CH 108

Key of Memory

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

The red flame slowly spread from Toono’s feet. The flames quickly invaded the container. The flames came right to Chidori’s side, but strangely, she didn’t feel the heat.

–But the kidnappers didn’t seem to think so.

“Hot, hot, it hurts!”

“Stop! Don’t burn me!”

The kidnappers were crawling around in the container with no escape, shouting such words in desperation. In the midst of such an aghast scene, Toono was standing in the center of the container with a gentle smile on her face. Her figure looked like the lady of mercy, but at the same time, she looked like a terrifying convict.

Chidori stared blankly at the scene, only to be jolted back to reality by a familiar girl who ran up to her in the container, straddling the sea of flames.

“Chidori-chan, are you okay?! Ah, so much blood…”

“Suzushiro-san?”

Suzushiro Ran, who Chidori knew well, looked extremely worried and gently wiped Chidori’s face with a towel soaked in water. Seeing that the towel had turned reddish-black in no time, Suzushiro lowered her eyebrows sadly and rubbed Chidori’s back in sympathy.

“I’m sorry I’m late. If we had come a little earlier, you wouldn’t have had to get hurt like this.”

At Suzushiro’s words, Chidori slowly shook her head. –This injury was caused by her own weakness. It wasn’t the fault of the girls who came to help.

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about her than that. That kidnapper was talking about how she was drugged with a drug that apparently rendered her unconscious. It seems I’ve been dosed with the same thing, and to be honest, it’s already hard for me to stay conscious…”

Chidori said and looked at the girl in her arms. The girl showed no sign of waking up even in the midst of all this commotion. She didn’t know what kind of drugs they used on her, but they certainly weren’t good for her body. 

“I get it. I’ll have her checked out at the hospital after we get out of here. We will prepare a safe antidote depending on the situation, so don’t worry! –That’s all right, you just get some rest. We’ll take care of the rest.”

Suzushiro told Chidori, who was still dizzy and somehow kept her consciousness, in a cheerful tone.

–Surely, she was acting cheerful on purpose to reassure her. She was so happy that she wanted to cry at her thoughtfulness.

“Yes, please, please…”

The moment she said that and relaxed, Chidori fell down and lost consciousness. In fact, Chidori’s body had already reached its limit. The medicine for her head injury. And the cost of forcing herself to use her ability was too great.

“Wow, that’s dangerous. …I know, it was hard for you too, Chidori-chan.”

Suzushiro supported Chidori in time as she almost fell to the floor and let out a small, worried breath.

The kidnappers were being plodded by Toono’s fire – a special fire that burned nothing but the objects designated by the caster – and there was no room for Suzushiro. Toono was staring at the kidnappers as if she were looking at trash, while the gun in her hand – a rubber bullet – was mowing down their consciousness.

She had prepared a fast-acting sleeping pill for the raid just in case, but that was wasted as Toono jumped into the container before she could.

However, thanks to her quick action, it was fortuitous that the girls, the victims, did not suffer any unnecessary injuries. A girl’s body didn’t deserve big wounds.

–They managed to find the girls before they were put on the boat. But the situation wasn’t really good. These two needed to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.

But Suzushiro’s physical strength was not enough to carry two people. Thinking so, Suzushiro used her ability to call a lump of water next to her. Then she dexterously manipulated the water into the shape of a hand and picked up Chidori and the other girl.

As she was advancing toward the exit, avoiding the unconscious kidnappers, the man who had fallen down in front of her stood up with a yelp. He seemed to have some miasma-like wounds in some places, but they were not so severe as burns. Perhaps Toono was adjusting the heat so as not to cause too much injury.

The man looked up with blurry eyes and saw the hand of water with bloodshot eyes.

“Wa-water? –Give me that water!”

It was probably an act of instinct. He began to run toward the hand of water that was carrying Chidori and the others as if clinging to it.

“It’s okay, drink as much as you want. –If you can.”

Suzushiro said, reaching out her hand toward the man and making a gripping motion. Then the air around the man shook, and a mass of water shot out in front of the man’s face. The water wrapped around the man’s neck and wriggled and choked him like a living creature.

“Ah, kuh, I can’t breathe…”

“You can drink the water slowly after the interrogation. –Ah, I wish all those people who do terrible things to girls would just go away.”

Looking down with cold eyes at the man who had collapsed due to lack of oxygen, Suzushiro strode quickly to the outside of the container.

“Hey, get these two to the hospital as fast as you can! They’re injured and said they were drugged with some kind of strange medicine!”

“Yes, understood! What about Suzushiro-san and Toono-san?

“I’ll accompany you to the hospital. Toono-san is still a little busy, and she said it would be okay to move ahead in case of an emergency.”

“I see. Then please come this way.”

The woman in the Transportation Management Department showed a slightly agitated gesture when she saw the blood-covered Chidori, but she suppressed it and proceeded to prepare for the transportation in an unobtrusive manner. …Certainly, it was unbearable to see an acquaintance in this state.

Thinking of this, Suzushiro kept her eyes down, praying for a quick recovery for both of them. A magic circle floating on the ground carried Suzushiro and the others to the hospital. After the light disappeared, only empty space was left.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Well, I wonder if it’s all settled with this.”

Saying this, Toono lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. A snap sound was heard, and at the same time, the fire in the container was extinguished.

