Volume 1 - CH 2

I am standing atop a stage. The light directed at me was so bright, I couldn’t see the audience very well. In my hands, I held a guitar. I realized that I was going through the same usual nightmare. I knew exactly what would happen now. And yet, I suffered like this was my first time going through it. I glanced at her profile as she stood next to me. She didn’t look at me. It’s the same as always. And then, the concert started. Matching the drums and bass, I played the guitar. It’s the same song I’ve played over and over. What comes next, what I have to do, I know all of it. Not just because I practiced this more times than I could count.

No, it’s because I’m the one who wrote this song. However, the singing voice of the person next to me was unlike anything I had ever heard. It should be the melody I came up with, and yet…I frantically moved my hand to try and match the song. However, no matter how hard I tried, it simply wouldn’t keep up. The rhythm was on point, the pitch was identical. And yet…something crucial that I could not specify…was mismatched.

I knew that myself. It wasn’t mismatched…It was that I couldn’t keep up. That I couldn’t be on the same level of beauty as this song. And as I struggled, the song ended. I don’t even remember what I did. As the audience cheered for our performance, my chest felt empty.

“Yoshi, that’s not good enough.”

On the way down the stage, that person called my name. Clear eyes entrapped me. As if they had seen through everything. And then, they delivered the final blow with as much of a beautiful voice as during our performance.

“Your music has no soul.”

*

“Yoshi-kun! Big trouble!”

Because of the nightmare I had, I completely overslept and only barely made it in time to 8-Bit World. Usually, our manager Radesh would usually sit in the office in the back, but he actually stood outside the store. He wore his usual red-checkered shirt with jeans, alongside a red hat with a white coverall that made him look like that famous plumber. I don’t think he’s purposefully dressing up like that, but especially his mustache looked so uncanny. The only differences were his Indian facial features, and that his nose was more like a triangle than a round dot.

He deeply adores Japanese games and wanted this store to gather a lot of people with similar interests. In fact, he set up a space inside where you could play older console games or card games, which is why children often show up. Usually, he was a very relaxed and gentle soul, but today, he had a complicated expression on his face. And I immediately grasped the reason why.

“This is…”

Another graffiti had appeared on the store window outside. However, the size couldn’t even be compared to what we previously dealt with. It covered most of the entire glass. The center of the graffiti consisted of an uneven pattern. I had no idea what was written there, but it must have been some letters. Next to this was a plush teddy bear leaning against the pattern. The dominant colors were green and pink, making the entire body look pop and adorable, and yet the bear’s expression was riddled with anger, as blood was dripping from its long claws.

“Someone must have written this yesterday. Really, how bothersome,” Radesh said as she narrowed his already dejected eyes further.

The way things looked, just erasing that whole thing would take a day or more. Maybe even several days. And as I was staring at this massive graffiti in awe, Boudicia arrived at the store.

“Ah, Boo-san! This is big trouble! We have another graffiti—”

Boudicia looked at the graffiti and froze up. Her eyes shot wide open, as she stood still like a statue of ice. Finally, she melted and tore her gaze away, mumbling under her breath.

“…Don’t know.”

“Um, Boo-san?”

“Shut up! I said I don’t know!”

She then ran away, but before I could reach out for her with my hand, Radesh placed his own on my shoulder and stopped me.

“It’s okay, Yoshi-kun.”

“But, Radesh-san…”

“She must have a lot on her mind,” Radesh gazed at Boudicia stumping off, speaking with a comforting tone. “More importantly, I fear we have to close up shop for today. Can’t let the children get scared off with this on the window.”

Radesh’s soft shirt always smelled like spice. And while watching him walk inside the store for a phone call, I couldn’t exactly muster up the energy to head home, simply staring at the large graffiti.

“Hey there, Yoshi-kun…Oh, now this isn’t a pleasant sight.”

I was completely lost on what to do, as George happened to pass by the store. Perfect timing, you could say.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This…is problematic.”

