by Ao Jyumonji
“I’ve never been in this place,” Renji said.
“...Y-Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t have been,” said Ranta. “Huh? Then, why did you...?”
“I happened to see you, so I called out to you,” Renji said.
“Huh?! N-No, I mean, why would you be talking to me?” Ranta asked.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“T-To me...?!” Ranta asked.
“Yeah.” Renji patted down his ash gray hair, sighing. “I’m not that interested anymore, though.”
“...Because of Runrun Paradise?”
“No. Because of how you act.”
“Oh, of course.” Ranta stood up with an awkward laugh, quickly giving himself the sniff test to make sure he didn’t stink.
No, wait. He’s not a girl. He’s a dude. Like, the dude to end all dudes. I don’t need to do this. Or rather, he makes me a million times more nervous than any girl.
“Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uhmm... Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What did you want to talk about?” Ranta stuttered.
“Come with me.” Renji pointed the way with his chin, then started to walk.
Ranta cried, “Yes, sir!” and took off after him.
Renji took Ranta to a small, cramped bar on the edge of Celestial Alley. It was truly cramped, but the interior was neat, with a good stock of bottles and casks of wine behind the bar. There were no other customers. It was probably too early for that. Later in the night, people would gather here to enjoy a quiet drink. That was the kind of place this had to be. In other words, it was no place for Ranta.
“Th-This is a good place,” said Ranta. “Ha ha ha, ha...”
“Brandy, any kind, for two,” Renji ordered without asking Ranta. Their drinks were ready quickly. There was a brown-ish liquid in a short glass.
Ranta said, “Don’t mind if I do!” and took a swig. He nearly choked on the stuff, but he somehow managed to endure. “Th-This stuff is strong...”
Renji gave a low snort, then downed his glass in one shot.
—Whoa. Damn, he’s cool...
“How’s it going?” Renji asked.
“Huh? Oh... Well, so-so... you could say. You know what happened to us.”
“Moguzo, huh,” said Renji.
“Well, that’s how it is...”
“I misjudged him,” Renji said. “He was a big deal.”
Renji’s meaning wasn’t clear. Moguzo had been big? What did he mean by that? That he’d been stronger than he’d thought? Or that it was a big deal that Moguzo had died, or something like that? Either way, Renji was acknowledging Moguzo.
—Man, you’ve got Renji acknowledging you now, partner, Ranta thought proudly. Not that being recognized after your death does you much good, though.
“But, well, he’s gone now,” Ranta said. “It’s not going to do us any good to moan and complain about it. We’ve got to get by on our own now. That’s how we’re taking it...”
“What about Haruhiro?” asked Renji.
“What about him? There’s not much to say,” Ranta said. “Well, he’s trying hard in his own way. Not that he’s much of a leader.”
“True enough.”
“He can’t be like you, Renji-san,” Ranta added.
“Cut it out with the -san.”
“Righto. Renji it is.” Ranta took a little sip of his brandy. “This is good stuff, if you take it a bit at a time. Still, it’s strange to be here, talking to you like this. You alone?”
“Work is work,” said Renji.
“And you wanna keep it separate from your time off?”
“Yeah, kinda,” said Renji.
“If you’re with people all the time, they get annoying,” Ranta agreed. “You wanna be alone once in a while.”
“Even you feel like that?” Renji asked archly.
“I’m fine all by myself, y’know?” Ranta said. “I don’t really get lonely. In this business, you can’t go it alone, though, so I need comrades. A group.”
“Want to join mine?” Renji asked.
Ranta nearly nodded, and then—Hold on, wait, he thought. What?
What did Renji just say? “Want to join mine?” No. That can’t be it, right? “Want a jumbo lime?” No, that’s not it.
“Want to join mine?” That was what Renji had said.
“...Huh?” Ranta asked, dumbfounded.
“Right now, we’ve got five,” said Renji. “There’s room for one more.”
“Oh—because Protection works on up to six, right?” Ranta asked.
“Thieves won’t work on another thief’s turf,” said Renji. “It’s part of their code of honor. I don’t need a hunter who can’t use a bow or a mage with no firepower, either. Your priest is worthless, too. She let Moguzo die.”
