Volume 21 - CH 4

The closing and graduation ceremonies of Butei High is on March 28, later than those of general high schools or vocational colleges.

Because of that, and with so many students being absent just before spring break, the ceremony to the students feels as if it is held in the middle of their holidays.

Even though I was muddle-headed and tired, I took the final exam for general subjects after my study sessions with Moe and Kikuyo… And in preparation for the next day’s closing ceremony…

Tired from the exam, I slept like a rock.

And, I succeeded in actually sleeping.

I feel the need to mention that I succeeded, as in my current life, whether or not I can sleep in my own dormitory room when I am sleepy is in itself an exam.

For a while now, duplicate keys of my front door of my room were given to Aria, Shirayuki, Riko, Reki, Kaname, and Lisa, who can now enter and leave with this free pass. Last year, I made a complaint to the source of these duplicate keys in hopes of preventing any future keys from being made, but the person who was making these copies of key cards for only 500 yen was a girl named Mayumi Mayumi, a first-year Amdo student with a pun like name. She was a sickly girl though who brings an IV stand around with her, and since she refused and I couldn’t in good faith threaten or beat her up, the problem has gone unsolved for now.

Because of her, a series of dangerous women and even children that I had mentioned earlier were always wandering around in my dorm, and if I am caught by anyone other than Reki while walking from the front door to my room, I would be dragged to either help them with work or play games. If I am talking to someone, fixing their problems, or playing games with them, then naturally, I am not sleeping. It is almost like playing a game of Pac-Man, with my goal being my bed but the single path there is filled with colorful ghosts. Isn’t that kind of game impossible to win?

Even the immortal “Enable” would (probably) die if he did not get any sleep, so I went ahead and asked my Amica, Hina Fuuma, who has the useful skill of “being there without being seen”, to scout out the dormitory before I go there under the guise of training. With that in place, she sent me an email saying “it’s uninhabited” to my cell phone, so I managed to secretly go home and get some sleep.

That is how I managed to survive last night and even get some decent sleep in my empty room. I was overwhelmed to the point where I cried tears of joy.

From experience, it was Lisa or Shirayuki who seemed the most likely to appear in between last night to this morning, but they don’t do much that can wake me up while I am asleep. And so, I threw my Beretta, 9mm ammo, Butei notebook, and cellphone on my bedside table, collapsed on the bottom bunk… and fell asleep. This was the Spring time of my life… And it was only the first half-day of my spring break…

…Pin,pon…

I wake up to the sound of my door chime.

Looking at my cellphone by my bedside, the time was currently 7:00 in the morning.

(Who is here this early in the morning…)

I could tell though based on the modesty of the chime as I got up with an eyebrow raised. It was Shirayuki. She has a duplicate keycard, but she rings the door chime when I am in the room… How she knows I am in the room, I am too scared to know. To her, the door chime was knocking I guess.

(Somehow, this feels like we are back on the day of the opening ceremony…)

No, that’s wrong.

The number of girls who show up early in the morning to do housework has increased to two, one from the East and the other from the West…

“Good morning Kin-chan. Good morning, Lisa-chan.”

“Good morning master, ma’am.”

Shirayuki and Lisa stood side by side and smiled at me, who was still in my pyjamas as I stumbled into the living room.

One was in Butei Highs standard sailor uniform and the other in her modified sailor maid uniform.

“Both of you, please, please stop calling me that…”

As I go to wash my face while still yawning, I cannot help but think that it is a miracle that these two are still getting along.

According to Fuuma, who had been hiding in the ceiling, on the morning of my return to Japan, Lisa, who had been waiting for me in my room, and Shriayuki, who had returned from the Hotogi shrine, had met each other. I want to praise myself for my crisis detection ability that had allowed me to be able to avoid that, but Lisa deserves more praise than myself for her ability to handle that situation.

Lisa had just smiled and called her “ma’am”, as if she was a married woman, even though Shirayuki had unleashed a level of killing intent that even Fuuma, who was merely spying on them, was left with PTSD. Apparently, after that, Shirayuki had calmed down.

After that, Lisa had consistently called her “ma’am, ma’am”, so I guess that left a good impression on her.

“Kin-chan, this was frayed… so I fixed it for her.”

Shirayuki handed me my now repaired bulletproof uniform and holster, wrapped in a furoshiki.

I had been pretty rough with it recently up until now, so it is tattered all over the place.

“Ah, thank you. I will put it on right now.”

Once I had it in my hands, however… it now had the Hotogi family emblem on it, the star and hat. It was bad for my heart to be reminded of the various incident with the Scarlet Goddess…

(I wonder how she is doing in outer space.)

While looking at the blue sky outside my window and thinking about such things, I retreated back into my bedroom…

Since I had just woken up, I was staggering while putting on my pants…

I could feel someone gazing at me from behind. It was Shirayuki.

“Hey, don’t peek at a man while he is changing his clothes. Wait, if someone was to peek at a woman changing their clothes, that would be the end of them, but…”

I turn around while whispering the second half to myself… And sure enough, Shirayuki was there… Poro, pororo, and…

Round tears were spilling from those dark, drooping eyes. She was looking at me.

“Eh, what? Why are you crying?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, Kin-chan.”

Shirayuki impatiently wipes away a small tear from her eye with her snow white finger, and then,

“I’m sorry. When I thought that you might have changed, but it was just the usual Kin-chan, I felt so relieved… I was so happy that I cried…”

I guess after such a big incident, she is just a little emotionally unstable.