I felt relief and happiness that someone appeared who I could share my feelings with, but George brutally denied all of that as he showed a complicated face.

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve received reports that writers have become much more active in recent days.”

Reports? Reports about what? And from where?

“Oh, did I never tell you? I’m an official here in Bristol. Well, I’m mostly tasked with miscellaneous problems, and graffiti countermeasures just happen to fall under that wing.” George answered my question that I didn’t even get to pose.

“Countermeasures?”

“I try to promote it more than anything. However, we can’t have them write indiscriminately. For that reason, we try to provide walls and such for them to run wild, but…As much as it pains me to admit it, the City Council and graffiti writers are always in opposition,” he said as he ran his hand through his wavy hair.

Seeing George with such a plagued expression was a new sight to me.

“And the problem is this particular graffiti here. Can you read what it says?”

“No, not in the slightest.”

“This is what you call bubble letters. When letters grow thick to look like bubbles, see. It’s a lot easier to read than the usual wild style, so you can figure out the letters with a good eye. The first one here is R. Then we have E, followed by V, E, N, G, E.”

I did as George told me and focused my eyes. I struggled to make out the shapes at first, but there was a clear logic behind the writing, which allowed me to identify the letters of the alphabet.

“So this is…Revenge, then?”

“Exactly. Could I ask how the incident with the stencil graffiti ended up?”

“Ah, it came from some writers in the Bearpit…”

I began explaining the conclusion to that incident. And while doing so, I could see that George’s face became gloomier by the second.

“No mistaking it. This is retaliation.”

“Retaliation…”

I still hadn’t fully grasped what George was trying to refer to, but just by pure instinct, I had a bad feeling about this.

“The culprit last time was a crew in the Bearpit, right?”

I remembered the tall JF and the chubby Peni.

“Yes.”

“That graffiti we’ve actually been seeing a lot lately, popping up everywhere. If I had to guess, the crew’s leader ordered their subordinates to go around using the stencils to put these everywhere. What Boo and you ended up catching were just the henchmen, so to speak.”

“But…for that reason?”

“That…even I don’t know.” George shrugged. “Most graffiti crews are akin to outlaws. The Bearpit is the holy ground for drug users and sellers. Even we from the city council can’t easily storm in there, so you best be careful, Yoshi-kun.”

Hearing that warning, a cold shiver ran down my back. Peni and JF weren’t as aggressive and tough-looking as I had expected writers to be, but this graffiti is different. Writing such a massive work on a large window for everyone to see, even matching the colors and everything showed clear hostility. And that would mean this is their revenge.

“…Boo-san!”

“What’s wrong?”

They know Boudicia’s face. And that she’s working here at 8-Bit World. If Boudicia is found by this crew, who is out to get revenge…

“George-san, do you happen to know where Boo-san ran off to?”

“No, not exactly…Ah, hey, Yoshi-kun!”

I didn’t even wait for George to finish his statement and already started running. Boudicia could be in danger.

*

“Hey, Peni. That guy over there.”

“No way I could forget. But that scary woman ain’t with him today.”

I came to the Bearpit, only to curse my own naivete. My head was full of Boudicia, but now that I think about it properly…Or rather, this is something I should grasp either way, but I am also a possible target of the other crew’s revenge.

“No, actually, I’m just…”

What’s the saying in English for moths flying into the light, or being a fish on a cutting board…It definitely doesn’t involve a green bus and a transfer student, which I am very sure of. Ironically enough, these idiotic thoughts raced through my head, completely ignoring the danger I was in. However, this terror didn’t continue for long.

“Yoshi, what are you doing here?!”

“Boo-san!”

Boudicia appeared out of nowhere, gasping for her air as her skin was colored a faint pink. And I quickly realized why.

“Don’t go running around all by yourself! At least work with me!”

She came here to help me. Honestly, I was relieved. Is this how a princess feels when she sees a knight in shining armor come to her rescue?

