sorry for taking away your sister.”
I gently patted Machina’s head while saying that.
“But don’t say sad stuff like you’re all alone anymore.”
I kindly told the crying Machina.
“From now on I’ll be with you. I’ll protect you. So don’t cry anymore.”
The moment I said that a bawling voice emerged.
Like from a little kid, it echoed loudly.
Hearing that cry, Luna immediately rushed over to Machina and gently embraced her.
…Guess it was solved now.
The moment I relaxed, the tension broke and I fell on my knees. And then I was about to fall over to the ground, but someone held up my body gently.
My vision was blurry, maybe due to the blood loss. Regardless of my bloody clothes, Gogyou-san caught me in her arms. Next to her were Elni and Nazuna looking at me with a teary expression.
“….Don’t worry. I’m….immortal….”
I said that to calm them, though I didn’t know if it worked.
Amidst my blurry vision, I could see Luna and Machina hugging each other, then my consciousness blanked out….
Chapter 04: Reason to reach out…
I woke up on the sound of the faint wind.
When I opened my eyes, my room was dark and I could only see my surroundings vaguely. But I heard a quiet something. It was a suspicious WHOOSH sound. Then I felt a bad chill on my neck.
Who was there? I got up alarmed and approached the window—- at that moment.
CLASH! With a loud noise, the glass of my window broke.
But that wasn’t all. The curtain hung up on the frame of the window got ripped off and the sallow full moon light fell into my room. I was blinded and jumped back.
I had heard a sharp puff of air.
I was already in a panic, when yet another sharp puff of air along with someone else was sent after my head in pursuit. It burst over me, who had fallen down, without mercy and for a moment my mind felt dizzy. I was breathing out moaning on the floor and readied myself for the next attack, when someone entered my room from the window with a light step.
In the darkness I raised my head and focused my gaze.
A silhouette bathed in the moonlight. It was unexpected small. It must have been a girl. When I looked at the silhouette, I inadvertent widened my eyes.
Two wings were spreading behind the silhouette. It were pitch black wings that weren’t even shining when lightened by the moonlight.
The word “Devil” crossed my mind and I realized that the attacks from earlier were similar to old man Bram’s attacks. But
“Guh!”
But they were faster and heavier than Bram’s.
Upon the next attack, my body was blown away in the air and then hit against the wall.
I received a heavy blow to my back and my breath was taken away, but the attacks didn’t stop there. Something directly hit me in my stomach, then slowly pressing onto my abdominal region with force. With the wall behind me, I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t ready myself for the next attack.
The girl slowly came closer and steady reached out both her hands towards my neck. But her hands were lightly shaking.
“….It’s your fault. Because you led me astray. You took her from me. So I have to act this time…. Or she’ll be taken away again….”
Hesitantly, the girl steadily increased the strength in her grip and strangled my neck. But her voice was still weak now as it would change into sobbing at any time.
And I found that voice familiar.
“…Ma…chi….na….?”
I said agonizing while my neck was strangled and the girl loosened her grip in confusion.
At that moment— A flash in my room.
Along with the light, the silhouette of the girl was enlightened.
Long, red hair and amber eyes. The one, who was strangling my neck, was indeed Machina.
Machina was a devil? Normally one would feel fear when realizing that, but I didn’t. Nor did I get angry about being strangled.
Instead my chest tightened and hurt.
—She had a teary expression.
Machina still had her teary expression and was glaring at me.
How weird. When I realized that I didn’t want her to make such an expression while strangling me… I forced myself to smile. I wanted to tell a stupid joke like usually, but since I was strangled, no words came out.
After a moment of distress, she became stumped.
“….Why. Why are you smiling!”
With confusion in her eyes, Machina shouted angrily. Then she gradually loosened her grip on my neck and finally let go of it.
The moment her hands let go of my neck, I coughed on reflex, but I opened my mouth to say something to Machina.
But in the next moment, the light that still enlightened my room grew stronger.
The bright light blended my eyes and I closed my opened mouth. While holding my hands up, I faced the light.
The bright light that enlightened my room— It came from the talisman on the wall.
