Volume 1 - CH 3

“What happened George-san?”

“Graffiti…Someone wrote graffiti…!”

“Relax, Parsley. We see that on the daily here!”

George was gasping for her as he had his hands on his knees, but Boudicia showed no concern and asked in a sulking tone.

“The…Clifton Suspension Bridge!”

I’ve never seen George this flustered before. Looking at him like this, it must be something extraordinarily serious.

“What happened?”

“Yoshi-kun…Yeah, I will have to ask for your assistance in this,” George stood up straight and took a few deep breaths. “The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge built around 150 years ago, regarded as one of the world’s oldest. It’s one of the historical buildings that make up the historical symbols of Bristol.”

“Writing in such places…These third-rate writers have no respect for history and culture,” hearing Lara’s words, I remembered the rules of overwriting.

When looking at a building of such historical value, I doubt any graffiti would have more value than it.

“What’s the big rush? Just erase it again?” At the same time, Boudicia nonchalantly played with the string of her hoodie, seeming disinterested.

“The size is on an entirely different scale. After all…It’s the main towers!”

“What did you say?!”

“Hey now, the main towers…? But that’s…”

Lara swallowed her breath, and even Boudicia stopped her hand in shock.

“Yeah, thirty meters. And it’s one whole side. I told you, we’re dealing with a grave situation!”

A graffiti… the length of thirty meters was drawn on a building that had existed for 150 years…Even I understood the gravity of the situation by simply hearing those measurements.

“And the timing couldn’t be worse. With the city council’s stance towards graffiti growing negative by the second, if they use the vandalism against historical buildings as a reference to having all graffiti removed, even I won’t be able to keep them at bay.”

“There’s no guarantee that will happen! If the writers work together now, we can fight off the city council!”

“Yes…But that is most likely why…” George put one hand on his forehead as he looked at me. “Back in the 90s, we saw large-scale dance parties, so-called raves, being popular everywhere. It also ended up as the trading ground for drugs, which forced the police to intervene. That, in return, gave birth to a conflict between the force and citizens who truly loved the culture.”

“Conflict…”

“Sorry, I phrased it a bit too naively. It was a riot. The police and the citizens began to fight with each other.”

“A riot?! They all tried to protect themselves from the police!” Lara protested.

Looking at how peaceful Bristol is nowadays, such a situation is hard to imagine.

“I understand what you’re trying to say. I just need to tell you that the city council is highly cautious of such a possible incident reoccurring. Graffiti possesses strength. It turned into a banner and voice during the riot. That is why the city council can’t ignore it. If they proceed with the eradication, you’re still getting off easy. There’s a chance the police will have a right to the use of force. I’d personally like to have things end peacefully…”

“Wait, are you from…” Lara put one hand on her mouth, and even I held my breath.

George is an official here in Bristol. Meanwhile, Lara is a proficient writer with her own graffiti crew. In other words, they are mortal enemies. However, that worry was only fleeting.

“Captain Lara. I know you quite well. My name is George, and I’m an official with the city. However, I’m thankful to you for gathering up the writers that could cause trouble. I understand that there are a lot of things you want to say, but we’re dealing with an emergency here. Could we postpone this for another time?”

“Hah! Heard that, Peni? A dog from the city council’s lowering his head towards us!”

“As expected of the Captain!”

“JF, Peni, this isn’t the time to be happy!”

Those two suddenly were all revitalized seeing George’s attitude, but Lara immediately scolded them.

“Anyway, I’ll make my way to the city hall and try to explain the situation. Boo, you go find the writer who did this. I’ll handle the negotiations then.”

“Huh? Why me?”

“It’s bad if the police get them first. And if they’re shown on the security camera, it’s just a matter of time, too. Leaving aside your regular city wall, we’re looking at vandalism of a historical building. That’ll be ten years of penal labor or a fine of more than 5000 pounds. And at this time, the police will take this very seriously. And if they get confined once, they’re out of my reach. I can interfere with the reports, but not forever.”

I sneakily took a glance at Boudicia’s profile. She was quiet, and I had no way of guessing what she was thinking. However…I realized that we couldn’t keep going like this.

“Boo-san.”

“What? I’m not doing this.”

I brought my face closer to Boudicia, who didn’t even look at me and whispered.

“…Hey.”

“Huh? Wh-What?”

“Let’s look for them. I know you can do it.”

“Yoshi, you…”

“You don’t want all the graffiti to disappear, right?”

“Well, duh…”

“I definitely don’t want it.”

Not while I still don’t know a thing. About the girl in front of me…and graffiti as a whole. As well as the answer to the question I carry with me. There was a brief silence, yet long enough to assume the live performance of a song could have stopped. During that time, I looked directly into Boudicia’s eyes. I wonder just what her blue and translucent eyes were looking at.

“…Got it. If you’re that adamant on it, I’ll go,” she pouted, and I naturally didn’t miss that.

“Boo-san!”

“O-Only this once, okay!”

“You done talking? Good. I’m counting on you, Graffiti Detective!” George said so with a peaceful tone and ran back the same way he came.

It must be an extremely dire situation, and yet he came to look for us regardless. Even if he mainly relied on Boudicia, I want to answer his expectations. And that wasn’t a lie.

“…I’m going, too.” Lara had remained quiet so far, now looking at us as determination filled her gaze. “Of course, I will. Friend or foe doesn’t matter. I have to find the writer. If not, I don’t deserve the title of Captain.”

“Captain!”

“So cool!”

“JF, Peni! You look after the bus. Go around asking the crew and contact me if they find anything!”

“Aye, ma’am!”

They responded in perfect unison, running off in another direction. If the city council started causing chaos, they would suffer, too. And after seeing them off, I turned toward the two girls. Boudicia and Lara remained silent, facing each other. I hesitated if I should say anything. I knew that this was a problem between two writers. And, I’m not a writer. But suddenly, Lara offered her right hand. Boudicia looked at this offered hand, and then stretched out her own. Then, Lara took that hand.

“I shouldn’t have gotten so fired up before. Sorry.”

“No, well, um…” Boudicia failed to give a proper response, just mumbling.

“Anyway, let’s move together for now. That…George just now, I’ll take him up on the offer. We’ll engage in a temporary truce.” Lara removed her hand and pushed her shoulder against Boudicia’s, grinning. “But I still haven’t given up on you!”

Boudicia may not have broken her silence, but she did at least nod. After they stopped shaking hands, my eyes met with Boudicia. She didn’t say a thing. She showed a complicated expression, one that wasn’t related to her lack of motivation or the fact that the graffiti at the suspension bridge. I thought of saying something, but then changed my train of thought and decided to follow suit with Lara. What I could do now was smile as best as I could, directing it at Boudicia.

*

The Clifton Suspension Bridge crossed the River Avon located to the west of Bristol. It was quite the distance away from our starting point, the 8-Bit World. And usually, this wouldn’t be much of a problem, but Bristol consisted of a lot of consecutive hills. Yet, as I was slowly beginning to fight for air, Boudicia and Lara were perfectly fine. Then again, this much exercise might be something like a morning jog for graffiti writers like them.

“So this is…”

“Huge, right?”

Seeing me at a complete loss for words, Boudicia spoke like a proud mother. With the suspension bridge right in front of me, it definitely was a sight to behold. Two tall towers made of prick stood inside the large ravine, with white cables connecting the towers. Then again, the cables aren’t comparable to the well-known string, and instead were like plates of stacked iron, fixed in place using bolts, and the radius of these had at least the same as a human’s shoulders. The main towers looked worn down and victims of time, but the cables shone in a bright white, probably renewed several times. The various roads leading up to it were used by many vehicles and allowed regular traffic as always despite this having been built in the 19th century.

“Tsk, the police are snooping around.”

“It is heavily guarded, yes.”

The close vicinity of the suspension bridge was full of police officers wearing yellow fluorescent safety vests, talking with each other. They seemingly weren’t blocking off traffic entirely, but they must be busy conducting an investigation right now. Seeing how big of a deal this had turned into, I could feel my body naturally tensing up.

“Ah, what’s that?” I stopped in my tracks and pointed at a building near the bridge, furnished with weird objects.

It looked like a decoration made of plastic, consisting of a small black circle with two red ellipses.

“Ah, those are poppy flowers. They’re set up in England when Remembrance Day is approaching. It’s to honor those who lost their lives in the war,” Lara’s comment had me looking around, as I saw several of these flowers scattered around the bridge.

