Volume 19 - CH 1

Chapter 1: Cyan Goddess ― Sister Emerald

[BEGIN TEXT]

Aria’s mother, Kanae-san’s conjecture was correct.

Here they were.

Just like the Scarlet Goddess–

The Cyan Goddess and Turquoise Goddess.

Two goddesses have now appeared in front of us.

After crossing the Nevadan desert in a steam locomotive, then infiltrating an Air Force base sub-level– all to finally have us arrive in front of these goddesses.

The Cyan Goddess had materialised from the ruruirokane that had been fashioned into the shape of a 100 year-old Ford Model-T car…

「–We are one with everything. We are unable to alter nature any more than we would harm ourselves.」

The apparition that had appeared and taken the form of an ethereal beauty addressed us.

The figure regarded us warily…

She had taken on the form of the late Dr. Sara that G-3 loved.

「Therefore, G-3. we are unable to grant you your desire. Resurrecting one lost to death is both unnatural and visits a great disruption upon nature that is impossible to control.」

Likely reading G-3’s wish from his mind, the Cyan Goddess effectively refused him in a low voice.

The speechless G-3 was flanked on both sides by subordinates with ESP– Luca and Tsukumo who said:

「I cannot read her mind.」

「There are no ruru particles being emitted.」

They reported in a whisper on the Cyan Goddess.

In the chilly car garage made of linoleum and steel…

「…Cyan Goddess, I…」

Shutting my eyes as if to make my own wish, I addressed the Cyan Goddess.

I wanted to convey the idea that I wished to stop Aria from the Scarlet Goddess’ apotheosis.

But the Cyan Goddess had read my mind.

「I have witnessed it through your friend’s rosary. The instance where Hihi meddled in your fates. I will apologise for that wrong in her stead.」

She gave off the sense of divine omniscience as she spoke to me.

「We of irokane–are metal with a will. That one will is present in all of it, and all of it is present in one part. Even if changed in form or divided, it all bears host to that will.」

The blue rosary that Riko wore contained a microscopic quantity of ruruirokane. Through that, the Cyan Goddess had received a basic understanding of the situation… If I had to put it into words.

「Our heart exists on the level of such microscopically small particles that cannot be fathomed by the human mind. If our metal were examined at the molecular level, iT would be seen that it is distinct from iron, nickel, platinum, and other metals that would not carry our consciousness when separated from it.」

The Cyan Goddess made this scientific self-introduction, but the general concept she articulated earlier was sufficient.

If I had to explain it, it would be that the apparition is haunting the metal.

And when the metal is divided, the haunting spirit is also split between them.

However, they still persist in having one will while existing in several places at once.

That must be what『one will is present in all of it, and all of it is present in one part』means.

What is more– this apparition is a super-ESPer.

Right now, she is using her powers to project Sara’s image as if she were possessing her, and emanating power.

When confronted with a paranormal presence, it is convenient for human minds to call them『gods』…

She looks human. That thought in mind, it gave me some courage in this conversation.

「Heart… you say? When Aria and Son transformed into the Scarlet Goddess to fight, their personalities were quite different than yours. Does each type of irokane have a different persona?」

As I addressed the Cyan Goddess, G-3, his followers, and Mash all stared in surprise.

However, it may be unfortunate, but I have become used to being in the middle of supernatural events. The circuit for any nervousness I have had at the appearance of gods and ghosts has been short circuited. They are leaving this to me.

「Correct. As for myself–I am Ruru, and my younger sister Riri and I do not wish to alter our current form. To protect and go untouched by humanity within a perpetual sleep; that is our desire.」

Possessed by the Turquoise Goddess and standing stock still, she indicated Reki–

This was the response that the Cyan Goddess gave.

「However, Hihi is different in this regard. Many millennia ago, she became enamoured of the『passion』of human emotion that existed apart from our metal. Since that time, she has relentlessly observed humankind, provoked Love and War, and become enraptured in the sympathetic emotional response so created. Because of that, the many human lives and fates that she has ruined cannot be overlooked any longer. She must not be allowed to disrupt the natural order any further.」

Considering humans as one part of nature, the Cyan Goddess continued–

「Therefore… Both I and Riri have decided that she must be stopped. That is our will, Kinji. This does not run counter your own wishes. Because of that, both we and you– we shall work to defeat Hihi.」

Calling us by name, she seemed to indicate that she would ally with us.

That worked out perfectly. It was exactly what we had wanted, but…

「…When you say『stop』and『defeat』, what exactly do you mean?」

I asked, seeking confirmation.

「I shall allow you to carry a part of myself into the world wherever hihiirokane has been dispersed. Then, coming within her relative gravitational field, in each case I shall seize upon Hihi, and assemble a mass of graviton particles to crush her. We shall continue to do so in all such cases. That is what we shall do.」

「I don’t really understand. Can you put that into human terms?」

「We shall『kill』her piecemeal. I have determined to kill my older sister.」

At the same time as the Cyan goddess– the Turquoise Goddess that had taken over Reki’s body fixed me with an expression of resolve.

…I thought it would come to this.

I want to stop Aria from becoming the Scarlet Goddess. The Cyan Goddess and Turquoise Goddess’ aims certainly align with that goal.

Regardless of whether or not you consider humans to be part of nature, we are agreed that the destruction of nature is something that should not occur.

However, starting from this premise, it follows logically that I should consider each of the three sisters: Scarlet, Cyan, and Turquoise Goddess as people. Scholars can debate the fact of who is and isn’t a person, but as someone that has met and dealt with them, I consider them unique individuals with bodies of metal. Metal people.

And following that– there is Butei Regulation 9.

Regardless of the circumstance, in performance of their duties, a Butei must never kill anyone.

According to the reading of the text, the object of that verb is『people』. The meaning is not restricted to biological humans. And in my conception, metal people are people. That being the case, I am barred from killing the Scarlet Goddess.

What is more… Besides the law, I was first introduced to the Scarlet Goddess through Son and Aria. For that reason, killing her would lie heavily on my conscience because, although I don’t know, I perceive her gender to be female. Despite the fact that she lacks a body, I am averse to killing a woman. So:

「We can’t do that. Killing her, that is. Killing family is not a burden one should carry.」

I flatly refused.

「Then how is it that you would suggest we deal with Hihi?」

Realising it would be necessary to retain the Cyan Goddess as an ally in the future, I said–

「Arrest her.」

I put forward the idea.

Whereupon everyone regarded me with a shocked expression. Having been unable to read my mind due to me having spoken without giving it a great deal of thought, the Cyan Goddess and the Turquoise Goddess possessing Reki wore an expression of surprise.

「At times like this, I try to frame things in the context of Japanese law. When I am with such absurd people as all of you, sometimes it is easy to lose track of what is common sense.」

「You say that, despite being the most absurd existence yourself!」

「Everyone has the right to a trial. Arresting the Scarlet Goddess will allow for the opportunity for her to pay for her crimes and be rehabilitated. Cyan Goddess, you just said that you 3 sisters are the only ones of your kind in the entire world. If an entire species is wiped out, that is a disruption of nature.」

Ignoring Luca who held her head in her hands and was looking through her splayed fingers–

「…I cannot agree to that. However, it is not that I am opposed to it. It is simply that you do not comprehend. That being the case… we shall reconvene and discuss this again later. Meet the Scarlet Goddess once more, may alter your opinion.」

While making a thoughtful expression, The Cyan Goddess replied.

It was a very human action.

「My body, such as it is, has been fashioned into the shape of an automobile. You cannot take the entirety of it, but a few components should suffice.」

Before the Cyan Goddess changed her mind, I–

Catching the eye of the most well-informed of G-3’s subordinates about old vehicles, Angus, I pointed to the one of the Ford Model-T’s made from ruruirokane.

**********************************************************************

We made a hurried escape into the night from the underground area of Area 51 controlled access area 89A where ruruirokane was stored and protected by the breached electronic defenses set up by Mash.

Reki– immediately after speaking with me and the Cyan Goddess, returned to normal.『The Wind』, Sapphire Goddess, only needed to use Reki to communicate with the Cyan Goddess, but she did not interact with the rest of us.

As G-3’s followers partially dismantled one of the Ford Model-T’s, the Cyan Goddess began fading, then disappeared all at once. As expected, she wanted to avoid interaction with humans as much as possible.

However, she still resided in the approximately 3 kilos of ruruirokane that we carried off. Atlas took a gear that Angus had removed, Luca packed various sizes of screws into her pocket, and Tsukumo carried the steering wheel tucked under her arm. That was more than enough.

The theft of the ruruirokane will be discovered as soon as the protective systems that Mash is holding in check are released.