“That’s not...!” He felt the blood rushing to his head. But... why should Ranta have to stick up for Merry? Because she was his comrade? Even if she was, he had to call a spade a spade. That was Ranta’s stance. He didn’t want to play at being friends.
“...Well, yeah,” said Ranta. “Her skills aren’t bad, but Merry screwed up. She screwed up royally.”
“Our Chibi may not look it, but she’s useful,” said Renji.
“That seriously, seriously shocked me,” said Ranta. “I dunno... she just didn’t look like she’d have it in her. But if she’s supporting your party, she must be amazing.”
“Ranta.” That was probably a first. Renji hadn’t called him Curly, he’d called him by name. “You’re going to become useful. When I saw you at Deadhead, that’s what I thought. But Haruhiro can’t use you properly.”
Renji had been watching?
Ranta had seen Renji and his group. Renji was the one in it who was really, really incredible. Still, that was just because Renji was a crazy man who’d jump into danger like it was nothing and mow down enemies. Ron and the others were plenty amazing themselves. They had been with Renji all this time, and lived. That was special in and of itself. It was hard to believe that they hadn’t been volunteer soldiers for any longer than Ranta and the others.
Him, in that party.
If that were to happen—he was sure he could fight much, much harder. Without having to worry about his comrades, he’d be able to use his skills left and right to keep the enemies at his mercy. That was how a dread knight was meant to fight. Not how he was now. He had to worry about all sorts of stuff. There were too many limitations. If only they still had Moguzo.
If his partner were there, he could have focused on fighting like a dread knight. Of course, that wasn’t possible anymore. If he considered the party, Ranta had no choice but to become the tank. He wasn’t suited for it, but he could do it. Ranta meant to come up with his own ways of doing it, too. Even if that meant having to kill who he really was, he had no choice.
Is there really no other choice...? he wondered.
“I’m a selfish guy,” Renji said, downing his second glass of brandy in one gulp. “I take care of those who can be useful to me. I don’t care about anyone else. In the end, I think most people are the same. If you live for others, it just means you die for them, too.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Ranta said. “They say I’m selfish and egotistical.”
“Let them.”
“You think I can get strong?” Ranta asked.
“If I’m the one using you,” said Renji.
“You want me to be your pawn, is that it?”
“Bingo.”
Renji wasn’t lying. At the very least, he thought Ranta had potential. He was trying to poach him. For Team Renji.
Seriously? Ranta thought. I’m going to crack up laughing. This is amazing. Is luck finally on my side? So, what do I do? With an offer like this, I don’t even need to ask that, do I? The answer is obvious. Right?
12. Today More than Yesterday, Tomorrow More than Today
“Man...” Haruhiro muttered.
How long had it been since the eight o’clock bell chimed? Five minutes? Ten? Haruhiro didn’t have anything expensi
ve like a pocket watch, so he didn’t know.
“They just aren’t showing up, huh...” he went on.
“They aren’t...” For a while now, Merry had been standing next to Haruhiro, restlessly poking at the ground with her short staff.
Haruhiro had probably arrived at the north gate at around half past seven. It looked like Ranta had come back to the lodging house late last night. When he’d tried to drag him out of bed, Ranta had said to go ahead without him. He hadn’t gone to call Shihoru and Yume. He hadn’t thought it was necessary.
He had woken up fairly early in the morning and, with nothing better to do, Haruhiro had decided to leave the lodging house early.
Merry had shown up at the north gate around ten minutes after Haruhiro. Of course, he had been relieved to see her.
Thank goodness, he’d thought, from the bottom of his heart.
Merry had learned Sacrament. It was a top-class light magic spell that healed serious wounds in an instant, and it could have been considered mandatory for any priest of mid-tier or higher.
Merry could still only use it around twice per day, but Sacrament was sure to be a great boon to the party. If it came to it, they could return from the brink of death. Having that sort of trump card would no doubt let Merry approach her battles with composure.
