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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 6, Chapter 5: Recollection (Part 2)
Volume 6, Chapter 5: Recollection (Part 2)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
Sunday, December 20
Sunday, the following day. Koutarou and Kiriha were riding the same train as yesterday. Their destination this time was the amusement park. Koutarou was tagging along with Kiriha today as well.
“Damn those Sun Rangers... yesterday was a mess...”
Koutarou's expression distorted as the zoo comes into view. The zoo was still far away, but as he got closer, he remembered the Sun Rangers from yesterday, and his mood got worse.
“I'm sorry, Koutarou.”
Kiriha smiled wryly and apologized to Koutarou with an apologetic look on her face.
In truth, they were supposed to visit the amusement park yesterday. However, because of the trouble with the Sun Rangers, they ran out of time. That was why Kiriha was apologizing.
“Kiriha-san, there's no need for you to apologize. They're the ones at fault.”
“That might be true. But... I'm sorry, Koutarou.”
Kiriha's hair fluttered slightly as she tilted her head, and her smile changed. It was a happy smile, rather than an apologetic one.
“...You're quite the woman you know...”
Her smile changed and her head tilted slightly. The words she was saying were the same, but all negative emotions left Koutarou, and he returned to his cheerful self.
“I'll take that as a compliment.”
“Please do.”
This time Koutarou smiled wryly.
This would happen from time to time. Kiriha's rare, refreshing smile. Up until now, Koutarou had always tried to ignore those smiles, to keep himself from being fooled. However, he didn't think she was trying to fool him now. So her smile sunk into the deepest parts of him.
You really are quite impressive...
And that's why Koutarou began doubting. He was wondering why Kiriha would purposefully make moves that would make him doubt her. Was she going to reveal her true intentions? If she did, and smiled at Koutarou like that, Koutarou would probably easily obey her.
“You're quite the man too.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“Fufufu, what do you think?”
“You really are quite the woman...”
As Koutarou and Kiriha swayed inside the train, they happily laughed together.
“I found them! They just came through the entrance!”
“Good job, Sanae. Ruth, have the unmanned aircraft continue tracking them.”
“Understood, your highness.”
“I found them too!”
Theia, Ruth, Sanae and Yurika were following after Koutarou and Kiriha today as well. They were waiting by some alley for Koutarou and Kiriha to come out.
“10:10; They begin moving towards the amusement park.”
After giving out commands to the unmanned aircraft, Ruth recorded Koutarou and Kiriha's moves using her armband for Shizuka's sake as she had left for her part-time job. Shizuka wanted to know about Koutarou and Kiriha. However, unlike the other four girls, she was just curious, as a girl of age.
“But it's still suspicious. Both today and yesterday, Satomi-san and Kiriha-san are completely different from normal.”
“Koutarou's definitely being fooled by her sex appeal.”
“Koutarou's an idiot and honest to a fault!”
“There are countless knights that have lost their ways because of woman-related problems. Satomi-sama is lacking in self-awareness!”
Koutarou and Kiriha were cheerfully walking towards the amusement park. However, the four girls secretly watching over them were restless.
Similar to yesterday, Koutarou and Kiriha looked closer than ever. The four girls all had comments about Koutarou's relation with women, so they couldn't remain calm as they watched over them.
“Let's go, your highness.”
“Yes, it would be problematic if we lost sight of them. Let's chase after them right away.”
“Roger!”
“Okay.”
Like yesterday, the four girls followed after Koutarou and Kiriha.
Part 2
The first thing Kiriha did after they had entered the amusement park was to take Koutarou to a small movie theater. They showed various movies related to events, and right now it was being used to campaign a newly started anime.
“Is still really okay?”
“Yes. This is fine.”
After Koutarou bought tickets and pamphlets, Kiriha happily nodded. She received her pamphlet from Koutarou and stroked the cover. It looked similar to patting a child's head, and Koutarou believed she was feeling nostalgic.
She might really be feeling nostalgic...
Koutarou looked through his own pamphlet. 'The king of beetles, Kabutonga – Theatrical version' was written on it with large letters.
The movie was the theatrical version of an anime that aired ten years ago, and it was being screened again as a promotion for the newly airing work: 'The king of beetles, Kabutonga – Second Impact'. Another event promoting Second Impact was being held in parallel.
Kiriha hadn't said much to Koutarou during the two days he had spent with her, but he had noticed that when she did, she would sometimes mention the terms 'in the past' and 'ten years ago'. So Koutarou began thinking that all the places they had been to these past two days were related to her past.
If that was true, then this movie might be the same. That's the reason behind why Koutarou believed that Kiriha was feeling nostalgic.
“Koutarou, look.”
At that moment, a brand new metallic card was presented to Koutarou.
Kabutonga No. 1 – Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle.
Below those words was a hero, wearing an outfit designed after the beetle, posing. The card was a trading card that could be found as an extra when buying snacks, and it was very popular with the kids at the time. It had been reprinted and added as an extra with the pamphlet.
This is... Kiriha-san’s...
Koutarou remembered seeing that card. The last time he saw it, it wasn't brand-new. It was aged and torn. And it had been scribbled on.
“Kiriha-san, isn't this...”
“Fufufu.”
Kiriha's smile looked bright; innocent, but at the same time, nostalgic. It was the best smile she had shown Koutarou today. Seeing that, Koutarou was convinced.
So that really is the case. Which means...
In Koutarou's mind, Kiriha's behavior these past eight months and the events these past two days lined up in accordance to a certain rule. Just like a jigsaw puzzle, it pointed towards a single answer. However, it wasn't enough to remove Koutarou's doubts. To solve all of his doubts, one more answer was required.
“You're surprisingly feminine.”
That was all Koutarou understood right now.
“That's unexpected. I've been trying to act like a woman all this time though...”
“You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?”
