CH 88

Shikabane Sakura

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

When Tsugumi was upset by the photo, Higoromo quietly asked him.

“It looks like you’re familiar with it. –Please tell me what you know. This is important.”

He looked at him straight in the eyes and Tsugumi involuntarily looked away.

There was nothing wrong with it. However, talking to Higoromo about the girl in the picture – “Sakura-oneechan” was somewhat confusing.

…Thinking about it, there was something that had been bothering him ever since Yukitaka had shown him the photo before. It was about the attire.

Goddess Amaterasu reigned at the top of this country. Therefore, the rank of a Miko, a person who was used by the God, was high, and without the proper qualifications, one was not even allowed to call oneself a Miko. Moreover, with the exception of Toono Sumire, the qualification was limited to those who had completed compulsory education and were at least 16 years old.

However, the girl in the photo looked to be about the age of a junior high school student, and it was hard to believe that she has passed the certification test.

And if he included the photo that Yukitaka gave to him, which was fuzzy to many people, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had a dark background.

The difference between the kindly “Sakura-oneechan” he met in his dream and the disturbing impression he got from the girl in the photo. The gap between the two was something Tsugumi had never been able to accept well.

“…Higoromo-san, do you know about this person?”

Looking down, Tsugumi asked this question. What Tsugumi did not understand more than anything else was why Higoromo was trying to get to know “Sakura-oneechan”? It was that.

…The fact that he bothered to bring up the photo in this vein was surely related to the great fire.

He felt a stirring in the back of his chest. …The unpleasant premonition didn’t seem to disappear.

“I didn’t think you’re going to answer a question with a question. Well, I can say that I know some things.”

Higoromo answered in a calm voice. Apparently, he didn’t intend to discuss the details at this stage.

–In that case, it may be necessary to step in from here.

“This person’s name is probably ‘Sakura’. I don’t know the kanji, but…”

“Oh, so you still remember her?”

“I don’t remember any details. I’m not sure what her name is, but I vaguely remember it being something like that. …I don’t know anything about her. I don’t even know if the name Sakura is really correct. –That makes me terribly sad.”

Tsugumi replied quietly.

After all, he didn’t know anything about “Sakura-oneechan”. He might have met her in dreams or been saved by her in a life-threatening situation, but he knew nothing about her.

…Tsugumi himself felt a blood connection to her, but he was not certain if they were truly related. The only thing he knew was that she had mysterious powers. That was all.

As he raised his face, he stared at Higoromo and opened his mouth in determination.

“Please tell me, Higoromo-san. Who is this person? –What kind of relationship did she and I have?!”

In a trembling voice, Tsugumi said, clinging.

Higoromo surely knew the answer that Tsugumi had been seeking for so long. If he missed this opportunity, he didn’t know when he would be able to get the next piece of useful information. He couldn’t care less about how it looked.

And so, as Tsugumi bowed deeply, a loud sigh was heard from the opposite side.

“Look at me. I’m not here to bully you. …But then again, you really don’t have any memory. I’m a little off the mark.”

Higoromo said in a muffled voice and held out a few papers to Tsugumi’s eyes.

“Before we talk, there are a few conditions you must abide by.”

“What are these?”

“The contract. The matters related to the great fire are basically confidential. I can’t tell you information about them because you are a civilian. –So I’m thinking of reporting you to the government as my collaborator. The details are written in the document, so please read it carefully. And, this is a simple, but legitimate government document. Covenant spells have been applied. If you break the contract, I’ll know right away.”

At Hirogomoi’s urging, Tsugumi took the document in his hand. The contract began with small, difficult words and went on to describe a variety of matters, from the obligation to keep the information obtained confidential to the punishment for breaking the restrictions.

…He had been aware that there were so many prohibitions, but it seemed that the fire was really a problem.

–How come Sakura-oneechan was involved in such troublesome things. He was uneasy, but he couldn’t start without hearing what he had to say.

After spending a few minutes checking the contents of the documents, Tsugumi nervously wrote his name and contact information on the form. When Higoromo received the completed forms, he looked at him with a worried expression.

“You seem determined. To be frank, you’re going to be shocked when you hear about this. …Is that okay?”

“Yes, I’m prepared.”

“I see. Then it can’t be helped.”

Letting out a small sigh of resignation, Higoromo opened a page in the middle of the file and gently pointed at it.