The talisman from Gogyou-san emitted a light and was flattering like it had an own will.
Was it reaction to Machina…?
When I looked at the talisman while covering my eyes, I heard a sudden and loud BAM sound from the veranda window. Then someone tumbled into the room through the earlier opened window.
That person stood up and draw a sword from the sheath at the hips in a surprising fast speed. The tip of the drawn blade pointed at Machina’s throat.
“Get away from Nanjou-kun.”
Confronting Machina with a sharp voice.
The black-haired girl, who emitted a dignified, yet threatening aura, was
“Gogyou-san? Why are you here…?”
I was surprised at the unexpected appearance of her, when a knock on my door disturbed this whole situation.
“What’s the matter, Shinobu-san? It’s going to bother the neighbors, you know?”
Along with Luna’s worried voice, the door opened.
Naturally our gazes focused on Luna, who came inside.
Luna realized the situation, widened her eyes in surprise and when she looked at Machina,
“Machina….?”
Luna said surprised.
When Machina received Luna’s gaze, she was close to tears for a moment. But she quickly averted her gaze from Luna and moved towards the window. There she turned around and said still teary.
“Nanjou, it’s your fault. You took my sister from me…That’s why I’ll take your precious person away too….!”
She squeezed the words out, then leaped out of the window, spread her wings and flew away.
“Nanjou-kun, I’ll explain it in detail later!”
While saying that, Gogyou-san put her leg onto the window bench and leaped outside, going after Machina. Hastily I ran over to the window and when I looked outside, Gogyou-san put both her feet against the tree in the garden and turned her body around. Then she kicked away from the tree and landed on the concrete wall. She chased after Machina.
Damn, she was athletic.
Impressed I turned around and faced the door.
“Shinobu-san! I’m going too!”
Standing in front of the door, Luna said so while staring at me.
I could see her strong resolve in her eyes.
It seemed Luna knew Machina and that she was concerned.
“Okay, let’s go.”
I answered with a short nod. I sprinted out of the room and down the stairs to the front door. I hastily unlocked the door, jumped outside and when I looked around, I could see Gogyou-san in the distant.
As not to lose track of her, I chased after Gogyou-san.
But after a while, Gogyou-san suddenly stopped.
“….Kuh”
She was frowning frustrated.
Seeing that expression, I understood.
She had lost sight of her.
I raised my gaze to the sky in front, but there was no sign of Machina.
I made a small sigh, when Gogyou-san suddenly lowered her head with a “Sorry”.
“If I hadn’t failed back then, you wouldn’t get put in danger…”
Gogyou-san said another “Sorry”, but…. Back then? Did she mean when Nazuna left the house? She mentioned she failed a job, but… her opponent was Machina?
“Then the hybrid devil you spoke of….”
“It’s Orangelo-san. She’s also the one, who sucked the life-force of the patient in the hospital and defeated the exorcists.”
I was surprised by these news, Gogyou-san explained that she didn’t recognize Machina when she transferred in, since she was half-human, half-devil. And that she couldn’t win against her before, since she was too strong.
“…But it was a surprise when she came to school normally, even though I knew of her identity. At first I thought she was looking down on us exorcists and was planning to suck the life-force of the students…but it seems I was wrong.”
Then Gogyou-san looked straight at me and said.
“I don’t know why, but she’s obsessed over you. I believe she wants to take your soul and literally make you her slave. That’s why I kept an eye on your surroundings.”
“I see. Thanks.”
When I thanked her, Gogyou-san lowered her head with a “Sorry” again for some reason.
“….I kinda used you as a bait. And then I even let her get away….”
“No, don’t sweat it. You were just worried about me, right?”
Gogyou-san made a really sorry expression, so I clapped her shoulder, when I heard a “Shinobu-san” from behind.
When I turned around, Luna came running over. Once she looked at Gogyou-san and me, she made a sad expression and opened her mouth.
“Ehm, where’s Machina…?”
“Ahh, sorry, but we lost—“
I stopped in the middle of the sentence. I looked at Luna and asked.