Staring coldly at the kidnappers lying on the floor – agents of some other country – Toono let out a troubled sigh.

“But it was a little last minute to save them. I must reflect on that. Well, even if I had been a little later, you would have moved anyway. –Right, Hagakure-san?”

Tono threw such words toward the back of the container, where a tall wooden box was placed. That wooden box was the one that Chidori and the others had been standing on until a few minutes ago.

Prompted by Toono’s words, a figure appeared from behind the wooden box with a clattering sound.

“…Toono-san. How much do you know?”

Holding her left eye as if enduring a terrible headache, Hagakure Sakura–Tsugumi–said in a groaning voice.

–Following Toono’s letter, Tsugumi arrived at this location and used transportation to sneak into the container, which was frequented by people who did not look like hardened criminals. But when he flew behind the crates, Chidori was already in the middle of confronting her kidnappers.

Quickly, he stretched out his thread and twisted it around the silver-haired woman’s right hand, who was pointing a gun at Chidori. If she pulled the trigger, he thought, he would cut off her hand along with the gun.

…Tsugumi was a little less than calm at this time. He had no hesitation at all in using his abilities to hurt people.

But this plan was thwarted by Toono’s sudden appearance. The threads entangling the woman with the gun were burned away by the flames, and the gun melted like chocolate. And while Tsugumi was staring around in surprise, Toono had subdued the kidnapper in the blink of an eye.

Then, breathlessly, while Tsugumi sat on the floor of the container to quietly hide, he watched Suzushiro take out Chidori and the others.

–But after seeing the scene of the fire around Chidori, the pain in his head just wouldn’t go away. It was as if his brain was refusing to see the scene.

In the midst of enduring such pain, he was approached by Toono, as if she could see through Tsugumi. –It was only natural for Tsugumi to be wary of Toono.

“I’m not sure where to go with this. I’m just following Yatagarasu’s instructions. But yes, I feel sorry for you. Because I’m sure you would have been happier if you don’t remember.”

“…Eh?”

“Oh, dear, that’s a scary face. You’ve ruined your beautiful face.”

When Toono said something incomprehensible, Tsugumi frowned and replied, I don’t understand. However, Toono didn’t pay attention to that and continued.

“The key to memory has already been opened. But you made the decision to come here, and you have no regrets, do you?”

“Memory? What are you talking about…kuh…”

His vision shook as if his brain had been stirred up. The left eye, which was throbbing and radiating intermittent pain, was adding to the suffering.

“Don’t worry so much, okay? I’m not going to tell anyone about this. I have nothing to gain by doing so. See you later, Hagakure-san. I hope we’ll continue to stay on good terms.”

Toono told him one-sidedly and turned her back to Tsugumi. She then walked away without looking back.

“Wait, wait. I’m not done talking yet–”

“I won’t wait. –Goodbye, miko. When you remember the sin dwelling in your body, we will talk again slowly.”

With these words, Toono left. Tsugumi stared at the figure in dismay, then he felt the presence of another person from the entrance and hastily hid away. Apparently, a government official had entered to retrieve the kidnappers.

No one should know that Hagakure Sakura is here.

Thinking so, Tsugumi endured the pain in his head and transported to an unpopular place near the government. There, he released his transformation and began to walk toward the government with unsteady steps.

–What in the world was Toono saying? There were so many abstract expressions as if being wrapped in smoke. Moreover, that way of speaking, as if she knew about Tsugumi before he lost his memory. He felt nauseous, as if he was being unintentionally rolled around in the palm of her hand.

“…I don’t understand why.”

–He’d like to talk to someone about it. He wondered if Bell would listen. If was about lost memories, then maybe Higoromo would be a better person to talk to. Or maybe he should talk to Shiro.

Thinking about all these things with a head that was not spinning properly, Tsugumi finally reached the entrance to the government, He told the guard at the gate that he was a relative of the kidnapped Magical Girl and waited for a government official to arrive.

“Are you Nanase Tsugumi-san?”

After waiting there for a while, a man wearing stern-looking glasses called out to him. He had a card hanging from his neck, indicating that he was a government official.

“Yes, I am.”

“Ah, thank goodness. I just received word that Nanase Chidori is safe and sound. She’s at the hospital right now undergoing tests, and they say she’s in stable condition. –I’m glad.”

The man continued, “Let’s go to the hospital together. I’m sure Nanase-san will feel more at ease if her brother is there when she wakes up.”

Tsugumi smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

–Chidori is safe. She’s alive. Oh, I’m so glad.

The moment he thought that, the pain in his head began to increase, as if he had lost his mind. The pain felt as if it was cracking him open, and he crouched down, groaning involuntarily.

“Nanase-kun? Is something wrong?”

“No, my head hurts…”

“Your head? …Could it be that the spell is having an effect now?”

The staff grabbed Tsugumi by the shoulders in a hurry, but Tsugumi was unable to say anything back. His vision distorted and his consciousness faded.

–Worried voices could be heard somewhere in the distance. A rippling noise dominated his head. It was somehow comforting, and somehow terribly sad.

“…Ah. I’m sorry, Oneechan.”

With a small murmur, Tsugumi surrendered himself to sleep.

–The key to the memory has been unlocked. He remembered Toono’s words.

Next time, the lid of memory will be opened.