Zaregoto Vol 4 Chapter 1

Now then.

h.e.l.lo, everybody.

Please accompany me for just a little while.

1

"So, Tomo. His -- what was his name? Utsurigi, what sort of guy is he entirely?"

It was a borrowed car, so I should really not be talking and distracting myself from driving, but around me was just one person and one dog, and nary a single car in sight, and it was so rural that one could a.s.sume that even public construction had not touched this place in the past ten years. Actually, it may not even be a mistake to call this a dirt path. There were no stoplights and probably no danger of being in an accident, but even so I lowered the speed a bit, as I asked Kunagisa Tomo, sitting in the a.s.sistant driver's seat.

Kunagisa looked fascinated as she tilted her head to the side, "Uni?" and then, "Didn't I tell you? Ii-chan."

"I thought I sat down and explained to you a lot about Sacchan."

"No, I never heard."

I responded, but if Kunagisa said so, then I probably did receive an explanation. Kunagisa Tomo's memory is as accurate as a precision machine, and my memory is inaccurate enough to require precise investigation. In other words of in other words, I forget things brilliantly. However, forgetting is the same as not knowing.

"Umm. Sacchan, right-."

"Start there. Why Sacchan? He is Utsurigi Gaisuke, right? How do you turn his name into Sacchan?"

"Hmm... I see."

In any case I accepted her explanation, but still pondered her naming sense. After all, how is it to make a nickname of a nickname?

"Sacchan from Saikin (Bacteria)... sounds like an elementary school kid being bullied."

"Mmm. Sacchan wasn't like that, though. If anything that's more Chii-kun's role, and Sacchan was the opposite, the bully type. But you're right, Sacchan was a bit different inside the Team, like the one loner. You know, like he was colored differently."

"More than you?"

"Boku-sama-chan was everyone's manager, so it's not right for me to be different or odd."

".........."

Well, nothing to say.

I had recently learned to stay silent.

"Chii-kun was, what was it? A seeker, if I remember correctly."

"Yup. A transcendent, shred seeker who could look for anything as long as it's within the galaxy. I don't know what woulda happened if it weren't for Chii-kun this time, either. It took a while to get his help though, because Chii-kun hated Sacchan."

"Don't know what woulda happened, eh..." but even now, after having received Chii-kun's help, I could not fathom what would happen.

"And so? If Chii-kun was a seeker, then Sacchan... what was Utsurigi for? Did he know the secret to the Big Bang?"

"Nope," Kunagisa quickly rejected. "Ii-chan, I think you've misunderstood, but Chii-kun's searching is really on a different plane. I think putting it this way might be cra.s.s, but even if I take a hundred years or a thousand years, I might not be able to find something Chii-kun finds in one day. Chii-kun was that outlandish even among the Team."

"Hmm... that is certainly unexpected."

Insidentally, that Chii-kun is currently residing in the maximum security prison in the United States for something like a 150 year term. And if I remember correctly, Chii-kun was the same age, nineteen, as Kunagisa and I, so, yes, currently medicine is bountiful and improving, so he may be able to come out while he’s still alive.

"That's why, compared to Chii-kun, Sacchan's spec goes down a few levels. Of course, they specialize differently, so it's not something that I can simply compare, but. It's like comparing Hiei Mountain and Kamogawa River."

"That comparison does not allow for comprehension of magnitude... so? What is his specialization?"

"Yup. Sacchan's specialization was cracking everything."

"So he's a cracker..."

"Yup," nodded Kunagisa Tomo. "There're lots of explanations for the differences between crackers and hackers, but in Sacchan's case, in Utsurigi Gaisuke's case alone, there's no difference. Sacchan devoted every bit of his specifications into destroying. Specifications that might have even been able to comprise the best all-rounder were dumped purely into destroying, so he's a specialized, extremely specialized, too specialized, cracker."[1]

"Just to crack?"

"Just to crack," Kunagisa said, in a rare exception to her carefreeness, with a bit of wistfulness. "As you'd guess from his name, he's someone with a very strong sense of self, Sacchan. He's not someone with a bad att.i.tude like Chii-kun, but like, hara.s.sing is the norm for him, or like, he loves bothering other people, or like, something like that."

"So you are trying to say that his personality is not bad."

"He was a man of character. He was the second oldest of the members, after all. Ah, but I guess in this case age doesn't matter. Maybe, not sure."

"How do you write his name?"

"Tree for hanging rabbits, I think. And then Gai as in a hundred quintillion, and the Suke with the vehicle radical. Boku-sama-chan didn't call the others by real name, so I don't really remember, though."[2]

Just his name made me think ill of him.

Well, not that I could say anything.

"However, I do not understand... why is that person with such a strong sense of self in the notorious Mad Demon Kyouichirou Research Laboratory? I do not understand the reason. Did Chii-kun not explain that to you?"

"Mm. Like I said, Chii-kun hated Sacchan. He only told me the place. But, just finding out that Shadou Kyouichirou's research laboratory is in Aichi, when no one even knew if it was in j.a.pan, was pretty helpful. I could have just asked Nao-kun but Nao-kun is Nao-kun and has plenty of Nao-kun business to take care of."

"Helpful... having to go there is pretty heavy on me, though..."

"Really?"

"Well, it is not like I can go happily as if I were to going to Universal Studios j.a.pan."

I leaned into the handle and sighed.

We went from Kyoto to Oosaka to Nara, and should already be in Mie. I wondered if Mie was part of the Kinki region or the Chubu region. If it counted as part of the Chubu region, then it means we were getting closer to our destination, the Aichi prefecture. I looked at the a.n.a.log wrist watch Hime-chan had given me the other day and noted that more than three hours had already pa.s.sed since we had departed from Kyoto. If we had used a highway we should already be reaching our destination, but the previous month, and the month before that, I had been wounded here and there around both arms, and as that had finally been supposed to fully heal a few days ago, I wanted to avoid driving on the highway.

This was not a trip that required us to hurry anyways.

Because in this case, it was not time that was important.

"That's right, Inoji."[3]

Then.

From the rear seat that had been silent this whole time came a voice. I turned my head just a little and said, "Were you awake, Suzunas.h.i.+-san." And in a slightly unhappy way,

"I woke up because Inoji and Ao-chan were yipping and yapping. Even Sleeping Beauty would wake up to that noise. Driving should be done silently."[4]

Suzunas.h.i.+-san said.

