The Kurosaki family had deep roots in the political world,
but they lost almost all influence overnight with the head of the family dead
and the heir, Kurosaki Shuntarou, missing. However, several powerful people (ones
who could not allow the full picture of the family’s deeds to come to light)
had the family split up, so the truth was sealed away, never to be found.
FeTUS knew Kurosaki owned a few remote islands in the Seto
Inland Sea, but it was unclear if those were being used.
In the current age, it was never known who owned what. It
could be a politician, a corporate executive, or an unknown individual. The
investigation would never reach those islands even in a hundred years.
No one would ever learn that one of them contained a villa
equipped with a cruiser dock and a lodge.
“Hey, we’re out of syrup. Are we heading to the mainland to
shop again, or what?”
That said, life in a remote island villa came with plenty of
inconveniences.
The redheaded girl named Enju stepped out of the lodge. She
had been preparing some yogurt as a snack, but she had panicked up finding they
had nothing sweet to flavor it with.
The island was warm and comfortable enough to live on, but
shopping was still an issue. The shortest route was to Okayama or Ehime, but
even that was 40 minutes. And with how long it took the cruiser to get going,
they had to plan for at least an hour. The gold bars they had taken with them
were enough to live comfortably for 100 years, but converting that into cash
that could be used at a supermarket was not easy.
The Bioroid Enjus who had defended the mansion could cover
that 40 minutes with ease, but the Enju that had left the mansion with them was
the original, not one of the Bioroids. She was the same unmodified demon that
Lilith had created her as, so she lacked that athletic ability.
But she needed syrup. Hoping to send the cruiser out, she
called over to the two beach chairs out on the sand.
A man and a girl in swimsuits were lying on those two
chairs.
“We have cookies and other sweet things, so just use those
instead.”
Using the cruiser was a pain, so Shuntarou, who was lying on
the right, responded without even removing his sunglasses.
He looked like a giant blob of fat lying on top of the chair
and he was reluctant to get up anytime soon.
That man never did anything once he decided it was too much effort.
Enju shrugged in exasperation and went back inside to search for the cookies he
had mentioned.
Shuntarou looked to his left.
“So we’re out of syrup, are we? Riselle-chan, do you want
anything sweet?”
“Hmm?”
Riselle, who was wearing a very skimpy micro bikini, must
have dozed off because she mumbled a bit before answering.
“No, I’m good.”
She rested her weight in the chair like she was mimicking
Shuntarou to her right.
It was hard to tell in her usual loose-fitting clothing
covered in lace and frills, but the lines of her stomach were left exposed in
the micro bikini.
She was not as round as Shuntarou, but she was showing a bit
of a belly there.
“Then would you prefer something sour?”
“Maybe so.”
Shuntarou lovingly rubbed that belly.
He rubbed it as gently as could be with his expression
hidden by his large sunglasses.
“I wonder what that Adam boy – Fujita Mutsuki-kun – will do
from now on.”
“Who knows.”
“Ha ha. It wasn’t that long ago that I honestly didn’t care
at all if the world was destroyed, but as soon as I found out about this, I found
I care an awful lot about the future. Humans sure are selfish.”
He removed his hand from her belly.
“Pretty sure you’re way more selfish than most people,” said
Riselle.
“You have a point.”
Riselle then reached gently down to her stomach like he had
done.
“I really don’t think his decisions are going to make that
much of a difference,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yes. Whatever happens to the world, you can always find
happiness just about anywhere.”
She looked toward the sky in the direction of the mainland.
“Isn’t that right, sister?”
In the sanctuary at the deepest depths of FeTUS, the grassy
field hologram was off today, leaving the room in darkness. Ren, aka Lavriel
Baran, sat alone at the white wooden table.
The 12 monoliths modeled after playing cards seemed unhappy.
“Is Miss A out today?”
“My teach-…Miss A has decided to retire,” replied Ren. “I
have been chosen to replace her. From now on, you will be dealing with FeTUS
Witch Miss B, Lavriel Baran.”
“What?”
An uproar ran through the monoliths.
