Chapter 99: 99

Knife of Words

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

“Hey, Tsugumi. If you want, why don’t we go shopping together?”

On the morning of a rare day off, Tsugumi was invited by Chidori to go on a shopping trip to the city. They were always together, so he wasn’t really aware of it, but it had been a really long time since they went out together like this.

Since the incident at the Amusement Park in February, Chidori had been busy helping the government, and Tsugumi had been busy dealing with Jukka. And since Chidori was busy with government work, simulator combat training, and helping out with the kendo club, she didn’t have much time to go out.

As for Tsugumi, he’d like her to work a little less and take better care of herself, but she seemed to be enjoying it, so he couldn’t say anything about it.

…Well, in terms of being busy, Tsugumi–Hagakure Sakura was no different, but he was still better than Chidori because he was more flexible with his time.

“Where do you want to go next? Oh, a movie once in a while would be nice.”

Grabbing the hem of Tsugumi’s jacket and walking close to him, Chidori happily talked about her next plans. Looking at Chidori with such serenity, Tsugumi smiled.

“I’m fine with wherever you want to go. –Even so, it’s rare that God isn’t with you today. Normally, he would have come with you.”

“I think Shiro-sama wanted to come with us, but he has some business to attend to today. He looked so disappointed that I felt sorry for him.”

Chidori let out a small sigh as she continued her words, “I should at least buy him a souvenir”. It seemed that Shiro was very depressed by the looks of it. He really was an ungodly God.

By the way, as for Bell, even when Tsugumi told her that he was going somewhere, she ended the conversation with a single “Is that so?”. Bell basically didn’t seem to be that interested in his personal affairs.

But lately, perhaps because of the number of times he had been needlessly involved in trouble, he had been asked to report the situation regularly.

…In the end, thinking about it, the degree of overprotection might not be that different.

After walking for so long, they decided to take a short break, bought some delicious-looking gelato along the way, and began talking about the movies playing in the vicinity while sitting on a bench in the shade.

“It seems mystery and horror are popular right now. There’s a little bit of a grotesque element to it.”

“I’m not a fan of the blood… I still can’t seem to forget the big rat I knocked over the other day…”

Chidori said so, then gently pressed her mouth shut, looking sick.

“Ah, the E-class Demonic Beast you mentioned. ….You don’t have to force yourself to fight, do you? It’s not your duty, is it?”

“But if I don’t do anything, I won’t be able to move forward. It seems that once I have done a few actual matches, the range of what I can do will expand, so I want to keep working until then.”

Looking at Chidori who smiled troubledly, Tsugumi let out a sigh.

The other day, Chidori went into battle for the first time as a Magical Girl. This was because her wish to acquire the ability to protect herself matched the government’s desire to strengthen her ability to transport.

Tsugumi, who didn’t want her to do anything dangerous, wanted to firmly oppose it, but he had to give in to Chidori’s earnest pleas. The only saving grace was she promised not to fight with E-class and above.

Chidori had trained many times in the simulator, and was assured that she would have an easy time fighting an E-class opponent before she was dispatched. Tsugumi later was shown a video of Chidori fighting, but toward the end of the fight, her face had turned blue.

“So all that’s left are romances and comedies.”

When he muttered this, Chidori’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she said in a whisper.

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“Um, if you don’t mind Tsugumi, would you be okay with romance? I’ve actually had my eye on it for a little while.”

“Then let’s do that. The earliest time is three o’clock, so we’ll have to kill some time until then. –I don’t know much about it, what kind of story is it?”

When Tsugumi asked this question, Chidori’s eyes wandered a little as if she was in a panic, and she smiled troubledly.

“I think it’s more interesting to watch it without any advance information, so isn’t it okay to wait until you see it? It’s better that way, I am sure.”

“Really? Well, if Chidori said so.”

Although he felt something was not quite right, he agreed with what Chidori was saying.

While the two were engaged in a casual conversation, they saw a familiar figure walking toward them.

“Tsugumi-chan and Chidori-chan. What a coincidence.”

“Yukitaka. That’s unusual, are you alone today?”