As I had learned in the Assault Department, difficult cases can rip apart a persons heart. When they suddenly return to their daily life, they can be confused, stressed, and have poor mental health.

Aria is tough so she will be fine, but what about Shirayuki?

“I am the normal me. I am always, and will always be, the normal me.”

I was a little worried, so I spoke kindly to her and patter her on the head.

Shirayuki nodded, her cheeks blushing…

She looked up at me with a spoiled, pampered look.

Somehow…

Yes. This seems to be okay.

(Shirayuki hasn’t changed since she was little. This kind and gentle personality was a good thing…)

But, well, I guess I can be kind to you for just a little while.I will just keep an eye on her to make sure she is okay.

Even Shirayuki, who was happily folding her furoshiki, seemed to recall the Scarlet Goddess incident because of her family crest…

“Kin-chan. Umm… I am sorry about the hihiirokane. You had to go all the way to outer space…”

I don’t know how many times she is going to have to repeat her apologies.

“Ah, you don’t have to apologize anymore. Having to think about space everyday is bad for my heart… Hey, Lisa. Get me some medicine please.”

For me, it was more than the series of battles…

The space shuttle. That was truly traumatic.

It shook a lot when it was launched, but it somehow shook even more, and violently, when it re-entered the atmosphere. The spacecraft had descended from space and landed on the runway of Kennedy Space Centre like a glider-it does not carry any fuel to help in that process, a ridiculous vehicle that slows down only using the air resistance from its wings and main body. And that was only the beginning.

Diving into the atmosphere at a speed of 24,000km/h, surrounded by pink flames due to the pressure with the gradually thickening air setting the very air on fire… and to increase the mass subjected to the aerodynamic drag, the aircraft was swung in a serpentine motion at Monroe’s direction. 2 degrees, 3 degrees, 4 degrees.

I heard a rattling noise coming from the space craft like background music… “Then, lets do the first S-turn.” “Next is the second S-turn~” “Third S-turn~” “fourth S-turn~”… Monroe-sans sweet voice reappears in my mind along with the memories of such a traumatizing experience.

Since then, whenever I hear the word “space” now, I get shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

Breaaathe, and relief. I was given some medicine. It must have been Chinese herbal medicine, the only kind that has an effect on me.

“Mooi. She is very good at sewing. Your wife is truly a golden egg of a good wife and a wise mother. Master, you must be the happiest person in the world.”

Lisa, who had brought me some medicine, is looking at my shoulder holster and flattering Shirayuki.

That is a strange series of words… “your wife is truly a golden egg of a good wife and a wise mother”. That is what she said.

“Fufu. Lisa-chan is really a good and nice girl. You can have this girl for your mistress, Kin-chan.”

Said mistress, however, was a good girl and was completely oblivious to the strange words coming out of Shirayuki’s mouth, as Shirayuki patted and stroked her on her head.

What even is this… it is like, a hierarchy of the women in my household was being constructed, without and reflection of my intentions or desires… This hurts. Now my stomach is starting this hurt…

“Hey, Lisa, can you get me some medicine for my stomach ache now…”

This is also a herbal medicine, so it should work for me. Thank you, Chinese medicine.

I mean, Katze from the Witch regiment was worried that it was impossible to kill a cursed man like myself… but really, she could just have killed me by attacking from the inside, such as inflicting trauma, damaging my fragile heart, or attacking my stomach by inflicting stress on me. In particular she could have just gone for my stomach and given me an ulcer, woman get them easily enough from stress. Actually, it would be a pain in the ass if she started to come after me like that…

As I recall now, myself and Katze Grasse, the evil witch of cursed water, are now… well, friends… or rather, currently we are able to communicate with each other via SMS.

During Far Eastern Warfare, I truly did sympathize with her despite being enemies, as she was a fellow warrior who was forced by her superiors to participate in a continues string of crazy battles.

Lisa used to be Katze’s maid, and so I had been emailing her for updates for how she is doing in Japan and to update her on how Lisa is doing… Katze occasionally sends me MMS pictures of the girls school she attends alongside potential Hysteria Mode inducing pictures, which irritates me but I put up with it… My ultimate goal is to get some information out of her about those two mercenaries who were on her side, “Bewitching Blade” and “Demon Sword”.

Apparently, the Witch Regiment hired each of them for about 100 million yen each… After they caught me, it seems that they disappeared into Germany.

Their contract had expired, and Katze had also sent me a copy of their employment contract. It was kind of eerie, as it was signed in red ink as it was a witch’s contract, but the signature of their real names was far more important than the words written on it. Now, I knew the kanji and real name for Bewitching Blade, Seiji Harada.

Since it was a fairly rare phonetic equivalent, I thought it would be easy to identify it, so I asked Jeanne, Team Constellation’s clumsy leader, to investigate this…

“You are much too concerned about Bewitching Blade. From now on, we should be more cautious regarding Demon Sword instead of Bewitching Blade.”

But, she was not very cooperative.

By the way, this Jeanne came to wake me up for the closing ceremony so that I, the team auditor, wouldn’t be late…

With that in mind, she was shrewdly sitting at the breakfast table, which was set by Lisa and Shirayuki, in her school uniform.

It would seem that, despite being French, even Jeanne can sometimes miss the taste of rice and miso soup for breakfast.

“Why do you say that?”

Indeed, Harada’s fighting ability is extraordinary. If he was not a mercenary fighting for Grenada, but instead a member of FEW, the results of it might have been the opposite. However it is Demon Sword, Alicebell, that is the most likely to grow rapidly in the future and pose a threat. Within the next few years, in the Far East, there may be an ESP inflation.”

