Vol 5 Chapter 1 (2/2)
”I see I too once had a little sister Faht, do you have a photo or soainst it, I'd like to see her by all means”
”Sure, when there's a chance I'll probably be called siscon again for saying it, but even I, her brother think she's very cute A bit cluh”
”Hi?”
”Not uess? I'm similar to our old man, and she's similar to our mother”
”Is that so I want to meet her someday”
Ouka put on a rare, carefree smile
Takeru felt faint guilt
The next day
Takeru as resting froreeted by the student council president, Hojishi+ro Nagare and entered the kotatsu
”You see this—, I've found it in a shop in don recently〜 Somehow—, it's a shop that tries to recreate old sweets—, apparently they reproduce the recipes fro with the on cultural conservation recently〜”
”haa, is that so”
munch munch munch munch
”Culture's aisn't it In the past there were countries called China or Aht now people can only live in sanctuaries The people who survived passed down the culture of the land they lived in to s like ra”
”indeedly”
munch munch munch munch
”Is it tasty?”
”well, yes The feeling there is after drinking tea with it”
”Yay, great〜 Kusanagi-kun loves anpan, so I thought you'll definitely like this one too— Ouka-chan liked it as well right? Here〜this, a souvenir〜”
She said so, and handed hie smile
Takeru accepted it in silence and held it in front of his chest
”Haa〜that was delicious Let's eat these together again sometime〜”
””
”Then, with that done〜”
Nagare raised her hand swiftly and said goodbye to Takeru with a smile
”——Hey, wait, you et”
Still under the kotatsu, veins appeared on Takeru's tely with one hand
”Hoee—?”
”I didn't come here to drink tea with you dammit!”
Takeru glared straight into her eyes
”it's a joke, joke〜 I was just playing dumb〜”
”You definitely wanted to leave just now! You'veFestival don't think you'll escape now!”
”Y-you shouldn't use such a tone when speaking to your senpai☆”
”Even if you act cutely, don't think I'll let you escape!”
Takeru rotated Nagare's head, and she let out ”Aaa〜” as if air was coot down to business
The 35th Test Platoon which resolved the proble after the Witch-Hunting Festival on behalf of the student council, and was unable to perform platoon activities for nearly a week
But in return, they were proare
Nagare sat on the opposite side from Takeru, and sipped her tea
”The fact that Relic Eaters are Magical Heritages as well, you already know that right? Kusanagi-kun”
”Yeah But the detailed circumstances and story are confidential”
Hearing Takeru's words, Nagare narrowed her eyes
”Then, do you knohy Mistilteinn is called a 'Twilight-Type'?”
”She isn't it because Lapis' ht』?”
”I too thought so at first Other Relic Eaters are na different eird Have you ever heard the legends about Mistilteinn?”
”Does she have a history just like other Magical Heritages?”
”it's just a fairy tale, for now You know a little about the world of ht?”
The ical creatures called 『Gods』 were living in
Suanisic, and even God-level anisms were not an exception
Greek y, even japanese y The stories about the mythical worlds that have been passed to modern times, have been confirmed to exist
Su Gods to this world is currently iic required, but witches faic are said to be able to feel their presence
In the past, the ancient witches fro with the world of the Gods, and it could be said to be the origin of suic
The naions, and the anecdotes theions, that's because the ion
The witches of the old were said to be able to hold conversations with the otherworldly Gods
Thanks to that, different beliefs have been born and spoken about People of the old believed in their own significance because of the otherworldly Gods existence
Even for the same mythical worlds, different anecdotes and stories exist After thewith the mythical Gods has been lost, the lore has been crooked and changed in various ways
Because of the inconsistency in faith, wars have broke out in various places However, faith in those mythical worlds has been prohibited by Inquisition in modern times
The lost-type Magical Heritages that reical worlds Allegedly, things that have been created thanks to interference of the Gods froical world aren't that rare
”Mistilteinn is a weapon that appears in a Nordic y's fairy tale”
”p-please wait a second U as Excalibur or Dáinsleif?”
”No, they are different King Arthur's Excalibur and Hogni's Dáinsleif are both Magical Heritages born in this world”
Unable to understand hat Nagare said, Takeru could only tilt his head puzzled
”What I want to say is, she's not soe The weapon called 'Mistilteinn' is so from a different world It's a weapon that should exist only in the Nordic y's world”
Ha? That's what Takeru's face relayed
”t-that's iht?”
”I think so too If that's really Mistilteinn out of the legends, then she would be one of weapons Gods themselves used A 『Sacred Treasure』”
Nagare was souess
As she said that, Takeru felt confused
”Certainly, it can be just soer afford to treat it as such”
Her eyes that usually made it seem like she's sleepy, have been sharply narrowed
Takeru loudly sed his spit
”I knohat's the current situation of the world and what's the Inquisition hiding I'e, there is one condition”
She sipped her tea and grinned
”u before that? President said that in exchange for 35th platoon's cooperation, you will provide a vast aht?”