Yukitaka approached Tsugumi casually and opened his mouth with a wry smile.

“That’s terrible. I’m not always with a girl.”

“No, I didn’t say that much…”

“Well, I just had some business in town today. I’m done with my errands and I was just about to go home for the day. I saw some nasty things along the way.”

Yukitaka cowered his shoulders as he said this.

“What, did you meet some of the guys from your class?”

“That’s still better. I saw that transfer student on the other side of the street. I hope you don’t give me a break until the vacation.”

As Yukitaka said this with a sigh, Chidori, who had been silent, opened her mouth.

“The transfer student is the foreigner that Mebuki-senpai was talking about, right? I wonder if he comes to visit with someone.”

“I don’t know? From a quick glance, it looks like he were alone. Oh, but it looks like he was being talked to persistently by some ruffian. He seems like a bold guy. I wonder if he can handle that much. Well, it’s none of my business.”

The air in the room froze at these words, which were spoken so casually. …He spoke lightly, but Yukitaka’s story could be taken to mean that Azalea was in a lot of trouble.

…Normally speaking, it was hard to believe that Azalea, who had not been in Japan for very long, would be acting on his own. Aside from the busy Mebuki, it was too unnatural for him to have no one to accompany him. The possibility that he had strayed off and gotten lost couldn’t be dismissed, but there was no use thinking about it now.

–Meibuki-senpai has asked me to. Thinking that, Tsugumi let out a small sigh. He wouldn’t have minded if he didn’t know, but now that he knew, he had no choice but to move. He knew it was a source of trouble, but he couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

“I’m sorry, Chidori. I’m going out for a while. I’ll be right back if everything is okay.”

“Yeah, I think it’s better that way too. –But be careful. The number of dangerous people seems to be increasing these days.”

With a slightly worried expression on her face, Chidori said this to Tsugumi. Nodding at her words, Tsugumi stood up from the bench.

“You’re really going? Tsugumi-chan is such a nice person.”

“At least tell me you’re being nice there. …Don’t mess with Chidori.”

“Yes, yes, go quickly. Time is limited.”

Yukitaka then pushed Tsugumi’s back with both hands and waved him off.

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–He was a little nervous about leaving Yukitaka and Chidori alone in this place, but he was sure that Chidori would be fine. Judging this to be the case, Tsugumi did not look back and continued to the other side of the street.

◆　◆　◆

Staring at the back of the running Tsugumi, Chidori let out a sigh of disappointment.

She knew it was inevitable, considering Tsugumi’s nature, but she still couldn’t get rid of the feeling of dissatisfaction. It was a special outing. It would be strange not to feel disappointed.

–And above all, there is something that worries me. With that thought, Chidori looked up at Amari, who was standing right next to her.

…She had never told Tsugumi this, but Chidori didn’t like Amari.

He had a frivolous personality that liked to hurt people and was arrogant enough to swing Tsugumi around. And most of all, the look in his eyes, which he would show in a moment when Tsugumi was not around. It was a nasty look as if he felt sorry for Chidori and wanted to take pity on her. Chidori was unbearably uncomfortable with Amari’s inexplicable attitude.

“I’m sorry, Chidori-chan. It seems I have interrupted something.”

“…No. Don’t worry about it.”

It was Tsugumi himself who decided to help the transfer student – Azalea. Even though it was Amari who caused the situation, it would be wrong to blame him. However, it was hard to forgive him for bringing trouble.

“Come to think of it, were you two planning to go somewhere after this? Are you sure you have enough time?”

“We were going to see a movie. Don’t worry, there’s still time before the show.”

“Oh, what kind of movie is it?”

“Well, it’s a romantic movie that started recently. I heard it has a good reputation, so I want to see it.”

Chidori said yes, but there was another reason why she chose that movie. –Although she had not told Tsugumi about it, the movie they were talking about was about a love affair between siblings. In the end, it was revealed that the two were not related, and she was just a little curious to see how Tsugumi would react to such a movie.