As the one currently responsible for the defense of this base, Mash–

「…I want to ask if you understand what I said about IQ? G-3?」

The bespectacled boy asked as he peered out in the desert from a disguised escape hatch.

「You’re pretending to negotiate but actually are holding a gun to my back. That’s not very nice.」

Having lost heart upon seeing the phantom of Dr. Sara, G-3 now was regaining some of his spirit– his one remaining arm folded across his chest.

Mash seemed surprised, and the rest of us were confused at G-3’s response. The Mash grinned meaningfully, and directed an order downward:

「Wake up, LOO-GyNe」

In response:

「LOO.」

A voice came from underground next to Mash–

With a *Rustle!* and *Pop!*, a cerulean blue-haired girl appeared like a mole.

「…!」

Having already seemed to have noticed her, everyone except G-3 squared off.

It was the one who had attacked us as we advanced on Area 51, LOO. The little robot girl was in tatters from her battle with Atlas and her tumble from the TranAm into the mini-Grand Canyon…!

With her arms lost, her leg units damaged, and her right arm wrenched off, LOO seemed as if she was still willing and able to fight if she wanted.

「Are you really so surprised that LOO marathoned 37.5 miles?」

Mash tapped his micro-miniature HMD glasses with a finger…

「As someone with a Federal Claims and Liability Act claim levied against them, I will no longer have access to the Federal X-Files or the defence of the ruruirokane. After this, I may well be considered an outlaw. G-3–Your League needs an intelligence officer, and you have the opportunity to recruit an eminently qualified candidate. You’ll even get LOO thrown in! I have assets hidden in Cuba, so I’ll give you a large discount on my salary.」

Mash gestured and spoke like an infomercial salesman, and G-3–

「No matter how much of an honour student you are, you’re really a bad guy behind the scenes, aren’t you? Alright. I thought I needed someone to deal with intelligence. There are only 16 of the original 27 Genions left alive from those created in the 90’s. You and I are members of a rare class. As fellow classmates and twin blooming cherry trees1, let’s take care of each other.」

Forcing a smile onto his face, G-3 exchanged a one-handed handshake with his remaining arm.

…I got the feeling that G-3 was his usual kind self, helping Mash and LOO who had lost themselves.

************************************************************************

We all returned to the Air Force camp that was friendly to G-3–

There, our original conductor, old man Sanders, had heard about the Air Force liquor and had drunk himself into oblivion. He was boasting about how he and G-3 were close friends all the while he was being taken home via helicopter. At this point, like Mash, he provided a good representation of national character. Of Americans.

「I was in a real bind this time. I owe you one.」

Despite the fact that he was senior in age, G-3 spoke condescendingly to the Brigadier and gave a slight salute.

The Brigadier’s large frame shook with laughter.

「I should be the one doing the thanking. I was able to help the famous G-3 League. The next President will be a Republican, and I’ll be able to brag about that when he calls.」

Already, there were propellers spinning on an AC-130 that was sitting on the aircraft staging area of the desert airfield, and he pointed at it with his cigar.

「You should take the northern route on your return trip. I’ve already filed a flight plan to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York with a sealed passenger and crew manifest.」

This special treatment for G-3 is incredible. In America, cooperation with heroes is only a net benefit. I wish Japan would follow this example. Please give me a monetary award for all the people I saved in the bus-jacking, plane-jacking, and Shinkasen-jacking.

***********************************************

With Angus and Atlas piloting the AC-130, LOO had already fallen into the role of a maid. As expected of a robot, she is tireless. She skillfully tended to the wounded and waited upon us, all the while saying ‘LOO LOO’.

G-3 was ripping meat off of a set of spare ribs while consulting with Mash about something.

…From what I heard, it was something about Dr. Sara.

However, I had decided not to intrude upon G-3’s personal problems. He can go and look for the Dragon Balls, or whatever he wants.

Bringing the conversation to a close, G-3 said:

「So, Aniki, what are you going to do now?」

I was drinking a cup of instant coffee that LOO had gotten for me.

「…I’ve been thinking about that a bit. I’ll go to England to meet up with Aria.」

When I answered, the effeminate Black man, Collins, leaned over, interposing his body to interject himself into the conversion.

「I thought you would, darling! While apart, affection only grows until you meet again! This is true for all lovers.」

「No, that isn’t the reason I want to see her. It was a logical process of elimination. Now we know the current location of the Scarlet Goddess. The hidan within Aria’s chest and buried inside Kou’s body are the only two places. However, due to the terms of the FEW ceasefire, contacting Kou is our back-up plan. So our way forward is Aria. I want to seize the chance to bring the Cyan Goddess and Scarlet Goddess closer together.」

「Will London be the setting of the decisive battle between the Cyan and Scarlet Goddess?」

G-3 asked, and I turned my head to face him.

「The Scarlet Goddess is not someone that can be reasoned with. I also cannot allow the Cyan and Scarlet Goddesses to fight and kill her. If that happens, I’ll separate them. It sounded like the Cyan Goddess couldn’t kill her without being close.」

「You want to keep them from fighting? That doesn’t sound like you, Aniki.」

As he adopted a Western『good grief』pose, I flicked him on the forehead in rebuke.

「In America, you might settle things by fighting, but in Japan, we are stubbornly committed to do as much as we can through negotiations. I plan to have the Cyan Goddess act as a spokesperson. The Scarlet Goddess might talk to her sister. She might listen to her family.」

「Let’s say that you manage to get the two of them together. How will you get them to talk? You said that you’d arrest her. How will you do that? Will you excise the hidan from Aria’s chest or use some kind of tiny handcuffs? You can’t just throw her into jail, banish her, or impose some kind of punishment on her. So? Which of these are you going to do?」

「Right now… I don’t know.」

「You don’t? So are you going to kill her?」

「I don’t know. But there might be someone who does know about it.」

「…Who?」

「Minuet Holmes. Aria’s younger sister. In Tokyo, Kana told me about her, and that she knew at least as much as Sherlock about irokane. She seems to be a willful child, but Aria should be able to get information out of her. So– with Aria, the Scarlet Goddess, and Minuet all together, I’ll take the Cyan Goddess with me to London.」

–Even if they are Goddesses, Minuet will be able to reason things out.

Still grasping at air as always, nevertheless, I had the feeling that we had taken the first steps toward a solution with this shaky plan.

This is much better than the time we left Tokyo in a bewildered haze.

With these plans, if they were all successful– Aria would be free from the binding spell of the Scarlet Goddess. If the connection between irokane and Aria were severed, there would be no more reason for Kanae-san to be imprisoned for keeping the secret of irokane from the government.

Yeah. That would definitely be a happy ending.

We’d just have to walk this path exactly.

*********************************************

The next morning–

The AC-130 arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport, and once we took the procession of supercars back to G-3 Tower… G-3 gave his followers the day off.

Dressing up and heading out, Luca said:

「I am going out to bid on the golden Bruget watch.」

Rushing out enthusiastically to the auction house.

Atlas took an SUV, picked up his mother and father, and excitedly returned to his parent’s home.

Collins went to the salon.

Tsukumo went with Kaname to watch a baseball game at Yankee Stadium.

Even though we had just fought a gun battle and crossed America, everyone was just fine.

I… was with G-3. Angus had given up his own time for recreation and Mash made preparations for my trip to London, we simply idled and recovered our strength.

It was evening, and Reki and LOO sat next to each other on the soft carpet in the dining hall, hugging their knees and resting while watching television. Going out as soon as you can in order to relax is an amatuer move. Spending your holiday lazing around and doing nothing is the most luxuriant way to spend it.

As I was watching the broadcast of the film 300…

「–Kinji-san,.Please take care of yourself as you go to London.」

Despite the fact that she was seated beside me and facing the huge plasma television, the look in Reki’s eyes was distant as she addressed me.

「…What? You aren’t coming?」

「Yes. I must return to my homeland for the moment.」

She said, still not looking at me, and I turned away from appreciating the film to look at her.

「The Wind has sent for me. It is not that I must do whatever The Wind says. I, myself, believe that I must meet The Wind.」

The Scarlet Goddess, Cyan Goddess–and『The Wind』, that is Sapphire Goddess.

It seems as if Reki had no memory of being possessed by the Sapphire Goddess, but she wants to go to the place where the Sapphire Goddess resides in the ririirokane.

「The Wind… you mean the Sapphire Goddess. Actually, I was going to rely on you a bit longer to act as a first reserve in case I am driven into a corner.」

In Butei terms, the first reserve–

They are someone tasked with problem solving if the main line breaks or I make a mistake, like a pinch-hitter.

A mistake. In this case, that means if I die.

At worst in this situation… I’ll die in battle with the Scarlet Goddess, the Cyan Goddess will be defeated, and Aria, becoming the Scarlet Goddess, will be the only one left.

