I let a sigh out of my nose and walked over towards Shirayuki, who had used up all of her strength and was sunk down on the floor surrounded by debris. As soon as our eyes met, she returned her katana, now void of flames, to its scabbard and hid it away.
“K-Kin-chan.”
She looked like she was about to say she was sorry, so I made a warning sign with my finger and gave her a look that said “Stop right there.”
“…Th…thank you.”
“Thank you,” huh? I guess that gets a passing mark.
“Shirayuki, you really pulled through. We were able to arrest Durandal thanks to you.”
“Y … you weren’t … scared?”
“Of what?”
“O … of me just now … I-I was so …” said Shirayuki with moisture in her black eyes underneath her perfectly straight bangs. It would appear she was convinced that I was afraid of the super-natural powers she just displayed.
Ha ha. That’s what you were worried about?
I could see Shirayuki was afraid that I hated her now so I answered her question with a kind smile.
“There’s nothing to be scared of. It was very beautiful and powerful fire. Much, much more so than the fireworks we saw the other day.”
“Kin-chan ... ngh … uuu …”
Shirayuki let out a wail and started crying as she flung her arms around me, so I gently returned her hugged and stroked her on the back.
I’ll do this with you as long as it takes. So quick to cry. Until you calm down . . . I’ll just continue to tenderly rub you on the back. Just like I did when we were kids, and you were crying because we got in trouble for going to the fireworks festival. Indeed. When it came to this sort of thing, Shirayuki hadn’t changed at all. But … she’d become quite strong—strong enough to break out of Hotogi’s bird cage, spread her fiery wings, and fight of her own will. Sniveling, Shirayuki looked up at me, and I told her some words to help put her at ease.
“Don’t go disappearing on me like that again ... Shirayuki,” I said, showing her another smile.
Final Bullet Who Gave Off that Flash?
*I’d like to thank that person . . .*
The Ar-kata for the Adsiard’s closing ceremony started off with the handsome Shiranui’s vocals and the F-minor chords I strummed on my guitar. The other day, I went into hysteria mode again in the underground warehouse—in front of Aria and Shirayuki, no less—and I wasn’t overly concerned with the quality of the sounds I was producing.
Man … that was torture … What was I thinking? “Don’t go disappearing on me like that again ... Shirayuki.” Didn’t I say something rather outrageous to Aria too? Something about doing this or that for the rest of my life. Just trying to remember makes me want to curl up and die. Though I didn’t have any other choice under the circumstances, an even bigger problem was that Aria and Shirayuki witnessed me doing all sort of things like seeing through Joan’s disguise, rambling on about strategies that came to mind, and even catching a sword with my bare hand … It wasn’t pretty, but I went and made myself useful. I had provided Aria and Shirayuki with more grounds to overestimate my actual abilities. I really didn’t want to remember how the two of them kept raving about me afterwards, saying things like “You can do it if you try” or “Kin-chan you really are amazing.” I had a feeling that I would be relied upon to handle all sorts of troublesome things in the near future. It was more than a feeling; I was positive of it. And there would be more troublesome things involving gunfights.
*Who gave off that flash . . .*
And what’s wrong with this school? Stop pinching pennies and hire a real band for crying out loud.
Although it was a bit too late at this point, I started taking out my frustration on Butei High with such thoughts as I played the Danelectro DC 59 on ground number two, the venue for this performance. I was getting rather accustomed to the guitar in spite of myself.
Damn, this is fine weather.
*Who gave off that flash that went bangbabangbabang?*
At the same time as the tempo started to increase, the girls marched in from the left and right sides of the stage in their cheerleader uniforms with pom-poms in their hands and smiles on their faces. “T-This really is a bit too …”
Looking towards the voice out of the corner of my eye, I also saw Shirayuki, who was fidgeting on the stage wing.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! What are you talking about after having come all the way out here? Go on! Get out there!” yelled Aria, kicking Shirayuki onto the stage—right into the dead center.
Completely red in the face, Shirayuki raised a pom-pom, and by her side was Aria. As it turned out, Aria, the most athletic out of all the girls, and Shirayuki, who was selected last minute to perform due to Aria’s strong recommendation, were the two main cheerleaders leading the routine. The preparatory committee had secretly hoped Shirayuki would participate in the cheerleading so it didn’t take very long for arrangements to be made. I was a little concerned about how well she would do after making such a sudden appearance on stage, but she proved to be every bit a stellar cheerleader as she is a student. Shirayuki was animatedly demonstrating a perfect cheer routine. She must have been embarrassed appearing in front of everyone in that costume because the expression on her face was still a little strained. But Aria kept a stern eye on her so Shirayuki would just have to chalk it up to bad luck and accept her fate. Aria is like an electromagnet powered by a nuclear reactor; once attached to you, would never let go.