“Let’s get outta here before she finds us!”

She grabbed my hand and tried to drag me away from the Bearpit, but the other two surely wouldn’t let her do that.

“H-Hey, Peni…”

“I’m about to piss my pants, JF!”

I take that back, it was extremely easy. That last time seemed to have inflicted severe trauma. But, there was something else that caught my attention.

“Who are you referring to—”

The answer suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh dear.”

A sharp voice broke apart the silence, to which Boudicia and I turned around.

“Captain!”

“P-Please save us!”

We looked toward the direction of JF and Peni’s cheers. What I first saw was beryl green hair. It shone in vivid bluish-green color, tied into twintails at the top, shaking left and right. The area around her was colored in black makeup, and the light shining in her eyes emitted a clear strength. The small ring hanging down from her lips was connected to an ear piercing with a chain. Her slender legs appearing from her short and frilly skirt eventually connected into leather boots, decorated with tacks, standing on the ground in a dignified manner. Her shoulders, chest, and thighs shone brightly to the point they blinded me. And when Boudicia laid eyes on that person, her expression distorted into one of disgust. She seemingly had given up on running away, now facing this new arrival.

“What a wonderful day this is. The prey I had been searching for all this time came leaping into my arms.”

“Lara…I really didn’t want to run into you here.”

“So you know me, wonderful. That’s correct, I’m Lara. Captain Lara of the graffiti crew Queen Bear’s Revenge, ruling the turf here in the Bearpit,” she spoke with a high and clear voice.

And her words made my body tense up. Captain Lara—She’s the one who sent Peni to put that graffiti on our store, as well as the one who followed with that larger graffiti we found a few moments ago.

“It seems like you looked after my dear JF and Peni, yes? Coming to see them erase that graffiti…You’re the enemy, I see.”

“Of course. It’s the least I could do after they wrote that on our store. And you’re next in the line to get a piece of my mind.”

“What might you be referring to?”

“Don’t play dumb now. I only need one look at you to tell that you were behind it this time.”

I may not know much about graffiti, but I knew instinctively. Whether it was her color or the air she gave off, Lara was an exact representation of that graffiti. Or rather, the graffiti perfectly represented her, rather.

“Come with me and erase it.”

“And if I declined?”

“Then I’ll tear out that nasty piercing of yours.”

“For real? Dissing the captain, how insane can you be.”

“Lara-san, she’s lookin’ down on us!

JF and Peni had pepped up completely after Lara’s arrival. They act like weaklings in front of people they can’t beat, only to act arrogant and confident when being sure of their victory. The way their attitude switched depending on the situation was something I simply had to admire, even simply for its stupidity.

“What was that? I heard the Bristol Zoo’s looking for a runaway pig and giraffe, so maybe I should be a good citizen and help bring them back?”

“Now, now, I can’t appreciate that derogatory tone towards my own crew.”

Lara stood strong to face Boudicia, as one step with her thick boots created a loud sound. They were close enough that they’d lock swords if this was a fight. And with them standing face-to-face like that, I only now realized that Lara was comparatively small. At least compared to Boudicia, she seemed fragile that a single touch could break her. The reason I didn’t catch on to that so far is that the pressure she emitted spoke for itself.

“Hah, is our dear ship captain angry now? Can’t do anything without your boyfriend? You’re more like a princess.”

“Well said for a stray kitty. It’s because of your nasty outfit that nobody will bother to give you any attention. Could you stop flashing all this jealousy at me despite being some dirty dust cloth?”

They spit poison at each other and exchanged glares. Even now, their foreheads were about to clash. Sparks almost became visible between them. But in the end, the first one to move away was Lara.

“If you came here after looking at the graffiti, you must be a writer, too. How about we resolve this bout with our graffiti, then.”

“Oh, zip it! Who’s gonna write anything for your sake?!”

