Chapter 158 sA Strange Power / Mask, the Third” (2/2)

「Okay, take whatever ya like.」

「Thanks.」

Taiyou said that and walked toward one car parked among many there. Leticia’s soldiers looked at him strangely, but after a wink from Leticia, all the soldiers moved away from the car he was standing near.

Taiyou stood in front of the car and faced Mask the Third.

「It takes me back, having to fight you again.」

「It’s nice…to m-eet you.」

「Oh, that’s right, this is the first time we met.」

He smirked and laughed. It made him snicker to see a little girl like this act so stubbornly.

「Okay, let me ask you one more thing. If I beat you, will the girl Shirokiyami be mine?」

「I…guess?」

Though she tilted her head and inflected the answer as a question, Taiyou took the answer as the affirmative.

「Okay then.」

Taiyou nodded, bent, and gripped the bumper of the car. He put power into his stance, and picked up the car in the air.

「Whoa!」「That much power with wounds all over?!」「He’s a demon…a monster!!」

Leticia’s soldiers mumbled among themselves.

「Waitwaitwaitwait!」

Leticia lifted out her hand to stop them. Taiyou quickly put down the car. The car landed with a thud on the asphalt and shook the earth.

「What is it?」

「What was all that ya said?」

「Now?」

「About her bein’ your girl?」

「Well, um, I just did I guess.」

He had said it more as a comment, so hearing Leticia yell at him seemed to shut him up.

But saying nothing about it…well, that’s even more embarrassing, so he spoke again.

「Because of her promise, I’m going to fight her…and if I win, she’ll become a bride of mine.」

「Whaaaaa?」

Leticia was again lost for words.

Taiyou felt even more embarrassed, and tried to explain himself further.

「I know it’s a bit brash, but, it seems there’s no other way.」

「…」

「I mean I have to fight her, fight, and beat this girl sometime!」

He lifted his fist up and stuck it out, signalling his decision.

He looked back at the enemy he was to face. Even with the mask on, he knew it was her and his heart began to pound.

「Sooo…Leticia?」

Let me borrow the car, he motioned looking back at Leticia, who for some reason was now bent and shaking while holding her shoulders.

「What is it? Something wrong?」

「Yer wrong.」

「Wha?」

「Ya…take something from me so ya can get at that girl.」

「Wha? Well, yeah, to beat her.」

「I mean, as a person.」

「What?」

He asked again to hear what she meant by the second comment, while Leticia lifted her face again.

Her shoulders were still shaking, and her face was red in an expression that wasn’t shyness.

「Leticia?」

「Ya need to take a rest.」

「Wha?」

Taiyou was surprised. Leticia’s beet-red face was covered with a strange smile.

A strange, unnatural smile that for some reason, made him feel some kind of pressure.

「No, I’m not done yet.」

「Yer injured, ya can’t push yerself too far.」

「But…」

「Take – a – rest.」

「Um…」

He couldn’t describe and had never felt that pressure before.

It was pressure from a different vector that Shirokiyami’s murderous intent.

He wondered why, just like Leticia’s smile, that her sudden smile had appeared upon her beautiful face. He felt like a frog that was being stared down in a serpent’s smile.

「You…」

「Hmph!」

He tried to protest, then in the next instant.

「Gaaaahhhhgh!」

Taiyou was struck strongly in the stomach with a fist. It was a bodyblow that seemed to arc his stomach inwards.

His consciousness seemed to fade, and he tried to suppress this, but even so his mind seemed to be fading out into whiteness.

The bodyblow, in addition to the damage he had already taken, brought him to the edge of his awareness.

His mind spun, and he fell to the ground.

「Wha…t…the…」

「Relax and calm yer head.」

「What…did you…」

「…hmph!」

「Hee…he-ee.」

「Hey ya! With the laughin’ mouth! What’s with that face?!」

「I have a mas-k on…so you don’t…know.」

「I can see it even with yer mask on!」

「Whoaaaaa, Iiiiii’ve seen something really crazy!」

「Did you see that?」「Yeah, that was a stronger punch than I could have done!」「Women are scaaaaary!」

The tumult finally started to settle.

Among his fading consciousness, he realized this was the first time he had passed out because of her, as Taiyou remembered her sword attack on him the previous time.

(Her martial arts don’t match her soft lips…)

With most of Taiyou’s worries resolved, he still thought about those lips as he finally lost consciousness.