Haruhiro had learned another skill from Barbara-sensei in addition to Assault: Shatter. This was a skill that was chained after Swat to strike the enemy’s knee. With two options that he could use following a Swat, Arrest and Shatter, it would give his attack patterns more variety. Instead of just using Swat to hold out, he could look for opportunities to go on the attack, then go in for the kill with Assault. That was the strategy Haruhiro had in mind.
Well, I doubt it will be that easy, but we each need to expand what we can do, and take it as far as we can, he thought. If we do that, probably—no, definitely—we’ll find a way forward.
Haruhiro was optimistic. Or, at the very least, he was trying to be.
He wasn’t a good one, but he was this party’s leader nonetheless. A leader needed to hold his head high, moving forward one step, or even one half-step, at a time, or no one would follow him. In fact, if the leader wasn’t moving forward, there was no way for anyone to follow.
It wasn’t a question of whether he could do it or not. He had to start by just doing it. Nothing would start until he took that first step. If nothing ever started, there could be no results. Once there were some results, he would accept them, use them as nourishment, and move forward a little more.
—However.
“They’re so late...” Haruhiro murmured.
“Yes... but...” Merry said.
“Yeah...”
“Maybe they slept in...” she suggested.
“...I’ll bet.”
“They could be tired from learning skills and whatnot...”
“Ohh,” Haruhiro said. “Yeah, that could be it.”
“I hope that’s all...”
“Well, I think it probably is...?” Haruhiro said. “Normally... well, I am too... y’know? If you were to ask me whether I’m fully rested, I’m really not... Barbara-sensei’s real strict... Ha ha ha...” Haruhiro’s laughter sounded so stupid and incredibly vacuous that he felt awkward.
Damn, this isn’t good, he thought. What’s with this atmosphere? This atmosphere, it’s—Why? Why aren’t they showing up? How can they be late on such an important day? Like, there’s no way they should be, right? It’s weird, seriously. They can’t be late for this. That’s obvious. Get your act together, okay? Or, what—could it be something else?
Like, maybe, they’re not late?
“Nah... Ha ha ha...” Haruhiro laughed again, trying to chase off the uncertainty welling up inside him. It didn’t help in the slightest; it just made him want to run away.
He didn’t, though. He’d seem like a weirdo if he did.
“They just aren’t showing up, huh...” Haruhiro repeated.
“They aren’t...” Merry agreed.
What do I do now? Haruhiro thought. Merry’s looking pretty worried, too. What’s with this? Seriously, what’s up? Ranta, I get. He didn’t even try to get out of bed this morning. I mean, he’s Ranta. But Shihoru and Yume, too, seriously? Yume may not be that punctual, but Shihoru takes things seriously. She’s never been late to a meetup before. Not once. This is the first time. In that case, something must be up, and that’s why they aren’t here yet. That’s the logical conclusion. After what happened to us, and with all of us like this, now this happens.
“Ah...“ Merry mumbled.
When he looked at her, Merry was looking across the street. Haruhiro cast his gaze in that direction, too. Shihoru or Yume or Ranta must have come.
What, they’re finally here? Haruhiro thought.
He was wrong.
There was a man who was quite tall but had poor posture walking towards them. He wore a breast plate, gauntlets, and a few other pieces of plate mail, but all of it looked secondhand. The breast plate had Lumiaris’s hexagram engraved on it.
“Hey.” The man stopped in front of Haruhiro, giving him a nod.
Though Haruhiro wasn’t one to judge, he thought the guy looked awfully gloomy. He seemed out of place on such a fine morning.
“...Kuzaku,” he said.
“Why are you...?” Merry looked down, fidgeting awkwardly—
Wait, her face is red? Why? Haruhiro thought. What? What happened?
“Ohh.” Kuzaku brought his big hand to his forehead, scratching his right temple with his little finger. “Err. Yeah, let’s say that never happened.”
“Then don’t say anything to begin with!” Merry exploded.
“Ah. Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t’ve, huh,” Kuzaku agreed.
“Huh? Huh...?!” Haruhiro butted in, unable to keep quiet. “Wh-What?! Hey, what’s up, did something... happen...?”
“Nothing!” Merry was completely losing it.