“…?”

With her sapphire-coloured eyes closed, the witch of Diamond Dust elegantly ate her miso soup, but…

“What do you mean, “ESP inflation”?”

“I am not saying you are guilty since it includes the Scarlet Goddess, but it does include her and the facts we now know.”

What a nasty thing to open with, Jeanne.

“… Irokane is a substance that emits and spreads invisible particles over a large area along with its emotions. These particles inhibit and weaken a stealth’s abilities. Historically, Riri particles have been discovered over the Eurasian continent and Ruru particles have been observed in North America and Europe. It is, however, difficult to tell them apart, as they are essentially the same isotope.”

… I don’t like where this is going.

Despite thinking that I was done studying, apparently now I have to apply some chemistry knowledge here.

It is confusing having to know if she is talking about Riri or Ruru, but now to add more complexity, I am in trouble now Jeanne.

“From what I can tell, whether those particles were Riri or Ruru has long been ignored. The effect that those particles have is the exact same, there was no purpose in identifying them. Those particles have been divided according to the area where they were detected.”

“In other words, everyone had simply thought “Riri particles fall in Asia, and Ruru fall in Europe and North America”.”

Thanks to Shirayuki, who had pretended to bring us refills, helping me out, I finally understood.

“Regarding hihiirokane, whose location was revealed just the other day, probably also produced particles… hihi particles. However, those particles were indistinguishable from Riri and Ruru particles, and for a long time have been undetectable. Tamamo and Tsukumo though… Kitsune, it would seem, could sense the existence of these hihi particles.”

Ririirokane in eastern Russia and Hihiirokane in Aomori… they were close to each other on a global scale, which would make it easy to confuse hihi particles and riri particles. They must have thought that there was only 1 source for both.

“However, with the hihiirokane being moved to outer space, Asia… especially the far east… will have diluted particles. In other days… for psychics, there will be much more “sunny days” for them.”

Particles of irokane falling like rain…

It would come down or stop based on a woman’s emotions, which, like the weather, changed from time to time, both in the amount and frequency…

There will be a decrease in the amount, I guess?

“From the beginning, it was easy to use stealth abilities in regions without irokane particles, such as Eastern Europe. Romania is historically a country that is advanced in black magic, the absence of particles is part of the reason why.”

“… in other words, in the future, those with stealth powers in Japan may become even stronger.”

While eating the white rice that Shirayuki brought me, a serving too large for one person, I summarized the information in my own way in my head.

Returning the hihiirokane to outer space was a humanitarian mission, so I have no regrets there…

But, it seems I dug myself a pretty deep hole now. I do not know how many people in Japan have ESP, but did I really just climate change Japan to make their lives easier?

However, their abilities are not to be blamed here.

The problem is how these people will use their new powers. Those who abuse it now will just have abused it before anyways and nothing changes for how they are dealt with, and those who use it for good will become stronger, a welcome thing for me.

I do not know where AliceBell falls in those two possibilities though…

Whatever the case may be, when I find her, I will tease her just like I did with Harada. A Butei has a strong sense of duty and memory.

Left had left earlier to do some shopping before the closing ceremony, and Jeanne had eaten her breakfast and left.

And so, quietly and peacefull,y the time of the closing ceremony approached… Me, with one hand clutching my bag over my shoulder, and Shirayuki, with both hands holding her school bag in front of her body, we left the dorm together.

The weather was nice. The warm sun was dazzling, warming my body. It felt nice.

The wind generator on the vacant island was facing northwest. That was the best way to point to avoid the humidity from Tokyo Bay and the exhaust fumes from Shinagawa.

There were no classes or tests today, it was a refreshing morning.

“Tire pressure, good, light battery, good, bomb under seat, there is none.”

As I exaggeratedly checked my bicycle at the bicycle parking area,

“Fufu. Kin-chan, you might be checking silly things, but even doing that you look cool.”

Putting her hand over her mouth to cover it, Shirayuki reacted happily.

Unlike Aria, I can read the atmosphere here, and calm down. Shirayuki. She is a partner whose teasing is more friendly.

I let Shirayuki sit sideways on the bike that I was riding on… I had no choice but to let her when she scooted over and gently hugged my waist.

“Are the Hotogi okay now? They lost their object of worship.”

While biking on the private road that serviced Butei High, I asked that to Shriayuki behind me…

“You may have heard this from Tamamo, but there is still some hihiirokane left at the Hotogi Shrine. Even as the Scarlet Goddess went to outer space, she still wanted a part of her to remain behind in the Hotogi Shrine where she had spent so much time. Since the remaining amount is about as big as a volleyball, it is probably still the largest single piece in the world.”

“Hmm… Well, a piece that b ig would seem more like a common deity in terms of atmosphere. The original was much too big to begin with.”

By the way, after the big fuss at the Hotogi Shrine, it was discovered that there were a large amount of rubies left in Kaminabi, the mountain where the Scarlet Goddess had been enshrined for so many years. I do not know if they were offered there by Shirayuki’s ancestors or if the mysterious powers of the Scarlet Goddess had crystallized the aluminum oxide in the volcanic rock, but it seems that I did something regrettable… If I had the time to be cool and protect Aria and Shirayuki, I should have spent some time stuffing my pant pockets with the valuable stones literally under my feet. I had stepped on so many things that I thought were rocks, had so many fall on my back, I am positive that at least one was a ruby.

