Volume 4 -A Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2: Everyone’s Movements (Basic Controls Tutorial)

Part 1

7:11 PM

One of Osaka’s landmarks was a tower known as the Tsutenkaku

It was about one hundred meters tall, it towered above the streets of houses and shops, and no thought had been given to the danger of it collapsing There was a small plaza around its base, but that was it

The hundred side people’s homes

The structure brought the word “local” to mind

Currently, a boy stood on the tile-covered stone pavement below the Tsutenkaku

It was Hizaka Shoui

He drank a can of coffee while looking to the city lights shi+ning into the dark night

He aiting for a girl

That girl was Yaate

“Later, let’s meet up at that place called the Tsutenkaku I’ll treat ya to some food once the meetin’s over”

He had been obediently following her casual suggestion, but…

“It’s been almost two hours now And curfeas at seven…”

He looked up, wishi+ng he had walked around Osaka for a bit instead

Far overhead near the top of the Tsutenkaku, the bottom of the observation deck looked like a dark shadow

He had not looked up at that tower for a long time

Even after two years, Osaka remained the same as in his faint memories

Not long before, he had learned that it was his own situation that had changed so drastically

…I didn’t stick with that training for two years because I wanted to…

It was true he had gained per the winter two years before, even though he had not been in high school yet

His training should have ended half a year after that, but for so four times

That previous Chancellor’s Officers ht that it simply was not for him

Still looking up, Shoui leaned his back against one of the pillars for the Tsutenkaku’s base

He brought a hand to the bandanna on his forehead

There was no phantom pain, but it would appear if he tried to remember

Everything froht back to what had happened one night during the winter two years before

“…”

It had all begun two years ago

It had been a night with a chilly hen he had est Koto Guardian and Koto Chancellor, kill someone

It had been a cold night

Everyone had been holed up in their hohts in the streets had coht one’s existence like a form of shadow puppetry

The sa district in front of Nara’s Kofuku-ji

There was a park there containing a large lake called Sarusawa Lake

During the day, the locals would have been resting in the park, but it was siht

A wind had carried a sobering chill as it had raced across the lake and through the park

Shoui had been with Yuuki there

He had sat on the stone bank of the lake while she wore a red blazer

They had not been looking each other in the eye and Shoui had been holding his reddened right cheek

“Do you really need to slap me just because I touched your butt, Yuuki?”

He had called her nalasses had not turned his way

That was due to the headphones in her ears

A terribly refreshi+ng holy sound had escaped them

Based on the volume he could hear, it had to be easily over an Octave of 320,000

“The Geist Middle Rhythm…”

His words had trailed off and vanished because he had noticed thearound her

The lights had been the size of a fist

Those cool, bluish-white fluorescent lights had flown around her, landed on her shoulders, hair, and hands, left her again, and continued to dance about

The light had illu it all stand out in the darkness

He had briefly watched in fascination, but then he had come to his senses

“Y-Yuuki, that’s too ed in…”

She had not turned toward hihed with a look of exasperation

Her lips had begun to sing a refreshi+ng song as if his sigh had been a sign

—Yuuki – Geist Middle – Take – Speak with the Dead – Hit

The winter cries out frigidly

Someone cries in loneliness

They speak words yet nothing is said

They speak Words yet nothing is said

They simply wait for the ice to melt

They draw near and never give up

As he listened to her Words, Shoui had looked to the lights floating around her

“They draw near and never give up, huh? That fits perfectly for the spirits in Koto that can’t rest in peace, but in a way, those are really dark Words”

She had finally turned around at that

“That can’t be helped My Words were originally for an ice God”

“…You could hear me?”

“I could hear all the awful things you said about me”

“Is that so?” He had rested his head in his hand “It’s weird that you can co specialized Words”

“You’re the weird one, Shoui-kun What with being a Dis-Worder and all”

He had shrugged at that

“I don’t really mind”

“But it is weird People noret these powers from Rhythms, but you can use them all without a Rhythm”

“But it’s all weakened since I don’t recite any Words Even with High Rhythe”

“I wonder why Why don’t you have your own Words?”

“Well, wouldn’t that be because during the Kinki Riot-…”

He had shtly shaken his head

“Because ht?”