“N-Now wait a second. Lara-san, was it?”

My head finally began moving after I could take in this whole situation. Granted, I’d love to see such a graffiti battle unfold, but looking at Boudicia’s attitude, I’m afraid that she’ll see red any second now. In fact, I came here to save her, anyway…Although I ended up the princess in the process.

“Who are you? This stray kitten’s boyfriend?”

“Wha…You moron, that’s not it!”

“You were surprised to hear that Boo-san had your crew members erase the graffiti, right?”

“What about it?”

I tried to connect the dots in my mind. Something sounded off.

“So it’s not normal to have the writer erase the graffiti?”

If there are any drawings or doodles on a storefront, you’d definitely erase them. And getting angry at having your graffiti erased is something I can sort of sympathize with, but the way Lara phrased that, she saw it as a problem that Boudicia had Peni erase the graffiti himself. And she called Boudicia an enemy for that. There must be a particular reason for that.

“Of course not. It’s regarded as a message for other writers. To fight under Captain Lara.”

“All the writers who see the beryl green and find their way here to the Bearpit are all our allies. We went around town to put the stencils everywhere for that reason.”

I see…So it’s like a secret code that only a fellow graffiti writer would understand. That would explain a lot. If you wanted to connect and communicate with the scattered writers in Bristol, using graffiti as a means for that was the most convenient method. And the skeleton riding on the ship while carrying a spear would evidently convey the meaning of ‘Let’s fight together.’ Now I finally understand what she meant by her previous statement.

However, if you went out of your way to erase it, especially while knowing that it was a means to gather other writers across the town, then it would explain why Lara saw this as a sign of hostility. Though it still doesn’t fully explain why she wrote graffiti on the window just to execute her revenge. But more importantly…

“Boo-san, you knew about all of it from the second you saw the skeleton graffiti, right? That Lara-san was the one giving orders, and that the graffiti held a message.”

“Tsk.”

That click of her tongue acted plenty as affirmation.

“I thought it was weird. You said you knew who ordered it, and yet we only went to see the henchmen. Even now, you ran off without saying a thing…What is going on here, Boo-san?”

“…Boo?”

Listening to my monologue, Lara showed a bewildered expression. Her large eyes with the black underline opened wide, as she closely inspected Boudicia’s face.

“Did you just call her Boo? Could you possibly be…the Ghost of Bristol?”

“…Maybe? I may have had that name at some point.”

Yet, Boudicia didn’t return that gaze and looked away.

“H-Hey, she’s the Ghost?”

“The one who hasn’t been writing at all lately.”

“To think the Ghost would appear in front of others. And I had no idea it was a woman all along.”

“Getting a good look at her, she’s pretty cute, no?”

“This is pretty crazy. The Captain and the Ghost are standing face-to-face. I feel like I’m witnessing a historical event here…”

“This is crazy…The legendary encounter…”

“Huuuuuuh?” Boudicia looked at them both with a killer glare.

“Eek!”

“Waah?!”

“JF, Peni.”

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

“Could you give us some time alone?”

“Aye, aye, Captain!”

JF and Peni did as they were told, walking away while still periodically glancing back at us. Yet again, I was reminded how much gravity the name of the Ghost of Bristol carried. Just what graffiti had she written in her prime? And…I really don’t know a thing about Boudicia.

“What kind of relationship do you two even have?”

“Oh, shut up. This is our first meeting.”

“What are you saying? We’ve clashed so many times! Every day! All night!” Lara said as she leaped at Boudicia.

All that fighting…and now this? Honestly, with their difference in height, they looked like sisters.

“G-Get away from me! And stop with the weird innuendos!” Boudicia blushed furiously, trying to push away Lara.

“Geez, how cold! I finally got to meet you! I’ve been looking for you for so long!”

“Looking for her…?” I repeated her words.

What does she mean by that?