In that case, Reki and the Sapphire Goddess would have to face the possessed Aria.

That was the gist of what I meant. But I hoped that would never happen.

「This is more or less my final request: Don’t kill the Scarlet Goddess. Even if I’m killed. You’ll still be a student of Butei High and have to follow Butei Law. Alright?」

「…」

She didn’t answer. She had a murderous aura. I’ll have to do my best to avoid a mistake.

Engaging in a verbal tug-o-war with the stubborn Reki here is a waste of time.

I’ll have to force the issue by having someone like Fuuma take Haimaki hostage later.

「…I’ll have Kaname go with you as your bodyguard. Apparently Habi–she and the other oni wanted the Scarlet Goddess to appear. It would be a problem if they were able to predict and interfere with your movements.」

「Thank-you very much.」

Thanking me properly, Reki showed some slight human emotion…

Then I asked about something that just popped into my head.

「Now that you’ve mentioned your homeland, there’s ririirokane there, isn’t there?」

「Yes. I remember a stone always covered by algae, but it could have been metal.」

「Algae, you say… Does that mean it was underwater?」

「It is sunken at the bottom of a round lake called Lake Harius.」

It might be a dog toy.2

Well, I’ve seen a rosary, bullet, knife, and car made of irokane, so it is not impossible.

If it’s at the bottom of a lake, covered in algae… that would mean it’s chances of coming into contact with humans is low.

From what Reki said, this might just be irokane in its natural form.

「Do you remember how large it is and what it looked like? Sketch it for me. You’re good at drawing. Oi! LOO, bring us something to draw with!」

I ordered robot Reki and the real robot LOO, respectively–LOO came back from Luca’s room with drawing paper and crayons, then passed them to Reki…

And Reki started drawing.

Kneeling and hunched forward, she spread the paper out onto the carpet and began to sketch.

…*Rub!*…*Rub!*…

Reki sketched the ririirokane from what appeared to be a free-diving perspective in blue and green crayon.

That’s… a-amazing!

The algae was hyperrealistic. The gradation of water transparency was represented splendidly.

Due to the detail included, it appeared it would take a bit of time to complete.

In tending to wait, the moment I looked away–

W-whoa…!

I let out a cry at what I saw.

It was night, so the floor-to-ceiling windows were acting like a mirror…

They reflected Reki who was『lying down』. Showing me a view from behind her.

Due to the short Butei High skirt, in this creeping leopard pose, the entirety of her thighs– and their not over-plump, slender legs were exposed in their entirety. Beyond that, it seems that something within the skirt and made of a cotton material was likely to be exposed.

Reki, as per usual, was entirely focused on her drawing and did not notice my line of sight.

House-sitting for G-3 who didn’t have a father or mother, I was placed in such a situation. I had taken off the whole day off to rest and regain strength, so my circulation was good. Rather, I don’t want to reinforce that! How many times do I have to tell myself, this was dangerous for HSS! Don’t look!

「Please don’t look.」

As I was fighting down my blood flow, at Reki’s abrupt words– I was startled and pulled the『jumped up into seiza3』manouevre that Shirayuki does from time to time.

However, it seems that she was referring to the picture she was drawing for me…

Clearing my throat once, I played off my nervous shaking and looked at her crayon drawing.

In the picture of ririirokane in its natural environment–

That shape… I’ve seen it somewhere before…

I had that feeling. I tried to concentrate on that thought, but with Reki and I facing each other on our knees, my mind was afflicted by a creeping idle thought that this was a fairly seductive position. Do you want me to see inside of your skirt?

「How big is it?」

「About 10 metres in diameter and 3 in height.」

That’s HUGE. Practically a boulder. But from Reki’s description, that makes it roughly circular… the overall shape was a truncated cone. It bulged at its centre like a hat–

「–A coolie hat?」

The descriptive words that came to mind slipped out of my mouth.

It wasn’t shaped like a parasol, it was shaped like a coolie hat. In ancient Japan, lots of people wore such a coolie hat to protect themselves against rain and snow.

It looked like a women’s straw hat out of a period drama.

Then…

I had seen it at Shirayuki’s family home at Hotogi Shrine when I was a kid, the Hotogi crest– The shape she had drawn matched the『A star on a coolie hat』very closely.

Having a perfectly matched shape… this could not be a coincidence.

The Hotogi Shrine had been involved with hihiirokane for a long time. Their crest was not a depiction of a coolie hat. I realised that it was the natural shape of irokane.

***********************************

The next morning, most of G-3’s followers were still on holiday.

Angus used some of the ruruirokane we had stolen from Area 51 to apply a coating to my butterfly knife–using a process called electroplating.

Where once it had been tinged red due to hihiirokane, the blade now carried a blue-ish tinge.

I plan to fly to London with this irokane knife today.

I wanted to call and report what had happened over the last few days to Aria, but here in America, all of the telephone calls, without exception, are tapped by the NSA– so I asked the former bureau member Mash to help me in that role by sending a message using a Butei cypher.

『Ruruirokane acquired. Scheduled to arrive in London today. No response required』

He helped me send that cyphered message, but also encrypted it electronically.

I assembled all of my belongings in my temporary residence of G-3’s penthouse.

「Oi, Aniki! You think you’ll have any trouble getting into England? Don’t you have some kind of B+ rating on a list of dangerous Butei list maintained by the British authorities?」

While eating his usual tomatoes, G-3 delivered some inconvenient news.

「Does that mean that I got a somewhat higher B ranking than the lower C and rank? I could just cry from happiness!」

「This means that you’ll have to disguise and smuggle yourself aboard a passenger airline. Here’s a counterfeit Dutch passport for you to use.」

I had a bad premonition when he mentioned Dutch, and when I opened the passport he handed to me….

Wha!? There was a picture of a beautiful woman inside!

「–This is Cromatael-san’s passport, isn’t it!? How did you find out!?」

「Patra told me. Oi, don’t hit me! There were a bunch of reference photos on Dutch Facebook, but it was a pain to get a front facing composite render!」

I straddled him and pummeled him with my fists from above like Aria would, and G-3 tried his best below to avoid my fists–this was a Tohyama Family farewell tradition.

Angus had privately informed me that G-3 would be heading to Asia to seek another path to bring Dr. Sara back, in addition to fulfilling his Ally of Justice work.

Even I thought she was cute… but I don’t want to get my brother involved in something ugly.

I’ll have to put our sibling team-up on hold for now.

Take care of yourself, G-3.

****************************************************************

Seemingly having heard from Patra and Lisa in Japan that『Cromatael is a penny-pincher』, G-3 and Angus decided to establish her character… They booked me on a low-cost carrier, EasyJet, on a code-share flight to London.

Not knowing that it was open seating, I was left with the narrowest seat at the back of the craft, after all the other passengers pushed their way forward to take the best seats for themselves. As the large Canadaian man in the seat next to me persisted in addressing me, trying to pick me up, I accepted an in-flight cup of water to quench my parched throat and was charged a service fee of 2 dollars. This was certainly very strange.

However, the desperate disguise fulfilled its role, and I passed through the immigarion check at London Stansted Airport​ smoothly.

Nervous to look at, I passed a note to the older male immigarion officer saying:『Speech handicapped. Please communicate with me by writing』, and his eyes turned to hearts as he readily agreed to help me.

Collecting my weapons and ammunition from the baggage claim, I wore a black long coat and ushanka, I looked like a perfectly black Matael as I walked… mistaking me for some famous actress, I felt the painful, longing stares of some Caucasians as I passed.Despite Kinji Tohyama being spurned as『gloomy』and『dim-witted』, as Cromatael I was treated like an exquisitely beautiful lady. Ah! They’re taking pictures with their mobiles. Please stop!

Sharing a genetic link with my Nii-san, before I awakened some kind of strange fetish–

I made a decisive manoeuvre to change clothes in this rural airport that was pretty crowded for its size and location. Timing it so that no one saw me, I dashed into the men’s toilet. Why do I have to think of things like this?

As I stuffed the wig and boots into a rubbish bin, my mobile seemed to pick up a signal from a British radio carrier O2–and the opening strains of Matsukata’s『Hana no Uchi』played. I had a phone call.

The country code was +44– so it was from inside the UK. It looked like the digital connection was strong.

「–Aria?」

I answered the call.

『It’s me.』

It was Watson.

「What is it, Watson? Are you in England?」

『That’s a fine greeting! Do you want me to leave you like this?』

Following that statement, there was a *Honk!* *Honk!*

A klaxon sound came over the telephone connection. Does that mean he brought a car to meet me?

As directed over the phone, I exited the empty airport into the large car park, and leaning against a convertible parked in the corner and wearing a dark blue suit was Watson who gave me a wink.