"To begin with, the rear seats on Fiats are really narrow... they aren't suited for sleeping. I don't get Asano's tastes. She prefers j.a.panese style things, but her car's foreign, and it's this narrow, inconvenient car to boot. And it doesn't have horsepower. Does it even have an engine? Asano's thinking process is a mystery. Inoji, don't you agree?"

"No comment, to that."

I figured, Suzunas.h.i.+-san gave a suppressed chuckle.

"And, Suzunas.h.i.+-san, what were you saying "That's right" to?"

"Hmm," she nodded. "To Ao-chan, Professor Kyouichirou, and that Utsurigi-san are both old acquaintances, and are people she can speak to without any worry as similar specialists. Even you, Inoji, you've come through ER3 or HMO or whatnot, you studied abroad at those fancy research systems for five years, so you've steeped yourself in them, right? But this is the first time I'll see a professor or a researcher or that type of person. I don't know how heavy this is to you, but it's even heavier for me."

"That's, unexpected coming from you, Suzunas.h.i.+-san."

"You know, despite how I look, I'm the type to have anxiety over strangers. How to speak to people like research professors who've studied all their lives, I can't even imagine. I don't even know how to get the volume of a cone."

"Hmm. I see... by the way, Suzunas.h.i.+-san, do you like Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?"

"I don't dislike it."

"Then it will be alright. You will do just fine."

"..... is that how it is? Even so, really... Inoji. I'd rather this be the last time. I accepted because Asano asked, but I'm not that bored. Really, I can't win against crying kids, estate stewards, and Asano Miiko."

"I appreciate it."

"Appreciation can be done by anyone. Something that can be done by anyone is boring. Do something that only you can do, Inoji."

She said, and Suzunas.h.i.+-san lay down on her side on the narrow rear seats. Suzunas.h.i.+-san is pretty tall for a female -- or rather, even for men 180 cm is pretty big -- so she seemed wanting for s.p.a.ce. And she wore a pure black suit, which was rather formal and showed no pinch of seasonal awareness, along with a perfectly fitting cutter s.h.i.+rt and even a necktie, so it seemed even harder to sleep.

Suzunas.h.i.+ Neon.

My neighbor at the apartment I live in, and friend of the owner of this Fiat 500 Asano Miiko-san, of twenty-five years of age. Normally she worked at the Enryaku temple at the Hiei Mountains , and sometimes came down from there. Through Miiko-san I had met her several times, but this was the first time Kunagisa and Suzunas.h.i.+-san had met.

"And, Inoji. How long until we arrive?"

"I do not know... is Mie part of the Chubu region?"

"Kinki."

Is that so. Then, I think it will take a bit."

"Inoji. Chubu or Kinki doesn't matter when it comes to Mie and Aichi being next to each other. It doesn't change the time."

"Ah, that is right. I had forgotten."

"Normally you don't forget things like that. Ii-chan, don't tell me you can only name half the prefectures?"

"That is going too far. Who cannot name all the prefectures?"

"I can't. I thought Hiei Mountains was in Kyoto until the other day."

"That mistake is a bit impossible..."

"I had no idea that Kyoto had an ocean, too."

"Please do not sound so proud about that..."

"Hah. I suck at math but I suck at social studies, too. I graduated elementary school without realizing that Australia and Austria are different. I can't tell the difference between Mongol and China. But that doesn't matter. It doesn't bother me one bit in life."

"Is that so."

"That's right. There're only a few things that a person needs to know to live as a person. Though recently there're more and more people who don't even know those things."

She said sarcastically, and lowered the brim of her hat over her eyes.

That outfit to go with her crow-colored hair, a stylish form with her long legs, and with that hat, I could only think of Jigen Daisuke, but Jigen Daisuke's seat was always the a.s.sistant driver's seat, which was currently occupied by a nonchalant blue-haired girl, so that ruined it. Well, the driver being me was nothing close to Lupin III's standards.

"But really, I apologize for making you do this. If Miiko-san had nothing to do it would have been perfect--"

"Inoji," Suzunas.h.i.+-san said, her hat still covering her eyes. "I understand that this circ.u.mstance called for it, but I would personally rather you avoid making Asano a character in these sorts of stories. She's always been too good to people, always poking her nose into other peoples' stuff. Actually you could say she was one of those thanks-but-don't-do-this-again types, where she'd go around forcing her way into issues. And, if she were incompetent that'd be alright, but Asano's tends to be useful. I don't like praising friends, but Asano's top-cla.s.s with swordsmans.h.i.+p, and she's actually pretty good with other stuff. And most importantly, she's not very smart. Or to be blunt, she's stupid. And not just any stupid, she's insanely stupid. That's why she's the type to get used by people and get the worst of it."

"Are you praising her?"

"I'm praising her. What else would this be? Anyways, I don't think that you're that type of person at all, but I'd still rather you keep trouble away from her. From me, too, of course."

"I understand."

"Probably. You understand and still do it, so you're even worse. Really, I wish you'd just sit still. I won't say relying on others is bad, but I don't think it's good to rely on others to do something that you can do yourself. Doing it alone is always more efficient than doing it together. Too many captains will steer a s.h.i.+p up a mountain, so to speak."

"I actually think that is amazing. Making a s.h.i.+p go up a mountain is quite astonis.h.i.+ng."

"Stop trying to misdirect this. And if you never reach the goal, then whatever the process was is still worthless. Remember that."

I had not seen Suzunas.h.i.+-san in a while, and it seemed she still liked lecturing. However, as the party that had requested the near-impossible, I had the obligation to tag along with a bit of tongue-las.h.i.+ng.

And, Suzunas.h.i.+-san is not wrong, anyways.

She was just slightly not correct.

"Sorry, Neon-chan," Kunagisa said. "But this time we desperately needed a chaperone. Boku-sama-chan and Ii-chan are both underage. Boku-sama-chan might be alright with common sense, but you know, Ii-chan..."

"Nothing for Ao-chan to apologize over. You're a bishoujo after all."[5]

"It is alright because she is a bishoujo?"

"Don't ask the obvious," said Suzunas.h.i.+-san with a fearless chuckle. "The value of a bishoujo trumps and tramples the values of everything else. n.o.ble or righteous or pleasant or compa.s.sionate or a road or virtue or benevolence or love, all of that riffraff is nothing but dust in front of a bishoujo."

Her extremely skewed sense of value, her philosophy of people are categorized as bishoujo, myself, and everyone else still seemed to be in healthy effect.

Well, they do say people l.u.s.t for what they do not have, and sticking your neck or mouthing off about the value systems of other people is not a good way to go about doing anything.