“Nah, nothing,” Kuzaku wore a vague expression, and it was impossible to get a grasp on what it all might mean.
—Yeah, something happened, Haruhiro thought. Something definitely happened.
But what is that something? How do these two even know each other? Are they acquaintances somehow? Kuzaku’s our junior, so that’s hard to imagine. Still, I can’t be sure they aren’t. Merry goes out drinking alone at night, so could they have met one of those times? And then, something happened? If something happened, it would have to be—that...?
Merry’s looking down and gripping her staff. Kuzaku, on the other hand, he’s acting like he feels awkward, but not really. Like, “It wasn’t really a big deal.” Like, “It happens all the time?” Like, “It was a one-time adventure”... Adventure...?! What’s that?! Did they do it?!
Haruhiro slapped and rubbed his own chest, blinking repeatedly in confusion.
Yeah. Well, y’know? Whatever Merry does, that’s her business, right? I have no right to stop her, or even to pry, yeah? Kuzaku’s a tall guy, and for as gloomy as he looks, his face itself isn’t bad. If you look at him the right way, he’s pretty cool. Maybe. Not that I’d know! I don’t know if a dude’s face is hot or not! I can’t make that call! I don’t even want to! Like I care!
Okay. I’ve calmed down now. I’m fine now.
He was calm. Haruhiro’s mind was as cool as ice, and as silent as standing atop a frozen lake.
“—So? What? Were you just passing by? That’s not it, is it?” Haruhiro asked.
“Yeah, no. It’s not.”
“Well, what is it then?” Haruhiro demanded.
“...You’re kind of scary today, huh?”
“Am I?” Haruhiro asked. “I don’t think so. Well? Are you going to answer my question?”
“I’m here to ask a favor again, I guess you could say,” Kuzaku said.
“Huh...?”
“The party. I’m asking you to let me join.”
“Wha—” Haruhiro said.
“You were saying,” Kuzaku said
. “Saying something about not being able to decide alone. That if the others were around, you could ask their opinions, or something like that. You guys seemed like you’d be gathering somewhere.”
—He’s annoyingly persistent, Haruhiro thought. I turned him down, right? Like, I gave him a pretty clear no, didn’t I? He said “I see” in response, right? That was supposed to mean, “Okay, I get it, I’ll give up,” wasn’t it?
Haruhiro felt something like irritation and hostility swirling inside him, but he let it sit for a moment. He couldn’t just unleash it on the guy as it was. It wouldn’t be good. He was the leader. Maybe it was because he was the leader that he couldn’t do that. He wasn’t sure, but a voice inside Haruhiro was ordering him to smooth things over and keep up appearances.
“...I said that, yeah,” Haruhiro said. “I did. I said that, but that’s got nothing to do with this.”
“How so?” Kuzaku asked.
“Huh? Well, you know... that’s that and this is this.”
“What is ‘this’?” Kuzaku asked.
“Th-This is...”
Oh, crap, Haruhiro thought. I’m not thinking straight. I’m not keeping up appearances at all. What’s going on here? Am I losing my cool? Like, totally? I can’t deny that...
“Haruhiro, man.” Kuzaku glanced over to Merry. “Did you talk to your comrades about me? If you did, some of them might be in favor of it, right? I wouldn’t know, though.”
“...No, I didn’t,” Haruhiro said.
“I...!” Merry sounded shrill, but she coughed to clear her throat. “...I-I might not... be in favor of it, really...”
Haruhiro grinned. “See!”
“What do you mean, see?” a rude voice broke in.
“Huh?! What do I mean—” Haruhiro jumped back in surprise. “Whoa! Ranta?!”
“No need to act so surprised,” Ranta said. “Is there something wrong with you, man?”
Ranta, Haruhiro thought. When did Ranta get so close to me? He’s right beside me. No, it’s not just Ranta. Shihoru and Yume are here, too. They look surprised. I’m the one who ought to be surprised here.
“Whaaaat?” Ranta said, digging the earwax out of his ears and narrowing his eyes. “Who’re you, pal? No, I know that face. Hm...? One of our juniors, yeah? Huh? Man, didn’t you die at Deadhead? Are you a zombie?”