“Reminds me, you seem to know Machina. How?”
“Ah, right. She, Machina is my little sister.”
“Mhm, I see, your sister—wait, sister!?”
I got an unexpected answer, so my thought progress stopped for a moment. But I got my gears back to work and pondered.
When Machina was Luna’s sister, then she came here to take her back just like old man Bram…?
I shook my head on that thought.
If she only came to get Luna back, she wouldn’t be so obsessed with me.
“Why is Machina so obsessed over me? Actually, she doesn’t resemble you at all, Luna.”
I mumbled that with their difference in character in mind, but it seems Luna mistook for appearance. She said while smiling and shaking her hand.
“It’s only normal that we don’t look alike. After all Machina and me aren’t sister related by blood. Machina is the real daughter of my step-father.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. She has the same hair and eye color as father, hasn’t she.”
Now that she mentioned it.
Old man Bram had red hair and amber eyes just like Machina.
Reminded me, he said he married a human woman.
Right, that was why Machina was half-human, half-devil.
There I suddenly remembered the word “Failure” that Machina had uttered sadly.
And also Machina’s words from earlier.
—– It’s your fault. You took my sister from me…That’s why I’ll take your precious person away too….!
When I thought about the meaning behind these words, Nazuna’s face appeared in my head.
Was she going after Nazuna?
I didn’t want to believe it, but I couldn’t discard that possibility. Furthermore, I had shown her Elni’s house and told her that Nazuna was there.
When I told Gogyou-san and Luna about that, they both nodded and said.
“That’s possible. For now, let’s confirm if Nazuna-chan is safe.”
“….Yeah. Machina might just be lonely, since I came over here. Then she saw me getting along with Shinobu-san and Nazuna-chan, so she…. couldn’t keep her emotions in check anymore.”
Luna continued with a “That’s why”.
“I’ll meet her and persuade her. Machina is by no means a bad girl. She should understand when we talk.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
I had come to the same conclusion.
Someone, who couldn’t leave a crying kid alone and couldn’t finish me off…… who always had a teary expression, couldn’t really do harm to Nazuna, could she?
The answer was NO.
I just wanted to talk to Machina and started running towards the parched river bed.
* * *
While suppressing my impatience, I continued to run and reached the river bed—Elni’s house.
And close to her house, I could silhouettes confronting each other.
When focused my eyes, I could see it were Machina, Elni and Nazuna.
In front of the big tent, Elni confronted Machine while covering Nazuna.
“Elni!”
I raised my voice and headed down to the river bed. I approached Machina as a pincer move. Immediately behind me followed Gogyou-san and Luna.
There Machina turned around and looked at me.
Her expression was filled with anger. But for some reason, it also looked sad to me. I took a step forward because I wanted to call out to her.
“Stay away.”
Along with a sharp warning, an abnormal noise sounded around Machina.
WHOOOSH. A sound like air was being concentrated. A transparent ball that made a sharp sound while spinning. That was what appeared around Machina.
“I won’t show any mercy when you get closer.”
Upon these words, Gogyou-san put her hand on the sword on her waist and took a battle stance. When I shifted my gaze to Elni, she, like she didn’t know any fear, had her arms spread out to shield Nazuna.
Amidst this tension,
“Machina.”
A gentle voice echoed and Luna took a step closer to Machina. When Machina saw that, she shouted.
“Why, Sister!”
BAM. Along with a sharp sound, the ground to Luna’s feet broke open.
“Why are you with a guy like that! There’s no reason you have to obey such a guy, Sister! That chocker too was placed on you by that guy, wasn’t it? That’s just weird! You’re a devil. It’s weird for you to become the slave of a human! Staying with that guy…Why aren’t you coming home?”
Her shouting was filled with sadness rather than with anger.
“….A devil?”
Nazuna’s small voice echoed mysteriously loud over the river bed.
“Luna-san… is a devil?”
Nazuna had most likely believed that Luna was a foreigner I brought along. She looked dumbfounded at Luna.
“Nazuna-chan, I—“
Luna opened her mouth in an attempt to answer her, but Machina cut her off.