"Well, I'll go catch another wink. I'd been working all-nighters lately so I'm atrociously sleepy. I can't think of words to describe this atrocity. So, Inoji, please wake me up when we get there."

"Acknowledged and understood."

I replied, and for a while after, the road seemed to have become more filled, so I began focusing on driving. Suzunas.h.i.+-san quickly entered began sleeping (however, it was still incredible that she could sleep in such a place), and I could hear her snoring. Kunagisa was fiddling with her pocket computer. I would not be able to even begin to imagine what this nerd and geek and maniac and otaku blue-hair could be doing, so I did not ask what she was doing.

And then, I thought.

About the place where we were headed, about the man we were to meet.

"Utsurigi Gaisuke..."

Jump up↑ From now on, I'm going to refer to destroyer as cracker. Nis.h.i.+o Is.h.i.+n uses the word 破壊 (destroy) but uses the furigana "cracker," and as is the case with every other instance of this, I'm running with the furigana. In this case these were the first and last times that the word destroy is actually read destroy, so this explanation was to explain why it goes from cracking to destroying back to cracking. Jump up↑ 兎(rabbit)吊(hanging, ie. hanging high school)木(tree) 垓(hundred quintillion)輔(vehicle radical is 車, it's on the left of the letter). Incidentally some think his name Utsurigi comes from 移り気 (utsuriki), or "intent to transfer." Jump up↑ いの字 (Inoji), one of his nicknames that he mentioned. Literally means "The letter I" Jump up↑ Ao (Blue). Kunagisa's hair is blue. Jump up↑ 美少女 (Bishoujo) = Beautiful young girl 2

If you are someone who has dabbled to any extent in the world of electronic engineering, someone who has stepped foot even a little into the territory of mechanical engineering, or perhaps someone who has stuck their neck into underworld of society, then there is no way you would not know of the fame of Team. During that era (yes, it had already become its own era) it was impossible to avoid them.

Some called them electronic terrorists and others dubbed them pioneers in virtual s.p.a.ce, yet others graded them criminals, and different people wors.h.i.+ped them as saviors. However, not one could be said to be correct, and in turn one could not call them anything and be incorrect, so you could say that it was like describing one facet of truth.

In other words, that sort of Team existed. In that world, using the vague p.r.o.nouns like them and those guys always referred to that bunch. Of course, while their existence was famous, what sort of group they were, what purpose they were formed for, or even if they were really a group, was publicly unknown. Team disintegrated without leaving a single trace. That further turned the existence of Team into a legend, a myth.

That was why.

For example, if I were to say that the girl sitting next to me as if she were in paradise was the leader of that group, no one would believe me. And if I were to say that the Team that engaged in the enormous damaging activities and the humongous creation activities, that the Team that was dubbed the Brigade of Fanatic Cultists, was just a small group of nine people, no one would believe me.

One of those nine was the man we were going to meet.

In other words, Utsurigi Gaisuke.

What process Kunagisa had undergone to meet the other eight members, including Utsurigi, and for what motive she began performing her crime-for-pleasure (though they may have been too destructive to just be called that) activities, I do not know. Currently that was outside of the firing range of my interests, and I also felt it was not something to be asked lightly.

No -- honestly.

Honestly, this was not one of those things. That was just an excuse, and a single favorable facet of interpretation. Honestly, probably, with regards to those things, I simply did not want to know. In that blank s.p.a.ce that had been formed between Kunagisa and myself, what incidents had happened. I do not want to tell Kunagisa, and what had happened to Kunagisa, I do not want to know.

Kunagisa Tomo.

The one and only friend of mine.

I was still living in Kanbe when I came to know her, and it was a time when I had not yet surpa.s.sed the blossoming age of thirteen. Five years ago -- no, it was closer to six years, I should say. For half a year, I shared the pa.s.sing of time with this blue-colored girl, and, after half a year we split ways. We did not keep in touch and five years pa.s.sed, and we had reunited several months ago.

Five years.

That was enough time for a person to change, but in the end, I did not change much, and Kunagisa as well, was hardly different from before. Aside from the fact that she had created an absurd curriculum vitae in her past, that she had made eight friends in a place I did not know of, and that she had split ways with eight friends in a place I did not know of.

When Kunagisa speaks of them, she seems genuinely happy. When she told me about Chii-kun who can grasp anything in the galaxy, also known as Ayanami Hyou, and when she was explaining Sacchan also known as Utsurigi Gaisuke this time, she always seems truly happy. As if she were showing off a prized treasure, she always became really happy.

I was not pleased by that.

I did not know why, but it bothered me.

"In other words, just jealousy...."

I felt like that was also a bit wrong, but it also probably was not off enough to bother explaining. I am not saintly enough to accept and forgive everything, and I also do not have an honest-enough personality to convert Kunagisa's happiness to become my own happiness. Truth be told, it was hard for me to say I had pleasant feelings toward those eight, whom inhabited a place closer to Kunagisa than myself. I would not say enmity, but this feeling was probably not one of fondness.

However.

However, in this case, more than this melancholic feeling.

"It is so heavy..."

"Why?"

I had meant to say that to be unheard, but Kunagisa responded to my talking to myself. Of course, this being Kunagisa, she did not take her eyes off her pocket computer. She was proficient with mult.i.tasking, to the point where one could wonder if she had several thousand brains. A long time ago, she was able to perform an inhuman feat of controlling 128 computers at once. When you think about that, then this sort of thing is simple. It was not that she lacked concentration, but rather that she could split her concentration in every which way and then some and still have concentration left over.

In other words, when that concentration focused toward a single truth -- it was easy for her to wage war against the world.

"What's heavy, Ii-chan? Or was heavy a pun? Hmm, that's funny. Boku-sama-chan thinks that's funny."

"I would not say something like that... just talking to myself. No need to worry about it."

"Then I won't. But you know, Ii-chan, you don't need to worry that much. Sacchan doesn't bother anyone he doesn't actually care for."

"That would be helpful, but the source of my anxiety lies elsewhere..."

"You mean, Professor Kyouichirou's place is making you anxious?"

"To be blunt, well, yes."

I nodded.

Shadou Kyouichirou Research Laboratory. According to Chii-kun's information, Utsurigi Gaisuke was currently working as a Fellow there, and it was one of the scarce research laboratories in j.a.pan that had no background pressure and was for purely research. I had heard much about the esteem and prestige of that research organization several times, and remembered. Remembered. For me, with this brain of mine that has such problems remembering things that one might think it was created entirely of resisters, this was nothing short of a miracle, and I could follow by saying that this proved the incredible-ness of the laboratory. And more than anything, the manager of that laboratory, Shadou Kyouichirou, presided over fame that rivaled that of Team.