The volume of their voices was kept low, but she could tell
they were shouting complaints into their microphones.
“You’re just a child!” “We already had one traitor from the
Baran family!” “Why didn’t Miss A inform us of this decision!” She could
imagine what they were saying without even having to listen.
“Try to calm down. This will have no effect on our business.
Miss D and I are enough to keep FeTUS running,” Ren said calmly.
“But you can’t spring such an important change on us like
this,” said one.
“Can we even trust you? I want to hear this from Miss A
herself,” said another.
“First she demands all our countries suppress that
information and then she leaves without even a ‘thank you’?” said a third.
Once dissatisfaction erupted like this, only time could calm
them back down. That was as true of elementary school students as it was for a
collection of well-known corporate executives.
Miss D was standing behind Ren to support her and the woman
gestured to ask if she should cut off the connection for now. Miss A had always
cut the connection to forcibly calm them.
“…”
As their new leader, Miss B tried to figure out what she
should do.
A few seconds passed.
And then she slammed her fist against the table.
Young Miss A never would have made such a violent act, but
it silenced the monoliths well enough.
“Silence, the lot of you. If you don’t like it, then leave.”
She had always made sure to speak in the dignified fashion of a knight, but now
she let her tone drop to a low growl. “I didn’t call you here because I wanted
your advice. I’m letting you know what the deal is. I’ve done that now and I
don’t recall asking for any questions.”
“What? How dare-”
She already knew they were going to take offense at being
spoken to that way.
“I’ve said what I wanted to say. Leave.”
So she gave a command before they could.
The 12 monoliths were shocked into silence, but before long
they started again with the complaints: “Is that any way to talk to us!?”, “No
child talks to me like that!”, “The Baran family has no right to…”, and so on.
“Leave!”
She silenced them again.
They continued muttering complaints, but one after another,
all of the monoliths vanished.
Once the room was dark once more, the grassy field
reappeared.
Miss A and Schwarze sat across the table from her. Machina
had not been called back here since her move, but the other 4 Witches were
gathered here.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so angry,” said Miss A.
“Are you sure you didn’t snap too quickly there?” said
Schwarze with a piece of hard candy in one hand.
Schwarze’s comment was enough for Ren’s shoulders to droop.
“Waiting a beat longer would have been better, but that was still
well done for a first try,” said Miss A. “Most of them were weighing us against
Kurosaki, so now that Kurosaki has fallen, we can prove our strength by coming
on a bit strong.”
“I see.”
She had Miss A’s approval, but…
“That wasn’t some calculated move on my part. They really
did just piss me off.”
Ren felt like she had a lot of room for growth.
Those monoliths were actually some of the most powerful
people around the world. Just like the Kurosaki family, most of them would be
indulging in illegal forms of entertainment on their days off.
After the trauma Ren experienced at the hands of the
Kurosaki family, she felt nothing but disgust for those people. Her outburst
had been an emotional act.
“There is nothing wrong with that. You experienced something
horrific, but you are using that to fuel your own strength instead just moping
around. You will overcome it more quickly that way.”
“…Okay.”
“Although your sister Riselle is using that same sort of
strength to escape us, so that is an amusing little irony.”
“…I suppose so.”
That made her feel a little better, so she managed a bitter
smile.
“How long are you going to obsess over those five days?”
asked Schwarze. “If you use birth control, sex is no more than a form of
exercise. No one likes someone who’s stuck in the past.”
“Shut up! It’s not that simple!”
She even had enough energy to snap back at Schwarze like
that.
“If you’re feeling traumatized about sex, why not just go ask
Fujita to fuck you silly? He’s thorough, he takes his time, and he really knows
what he’s doing, so ask for two or three days with him and he’s all you’ll be
able to remember when someone mentions sex.”
“I-I can’t do that. He’s like a little brother to me.”
“Oh?” cut in Miss B. “But you sure seemed to enjoy it when
he had sex with you before, Miss B.”
“Shuuuut uuuup!”
From there, it devolved into a three-way argument.