“Sister is a devil.”
Straight to the point.
“She’s different from you guys. She’s different from weak humans! Don’t lump her together with weak humans! You would never be able to stand on equal grounds with her! You can’t stay with her forever! The difference to humans is too great! There’s…. There’s no way devils can live together with humans!”
That shout sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
To that sadly echoing voice,
“You’re wrong.”
Nazuna answered while lightly shaking her head.
“That’s just wrong. Why can’t she stay with us just because she’s a devil? Why do you say she’s different? …Nothing is different. It doesn’t matter that she’s a devil. Luna-san is….”
Nazuna looked straight at Luna. Luna’s eyes were filled with uneasiness, so Nazuna smiled and said.
“Luna-san is part of my family. A precious family member. …Even when she’s a devil, I want to stay with her forever. I love Luna-san. That’s why—“
“Don’t screw around!”
Machina had turned around and cut off Nazuna with her voice.
“…What’s wrong with your head? Stay with a devil forever? You…. can only said that because you don’t know anything about us!”
Machina continued with a shaking voice.
“In the end you’ll betray her too! Humans are always like that! They’re only kind at the beginning! But in the end they betray you! You too, will just call us “Monsters” and leave when you get to know about us! Even though we didn’t do anything, you label us “monsters”!”
Machina shouted with her fists tightly clenched.
“…You don’t know anything about us… So don’t…. dare to run your mouth!”
Then along with a sharp noise, the ground at Elni’s feet, who stood there sheltering Nazuna, exploded in a cloud of dust. But Nazuna moved unimpressed by that. She ignored Elni, who was trying to stop her, and took a step closer to Machina, confronting her.
“Saying we don’t know anything is not true!”
She shouted in a big voice to negate her.
“I know lots of things about Luna-san. She’s pretty, kind and smart, but she’s bad with machines and sometimes fails at things. She actually hates getting up early, but she gives it her best so that she can wake up my brother. She’s always trying her hardest. And she loves my brother and me very much….”
There Nazuna looked straight at Machina and said.
“Being a devil doesn’t matter. I love Luna-san. She always welcomes me back, pats my head and hugs me tightly. I love this kind Luna-san very much. That’s why I want to always be with her. Even as a devil, Luna-san is Luna-san. You have no clue how I feel. I would never call Luna-san a “monster”!”
Upon these words, Machina’s shoulder trembled lightly. Since she had her back to me, I couldn’t see her expression. But she looked like a little kid there.
I opened my mouth to call out to her—-when.
Gogyou-san made her move. She must have thought of it as a good opportunity as Machina exposed her back to us. She swiftly drew her sword and went towards Machina.
Machina turned around, as she noticed Gogyou-san’s footsteps, and waved her right hand at the same time.
Right after a sharp sound, the transparent ball came flying at Gogyou-san. Gogyou-san jumped back and avoided it. Along with that abnormal sound of concentrated air, various transparent balls appeared around Machina.
It were more than ten and when Machina raised her hand, the transparent balls—-the air bullets flew towards Gogyou-san while making a moaning air-cutting sound.
Gogyou-san jumped to the said to avoid them, but a couple of bullets chased after her face.
“Kuh!”
Immediately, Gogyou-san pulled out a couple of talismans and held them up like a shield, but they all tore and were blown away.
But in that short time, Gogyou-san managed to twist her body and avoid the bullets. Then she approached Machina from the right. But Machina also had time to form more bullets around her.
Gogyou-san once again defended against the storm of bullets with talismans. But there were too many bullets and the barrier of talismans broke quickly. Gogyou-san’s body was showered in bullets and blown backwards.
When I said that, I moved.
I was worried about Gogyou-san, but that wasn’t all.
Ever since she talked with Luna, she had made a teary expression.
So— I ran towards Machina.
Machina widened her eyes in surprise, since she didn’t expect my action.
“….What’s the plan? You saw my power, right? You can’t do anything. You aren’t an exorcists or anything. Just a normal human. You said you trained, but do you think you can win?”