Koutarou lightly tapped Kiriha on the forehead with his fist.
“That hurts, Koutarou. What are you doing, hurting a woman's face...”
Using exaggerated gestures, she put pressure on her forehead and glared at Koutarou. Seeing that, Koutarou sighed.
“Stop fooling around, and let's go. The movie's starting.”
“That would be a problem.”
However, that was just for a moment.
The two of them began smiling right away, and entered the theater filled with children.
“A theater, huh...”
“This is bad.”
“Yes, this is bad. Very bad.”
Seeing Koutarou and Kiriha enter the theater, Sanae and Theia looked at each other with a severe expression and nodded at each other. The two of them had noticed the danger.
“Why? C-Could it be that Satomi-san would take advantage of the darkness to make a move on Kiriha-san!?”
Unaware of the danger, Yurika was worried about something completely unrelated.
“Of course not! There are kids all around them!”
“The problem is not with those two.”
“Then, what is it?”
Yurika had a confused look on her face as she stared at Sanae and Theia. The two of them then looked back at the same time.
“Satomi-sama and Kiriha-sama have entered the theater. Putting the unmanned aircraft on standby above it.”
The two of them looked at Ruth who was giving out commands to the unmanned aircraft. Following their glance, Yurika realized that they were talking about Ruth.
“...It's Ruth?”
However, Yurika didn't understand. She couldn't understand what Koutarou and Kiriha going in to a theater had to do with Ruth. She whispered to Theia and Sanae so that Ruth wouldn't hear.
“...That's right. Or rather, she has problems with where they went.”
“...Yurika take a good look at the sign by the theater. However, don't raise your voice no matter what you see.”
Theia and Sanae whisper back in response. The two of them were worried that Ruth would notice the sign and had casually moved in front of Ruth to obstruct it.
“The sign?”
Yurika blinked, not understanding what was going on before she looked towards the theater. She then noticed what was written on the sign.
“Hiii!?”
She blocked her own mouth to prevent her scream. However, that might not have been needed because she had been so surprised that she couldn't scream any more than that.
‘A special project to commemorate the broadcasting of “The king of beetles, Kabutonga – Second Impact”, a rescreening of the masterpiece “The king of beetles, Kabutonga – Theatrical version”! Parents and children, please enjoy it together!’
“A-As if anyone could enjoy it!!!”
Since this movie was made ten years ago, it had been produced using hand-drawn animation, unlike the modern anime industry that relied on a lot of CG. Yurika couldn't help but feel hatred coming from the hero's smile. To Yurika, he looked like a demon that had crawled up from hell as he held the metallic beetle carapace used to transform in his hand.
“Ah, idiot, you're too loud!”
“Shhh! Shhh!”
“Hmmp, Mhhhm, Hmmhmm!!”
Theia and Sanae pounced on Yurika as she began making noises. Ruth had constantly been looking through the unmanned aircrafts point of view, so she didn't know what was written on the sign. However, if the commotion continued, she would eventually notice. So Theia and Sanae were desperate.
“...Quit messing around!! Do you understand the situation!?”
“...Hmm Hmm Hmm.”
“...If you make a fuss again, you know what's going to happen, right?”
“...Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!”
Sanae and Theia quietly threatened Yurika, and Yurika hurriedly nodded her head.
The two of them were serious. If their positions had been reversed, Yurika felt like she would have been serious too, so she understood them.
“Is there something wrong?”
Noticing the commotion, Ruth turned around. Having been left out, Ruth looked at the three in confusion. The three of them then hurriedly separated and began covering the sign up.
“I-It's nothing, Ruth! It looked like Yurika had a small pebble on the bottom of her shoe! So I was just thinking of getting it off!”
“Yeah! Right, Yurika!?”
Theia was planning on surviving this situation by pretending that Yurika had run into a minor problem. Sanae quickly picked up on that and joined in.
“Eh? Was that why?”
Yurika, however, misunderstood Theia and looked at the back of her shoes. And of course, she couldn't find any pebbles stuck there.
“I don't see any pe―”
“...Shut up!”
“...There is. In the pattern by the heel.”
“I-Is that so?”
Having received a blow to her head, Yurika looked at Ruth with a questioning look and tears in her eyes. However, before Ruth could say anything else, Theia walked up to her, grabbed her hand and walked in the opposite direction of the theater.
“Let's go, Ruth.”
“Your highness? Are you fine with leaving Satomi-sama and Kiriha-sama?”
Trying to tear Ruth away from the theater, Theia continued walking. At the same time, she put some distance between them and Yurika.
“I don't mind. Just leave the unmanned aircraft on standby until Koutarou comes out. The movie will probably last for over an hour, I don't intend to just sit here wait for that.”
“But what if they do something―”
“That won't happen. Did you forget that they will be surrounded by kids?”
“Now that you mention it...”
“Koutarou might look unreliable, but he won't do anything to ruin the dreams of children.”
“I see, that makes a lot of sense.”
Ruth was bothered about just leaving, but after hearing what Theia had to say she was satisfied and soon walked alongside her.
“...Would you give it a break.”
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.”
“If you try to do something like that, I'll possess you and forcibly close your mouth.”
“Anything but that!!”
Sanae and Yurika followed after Theia and Ruth. Although it might just have been an excuse that Theia came up with on the spot, they couldn't just sit outside the theater for over an hour.
“Hey, everyone, why don't we all go see the haunted mansion since we have the time. I hear it's really scary.”
“I don't really mind.”
“That does sound like fun.”
“I absolutely refuse! I'm always with a ghost, so why would I need to go see a haunted mansion!?”
Having separated from Koutarou and Kiriha, the four girls were all ready to enjoy the amusement park. There were still about two hours left until the movie ended, so they had plenty of time to enjoy.
However, none of them knew.
None of them had any idea what event was being held in front of the haunted mansion.