I see, so the black part was the center of the flower, with the red ellipses as the artificial flower petals.

“But those aren’t real flowers, right?”

“It’d be too much of a bother, yeah. It’s not made for a ceremony either. Then again, some go the extra mile of buying the genuine thing,” Boudicia smiled.

I don’t think that honoring the dead is anything that could be qualified as ‘a bother,’ but this rational thinking was very much like what I knew from England. And with that cleared up, we headed to the wall that had the graffiti written on it. The graffiti George explained was on the two main towers. The tower closest to us was completely black, with a design resembling a flower drawn on it. Eerily enough, the whole thing was so immeasurable in size that I couldn’t even make out the full picture.

“Oh dear.”

“This is…”

Even Lara was taken aback, swallowing her breath. Boudicia had crossed her arms, lost in thought about something.

“I’m shocked. This isn’t any ordinary writer.”

“Yeah. Let alone skill, being able to finish such a monster without being seen is another feat that’s worthy of respect.”

Despite their experience in the field, if these two were this bewildered, then I could guess how big of a deal this was.

“How did they even write this?”

Something of this size isn’t something you can create by just facing the wall. There must be some special method to this.

“When you’re working on some giant graffiti like this, you usually create something like a scaffolding you see when there’s construction work, or you rent a bucket truck…”

“And neither of them won’t work here because of how narrow the path is. Boo, you think they used a ladder?”

“But at this height? With that way it’d shake, there’s no way you could confidently write. One gust of wind and you’re down in hell. This would be suicide.”

I looked over the railing and straight down. The river was quite a distance away to the point I couldn’t even guess the exact number. Falling down from here definitely wouldn’t be anything to scoff at. Just thinking about it makes my back shiver.

“Let’s go to the opposite side, too,” Boudicia had her arms crossed as she quickly headed over to the opposite shore.

Lara and I chased after her. The police gave us cautious gazes, but we didn’t mind that and gazed up at the other tower. Here, too, it was obvious that it was drawn by a human hand, but with this up close, it was impossible to figure out exactly what they wrote. All this looking up was starting to make my neck feel stiff.

“Boo-san, can you tell what kind of spray paint was used here, just like before?” I asked, not expecting too much.

“This one is Flame’s orange.”

And yet, she immediately responded like she had waited for me to ask, leaving me bewildered. Not to mention that the content of her answer had me curious.

“Flame…? Orange…?”

Truth be told, the graffiti did look like it had a flame pattern to it, but that isn’t the case here at all. It just looks like a wall of black.

“Flame’s the brand. The oil-based acrylic stuff has a completely different touch to it, which makes it obvious. Usually, you have two types of spray paint when dealing with pressure. Flame’s big for low-pressure blue and high-pressure orange. Low pressure is used for detailed writing, whereas high pressure is when you’re looking at the time. And this wasn’t a genuine nozzle, but a fat nozzle that immediately releases the pain. For the size, writing so much with a rough and peaky spray paint requires a lot of skill.”

As I yet again admired her deduction skills, Lara looked at Boudicia with a dubious look.

“Boo, you can tell that much just by looking at it?”

“Huh? Any writer would be able to tell no biggie.”

“…Sometimes you’re so rude without realizing it.”

“Huuuh? Why am I being dissed now?! I’ll smash your head in with my Montana.”

I almost burst out laughing while listening to their exchange. When it comes to writers, Boudicia’s the only one I knew, and I figured that it was just the norm to be able to guess this much, but it appears I was under the wrong impression.

“But that’s also all I can figure out. Can’t guess much without seeing the whole thing.”

“That’s true. Then…”

“Yeah, over here.”

“P-Please wait for me!”

As Boudicia and Lara turned around to walk the way back, I was almost left behind. When we headed back to where we started, they headed up a small hill road next to the bridge.

“We’re going hiking now?”

“Stop crying, geez.”

“Hee hee. Just a bit longer, so power through it, okay?”

Do graffiti writers have bottomless stamina or something? Or is this just the case for the citizens of Bristol? I once again chased after them, praying that my legs wouldn’t give in mid-way. After we reached the top of the hill road, we made it to the summit. What greeted me were benches, with a woman reading a book. But more than anything, the scenery was just breathtaking. From here, you could observe the suspension bridge and the river as a whole.

“I’m at my limit. Please let me rest a bit…” I sat down on the bench, with Boudicia joining me, and Lara right next to her.

“You’ve got no endurance, Yoshi. It’s because you’re not eating any meat.”

“But I’m perfectly fine despite being a vegetarian.”

“That’s why you’re stuck at the height of a dwarf.”

“How rude! Also, does all the meat you eat go right here by any chance, Boo?”

“S-Stop! Don’t touch me!”

I know I’m not one to talk after I sat down before the two ladies, but is this really the time to be fooling around? It feels like we’re genuinely forgetting about the problem at hand. However, the giant graffiti written on the bridge quickly stood out to remind us. From here, we could clearly see the whole picture that the two towers formed. And from this far away, the sheer size and weird shape of the graffiti stood out. It was art riddled with mystery. It looked like a large flame wrapping itself around the tower near bristol. And with the pillar stretching tall into the sky, it looked like a flame pillar that set fire to the tower. Additionally, it felt like you could see humans inside this flame like they were burning.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. What’s going on here? Meanwhile, the tower on the opposite end showed a muscular man wearing what looked like a pelt. He held a bottle in hand, looking like he was going to throw it. He looked to be in anger, his expression distorted in fury. The spear-formed object nearby him looked like a shovel digging up dirt. I found myself entranced at this sight, and the two next to me who had been fooling around until a few moments ago were now staring at the graffiti.

“The pattern doesn’t look familiar to me.”

The first one to speak up was Lara. And of course, it’s not like she knows all the artists out there, but this one at least shouldn’t be that famous.

“Doesn’t seem like they regularly draw pieces or murals.”

“So it’s a slow-up or a tag specialist?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Um…come again?”

I couldn’t follow the conversation and asked like an utter fool.

“Tag refers to a quickly written graffiti that’s just one color. A slow-up focusses a bit more on the letters,” Lara explained as she laughed, and Boudicia followed up.

“And piece is short for a masterpiece. It’s the term for those who’ve got a lot of vigor and vision behind it. Murals refer to large graffiti.”

“But recently, you also call graffiti that was done with the permission of the owner of a store or building like that.”

Yeah, I’ve seen several graffiti that clearly seemed to have been done without permission yet looked awfully complicated and time expensive.

“Then again, this guy’s definitely not gotten permission. That much is certain,” Boudicia said as she pointed at the giant graffiti. “…I don’t like this one bit.”

Something had her grinding her teeth. And when our gazes met, she instantly looked away.

“Hm…What to do about this…”

We figured out the whole image. But, that’s about it. With no place to start, we’ve got cards in our hands. I opted to check out the graffiti once more.

“What could that bottle be that the man is holding?” I pointed with my finger and asked the two.

Half of this was to organize my own thoughts. The man had a shovel and bottle drawn with him. The shovel was stuck in the ground, that much I could tell. However, a bottle isn’t something you throw. If so, he should have a reason to do so.

“You’re right. Maybe he’s throwing it at what’s written on the opposite tower?”

“Bottle and flame…Burning men…Must be a molotov cocktail.”

Hearing Boudicia’s deduction, Lara clapped her hands together.

“That’s it! Then this must be Mild Mild West!”

Lara took out her phone and showed me a picture of graffiti.

“This is it.”

Mild Mild West. The phrase written with alphabetical letters up to the top of the graffiti must act as the title. And from the looks of it, it seems to have been written on a wall. To the left, you could see three men with rectangular shields. They wore special dome hats, meaning they probably belonged to the police force. Because they were surrounded by a white line contradicting the black background, it created a particular sensation that was neither detailed nor rough. Meanwhile, the individual opposing the police stood out the most. It seemed like a white bear of sorts, holding a bottle in his left hand. It’s the exact same one we could see on the tower, too. And below the ground they stood on, I could see thick alphabetical letters—BANKSY.

“This is…”

“Correct. One of Banksy’s graffitis.”

Does the work of one of the most famous graffiti writers and the graffiti written on the bridge have anything to do with each other? I compared the two in front of me.

“And this bottle is the… cocktail?”

“Yeah. The common name is a Molotov cocktail. It’s basically like a burning bottle.”

Looking closer, the bottle the bear held had fire coming out of it. But then, an adorable bear like that was awfully mismatched in the situation.