“The real name of the girl you’re calling ‘Sakura-oneechan’ is Shikabane Sakura. She was the only daughter of the operator of a religious organization. Unfortunately, you and your twin sister are not registered on Shikabane’s family register.”

“Wait a minute. So Chidori and I aren’t Sakura-oneechan’s family?”

Tsugumi was not convinced by Higoromo’s explanation. –So what exactly was the existence of Tsugumi and Chidori? Aside from Chidori, Tsugumi looked so much like her.

When Tsugumi asked this in confusion, Higoromo cowered his shoulders and shook his head.

“I don’t know that either. But it seems the religious group she belonged to had been doing some pretty shady things. It is possible that, for whatever reason, they did not declare their child born. In fact, there is a photograph of a young boy who looks a lot like Shikabane Sakura in the documents we collected, perhaps it’s you. There is no doubt that there is some connection between you and her. To tell you the truth, I come to see you to confirm this. –But you have lost your memory. As far as I can tell, all of Shikabane’s blood relatives died before the fire, and since we can’t even get a DNA test, the truth is in the dark.”

“Is that so… Um, What kind of things do you mean by shady things…?”

When Tsugumi asked fearfully, Higoromo answered in a soft voice.

“As far as the government knows, some kind of magical experiments were being conducted at the religious organization, ‘The Star of Dawn’. Shikabane Sakura, who was 14 years old at the time, had replaced her parents, who had stopped showing up in public, as the head of the organization. She is considered, based on circumstantial evidence, to be a key witness in the outbreak of the great fire. …Considering her age, it’s obvious that an adult was pulling strings from behind the scenes.”

As Higoromo told him to read the documents smoothly, Tsugumi raised his voice impatiently. The sheer volume of information was confusing, but there was one word that he couldn’t miss.

“The reason for that big fire is Sakura-oneechan? …That can’t be true.”

The white girl behind Tsugumi’s eyelids – Sakura-oneechan was full of compassion. She couldn’t be associated with dangerous research that could destroy a single city.

“But that is the government’s insight. I can only speculate now that everything has burned down, but given the circumstances, there is no doubt that the Shikabane girl was involved in that big fire. …That’s why I said you would be shocked.”

–Everything burned. Tsugumi’s eyes fell to the ground as he realized the meaning of those words.

“…What happened to Sakura-oneechan after that big fire?”

“We can’t track her down after that, and the place she was at is the fire – or rather, the hypocenter. Not a body has been found, but at the rate the fire was going, she would have been burned to death. It would be wise to assume that she did not survive. I’m curious as to why you and your sister survived unscathed, but let’s talk about that next time. It’s going to take a long time.”

After saying that, Higoromo slowly began to put away the papers on the table. It looked like he was getting ready to go home.

“Wa-wait a minute. I still have questions to ask…!”

What exactly caused the great fire? Had they found the photo of Chidori, rather than Tsugumi? There were still many questions to be asked. When Tsugumi said in a frantic voice, Higoromo shook his head quietly to refuse.

“Don’t be so hasty, the details are in that file. You can take a good look at it when you get home. In your current state of mind, any further explanation would be futile. Do you realize it yourself? You look pale, you know?”

Higoromo said so, handing the file he had opened earlier to Tsugumi. As Tsugumi took it, he said as if biting down.

“Higoromo-san, but I’m…”

“Let’s stop for today. I’ll be ready for the next opportunity. –Here is my personal contact information. Call me if anything happens.”

Higoromo said this admonishingly, ripped open one of his black leather notebooks and wrote a phone number in it without hesitation. He smiled as she held it out to Tsugumi, along with the file he had just received.

“And if you remember anything about your past memories, contact me first. It doesn’t matter how trivial it is. –The file, by the way, can only be viewed by those who have signed the contract. It is unlikely to be stolen, but please be careful with it. Also, as I’m sure you are aware, confidentiality must be maintained. Even if it is from your twin sister.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Higoromo told him in a reminder and stood up from his chair with a clatter.

“I’m warning you since you chose to be involved in the story of the big fire, you can never turn your back on the truth. And if the relationship between you and Shikabane Sakura becomes known, the people involved in the big fire may try to contact you. …Be careful. The world is tougher than you think.”

“…Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

The fire left such a huge mark. If the world were to find out that Tsugumi and Chidori were involved in the fire – and that they were on the perpetrators’ side – that alone would make it impossible for them to lead a serious life. To be frank, there were very few people who knew what was going on and still care about them as much as Higoromo did.