It was a tragedy they could have avoided if they had paid more attention to the sign by the theater, but since the hurriedly left, they didn't have the time to do so.
Part 3
Meanwhile, Shizuka who had gone alone to her part-time job was standing on a stage wearing a full body suit.
Shizuka's athleticism during last week’s hero show had caught the eyes of a professional and she had been introduced to this part-time job. Of course, it was related to a hero show.
“Poison powder doesn't affect me! Have you forgotten that my body is made out of metal!? Absorbing Madame Butterfly's ability backfired, Scarab King!”
Shizuka moved her body in accordance to the hero's voice flowing out from the speakers.
The acting should be overdone...
Even though she had been told to overact in a play when she was practicing for the Blue Knight's play in November, the hero show required even more over the top acting. Since the helmet covered her face, she had to make even bigger, more dramatic gestures to make it easier to understand.
She pointed powerfully at the large beetle costume in front of her. As if waiting for that cue, the deep voice of a man flowed through the speakers.
“What about it, Kabutonga No. 1!! Even if it doesn't work on you, what about the humans around you!?”
As the voice was sounding out from the speakers, the beetle – Scarab King continued moving his limbs. Moving your body while someone was speaking was one of the important jobs for both heroes and villains during the show.
“Oh no, that was your goal!?”
As she acted as if she was overly surprised, female extras began surrounding her. They were civilians being controlled by Scarab King’s poison powder.
“Damnit, you coward! Fight me fair and square!”
“I refuse!! The term 'fair and square' is only used an excuse to give yourself an advantage!! That, if anything, is true cowardice, Kabutonga No. 1!!”
“Curse you, Scarab King! You're only skilled in strategy and words!!”
The extras closed in and began putting pressure on Kabutonga No. 1. Kabutonga No. 1 was a hero of justice, so he couldn't just attack the manipulated women.
“Don't worry No. 1!”
“Just leave those women to us!”
That was when new Kabutongas appeared on the stage. Their large horns and bodies were bigger than No. 1. They were Kabutonga No. 1's allies, Kabutonga Hercules and Kabutonga Atlas.
“So you've come, Hercules! Atlas!”
Kabutonga No. 1 that Shizuka was acting as had been designed using the Japanese rhinoceros beetle as a motif. Because of that, it had a smaller body compared to Hercules and Atlas, which meant that it required a smaller actor. Shizuka had been chosen because of her small body and because of the way she had showed off her moves in the previous show.
“Stag-man created an antidote for the poison powder. So just leave this to us!”
“No. 1, you go get Scarab King!”
“Sorry, please do! Hoooo!”
Following the script, Shizuka slipped through the women and closed in on Scarab King. Before Shizuka, they couldn’t find anyone who could have been able to pull off this swift kind of move. In that sense, she was living up to the stage manager's hopes.
“Damn you, Stag-man! That traitor again!?”
“Scarab King, your ambition ends here!”
Using the momentum from her running, Shizuka jumped. In reality, there was a trampoline hidden there that couldn't be seen from below the stage. She used the trampoline well and made a big jump, flying towards the Scarab King, with feet first.
“Kabutongaaaa Kiiiiiiick!!”
Just before the kick actually connected, fireworks and smoke went off on the stage. Using the light and smoke as cover, Scarab King dodged the kick and Shizuka landed on a cushion right behind him. It would be dangerous for both of the actors if she actually landed her kick.
The children cheered. To them, it looked like the Kabutonga Kick connected and caused Scarab King to explode.
“Good job, Shizuka-chan.”
“Ahaha, thank you very much!”
Scarab King called out to Shizuka as he quickly got up and got into his position. He held his hands on his chest and squatted down, while Shizuka moved to stand in front of him. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared and the two could be seen again.
“D-Damn, well done Kabutonga No. 1... However, you didn't win using your own power! I lost to Stag-man- no, I lost to our own technology!”
“That's where you're wrong, Scarab King!”
Shizuka swung her right hand around with a wide gesture and put her hand on her chest.
“You simply lost to the justice budding inside of Stag-man's heart!”
“Justice... I won't accept it... I won't accept this... that kind of thing is...”
Scarab King slowly collapsed.
“I won't be destroyed...”
The hand he reached out towards Kabutonga No. 1 fell to the ground before it could reach. It was the last moments of a great evil after being vanquished. It was some splendid acting from a veteran that had played villains for several decades.
“I will return... as many times as it takes... Kabutonga, all you've done... was for nothing... Wahahahahaha...haha...ha...”
Scarab King's laughter grew weaker, until it eventually faded away as he died. The women were saved by the antidote, and the story got a happy ending.
However, that was when something unexpected happened.
“Uwaaaa!?”
“W-What's with this girl!?”
Atlas's and Hercules's actors screamed out all of a sudden. Since voice actors stood in for the voices in the show, the physical actors were forbidden to actually scream or talk. When Shizuka turned around, she saw Kabutonga Atlas flying through the air.
Atlas's actor was large, and the costume he was wearing was big and heavy. As he slammed into the stage floor, the sound reached further than expected. It was a heavy sound that even made the children worry. Atlas didn't move a muscle after that.
“So that's where you were... Hercules-cha~n...”
A lone girl carrying a large flyswatter had been the one that sent Atlas flying.
“Is that-!?”
“I was getting worried since I hadn't seen you for so long...”
“R-Ruth-san!!”
That girl's name was Ruthkania Nye Pardomshiha, a girl that Shizuka got really well along with.
“...worried that you might be out breeding somewhere!!”
Ruth's eyes looked the same as those of a dangerous predator. She had caught her prey with her eyes and held her large flyswatter using both her hands. Her next prey was Kabutonga Hercules. Ruth had come on top of the stage to rid the world of the evil(?) beetles.