“Why would he hold something so dangerous…”

The one to answer my question was Lara.

“George mentioned that when the raves were getting suppressed by the police, the citizens and the force clashed, remember? The citizens of Bristol fought back with these Molotov cocktails.”

When I listened to George speak of that incident, I figured that a fight between police and citizens would be far too one-sided. However, if the citizens had this at their disposal, that would change a lot. And then, the war must have been much more severe than I could ever imagine. Like a true riot, even.

“This graffiti depicts the situation from back then. That’s why this became the symbol of Bristol’s underground culture, revolting against the oppression of the city. We’re not just living under the boot of the police. If we so desire, we can cause a revolution. We can change the world. Banksy and his graffiti taught us that.”

“After this, Banksy’s popularity exploded. Nowadays, the city’s working hard to preserve this graffiti. Laughable, ain’t it?”

Lara’s eyes lit up in excitement as she explained, whereas Boudicia was rational once again. It was the same when George explained it…I guess she must have complicated feelings regarding Banksy.

“When I started writing graffiti, the Bearpit wasn’t such a dangerous place anymore. It was probably thanks to Banksy and the others winning against the oppression. After all, the city council is doing everything it can to preserve that wall as a piece of art. With more people accepting graffiti into their lives, the police or city council can’t just ignore it,” Lara said and gazed at the graffiti in the distance. “I don’t know what really happened, and I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. However, I want to fight. Fight to protect what Banksy and the others did all the way back. And…the person who wrote this graffiti probably feels the same way.”

I barely know a thing about graffiti. However, it’s easy to feel and grasp the fact that this town and its history, even the feelings of the people living here, were all packed into the graffiti filling this place. I never would have imagined that some drawing on the wall could hold so much value. And it’s far from over. Lara and the writer responsible for this carry the feelings of the previous generation. It’s a work written for the sake of the town, daring to take up after Banksy. The graffiti written on this bridge is carrying the weight of that. I looked at the graffiti again.

“I wonder why it’s not a bear, though.”

“What do you mean?” Lara asked as she looked at me.

“I mean…it’s clearly taken after Banksy’s graffiti, so why isn’t the man with the bottle a bear, too?”

“You mean there’s a reason why that part was changed on purpose?”

“Yes. Though I don’t know what exactly that could try to convey.”

“It looks like a caveman. Or maybe a Greek god?”

“That shovel belongs to the man, no? Would they really carry a shovel with them?”

“Shovel…I see, a shovel!”

I just muttered my doubt, but Lara suddenly looked at me as if she had solved the riddle.

“Not bad, Yoshi. If this graffiti doesn’t show a caveman or god, then it has to be a giant! And that would reveal the next location they’ll write at.”

“Where would that be…?”

“Right over there!”

I looked in the direction Lara pointed at. There stood an old and worn-down construct, up at the summit of another hill.

“What’s that?”

Unlike the suspension bridge, it didn’t feel too grounded in reality. And its name sounded like it came out of a fairytale.

“The Giant’s Cave.”

*

The building standing on the summit definitely wasn’t anything breathtaking or awe-inspiring when it came to size. The rectangular construction with the cylinder-shaped tower adjacent to it reminded you of a small fort or castle, but it was much smaller in scale. Instead, it could only compare to a regular family house, which could be circulated around in a minute or less.

“What kind of building is this?”

“The Clifton Observatory. Don’t know much about it, but it’s hella old.”

“Oh, Boo. Always so blunt. It was originally a windmill that burned down, now offering a few smaller camera obscura rooms, and…”

“Nobody asked you to play tour guide!”

I see…So it’s an older viewing deck of sorts. That would explain the weird shape it had. Personally, I would have loved to hear more about what Lara had to say, but I can just ask her later.

“Hmm…All right, then let’s meet up some other time, Yoshi. Of course, just as the two of us~”

“Huh…?”

“Why would you have to do that?!”

“But it’s important to learn of the charm that Bristol brings, no? Or, what? Boo, do you actually…”

“Shut up! Shut up! Let’s just go!”

“Hee hee, how adorable!” Lara smiled with a teasing tone as she entered the building, Boudicia and I followed after.

The class door opened, with a t-shirt-wearing employee standing at the counter, greeting us. The modern inside of the building contradicted its outside appearance, making me feel like I had traveled in time. Meanwhile, Lara took out some money and handed it to the employee.

“What are you buying?” I asked.

“Tickets for the Giants Cave.”

“That…feels odd.”

“It’s 2,5 pounds for each person.”

“And it is quite cheap…”

“Not quite. It was free at first. So now, it feels expensive.”

Lara accepted the money from me and Boudicia, and we headed to the deeper part of the establishment. Hearing the term Giants Cave, I had expected a scenery akin to what could be a level in a fantasy game, but I was disappointed to see that it was a regular tourist spot. And without knowing of my dejected feelings, Boudicia and Lara headed down a small set of stairs, opening a door and passing through.

“Wow…”

The view that happened up beyond that door left me gasping. A hole opened up right in front of us. Iron stairs probably built some time ago connected to the hole in the rock. And with the lights illuminating the place, the cables hanging out in the open, it reminded me more of a coal mine than an actual cave.

“Does the oxygen even get down here?” I asked, as the air suddenly felt awfully tight.

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Yoshi, you scared?”

“Don’t blame me. This is normal when encountering a cave like this.”

“But I did say this was the Giants Cave, no?”

“It is too tight despite its name.”

“You’re a bit of a scaredy cat, hm? No problem, I’ll go ahead.”

“Hey, she’s making fun of you!”

“I…don’t particularly care, to be honest.”

Lara acted as the leader of the group, with Boudicia after her. I followed those two, who didn’t seem bewildered at this sight in the slightest, all the while being careful of my step. The rusted iron guard rail only existed to the right of us. Contradicting her previous momentum, Boudicia was now carefully making her way down the stairs. Lara seemed perfectly used to this, as she began to leave us in the dust.

“Are you okay, Boo-san?”

“I don’t need you worrying about…Waah?!”

I heard a shriek, followed by Boudicia’s body slipping backward. I quickly grabbed her, as her weight pressed on my arms.

“You two okay?” Lara’s clear voice passed through the cave.

I could faintly see her turning around with a worried expression.

“We’re fine!” I answered.

And then I sighed in relief that Boudicia didn’t hit her head.

“Um, Yoshi…”

“Yes?”

“Could you let me go?”

Only through those words did I realize that I ended up embracing Boudicia from behind.

“Huh? Ah, sorry.”

I quickly let go of her. However, the warmth she left on her arms remained.

“So, um…Thanks,” she said as she lightly pouted, pushing her eyebrows together.

It did not look like she was all too thankful, to be honest.

“You had me panic there. I thought it was all over.”

“Just because I slipped doesn’t mean that you’ll die!”

“Don’t even joke about that. I swear…Please be careful, okay?”

If she hit her head here, then we’ve got bigger problems than some graffiti. But seeing her face illuminated by the faint light above us, I sighed in relief.

“Wh-What?! Are you my mum or some…”

“Yes, yes. Anything is fine. I’ll go ahead, yeah?”

“…R-Right.”

Boudicia can be extremely clumsy. And even if she came here several times before, she easily slips on even the safest of ladders. I can’t relax my guard for once. I made my way forward and tried to slip past Boudicia, when I felt like I was caught on something and turned around. There, I saw that her left hand was tightly holding onto my shirt. Her lips were shut just as tightly as her grasp.

“Everything okay back there?”

“Yeah!”

After checking that we were fine, Lara continued to walk ahead again. She seemed used to making her way down here but still went at a pace she was comfortable with. We did the same while ensuring that we didn’t bump our heads anywhere. And after moving down for a bit longer, we ran into steeper stairs that resembled a ladder.

“Jeepers, this one’s steep,” I mumbled, but Boudicia gave no response.

Instead of that, it felt like her grip on my shirt grew even stronger. I accepted this as her answer and quickly stopped, leaning against the guard rail, as I took one careful step after the other. Lara had gone so far ahead, I couldn’t even see her. After around thirty steps, a bright light awaited us at the tip of the stairs, forcing me to narrow my eyes.

“Is this an exit…?”

“Yeah. Though you can’t go anywhere,” Boudicia said as she let go of my shirt.