“Back then, everyone spoke of the rumors. Will it be the Ghost? Will it be the Captain? A for the position as the King of Bristol. We fought hard for it. But…One day, the Ghost just vanished. Without any warning, even. I’ve been searching ever since…believing that we could meet again. Because…we’re destined to be rivals!” Lara put her hands together in front of their chest, her eyes sparkling.

Hearing that, everything clicked. Leaving aside the whole destiny argument, they were rivals at some point.

“That’s why I didn’t wanna meet you! I was so sure you’d be turning this into a bothersome mess! You’ve always been so persistent when it comes to graffiti, too! Shit!” Boudicia cursed as she gasped for air, finally breaking from Lara’s grasp.

That one comment finally connected the dots in my head, explaining why Boudicia had been acting so irrationally in this whole ordeal. She wanted to stay away from Lara, trying her hardest so that they wouldn’t run into each other. As someone who had his own crew, Lara must be a celebrity in the world of graffiti. Even her hair color couldn’t stand out more. It wouldn’t be weird for Boudicia to know her. At the same time, Boudicia was probably trying to hide her identity. Because she didn’t want to be found by Lara—is probably one part, but considering that most graffiti is regarded as a crime, people like Lara might be the exception to the existence of writers.

“Aww, I’m glad that we could meet like this! I never would have imagined that the Ghost would be such a charming girl!” Lara jumped for joy.

She seemed utterly delighted at finally meeting her rival in person.

“Wha…!”

“But, you’re my rival, so do something about that lame hoodie of yours. Did you buy this from a charity shop? Or picked up from the garbage? Oh well, you don’t have to worry. I’ll lend you some of my clothes. I’ll turn you into the cutest pie!”

However…those feelings of delight seemed to be moving in an odd direction.

“Leave me alone! Also, there’s no way I could flash my shoulders or legs like that! It’s damn fall season, aren’t you cold?!”

“So what if I am? Clothes are something you wear with your soul,” she said with a genuine expression, showing no jesting manner whatsoever.

She probably felt so from the bottom of her heart—A soul, huh? I was reminded of painful memories and shook my head.

“By the way, the Ghost being here is one thing, but even are you? You’re not a writer, right? A DJ? Skater?”

That question pulled me back to reality. It seemed like the atmosphere had softened up quite a lot between these two compared to a few minutes ago, but her caution toward me had yet to subside. And met with this cold attitude, I was frozen stiff.

“Um, well…”

“He’s Yoshi. A student.”

“Ah, yes. I’m a student at Bristol University.”

If you made a ranking for the worst and most misplaced introductions, I would surely take the top spot for what just happened.

“Oh dear. And what is such a well-behaved puppy like you doing here?”

“We work together at the same part-time job. At the store your guys put the doodles on.”

“That I am sorry for. But Ghost…if I had known if it was you, I would have invited you personally!”

“And I didn’t come here to specifically meet you! I just came to pick this guy up.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I swear…You had me sweating buckets when I got contacted by George. Going here all by yourself…”

I didn’t know that George was the one who instigated this helping hand. I planned to look for Boudicia, and yet I was the lost child who had to be picked up. Truly, how pathetic…

“Listen up. Just go erase that graffiti.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The one you wrote on our store window.”

“I didn’t write a thing.”

Boudicia and I looked at each other.

“Now hold on. You wrote that graffiti, right?”

“I did have people going around the town to have them put down graffiti with stencils. However, they were all small versions that could be erased in a heartbeat. I didn’t write anything that big on a shop window.”

“But then who wrote it?”

“I’m saying that I wouldn’t know that. What graffiti was it?”

I took out my smartphone and showed her a picture. Lara closely inspected this with her long eyelashes and was lost in thought.

“…That really is my graffiti.”

“Right? No way I’d get your work wrong!”

“I’ve written a lot of graffiti in my day. It looks similar to one I created a while back.”

“But this one is from last night.”