“As I thought you increased your numbers, Hercules-chan!! And you even got this big!!”
“W-What!?”
Unable to swallow the situation, Kabutonga Hercules remained motionless. He thought that Ruth was just an extra, and that he had forgotten his part of the script. So he looked out towards the stage manager, as if asking for help.
“Chance!”
Not missing that opening, Ruth rushed forwards.
“How foolish! To give me an opening yourself!”
“Oh no!”
Shizuka hurriedly ran forwards. She was planning on stopping Ruth.
I knew this would happen if I went into any details about my work, so why is Ruth here!?
When faced with beetles, the normally peaceful and calm Ruth's personality turned incredibly violent. That was because she had some tragic memories regarding them. Those memories left a scar in her heart and she would lose her sanity whenever she was faced with beetles.
Knowing that, Shizuka hid the details around her work from Koutarou and the others. If she had said that she was going to appear in a show about beetles, it was obvious what Ruth would do. The safest option had been to not tell her.
Despite that, Ruth was now here, targeting Hercules. Regardless of the circumstances, she had to do something now, or Hercules's life was in danger.
“Move!”
“Woah!?”
Shizuka pushed Hercules to the side and faced Ruth. Hercules's actor didn't know how dangerous Ruth was when she was like this. At this rate, he would be done in before he realized. So the only way to protect him was for Shizuka to face Ruth personally.
“Fu, Fufu, another new beetle appears... fufufu, to think you'd come out on your own...”
“Ruth-san, return to your senses! It's me, Shizuka!”
“I am sane. I'm only doing what Pardomshiha's honor and tradition demands me to do.”
Ruth swung down the flyswatter.
“It demands me to destroy you beetles!”
“She's fast!?”
Shizuka caught the grip of the flyswatter with her left arm. It wasn't the top of the flyswatter, and Shizuka's thick costume dispersed the power. But even then, Ruth's strike had a tremendous impact.
“This is bad No. 1! It seems like the antidote isn't working on that girl! You need to somehow knock her out without hurting her.”
Hercules's voice rang out from the speakers.
The antidote didn't work on Ruth and she was obeying Scarab King's orders by attacking the Kabutongas. The stage manager had decided to continue the show in order to survive the situation. And he was asking for Shizuka to win.
“You make it sound so easy!”
Shizuka complained as she continued to block Ruth's attacks.
Using her flyswatter, elbows, kicks and backhands, Ruth was attacking Shizuka with unimaginably sharp moves. Her rampant mind had gained complete control of her body, and she had turned into a vicious battle machine.
All Shizuka could do was block Ruth's attacks. She attacked swiftly through sheer instinct, on top of that, Shizuka was wearing Kabtuonga's outfit, making it hard to move and attack. It would be a miracle to knock Ruth out without harming her in this situation.
“Please stop moving, I'll make it easy for you!”
“Kyaaaa!?”
Ruth's flyswatter swung right below Shizuka's nose. The attack was on the verge of hitting, and a chill ran down her spine.
“It's impossible to like this! I'll go all out, Ruth-san! Don't hate me, okay!?”
“Hate!? Of course I do! My chest burns with its hatred for you!!”
Ruth continued with her sharp attacks, while Shizuka dodged her attacks and changed her stance. That wasn't the stance of Kabutonga, but Shizuka's own stance.
“Quit moving around!!”
“Satomi-kun, you better buy me something later!!”
Shizuka exhaled and closed the distance to Ruth.
“Do you want to seduce my Satomi-sama that badly!?”
Hearing those words, Ruth recalled her tragic memories.
She recalled how she had felt when Koutarou had embraced her, and then when he had whispered the beetle’s name. She had felt a deep sense of discouragement, similar to despair.
I won't allow Satomi-sama to choose beetles over me again! I definitely won't allow it!!
Ruth couldn't process the oddity that Kabutonga No. 1 had uttered Koutarou's name. She was just desperately protecting to keep her precious things from being stolen from her.
“Noooooooooooo!!”
Ruth shouted out with all her might and swung down the flyswatter. The flyswatter cut through the air and roared. It had the most power out of all of her attacks she had made today.
“This is!? But!!”
However, Shizuka deflected the blow to the left at the very last second and used the momentum of her move to tackle Ruth with her right shoulder.
“Agh.”
The blow hit Ruth in her stomach, expelled the air she had in her lungs and caused her body to stiffen up.
“Alright!”
She could feel the hit go through. Certain of her victory, Shizuka stopped moving. Ruth's body then began leaning over.
“C-Curse you, b-beetles...”
Shortly thereafter, Ruth fainted. However, her grudge for beetles continued until the very end. After confirming that Ruth had lost her consciousness, Shizuka was finally able to relax.
“Phew... if Satomi-kun doesn't buy me a cake or two, this won't have been worth the effort...”
Holding on to Ruth, Shizuka smiled wryly inside her helmet.
Part 4
Having finished eating lunch after watching the movie, Koutarou and Kiriha visited the attractions at the park. The merry-go-round, the spinning coffee cups, the haunted mansion and the house of mirrors. The attractions that Kiriha took Koutarou to were all for children. However, having vaguely begun to understand, Koutarou didn't voice a single complaint.
Rather than thinking of her as a girl of the same age, I would probably be better off thinking of her like a child...
That's how Koutarou saw Kiriha today, and he wasn't mistaken. Kiriha had a very childlike smile as she visited the various attractions. Yesterday, he had hesitated because of that, but today he laughed loudly with her. That's because he knew that there was something precious to Kiriha on the other side of that smile.
“Koutarou, let's ride that next!”
“The Ferris wheel, huh. Alright, let's go.”
“Yes!”
By the time Kiriha had pointed out the Ferris wheel, Koutarou had already begun running. Kiriha quickly followed after him. Today, Koutarou was acting as childish as Kiriha. The two of them raced towards the Ferris wheel and by the time they reached the platform, the line had just emptied.