“…”

“…”

Whenever Shirayuki is alone with me, she is always quiet and gloomy, and I myself cannot offer any topic to talk about that a girl would find interesting so I am quiet as well.

The sound of a bicycle pedalling, the occasional sound of passing cars, the chirping of sparrows…

Cuckoo, cuckoo, a guiding sound for the visually impaired at a pedestrian crossing…

“Kin-chan… You are good at using a bicycle…”

Shirayuki spoke to me from behind.

“Anybody can use something as easy to use as this.”

“No, I can’t ride a bicycle. Even with training wheels, I would fall off. Thank you for letting me ride along.”

Really? How can someone with that level of athleticisim be captain of the women’s volleyball team?

But, when Shirayuki, a true Japanese beauty, thanked me so sincerely, I became nervous.

“Ah… Uh… No, I should thank you, you are always doing my housework and cleaning. I am especially grateful to you for cleaning the living room.”

She thanked me so I had to thank her for something, and yet, for some reason… I felt that I was just reiterating my daily thank you for everything you did.

I wonder what this awkwardness is. It is always like this whenever I talk to Shirayuki.

“There is no need. Lately, Lisa-chan is helping out. I am even having fun doing it now.”

With a wry smile, Shirayuki told me again how much she loves to clean, granted she is only doing so because of me and Riko’s “duo man and woman who won’t clean up after themselves”. It is a little over the top to put a feminine doorknob cover on the doorknob to the veranda and bathroom in my opinion, but the toilet is always as shiny as a first class hotels. She says that she enjoys cleaning, which is obvious to see, as even with the maid Lisa helping her, she never leaves the work to her and makes sure to clean whatever she can herself.

Despite her duties as a Hotogi Miko, an honours student at Butei High, all while taking on her various duties and roles, she still manages to do a perfect job at household chores. Shirayuki really is the perfect girl to model a traditional Japanese woman.

“Kin-chan.”

Kiyu, and, suddenly, Shirayuki put a little strength into her arms around my waist, and rested her head on my back…

“Eh?”

When I turned my head around to look at her,

“… never disappear…”

With her face down, Shirayuki muttered into my back.

“What are you worried about? I am not going away. I will always be near.”

I might be spoiling her and praising her a bit too much right now, but Shirayuki has a tendency to become Kuroyuki and suddenly try to slash at any girl nearby me for some reason. She is what some might call “an unpredictable girl”. (TL Note: Shiro Yuki means “white snow”, Shiro being White and Yuki meaning Snow. The joke here is Kuroyuki means Black Snow. Kuro means Black.)

And so, because of that, I have to stay nearby her to protect all the other girls from her.

But, since Shirayuki is still anxious,

“Last spring… do you remember your fortune telling, Kin-chan? It was “Kin-chan will disappear”… but that has not happened yet. I am afraid of when that will be… A shrine maidens fortune-telling will always take place with a few years…. And since it hasn’t happened yet…”

She spoke to me, clinging to me, a gesture that clearly stated that she never wants me to leave.

“That had already happened. I came home really quickly, so you odds are did not even realize it happened, but last year I dropped out of school and went to a general school. That is what your fortune telling predicted.”

“No. Such a short period of time cannot mean “disappear”…”

Well that is a little harsh.

This is getting troublesome, though.

“Stop worrying about that. I don’t plan on dropping out anymore, and I know that I wont be expelled for failing my exams after all the studying I did, I did not even have to roll my pencil to answer the multiple choice. It is okay, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

As I was cheerfully telling her all this,

The number of Butei High students, who previously had only been sparsely walking down the street, increased steadily.

The venue for the closing graduation ceremonies… the auditorium was approaching.

I was nervous about the publicity, and the rumours that would spread, but Shirayuki, on the contrary, seems to want to be seen by as many people as possible to see her riding with me on a bike. In fact, as this realization dawned on her, for some reason she was happy even, and her voice became cheerful instead of the dark mood she was in earlier.

“That’s… right, isn’t it? That is right, Kin-chan. From now on, we will be together forever. Ahh, it would be nice for us to be in the same class next year. I hope Aria is in a different class, though.”

“Ah, aha…”

And so, passing through a archway of cherry blossoms in full bloom…

Shirayuki and I entered into the main auditorium for the last time in our second year of high school. Now, it is time to begin the closing ceremony.

The principal, Takeru Midorimatsu, was standing on the stage with the curtain opened to the right and left, which has had the bullets holes in it sewn shut.

“… Word “Butei”‘s calligraphy is of a shield stopping a spear…”

Now that I think about it, does our principal actually sound like this?

I have met him several times, but this person in front of me does not seem like him…

As expected of a “a visible invisible man”, I am impressed and yet horrified of him.

“… You, the Butei, are a shield against crime, and the future of Japan and the world…”

It was not just the principal in this ceremony that is making me shiver.

After the closing ceremonies are held, the graduation ceremony is held, so all of the third year students are at the front of the auditorium.

By their third year, most Butei students are professionals and taking on professional level work.

That is why they usually are not at school, and even right now only about half of them are up there, but when they are line dup like that… the bloodlust is overwhelming, their presence immense.

No one wants to look directly at them, even though we are behind them. Not a single person was looking at them, everyone was looking away without exception. They were sitting far from me, yet there was a sharpness in the air, it felt as if just moving was enough to cut my skin.

What is more, despite this presence they were hiding themselves within their uniform, it was as if they were hiding in plain sight from the public.

