Chapter 2.2

It's your story

The morning had been one thing after another, so I figured the rest of the day would be relatively peaceful, but I was dead wrong.

Saikawa's work phone was ringing constantly, and it was all I could do to keep up. Meanwhile, Natsunagi, Saikawa, and Charlie had fun chatting and playing board games… C'mon, you people do some work too.

In any case, I'd spent the whole day working, but now I was finally taking a nice, long bath.

"…I'm beat."

My voice echoed in the empty bathroom. Being alone made me remember that way too much had been happening lately. There was the kidnapping Siesta had set up, where we'd learned the truth of her death. Then, with SIESTA's help, Natsunagi had remembered more of her past and even reconciled with her other personality. After that, just as one problem had been solved, here came Bat's jailbreak and Saikawa's scandal. Saikawa, Natsunagi, Charlie, and I had been forced to move to SIESTA's hideout. We were living the fugitive life now.

"Yeesh. Not fair." As I sighed, the same old ugly phrase slipped out. But this was a huge situation, and it had only been a few days. Nobody could blame me for complaining a little.

"…Siesta."

And nobody could blame me for calling my old partner's name, either.

Yeah, it's not as if I missed her or anythi… "Man, this is bad."

When did I get so weak?

I knew the answer to that right away. One year ago—on that day—Siesta had died, and now here I was. I shut my eyes to the truth, forgot my mission, fled into routine, and solved the little incidents I got dragged into. That was all I'd done, but I'd lied to myself and said I was carrying out the detective's last wish.

What about me had changed since then?

I'd met Natsunagi, learned what Siesta felt, remembered my mission through Saikawa's incident, and truly inherited the detective's will after Charlie scolded me.

Had I had the wrong idea about all of that, though?

I hadn't known Siesta's past or Natsunagi's. In the end, I was no different than I had been on that day. I was obliviously soaking in that same tepid water, just the way I'd—

"Guess I'll get out."

While I wasn't paying attention, the bath had gone stone cold.

If I'd stayed in this water long enough, I bet I'd eventually have frozen to death, I thought. My head had cooled.

"Whoa. I may have to take back that 'fish sausage' remark."

Suddenly I realized that the bathroom door was open, and Saikawa was standing right in front of me.

…Saikawa was standing right in front of me?

"Geez! What are you doing?!" I hastily ducked back down into the bath. "Well, you know. I've been causing a lot of trouble, so I thought I'd at

least wash your back."

"You're causing trouble for me right this minute! Shut the door, now!" "Oh, honestly. If I must." Sounding resigned, Saikawa closed the bathroom

door. "There we go."

"…Why are you still in here?"

"Huh? Taking a bath while chatting with a young girl was your greatest and only pleasure, wasn't it?"

"Saikawa, is trashing my reputation a hobby of yours? …Besides, she was just really funny, that's all." Come to think of it, something like that had happened with Siesta, way back when.

"By the way, Kimizuka—you can shoo me out into the dressing room, but my left eye can see you naked through the door."

"Turn around, right now. You're only allowed to see me naked if you're prepared to let me see you naked."

"You're acting like that's a witty comment, but you really just want to take a bath with a girl, right?"

Man, Saikawa's comebacks are top of the line.

"Huh, I see… So you and Siesta did this, too. That's informative."

"Don't literally take notes. That's not going to be on any high school entrance exam," I told Saikawa through the bathroom door. "And, uh, I'd like to get out now."

Then I chased Saikawa out of the dressing room and left the bathroom. "The thing is, I've realized I don't know much about Siesta." Saikawa

apparently wasn't done with our conversation. This time, she talked to me through the dressing room door while I dried off. "Did you notice, Kimizuka? Siesta and I have no real connection to each other." Now that she mentioned it, that was true. "Natsunagi and Charlie's ties to her are much firmer. Natsunagi has inherited Siesta's heart, and Charlie is Siesta's first apprentice."

"Only according to Charlie, but yeah."

Still, I got what she was trying to say. Both Natsunagi and Charlie had met Siesta personally, a long time ago. Saikawa, though—

"Oh, but don't think I'm trying to say I feel left out." On the other side of the door, Saikawa sounded flustered. "You see, I think it's why I'm able to stay neutral, to a certain extent."

"Neutral?"

"Yes. For example, say the circumstances that surround us are a story. Who do you suppose is at the center of it?"

That was a pretty abstract question. Even so, one person instantly came to mind.