*Even if we’re right in froooooont of our enemies, we never run and hide!*
For Shirayuki, this was the first time she mustered the courage to appear in front of others ever since that battle ended. Shirayuki had not only left school grounds with me, but she also violated the restrictions placed upon her by using techniques that were forbidden by the Hotogis. However, because Aria convincingly protested against the seriousness of the violations and the insignificance of the specific number of times the violations were committed, the Hotogis eventually gave in and granted Shirayuki permission to participate in the cheerleading. There was also the matter of Shirayuki successfully defeating Durandal that probably helped persuade them. I conceded to that as well.
Well ... what you’re doing is little more than a cheer routine. But I can tell, Shirayuki. You’re no longer a “caged bird.” You’re still all a shudder and haven’t ventured out very far, but you're a magnificent bird soaring with your own wings—a ... uh, that’s right. A crane. You’ve become a red-crowned crane.
I was occupying myself with all these thoughts because I didn't want to think about how I went into hysteria mode the other day, but it was also to keep me from paying attention to Shirayuki, whose uniform was tightly hugging on to the shapely curves of her body. Nevertheless, spinning and jumping hither and thither while unable to completely hide her embarrassment, Shirayuki ... was swinging her twin mountains all over the place.
N-Not good. I’m gonna get hysterical.
But what was I to do? There was a giant audience in front of me, and I couldn’t very well just hang my head down like I did during practice. This called for emergency evasive maneuvers. I switched my gaze to Aria, who was next to Shirayuki.
... Thank god.
Those mountains were stuck firmly to ground no matter how much she jumped and hopped about. Still, I couldn’t let down my guard. The cute little things were so small that there were revealing openings between her skin and her outfit. Be it Shirayuki or Aria, there was no escape from their dangerously active volcanoes. This stage might be more of a threat to me than even Junction. If I were to go into hysteria mode in a place full of girls like this, it would be no laughing matter.
Let’s think of something else. Uhhh. Well, quite a significant incident took place underground, but as can be seen, Butei High wasn’t blown to smithereens, and the Adsiard is safely coming to an end as the closing ceremony is underway ... uhhh.
*Who gave off that flash that went bangbabangbabang?*
*Who was it? Let me give that person a hug.*
The girls threw their pom-poms high into the air and the crowd instantly went into a fever. They had all been carrying pistols inside their pom-poms, and just like the lyrics, they fired blank cartridges with their pistols aimed towards the sky. Perhaps it was due to the contagious wild energy from the audience but the girls were firing more than they did during practice.
There they go . . . . I really wish our school didn’t do unsettling things like this.
The whole purpose of this thing is to improve our image.
I could only pray that the television stations would cut this part out when they did the editing. Finally, with Aria and Shirayuki at the center, the girls all simultaneously struck a gymnastic formation pose, and the aluminum foil confetti that had been set up inside the stage burst upward all around them.
*It made a dramatic change in my life!*
The Adsiard had come to an end.
Shirayuki, out of breath from the intense Ar-kata cheerleading, was now smiling carefree at the audience. Bits of confetti sparkled as it danced around her. It was like a white snowfall celebrating the start of her new life.
God only knows why, but our celebration party was being held at a family restaurant. It was the same place the guys had their after-party following the Adsiard. I had objected, pointing out that the girls went to Club Estella in Odaiba, so we should at least go there. But as usual, my protests were utterly pointless, and the three of us, Aria, Shirayuki, and I, had our second after-party in a booth at Roxie, the only family restaurant on Academy Island. Having arrested Durandal, things looked positive for Aria’s mother, Kanae Kanzaki, who had been framed for Durandal’s crimes. Her mother’s prison termed was announced to be considerably reduced; so in a very good mood, Aria declared that she would treat us. It was a small consolation, but being a noblewoman, I wished she had invited us to a slightly more stylish restaurant. I was about to say as much, but then realized she might reconsider opening a new hole in me, so I just order a steak set, the most expensive thing on the menu, as a small sign of my discontent. All of us placed our order and wiped our hands on the moist hand towel we were provided with when I noticed something odd about Aria and Shirayuki. They were staring at each other, looking as if they wanted to say something but held their tongues.
... What with this atmosphere?
“Y-You know ...”
“Y-You know, Aria ...”
When they spoke up, it was in perfect harmony.
“Y-You can go first, Aria.”
“You go first.”
“... Should I leave?” I asked Shirayuki, who was sitting beside me, but she lowered her face and shook her head.
“U-Um ... I want you to hear this too, Kin-chan. There’s ... something I absolutely have to tell Aria.”
... Something you need to tell Aria that you want me to hear?
“Um ... the other day, when you caught a cold ... I told a lie.”
“A lie?”
“Yeah ... um ... the medicine you took that day . . . I didn’t buy it. That was ... something you left in his room, wasn’t it, Aria.”
Huh? The other day, when I was in a stupor from my fever and stayed home from school ... the one who went through the trouble of buying me “Extra Concentrated Kudzu Infusion” and secretly left it on the doorknob was ...
“It was you, Aria?”
“...”
Shirayuki truly looked apologetic as she watched Aria, who wasn’t saying a word. Aria was looking at Shirayuki as well and gave me a very brief glance with her camellia-colored eyes.
... What kind of reaction is that supposed to be?