She walked on ahead so naturally, it almost felt like that previous incident didn’t even happen. I followed after her when I saw Lara’s silhouette in the backlight. Walking toward that light, we reached the exit of the cave. And just as Boudicia had said, this was also our final destination. It felt like we jumped out into the open air. The river was flowing past beneath us, and the opposite coast was covered with trees. The gush of wind passing through the ravine was cold, too. It took me a moment to realize that this was a stone opening forming deep inside the hill we walked inside.

And we currently stood at what could be described as a balcony of the cave. I was entranced by the outlook for a moment, but even though we were practically standing on air, the ground was made of iron plates, which honestly didn’t look too safe. If you fell down from here, you only had the river and rocks to cushion your fall, which would spell instant death.

And then, I glanced over at where the bridge should be. The first tower with the pillars of flame was hidden by the shore, but the tower depicting the giant with the Molotov cocktail was visible even from here.

“It seems like this cave and the graffiti must be connected.”

“Bristol actually has a legend revolving around giants,” Lara explained with a bit of joy in her voice, as I was still unsure what even the meaning of any of this was.

She always seemed so lively whenever she could speak of Bristol.

“A long, long time ago, two giants lived in Bristol—Goram and Gyhston. Both of them were in love with the beautiful Princess Avona,” Lara explained with a sparkle in her eyes as she put her hands together.

She acted like she was putting on a stage play.

“During that time, Bristol had a large lake. And Avona said she would marry the one who could empty the whole lake. Isn’t that…so romantic?”

“Is that what happened? I thought they just beat up each other.”

“Boo! You’re so wild…But, that’s what’s so cute about you!”

“Sh-Shut up!”

There were many things I wanted to say, but I opted to listen in silence. Can’t break between those two.

“They didn’t fight for her, they constructed the public works. Goram grew tired and fell asleep after drinking ale, whereas Ghyston steadily dug deeper inside the ground, emptying the lake. What he created through this process is the Avon Gorge, with the River Avon passing through it. Both were named after Princess Avona. And in the end, Gyhston married Princess Avona. The End.”

“Some Happily Ever After like that sure is boring. That lazy princess should’ve just dug her own hole to empty the lake.”

“You have a point. Her reasons for this aren’t too well explained. But a princess is still a policymaker, so maybe it was for official reasons.”

“But isn’t it super inconvenient that a valley was made because of this?”

“That is true. It depends on the situation back at the time, but maybe it was a necessary safety measure to protect themselves from an outside invasion,” I commented on Boudicia’s question.

“You two clearly lack any romantic vision…” Lara held her head. “Anyway! The reason this place is called the Giants Cave is that it is said that Ghyston had lived here!”

“Doesn’t look like a place a giant can fit, though.”

“That is also true. The comment conception is that these were the remains of a church that stood here in the 4th century.”

That would make a lot more sense. Coming all this way down here to then indulge in the scenery had an adorning feeling to it. It was perfect to offer prayers. But after listening to Lara’s explanation, one thing clicked in my mind.

“So that giant holding the shovel…The graffiti must be representing Ghyston, right?”

“Yeah. And the people he’s throwing the Molotov cocktail at would be Goram. Or in our modern sense, the city council and police, as all they do is drink ale and sleep around while the problems continue to grow…if I had to guess.”

I was wondering why we couldn’t see both towers from here, but that would explain a lot. Only Ghyston would be visible from here because this is where he worked. The more I learn, the more I realize how profound the meaning behind graffiti has become. Just who in the world wrote it, though?

“Hey, look at this.”

It sounded as if Lara had found something because she beckoned us over. We approached her and looked at the wall. I could see several drawings and doodles, which you’d often see at tourist spots.

“It’s just random scribbling.”

“No, look at this one.”

One of them was new. And, the shape almost made it seem like a sign, written concisely with one color…The thick black we had seen with the giant on the tower.

“Hey, Boo. Can you read this?”

“No…I gotta pass.”

“Me neither.”

“Wait, really?”

I understood that the letters of graffiti could be hard to decipher but to think both Boudicia and Lara were helpless.

“It’s not art.”

“But, it looks important, right?”

“That is true…” I stood next to the two and gazed over the drawing.

Looking closer, I could see the usage of strokes, which then slowly turned into shape.

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong, Yoshi?”

“I can read it.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. After all…these are Chinese letters.”

Two characters, to be exact.

“Then what does it say?!” Lara pushed her face closer.

Well, I could read the kanji, but it wasn’t an idiom I knew. However, they felt oddly…familiar to me.

“Put into English, this one here would be [Phase]. The other one is…a bit more complicated. It’s something along the lines of [Obligation] or [Appreciation].”

“What? That makes no sense. If you’re gonna be like this, you have to be upfront like the samurai!”

“Maybe it’s some sort of secret code?”

As those two were also lost in thought, I stared at the two characters. And then, I found the connection.

“Boo-san, Lara-san.” I looked at the two. “This…is a name.”

Boudicia’s facial color changed. The graffiti written in all black…a writing method in an unfathomable place…and a signature made of kanji. All this information connected in my mind, leading me to one conclusion. And the silhouette that popped up at the end of it all—was a familiar one.

*

Aeon showed no particular reaction when he saw us enter. After leaving the cave, the two girls and I headed directly here. There was no more need to guess or run around like a headless chicken. The conclusion…our destination…there was only one.

“Aeon. The graffiti on the bridge…that was your doing, wasn’t it!”

“Now…what might you be referring to?”

Because of his large sunglasses, it was impossible to properly filter out his expression. Even as Lara declared him as the culprit. His voice sounded the same as always.

“To think I’d see the Ghost and the Captain standing side by side like this…It’s so bright, even with my sunglasses on.”

The fact that Aeon knew about Lara didn’t surprise me all too much. As an employee of a store selling spray paint, not to mention close to a gathering point of writers, it was expected that he knew.

“So you’re finally ready to step back onto the scene, Boudicia.”

“This is not the time to be joking around!” Boudicia roared, about to explode.

“Aeon-san, we went to the Giants Cave. We saw that graffiti.”

Aeon’s eyebrow twitched, and I didn’t miss that.

“You wrote it, thinking that nobody could read it, didn’t you? But, you forgot about me.”

“I see…To be more precise, I forgot about you. And I apologize for that.” Aeon quickly regained his calm expression and said so. “The first kanji read as [Ai1], with the second as [On2]. At first, I hadn’t connected the dots at all. Someone who isn’t Japanese…No, someone who wasn’t at least somewhat proficient in Japanese wouldn’t even put the two together to create [Aion]. And the only writer here in Bristol to fit that description…was you, Aeon-san.”

“Generation, history, life…That is what Aion means in Greek. And I had a priest at a temple in Kyoto connect it to this kanji. It’s supposed to remind us all that generations, history, and life all come together when we share each other’s feelings.” Aeon explained with a warm tone.

However, his voice quickly cooled down again.

“I may have written my tag there at the Giants Cave. However, I was simply overwhelmed by boredom at that time,” he crossed his arms and said so. “I know about the graffiti that appeared at Clifton Suspension Bridge. I also went to see it for myself. But as a writer living in Bristol, that is nothing weird. Who could blame me for coming to look at it? But beyond that, I have no way or means of writing graffiti on there.”

Originally, this shouldn’t have anything to do with me. I’m not a graffiti writer, nor am I a resident here in Bristol. But even so, I couldn’t step down from this. I wanted to know…Know why Aeon did something like this. And why people write graffiti. And once I find that out, surely…

“You have a way, actually,” I took a deep breath, organizing the facts in my mind, and lined them up in front of Aeon.

“At first, I figured you’d created some scaffolding, but that’s impossible. You were most likely hanging down from the top of the tower, using rope and harness.”

“H-Hold on a second.”

The one to speak up wasn’t Aeon, but Lara.

“That’s impossible. There are no stairs up to the towers, and not a ladder in the world could reach up there. How could he…”

I had yet to explain my train of thought to either of them.

“That’s why…he climbed it.”

“Climbed…what?”

“The thick plates on the cables.”

“But one wrong move, and he would have ended up dead! No ordinary person could pull that off!”

Aeon hadn’t said a single word so far. Instead, Lara was the one most bewildered.

“Of course. Logically thinking, there have to be people. If you can’t drive a car there to deliver materials for a scaffold, or any other vehicle to allow for this type of work, then how else would people take care of the bridge’s regular maintenance?”

“Ah…” Lara’s mouth opened, as her piercing jingled.

“No matter how sturdy it may be, it would be impossible for the bridge to continue the way it has since the 19th century without any means of maintenance or repair. In fact, the coating of the wires looked quite new to me when I saw it. Someone must have worked on that.”