“Koutarou.”
“Yeah.”
The two smiled and nodded at each other. They passed under the gate and approached the Ferris wheel.
The Ferris wheel in this amusement park was big. It was the largest in the prefecture when the park had been established ten years ago. So by the time the two of them reached the gondola, just looking up at it required them to twist their necks.
“I have gotten much taller...”
Kiriha had a nostalgic look as she looked up on the Ferris wheel. In the past, when she had stood here, she had been unable to see the top. However as time passed, Kiriha had grown and she was now able to do so now.
“Kiriha-san.”
Hearing Koutarou's voice, Kiriha looked down, and there she saw him calling for her in front of the slow moving gondola. Behind him was the clerk in charge, holding the door open, waiting for them.
“Ah, sorry.”
Kiriha ran towards Koutarou and the clerk as she apologized.
Now that I think about it, the same thing happened that time.
Kiriha recalled her past self. She was looking up towards the Ferris wheel, with her eyes sparkling, as the boy she was with called for her.
“Kii-chan.”
“Sorry, I'm coming!”
The boy had been the same age as she was now. Since she had been so young then, she couldn't remember his face. However, she could clearly remember that she loved him, even now.
“Eii!”
As Kiriha had approached the boy she pulled his hand towards her and hopped into the gondola. Remembering that, Kiriha smiled like a mischievous child as she stared at Koutarou.
“Eii!”
“Ah, hey.”
Spurred on by her memories, she grabbed Koutarou's hand and jumped on the gondola.
“That's dangerous.”
At that moment, the voice of Koutarou and the boy from her memories voice overlapped. The boy and Koutarou had scolded her the same way.
Onii-chan...
Her ten-year-old memories turned to tears and flowed out through her eyes.
“Fu, fufu, fu... I'm sorry...”
The clerk outside closed the door and locked it. The well maintained gondola then rose up without making a sound. However, Koutarou was distracted by Kiriha and didn't notice any of that.
“Kiriha-san...?”
Tears streamed down Kiriha's cheek. The gentle sun light shining through the window caused the tears to sparkle. Seeing that, Koutarou was rendered speechless by the beauty of those tears.
“Koutarou...”
Kiriha grabbed at her chest with both hands. Feelings kept flowing out from the bottom of her heart.
I really do still love that person...
Having spent both yesterday and today going to those memorable spots, Kiriha finally reached a conclusion. She felt that she needed to tell Koutarou about her conclusion.
“Koutarou, there's something I want to tell you.”
Still holding on to her chest with her left hand, she wiped her tears away with her right. But even then, the tears continued streaming down her cheeks. Kiriha gave up on wiping her tears and smiled at Koutarou.
“It's fine, you don't need to tell me.”
Kiriha was about to talk to Koutarou about what she had been thinking about for the past week. However, having tagged along Kiriha yesterday and today, Koutarou felt like he didn't need to hear what she had to say. During these two days, Koutarou was convinced that Kiriha would never do something terrible.
“With all that's happened, I feel like it doesn't matter.”
Koutarou was smiling, he already understood. Even though Kiriha might invade the surface, he knew that she would never do it in a cruel way.
The reason for that was because of her past. It was probably related to the spots they had visited these two days. But since they were special, precious memories, Koutarou didn't want to force it out of her.
“No, please listen. You have that right.”
However, Kiriha shook her head and stared right at him.
“And most of all, I want you to listen. You're my only friend here on the surface; I want you to know my wish.”
Kiriha's words had weight behind them. That might have had something to do with the light residing deep inside her eyes, showing her trust and friendship for the first time. That greatly shook Koutarou's feelings, and he created a spot for her inside of his heart.
“If you call me a friend, I have no choice but to listen.”
“...Thank you, Koutarou...”
Eight months had passed since Koutarou first met Kiriha.
The two of them had finally become friends.
Part 5
“Where should I start...”
As she said that, Kiriha wiped away her tears again. By now her tears had stopped and the last traces of them were wiped from her cheeks.
“From anywhere's fine, isn't it? It's not like we're in a hurry.”
“That's true. Then let's start from the beginning.”
Looking straight at Koutarou, Kiriha slowly began talking. Koutarou corrected his pose and faced her.
The gondola was slowly rising and had now reached halfway up to the top. At this height, they could see past the buildings; the distant scenery came into sight. Since the day was coming to an end, the scenery left quite an impression.
“Ten years ago, I got into a fight with my father and ran to the surface.”
“A fight? I can't imagine you getting into a fight.”
Even though she had said that she had gotten into a fight with her father, Koutarou couldn't imagine Kiriha getting emotional. He had never seen that happen during these eight months.
“Ten years ago, I was a child. It's not like I was an adult in the body of a child.”
“Now that you say it, that's true.”
Although she was very mature now, Kiriha was once a child too. Although that was supposed to be obvious, Koutarou felt that it was strange. As Koutarou laughed, a smile formed on Kiriha's lips. As a result, the stiff atmosphere between them lightened up.
“Most of all, ten years ago was when my mother passed away, so it was an unstable time for me. I got into a fight with my father over something trivial and ran away from home.”
“I understand how you must have felt.”
“That's right... you lost your mother too.”
Both Koutarou and Kiriha had lost their mother, so each could understand how the other felt. Now that they considered each other friends, they understood it even more.
“...Anyway, having run away from home, I went to the place where I had been forbidden to go to: the surface.”
Though Kiriha was staring at Koutarou, she was also looking at her past, ten years ago when she had run away from home.
“And that's when I met that person.”
“What person?”
“It was a boy the same age around same age as we are now. I don't remember his name. I'm sure he told me, but all I can remember is calling him onii-chan.”
The most important thing for Kiriha in particular was her meeting with a boy on the surface.