It wasn’t that Chidori wanted to have that kind of relationship with Tsugumi. If they could live as a normal family, that would probably be the best thing. But she couldn’t help but feel anxious. This impatience made her test Tsugumi, even though she knew it wasn’t a good idea.

–Sometimes, she had terrible dreams. Tsugumi’s real sister – Sakura-oneechan – gallantly dredged Tsugumi away from Chidori. Such a terrible dream.

When Chidori answered in a nonchalant way, Amari looked at her with a troubled face. Chidori flinched a little at his dumbfounded gaze. It was as if she was being accused of something.

“…Oh, you mean that story about the brother and sister. Hm, I think it’s better to stop.”

“Why?”

“–Because you don’t have to go out of your way to get hurt, do you?”

Amari said this in a quiet voice, as if to announce the obvious.

“Eh, Amari-kun, what are you trying to say…?”

“No matter how much you love Tsugumi-chan, that guy will never give you back the same thing.”

She choked up at the core of his words. –How could he know that? She had never told anyone, not even God, about her true feelings.

As Chidori’s face scrunched up and she froze, Amari looked down at her as if he were looking at something pitiful.

“It’s true that Tsugumi-chan loves Chidori-chan, you probably love him and care for him more than anyone else in the world, but that’s only because you’re his family. –If you are not a part of that family, how much are you worth? Do you think Tsugumi-chan will still love you the same way he loves you now?”

“What, such a thing…”

As if seeing through Chidori’s mind, Amari slipped the knife of words.

–Why, how do you know my anxiety, Amari-kun? Such a small question was drowned out by the words that stab one after another.

“Your wish will kill Tsugumi-chan one day. …Ah. You don’t know anything so you can be that cruel. I really feel sorry for you.”

“I don’t know……. What do you want to tell me, Amari-kun? What do you know?”

Her body shook with a clattering, incomprehensible fear. Amari in front of her seemed to be smiling peacefully, but at the same time, she felt a chill at the bottom of her heart. As if – she was facing a mighty demon.

“–In other words, what I am trying to say is, it’s not a good idea to poke a snake out of the bush. Even you, Chidori-chan, want Tsugumi-chan to remain the same as always, don’t you?”

Chidori reflexively shook her head as she was asked this question. Then Amari suddenly smiled beautifully and gently held his left hand out in front of Chidori’s eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I talked a little too much because I don’t have a chaperone. –You can forget about it. It’s not the time yet.”

As if the light was being stolen from in front of her eyes, Chidori’s consciousness gradually faded away. And eventually, the weight of her eyelids became unbearable, and her consciousness was finally swallowed by the darkness.

–Pan, a small sound rang in her ear, and Chidori opened her eyes wide in surprise

“Ah, huh? –Where did Tsugumi go?”

Chidori said anxiously as she glanced around.

–Tsugumi who was supposed to be with her had disappeared. They should have been sitting on the bench together just a moment ago.

The sudden event confused Chidori, and then someone spoke to her.

“I don’t like it. Tsugumi-chan just went to check on the transfer student. Have you forgotten already?”

Amari, who she just met, peeked into Chidori’s face with concern. Pale amber eyes stared into Chidori’s eyes. Then, her consciousness gradually became clearer.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. How could I have forgotten… I’m sorry, Amari-kun.”

“It’s a little hot today, so maybe the sun has gotten to you. You should drink plenty of water.”

“That might be the case. I’ll be careful.”

“Yes, yes. Then, I’ll be heading home now. –Please give my best regards to Tsugumi-chan.”

Amari turned his back to Chidori and walked away. Apparently, he did not intend to stay too long.

Chidori tilted her head curiously and mumbled.

“…Weird. I didn’t find anything strange.”

–Yes, nothing should have happened. But why does my heart ache so much? A piercing pain stayed deep in her chest. Ass if something very sad had happened.

And when Chidori looked down at her feet, she noticed a small black feather had fallen down. Attracted by its fluffy loveliness, Chidori picked up the feather.

–I’ll show it to Tsugumi later. Thinking so, she tucked the feather into her notebook and carefully tucked it away in her bag.

–Tsugumi had not returned yet.

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