It was rather scary to think that, just by dropping by guard, I would perceive these monsters as just ordinary young people.

The first years, too immature to feel their bloodlust yet, were all fine, but those in the second year, such as myself, who could… looking at the third-years, sweat from tension was breaking out on our foreheads. Is this a graduation ceremony or a battlefield.

(I don’t like this–… I wonder if I will be like that in a year…)

Even scarier than that thought however is that part of these third year students decided to join general universities or junior colleges. Apart from Butei University that is said to be easy enough for an insect to join as long as it could write, the only reason that private and national universities, including first class universities, would accept such students is that recently the security situation on campuses has been deteriorating day by day.

Before a suspicious person fires a shotgun in the halls, or a delinquent students starts a gun fight with a cheap gun, universities are putting student Butei, who fear a real gun as much as a water gun, in classes as a watchdog. The student, referred to as a Gako Butei (School Butei), hide their true identity and quietly attend school, just like an ordinary student. And in exchange for crushing potential evil unnoticed, they are given a decent, if truly undeserved, college or university education.

Many Butei High graduates go on to general universities without recommendation of course. Whether it is a second-rate university you managed to enter by chance, or a third-rate university that is trying to fill up its empty seats… For those who are entering the Butei field as a profession, it is sometimes just as important to have a “non-butei” identity as it is to have a Butei identity. While pretending to be a normal student and attending college, they continue to work on their Butei undercover skills… for these graduates, their first year of college is really just a period of training.

There were of course other paths that students would take… National Defence Academy of the National Defence Medical College. There were also some who do not go to a higher education centre and simply start their own private firm such as a Butei investigator. Some join an existing Butei firm and earn their monthly salary, while other simply disappear, keeping their career paths secret from the school.

Eventually…

Those third years, sharpened like rifle bullets, will be released into the world.

As a Butei, a member of a force that exists to stop crime from flooding society.

As we left the auditorium after the closing ceremony, the area near the exit was crowded with students.

At Butei High, there is a rule that everyone wears a name tag in April, but Masters this year made the mistake of distributing the name tag in the hallway leading into the auditorium.

As I was walking with Shirayuki, hand in hand, I saw Aria and Riko through the crowd… I thought to myself, that if Reki was here, the old Baskerville would be complete, but I couldn’t see her anywhere.

When I tried calling here, my phone alerted me that I was making an international call… I managed to find Nakasorachi, who was being pushed left and right by the crowd, and so I paid her 50 yen to listen to the call. Somehow, she was able to figure out that I was calling a mobile number through a Russian telecommunications carrier called MTS. So, does that mean that Reki is still in Russia?

Once I managed to receive the name tag, I, Shirayuki, Aria, and Riko joined up together outside the auditorium…

“Watching a ceremony like this, it fills my chest with expectations for the future.”

Aria, looking up at the blue sky with a refreshing smile, spoke such a thing,

“Expectations?”

“Your chest?”

“Is it swollen?”

Me, Shirayuki, and Riko each visually confirmed that Aria’s breasts weren’t bulging out from above or below her clothes.

“Why are each of you guys saying your lines separately!?”

Finally, this wouldn’t be miss Aria-san, without this happening, and so two Government Colt’s were pulled out and opened fire…

And so that is how we finished the second year. Same as it started, with gunshots.

Well, there is one more thing…

Shortly thereafter, an uninvited guest appeared.

“Ah, Mish Aria. Thank you for your hard work. Thish way, thish way.” (TL Note: I am not as good as Baka at picking up speaking styles like lisps, and thus will have to make do based off of previous lines of hers.)

At first, I could not see them because of all the students… But it was an elementary school girl with glasses, pigtails, and thick eyebrows, dragging a trench coat behind them. It was a kid seemingly dressed up as an adult.

Once upon a time, me and Aria had been in a flashy car chase from Shinjuko to Harajuku to Omotesando…

It was Nori Zenigata, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Outside, next to the main auditorium… Aria was brought to a courtyard planted with plum, peach, and cherry trees, all in one place… Zenigata did not seem to be disconcerted seeing us all together again…

The reason was…

I knew right away.

“Yesh, that was tough. After recieving orders from the vishe minishter, I made full use of Twitter and Facebook to search a~ll night long. I did not find everyone, but I am shurprised I managed to find this many… Yesh, surprise!”

In the courtyard that Zenigata pointed to with her baggy sleeves, there were the Butei that Aria helped saved from the bus jacking last April, the passengers she saved from the hijacking including the ANA pilot and co-pilot, and the people she saved from the bullet train that the Caocao sisters hijacked.

There were many kinds of people here, men, women, young, old, but it seems that, everyone here…

Everyone here seems to have been helped by Aria, either directly or indirectly.

Everyone in the courtyard were gathered there, sweets and juice being served under the fruit trees as if this was a hanami party. (TL Note: a Hanami party is an outdoor party in Japan.)

Standing at the centre of the group was Aria’s advisor, Kuroe Renjo, and her first year Amica, Akari Mamiya.

Before we had appeared, Mamiya was talking about Aria’s activities and success to someone…

… That person.

Both me and Riko were amazed.

Shirayuki seemed to be able to foretell this event somehow, and so she looked happily at Aria.

Aria was at a loss for words from the moment she stepped into this courtyard…

She was out of character, trembling a little.

I’m happy.

I am so, so happy.

Her long time wish has finally come true.

“Mama…!”

“Aria…!”

Yes.

Wearing a dress with a loose long skirt, her long hair swaying in the spring breeze, she was standing amidst a garden in full bloom.