When I stepped another step forward without answering, Machina made her move. After a little hesitation, she raised her right hand and sent the air bullets flying.
In my forward motion, I dropped to my knees and took a crouching stance. Then I made a fist with my right hand and hit the incoming air bullets with a full body thrust.
BAAAANG! The clashing of our powers caused a shockwave…. But that wasn’t all. I didn’t receive any damage.
“…What the.”
Machina said with a dumbfounded expression as she couldn’t believe what happened before her eyes.
“Now you understand, right?”
I approached her and continued.
“Can you afford to hold back?”
I laughed provokingly, when Machina held her breath. But in the next moment, she glared at me and pulled down her right hand swiftly.
Upon that all the air bullets around Machina came flying at me.
I couldn’t take on all of them. I could smash at best 2-3. I let all bullets that weren’t directed at my face hit my body and ran with my whole body in pain.
But I could bear with it. I put strength into my legs to stop my body from being blown away by the attacks. My body was hit by air bullets on every step I took. My arms that I used to defend screamed in pain. The inside of my mouth was cut and blood was flowing out from the edges of my lips. The places hit by the bullets were hot and started to hurt. But this still wasn’t enough to bring me down. I couldn’t afford to collapse.
I clenched my teeth, clung to my consciousness and advantaged towards Machina.
But why was I getting closer to her? Why wouldn’t I collapse?
Why would I go so far by enduring it with clenching my teeth?
Because Luna was looking worried at Machina? Because I wanted to help Gogyou-san? Because Nazuna was in danger?
—I felt that it was none of that.
I didn’t know the reason why I was approaching Machina myself. I couldn’t come to a clear answer. I had no clue. Still, I had the feeling I would understand when I reach her. I thought I would understand when I properly talked to her.
For some reason I had this certain hunch and advantaged without stopping.
I repelled, parried or smashed the incoming bullets.
I smashed half of them, the other half I missed…..No, I missed them on purpose.
“….Stop it already.”
Shock was written in Machina’s eyes.
“Any more and…. You’ll die.”
To her weak voice, I answered while coughing up blood.
“I won’t die. Who do you think I am?”
The moment I said that, Machina’s right hand trembled. She still shot the bullets with her hand trembling, but they didn’t hit me. They hit the ground to my feet, passed closely by my cheeks or crossed over my head.
….It was like she was afraid to hurt me.
That was why I reached out. I draw close and grabbed Machina’s hand. Her hand was trembling and from close up I could see that Machina was indeed close to tears.
And that moment, I understood.
I understood why I approached her while getting my body all beaten up. So I wanted to pat her little head this time, but
“—!”
Suddenly a silhouette approached from the side.
When I turned around in surprise, it was Gogyou-san with her sword raised. The brightly shining blade was evidently swung down aiming at Machina.
My body moved on it’s own. I jumped in front of Machina to protect her and exposed my body to the incoming blade.
I saw Gogyou-san’s face painted in horror, but the sword didn’t stop. For a moment, Gogyou-san had tried to pull back, but that failed due to her shock. Then the sound of cutting through air.
“Ugh!”
Along with Gogyou-san’s moaning, the blade aiming for my shoulder changed course. But the blade made a sharp noise and cut my chest.
At the same time I broke out a cold sweat, the cut on my chest was hot like a burn and my consciousness faded away.
Immediately a couple of screams emerged and someone rushed over to me, but
“Stay away!”
I shouted with an angry voice.
The wound of my chest wouldn’t stop bleeding, but so what? I wouldn’t die of this, nor would I collapse of it. I still hadn’t told Machina anything.
I faced Gogyou-san, who stood there dumbfounded with her blade soaked in blood. Gogyou-san dropped her sword.
“….Nanjou-kun….Why? That devil was trying to hurt Nazuna, you know?”
Gogyou-san spoke with a raspy voice, whereupon I shook my head and said.
“She can’t do something like that. She might have sucked the life-force of the patients in the hospitals, but she hasn’t killed anything, right? She only hurt the exorcists too. She never crossed the last line. Isn’t that so? She just came here to meet Luna. To meet Luna, who I summoned here.”