As Mad Demon Kyouichirou.

As you can glean from that alias, he is widely known, but he is also a researcher that is not widely respected. Mathematical biology, form machinery, animal behavior, molecular theory, et cetera et cetera, he traversed multiple specializations, and was someone who pioneered multiple sciences. That sort of background, and his own **qualities** combined and created an eccentric scientist on a cla.s.s of his own. He is currently sixty-three, yet he still performs research in that laboratory facility, they say.

"You have met Professor Kyouichirou, right?"

"Yup. But that was before I met Ii-chan. Boku-sama-chan was around twelve then, I think."

"Mmm. Twelve."

"The research facility was in Hokkaido then... I went with Nao-kun."

"Huh, is that so."

"Yup. Nao-kun still had free time then."

Nao-kun would be Kunagisa's bigger brother, Kunagisa Nao. He possessed an ordinary personality that would make you doubt that he shared parents with Kunagisa Tomo, and six years ago, I came to be under his care for quite a bit. Nao-san currently works properly as a secretary for his father (which in other words means Kunagisa's father as well, but Kunagisa's been long disowned), so we did not have the opportunity to see him much.

"Professor Kyouichirou was pretty sharp then, but it seems he became even more twisted since then. He got a lot of warnings from higher up, so now he hides his location and continues research with a few elite, so he's pretty abnormal."

"You are calling someone else abnormal?"

"Abnormals know abnormals," Kunagisa said with a bit of pride. "Set a thief to catch a theif, I think? Hmm, but in this case it might be more right to say set a theif to catch a thief."[1]

"I see..." I nodded absentmindedly. "So would it simply be that he is like a mad scientist?"

"Yup. Like a mad scientist."

"You know... so, what is he researching as he coops up in the mountains? That Professor Kyouichirou."

"Seven years ago, to be really rough he was working on artificial intelligence. But that's a really rough way of putting it. Yup, that was the trendy thing back then, artificial intelligence. Boom-ment, I think they're called? It was one of those things. Of course Professor was working on something a bit different."

"I have made an artificial intelligence before. As part of my cla.s.s across the ocean."

"Boku-sama-chan's made stuff like that a lot, too. Hii-chan was the best of us at that though. Hii-chan always said, Talking to a person and singing chords to an artificial intelligence are similar, because they're similar in that they're incompetent."

"That one also sounds like an a.s.shole..."

"Pretty much. Boku-sama-chan might have been the only good girl. Anyways, when boku-sama-chan met Professor before, he was doing innovation or pioneering into artificial intelligence as a whole, I think. But just as there're trends in the world, there're also abandonment in the world, so there're rumors that he's not working on research on artificial intelligence as seriously anymore. I don't know what he's working on, but he's probably still somewhere related to something like cybernetics."

"Hmm..."

"But that aside, he's probably doing something that can't get funding. He's that kinda person. Really, always has been."

Kunagisa said with a bored tone, and stuck out her lips a bit in a pouting way. This was a rare delivery for Kunagisa Tomo. I said nothing, because it was obvious that Utsurigi was causing her to react this way. I did not intend to say anything, anyways.

I shut up and continued driving.

"But there's nothing for Ii-chan to worry about. The professor also doesn't care for people he doesn't care for. His personality is actually really bad, but Ii-chan just has to come along with boku-sama-chan. As long as you're with boku-sama-chan, everything'll be alright."

"Is that so. That is a thankful thing, really."

Of course, that was probably the truth. For Green Green Green Utsurigi Gaisuke and Mad Demon Shadou Kyouichirou, an ordinary private university student like myself meant nothing. Given prior experience, I am quite aware of that fact about myself, so I did not feel much (although not much is what you make of it) anxiety over that. Really, I had not said anything to Kunagisa, and I had no intention of saying anything, but the source of my anxiety came from somewhere else. And that anxiety would most likely materialize within the first day.

"... sigh... I still feel heavy."

And that too, ultimately, would simply be destiny that could only be called coincidence. There is nothing that can be done about it. My life is only worth that much, after all. Flowingly flowing with the flow. I did not have much dissatisfaction with that. Just anxious, that was all.

"Nn. Looks like we're in Aichi. Then, take the next left, Ii-chan."

"Really? That takes us even deeper into the mountain path."

The road had long since turned into a dirt path that had not been maintained at all. If you looked outside the window, you would see nothing but Cryptomeria trees. People with pollen allergies might get gooseb.u.mps seeing that. When you are in a place like this, you might even wonder if the Earth is truly lacking trees.

"The laboratory is deep into the mountain. This place isn't on the map, so we hafta rely on memory."

"Hmm... that is fine. Your navigation will not have any errors. But how much more to go? Depending on distance, I may need to refuel soon. This car really does not have horsepower."

"Soon. It should be around the border of Mie and Aichi. But Aichi is really nice. Lots of smart people."

"Is that so?"

"It's so. It's where the Nagoya-uchi was found. It's a region with a blessing. I think that's why Professor ended up settling his laboratory in Aichi. It's probably not just idiocy, and I don't think he had any money issues... Ahh. But I'm looking forward to this. Seeing Sacchan again, it's been so long."

"That is fine, but please think about **after seeing him**. You didn't come to Aichi to just sight-see, right? I don't intend to be much of a help to you this time, either."

"Hmm? Why? Jealousy?" grinned Kunagisa Tomo with a bit of happiness. "Ii-chan always looks uncaring, but you get pretty jealous easily. You're narrow-minded at crucial moments, or something. You can relax, you know? I mean, boku-sama-chan likes Sacchan and Chii-kun, but I only love Ii-chan."

"That is precious. But this is not about jealousy. It is different from that. Well, I say it is different but I guess if you were to describe it, it would be similar... oh."

I saw a silhouette in front, so I put my focus back in front. A pair of men wearing uniforms that looked like they belonged to security waved sticks that glowed red, and called for us to stop our car. I looked more closely and noticed that there was a big gate behind them that could be described as a steel fence.

This deep in the mountains, security.

"....."

I stepped on the brakes and stopped the car, then slowly opened the window. And then the two security guards approached the Fiat, and with a gruff voice said to us.

"From here on this place is private property, and would const.i.tute trespa.s.sing. Please return the way you came."

They spoke polite words, but the way they spoke was extremely abrasive. Well, being forced to stand out here in this d.a.m.n hot weather would make anyone turn out like that. Complaining about such small things in this circ.u.mstance is something only a truly horrible person would do. It is not my role to criticize their lack of professionalism. And, it was honestly hard to tell if their att.i.tude was out of lack of professionalism, anyways.