He directed the flow of conversation back to the original topic
Nagare , and soon said ”Well, fine”
”I want to take over the Inquisition one day”
Bluntly, she stated her ambition
He knew that she was ambitious from Mephisto's case, as well as from what Ouka said, so he wasn't that surprised Still, he was astounded to hear her say that ambition of hers so bluntly
Coincidentally, it was the same ambition Takeru once had
”I have nothing against the forceful approach of Inquisition in order to confront the threats, our opponents are also very dangerous”
””
”However, currently in the contraindicated area, there are excessive actions directed towards the witches and that is the problem I'm concerned about In particular, the Iron Maidens these are past inhumane”
After placing a hand on her are observed Takeru's expression
He unconsciously looked away from her
”Why do you think Inquisition doesn't execute uncontrollable criminals, witches, and has them fall into sleep without any dreams?”
Takeru looked below, but Nagare continued without regard to that
”They're research subjects it's a case of hu about it The Witch Hunt War froo just how many witches have been put inside those Iron Maidens? The witches that were reular-born witches, can you iine just how many of them are there?”
He couldn't iht an unbelievable amount of them
The Inquisition's facilities were scattered in various places There were lots of places called 'contraindicated areas'
However, even for 150 years, there was no reason to make criminals sleep continuously
Although Iron Maidens were devices that reduced the costs, the funds required to support each prisoner's life functions were not small
Adding on to it, the sa inside contraindicated areas
Food, clothing and bed weren't all, h the number of witches decreased in the modern times, around a thousand witches a year are sent to the contraindicated area
Thinking nor, but in reality – that didn't happen
In other words, the possibility that witches are being treated as experih
That indicated it's been continued for a long tiurated, and has finally denounced the silent, reached a point where they could no longer work around it
Even Takeru knew about that His little sister was in that position as well
”I believe that unless we overcome this situation, the coexistence betitches and humans will be impossible”
Nagare smiled wryly towards him
”In fact, ular witch”
”?!”
As expected, even Takeru was surprised
”At the time, my sister was ten years old Her Phantoic power ran wild Overflow Complex, I'm certain you've heard of that?”
He knew that disease's name
Unlike those ere born froe, there was about a 20 probability that failures will occur with irregular witches
One of the symptoms that was very rare, is Overflow Complex
The internal organ called 'Phantom Instrument' is also referred to as 'the second heart', soic It continues to eh the body just like blood, and does not overflow
However, if there's a defect in the Phantoardless of the intention of the person in question Although it's often harmless for witches, it's nearly poisonous to normal people
”Because of that disease, ical disaster a lot of people died She herself tried to stop it, but the Phantoed and she who just turned into a witch couldn't do anything about it She was still a child after all”
””
”When the ic power inside her body was exhausted, the disaster finally subsided, the Inquisition Board has designated her as S-class danger and she was imprisoned inside of an Iron Maiden”
”S-class danger designation?! Even though she hasn't killed anyone intentionally?!”
Takeru raised his voice involuntarily Originally, no matter hoerful they were, only the ones who are nation
And ,
”isn't it possible for modern medicine to address the Overflow Complex?”
”Yup It's a disease that can be treated and people don't have to be put to sleep My sister didn't have any dangerous ical attributes, nor did she have an ancient attribute”
But, Nagare continued
”It's possible to deal with them, but those are unusual symptoms Simply because of that, my sister has been treated as material for human experimentation”
She sipped her tea again
”We received the report that my sister died one year after she was arrested Her body was turned into ash and released into sea According to the report, she was sick and died in her sleep, she died because it was discovered too late Even I, as a seven year old child could see through a lie like that”
””
”If she didn't kill anyone intentionally, then the danger evaluation should be low And yet, she has been treated like a cri and killed it's not just my sister, there are many other witches who end up like that”
”And so, Student Council President decided to change Inquisition”
”Of course, but that's not the only reason The thing aboutWell, I don't care if you either think that I invited you out of sympathy or that I have ulterior motives〜”
Takeru looked as she nonchalantly said that, and spat out a sigh
He wondered why this person could talk about that past of hers in such a bright tone
Nagare's past was sih her y was different, just like Takeru in the past, she wanted to change the world for the same reason
His little sister, Kiseki
”The current status of Inquisition is that they have stimulated their enemies too recklessly The reason their opponents have become more active recently are the inhuhost I think Ootori Sougetsu didn't make it this way for no reason He has made a provocative situation with an intention to pull us in, is what I think”
”the enemy Is it Fantasy CultValhalla?”
She stared at him in silence
”I'm afraid from here onwards there's a fee I want you to think about what I spoke about earlier and find some resolve Next, is your turn”
Despite speaking as if she was in daze, she glared at Takeru sharply
”You still have a secret you haven't told me, have you?”
Her line of sight was piercing through him, his breath stopped for a moment
”Not just toyou don't want to talk about with the comrades from your platoon either I wonder if it's any different with Suginah I'm not sure, but I feel that she knows”
””
”If I don't hear your secret from your own mouth, I won't be able to trust you I am prepared to confide all I know to you Are you resolved to do the same?”