Yuuki had narrowed her eyes offensively when she heard that

“You et your promise?”

“Ha ha I remember that promise just fine”

“And I just had you proain the day before yesterday …Hey”

“Yes?”

“Your hand”

Yuuki’s words and gaze had fallen toward Shoui’s hand touching her butt through her skirt

“What’s so fun about that?”

—Yuuki – Mind Tech – Take – Intimidation – Hit

—Shoui – Mind Tech – Counter-Take – Intimidation Reflection – Hit

“You’re right I probably need to stick my hand up your skirt for it to be really fun”

“What do you mean ‘need’?”

“You’re the one that begged h- o, ow! Is that really worth a backhand blow!?”

“Honestly, why do you have to bring up those things?”

“You’re the one that asked!”

“Shut up Anyhy are you here?”

“Um…”

“I’ll push you in the lake? Five, four, three…”

“Don’t count so fast! Ua contactedaabout Ixolde It’s apparently about whether to run a startup test”

“I see” Yuuki had nodded “A startup test, hedy may be more than a decade old now, but I still can’t believe they’re trying to create the ultiiant word accelerator Prefectural 2’s Chancellor’s Officers are really being a nuisance”

—Shoui – School Tech –Take – Recall Memory – Hit

“Either way, Prefectural 2 was only recently built, so it’s the only place that can gather the funds needed for that kind of facility The acadeovernment, after all”

“Shoui-kun, you intend to go to Prefectural 2 next year, don’t you?”

“Your grandma is too strict, so she won’t open Nandaimon up to boys”

“There were apparently soo, but things have calmed doith japan still split between east and west”

“Ixolde is going to bring soer, so they’ve held several world-class ht?”

“Yes, but Osaka loves being the best in japan” Yuuki had sighed without changing her expression much “In the past, they even crushed our plans to build a tower called Babel …Well, I guess there’s nothing we can do about that”

Yuuki had stood up and Shoui had followed her lead

Their difference in age had put a difference in their heights

Yuuki was a year older than Shoui, so her eyes were positioned one step above his

She had looked down at him and removed the MD headphones from her ears

“Well, it’s ?”

“At Prefectural 2 of course You have to change trains three times”

Just as the two of the, the north wind had blown in

A moment later…

—Shoui – Sight Tech – Auto-Take – Spot – Hit!

Suddenly, Yuuki’s glasses had shattered and a japanese sword had thrust up

“Yuuki!?”

Her body had floated up and fallen onto its back with a dull sound

“…Uuh”

She had ht eye with a hand

Blood had spilled froers

When Shoui had seen it, he had started to run over

—Shoui – Mind Tech – Auto-Take – Detect Killer Intent – Hit

He had turned around

—Shoui – Sight/Dodge Tech – Multiple Auto-Take – Dodge – Hit!

He had rolled forward on reflex as a silver arc swept by overhead

“Wah…toh!”

He had punched the ground to propel himself back to his feet and he had faced forward

A tall boy in a combat coat student uniform had stood there with a bloody sword

Shoui had recognized his somewhat slanted eyes and tense face

“Nagoya Vice Chancellor Ya here!?”

Without even nodding, Yamashi+ta had suddenly released his Words

The Words had contained an intense low ru

At that point, the phantoh Shoui’s forehead

That pain came from the wound he had received soon afterwards

“…!”

He had known he had to win, but his memories refused to play back any further

He returned to reality

He was below the Tsutenkaku and not by the Sarusawa Lake in Koto

What had happened afterwards raced through his mind as facts, not as memories

…Breaking my promise, murder, and a unilateral farewell

“If only I hadn’t passed out…”

The pulse behind those words was racing

Once his vision returned, all five senses grew clearer

He realized he was now sitting doith his legs outstretched and his back still against the Tsutenkaku’s pillar

The can of coffee lay by his feet with its contents pooled up around it

He shtning Words that marked the end of his memories

Part 2

7:21 PM

They were Words and they were sung in a female voice unlike the voice of that former enemy

nobody takes the middle road

Nothing lives or dies

It all either falls into ruin or survives

Everyone, everyone, everyone

The Words reverberated in the singer’s throat with a somewhat fast tempo and they contained a rumble much like thunder

Shoui knehose voice that was

“Boss!?”