Aria’s mother.

It was… Kanae Kanzaki.

Released… she was finally released…

“… Mama…!”

With a look of utter disbelief in her eyes, at the sight of her mother before her, Aria walked forward on trembling feet…

Yoroyoro, she walked forward, one small step at a time.

“Hey, Hotogi Shirayuki. I do not know what you said, but your letter really worked. The Cabinet Offisher pushed the Minishtry of Jushtice to the Imperial Household Agenshy, and in the case of Kanae Kanzaki, the Minishter of Jushstice exshershised authoritative command over the Proshecutor General and forshed them to stop the trial. That happens from time to time, but it has been a long time since I have seen someone releashed on the same day…”

Looking closely, it would seem that Zenigata has had a little bit of alcohol already, this early in the day, and is saying things that frankly she probably shouldn’t be.

Shirayuki, who was pointed out by name, pretended to not notice, and walked with Aria…

This is no drea. Really, the Japanese governmnet…

Kanae-san, who was detained due to her knowledge of stealth’s and irokane, was released. It would seem that, with the main body or irokane in Japan being sent to outer space, they did not have to be as vigilant as before with her or her threatening anything involving it.

In addition to that, I am getting the sense that… the government is afraid of Aria, as hinted by Zenigata’s statement. This abrupt release of Kanae-san speaks volumes to the machinations at work.

But, what was the government so afraid of in “Shirayuki’s Letter”? What is so scary about Aria?

It was needless to say.

It was Aria transcending the realms of a normal stealth and becoming a Hyper Stealth… Aria the Scarlet Ammo.

Actually, right now she can only shoot lasers, but its true abilities are unknown. I myself am afraid of antagonizing Scarlet Aria, and I don’t yet know what she will be capable of, never mind a national level of government.

Zenigata’s slip of the tongue proved that much in terms of fear, but it is interesting to think about why that information spread to the Cabinet and ministries in an instant… Shirayuki would have reported to the Imperial Household Agency that “A national treasure called hihiirokane has returned to outer space, and a girl with its original powers has appeared”. She has connections there, and that story would have spread to the appropriate authorities, assumingly.

“…”

But for now, I will just… just…

With my heart full of emotion, I will just stare at Aria and Kana-san hugging each other.

Congratulations, Aria.

Congratulations…!

“Mama… Mamaaaa…!”

“… Aria. I asked everyone here. No, even if I did not ask them here, the fact that they are all here celebrating is proof already. You… You have become a splendid Butei.”

“… Mama… Uwaa… Uwaaaaaaaaa-…!”

Even though she was showing such a side of herself in front of Mamiya, Aria had already shut out everything other than her mom…

She buried her face in Kanae’s chest and cried.

Kanae-san, like a goddess in a statue, embraced Aria in a hug…

With such a happy, joyful sight before me, I almost broke out in tears as well.

“… So she has been acquitted, right? Not parole or anything like that?”

I squatted down a little and matched Zenigata’s height with the face of a fox, and glared sharply at her, partly to hold back my tears.

“If you shtill have any doubts, look at the Shupreme Courts Jushtice’s legal orders. Look. It may shound pretentious, but that is what it shtates. Kanae Kanzaki has been releashed. Mish Aria’s deportation and your recommendation for forced deportation are all lifted as well.”

“…”

Wait, I was recommended too? At that time, I would have taken it. (TL Note: alright, this sentence is weird. The Kanji for deportation is present in both, I take this to mean that Kinji would be forced out of Japan as he is a risk.)

But anyway…

Aria.

Maybe you are not a solo singer after all anymore.

It is not even just a duet anymore with me and you.

So many…

Because, now, there is a chorus around you with everyone in it.

I am happy for you, Aria. Really, I am truly happy for you.

I am just so happy for Aria and her mom, I am already on the verge of tears…

I was so embarrassed that I snuck out of the courtyard on my own.

(If someone like Riko saw me crying, she would take pictures and tease me about it for the rest of my life.)

While thinking about such a twisted thing… I decided to return to the dormitory and tell Lisa about this happy story, so I got on a bus that circulated the island that had just arrived.

And, when I got to my seat and looked at my cellphone, I noticed that there was a missed email and incoming call.

(… Takamagahara-sensei…?)

Ikene. I decided to just not notice the call from Takamagahara-sense and ignored it.

The email simply stated to come to Masters immediately.

I don’t like this. One of Butei High’s three most dangerous areas, Masters. Moreover, it was currently occupied by the beautiful Takamagahara. Secretly, I was happy to finally have a new homeroom teacher.

However, despite my will, at the feudal Butei High, a teachers orders are absolute.

Takamagahara is a nice and normal person, but regardless of how nice she is, to be ordered to come right away you are certainly going to be punished with life-threatening corporal punishment.

It is for that reason that I am in a hurry, but.. luckily, in the history of my misfortune, I caught a break. This bus also happens to stop in front of the School Affairs department, and I was able to arrive really quickly.

When I got off the bus and looked up at the Academic Affairs building in fear…

“Toyama-kun? Were you invited too?”

Whoah, I came across an unusual face.

Masato Itsuki. We were in the same class in our first year, but in the second yet Masato entered a special class called Class X.

In fact, just like Aria, Reki, and myself when I was still in Assault, this man is a S-ranked Butei. He is a superhuman who has held high positions in Assault, Snipe, and Logi. On top of all that he was also a studious student, which is hard to believe for one at Butei High.