"No, um, well. We have an appointment with Professor Shadou."

"Professor? Th- then, you're Kunagisa-sama?"

The security guards' att.i.tudes quickly changed. They probably did not think someone with the backing of Kunagisa would be driving such a shoddy car, so it would still be harsh to chide them for that.

"I am not from Kunagisa... but I am with her."

I said, and pointed to Kunagisa sitting next to me with my thumb. Kunagisa Tomo herself remained staring at her pocket computer, and did not look at the security guards. However, her blue hair seemed to be a sufficient symbol, as the security guards nodded, "Understood."

"Then you are Kunagisa-sama's friend... there should be one more, a chaperone..."

"Ahh, then..." I s.h.i.+fted my thumb that was pointing at Kunagisa to the rear seats. "... Shall I wake her up? I do not mind, but I cannot guarantee anything in that case."

".......... no, that's fine."

The security guard said after a few seconds of silence. Yes, that is the wise choice, I thought. No one needs to step on a landmine with excessive force.

"Then, please write your name on the visitors' list. It may seem a bother, but it's part of our procedure."

"Sure."

With Kunagisa being that and Suzunas.h.i.+ being that, I would have to be the one. I opened the door, and left the car. The security guard, who had returned to what looked like the guard outpost (it seemed prefab, and made me sweat just looking at it) came back with an A4-size clipboard. And then, "please sign here," and handed me a ballpoint-pen. I had thought I would be typing into a computer, so I was a bit surprised by the anachronism.

"Yeah. I agree. However, the Professor says they can't trick their way through this. That if you use a computer or something that manages things, then improper access from outside becomes possible, is what he said. Well, I do not understand what he means, but in any case, he says handwriting on paper is the safest way of saving information."

"I will not say I do not understand his point, but he sounds very paranoid..."

I said as I wrote Kunagisa's name, Suzunas.h.i.+-san's name, and then my name. Address... in Suzunas.h.i.+-san's case, what should I write here? Would it be fine as Hiei Mountains Enryaku Temple? I cannot just write no specific address so I have to write something, but Hiei Mountain and No Address are both equally suspicious. After pondering such rude-to-Hiei-Mountain-inhabitants thoughts, I ended up writing that Suzunas.h.i.+-san lived in the same place that I do. It was too painful to joke about to write such a thing, but I felt it was a lie that would at least be something we could laugh about afterward.

"Have you brought anything dangerous?" the other security guard asked me as I was left in thought. "Blades and powerful medicines cannot be brought in..."

"Blade... I brought a scissors..." I answered. "Is a scissors no good? He sounds really paranoid..."

"No, that should be fine. I apologize, please do not take this the wrong way. The security level has been upgraded since yesterday. We're required to ask even Kunagisa-sama and her a.s.sociates these questions."

"The level was upgraded? Why?"

"Ahh..." the security guard looked conflicted a bit. And then he lowered his voice and continued. "Well... This would be two days ago. But there was alarm over an intruder."

An intruder, I responded. That did not sound pleasant. I wondered if intruders to a research laboratory like this would mean an industrial spy or something. That seemed like an unrealistic thing to imagine, like from a movie or a book, but this place is unrealistic anyways (after all, it's a research laboratory deep in the mountains, which makes me laugh), so it may be expected. Rather, in this case, I should be relieved that the security level was not raised because Kunagisa Tomo is coming.

"Yes. See, it's the name at the top of the visitor list," said the security guard who I had given the board back to, and he handed it back to me, and said. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d walked right through this gate, feigning being a visitor from a different lab. To trespa.s.s in a way that gets detected so quickly, really disrespecting us, or just really strong-willed, or reckless..."

"... and, that intruder, was he caught already?"

"Ah, no... not yet..." the security guard said, a bit awkwardly. "However, please be a.s.sured. It seems they have already escaped from within the laboratory, so there should be no bother caused to Kunagisa-sama. And, the police have already been notified, so it should be a matter of time before they are apprehended."

Is that so, then that is a relief, I nodded. Intruders and spies were a violent word, but if they had already left then it should have no direct bearing on our story. Whether they are arrested by police afterwards or whatever matters not to us. He is not here, and that is sufficient. This is already convoluted, so I would rather avoid a new character.

"If you continue along this route with the mountain, you will reach a pretty large parking s.p.a.ce. Please park your car there. There should be a person from the lab coming to greet you there, so just follow their directions after that. After about five minutes from the parking lot, you will reach the laboratory."

"Understood. Thank you for your careful instructions."

I nodded. And then, without any care, truly without any care, I glanced at the name of the intruder written at the top of the clipboard. Of course, an intruder would not write their real name on this clipboard, so it must be a fake name, but I was just slightly curious about what fake name they may have used.

And, my eyes, stopped.

"... this name."

"Huh? Yes. It's a rather laughable name, isn't it? I thought it was suspicious because of it... but there's no point dwelling on it now..." the security guard complained. "... however, that name, how would you read it? Reis.h.i.+ki Ais.h.i.+ki, perhaps?"

"No... Zerozaki Itos.h.i.+ki, I believe."

I said, and returned the clipboard to the security guard, and then said "farewell" and returned to the car. The security guards ran back to the gate, and began opening the gate. I restarted the engine that was set to idling stop.

"Mm? Ii-chan, what happened? You've got a worse mood now. Like 55%."

"No. I got permission to go through without any problems. No problems whatsoever." I responded without any emotion. "There's nothing for you to worry about."

I started the car, and went through the gate. As we went along the road the security guard had instructed us about, "those security guards," the voice from the rear seats sounded again.

"I wonder what they thought when they saw us?"

"... please make it more clear whether you are awake or asleep, Suzunas.h.i.+-san."

"At the least, I'm awake now. Isn't that enough? Y'know, it's impossible to sleep here. Anyways, what do you think? Inoji. From a third-party perspective, I wonder how we look?"

"Who knows? Certainly not like Lupin III's company." I arbitrarily responded, as I could not figure out what Suzunas.h.i.+-san was after. "What do you think, Suzunas.h.i.+-san?"

"Me? For a moment, I thought of the Wizard of Oz."

"Wizard of Oz?" I tilted my head quizzically at the unexpected response. "What sort of story was that? If I remember correctly, the protagonist was Oz, right?"