“Yoshi, I like your idea, but I’m just a regular shop employee. I’ve never been an aerial worker.”

“Which is fine, as long as you hold similar qualifications and techniques. For example, a window cleaner, a carpenter, an electrician, a rescue worker, a firefighter, or possibly even…” I looked directly at the eyes hidden behind Aeon’s sunglasses. “Someone from the military.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Both Boudicia and Lara turned around to look at me in disbelief, wondering how I could reach that conclusion. And yet, Aeon remained cool as before.

“Yoshi…Let me ask for your proof.”

“It caught my attention when we first met. Your stance and demeanor as one thing…You spoke with military jargon, saying Affirmative or Negative when answering questions.”

“That’s all?”

“This flower, too.”

I pointed at the red flower on the counter. It was the same flower Boudicia almost knocked over when we first went to see Aeon.

“Boo-san told me that this was to honor the victims of the war. I’ve seen them over town here and there, but since you own a real one, I figured you must have some sort of attachment to it.”

After a brief silence, Aeon’s thick lips opened, showing his white teeth.

“…Affirmative. I’m a former SAS, Special Air Service, operative.”

I had expected something along those lines, but hearing that name pop up now definitely took me even by surprise. And yet, Boudicia and Lara were just staring at Aeon in confusion.

“What’s that?” Lara asked

“It’s the world’s first special service, operating under the English army. I see…That’s why…”

“Hey, Yoshi! Don’t just nod to yourself! What’s going on here?!”

I don’t blame them for not knowing. I just happened to learn about it from a game I once played.

“The air service would head behind enemy lines, parachute down onto the ground, and infiltrate from there.”

“That’s suicide!”

“They’re an elite specifically trained for dangerous missions like such.”

“And what does that have to do with anything?!”

“Parachute drops usually start a few hundred meters in the air. They have special anti-terrorism training to practice entering buildings through the windows. Meanwhile, the towers are just 30 meters tall. He should be able to easily make his way up there,” I said and looked up at the sturdy man in front of me.

At first, I considered the creation of graffiti like that to be impossible, but once I understood the logistics behind it, it seemed all too easy for someone of his caliber. Of course, that was just a hallucination, because I still wasn’t as talented as Boudicia or Lara. But after he listened to my explanation, Aeon began laughing. It was laughter from the bottom of his stomach, filling the shop. The three of us were unsure how to interpret this, however.

“I really can’t beat you. Yoshi, you are brilliant.”

“And why is that?” Restless, I asked.

How he wrote that graffiti wasn’t honestly that big of a concern to me. What I really wanted to know…was why. Why would he write such graffiti right there? Even for Aeon, it must have been dangerous and risky. Yet, why did he go to such lengths?

“Well…It seems like I must tell you after all.” Aeon slowly opened his mouth. “It’s a common story. To protect other people, I enlisted in the army, heading to the battlefield. In this situation where death could be mere seconds away, while fighting terrorists that looked like average citizens, I became lost. Wondering what I was even doing.” His mouth twisted as if he blamed himself. “The doctor said I suffered PTSD. That’s why I quit the army and returned to my hometown, Bristol…Except I wasn’t in the state to even work properly. I lived on the road for a while. Near the Bearpit, no less.”

He delivered a concise explanation…Almost too brief. And yet, the simplicity is what made it hit so hard. And I remembered Lara saying that the homeless need a place to stay, too.

“…Each time I heard a loud bang or crash nearby, I was pulled back into the battlefield. I escaped and left my comrades behind, and yet it always caught up with me again…What irony.”

“The…flashbacks.”

I heard about it before. It’s a mental illness that involuntarily repays past events in your head. And in this case, from the battlefield…and war. And despite knowing it, I couldn’t fathom what it was like to experience it first-hand.

“Back at the time, I lost sight of the path I should take. And as I walked past a garbage disposal area, I picked up a single book—About zen. Before I realized it, I was utterly engrossed. And in there, it told me…To practice and find my own heart.”

“That’s how you ended up writing graffiti?”

“Yeah. Though it’s probably different from the practices mentioned in the book.” Aeon scoffed. “Even so, by writing something on the wall, I managed to properly face what was inside my heart. Japan’s sculptors create the Buddharupa, only to eventually reach enlightenment. It was the same for me. Eventually, the memories of the war and battlefields I had seen vanished without a trace. Quickly after, I found a job, which brings me to right now.”

He said that it was a common story…And, that might be the case. Tormented by memories of war and fighting, living on the streets, only to encounter something that sheds light onto the darkness you live in. It sounds like a typical soldier’s story.

“Then why did you write that graffiti?”

That question still stuck with me. I needed to know that answer.

“Let me ask you a question first, Yoshi. Why are you living?”

That question took me by surprise. Why…am I alive? I couldn’t give an instant answer. Or more accurately, I didn’t understand the question. What did he just ask me?

“Time is like a river, never-stopping. You can’t even get a single second back. And one day, we will die. The time granted to us is nothing but a moment. Then…why am I even here?” Aeon dropped his gaze, speaking faintly like he was reciting something.

And yet, I was still struggling to even scratch the surface of that. Even so, Aeon continued.

“Needless to say, I don’t have an answer, either. To me, enlightenment is something far beyond the horizon. However, humans are still forced to choose. There exists a crossroad in this town. And now…the time has come for me to choose.”

The confusion inside of me slowly melted away. Like a block of ice standing on a sandy beach, his words slowly dissolved as they entered me.

“Aeon-san, what did you choose?”

It was a stupid question. Looking at the graffiti was enough for me to guess. But even so, I wanted to hear it from him.

“When I lived on the street, the police were cold to me. Kicked me, ridiculed me, littering the sparse food I had on the ground in front of me. I fought to protect my hometown, and yet the city council didn’t even bother to look at me…But the writers in the Bearpit were different. They supported me, gave me a blanket, and taught me to write graffiti…” Aeon said as he looked at the flower on the counter. “I’ve heard of their plans for the Bearpit. And I have an obligation to fulfill. To repay them…That’s all there is to it,” he said with a deep but clear voice.

Listening to that, Lara slowly opened her mouth.

“I won’t say that I understand what you’ve gone through. However, we share the same feelings. We both want to protect the Bearpit. So let’s fight together.”

“Sorry, Lara, but this is my own fight.”

“But, Aeon…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t deny what you’ve done. However, I’m not a member of your crew…and that is for the better.”

The one in his voice signalized that there was no room to argue, and Lara wasn’t so dense to miss that.

“…Okay, I get it. But, it’s reassuring to see how you decided to stand up for the sake of Bristol.”

“Thank you. Our goal is the same, so our paths will cross again eventually.”

Watching this exchange between Aeon and Lara greatly changed the initial impression I had of him. He seemed like a peaceful and heart-warming individual at first. And that is still the same. However, inside his bulky and well-built body was a burning passion and soul that was impossible to be contained. Looking at him, I had to ask myself…What was I doing here? I have yet to find what I was looking for. And as if he had seen through me, Aeon spoke up.

“Yoshi, life’s like an unstoppable spray can. All you can choose is how you move your hand until you run out of pain,” he said and asked me again. “So, tell me. For what reason do you live? Why are you here? As time marches on mercilessly, why do you stand right there?”

“…Shut up.”

The one to answer that question was Boudicia.

“Stop going around lecturing people, you Buddhism fanatic. Talking down on us like you obtained enlightenment…You don’t get a damn thing!” She grumbled with a gloomy voice.

“Boo, what’s gotten into you? Aeon was speaking to Yoshi, not you…” Lara was bewildered to see Boudicia’s change in attitude after she had remained silent all this time.

And yet, Boudicia continued without minding the girl.

“You’re selfish. At least come to talk to me once. It was you who pushed the spray can onto me. Yet you just decide to go solo, showing off like this. What the hell does appreciation mean? Don’t go talking like you own the patent for it. Even I…even I…!” She grabbed the collar of her hoodie with her left hand as her fingers shook.

I had no idea…that Aeon was the one who taught Boudicia how to write graffiti. And that explains why she went silent when she saw the graffiti on the bridge. She must have known from the start that it was her own teacher’s work. I tried to talk to her, but something else happened.

“Excuse me. This is the Avon Somerset Police.” A deep voice shattered the tension. “We have a few questions regarding the Clifton Suspension Bridge graffiti incident. Would you mind coming with us to the station?”