“Ahaha, so even you had a cute side back then.”
Koutarou couldn't imagine Kiriha using the term 'onii-chan' today. Koutarou found it funny and burst out laughing.
“You say that like I'm not cute now.”
“Yes, that's what I thought up until yesterday.”
“What about today?”
“You still have a surprisingly cute side to you.”
“You don't need to call it surprising.”
Kiriha pouted, slightly dissatisfied. Since that pout was surprisingly adorable, Koutarou started laughing even more.
“Anyways.”
Kiriha exhaled slightly and returned to normal.
“That person was a bit childish, he was gentle, had a sense of humor, and he would even properly listen to a child like me.”
“Hmm...”
Feeling nostalgic and happy, Kiriha continued talking. From the way she described him, it seemed like she really loved that boy. Koutarou felt a little bit jealous.
“He was similar to you, Koutarou.”
“Well, aren't I being thought of highly.”
“If you weren't, I probably wouldn't have told you.”
“Don't say that straight to my face..”
Koutarou felt embarrassed and his cheeks turned red. He couldn't quite calm down when a woman complimented him to his face.
“If I didn't, you wouldn't feel troubled, would you?”
“So that was your goal.”
“Fufu.”
Koutarou smiled. He was always being teased by Kiriha, but for some reason, he didn't seem to mind today.
“...And I then spent a few days with that person. As a child I was selfish, so all I did was cause trouble for him.”
“You being selfish hasn't changed from back then.”
“Koutarou.”
“I can't help but sympathize with the guy.”
Having been teased by Kiriha every now and then, Koutarou found it strange that she would say that she was selfish as a child. If she wasn't selfish now, just how selfish was she back then?
“I'm not feeling like myself... why today of all days...”
Kiriha smiled wryly. Normally, she would dance circles around Koutarou as usual, but today their roles had been reversed. It was the norm for Kiriha to trouble Koutarou, but now it was Koutarou who was troubling Kiriha.
But there's no need to mind. It's not like it's unpleasant...
This change had happened because both Koutarou and Kiriha had accepted one another in the deepest part of their hearts, but Kiriha still wasn't aware of that. She wasn't aware, but she didn't feel unpleasant, so she decided not to mind. In fact, she felt happy.
“I went to all kinds of places with that person. We'd play in the park, or go shop in the city. He even brought me along to the zoo and amusement park.”
Kiriha looked through the window at the amusement park and zoo. As she did, she remembered the events of today and yesterday, and her memories a decade ago overlapped with those.
“The zoo and the amusement park, so you really...”
“That's right, Koutarou. I had you tag along to the places I went with that person.”
Kiriha nodded at Koutarou and pulled out a card from her pocket. The aged trading card had been scribbled on by a permanent marker. Seeing that, Koutarou pulled out the card he had gotten from the pamphlet. It was the same card as Kiriha's. However, unlike hers, it was brand-new and shining.
“I got this card from that person. Getting this made me really happy... so I had him go to the movies with me too...”
Kiriha looked at the card. She was gently gazing at the someone on the other side of the card.
The card had been an extra when buying snacks in combination of the screening of the movie ten years ago. She had been treasuring it for these past ten years, because she had gently been staring at the person on the other side of that card.
“... You loved him, right?”
Koutarou remembered Kiriha saying that back at the sea during their summer vacation. That she had gotten it from the person she loved a long time ago.
“Yes. He was my first love.”
Kiriha slowly traced the surface of the card with her finger.
Of course it'd be precious if you got it from your first love...
Seeing Kiriha gently stroking the card, Koutarou understood the meaning behind the gentle smile she would show from time to time.
Back at the sea, he didn't quite understand the meaning behind Kiriha's love. However, now he fully understood. It was the type of love you'd feel for someone you harbored romantic feelings for.
“However, those fun days didn't last for long.”
Kiriha's smile vanished and she sadly dropped her shoulders.
“What happened?”
“They came to pick me up. I ran away from home after all.”
“Oh yeah, you were the daughter of a distinguished family.”
Kiriha was the daughter of the chief. Her running away from home caused the entire clan to go out and look for her. As a result, she was taken back to the underground. Torn away from her beloved boy.
“That's how I parted with that person. Ever since then, I wasn't allowed to go to the surface, so I couldn't meet him again.”
“You wanted to though, right?”
“Of course. I may have been young, but I was serious about wanting to marry him.”
Still looking sad, Kiriha laughed slightly.
Kiriha's first love that occurred when she ran away from home ended at the same time she was taken back. Ten years had passed since that short while, but Kiriha still hadn't forgotten about it, even for a day. And her feelings had been poured into the card she held in her hand.
“That's why I applied to become the commander when it was decided that we would invade the surface.”
“What!?”
When he heard her next words, Koutarou's eyes opened wide. Having heard that, even he could understand the real reason for why Kiriha had come to the surface, and it left him astonished.
“So you invaded the surface just so you could meet with your first love!?”
“That's right.”
Kiriha nodded. Koutarou's guess was spot on.
“That's why this invasion needs to happen peacefully. I couldn't bring myself to fan the flames of war in the city that person lived in.”
Kiriha had invaded the surface to find her first love. That's because if she didn't have the goal of an invasion, she wouldn't have been let up on the surface. And of course, if she got into trouble with the people on the surface, her meeting with her first love would only end in tragedy. That's why she had to invade peacefully.
“Wait a minute. When you first arrived, didn't you say to hand over room 106 to you so you could mass produce weapons?”
When Koutarou had first met Kiriha, she had said that she wanted to construct a shrine in room 106 so she could mass produce spiritual energy weapons like Karama and Korama. That obviously contradicted what she had just said.
“In reality, that was a gamble of sorts.”
“A gamble?”
“If I put it like that, I was hoping that you would resist.”