“That can’t be possible. I was with my crew last night…But, it’s pointless to argue about. I definitely am related to this. I don’t know how this happened, but I’m sorry for causing you trouble,” Lara said and apologized without striking up much of a fuss.

It seriously didn’t look like she was trying to feed us a lie.

“…Is there a chance that someone from your crew may have copied your work, Lara-san?”

“Not possible,” Lara immediately responded. “If anybody attempted to do that, I would let them regret the day they were born. My crew is my flesh and bones. However…writing something that will obstruct the business of a store, that I cannot cast aside. I will send someone over to have them erase it.”

Seeing Lara try to take responsibility, even Boudicia couldn’t keep her harsh attitude going.

“Well…I was sure it’d be you…But, our store owner’s troubled by this. So, yeah, that would be great.”

“Sorry about this, Lara-san. We jumped to conclusions.”

“Likewise, thanks for filling me in. I see it as inexcusable that someone would go around causing trouble while copying me. Once I find who did this, I’ll put them through the grinder.”

Hearing that she was the leader of a graffiti crew, I thought she was just an outlaw putting her work randomly all over town. And her initial appearance with an oppressive attitude initially supported that but talking with her like this, I realize she’s not a bad person. Granted, she can be excessive when it comes to certain aspects.

“But thanks to that, I finally got to meet the Ghost! That I am thankful for!”

“Stop clinging to me! And will you quit calling me the Ghost already? My name is Boo!”

“Boo! But then call me Lala, too! I don’t plan on having you call me Captain, either…But anyway, I’m glad. Standing on the same boat after having fought for so long…It’s like a dream come true. Our victory is right in front of us.”

“Hey, what the hell are you talking about?”

“What…? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard,” Lala gasped as she looked at Boudicia in shock.

She then crossed her arms, thinking for a moment. She then looked at me and back at Boudicia.

“…The city council is planning on crushing us—the graffiti of Bristol.”

*

Invited by Lara, we sat down at a table in front of the green bus. She snapped her fingers once as JF came storming to her, receiving orders. Following that, she cleared her throat and began speaking like she was a politician about to reveal a grave and severe incident that had happened to the public.

“The Bristol City Council does not think too highly of graffiti. And, I can’t blame them. There are plenty of writers who put their nasty and low-effort tags on other people’s houses and walls. Even so, we’ve co-existed thus far. We don’t appreciate this town being filled with pointless doodles. We raised this graffiti culture over years, and it was we writers who turned Bristol into this town of art. And to ensure that no more talentless writers would go around terrorizing the good image of graffiti, we formed our crews. And the city council is aware of that.” There, Lara cut off her explanation.

JF had brought plastic cups filled with coffee, placing them in front of us. I thanked him and took a sip. Because we’ve been out in the chilly fall air for a while now, feeling the warm coffee enter my body was something I was thankful for.

“Ah, this is delicious,” I blurted out my honest thoughts.

It had a sour taste, probably a fruit mix of sorts. I’ve never tried this flavor before.

“It’s JF’s coffee. It’s my treat today, so stop by again if it tickles your fancy.”

I looked over at the green bus that Lara pointed toward, where JF raised a thumb with a satisfied grin. I signaled my gratitude and raised my arm back at him.

“However, with the dismantling of Ursa and the demolition of the performance stage, we’re at a bit of a loss. They just one-sidedly push these agendas. Not to mention that it’s not just those. They intend to remove all the graffiti here in the Bearpit.”

“Really?”

“Would that be something to lie about? The thick-skulled upper echelons in there all consider it bad for public safety. They’re putting the blame for their failing politics on us. Gathering area for the homeless, a breeding ground for drug flow…Honestly, we don’t wish for this, either. The homeless need a place, and I would never allow my crew to get involved in drug trafficking.”

“You said that it was all one-sidedly from the city council, right? Is there any chance of a conversation…?”

“Radio silence whenever we try to reason. We’ve also gathered signatures, but I don’t see us reaching a table for negotiation anytime soon.”