A police officer entered the store without any warning. He wore a black uniform with a dome-shaped hat and a mustache hanging below his nose. And right after him came two police officers wearing yellow safety vests. Seeing that, I remembered what George told me. That it would be bad if the police found the culprit first. And that it was only a matter of time if he was shown on the security footage.

“Of course. I’ll help in any way I can…If there is anything I can say.” Aeon raised his large arms and stepped out from beyond the counter.

His attitude was so nonchalant and willing to cooperate with the police, something didn’t sit right with me. But now, it clicked. There’s no way a former military affiliate like Aeon wouldn’t know of the security cameras. It also felt weird why he wouldn’t work together with Lara…But what if Aeon had intended to be caught from the very beginning?

“Aeon-san, why?!”

“It’s simple. I wanted to convey my message to this city. I wanted to give them the courage to fight…That even if it seems impossible, we’ve come a long way.”

“But all for this…”

“Youuu bastaaards!!”

When I heard a roaring scream, it was already too late. Like a bullet leaving the gun, I had no way of reaching Boudicia as she shot past me. Her body moved as she rammed right into the two yellow-vested police officers.

“Gah! What’s her deal?!”

“I won’t let you have Aeon!”

“Boo-san!”

“He’s a goddamn chocolate bastard who’s always going on my serves…But he wrote that for Bristol’s sake! You police hounds have no right to take him with you! Not you…who just go around hurting those weaker than you!”

“Boudicia, stop it. I’m okay.”

“Like hell you are! Aeon, you’re not wrong at all…You don’t deserve this!” Boudicia’s voice began to turn into screams.

“That’s enough. If you obstruct our work any more than this, we will have to resign using force.”

Even if Boudicia attacked the police officers, they couldn’t immediately retaliate. However, he now gave her an official warning. There won’t be a next time. And if she was still raring for more, then she’d have to face the consequences.

“You brain-rotten dogs should just chase your own tails like the idiots you are! Then go eat shit and sleep as you always do! As if you bastards understand what Aeon tried to do?!”

That clearly took it too far. Tension filled the air, as I looked around. Aeon was being restrained, and Lara showed no signs of moving…I have to do something. Think…How can I resolve this? However, I didn’t make it in time. One of the police officers pushed Boudicia, who slammed into the wall behind her.

“Boo-san!”

“Now you did it, shitface!”

Boudicia stood up to leap at the police officer, but right before that—

“Stop!”

Aeon moved.

He instantaneously put strength in the opposite direction to create faint movement, twisting the arm of the first police officer holding onto him and shaking him off. He then stomped onto the ground to move behind the second police officer, currently still facing Boudicia, and grabbed his arm, twisting it up his back.

“Gah!”

“Hey!”

The police officer with the mustache panicked and attempted to give out orders, as the first officer recovered and took out a police baton from his holster, attempting to hit Aeon from behind. However, Aeon slammed the second police officer he had restrained onto the ground, grabbed the arm with which the first police officer held the baton, and flung the man straight into the counter. The second officer managed to stand up and tried to attack Aeon from behind, but a swift twist from him ended with his elbow stabbing right inside the officer’s solar plexus.

“S-Stop right now!”

Seeing the two police officers collapse on the ground, the officer with the mustache took out the tear spray, but before he could do another thing—

“Sergeant, please wait!”

Someone else appeared at the scene, gasping for air as his hair was drenched with sweat.

“George-kun…Why are you here?”

“Why…? Didn’t I tell you to contact me before you step in?!” He pushed up his trademark blond hair and bit back at the police officer.

And after looking around once, George heavily questioned the same officer.

“Explain what is going on right this instant!”

“He has gone rampant, and we were trying to keep him under control.”

“He fought back?”

“That girl over there provoked a police officer and tried to attack him. She wanted to assist the man’s escape.”

Boudicia heard that and attempted to attack again, but this time I was ready and stepped in front of her, whispering into her ear to put up with it for now. George glanced over at Boudicia but pretended to not know her, as he continued talking with the man he referred to as sergeant.

“We will be dealing with massive repercussions if a police officer gave in to provocation and attacked an average citizen first. And you, as the responsible officer present on the scene, will have to carry responsibility. This store contains security cameras and we could easily confirm the footage right now, but neither you nor I want to exhaust that time. Isn’t that right, Sergeant?”

“Y-Yeah…”

The man with the mustache was visibly bewildered. The police officers who got beaten up by Aeon slowly stood up, too. They glared at Boudicia and Aeon, but showed no intention of causing any more trouble.

“Also, why did you move without my confirmation?”

“We judged that a delay in action could bring risk to a police officer.”

“Then you should have considered that beforehand and consulted with me!”

“But…”

“No buts. I understand that the opposition faction of the city council is on edge, but Uncle has tasked me to handle the case of graffiti. You will be the one who’s in trouble for moving without confirming with me.”

“But the CCTV footage says…”

“I do not disagree with the necessity of the footage to be used as proof for a hearing. However, if there were to be anything opaque during the investigation, we will have a major problem on our hands.”

“That is true…”

“Then let’s go. You’re fine with that, yes?”

“Yeah. No problem.” Aeon responded to George and followed after the police officers.

As I watched him walk off into the distance, George approached me and whispered.

“Were you okay, Yoshi-kun?”

“Huh? Ah, yes, I wasn’t…”

“We’ll talk about this eventually. But, I have to go now.”

“Yes.”

“Look after Boo,” he said and left the store.

Both Lara and I were bewildered. Even Boudicia stood still like she was frozen in place.

“Boo-san, um…” I gently called out to her, but no response came. “Boo-san?”

I wanted to place my hand on her shoulder, but—

“Shut up!” She pushed my hand away and ran out of the store.

I looked at Lara, who still struggled to organize everything that had just happened. However, she then glanced at me once and nodded. I took a deep breath and dashed out of the store, trying to catch up with Boudicia.

*

With Bristol’s aptitude being relatively high, the sun usually sets pretty fast. I could still see the sun setting in the distance, but the sky above us had turned to night. And of course, I knew exactly where she’d be heading. We have not known each other for a long time, but I could easily envision where she’d run off to. And following that vision, I moved my legs.

“Boo-san.”

Shortly after, I spotted the person I was looking for. She was in front of the 8-Bit World. She had the front of her hoodie open, wearing the hood over her head, as she sat in front of the shop window, one arm on her knee, as the other was stretched out. The orange light of the street lamps made her white skin stand out even more than usual.

She caught on to my presence and glanced at me once, only to immediately avert his gaze again. Seeing that, I sighed in relief, but another half of me was still nervous. I’m glad that I found her safe and sound, but now that I chased after her, I had to be prepared for the implications.

I understand why she picked a fight with the police officer. Ridiculing and insulting Aeon, who ignored danger and consequences to write a message for the whole city…I get why she’d blow a fuse. However, her attitude toward Lara or Aeon definitely wasn’t normal.

Because I rushed here, my heart was still pumping. I took three seconds to get my breathing under control and then sat down next to her. She didn’t say a thing, but when I moved closer, I could pick up a sweet scent drifting through the air.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“…Nope.”

I was just relieved to even get an answer like this. After that, she put her hand that she dangled on her knee closer to her mouth, as a blue light flickered up from between her fingers. Following that, I heard a faint psssh sound, and white smoke blew out of her mouth. It was an electronic cigarette. And I was a bit bewildered to see her smoke like this.

“Color me surprised.”

“Mm. They’re without nicotine, though.” She repeated that same cycle as she responded with a listless tone.

“I didn’t know that existed.”

I don’t have any disdain towards cigarettes, but I knew that these electronic cigarettes or vapes vaporized the liquid inside with a heated wire. You rarely see these in Japan, but they pop up here and there in the UK. I remember seeing some LED lights flicker up during a walk at night, so I was curious and looked it up. Boudicia glanced at me once and then spoke up.

“Makes me choke.”

“Choke?”

“Nicotine ones. And they taste awful.”

Hearing that, I burst out laughing. It was a reason you’d expect from her.

“Don’t laugh.”

I expected her to tell me to shut up or something along those lines, but she was a lot more docile right now.

“Mm.”

She let out a faint groan and offered me the mouth part of the vape.

“What?”

“Try.”

I was bewildered for a moment but had no reason to decline. I put my mouth to it, feeling how warm it was. I took a breath, to which Boudicia pressed the button, as another blue light lit up. Now, that sweet scent from just now filled my mouth. The scent was so strong, but it had no actual taste. It really worked in weird ways. As I breathed out, the same white smoke filled the air in front of me. And by trying this myself, I realized.