Miss A had left those three in charge of FeTUS, but this
childish side of them worried her.
The stuffed rabbit sitting on her lap turned its red eyes
toward the sky like it did not care.
The grassy field at the bottom of FeTUS was a recording of
an especially pleasant day as seen on the surface, but not even that could
compare to the blue sky as seen from above the clouds.
Between the blue sky and the vanilla-white clouds was a
space wrapped in a never-ending light brighter than the sun yet also gentle.
After leaving the night sky, that light dazzled Micha,
making her blink.
“I’m back, Dominion.”
“Don’t just leave like that. You were ordered into house
arrest.”
“Yes, yes, I know.”
She brushed off that complaint while approaching her
manager.
Dominion was a cocoon-like angel with 6 pure-white wings
gathered around himself. He spread out one of his wings as requested. It
contained a bright light similar to Metatron, but the wing seemed to serve the
role of a physical hand.
A small wooden box sat atop it.
“Rapha, bring us some glasses.”
“They have been washed.”
Micha had the 6 cans of beer she had returned with as well
as the two glasses Rapha had carried over.
Once she was ready, her body was dragged inside the wooden
box.
It was small enough to rest on someone’s palm, but she still
fit inside. Either it had grown or she had shrunk.
The interior was a dark space cut off from the divine light
that filled heaven.
Lilith was floating in that space with one of her eyes shut,
but then she noticed Micha’s arrival. A plain wooden table and chairs appeared
from the darkness between them. Micha set the glasses down on the table.
“Lilith, I got my hands on something nice, so how about a
drink?”
“Is it wine?”
“Nope, it’s beer.”
“Made from wheat? No, thank you. I only drink wine.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wheat. C’mon, drink it.”
Micha filled both glasses.
Lilith was not insensitive enough to refuse after it had
been poured, so she reluctantly picked up one of the glasses of a foaming
yellow liquid. They clinked their glasses together.
“Ahhh, that’s the stuff.”
“Ew. It’s so bitter.”
Micha chugged her drink, but a blatant grimace appeared on
Lilith’s beautiful face.
“This wheat drink has such a foul flavor.”
“Hey, stop dissing my favorite drink.”
Micha started on a second drink right away. She opened the
pull tab and drank directly from the can instead of using the glass.
“Didn’t Avalon like beer?”
“Avalon was perfect as a man, but there was something wrong
with his taste buds. …I really thought I was going to die when he fed me his
experimental dishes which he claimed were highly nutritious.”
“Ha ha. Well, I can’t imagine the beer back then was very
good.”
Micha laughed bitterly and decided to stop teasing Lilith.
She pulled out a brandy she had brought with the beers and poured it into
Lilith’s glass.
It was not wine, but it was still made from grapes. Lilith
seemed pleased with that because she obediently drank it.
The two of them enjoyed their drinks for a while.
“…”
But just as Micha reached for a third one, something
occurred to her and she stopped.
She decided against a third can of beer and instead just
swished around what remained of her second one.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that Mutsuki-kun didn’t
choose us.”
“The boy has no eye for women. He might be a reincarnation,
but he is still only a child.”
“Heh heh.”
Micha’s expression brightened as they discussed the boy.
So did Lilith’s.
“I have not given up,” said Lilith.
“…”
“I can escape here at any time once the boy has a change of
heart. And even if he does not, I can wait another thousand years and meet the
new reincarnation. Avalon will be mine eventually.”
“Is that so?”
“You will not best me next time, Lucya.”
“…”
Micha chuckled at that familiar name.
She felt more comfortable with Michael now, but she had gone
by that name a very long time ago.
“Well, I’m with you for another 1000 years.” She set the
empty can down on the table. “We are friends, after all.”
“Hmph.”
Lilith set down her glass as well.
The can and glass bumped together, producing a terribly
awkward sound.
It was 8:30 in the morning.
Mutsuki, Ange, Lucia, and Machina rushed up the hill as the
bell rang. They walked through the school’s main gate for the first time in
half a month.
“Pant, pant. I-I’m no good at running.”