“I see, so that's why!”
Koutarou had always felt doubts about if Kiriha actually wanted to steal room 106. That hadn't been his misunderstanding at all, but the truth.
“I needed you to resist. If the altar was completed in the early stages, the radical faction would push to invade using force. War against the surface had to be avoided at all costs. Nothing good would have come out from obtaining room 106 back then.”
The biggest obstacle for Kiriha, who wanted to invade peacefully, was the radical faction that wanted to invade through force. And if room 106 was obtained early on, there was a chance that they would run out of control. In order to prevent that, she had to create a situation that made it difficult for her to obtain the room.
“That's why you kept fueling my unease, but did nothing?”
“I'm sorry, Koutarou. I couldn't win or lose the battle for room 106. If I won, the radical faction would mass produce weapons and march onto the surface. If I lost, they would still move to take room 106 by force. Either way, a war with the surface would erupt.”
“And if war happened, your wish would never come true...”
Kiriha was a pacifist to begin with, so she didn't wish for a military invasion. On top of that, she wanted to meet with her first love once more.
In order to satisfy those desires and peacefully invade, there was a need for the ownership of room 106 to remain in a standoff.
The doubts that Koutarou had felt had appeared because of that.
“Really, if you had just said something I would have cooperated with you from the start...”
Koutarou scratched his head and smiled wryly. Kiriha's goal was rational after all; she didn't want to start a war and she wanted to meet her first love.
“Koutarou, it's just as you say. Thinking back to it, I should have asked for your cooperation from the start. But at that time I had nothing to fall back on, and I couldn't truly trust you.”
“Well, I guess it can't be helped, we had just met after all...”
Having only just met, neither of them knew if they could trust the other. However, after these eight months, they were certain that they could do so now. That's why Kiriha had revealed everything to Koutarou, and why he had believed her.
“I'm really sorry, Koutarou.”
“Eh?”
“I'm sorry for deceiving you all this time. I want to apologize for that.”
Kiriha had used a lot of methods to keep Koutarou from trusting her, like using simple lies or inducement, trying to seduce or provoke him, earning his trust and then making him put his guard up. Although it was necessary, she still felt bad about it.
“It's fine, really. But... as a young man in puberty, I'm a bit sad...”
Hearing Kiriha's apology, Koutarou smiled wryly and dropped his shoulders. He looked sad, just like he had said.
Koutarou wasn't angry at Kiriha for everything that had happened up until now. If it was in order to prevent something even bigger, he could forgive her. And she had helped on more occasions than one. However, there was still something he felt was sad.
“Sad?”
“If you were serious about your tempting me, I would feel more like a man.”
Koutarou was a healthy boy of age.
“Koutarou...”
Kiriha had been taken back by Koutarou's words, however, the next moment she began laughing energetically.
“Fufufufu, ahahaha!”
The sun that had begun to set lit up Kiriha's profile. However, her smile was bright enough to challenge the sun's light. That was probably the first time Koutarou had seen her smile from the bottom of her heart.
“You don't have to laugh that much. I'm young so it's only natural.”
Obviously being laughed at, Koutarou crossed his arm, slightly irritated. However, Kiriha wasn't laughing for the reason he was thinking.
“Fufufufu, I feel proud as a woman if those words are true.”
Kiriha believed him; that Satomi Koutarou was not a man that would fall for such cheap tricks.
Part 6
Having gotten off the Ferris wheel, Koutarou and Kiriha headed towards another attraction. There was one more place that she wanted to go.
“By the way, Kiriha-san, are you having any luck finding your first love?”
“No, not quite. It was ten years ago after all. There're extremely few clues to go after.”
Kiriha shook her head bitterly next to Koutarou. Her face was dyed red by the setting sun. The time was now approaching evening, and the shadows trailing behind them had grown longer.
“Well, if the only clue you have is a card, it'd be hard.”
“There is one more clue, but I don't know if he still has it or not.”
The first time Koutarou had heard about Kiriha's first love was at their trip to the sea during their summer vacation. A couple of months had passed since then, but she still hadn't found any clues about her first love's whereabouts.
“There are far too few traces left. Nobody remembers him; not even I remember his face. Even if I were to find him somehow, how would I know it’s him?”
“I guess you’d have to check every man in this city closing in on his thirties, huh?”
Kiriha had met the boy ten years ago. At that time he looked like he was a high school student, so right now he should be close to his thirties. However, there were far too many men that fit the bill.
“He might not even be in this city any more. Even if he was, would he even remember meeting me?”
“But even then, you can't help but look...”
“...Yeah...”
Kiriha nodded and looked up overhead. The blue winter sky was perfectly clear.
“You love him that much?”
“Yes. Having spent these past two days visiting these memorable places, I have reaffirmed that. Even now I am love with that person.”
Kiriha's feelings were perfectly clear, just like the sky. She would find him no matter what. Her determination had remained unshaken by these past ten years.
“That's why I want to meet him. I'm well aware that even if we meet, he might not accept my feelings. But if we don't, I can't move forward.”
They had only been together for a few days, but even then, Kiriha felt something for the boy.
The boy had grown into an adult, and might have forgotten about Kiriha. He might even have married and built a family of his own. Even if that was the case, Kiriha wanted to see him. But she didn't want to ruin his current life. She just wanted to meet him and tell him her feelings for him; that's what she had wanted to do for these past ten years. She didn't mind even if he didn't reciprocate her feelings. If she didn't, she could probably never forget about him and fall in love with someone else. She had to confess to him if she wanted to move forward with her life.
“I want to meet him, tell him how I feel and put an end to this. Of course, if he were to accept me, I wouldn't be happier.”
Kiriha smiled a refreshingly straight smile. Up until now, Kiriha had never talked about this to anyone else. So this smile was proof that she really thought of Koutarou as her friend.