“Vanilla?”

“Ding ding.”

Vanilla of all things…didn’t really match her cool voice and wild personality. Or…maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe she’s not as cool and wild as she initially looks. Boudicia pulled back her vape and took another hit. I realized that she’d practically shared an indirect kiss through this, but looked away to hide my embarrassment.

“I was really surprised when George-san came to the store.”

“His uncle’s a big guy at the police force.”

“That makes sense.”

That would explain the conversation he had with that police officer. He probably used that connection and slowed down the opposition faction that was against the graffiti. It was very much like him. He was still fighting to protect graffiti. And then, Boudicia and I went quiet. And after this continued for a while, Boudicia mumbled something under her breath.

“…You’re not angry?”

“Huh?”

“Telling me I went too far, and whatever.” She looked at her smoke disappear into the night.

“Why would I be angry at you?” I answered. “What you do, how you feel, it’s your freedom. And what happens because of your actions…is your cross to bear.”

“Heh, well said.” Boudicia laughed faintly as more smoke escaped her mouth.

“But…”

“But?”

“I want to know what exactly you felt then.”

Boudicia looked at me, seeming bewildered for a moment, only for her to smile faintly. And yet, instead of giving me an answer, she took another hit from the vape and blew off the white smoke.

“…When I saw that graffiti on the bridge…I honestly realized that I’d lost. The second I saw it, no less. I wouldn’t be able to pull off such a thing. Not because I wouldn’t be able to climb up there. Just…the look alone told me it was impossible. And that Aeon’s a beast.”

Blue light lit up from her hand as white smoke followed. I watched the smoke dissolve, waiting for her to continue.

“I knew immediately that he did it. But…I didn’t wanna admit it…No, that’s not it. I didn’t hate the fact that I lost against him. I just don’t wanna be annoyed at myself for that…But if I stopped the childish nonsense and just went to meet him directly, he wouldn’t have been caught by the police.”

“That’s not true.”

I understand where she’s coming from. But, Aeon was prepared. Even as the police came, he didn’t try to resist. It was never a thing of making it in time or not.

“You two managed to talk, right? If you had been there right away, he probably would have feigned ignorance. I think you did the right thing.”

“Talk…huh? Did I really manage to have a proper conversation with him?” She breathed in the air and then sighed, as more white smoke disappeared into the night sky. “When you’re writing graffiti, sometimes the spray paint just blasts off everywhere,” she said as she raised her right hand, dangling it in the air. “When you’re getting emotional…When you’re engrossed in your work with lots of momentum, that’s what happens. And when you realize you messed up, it’s already too late. The things most important to you never work out…at least when it comes to graffiti,” she laughed in a self-deprecating manner. “Or maybe I just suck at it.”

I realized that…this was the first time she ever spoke of herself in such a way. She really struggled to get her feelings across, but I somehow managed to grasp what she was saying. She may be talking about graffiti, but…what she really wants to talk about isn’t graffiti at all. I’m not a first-class graffiti writer, nor am I a philosopher who has reached enlightenment. I haven’t known her for years, either. I’m just a visitor who came from the outside. I can’t even sweet-talk that fact. But at the very least…

“Boo-san.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s have a battle.”

“But you can’t write.”

“Not with graffiti. We’ll play a game.”

Honestly, I was worried she’d just call me a brat and call it a day, but…

“Sure, I’m down,” she agreed a lot quicker than I thought.

“But just playing a game normally wouldn’t be any fun. How about the loser has to listen to one of the winner’s requests?”

“I’m game.” Boudicia grinned. “But no pulling out.”

“Of course.”

“All right, now you said it.”

We opened the door to the shop and entered inside. 8-Bit World had several consoles set up for free use between the customers. It’s not exactly good for businesses to be able to try the newest games, but it showed the manager’s personal investment. I doubt he’d get angry if we played a bit. In fact, he’d probably be happy.

“Here you go, some crisps. Eat up.”

As I was looking for a game we could play, Boudicia pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket and threw it on the table. If I had to guess, it must be some kind of snack.

“What did you say?”

“Hm? Crisps.”

An unfamiliar word was thrown at me, and when I asked for clarification, it was flung at me a second time. I figured it’d be quicker to just look at the package.

“Ah, potato chips.”

“That’s what you call them? Taken after America, huh?” Boudicia opened the bag and grabbed a handful of crisps. “If you’re from the UK, Walkers is where it’s at,” she dropped the name of the crisps maker as I could hear crunching from her mouth.

“Ah, I wanna play this one,” she said and pointed at a racing game with characters sitting in small carts.

“Sounds good.”

I put the disk into the console, grabbed the controller, and turned on the screen. Together with a familiar sound, I saw the nostalgic title screen. When it came to choosing characters, I went with the green dinosaur. At the same time, Boudicia immediately chose the evil turtle character with horns on his head.

“This guy’s the strongest.”

“So you’ve played this before?”

Seeing her easily control the menus and pick her character, I judged she must be experienced.

“Yeah. I’m not too into games, but this one I played sometimes.”

I figured she had no interest in games. And yet, she played a game like this before.

“I’ve been wondering for a while…but if you’re not into games, why are you working here?”

“Mm, because games are hella cool.”

Her unexpected answer left me bewildered. Games are cool?

“What about them?”

“What kinda dumb question is that!” Boudicia laughed. “Games from Japan are just fresh. You often see characters from old games packed into graffiti.”

“I didn’t know that.”

It was an unexpected connection.

“Also…I owe a lot to Radesh.”

“To the manager?”

“Yeah. He was a writer before.”

“Seriously?”

I did not expect that in the slightest. He does not look like the sort of person who’d indulge in such outlaw activities.

“But that was a long time ago. He got tired of it.”

Tired…I remembered his lowered eyebrows. Writing on walls while staying hidden from security footage or other people’s eyes. There’s the turf war, the battle, and overwriting, and this even connects to the riot…I can understand his opinion and see how someone as warm as Radesh would get tired of it.

“Got to know him through Aeon, who sent me here. And…said I should play games when I feel down. That’s how I ended up coming here and started working when Radesh was short on staff.”

Hearing her speak down as she usually would almost made me burst out laughing. I’m pretty sure that Radesh offered her a job for her own sake. And yet, I could tell from her tone that she had big respect for Radesh.

“Enough about that, let’s play!”

While discussing that, Boudicia had finished choosing a course. The camera moved behind our carts, and the race began—

“Wah! The hell?! You’re so fast!”

Satisfied at Boudicia raging after losing the first round, I took a crisp…and ate it! In fact, I’ve always loved games. They’re so easy to understand, telling me what I had to do. At first, I only played the newest releases, but eventually went for retro games, too. And I’ve played through all the classics.

“I really like games, see.”

“A bit too much, if you ask me!”

“That’s probably how I ended up with glasses. And you’re not half bad, but you accelerate even in the rough parts. You have to wait for the right moment to drift around the corner to get a boost. And, your character’s top speed is one of the best, so forget about acceleration.”

“Tsk, I’ll get past you, and if it’s the last thing I do! I’m not going home without a victory!”

“Good luck with that.”

We decided to race a different course. And while feeling nostalgic at the sight of all of them, I raced the out in out line. It’s been a hot minute since I played this, but getting back into the groove felt great. In this game, you could get items by driving over symbols on the ground. Once I got the strongest item, the star, Boudicia stole it from me.

“Ah, you got me.”

“Your fault for not paying attention!” She grinned confidently as she used the star she stole from me, kicking away the NPC racer next to her, and sped up.

In order to steal an item, she had to use another of her own, which had the shape of a ghost. For a second, I felt like I had seen that character somewhere else recently. And after a moment, I remembered.

“That’s your sign, Boo-san.”

“Mmm?”

“The ghost you used looks like your signature.”

“Yeah, this is where I got it from.”

I see. She did just say that a lot of graffiti originated from game characters, and she is an example of that fact.

“You can take the items from other people…Pretty strong, don’tcha think?”

“It sure is…With persistence.”

Yet again, it was a reason very much like her. She never wavers, and I really admire that.

“I don’t like losing, so my name’s the name. BOO, see.”

“It has a different name in Japan, though. The same one as the prime minister of the UK3.”

“The heck? That’s so weird,” Boudicia laughed, and we focused back on the game.

Eventually, she spoke up.

“Also, I didn’t expect you’d be into games. You seemed more like the serious type.”