"Wrong, Ii-chan. What do you mean if I remember correctly, you should fix that habit of yours, making stuff up while making it sound like you know anything about it," fired back Kunagisa from the side, still staring at her pocket computer. "If the protagonist is Oz, the world would completely change. The protagonist was Dorothy."

"But Ann is the protagonist of Ann of Green Gables, right? Tom is the protagonist of Tom Sawyer, right?"

"Your point of comparison is so off."

"Then, what sort of story is it?

"Yup," Kunagisa nodded. "Dorothy gets caught up in a tornado and gets flung into the Wonderful Kingdom of Oz, and travels with Mr. Scarecrow and Mr. Lion and Mr. Robot."

"Momotaro?"

"The Wizard of Oz. Let's listen to people, Ii-chan."

"I am listening. So those four people... or well, three of them are not people, but anyways those four, go to defeat the Wizard of Oz. I see."

"Not to defeat... Dorothy just goes to get her wish granted. Please return me to my home."

"Mm. A pretty pacifistic story. Pacifistic, or foolhardy... hard to tell,' I followed-up, while having a strange feeling about that story. "But even if Dorothy is alright with that, what are the other three for? Did they receive some dango?"

"The scarecrow and others had their own motives, too. Wishes they wanted granted by the wizard. For example, Mr. Lion wanted courage. Mr. Scarecrow wanted brains. It's a story of them overcoming hards.h.i.+ps for that."

"Hard to tell if the story is about relying on your own strengths or relying on someone else..." I said and glanced at the rear seat. "So, what are we like that Dorothy group? Or rather, what sort of casting breakdown is it?"

"Dunno... just thought that for a moment, so don't ask me. But hmm, casting... casting. Well, in any case I'd like the scarecrow. Because I want a smart brain," Suzunas.h.i.+-san said, still lying down. I thought it is manners to sit up when speaking, but Suzunas.h.i.+-san has her own set of logic. "And, Inoji, you're the robot."

"The robot," I looked at Kunagisa. "Tomo, what did Mr. Robot want from the wizard?"

Without any trace of anything, Kunagisa answered "a soul." I looked toward Suzunas.h.i.+-san again, and found that she was grinning this mischievous smile. I see, you just wanted to say that. There are some roundabout ways of scolding, I sighed, half-exasperated half-helpless.

"Ahh, but that's that, you know," said Kunagisa. "It's a nice story because they think soul and brain are different. Like a fantasy."

"Fantasy?"

"It's fantasy. What other than fantasy would it be? Because the soul is a result of physical action by the brain, right? That's why the field of artificial intelligence is possible."

Kunagisa said, as if stating the obvious and known. Well, that probably was absolutely clear to Kunagisa. I simply agreed, "That is right," as I did not feel in the mood to say anything.

While thinking that she might be like a little girl wanting to return home.

"....."

If that is the case.

If that is the case, then who is the lion without courage, I wondered.

Jump up↑ This being an idiom, so the "theif" is deliberate, meaning it's a slightly disguised version. 3

I parked the Fiat in the parking lot and pulled out the key. I looked at the remaining fuel symbol and thought it might be a dicey amount. Whether the car would last going down was questionable. At worst, we would have to borrow fuel from someone from the laboratory, but I wondered if they even had any. Looking around the parking lot, I could see no car other than Miiko-san's Fiat. Perhaps there was an employee-specific parking lot, because worst case we would have to walk home, is what I thought, as I left the car.

I looked at the sky, which looked a bit suspicious. It was not that dark clouds were forming, but it still felt like tonight, or perhaps tomorrow, it would rain. It was like it was foreshadowing our future, and it was not comforting.

If you want to predict tomorrow's weather, you just need to say "it'll be something like today." I forget who said that, but I see, it is quite apt. If that is the case, then I will be experiencing this research facility the same way as always. That premonition gave me gooseb.u.mps.

"Well then..."

According to the security guard, someone should be picking us up from the parking lot. I glanced around thinking that, and saw a silhouette toward the east. I could not make out their face from this distance, but given that he was wearing a white lab coat, I a.s.sumed he was the research fellow that had come to pick us up. Then, he seemed to notice us, as he began walking toward us.

"h.e.l.lo."

I raised my right hand, but he did not respond. Just silently, he walked toward us.

His height was roughly the same as mine, being neither particularly tall nor particularly short, like average. As the distance closed, I could tell that he was an inordinately young person. No matter how you looked at it, he was younger than me, like in the first half of his tens, at least his face looked that way. However, despite his youthful face there was a terrible unsuitable, dark look in his eyes beyond his gla.s.ses, which betrayed his childish looks. Of course, there exist in this world twenty-seven-year-old maids that look like they are middle school age or younger, so I could not determine age from his appearance.

Without lowering his pace, he continued to close our distance, and finally, clattered his feet still, standing right in front of my eyes and nose. In this case, right in front of my eyes and nose was not an exaggeration at all. He had come close enough so that if I leaned my body forward just a bit we would be touching. not only that, he was leaning his babyish face to within millimeters of my face. This was a distance such that if he were not a man, it would completely look like he were kissing me.

I stood maintaining status quo, not knowing what to do, when he seemed to sniff, as if smelling, twice, thrice, and then grumbled, "Hmph."

"So you're Kunagisa Tomo from Cl.u.s.ter."

Rather than calling it cra.s.s, his speech mannerism sounded like it was expressing disrespect. However, his voice was as young as his appearance, so I felt surprised, but did not feel that disturbed by it.

"No, I am not. I am just a tag-along, or rather, the commentator," I took a step back and created s.p.a.ce between us before responding. "I guess an old-fas.h.i.+oned way of saying it would be a chauffeur."

"Ahh? What's that? I didn't hear about this. I didn't hear about such a thing coming along. Then where's Kunagisa Tomo, hey," as if looking for his fated enemy, he furrowed his brow and leaned toward me. "I don't see him, anywhere."

"In the shade of the car. See, there," I said, pointing at the blue-haired girl holding a pocket computer and various belongings, as she came out from the other side of the car. "That cute girl is Kunagisa Tomo."

"Ahh? What's that? Kunagisa Tomo was a girl? You lying?"

He said with a sense of unexpectedness, and then he walked around the Fiat, and this time walked to Kunagisa. Kunagisa tilted her head at this new species of man's appearance, "Uni?" and he stared at her quite a bit, "Hmm," and finally even after having her blue hair slapped, did not show any signs of resisting. What a shockingly reckless fellow. This world has types of people whom have never even been slapped by their parents, although in that sense Kunagisa was the type who would not notice even if she were punched by her parents.