“We’ve barely run at all. You’re pathetic.”
“Well, I’m not a wild boar like you are.”
“What did you say!?”
Lucia could pop in anywhere without warning, but he apparently had trouble with
ordinary running. He was already out of breath and Ange’s breathing grew heavier
as he provoked her.
Those two and Mutsuki were jogging toward school in a bit of
a panic. They were very close to being late.
Machina alone walked calmly toward the gate in order to slip
through one second before it shut.
“I-Ibekusa-san, I know this is kind of your ‘thing’, but
could we maybe leave a little earlier starting tomorrow?”
“Hm? If you say so, Fujita-kun.”
She knew they would arrive just barely on time, but it was
bad for his heart.
He had wanted to walk to school with her since they were
living together now, but deferring to her schedule had been a mistake. He felt
a cold sweat as he ran through the hallway and toward their classroom.
“Good morning, Fujita and Miss- no, I mean Ibekusa.”
“Good morning, Senpai.”
They happened across Ren along the way.
They only greeted each other, but it led to an uncomfortable
silence. His relationship with Machina and Lucia had returned to normal, but
things were still awkward with Ren.
He had ended up having sex with his first love and he had
still not figured out where to go from there.
That awkwardness would probably continue for a while longer.
In a way, that awkwardness was what made Shirohara Ren something special for
him in a way that Ange and the others were not.
They said nothing more and went their separate ways since
they were not in the same class.
Ange wrinkled her brow and gave her a threatening look as
usual.
School was the same as always.
Once they arrived in their classroom…
“Hey! It’s Fujita-kun! And Ange-chan!”
“Satowa and Ibekusa too! Are you finally over that food
poisoning!?”’
Saya, Sakae, and their other classmates were there to greet
them.
When they had left school in mid-April, the class had been
told they were being hospitalized for food poisoning.
“Are you okay, Mutsuki? Did you eat something bad at the
cultural festival? I heard you went to the teahouse Kurikara was working at, so
was it there?”
“Hold it! Let’s not make assumptions here!”
“Hey, I was only asking questions.”
“Everything we served there was coated in mayonnaise! And
mayo is an incredible disinfectant, so he couldn’t have gotten food poisoning
there.”
“Are you sure it was food poisoning, Mutsuki? And not – oh,
I don’t know – really bad heartburn?”
“Ah ha ha.”
Saya and Sakae’s comedy routine seemed a lot more amusing
when it had been a while.
That said, they had barely arrived on time, so they did not
have time to enjoy this. Their homeroom teacher, Katsue-sensei, would arrive
soon, so they quickly moved to their seats.
Machina sat next to Mutsuki, Lucia sat behind her, and Ange
next to him.
The four of them were in their usual seats.
“We really are back, aren’t we?”
“We are.”
Saya and Sakae returned to their more distant seats, but
they looked happy that those four desks were finally occupied again.
“Um.”
Sakae glanced over at Mutsuki.
During that half month, he had dreamed that Mutsuki turned
into a girl.
“Everything really is back to normal now, huh?”
He spoke a little louder than necessary to shake off the
awkwardness.
“…”
But Saya did not reply the way she usually did.
Puzzled, he looked over at her face.
“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Back to normal. But…”
She kept glancing over at Mutsuki too.
But she had completely forgotten what she had dreamed. She
only remembered having a dream about sleeping with a wonderful person, but she
had dreams like that all the time, so it had not stuck with her.
She was focused on something else.
“Something about those four seems off.”
“How so?”
“Well, I can’t really put my finger on it. Um.”
She could sense that something had changed in those four’s
lives.
Especially when she looked at the girl poking at Mutsuki’s
back from the seat behind him.
“Hey, Mutsuki, you made our lunches today, right?”
“Yeah, I made sure to include as many of your favorites as I
could.”
“Yay!”
She rarely smiled so widely in the classroom.
Seeing that, Saya could not help but think something had
changed about Mutsuki and Ange’s relationship.
“Hm.”
But no one could figure what exactly that change was.
No comments:
Post a Comment