I was a man masquerading as a woman, and this was a woman masquerading as a man. It was an uncomfortably confusing feeling.

「Another 911? You really must like Porsches. Even though the headlights look like frog eyes.」

「Cute, aren’t they? You have no taste, Tooyama.」

Dissing his favourite automobile, Watson puffed out his cheeks just like a frog, and I felt a sense of relief as we met up without incident.

「The airport is pretty packed, isn’t it?」

「Yes, that was a bit unfortunate. It is congested because of the World Convention of Balloon Racers set to be held in London. Staff and participants are arriving one after another.」

As we exchanged idle gossip, Watson drove the car at high speed along the roadway… Watson told me that Aria had asked for help before I arrived.

It seems that she also wanted to borrow strength like I did with G-3 and Reki in America.

In any case… it seems that dealing with Minuet was not a trivial matter.

That is to say, Watson is English. He was the best person for the job. Although she was working with someone else involved in FEW, talking with Minuet is an innocuous act that doesn’t connote a breach of terms.

「If she’s asking for help, does that mean that things with Aria aren’t going well?」

「I’ve only just arrived myself, but it would appear so. I still haven’t met with Minuet. However, it seems that she is already caught up in some kind of trouble…」

「What are you doing, Aria!? Here I am messing around because I thought I still had some time… Where is she right now?」

「Well… The thing is that she’s been arrested. Actually, she hasn’t really been arrested, per se.」

「Who was able to do that? If they were able to arrest and lock Aria up, I want them to teach me how. Was it for national security?」

「Well… The fact of the matter is…」

「Is she in a hospital?」

Did the secret of her transformation leak out, and was she trapped and being studied in a research lab as some new species of human? I probed, slightly worried.

「No, that’s not it.」

「Is she in a hospital?」

A cinnamon scent wafted from Watson as he shook his short hair from side to side..

「It’s actually MI-6–the Secret Intelligence Service, isn’t it? I got mixed up with them back in Tokyo. When they need to drag someone of Aria’s level along without any questions or fuss, they send out the 00 series. I’ve talked about them before, Jam–」

「–Stop, Tooyama!」

Watson’s expression changed as he cut me off.

「This isn’t Japan. That’s not a name you should speak while in England. That kind of remark is dangerous. Particularly for you.」

Keeping one hand on the wheel, Watson actually reached out and put a hand over my mouth…

I fell quiet.

「They have a murder licence–『a licence to kill』. They are free to kill at will any non-British citizens whom they deem to be a domestic or foreign threat to national security. And you are a foreigner here. They could kill you for a few ill spoken words. I don’t want to call it exactly legal, but… they certainly possess fighting power.『He spoke my full name』is good enough reason to kill you. As superhumans among superhumans, they could do it. You should manage your own risk.」

Watson, who had gone all out against me once before in Hysteria Mode Berserk…

Is there really someone like that? MI-6’s special forces group, the 00 series?

It seems the rumours about the world’s strongest intelligence agents were true after all.

What’s more, as Watson said, we aren’t in Japan. It’s a foreign country where customs and laws that would never work in Japan can pass overlooked. Thinking I had become used to being abroad, I must have gotten careless.

Anything is the most dangerous when it becomes familiar. I should be careful.

But now, as for the people that took Aria into custody…

It’s still a bit hazy, but from Watson’s words, it seems that it wasn’t MI-6 either. Who the hell was it?

…I have a bad feeling about this.

*****************************************************************

Entering London proper from the north, Watson stopped the Porsche on the elegant Grosvenor Road.

London was cleaner than Paris and New York, and there was a good balance between the rows of traditional European style buildings and modern buildings.

Here, they drive on the same side of the road as in Japan, so I felt no anxiety at all as Watson crossed over a crosswalk.

Blessed with fine weather, my first impression of the city was not unpleasant.

Tuning left at a corner, Watson brought us to Aria Gardens–a mid-sized park where he led me to a park bench to eat lunch while looking at the rose and gardenia flower garden.

Packed inside a basket was a snack of home-made sandwiches and black tea in a thermos. Day by day, Watson’s level of femininity is rising.

「…Thanks. This park is very well-maintained. The weather and atmosphere are also good. But I don’t think that the name Aria Gardens fits very well.」

I said with a sarcastic laugh as I sipped the Assam Tea.

「That can’t be helped. Aria has ownership of the park after all.」

As Watson said that, I spat out my tea violently.

「Huh, wha….!? She owns parks!?」

「Only the one in London. Depending on the time, it’s open to the public.」

Incredible. That’s incredible, Aria!

Actually, I still can’t fathom the concept of『owning』a『park』.

「Just how rich are they, the Holmes family…?」

「Actually, this is but one of the many things that Aria should inherit in the future. Were she to be recognised as the official heir to the estate, she would gain many pieces of London real estate: a mansion in Richmond, territory in Dartmoor, and a castle」

…A mansion. Territory. A castle. It conjured up the picture of a fantastical world from a shoujo manga.

However, Watson’s manner told me that he wasn’t making a joke.

England has still not discarded medieval values, and they are a country that protects cultural traditions.

「But that is uncertain.I remember hearing a little about it from you and Aria, but the Holmes family still have not recognised Aria as the official heir. Because the family founder, Sir Sherlock Holmes is known solely as a detective, the family has traditionally held a reputation for master detectives. If Aria were to succeed… a majority of the Holmes Family are『detectives』, and they feel that the tradition and reputation would be disrupted. The detectives have put forward Aria’s younger half-sister and logical prodigy, Minuet, trying to get her to inherit.」

I understand… The traditional Englishmen want to preserve tradition.

Were Aria to gain the position, her fighting prowess would shift the balance, forcing the long-established family of Holmes working as detectives to alter their business model. That’s the gist of it.

「With no offense intended to you as Japanese, but Aria is also three-quarters Japanese. Some people have a problem with that. Minuet’s mother is English, so she is one-quarter.」

Humph! Even in this globalised world, they are still a very conservative country.

Aren’t my own younger brother and sister American, my sister-in-law Egyptian, and hasn’t my older brother been unsure of his gender lately.

「However, the times have been changing. Aria is the legitimate heir, and a few of the『Butei』in the Holmes Family have insisted that the Family must change. I agree with them, and I would hope you do as well.」

A cheese sandwich in hand, Watson looked at me with upturned eyes…

「I may be conservative, but I don’t think that there is an issue with the eldest daughter succeeding to be the head of the family.」

I expressed agreement as I stuffed my face with a ham sandwich.

Rather… what the hell, Aria!? You pretended that『I am treated as if I「don’t exist」by the Holmes Family』like some kind of tragic heroine. But you own a park and land! To the common person that’s about as far from「being treated as if I don’t exist」as possible, and hyper-Ojou-sama behaviour!

But, even so… it must be a hard position to be in for an aristocrat.

The circumstances shouldn’t be judged by the common measure.

「Speaking of Minuet, what kind of child is she?」

I asked, diverting the conversation slightly…

「I have never met her, but I have made inquiries. By all accounts, she is a sharp-minded child prodigy hailed as Sherlock Holmes reborn. She is calm and dignified, endearing, and deep within the confidence of royalty and various nobles.」

「Smart, gentle, and sophisticated, huh? So the opposite of Aria.」

As I said that, I surveyed my surroundings, thinking that Aria might kill me before MI-6 had the chance…

「Put another way, she lacks Aria’s energy and vigour. For that reason, the detectives may consider Aria to take charge in the event that an emergency with Minuet’s health occurs. For that reason, no matter what she may do, Aria will not be officially disinherited.」

Watson told me that, and I was finally able to read the room.

A noble『family』has a high brand value, large amount of assets, and real estate property–just like a corporation. For those connected to the business and it’s employees… the survival of the business, that is the family, is the most important thing to the members of the corporation. They do not want the Holmes Family to collapse.

Therefore, those at the top– are more concerned with the survival of the family than the happiness of their blood relations. For the purposes of the current dispute over the succession of the Holmes Family, it is a dispute between the supporters of the director of Special Projects, Aria, and the General Business director, Minuet.

The serving head of the family is an unfathomably lofty position, just like the president of one of the top firms.

「To preserve her image as an aristocrat, Minuet will not meet with just anyone. She is very much a cloistered woman.」

「From what you say, I gather that meeting her will be difficult…」

「Not at all– You may be able to manage to do so.」

Watson said, and in response I stared back at her with a quizzical expression…

.「Setting the family situation aside, Minuet seems to like Aria as a person. She is interested in anything relating to her, so she might just meet with her older sister’s partner. However, she is neither the unpredictable type like Aria, nor is she the kind to assume the guise of a commoner like me. She is a genuine aristocrat. Show would definitely grant you an audience, but it will take some time. I know the proper protocols, so please wait a while.」

「Understood. It seems that this matter will require more than the usual methods, so I will use the brief space of time to acclimate myself to London. I ran into trouble in Hong Kong and the Netherlands because I was unfamiliar with the town.」

England was Aria’s motherland–

And until I saw it with my own eyes, I had always pictured a place where everyone wore silk top hats and carried walking canes.