He turned around to find Taeko standing there

“Were ya waitin’ long?”

“Eh? Yes, a very long time”

“Ya sure are honest,” replied Taeko with a slight smile

She laughed out loud and used her giant false left arround

“Ya really don’t change, do ya!? I wouldn’t have it any other way, though!”

He was quickly lifted up higher than her and he sighed while dangling down like his clothes were placed on a hanger

“I’ed either, boss”

“Of course I haven’t In Nagoya, we take pride in the fact that we don’t change no o More importantly…”

“?”

“Can ya go up on the Tsutenkaku this late?”

“They close at six See?”

Shoui pointed toward the gate at the botto now

Realizing the truth, Taeko sighed in obvious disappointment

“Ahh, ahh If only the meetin’ had ended sooner”

“What was theabout? Or is that a secret?”

“Ixolde’s gonna be activated in two days, so they needed our final approval Ixolde’s pretty neat on the inside”

“Oh, you went inside?”

Taeko showed off her white teeth in a smile

“Well, all the important bits were still closed off behind shutters They showed us a rooh”

“I see…”

“Is so the matter?”

“So all the Kansai Chancellors really are gathered at 2?”

“Not all Kobe’s still a mess after that earthquake last year, so they haven’t selected a new Chancellor And Kanazawa never responded to the request and didn’t send anyone”

Taeko lowered Shoui

Even when standing, she was about three sizes taller than him and she looked at him with a perfect look of indifference

“Then again, yer precious Koto Chancellor didn’t show up either, sayin’ she had other business to take care of I was hopin’ to say hi if I met her”

“…”

“Have ya uy as attackin’ ya, ya only just left the Mountain yesterday”

“Yeah, I took s here and moved into the dorm yesterday”

Unable to look Taeko in the eye, Shoui looked down

“And I haven’t met her yet I haven’t contacted Nandaimon either”

“Why not? Because I beat ya and become Chancellor?”

“Well…”

“Or because yer precious Koto Chancellor killed my brother? With that flash freezin’?”

“That was-…!”

Shoui looked up and started to say so, but Taeko smiled and patted his shoulder

“Let’s just leave it at that”

—Taeko – Mind Tech – Take – Persuasion – Hit

“I’s”

“I feel like you keep insulting me here…”

“Don’t worry about it No about ya go visit Nandaimon Shrine?”

“I plan to eventually…”

—Taeko – Boxing Tech –Take – Headlock – Hit

“O, ow!”

“What’s this ‘eventually’ nonsense? If ya don’t get goin’ right away, I’ll bully ya I heard what ya really think back at the Mountain I forced it out of ya, remember?”

“Yeah, that Boston crab was no laughing onna come out!”

—Shoui – Gye Tech – Multiple Counter-Take – Escape – Hit

“Ahh, I think you changed the shape of my head”

“It’s what ya get for not pullin’ yourself together”

Taeko tapped his shoulder with the thumb of her false arm

“I got this Eighth Dragon Eht, but am I any different than I was before? Even the Koto Chancellor is-…”

“But Yuuki is different”

“How?”

“She…”

“Because she killed someone?”

Taeko let out a deep sigh

“Then ya should becoet permission to kill And when it coet the better of ya”

“But I don’t have my own Words …And I let other people influence me too much Like with that 1st Special Duty Officer”

“Ya’ll find yer words soht…and they were the same as my brother’s More ionna help, so just go meet her”

“You’re probably right …Then for no about we get soo?”

“Yaif ya don’t lead the way”

“Do you not know your way around Osaka?”

City v04a 093jpg

She shook her head, so Shoui accepted it

“Then let’s walk around and find a dote-yaki place or soe counters”

As soon as he ht

A bolt of lightning fell on Osaka

“!?”

When they heard the deep, tearing Live ru around them, Shoui and Taeko turned to the west

An electrical discharge filled the sky over the Yodo ward

“Winter lighting? That sure was flashy”

“No! That wasn’t lightning!”

Shoui took a few steps forward

“!? Shoui!”

He did not turn back toward Taeko’s voice

—Shoui – Arnition – Hit!

“What’s the matter!?”