I had no way of judging what kind of place the Bearpit really is. My first encounter with Lala was, quite literally, a fearful encounter with a wild bear, and in terms of the graffiti argument, I can understand the city council’s argument that this could hurt the public image and safety of citizens. However, listening to what Lara had to say, it truly wasn’t all that simple.

“If they plan on forcing that sort of purge, then we’ll fight back. That’s why I gathered allies…While making sure that the city council gets wind of this.”

That made sense. The enemy she was referring to must have been talking about the city council. Lara explained that far, and stood up as she placed her hands on the table, leaning forward.

“Boo, Yoshi. Please fight with us. I can’t forgive the city council’s actions. Let’s protect the Bearpit…No, all of Bristol. With the Ghost back, everyone will be willing to fight even more. We have to fight for our graffiti and fight together…”

“…er.”

“What did you just say?”

“Never. I won’t write. Do this on your own.” Boudicia had finished drinking her coffee and crushed the cup.

“How could you say that, Boo? If we don’t fight now, Bristol’s graffiti will be crushed. Why don’t you get it?!” Lara’s voice was close to a hurt plea.

And yet, Boudicia did not bother to give it any attention.

“I’m not gonna stop you. Just don’t drag me into this.”

“Drag you into this…?” Lara stood up and walked next to Boudicia as her boots stomped on the ground. “You have plenty of responsibility to help, Ghost!”

Boudicia didn’t raise her head.

“The Ghost of Bristol. The masked spirit…The specialist in overwriting…If you dare fill the walls with any half-baked work, it will come for you from the shadows. And now, this Ghost is gone. The flimsy lousy graffiti stopped being overwritten. That’s why we have these untalented writers thinking they’re the next big hit, as they continue to doodle all over town. That is why the city council has begun moving!”

“I don’t care. None of my business!”

“Bristol needs care! Writing is your business!” Lara shook her head as if to cool herself.

She then sighed and continued with a painful expression.

“…I take pride in being born in Bristol. That is why I want to protect the culture of this city. Boo, why won’t you understand that?” She said and then looked around the Bearpit with her big eyes.

I had wondered why Peni and JF held such respect for Lara. I didn’t understand how someone as small as her would be accepted as the leader of a graffiti crew, but it finally cleared up for me. And yet, Boudicia once again blocked off.

“Acting all arrogant while hammering down on me…The only people listening to your nonsense are your crew members! Stop ordering me around!”

Boudicia’s aggressive attitude forced me to tense up.

“You think you’re some savior? Gathering up henchmen and then calling it a day? Captain? Don’t make me laugh. You’re Snow White who hasn’t set one step outside the dwarves’ house. Yoshi and I aren’t your dwarves who run at your every command!”

“What was that? Come on, say that again. I won’t let you make fun of my crew!”

“I’ll say it again as long as it takes! I don’t plan on playing along with your make-believe revolution!”

It was like the eruption of a volcano. I knew she didn’t like working. And I knew she had a nasty tone. However, what is this unbound anger? I met Lara, learned more about Bristol and the Bearpit, and the misunderstanding of the graffiti was resolved…I tried to stop Boudicia and spoke up.

“Boo-san, please relax for a moment.”

“Shut up! It’s your fault for just waltzing in here that I had to run into this woman! And if you hadn’t said my name, she wouldn’t have found out, either! Aren’t you nice!”

“Hey, Boo. Are you just venting your anger on him? That’s pathetic.”

Let alone oil to the fire, I poured a whole canister of gasoline onto it. Realizing that she was reaching breaking point, I pulled in my neck. However, the next voice that reached my ears specifically called out Boudicia’s name. And that one I hadn’t expected, yet knew.

“I was looking for you, Boo! Yoshi-kun!”

“George-san?”

He seemed to have been running here, as he gasped for air, his clothes in disarray. And without any warning, he continued.

“Something bad happened!”