However, he is not popular with women, he is rather unfashionable and has a rugged appearance and build. He is about 5 foot 8, and is a serious student, not once has he skipped class and I have not heard a single person say that he slacks off on his missions.

He follows the law perfectly, is always looking out for his peers, especially the younger ones, has a strong body and mind, and has the skills necessary for a leader. I could not even imagine him being cowardly or unjust.

Because of his personality, those around him trust him deeply, and he is probably the most dependably man in the second year.

But… he is a little too stiff, and his type does not suit me very well.

It is not that I don’t like him, but honestly, I don’t think he is suited to be a Butei. If anything, a police officer is his best fit.

“… Itsuki, if you were summoned to Masters as well, I am actually relieved. It does not seem like I am going to be scolded.”

“I don’t know about that. You won’t know what is inside until you open the lid.”

Hahaha, Misato was laughing cheerfully, but… he is right. What is inside the container, we won’t know until we open it.

“Then let’s go. It was what, April of our first year since we were called here together?”

“That is right, I remember it. At that time, it was just Toyama-kun and me.”

At Butei High, if there are students with names that look similar, to avoid confusion, the lower names are spelled out in Katakana or Hiragana on the roster.

When I was in my first year, Itsuki and I were summoned to Masters and forced to play rock-paper-scissors with students who had similar names. We both lost our game.

We might differ in many ways, but we have one thing in common. Our shared skill at rock-paper-scissors.

“Just for some small talk, Itsuki… Have you ever heard of the SDA rankings?”

“… let’s not talk about that.”

“What are you numbered at? In Asia?”

“55th”

Hooray! This guy is even less human than I am!

Because Itsuki was enrolled in Class 2-X, he is alongside those superhuman students who were mainly hired by overseas police, military police, military special forces, foreign armies, military advisory groups, etc.

To compare it to soccer, it is a waste to keep him in the kiddie leagues, so he was sent to the adult leagues which trained him to become a pro overseas.

At the end of my first year, Masters had approached me about advancing into Class X, but unless I gave my consent I couldn’t join it… At the time I was ranked E, Aria was not approached because of her status, and Reki had been told about it but turned it down. Itsuki, however, took the offer.

“No, I respect you, Itsuki. I am 71st, Thanks to you my rank has dropped by one, I was starting to get frustrated.”

After a year of playing an impossible game, in which Butei, who are forced to be nonlethal, are forced to fight against terrorists and trained gunmen who are determined to kill us… well, of course we will stop being human, and our rank will rise. Pupupu.

“What are you talking about, Toyama? Don’t look so happy while saying you are frustrated. Regardless, that strange list was made by an American rating agency without anyone’s permission…”

“Ya, ya.”

I feel like I should drop the conversation here…

But I know what you are talking about, Itsuki. You must have had a hell of a junior year in high school. You have always been strong, ever since your freshman year, but you have really stepped it up a notch, haven’t you? You are hiding the results well though, just like those 3rd year students.

Just like with Aria and Reki, I definitely don’t want to get into a fight with an S-ranked Butei.

And so, while talking, the two of us entered Masters, and arrived at the staff room…

“… Itsuki Masato.”

“Toyama Kinji.”

The teachers were sparse, but as I cautiously entered inside while casually using Itsuki as a shield…

“Ah, both of you. We are ready for you. Please, come over here.”

Takamagahara-sensei grabbed an A4-sized brown envelope from her desk and guided us to a booth separated from everyone else by a screen.

The staff room of Masters looks like a normal staff room…

The booth for our conversation was a small space, with only an old and short couch with a table.

“…”

There was another student there that I did not recognize. She was a girl with semi-long black hair.

She was a pretty girl, but she did not bother saying hello to me, she just glanced at me.

She is almost like Reki if she had different styled and coloured hair.

“Umm. Sorry to bother you everyone, I am sure you are busy.”

With a bitter smile, Takamagahara-sensei sits down on the sofa. She was wearing a tight miniskirt and sank into the low sofa. Because of that however, inside her skirt might be visible, and so I panicked for a second, but as to be expected of a teacher, she saw this coming and placed the envelope on her thighs. I’m saved.

But just now, for a moment, I caught a glimpse of the edges of the surface of the document.

Autumn Frost and Rising Sun… it was the mark of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This is starting to smell bad.

As we each took our seat…

“– Itsusuki-kun, Saeki-san, and Toyama-kun each received a letter from the Armed Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

Takamagahara-sensei cut to the heart of the matter, squinting her soft eyes under her glasses.

(… Armed Public Prosecutor’s Office?) (TL Note: Kinji on the paper saw Public Prosecutors, the letter is from Armed Public Prosecutors.)

That is where my father used to work.

Armed Prosecutors are extralegal public servants. Within the Public Prosecutors Office, which investigates and prosecutes criminal cases in order to maintain public order within society, it is a position that carries out justice with extrajudicial force.

He was effectively a state approved hero of justice, appointed by the Prime Minister himself. He bore the responsibility of confronting even the greatest evils that even the SDF couldn’t solve, let alone the Butei or police. No matter what kind of enemy it was, for a Armed Prosecutor, you could not turn your back on an evil that seeks to harm Japan.

“It was a sudden call, but this years Armed Prosecutor exam will take place over the next three days starting tomorrow. A few of this year’s graduates will also be taking it, and the Armed Prosecutors Office has informed us that three of our students could skip the required grades and take the exam early. It would seem that an independent investigation of your activities this past year has caught their attention. What will you do?”