“W-What? Is that what you wanted to say?” Aria placed her hands on the back of her head and leaned far over backwards in a contrived manner. She had turned somewhat red and was throwing me brief glances again.
Ah. I remembered what Aria said when we were on Assault’s rooftop.
“Nobles don’t boast about their own exploits. It would be unsightly—even if someone else stole the credit.”
So this ... is what she was talking about?
“What a let-down. You were so serious when you said you had something to tell me that I thought it was going to be a lot more disastrous.”
Judging from how she didn’t deny it, it would seem Aria really was the one who bought the medicine—which meant that the one who very gently checked my temperature back then was also Aria?
“I’m such a horrible girl, I know. But I didn’t want to remain a horrible girl so ... I’m sorry!” apologized Shirayuki, bowing her head at Aria. But Aria placed her hand under Shirayuki’s chin and lifted her head back to its former position.
“It doesn’t particularly bother me, so don’t worry about it. Okay, that’s the end of this conversation. So now it’s my turn.”
“O-Okay.”
From the looks of things, these two had already let one another know that they had something to talk about before coming here.
“Ahem,” Aria cleared her throat and returned her posture back to normal.
“... Shirayuki, you be my slave too!” Aria commanded, pointing her finger at Shirayuki.
Shirayuki, I, and the guys who were sitting in the nearby booth all became stiff as stone.
H-Hey. Stop looking this way.
“Thank you, Shirayuki,” Aria continued.
Hey, Aria. You’ve got a huge non sequitur on your hands.
“You get three-tenths of the credit for arresting Durandal. I get four. Reki gets two.”
. . . Huh?
“I realized something regarding this incident. In our fight against Durandal—Joan of Arc—if we had been on our own, I’m sure we would have lost. The three of us together barely managed to beat her. I acknowledge that.”
Before that, there’s something else I’d like you to acknowledge. I’m included in that “three,” aren’t I?
“We were able to win because we worked together. Until now ... I always thought that no matter who my enemy was, all I would need is myself and a partner to draw out my full potential. But ... there are opponents out there whom we wouldn’t be able to handle with just the two of us. In other words, it would be a good idea to increase the number of allies in my party who have special skills—especially allies like you who have powers that I don’t.”
Well, well. An ally, huh? I guess it just goes to show that the former “aria” learned a few things at this school.
As for Shirayuki, the one being recruited, she was murmuring things to herself like “s-slave ... that’s ... but if I could be Kin-chan’s slave ...” and it was difficult to tell whether she was listening or not.
“So our contract may be over, but you’re going to continue working together with Kinji too! From morning till night, we're going to function as a team and build up our teamwork! Here! This is the key to Kinji’s apartment! From now on, you can enter whenever you like!”
“Thank you, Aria! Thank you so much, Kin-chan!”
“Wait a second!” I protested.
Shirayuki put the forged keycard in her shirt pocket with god-like speed, and I fell out of the booth, tumbling onto the floor.
“Out of the question! In the first place, that’s a boy’s dormitory!”
“You have a problem, slave number one?!”
“You guys! Listen to what I’m say- ... It would make me so happy if you listened to what I’m saying, but would you at least consider it?”
My tone of voice changed mid-sentence because Aria pulled out her two pistols. It was just then that a s
omewhat perturbed waitress brought us our meal. Mineral water and a steak set. Oolong tea and seasoned rice cooked with meat, fish, and vegetables. Cola and peach buns served over rice.
What in the ...? Whoever created this menu, get yourself another job.
“Okay! Here’s to the birth of slave number two! Cheers!”
“Cheers! ... I’m so happy! I’m just so happy! A spare key ... it’s proof of Kin-chan’s love!”
Aria’s eyes reflected her delightful mood, and Shirayuki cried tears of joy as they raised her glass. And I, slave number one, had no way of changing the direction this mess was heading.
For the love of ...
“Fine! Just have it your way!” I bawled, joining the toast with enough force to knock the drinks out of their glasses.
And thus, it turned out that these two nuisances would continue to enter and leave my apartment as they pleased. When we left the family restaurant, the first thing Shirayuki did was go to the girl’s dorm and come back to my place loaded with various personal belonging wrapped up in cloths. Aria was watching the two-hour special of Amazing Animals she recorded the other day, and she was bounced up and down on the couch while saying, “How adorable! Look, look, Kinji! A raft of sea otters!” Her shoes were lying slovenly in front of the door, and her black knee socks were strewn on the floor.
Miss Aria, aren’t you forgetting that this was originally my apartment?
“Say, Aria. Regarding the calculations you made at the family restaurant earlier ...” I said with a displeased look on my face as I sat down next to Aria, who was fast-forwarding through the commercials.
“What?”
“It’s about the ratio of contributions made in the Durandal incident. You contributed forty percent. Shirayuki contributed thrity. Reki contributed twenty ... so my contribution was ten percent?” I complained
“Well, you only performed a little bit at the very end, didn’t you?!” Aria declared without so much as looking in my direction while she operated the remote control.
Aria the Scarlet Ammo (novel), Volume 2 Page 16