Serious…huh? Well, she’s not wrong.

“The game has its goals clearly marked. That’s why I can take it seriously.”

And because games are simple and straightforward.

“Hm, you could say that.” Boudicia commented, her facing seeming like she was enjoying herself.

Since I rarely get to see such an expression from her, I was entranced for a moment. And because of that, I drove right into the boulder that appeared in front of me.

“Ah.”

“Heh, that’s what you get.”

As my green dinosaur was saved with a fishing rod, the spiky turtle passed me by. That’s what I like to see…I stepped on the gas and drifted around the corner. I think I played the best round of my life after that, but it was still not enough to catch up.

“Krk…”

“All right, I won! Only got to blame yourself for running into that bolder like an amateur!”

“I won’t lose next time.”

“Heh, the next race is on my favorite map. I’ll win again, just you wait.”

The races went in order of the coup we had chosen, and there were five races total. I won the first two, but after Boudicia regained her gaming sense, she got the jump on me in the third and fourth races. We were so engrossed in the game that we even forgot to eat our crisps. Finally, the racers all stood at the starting line for the final fifth race, as we both stepped on the gas at the same time.

I took the sharp first turn and glanced at Boudicia, who glared at the screen, reflected in her eyes. An odd sensation filled my chest. Japan and the UK, Tokyo and Bristol…We were born in two separate places, growing up in cities that couldn’t be more different. And yet, we were playing a game right now. We might just be quite similar…Or rather, maybe not.

“…In Japan, I was part of a band.”

“What?”

Boudicia glanced at me once but quickly turned back toward the screen.

“First time I heard of that.”

“Because I didn’t mention it so far. By the way, I was the guitarist in a rock band.”

“Tell me about that sooner! Also, I can’t see that at all! You playing the guitar? So bizarre!” She said while laughing.

I personally don’t see myself as the artistic type either, but hearing that from Boudicia…did hurt a bit.

“I’m…taking a break right now. I do have my guitar with me, though.”

Boudicia didn’t respond. Since she’s usually sharp on the uptake, she probably filtered out how I feel. In the game, the spiked turtle was first, with my green dinosaur following.

“But, we sold pretty well. We were about to get a contract with a massive record label.”

“The heck?” Boudicia’s shocked voice resounded once more, as her kart slipped off-course slightly.

With the character she’s playing, he needs a bit to pick up speed again, so I used that chance to slip past her.

“Ah, crap!”

By the time she got back, my position had already changed from 2nd to 1st.

“That’s amazing. Why did you never tell me?”

“Well…Right before we sealed the contract, I got in a fight with our vocalist. Bit of a weirdo, they are…Kinda like you, Boo-san.”

“Huh? No way we’re similar,” she said, despite never having met each other.

“And they told me…That my music has no soul.”

Remembering this, I felt my chest tightening up.

“They’re a genius, you know. But…I’m not. I knew that myself, which is why I practiced a lot, studied a lot, and then played the guitar to match them. That’s why…I didn’t know what they meant by that,” I coughed, my kart drifting off course, but I quickly corrected it. “Since then, whenever I think about music, I…can’t breathe properly. Can’t touch my instruments.”

I focused on the race in front of me. A curve, drifting, returning the steering, a straight, avoiding the roadblocks, grabbing an item, using it for a dash, taking the curve, drifting to the limit, getting a boost…I took a deep breath…breathing out. I repeated this cycle until I finally managed to relax my mind. Just remembering my past is what leads to this same result. It’s so pathetic. Truly pathetic. I just don’t have the courage to face my problems.

“And that’s why I ran away. From Japan…or rather, from my band.”

Putting the name of wanting to study overseas on it as an excuse. I only happened to get accepted at Bristol University. Of course, it was pretty tough at first, but I always listened to English music, and compared to my guitar practice, studying the language was a lot easier. Either way, my answer was plain as day.

And now, Boudicia didn’t say a thing. The spiky turtle stayed glued to my green dinosaur. I always admire them. Attracting people, standing out from the crowd. And I knew from the very start…that I was lacking something. But…Even if I know I need something, if I don’t know what exactly that is…it’s meaningless. I ran away to Bristol, but didn’t go anywhere.

“And that’s…when I bet you, Boo-san.”

Riddled with mystery, she caught my attention. And then I got to know her. I didn’t know what or why that was, but it felt like I could find the answer I needed through her. At the same time, a sound rang out, signaling that the final round had begun. The tapping on the controllers filled the room we sat in.

“Yoshi, a question.”

“Yes?”

“Do you like music?”

It was a complicated question, but I had my answer ready.

“Honestly…Not really.”

It wasn’t that fun. In fact, all I did was suffer through it. I don’t even know why I continued it myself. Aeon’s words, asking me for what reason I drew, stabbed into me like knives.

“…I see,” Boudicia gave a brief and vague response.

The race moved into the final curve, so we were on the final stretch. I imagined the map in my head, taking the perfect drift around the curve. And then—If she hadn’t said her following words, I would have won.

“I can see the similarities.”

“Huh?”

“Between you and me.”

I completely messed up my timing to drift. Thanks to that, my kart was blasted off the court. I tried to get back on track and stepped on the gas, but—it was already too late. Smoke filled my view, and then—the spiked turtle passed by me. It happened in slow motion, probably because I was so focused on the race.

“I won! Hah! I won, I won!” Boudicia screamed in joy like a little child. “How’s that, Yoshi? Don’t feel good, eh?” She grabbed the bag of chips to chomp down the last few crisps.

But seeing her face, another emotion other than regret at my loss filled me. She rolled up the bag and threw it away, not saying a word. And then, she slowly spoke up.

“…I actually don’t like writing graffiti.”

I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

“I just did it to win, but I wasn’t having any fun along that. Write, win, get overwritten, lose, write again, and win. The same cycle, constantly on repeat.”

It sounded like her voice was quivering faintly, and I don’t think that was my imagination.

“And while I did all that…some stuff happened. I haven’t been writing at all lately. That’s why…you could say that we’re similar in a way.”

I tried to say something. But, no words left my throat, as I simply listened. I didn’t think I had anything to add to those words. And more than that…Boudicia just listened to me, so I wanted to do the same.

We cleaned up everything and then stepped out of the store. While locking the door, the cold fall wind passed us, making me shiver.

“Yoshi, you said that the winner can give the loser any one demand, right!” Boudicia’s voice had returned to her usual cheerful tone, as she grinned at me.

“Yes…I will keep my promise…”

Just what ridiculous demand is she going to throw at me? I’m scared. I was so sure I’d win, I hadn’t prepared myself for this outcome. Curse my arrogance.

“Mmm…Then again, there’s really nothing I want you to do.”

“What about cleaning the shop?”

“You do that anyway.”

“Ah, true.”

That…isn’t something she should just accept, though?

“Oh yeah, what would you have asked me to do if you had won, Yoshi?”

I hesitated before I answered.

“…Promise you won’t get angry?”

“Oof, what? Don’t tell me, the thing you wanted me to do was…”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking of but that’s definitely not!”

“Then what? I won’t get angry now.”

It was like a lion inviting me inside its cage, promising not to eat me. Normally, I would be terrified to say anything, but…the lion looked like it was full, currently sleeping. And just as she said, that probably wouldn’t last for much longer.

“Okay.”

“Mm.”

“…I want to know why you stopped writing.”

Boudicia froze up. Her gaze wandered all over the place, only for her to sigh faintly.

“Okay.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll tell you, Yoshi.”

Now I was the one bewildered by this unexpected response.

“Assuming you’ll beat me next time.”

I had to laugh at that. Rather than being disappointed, even this response was very much like Boudicia.

“Okay. What will we be fighting in next?”

“Anything’s fine…Just, let’s hang out again like this.” Following her words, a dull pain ran through my right shoulder.

“Ouch!”

I immediately understood that this was because Boudicia had punched me.

“Wh-What was that for?”

But by the time I complained, she had already turned her back toward me. I couldn’t see her face anymore, but the words she told me while raising her left hand reached my ears clearly.

“Cheers.”

I was dumbstruck. Did she thank me? I swear, she never holds back with her insults, and yet when it truly matters, it’s like she’s a closed book. What would she thank me for? I had no idea. However, while seeing her run off, I felt something hot inside my throat. And I think that…this should suffice as my answer for now.

1 相

2 恩

3 The Marioverse character Boo’s name in Japanese is “Teresa,” and the prime minister in question is Theresa May.