However, looking around it was much the same『Modern European country』as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Watson said it before that in Europe,『countries』are like『prefectures』in Japan… I didn’t say it, but there were only slight difference just like those between the Kanto region, Eastern coast, and Kansai『districts』.

However, the cultures were subtly different, and if I weren’t careful, I would be swept away, so I read up since Caravan II.

With the feeling that I had gained considerable experience studying abroad…

「Well, let’s go. We’ll meet up with Aria. I don’t know if we’ll actually be able to do so, but we’ll only know if we try. If we do meet with her, don’t get upset, understand?」

Watson said, clenching his back teeth.

「?」

「You… when you were in a similar situation before, it was as if you were another person entirely and you launched a relentless onslaught on me. This time, you must restrain yourself. Absolutely so.」

When I attacked Watson…?

Is he talking about the time at the Sky Tree when I was in Hysteria Mode Berserk?

What does he mean? Now I have a really bad feeling about this.

************************************************************

After that, Watson drove me there in the Porsche, all the while glancing at his watch…

We stopped in front of the popular tourist destination made famous in film and photographs– Buckingham Palace.

This was the place where Queen Elizabeth actually lived, and the Queen’s Guard with their characteristically tall, black fluffy hats guarded the perimeter with bayoneted assault rifles.

According to Watson, the palace grounds exceed 30,000 square metres. Not only the royalty live here, but also several hundred live-in staff work and reside in the 775 rooms. It is fully furnished with dance halls, concert halls, art galleries, and libraries.

On the other side of the gold-tipped, spear-like iron fence, a park spread, immaculately maintained and beautiful. As a person lacking any kind of aesthetic sense, I wanted a postcard with that on it. As expected of a world-class palace. It’s status is different from other buildings.

After taking a picture with my mobile as Japanese are wont to do…

「Oi, Watson. I’m grateful for the tour to get used to the terrain, but I wanted to meet and talk with Aria. I don’t know where she’s being held, but I wanted to try and meet with her.」

I said, acting on that bad feeling I had just had. Then Watson replied:

「That’s why we came here. Tooyama, you can’t meet with Aria. However, you may be able to see her in passing here. I checked her official itinerary and estimated that she would be returning. Just about now…」

「What? You’re kidding. Come on, hit me with the punchline. I’ll laugh out loud. I don’t get it, so you’ll have to tell me. Where’s Aria?」

「Aria is here, like she usually is.」

–Watson answered, pointing toward Buckingham Palace.

The palace.

「Huh?」

「Well… given your relationship, it is pretty hard to tell you, but…」

「I get it. I get it. Watson, you’re a funny guy. Alright. Let’s go meet Aria.」

Replying to the speechless Watson, I jokingly stepped up to the iron fence. Then the moment I laid hands on the fence, pretending I was going to climb it–

*Prrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!*

A whistle sounded.

「…!?」

One of the Queen’s Guardsmen had blown it, and the rest of the guards’ expressions changed as they surrounded me.

Then, without warning, one of them seized me by the scruff of the neck and dragged me off of the fence. Almost coincidentally, 2 or 3 of them– No, 10 of them started beating me with the stocks of their L85 rifles…

「Tooyama!」

「Augh…!」

I thought about fighting back, but if I draw my gun, I realised that they would definitely kill me. There are real soldiers– venting their bloodlust on me!

As if to prove this fact, some of them pointed the muzzles of their barrels stamped with the letters L85 at my head.

–I messed up. I had thought it was a tourist attraction.

Realising it after an actual beating, this was like the Imperial Palace in Japan. Despite meaning it as a joke, the guards interpreted my actions as an incursion and were showing no mercy.

I had gotten careless, thinking that they were cosplaying or something. These are like the Imperial Guard in Japan. Hand-picked, elite soldiers.

Not being in Hysteria Mode, I couldn’t even win against one of them.

As all 10 of them conducted a coordinated attack on me– Watson:

「Please stop! He’s an ignorant foreigner and didn’t know where he was! He only wanted to get inside because it was beautiful! He’ll get a strict telling off from me! Don’t kill him!」

Watson shouted at the guards in English, as he tried to pull them apart.

Thanks to that, the rain of blows stopped, but entering my field of view after being trodden on like a worn out rag and having a gun shoved into my face… I saw…

A golden wheel come slowly into view–

A sky-blue car had stopped nearby.

It was the quintessentially British Bentley Arnage.

Surprised that the car had stopped there, the guards exchanged anxious and tense looks… then, one by one, they moved their feet and butts of their rifles aways from me.

Then, in unison, they faced toward the car and bowed respectfully.

Watson was also flustered, crossed his hand over his chest and bowed his head.

…Who… is that…?

With my vision blurred by the blood flowing down my face, I clawed myself up into a crawling posture–

One of the guards forced me up into a kneeling position by grabbing and pulling my hair.

When I tried to stand, Watson, who was beside me, checked me.

「T-Tooyama! You must kneel. Lower your head. T-This is an Official Car of State–」

As Watson spoke…

The car door opened with a *Click!*.

Exiting with the scent of gardenias…

A… Aria…?

Wearing a shimmering metallic golden dress and matching heels–

It was Aria.

「–Kinji!?」

Her camelia eyes wide in shock, and her anime-like voice rising, Aria leant me a shoulder, unmindful of the guards.

「…Aria… Why… are you dressed like that…?」

「What are you doing here…!? This is… well, it’s a bit complicated to explain right now…」

Looking the worse for wear after being beaten, Aria dabbed at the blood on my face with her handkerchief.

Then from the other side of the Bently–

A man in a white suite and sky-blue scarf appeared.

He was just as blonde haired and blue eyed as those depicted in illuminated Christian religious art. His skin was pure white. He had a good physique, excellent posture, and I could tell that he usually walked with squared shoulders.

Aria looked over at him with a complex expression.

「Who are you…?」

I managed to mutter.

「Tsk! Tsk! Tooyama! Lower your head now! That gentleman– is the Duke of Cleveland, Prince Howard!4」

Watson yelped angrily into my ear with a trembling voice.

….A prince…?

「–It is quite alright. Stand, Sir Watson.」

With a clear smiling face, he revealed a set of brilliant white teeth–and Prince Howard continued:

「The foreign media features the Dukes of Cornwall and Cambridge much more often. It is not unreasonable for a commoner in a distant country to not know of us, so the casual address on the part of one so uniformed is more than justified. You lot ought not to have done this. The important tourists that come to admire our fair country should not be stained with their own blood nor our soil.」

As he said that, he pointed to the guards who snapped to rigid attention.

Even at such a mild rebuke, they turned ghastly pale. Then they helped me to my feat, dusted off the dirt and wiped away the blood in a complete 180 degree change of treatment.

But this was actually…

The real thing. An English prince.

He was young. Older than me, but not by much. Under 20 years old.

「You are the Kinji that Aria has told us of, correct? Allow us to introduce ourself. We are England.」

About to lightly clapp me on the shoulder, but stopping because it was filthy, the prince’s words–

They sounded like some kind of joke, but I knew they weren’t.

Atlas had introduced himself before with the similar words『I am American』, meaning he was an American citizen, but– Setting aside his actual name, he is the country of England. A member of the local royal family.

「Hmm. We had heard of the man who fought with Aria in Japan, and we would have thought him to have been stronger.」

「Aria…This prince, why are you with Aria?」

Finally standing up, I asked with a heavy weight in my stomach.

Ignoring my question entirely:

「Vulgar American English.」

He turned up his nose at my English.

The prince’s Queen’s English was so beautiful to my ears that it did not anger me at all. Naturally, it lacked any accent.

On the other hand, my English, learned via『Cuckoo』was the common American English from Hollywood. I made a choked sound.

「We would like to offer you a handshake to mark this occasion, however we cannot do so with such a germ-ridden hand. One day, we may yet shoulder the great responsibility of the entire nation. Ah! Do not approach too closely. We shall be sullied.」

From the very start, he had spoken dismissively to me–

Was that some kind of strange, competitive emotion I was detecting? What does he want?

Leaving me annoyed, the prince returned to the car.

Then, with his elbow against the side of the Bentley, he watched me calmly.