“Higoromo-san.”

“What?”

“–Thank you for everything. Now I am finally ready to move on.”

There were still many things he didn’t know about Sakura-oneechan and the great fire. However, it was fortunate that an informant had come forward like this.

When Tsugumi bowed deeply, Higoromo opened his mouth with a slightly awkward face.

“…If you find yourself in a situation you can’t handle, consider relying not only on me but also on Yukino Shizuku. That might help you.”

“Yes, I would be grateful for your help then.”

Higoromo then looked at his old watch and said.

“I’m sorry, but I have other business to attend to. –I will contact you soon. In the meantime, I suggest you get your mind in order.”

After saying this, Higoromo opened the door of the private room and walked out. Tsugumi gripped his right hand tightly, staring at the closed door. The blood on the palm was slowly seeping out.

“–Higoromo-san was a good person. But that man still has a lot of things he’s hiding. It’s surely  not written in the file he gave me.”

Saying so, Tsugumi let out a big sigh. Perhaps Higoromo, who had heard about Tsugumi from a relative – Suzune – felt sympathy for Tsugumi. Otherwise, he would not have bothered to register a small boy who did not have much information as a collaborator. He should be grateful for the information given to him.

“…The road is a long one.”

Tsugumi muttered. Slowly, he stood up and stretched. The knots ached because of the tension.

“I’m hungry, so maybe I’ll eat somewhere before heading home. It’s going to be expensive here. …I’ll look at this file when I get home. I’d like to hear what Bell-sama has to say.”

Saying so, Tsugumi left the hotel’s coffee shop with the file in his arms with care. His steps were heavier than usual.

◆　◆　◆

“Are you glad? You don’t have to ask that child about Hagakure Sakura.”

As Higoromo walked alone out of the hotel and through the hydrangea garden, such voices rained down from above his head.

“I don’t need to ask that. Besides, the great fire I’m looking into has nothing to do with the Magical Girl called Hagakure Sakura. Then it’s fine to leave it alone. …If he wants to hide it, it’s kindness to keep quiet about it.”

When Higoromo replied in a discouraged manner, the voice above his head chuckled.

“Hahaha! I knew you noticed that child is Hagakure Sakura! By the way, since when did you notice?”

At the question from such a joyful voice, Higoromo opened his mouth in a troubled manner.

“I became convinced after Nagisa told me about Hitsugi. –On the day Hitsugi went out of control, Hagakure was originally supposed to be off duty. And yet, she rushed to the scene before anyone else. The only person other than me who was told by Nagisa about the black threads entangled in Hitsugi–the prophecy of death–was that one person, Nanase Tsugumi. There are many other reasons, but all of them point to him being Hagakure Sakura. …I mean, if they look that much alike, there’s no doubt about it, right?”

“Oh well. It’s funny how he’s so stuffy, just like that arrogant Lord of the Flies.”

“…Do have a grudge against his contract God?”

“You see, I don’t really like flies because I have this image of them carrying plagues.”

“You’re also an unreasonable guy…”

Nasatya, wearing what looked like a small white robe, said such things while flitting around Higoromo. If Bell had been here, she would have been furious.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. –but you didn’t tell him.”

“What?”

“The results of the DNA test on that child’s twin sister–Nanase Chidori. Everyone was surprised by the results, right? You should have told him.”

Nasatya told him with a smirk, and Higoromo gave him a glaring look.

“…It would still be terrible to tell him about this. And what kind of face should I have made when I told him? –I’m not sure how I could have said that your adored twin sister is a stranger, not even related to you by blood. On top of that, the result is beyond my control…”

–In the pouring rain. Higoromo picked up the documents he had secretly pulled out of the file he had given to Tsugumi and let out a loud sigh.

The document had this written on it.

Nanase Chidori DNA Test result.

Nanase Tsugumi (younger brother) – no blood relation.

Nanase Yozuru (foster father) – related by blood.

Possible close blood relatives

Sakura Akane.

Higoromo stared at the document in annoyance, then rolled it up into a mess and shoved it into his bag with frustration.

“… That Toono bastard, instead of investigating the great fire, she’s forcing us to deal with a ridiculous trouble.”

Higoromo said this as if to throw up, and with a loud sigh, he began to walk along the path where hydrangeas spread out. –The rain isn’t about to stop yet.