“So you can't continue half-assed. Hehe, I like it.”
Having heard what Kiriha had to say, Koutarou grinned cheerfully.
Koutarou loved this kind of topic: wanting to put an end to something, regardless of the results. That's because that awkward way of living was something Koutarou was familiar with. So he really understood how she felt, and he felt much closer to her than ever.
“Koutarou?”
“Kiriha-san, I'll help you too, so let's find him.”
That's why Koutarou felt like helping Kiriha. He felt like he was looking for his own first love, that's just how close he felt to Kiriha.
“Eh?”
Kiriha's eyes opened wide in surprise by Koutarou's unexpected offer. She never expected him to want to help.
“I just felt like seeing the face of the guy that would make a woman like you feel that way.”
“Koutarou...”
Kiriha instinctively grasped at her chest, with her eyes moistening.
That's right... that's the kind of man you are...
Kiriha then recalled why she had come to trust Koutarou. He was clumsy and awkward, but earnest and kind. That's why she had revealed everything to him. Having remembered that, Kiriha was happy for his feelings.
“And besides, now that I've heard this much, I want to see what happens next.”
“...Thank you, Koutarou...”
Kiriha smiled happily, and bowed deeply with her hand at her chest. That was the best way for her to show her gratitude.
“Stop it, don't worry about that. We're friends, right?”
“...That's right.”
Kiriha slowly looked up. By that time, Kiriha's smile had fully recovered.
“That said, watching someone else's love life makes you feel a bit envious.”
“That's true. I understand how you feel.”
After blinking a couple of times, Kiriha began cheerfully laughing and smiling. It was a special smile that really served as a proof of her friendship with Koutarou.
“That's why, after your matter has been settled, introduce me to some cute underground girls.”
“I got it, I'll try my hardest.”
“Alright, then we have a deal!”
Koutarou nodded and began laughing and smiling alongside Kiriha.
It was the same kind of smile he'd show to Kenji. Koutarou also thought of Kiriha as a precious friend.
“With that in mind, let's hurry up and find him. For my future's sake as well.”
“That's right, I need to push some girl from a distinguished family onto you so I can use you as a foothold for the surface invasion immediately.”
“Hey now.”
“Fufufu♪”
Kiriha smiled mischievously and began running away from Koutarou. Her long black hair sparkled in as it was bathed in sunlight.
She's surprisingly childish. But that makes sense. Since she's a leader of the underground people, she can't really show that side to anyone...
Koutarou chased after Kiriha as he thought that.
“Hey, wait up!”
“No way!”
Ignoring Koutarou's calls, Kiriha skipped away from him. Looking at her from behind, Koutarou couldn't see any of her normal calm and composed attitude. She looked just like a child.
Kiriha made one last leap and landed by planting both of her feet into the ground. As she did, her hair fluttered in the air, and as it was still floating she spun around just as Koutarou came running up.
“Is tag already over?”
“Yes. This is where I wanted to go.”
Kiriha nodded and showed what was behind her using one of her hands.
“Something unlike you once more I see.”
“Is that so?”
Kiriha cheerfully smiled.
She had taken Koutarou in front of a roller coaster. Like the Ferris wheel, this roller coaster was the largest in the prefecture when it was made. It had given up the top spot for another roller coaster, but the size was still huge. Boasting a height of 70 meters and a drop of 65, the attraction spread out in front of Koutarou and Kiriha.
“...Actually, it might be just like you.”
These past two days, Koutarou had begun understand just what kind of girl Kiriha was. She normally looked calm and composed, but she hid her childish fervor inside. With that in mind, it was a very Kiriha-like choice.
“It sounds like you're calling me a tomboy, and it's very unpleasant.”
“Yes, that's what I meant.”
“That's mean, Koutarou.”
Laughing, Kiriha approached the entrance to the roller coaster's terminal.
“Oh yeah, do you have any memories with this roller coaster?”
Koutarou followed after her. Kiriha then stopped in front of the sign next to the entrance.
“Yeah. Ten years ago, I couldn't get on this ride.”
Kiriha smiled wryly as she turned around and said that.
“You couldn't ride it? Was there too long of a line?”
Past the entrance to the terminal was an orderly line. Seeing that, Koutarou assumed that Kiriha couldn't ride the attraction because of a long line. At the time, since it was the largest roller coaster in the prefecture, the line to the ride stretched quite a bit.
“No, that wasn't it. Look here, Koutarou.”
“Let's see... 'You must be at least 140 centimeters to ride this attraction'...?”
On the sign was an illustration of a child and the number 140 had been written by it.
On this roller coaster, there was a height requirement of 140 centimeters for safety reasons.
“The tomboy ten years ago was short you see. So I couldn't get on.”
“I see, so this is another regret of yours.”
Koutarou imagined a small Kiriha ten years ago selfishly saying she wanted to get on, with the boy and clerk trying to soothe her.
“Kukuku, that was misfortunate...”
Finding his own imagination funny, Koutarou began laughing.
“I don't like the way you said it, but yes that's right. So I couldn't get on it.”
“You're surprisingly persistent.”
“Of course. I'm a woman who's still in love with a man she met ten years ago, you know?”
“That's true.”
Koutarou and Kiriha laughed out together. The two then began walking towards the end of the line. The queue wasn't very long, so they would probably be able to ride it if they waited for ten minutes.
“Roller coaster...”
As they reached the end of the line, Kiriha muttered those words. Hearing her voice, Koutarou looked towards her while she was looking around the area, deep in thought. To Koutarou it looked like she was reminiscing.
But why...
However to Koutarou, Kiriha's expression looked lonely. It didn't look like the expression of someone about to accomplish and get over one of their regrets.
Could it be that―
Staring at Kiriha's profile, Koutarou looked like he was about to reach a conclusion.
That was when the ground started shaking intensely.