Left behind, Aria began to speak in rapid Japanese…

「Kinji. I have not forgotten about the Scarlet Goddess. This is my problem, so please do your best as well.」

「But, why are you driving around with that guy? What about Minuet?」

My naturally unlikeable expression turned into a scowl.

「About that…」

Aria faltered…

Watson stepped in using Japanese.

「Tooyama. On the day that Aria returned to England, she was received by Scotland Yard. Present by chance on official business and troubled by a personal problem, Prince Howard asked her to lend her aid. He could not share the exact details, but… in the personal employ of the crown, the prince proposed to bestow upon her the position of an R-rank Butei.」

An R-rank Butie– a Royal Butei.

There aren’t more than 7 people in the entire world holding that rank, as a rule, they are private employees of heads of state.

That most coveted rank is even higher than the top ranked S-rank in the Butei World…

「Aria, you should go back and stay with Prince Howard. Your status as an R-rank Butei confers extra-judicial privileges. At a stroke, you can make overtures to the Japanese government to release your mother. You can also take action to settle the matter of irokane all at once, without delay. You should not do anything to displease him, so you should return quickly.」

Watson rattled this all off at once…

Was it the case that Aria had seized upon this great opportunity here in England to settle her problems in typical Aria fashion?

She’s planning to use the help of the world’s most powerful person to pull off a coup in her own difficult situation. Truly, Aria was always surpassing my expectations with her actions.

「I-I thought so at first, but… apart from gaining the R-rank, some strange things happened.」

「Somehow, I understand it. But I want to urge you to hurry up. Tooyama might have an idea, but please explain it.」

「Watson, you of all people– Oh goodness. Kinji. It’s not that I’m dragging my feet! At the same time that all this happened, I contacted Minuet. I also met with Angie.」

With floral decorations riding on her shoulders, Aria turned from Watson to me to give me a hasty explanation.

「Who is this Angie?」

「Angelica Star. She was my Amica from the time I was at London Butei High. But the very next day after talking with Minuet, no one could determine her whereabouts.」

This was the S-rank Amica that Aria was relying on…

After just talking with her, she really vanished?

In Tokyo, Aria told me that Minuet possesses great powers of suggestions. By simply talking to someone, she is able to influence their thoughts and actions.

Minuet had taken a dislike to Angelica, and so she bullied and pushed her thoughts to drive her away.

「Aria. By dedicating the entire resources of Liberty Mason to search for her, we were able to locate her just recently. She had managed to slip into a dangerous geyser in Iceland to dig in the clay, repeating the same thing over and over again as hot water rained down from on high:『The diamonds that lay here are mine!』and she would not stop or listen to anything that anyone said.」

What were you doing Angelica-san?

Amica are a lot alike, but this is more than idiotic.

「Minuet did that. She made Angie give up, Kinji. I’ll tell you something about this country that you don’t know. The royal family and nobles in England, collectively, are like the world’s largest group of corporations. The prince is like the son of a head office executive, and I am the daughter of a miniscule branch manager. The nobles cannot defy the royal family.」

Having been abandoned by her Amica Angelica, Aria was explaining the situation with a metaphor similar to the comparison I had used.

Under the dictionary heading for『In all Heaven and Earth, I alone am worthy of honour』the entry『This is Aria』appears, but in this hierarchically organised society in England– With her standing, is she unable to defy it?

「We do not care to learn Japanese! Speak English from now on!」

Prince Howard shouted from the car…

「In large part, I discern that you are speaking of us and Aria. Kinji. As a man who loves the same woman, I shall deign to enlighten you. After elevating Aria to make a her career as an R-rank Butei– we intend to eventually make her our wife.」

At his words, Aria went stiff. Her twin tails standing on end, Aria became nervous…

「…!」

She looked to gauge my reaction from my expression before the prince’s.

「In terms of peerage, her position is somewhat lacking, but she could raise it by feats of arms performed as an R-rank–she would gain approbation of the others. For the moment, she shall raise her status. The royal family is a great honour above all others.」

Not liking Aria’s current actions, the prince struck an additional blow with his words.

I now see that there must be a misunderstanding about Aria and my relationship.

Was this the reason Prince Howard disliked me from the start?

Was Howard… smitten with Aria at first sight? This strange guy?

Aria–from just her doll-like appearance, she is cute.

That is probably all that he liked.

But Prince, if you marry her like this, your life will be in a graveyard.

That’s not even a metaphor, you’ll be sent off to an actual graveyard. Naive bastard.

「Even the Holmes Family approves. That is all we have to say. Come, Aria.」

Howard spoke with a tone that indicated Aria was under his control.

No matter who it is, or if it’s someone’s partner, he’ll steal them away– That must have been his usual experience in life.

As a royal, there is no one more powerful, even among the most powerful.

But addressing Prince Howard.

「U-uh!」

Aria turned around, but now she was looking back at me.

What does this mean?

As an ordinary foreign highschool student, I can’t relate to this on any level. Your noble society or marriage.

「About that… Some time ago, I was engaged…」

That came up. Aria’s fiancee. It seems that it was really true. I only learned of it when I eavesdropped on Aria and Watson’s conversations.

Even as short and with her tiny breast, it seems that Aria is actually popular.

However… thinking about that made me angry.

There wasn’t any particular reason, but for some reason I wanted to vent my frustrations on someone.

「Break off that engagement.」

While narcissistically adjusting his hair and tie in the side view mirror of the Prosche, Prince Howard responded easily, as if it were nothing. So it’s come to that? All due to his personality.

In response, Aria–

She looked in my direction with a puzzled expression. Her eyes fixed on me seemed to say:

『Please say something!』

Hmm. Does she dislike the order to break off the engagement, and is she wanting to vent her anger on me?

Very well, I’ll start it. A fight.

「–It’s alright, isn’t it? Just go ahead and break it off.」

I said, my emotions running wild, and Aria’s mouth tugged down into a pout…

The she… *Bam!*

I received an audible blow to the head.

What is this? Isn’t this a bit too much anger?

Then after that.

Tears began to stand out in both her eyes–

For an instant I felt guilty for some unknown reason, but did she know?

「Go ahead and marry this prince of yours, and then you’ll be a princess, won’t you? You’ll be marrying up. Go ahead!」

I shouted, strangely angry as the words poured out of my mouth.

In response, Aria covered her face with both hands, crying and looking like the world was ending… then her innate pride rose up.

Then–glaring at me with tears in her eyes

「Is that so! Then it’s fine by me!」

Saying something equally unpleasant, she rushed off.

Stomping over to Howard’s Bentley she closed the door with a *Clang!*

*************************************************************

The damage inflicted by the guards beating was about average for one of Ranbyou’s grueling training sessions.

More than the aching pain all over my body… What was this throbbing emotional pain that I didn’t understand? It was stronger.

Then afterwards…

My juniors had done better than I had. Infiltrating Buckingham palace. I felt no small feeling of defeat.

They had seen me beaten down by the guards.

On the underside of the Bentley’s frame, the first year ASSAULT student and Aria’s Amica, Mamiya Akari was hanging.

The Imperial Spy, Rinzou Akari–that is to say, an official ninja, was her ancestor. Things like this would likely be her specialty.

I don’t know the full truth of her feelings, and I don’t want to know, but Mamiya idolises Aria to an abnormal extent… Having deemed Howard to be an undesirable suitor, she may take it into her head to kill him. I don’t think that she will actually kill him, but at the very least, she will act as Aria’s guard dog. So I’ll let it go for now. This matter.

Aria…

If she were to marry into the royal family, it would solve all kinds of problems she has, wouldn’t it? She’d even be able to look back on the family home where she was a pariah in disdain. Instead of this tiny park, she’d gain the entire country of England.

As we returned to the Porsche, Watson informed me that Prince Howard was 8th in line to inherit the throne. With all of the far older princes ahead of him, it was a distinct possibility. If he became king, then Aria would be the Queen Consort, or the Queen. Of all England.

The prince… setting aside personality, outwardly he was a handsome athletic type that all the women in England would pine after. He had completed his royally obligated period of military service in the ordnance disposal. However, it was doubtful that such a fastidious man actually performed such service.

「…Tooyama. It might be hard to do, but we should watch and wait. I will continue to work with Minuet, and, if all things go well, it may be managed by royal authority.」

In a somewhat consoling tone, Watson spoke as I was unreasonably angry.

Dammit! Why am I so worked up? Is it because the weather took a turn for the worse?

「It’s not that it’s hard. I…」

「You shouldn’t make that kind of bitter expression. We nobles cannot defy royalty.」

He now had compassion in his voice, but:

「That’s not it!」

I shouted, venting my frustration on Watson who hadn’t done anything wrong.