Armed Prosecutor Selection… Armed Prosecutor Selection Exam…!?

It was quite literally a national level exam to selected Armed Prosecutors. It is a hellish exam where all abilities such as intelligence, physical strength, mental strength, judgment, leadership, and combat power were tested, and life-threatening tests run over and over again.

Only once person passes the exam every year. Therefore, it is said that a person who can become an Armed Prosecutor is truly a perfect superhuman, with less of a chance to appear in the world than an ESP. However,

“Wait a minute, Sensei. Armed Prosecutors require a university degree to begin with…”

I was surprised at this story and offer, and so replied back,

“Yes, you are correct. Technically, even if you three took the exam, you wouldn’t be able to become Armed Prosecutors if you passed. I thought this offer was strange, and so asked around and did some investigation. Apparently, the Armed Prosecutors office is chronically short of personnel. In response to that, it looks like next fiscal year they are going to be creating a new government position for Buti Prosecutor Assistants, an Armed Prosecutors Assistant. I think the fact that the eligibility for this years selection process has been greatly deregulated means that they are trying to recruit auxiliaries from among those who have failed. Overall it would seem, we are entering an era where even non university graduates, and promising Butei students, can become assistant Armed Prosecutors. Of course, this is just all my speculation.”

In front of me, maybe out of respect for my dad who had died in the line of duty, Takamagahara did not say it clearly…

Armed Prosecutors, those fighting true evil, have a high rate of martyrdom.

It is not just merely expensive on manpower. Nearly 30% die by the time they reach retirement age.

Letting a force of God-like human resources die in tatters, those who are the smartest, strongest, a true sense of justice, and is willing to fight at the risk of their life on the low salary of a civil servant… naturally, a “chronic shortage of human resources” will appear.

And so, the Public Prosecutor’s Office…

(Don’t be silly. Don’t do it. I mean, that offer…)

In short…

“… I will decline that offer. An Armed Prosecutors Assistant is a free bulletproof vest, right?”

Semi-long black hair…

The girl named Saeki makes the exact same speculation as me in a cool voice.

In other words, an Armed Prosecutors Assistant is a scapegoat to be used to protect the valuable Armed Prosecutor. These are just honeyed words, meant to gather the “young people” with claims of righteousness and justice, hoping using them as movable bullet proof vests.

“… I must also decline. It is a waste of time to take an exam that I will fail anyways.”

I, too, refuse with a face equivalent to a cat throwing up a hairball.

This was probably just another obligation of hers, so it can’t be helped, but please don’t sent Takamagahara after me to ask me to lay down my life as a bulletproof vest. There was no reason or benefit to me accepting, so I turned it down.

Welp, time to go. Just as I was getting up to leave, I felt a bad omen…

“Thank you, sensei. I accept. Please give me an admission ticket for the exam.”

Saeki and I, round eyed, turned to look at Itsuki, who was holding out his palm to Takamagahara.

It seems that Takamagahara-sensei didn’t expect anyone to accept the offer, even she was confused.

Hey, Itsuki. I know for a fact that you can see through their story. After what we said to Takamagahara and our decision to decline, why…

Without us even asking.

“Toyama-kun. I have never told you this before, but it is my dream to become an Armed Public Prosecutor. Thirteen years ago, my life and my sisters was saved by a Armed Prosecutor… That man was your father.”

… What?

My father met Itsuki when me and him were still children… Did something like that really happen?

Itsuki’s voice had suddenly become passionate, as if a switch had been flipped.

While telling me this story, his gaze… a gaze meant to persuade… was directed at the teacher, who was still surprised but had not given him a ticket yet.

“This is a once in a lifetime chance for me. I do not want to miss this opportunity. It is an opportunity to take an exam that I thought I would not be able to take until I graduated from college. Even if I don’t pass it this year, I should be able to pass it my second or third try. I can take the selection every year until I am 25, and there is no limit to how many tries I can take it. I know I can do this.”

Itsuki switched moods midway through his speech, as if he was now speaking more to the teacher than me.

With his skillfull storytelling, an atmosphere was made that makes it difficult to persuade Takamagahara to not let him take the exam.

“But what if you failed the exam and are offered a position as an assistant? If you refuse, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will be given the impression that “you are someone who doesn’t follow orders from above”. That would be fatal to your next selection…”

“If that happens, I will become an assistant. As you said yourself, there should be a way to climb my way up from there.”

You are prepared to go even that far, Itsuki…

I can only remain silent.

Saeki… All she could do was glance at him with a face clearly displaying “what a stupid guy”.

It would seem that Itsuki was not acquainted with her from the start, and so felt nothing from her gaze.

“… I understand. Then, Itsuki, you can stay. Thank you, Saeki-san, Toyama-kun. you may leave.”

Since Takamagahara-sensei said so…

Leaving Itsuki behind, me and Saeki had no choice but to leave the staff room.

But, just as I was leaving, I…

“… Itsuki. Your dream. Make it come true.”

I am going to cheer for him from now on.

It might actually be a good fit the serious Itsuki. An Armed Prosecutor.

“Ah, I will make it come true for sure. Thank you, Toyama-kun.”

Itsuki responded only by raising his rugged face. He kept his brave, focused eyes looking ahead of him.

The radiance in his burning eyes, that were given the chance to finally pursue his dreams in earnest…

(…)

Somewhere, for some reason, I envy him.

Myself, I cannot seem to do anything, just drifting around aimlessly, unsure of what I want to do…

All I can feel is impatience.