"Doesn't look very smart. Just a puny brat. Hey, are you really Kunagisa Tomo from Cl.u.s.ter?"

"Really. Boku-sama-chan's name is Kunagisa Tomo. Kunagisa Tomo no matter who looks at me. I came to see Sacchan."

"Ahh? Sacchan? Who the h.e.l.l's that..."

Stupid, stupid, he spat, and he stuck his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, which seemed a bit too big for him, and began walking forward. He did not say to follow, but that was probably what was meant.

"Really, just a brat... a girl, with that t.i.tle. Ahh, s.h.i.+t, the worst, the absolute worst. The worst filth."

"You look like a brat too though, Oogaki s.h.i.+to-kun."[1]

He froze.

He... s.h.i.+to-kun completely stopped moving his legs. And then he froze in place for three seconds, and then turned around, "Why do you know my name?"

"Hmm? No, despite her looks, Kunagisa is nineteen, so I thought it was odd that you would be calling her a brat. You are correct that she is a girl, but compared to you, Kunagisa is not a brat."

"I'm not asking that, s.h.i.+t! Despite her looks? The f.u.c.k cares!" He stomped his foot on the ground. "I'm asking why you know my name! And my age! I don't remember telling those to you!"

"It is not as though your name is all we know," I raised both of my hands in a shrug. "About Professor Shadou Kyouichirou, about his secretary Uze Misachi-san, about the fellows Koutari Hinayos.h.i.+ and Neo Furuara and Kasugai Kasuga, we know quite a bit."

"Ii-chan, you forgot one. Ii-chan you really forget stuff," Kunagisa said from beside me. "There're four researchers other than Professor and Sacchan, so you're missing one."

"Ahh... that is right. That was right. I was being forgetful," I nodded to Kunagisa. "Yes. And Miyos.h.i.+ Kokoromi-san. I think that would be all the people here, but s.h.i.+to-kun, do you have any more questions?"

"... What are you? What are you two? How'd you find that stuff out?" he glared at us with suspicion, as if he meant to come biting as us depending on the way we answered. "**Those things** are supposed to be cla.s.sified here. People like you shouldn't know. How'd you find that out?"

"Who knows. That is, after all, cla.s.sified, so I am afraid I cannot tell you. However, I just want you to understand that it bothers me to deride Kunagisa Tomo based on her appearance alone, if--"

If you will please, Oogaki s.h.i.+to-kun, I meant to finish, but I took a strong blow to the back of my head, so my line was forcibly stopped. I turned around, and saw Suzunas.h.i.+-san standing there with her hand balled into a fist. And this time, as I had turned around, she flicked my forehead. It struck cleanly, and sort of hurt. Suzunas.h.i.+-san, when did you step out of the car?

"What're you doing. Jeez, bragging about stuff that wasn't your doing," Suzunas.h.i.+-san said as if she had just awakened, in an ill mood. "Is that fun? Teasing little kids. You disappoint me."

And then she struck my head lightly again, and then forced down my head. And then she turned to s.h.i.+to-kun and said, "Our bad."

"He has a bad habit of getting all wound up when it comes to Kunagisa-chan. He's an idiot with bad intentions but please forgive him. He's apologetic, as you can see. And I'll scold him tonight, so please let this go for now."

Punched, flicked, and then I have to get scolded, too?

"..... Ahh... no, no, no," s.h.i.+to-kun seemed to be taken aback by Suzunas.h.i.+-san, who was forcing my head down, and did not know what to do. "No, it's, what, nothing to worry about..."

"That's good, all's well that ends well," Suzunas.h.i.+-san finally let me go. "Then, please guide us to that laboratory or something. My whole body aches all over and it sucks. I'm Suzunas.h.i.+ Neon, the chaperon for these two. Pleased to meet you."

"... I'm Oogaki s.h.i.+to. An a.s.sistant for Shadou Kyouichirou here... pleased to meet you."

He greeted Suzunas.h.i.+-san in a daze, and then resumed walking. This time, for sure, we followed suit. It seemed we were to climb a mountain by using the woody path north of the parking lot. It did not seem like a difficult trail, but still it was not a flat path, so I carried Kunagisa's belongings for her.

When I lifted the bags with my shoulders I felt pain streak across the back of my head. Hmm, as would be expected of Blackout Suzunas.h.i.+, she punched me without holding back at all. Perhaps the back of my skull even has a crack. That said, I was without a doubt in the wrong with my att.i.tude earlier, so I could not feel the will to complain.

And, it was as Suzunas.h.i.+-san said. There was no need to get so heated up over Kunagisa being humiliated to that puny extent. I understood. And Kunagisa herself seemed to care not in the least. Even now, in a rare sight given how she was usually cooped up, Kunagisa was gazing around at the colorful trees lining the path, showing some level of enjoyment, so it did not seem she was bothered in the least. It made no sense for me to be the one to get angered over it.

"I guess I am narrow-minded at critical junctures... I lose."

In any case I decided to contemplate that. I turned to Kunagisa and said, "I was in the wrong." Kunagisa seemed not to know what I was apologizing about, c.o.c.king her head to the side, "Uni?" and even then that was just for a moment, as her soul seemed to have been ensnared by the trees. Suzunas.h.i.+-san seemed to look at us with an expression of golly gee, and when I noticed her, she pulled the brim of her hat down to cover her eyes.

"Hey, you."

Suddenly.

s.h.i.+to-kun called to me, walking roughly two meters ahead of us like a scout.

"Hey you, come here."

"I would prefer you stopped calling me you in such a manner... I am older than you, after all... nineteen."

"Shut up, that doesn't matter. Age doesn't matter **here**. It's not age, but purely who's smarter. And I'm smarter than you, so you should be respectful to me."

"....." s.h.i.+to-kun's pretty simple, I thought, and I walked up to him. "What is it? Do you have a question?"

"Ahh, a question..." he whispered. "That big black one, is that a guy? Or a girl?"

"....." I glanced back at Suzunas.h.i.+-san, then back at s.h.i.+to-kun, and felt compelled to whisper, as I replied. "... Technically, a girl."

"I see. I was right. That's a relief." s.h.i.+to-kun nodded. "Huge. How many centimeters does she have?"

"One-hundred eighty-nine centimeters. But she had not measured herself since she was sixteen, so she may be more now. But once you go past a hundred eighty-nine, height does not really matter anymore. I wish she would share about ten with me."

"... wow. Jeez." s.h.i.+to-kun seemed to genuinely admire her. "Did she used to play volleyball or basketball or something? Or does she have other ethnic blood? I don't think even foreigners get that tall that often."