A light drizzle had started as we waited at the traffic light by Piccadilly Circus station​…

「This is far enough. I’ll get out here. I’m staying around here, reach out and let me know how things go with Minuet.」

As soon as the Porshce came to a halt, I opened the car door and stepped out without an umbrella.

After shouting that in a half-choked voice, without looking back, I dashed down a narrow alley so that Watson couldn’t pursue.

Don’t say anything. You don’t have to say anything, Watson.

I don’t want you to see. My true feelings.

How many times have I been forced to face a formidable enemy and fought them…?

But I had run away from facing up to my true feelings about Aria.

It was due to my constitution, and I was more than capable of understanding that.

I had put on a brave front last year in Hong Kong, here in London I was forced to face it once more. The problems caused by our relative social standings and positions. I’m nothing more than a dull highschool student waving a gun about–and I can’t do anything about it.

But right now, there isn’t anything to be said. I don’t want to show you my true feelings.

I was running away, just like I always did. In order to avoid showing them, I ran away so that I could manage to live with it. I was doing more or less that for someone.

In my case, that person was–Aria. She was the reason. Only her.

In this country, the rain isn’t like that in Japan, falling lightly in a mist.

Because I was walking without an umbrella, but when I realised that, my clothes had already absorbed the rainwater and become heavy. I was unfamiliar with the climate here.

Having left Watson–

I should try to conceal myself from the authorities.

Watson was connected to Liberty Mason. If I stay with him for a long time, then, possibly due to no ill-will on his part, my location may be leaked to Scotland Yard.

They would cast a hard eye at me, the perceived reason that their capable agent, Aria, left for Japan.

Moreover, I did not enter the country through official channels. It could be a problem if I were discovered.

For that reason, I purposely booked a reservation online with my mobile for a run down hotel with poor reviews–Likely to go bankrupt otherwise, they will accept anyone looking for a place to stay.

As would be expected of a large metropolis, locating such a perfect lodging was easy to do.

There was such a place on Marshallton Road, in an area where public safety was a bit sketchy, there was a large 10 storey apartment complex run by a middle-aged Chinese man, and I booked what could be called a garret.

With a higher latitude than Japan, winter dusk arrived at 5 PM, and I walked through the pitch black darkness of London…

Arriving at the building, it lacked a lift, so the fat, stout, balding Chinese man led me up the stairs.

「You American? You’re completely soaked. Like a stray dog.」

「It’s fine. You don’t need to see my passport to confirm my nationality. I’ll be here for a week.」

「I’ll leave you alone then, but that will be 700 pounds.」

700 pounds… that’s 100,000 Yen, isn’t it?

I had withdrawn my scholarship money from an ATM at the airport, but isn’t that expensive?

「Oi! You shouldn’t be overcharging a guest.」

When you enter a town, you follow its rules, so I let my gun glint in the light–but the Chinese are brave, as a rule. What’s more, there are a lot of mafias operating in the area, so the man was used to seeing guns and unfased.

He actually laughed at me.

「I see that you’re Japanese yakuza. You’re a bumpkin so I’ll tell you, the pound is running high right now. If you don’t trust me, check the current exchange rate on your mobile.」

He said, and checking myself… Sure enough, the rate against the Euro had risen sharply. That was unlucky.

「That’s a Sharp brand. I knew you were Japanese. Was I telling the truth?」

「I get it, I get it. I’ll pay. But if you report me, I’ll kill you. Don’t underestimate the yakuza.」

The difference between a Butei and yakuza is paper thin, so as I gave that explanation for myself–

Taking the Euro notes out of my wallet, I pushed them up against his large gut.

The man said:

「Your English is a little bit rural. You’re speaking an American dialect more provincial than mine.」

Saying that, he handed over the key, leaving me with those words as he headed downstairs. I see, that’s why he thought I was American at first.

Even using the key, the door was stuck and hard to open, but I managed it and entered the garret…

It was directly next to the boiler room. Although it was winter, it was damn hot.

But if I opened the window, it would let the rain in. I give up.

What’s more, my stomach growled. Due to that, I headed down to the general variety shop on the first floor of the building… All of the food was expensive, but I bought a carton of milk and cereal. I ate it using the tableware on the garret shelf, but it was horrible. It tasted like paper.

Given the fact that it was 30 C in the room, I stripped down to my underwear to allow my clothes to dry–

A message arrived on my mobile. But it didn’t have an associated email address because it came from the Butei High intranet that was forwarded from a public email client.

Looking over it suspiciously, the sender was listed as [email protected]… It was from Mamiya Akari.

『Recently discovered information report. Aria-senpai serves as the Prince’s bodyguard until 1700. They are now at a state dinner for nobles and royalty. Afterwards, she will stay at the Savoy Hotel apart from the palace. Howard appears to be very germaphobic even with women. Do not worry about that.』

What a thing for her to write.

Because she didn’t come out and say it, I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say…

However, it seems that she wants me to cooperate with her to keep surveillance on Aria.

But wherever Aria goes is her own personal business. It has nothing to do with me.

No matter what though, I can’t imagine that Aria’s stalker, Mamiya, will kill the prince in the near future, so I have peace of mind.

But is Aria-sama really at such a swanky party at that palatial hotel? No wonder she was wearing that flashy dress. Meanwhile, I’m sitting in my underwear in this garrett, eating cereal that tastes like cardboard. Hmph!

Even though I flew here directly from America for this purpose, I’m getting angry…

Getting angrier and angrier, but…

I haven’t forgotten. My promise to help Aria from becoming the Scarlet Goddess.

I had recently taken on the official responsibility for it, and if I am not successful at the end of March, then Tamamo will kill Aria. Even if the possessed Aria is able to kill Tamamo, it would be a problem if she started waging war afterward, and I wouldn’t know what to do.

What’s more… even though I am angry…

I would feel bad for Aria. If her personality were hijacked.

With my own personality hijacked by Hysteria Mode, I have a good understanding of the bitter pain.

–『Help me.』『I need you.』–

–That’s what Aria said that night in the greenhouse. She’s afraid of becoming the Scarlet Goddess.

But even before she had said that, I had made up my own mind. No matter what happens, I will always be on her side. That was decided the day I became Aria’s partner.

That doesn’t change no matter how many times we quarrel.

So that’s what I’ll do. Even if Aria becomes some kind of princess, I’ll help her.

No matter how many bad things happen, that is what I have decided. As a man.

Therefore…

My body is just this honest.

My Hysteria Mode Berserk kicked in today when my woman was taken away by another man, causing Watson to worry, hadn’t it?

At my core, I firmly believe in my bond with Aria from the bottom of my heart.

She will definitely not partner with anyone else besides me.

*************************************************************

As I laid on the bare mattress, I received a message from Watson.

『I’ve called in some help, so I would like to know where you are staying.』

So I replied with the address of the garrett–just waiting for the meeting with Minuet to be finalised.

Without anything to do while waiting, I was just sightseeing under the cloudy sky of London.

Having smuggled myself into the country, I couldn’t really tour much beyond the local neighborhood.

Unlike the multi-coloured brick houses of Brussels and Amsterdam, old, whitewashed apartment buildings predominate here.

They had a neat and tidy external appearance with many entrances on the first floor, but inside, it was a jumbled structure. If you were to make a model of this building, the interior would be quite complex. It would be very helpful to be able to read the signs inside, written in English.

However… when it comes to the Pound, the prices of goods are a problem.

As can be seen by using the prices of MacDonalds as a barometer for foreign price indexing, the cost of living in London is high. Why is a lunch set 1,500 Yen?

But I didn’t want to eat any more of that cereal, so I followed the locals to a bakery where I purchased a large loaf of bread for that day and the next, I lived a frugal life, dividing it into 3 portions–one for each meal of the day.

Then on the morning of the third day of waiting…

I splurged on some cheese to put on my bread, and as I left the bakery the sky was overcast, and I bumped into a skinny, scruffy boy.

He was peeking into the bakery with his fingertips inside and failed to notice that I was coming out.

The blonde-haired boy’s blue eyes widened in fear as he looked up at me–

And as the scent of cheese wafted up from the paper bag I was holding…

*Grrr!*

His stomach growled.

…Was he hungry? More so than me?

Yeah, that has to be it…

「Well, I guess your luck runs out sooner or later.」

Muttering this in Japanese, I held out the bag of bread out to the boy.

Taking it with a shocked look on his face, and before his expression could change to one of pleasure or thankfulness, he dashed down an alleyway.

Then it looked like he divided it up into smaller portions to share with his little, younger brother and sister, and they wolfed it down quickly in a corner.

Where there is royalty, nobility, and commoners… there will naturally be beggars as well.

England is a class-based society, and I wonder if you are born poor in this country if you will be poor for the rest of your life?

Just thinking about it makes me feel sorry for them.