“….But, Nanjou-kun, you were nearly kill—“
“She won’t kill.”
I interrupted Gogyou-san and declared.
“If I was a bother, she could have just erased me… She has the actual power to do so… yet she couldn’t do so. Because she’s kind.”
Gogyou-san widened her eyes and I continued with a “Hey,”.
“Do you think someone, who couldn’t leave a crying kid alone, would be able to kill a person? Take a good look at her. For a while now she’s holding back her tears.”
When I turned around, Machina was indeed making a teary expression.
“She’s dishonest and selfish and is always quick to kick me, but….I like her. I also know that she can be kind.”
The scene of Machina reaching out to the crying kid as the first floated in my head.
“That’s why I’ll protect her. Sorry, Gogyou-san, but can you pull back here…?”
I said that while coughing up blood, when Gogyou-san’s eye flickered with perplexity as she was at a loss what to do. At that moment,
“….Why?”
—A small voice echoed.
When I turned around, Machina sat there with a perplexed expression.
“Weren’t you going to protect your precious person at all costs? You said you became strong for that. So why are you protecting me now? The one you should be protecting isn’t me, but sister! All this blood… When you die, you can’t protect anyone….!”
While looking at me, Machina shouted anxious.
Certainly my body was wounded all over and continued to bleed and I would faint if I were to relax. But
“I won’t die from this.”
I slowly reached out my hand.
“So what are you saying. Before you said it was just normal to help a crying kid. This is just the same. I can’t leave you, who was always close to tears, alone. That’s why I’ll also protect you.”
I smiled naturally.
Yeah, right. That was what I always wanted to do.
I wanted to pat her head with the teary expression.
That was all…
“…Idi….ot…”
Machina bit onto her lips as to hold in something. But in time, big tears came out of her eyes and a sobbing from her mouth.
“Why? Why are you so kind to me? When you took away my sister from me. Humans are always like that…”
Machina continued while wiping away the tears that ran down her cheeks.
“Humans took away my mother from me too. And they killed her, saying she was a devil.”
That was what old man Bram said before.
—My wife was killed by humans.
“Humans always take precious people from me. That’s why it’s my turn now! Even I want a precious person! Is that wrong of me? You take away, so I have no choice to do the same, yet….”
Machina said with a voice filled with sobbing while her hands trembled.
“I can never pull it off. I’m only ever robbed off things. I’m sick of that!”
Tears flowed down endlessly. Machina shouted hoarse.
“I wanted us to be together forever. Not just mom, but sister also disappeared…. I was left all alone again. Because I’m a failure, nobody helps me. Because I’m neither devil or human, nobody likes me.”
A failure. Neither human or devil, a hybrid devil.
She was probably despised by devils as a failure and condemned by humans as a monster.
“So I only had sister left, yet you took her away… That’s why….”
Machina hit on my arm with her face messed up by tears.
A small and weak hand. She had always been enduring it with these hands. Continued hated by her surroundings and continued being robbed of things. But, despite that she couldn’t do it herself. She couldn’t take away someone else’s happiness.
“Sorry.”
I reached out my hand once more.
“Sorry for taking away your sister.”
I gently patted Machina’s head while saying that.
“But don’t say sad stuff like you’re all alone anymore.”
I kindly told the crying Machina.
“From now on I’ll be with you. I’ll protect you. So don’t cry anymore.”
The moment I said that a bawling voice emerged.
Like from a little kid, it echoed loudly.
Hearing that cry, Luna immediately rushed over to Machina and gently embraced her.
…Guess it was solved now.
The moment I relaxed, the tension broke and I fell on my knees. And then I was about to fall over to the ground, but someone held up my body gently.
My vision was blurry, maybe due to the blood loss. Regardless of my bloody clothes, Gogyou-san caught me in her arms. Next to her were Elni and Nazuna looking at me with a teary expression.
“….Don’t worry. I’m….immortal….”
I said that to calm them, though I didn’t know if it worked.
Amidst my blurry vision, I could see Luna and Machina hugging each other, then my consciousness blanked out….