””
”It's not a resolution to bear so”
A while after that, Takeru opened his mouth
”just how much do you know”
”What I know is not the proble it from your own mouth”
Once again, Takeru fell silent
”It's not that having secrets is a bad thing But the relationshi+p I'll be trying to build froh to break as soon as any of us keeps any secrets”
””
”My comrades aren't just the members of the student council There isn't that many of thei-kun They are people whose a Inquisition, and they are resolved to do so”
””
”I thought of becoht be consistent with our current partnershi+p, but please think of our inforotiations As long as you have resolve to reveal everything, I won'tall the information I have”
Nagare waited for Takeru's reply
At this rey zone Should they join the current Inquisition's side, or join the student council's side
He grasped his pants in the kotatsu and faced down
Although Nagare was sietsu, he always felt she was eood or evil, it was that rather than leave everything to the Chair better with her Certainly, it would benefit the platoon
However, the secret Takeru was hiding, Kiseki's case was on entirely different level from normal
That hy, if it was unknown, it would be better if it remained as such
”I'm sorry Can you ith this for a while?”
”h to solve though”
”I know But before telling everything to President, I want to tell the platoon members first Also, I think I shouldn't decide it by myself”
As Takeru spoke what he honestly thought, Nagare blinked a few times and smiled happily
”You really think a lot about your comrades don't you〜”
She said so nonchalantly and clapped her hands
”I understand Whenever you want, once you come back, I'll listen to your response”
Takeru bowed deeply and stood up from the kotatsu
”In the end, let ive you a piece of advice”
When he was about to head back, Nagare called out to him Takeru turned his body towards her
”——Be careful with Mistilteinn If that thing is really one of these so-called 『Sacred Treasures』, then it's sole person to hold”
”butwhat should I do”
”Up until now it hasn't sought anything fro was to happen, don't comply with its request”
She htly stern expression and narrowed her eyes
”That will definitely not end well”
What did those words mean, at this time, Takeru didn't know yet
He left the second student council room and closed the doors of the data preparation room
While feeling a haze in his chest, Takeru looked down
Under any normal circumstances, Kiseki's existence must be absolutely kept secret, under the condition fro, he was allowed to visit her
He stared at his own palm and bit his lip
If Nagare's ae for better
He too, agreed with her ideas She too had a past similar to his, and he could sympathize with her
But there was a crucial difference between theare's sister that was sacrificed, Inquisition would never let Kiseki off
Unlike the Overflow Coer
Going against the Inquisition without any solution that would allow Kiseki to be released was not a good idea
”Kiseki”
Not knohat should he do, he called out his little sister's name
That's when he suddenly felt soaze on him
On the left, near the stairs at the inner towards him
A fe a uniform
”——!”
It was someone familiar to him
She had a brown tail tied in a pony-tail and a light-hearted, kind look
Without a doubt That was,
”Yoshi+mizu?!”
Takeru inadvertently rubbed his eyes to s
The next tier there
Instead there was a single boy standing there
”that's”
That boy too, was Takeru's acquaintance
Kirigaya Kyouya The captain of the 15th test platoon the one that iped out by Haunted
Kyouya glared towards Takeru
”Kyouya!”
Without thinking, Takeru rushed towards hi at full speed, he stood in front of him
”J-just ere you discharged? A while ago when I went to hospital”
””
”a-anyway, that's great You look healthy”
Telling hiue, it was too rushed
However, speaking just about his body, he did look healthy
Kyouya's legs He lost both them when he was crushed by the rubble
But no matter how he looked at it, Kyouya had them both
At first Takeru thought they were prosthetics, but it wasn't so He knew that those are legs of flesh and blood
”you legswhy”
As he stared in wonder, Kyouya looked away from him and passed by his side
Takeru chased after him in a hurry
”Wait a second, there's still so I want to ask you”
””
”What happened to Yoshi+ about her when I asked HealersSeelies Her hospital rooed, if possible I want to pay her a visit——”
He casually placed a hand on Kyouya's shoulder
It was just a faint touch
But Kyouya smacked Takeru's hand away
Involuntarily, Takeru was stunned
”——Don't touch me you traitor!”
Kyouya looked towards Takeru with a furious expression and said so Traitor? What does that mean?
Not knohy Kyouya was angry, Takeru stood there dumbfounded
Then Kyouya walked away down the hallway at brisk pace
Not feeling like chasing him, Takeru watched his back as he left
”as that”
Unconvinced, he rubbed his hands
After that, he tried asking the HealerSeelie ward's nurse, but he wasn't told of Yoshi+mizu Akira's whereabouts As for Kyouya, not only wasn't he discharged but it was made as if he was never a patient in there, it was a complete blank-out
Although he couldn't help but think that it's strange, but inside of Takeru a resolution to ask Kyouya himself was born