"She says she is a pure j.a.panese... maybe it is because she has a blood-type of A?"

"... hah. ... jeez, **you can't mistake that**. Not like that."

He then looked up at the sky, as if sighing.

Personally, Suzunas.h.i.+-san has a slender form overall, so I did not think she was particularly masculine in her looks, but well, with that height and with that all-black appearance, and the hat pulled down over her eyes, it may be hard to discern her gender. Suzunas.h.i.+-san's speech mannerism was rather feminine, but these days you cannot determine based on speech mannerism. I will not say who, but there do exist in this world women of extreme beauty that blare ridiculously vulgar phrases.

"That."

s.h.i.+to-kun pointed ahead.

"The laboratory is beyond that wall."

"Huh..."

Beyond his finger, past the mountain trees, was a cold concrete wall that destroyed the scenic atmosphere. It seemed completely connected, like a circle, and like a mountain had been created around it. Even from this distance it seemed an abnormally tall wall, and it reminded you not of a first-cla.s.s academic researcher, but of something else. Yes, if I were to verbalize it.

"Like a prison..."

"Prison? That's wrong. You've got no senses," s.h.i.+to-kun said in a proud way. "That's a fortress. An unconquerable fortress. And that's like a castle wall."

"A castle wall, eh..."

Indeed, in this mountain with bad footing, this was terrain that would be difficult to attack. However, did that laboratory truly house something that required defenses to this degree? And, despite what s.h.i.+to-kun might say, this place still looked like the wall of a prison. Not to reject intruders from outside, but rather to deny escape from within...

"Like a Barrier of the End... oh, by the way s.h.i.+to-kun, I heard from the security guards that yesterday or the day before, there was an intruder to this lab."

"Ahh. I heard something like that. I don't really know. I just saw his back from far away." he seemed to chuckle, with a malicious look. "But really, what an idiot. He ran off in the end without being able to steal anything. Don't take the security here lightly."

"But he intruded?"

"Intruded, I'll acknowledge that," he shrugged with a hmph. "But we don't allow anything beyond that. That's the sort of system this place has. Well, he probably gave up, and won't come back again. People who come in here bare-handed are nuts anyways."

"Bare-handed?"

Bit of an odd way of putting it, but I suppose since the Intruder came in through the security gate, they had undergone a body check of sorts, so that was to be expected. So as s.h.i.+to-kun said, was that just an idiot, or perhaps the reverse and just an incredibly self-confident person, I wondered?

Self-confident, or knowledgeable.

"Ah? What is it?" s.h.i.+to-kun ran over to me, as I had gone silently, with a suspicious look. "What are you? Why're you interested in that intruder? Are you some friend of that intruder?"

"Of course not. Why would such a convenient setting happen? Where do such c.o.c.kamamie ideas come from?"

"I'm joking. What're you getting all riled up about, nineteen-year-old."

"My bad, sixteen-year-old."

It was a conversation that did not seem like one between a nineteen-year-old and a sixteen-year-old. Hmph, he went, and s.h.i.+to-kun went back to silence. Perhaps he was thinking of what c.o.c.kamamie meant. I was not comfortable with that part of English either, so I hoped he would not ask what does that mean.

However, s.h.i.+to-kun seemed particularly venomous about the intruder (I suppose that is to be expected given that he is a victim), but given that the attempt ended in failure, then the intrusion into the laboratory was essentially pointless, I thought. If the intruder had not come in bare-handed, or perhaps--.

I placed a hand over my right chest. To be precise, I placed my hand on the breast pocket of the summer jacket I wore over a T-s.h.i.+rt, which had a thin knife hidden behind it, and I was placing my hand on it to confirm that it was still there.

It was not that I had lied to the security guard back at the gate. There is indeed a scissors in the left pocket of my jacket. Furthermore there is a can-opener in the backpack I am currently hoisting, and canned bear meat that Kunagisa loves so much. Anyways, as such, it was not that I said a lie. Because I do not remember saying that I did not have a knife. Yet however, in this case, I probably would not be able to avoid being labeled a liar.

This was a knife that a week ago, while I was preparing for this trip, an acquaintance contractor of mine had offered me. An acquaintance contractor of mine has a very dubious-sounding ring to it, but that is the truth, and so there is no helping it. It came with a holster, and by placing the holster under the jacket, it was designed such that people would not be able to tell that it is there, a simple design. Of course, it would still fail a body check, but I bet that the security guards would not perform such a thing on Kunagisa Tomo and her a.s.sociates. That may have been a worse gamble than fifty-fifty, but in the end, it worked.

"It may not look it, but that knife has a really good edge, so try not to point it at people," said the contractor -- Aikawa-san. "It'll cut like Black Jack's surgical knife -- so use it when you're carving a wall or something."

Aikawa-san's worry was extremely helpful, however, this may simply be pouring water on lava. That intruder may be one thing, but for me to have a single knife (and, a scissors and a can-opener?) seemed somewhat pointless. At the very least, this one knife would probably not make it possible to break through that castle wall.

It would be like scratching your back with your jaw.

"Like bittersweet nonsense..."

In this case the term nonsense was not directed toward taking on that castle wall with a single knife. It was toward myself, who despite having boldly stood up to Kunagisa with the declaration that I don't intend to be much of a help, was actually fully intent on helping. Truly, it was as if I had nothing like a core belief. I may become exasperated with myself.

"Hey, s.h.i.+to-kun."

"Hm? What?"

"Utsurigi... Gaisuke-san, what sort of fellow is he?"

"Utsurigii?" s.h.i.+to-kun gave an expression of revulsion, as if he were shown the corpse of a cat. "Utsurigi?"

"Yes. Utsurigi Gaisuke-san."

"... A pervert." he spat, as he took two steps and turned his back to me. Or rather, he did not turn his back to me, but rather turned his face away. "A pervert. **he is** through and completely and from head to toe entirely a pervert. How else can you describe that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"

And he stomped off, in an irritated mood. I could not bring myself to pursue the matter, and silently looked him off. If possible, I would have liked to acquire more objective information beforehand about Utsurigi Gaisuke, but hmm, it seemed it would be better to give up. At the very least it was worth learning that s.h.i.+to-kun did not look fondly upon Utsurigi.

"....."

What I wanted to know was what that Utsurigi Gaisuke thought about Kunagisa Tomo.

The road had become a bit b.u.mpier -- or rather, the width of the path had become more narrow, so I stopped, and waited for Kunagisa. And as if I were pulling Kunagisa along by her