But this wasn’t a situation when I could be sorry. My scholarship isn’t deposited until tomorrow, so I have nothing to eat until tomorrow. But that is an issue, now raised, that I must accept.

…There’s nothing else to be done. I plan to walk back to my bed with a hungry stomach and pass the day there in sleep.

Making that up in my mind, as I turned to head back to the garrett:

「–Mooi! Lisa, Lisa is moved to tears! Master!」

I was surprised and embraced tightly as she jumped toward me.

Huh…!?

Th-th-this is Lisa! Wasn’t she in Japan!?

「W-why are you here…!?」

Losing my balance backwards, Lisa supported me from behind like a ballroom dancer and said:

「Watson-kyoua 5 told me:『Tooyama is entirely unable to make a living for himself, so he will end up eating nothing but bread. Please take care of him.』and sent me a plane ticket to London.」

She said such a thing with a broad smile on her face.

「The sight of you bestowing bread upon that poor, unfortunate child–it was enough to bring a tear to Lisa’s eye. Ah, how truly wonderful of Lisa’s hero-sama..! Heel mooi!」

Lisa was dressed for a winter trip in a felt, straw hat-shaped hat, a puff-sleeved blouse, and long skirt–a sweet maple syrup scent wafting from her fluffy hair.

*Rub!* *Rub!*

While clinging to me, she rubbed her head against my chest. Putting her scent on me like a cat.

…Watson did say,『I’ve called in some help.』…

As one familiar with life in Europe, she was well-behaved enough to not stand out and whose total lack of combat strength was unlikely to trigger a breach of the cease-fire… Was that the reason Watson chose her?

In all practicality, however, it might be helpful for a man living alone to have a maid stay with him.

「I-I understand. Let go! We may be in Europe, but we are still in the middle of the road. Let me go.」

「Ufufu! My apologies. I am just so happy…」

Narrowing her still moist emerald eyes beneath her long lashes, she bobbed her head in acknowledgement.

In accordance with my orders, she took a step back and pinched and spread her skirts as she bowed.

With that action… slightly more pale than the typical Englishwoman, her beautiful long blonde hair waved.

「But a maid is always by her master’s side. She has a preference for the heroic. A hero-sama is always showering love upon his first wife and lovers–Lisa would be very content with the scraps of love by being near him.」

「…?」

Lisa said something I didn’t understand while setting her suitcase down on the cobbles by her feet…

As I tilted my head to the side in confusions, Lisa hurriedly added to it of her own accord:

「According to what Watson-sama said, Master has been alone for a while. It must have been hard on your body. From tonight onwards, please feel free to use Lisa as a woman as you wish. Lisa will freely accept whatever use you shall put her to.」

「…」

「Such is the proper relation between a hero-sama and his maid, as was passed down by the Avé du Ank Family. Such is also the quickest manner in which to become pregnant with child.」

96% of her words were not heard due to the Tohyama Family’s Noise Canceller, and so I replied:

「Thanks for coming. Having you here makes life a lot easier.」

「Right. When there are other women in the house, it is only proper that a maid should take a step back, but now, for the first time in a long time, it is only the two of us. Let’s take full advantage of this chance.」

In actuality, rather than a single step, I would prefer women to take 100 million steps back but…

I can’t say that, so I smiled back. Lisa seems intent on persevering in something while smiling cherubically and following close behind me.

*************************************************************

Watson’s appointment of Lisa was well done. He has a phenomenal talent for oversight.

Upon seeing my poor accommodations, Lisa said:

「Have no fear. Lisa shall follow Master no matter how low he falls into poverty.」

As the angelic Lisa said that subtly rude thing, she began cooking rice that she had brought from Japan in a pot. With the scarce pence that I had remaining, Lisa bought some eggs, and in an instant she had katsuobushi onigiri and fried eggs with miso soup arranged in a line on the table in the garret.

「How is it…? Good? Master.」

「Delicious. Absolutely wonderful. It’s been a while since I had rice, coming to England via The United States.」

「We still have more rice, so please ask for more if you wish.」

Looking truly happy, Lisa brought out more food, but… for some reason, there was preparation on her forehead.

Ah! I know why. This room is hot and stuffy.

Being next to the boiler room raises the temperature to 30 degrees.

I’m putting up with it because I’m only wearing a thin shirt apart from my trousers, but it must be hot for someone like Lisa who is from the cold northern country of The Netherlands and dressed for the winter. She is not letting it show on her face, however.

But as I am eating, I am noticing her usual maple scent intensify due to her perspiration.

Th-this is not good. This cloying scent is seductive.

With each breath I take, I can feel my level of Hysteria Mode rising ever so slightly.

Why is a woman’s perspiration in the air so dangerous?

Anything feminine is a problem for me! Ah, my head is swimming…!

But Lisa doesn’t appear to be wearing any perfume, and it would seem that this scent is a natural function of her female body. Because it would be wrong to scold her for this, instead I said:

「…You should change out of those hot-looking clothes. Now then, did you bring anything to wear?」

I said to address the sudden emergency, pointing to her suitcase, but that was a mistake.

「Really, Master? It is not even noon. But being alone as a man until now–it must have been difficult. I have prepared myself for this, after all… This makes Lisa, very, very happy…」

Despite the way her eyebrow lowered in annoyance and the somewhat angry tone, her words were those of joy for some reason I did not understand…

Following these curious remarks, she took the strange action of closing the curtains.

Then…

Her white cheeks flushed a light pink as she looked back at me…

Kneeling next to her suitcase on the floor, there was a *Click!* It opened. Then she made a series of movements.

「…I will change into this to serve you. Although I have the skin of a servant girl, I have done my best to prepare myself. Please use me as you will…」

–Then she took it out suddenly.

Holding it in both hands in front of her to hide her red face, she had taken her ace from the suitcase–a pure white cat garter!

「No, that’s not what I meant! I wanted you to change clothes, not do this! This isn’t what I meant when I said to change! Oi! Stop it…!」

「…But you were so worried about it being warm. Lisa has been so impolite as to have perspired a bit, so I must be unclean in your eyes.」

Wha! You’re not listening at all to my orders!

In the cramped narrow room, there was no escape, and as I watched, there was a *Rustle!* and *Rustle!*…

…*Pop!*…

Undoing the buttons on her blouse, she took it up over her head.

As she did so she whispered something like:

「Come on, Lisa!」

To herself in encouragement.

–*Whoosh!*…

Delicate lace outlined what was contained in a European-sized bust as they returned to their natural position by gravity after being lifted with the blouse…

It was now possible to see them fully. I-Incredibly, they were Shirayuki, Nakasorachi, and Moe Mochizuki-class.

Just now, I saw movement underneath her breasts–between her breast and torso, a bead of sweat glistened like a diamond. Do you sweat there when you are a girl with a large chest? What an astonishing discovery.

Ah… with a *Ziiip!*, she began to pull down her skirt…!

What that means is that Lisa was in just her underwear.

In response to: 『You should change』 , she had only taken out the cat garter.

It was a 10 cm, see-through micro-mini-skirt connected via a belt reaching down to garters that would wrap around each thigh.

What could be called underwear, or panties, were entirely absent.

No way…! Aah! This can’t be happening! Lisa’s hands are reaching down!

「Don’t take them off! Don’t take them off, you nudist!」

「Huh? Would it be better if I started at the top?」

I saw that Lisa was now reaching behind her back to unclasp the hooks there.

「—Uoooooo!」

Taking advantage of the energy I had gained back from Japanese rice fueling the blood flow of Hysteria Mode, I dashes through the curtains. Then, without time for any consideration, I was fortunate enough that there was a thick cloth sunroof spread out on the floors below, and I debuted the Tohyama Dive in England aiming for it. After making.and incredible bounce off of it, I fell toward the roadway… then I fell into a sitting posture in a seat of a London-exclusive double-decker bus that happened to be passing by,

Like Jackie Chan had done.6

[END TEXT]

**************************************************

1. The original term here is ‘Douki no Sakura’, was also the name of a Japanese WWII war song about the various fate of fellow students graduating a military academy and going off the war.

2. There’s a semi famous cafe in Japan with a dog mascot Called Buddy’s Harius.

3. Japanese formal kneeling posture.

4. Not a real person. Duke of Cleveland is a title that has been created and shelved many times in the past for royal family members when they need one. Hasn’t been used in a while because they didn’t need it. Last in use 1891.

5. Honorific roughly equivalent to ‘Sir/Lady’ or ‘Lord/Lady’ that is lower status than royalty.

6. Probably a reference to a scene in ‘Police Story’ where he runs to catch a bus and hangs/fights off it. He doesn’t exactly do what Kinji does, but the reference probably isn’t meant to be exact.