"That would be Siesta."

I'd finished dressing, and I opened the door…but Saikawa wasn't there. "Yes, I think so too."

I heard her voice from the living room. Did she mean we were supposed to continue this conversation in there?

"Well, without her, this story wouldn't even have started."

I'd been Siesta's assistant for three years. Natsunagi was Siesta's old friend, her mortal enemy—and now the inheritor of her heart. Charlie had

looked up to Siesta as a teacher, and she still did. We were currently dealing with SPES, the enemy Siesta had been ordered to defeat.

The story that surrounded us was focused entirely on Siesta. She was the axis around which the world turned.

"But while I'm part of all that, I'm distant from Siesta. I'm the only one who is."

When I went back to the dining room, Saikawa was there. She was holding a mug in both hands and blowing on it. "It's hot milk. Have some, Kimizuka."

"It's summer," I told her, but she already had some waiting for me, which made arguing sort of pointless. I sat down across from her.

"That being the case, there may be something I in particular am allowed to say. Isn't that right, Kimizuka?"

I took another look at Saikawa. I'd been in such a hurry earlier that I hadn't really seen her.

She was wearing pink pajamas, and I could smell the sweet smell of someone who'd just gotten out of the bath. Her hair hung loose. She wasn't wearing her eye patch, and her left eye was as beautiful as a blue jewel.

"This is our story."

She smiled. "It's Natsunagi's story, and Charlie's, and yours, Kimizuka. It belongs to each of you. So all that matters is the question of what you want to do. I think that's enough," she said. She took a long, luxurious sip of her hot milk.

"Huh? Actually, no matter how you look at it, I'm the central figure in this incident. Why am I the one who's helping you, instead of the other way around? Kimizuka, show a little more enthusiasm and lend me a hand, all right?"

"That was the most unfair thing this century."

 Produce an idol: A simple, pain-in-the-butt job

The next day…

Saikawa and I left SIESTA's residence in the morning by car. It was Yui Saikawa's private car, and her private chauffeur was behind the wheel.

"Still, we're leaving really early. The program's not till this evening, right?" I asked. Saikawa was sitting in the back seat next to me, gazing at her phone.

Today, she was scheduled to perform in a live music program. We'd gone into hiding to protect Saikawa from the media, but they hadn't been able to cancel that live broadcast. Now I was going with her.

"I have a lot I need to do beforehand. After all, I am a super idol." Saikawa put her phone away, then gave a big, feline yawn.

"You look really tired. Didn't get much sleep yesterday?"

"No. After you and I spoke, we girls talked far into the night." Saikawa let her head fall onto my shoulder and closed her eyes. Man, this idol's public and private faces are so different… Actually, I can't believe how much she relaxes around me.

"By the way, what were you girls talking about?" "Mm, how much you suck, mostly."

"I shouldn't have asked." Well, if they'd bonded with each other by tearing me down, that was fine… Maybe?

"They couldn't come with us today, though?" Saikawa sat up. I wasn't sure whether she was uneasy about having me be her only escort, or whether she was just curious.

"Yeah. We have Bat to worry about too."

With Seed's help, Bat had broken out of jail. We didn't know what he wanted, but there was a decent possibility that he'd go after Siesta's will on Seed's orders—and after Natsunagi, who was succeeding her as ace detective. Based on that assumption, I'd decided to keep Natsunagi in the safest place possible and have Charlie guard her.

"Um, Mr. Bat, wasn't it? Isn't SIESTA dealing with him now?"

"Yeah, she should be, but…" As a matter of fact, I'd gotten a text from SIESTA early that morning. I read it to Saikawa.

" 'Leave this to me. Kimihiko, you just watch over Yui Saikawa's decision.' End quote."

I didn't really understand what she was trying to say. Not "protect" her—"watch over" her.

Did it mean she didn't expect anything from me in a fight? I mean, yeah, I hadn't been able to do much over those three years, just watch over Siesta from the shadows, but…

"I see. SIESTA knows you very well, doesn't she?" Somewhere in there, Saikawa had gotten out her phone and was gazing at it again. "Watch over me. That's perfect for a concert-lurker-wannabe-boyfriend-geek like you, Kimizuka."

"Saikawa, you think I'll forgive you no matter what you say to me, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

Oh. She does? She doesn't even sound sorry.

"After all, no matter what happens, I believe you'll always be on my side." "You definitely put your foot in your mouth; don't try to flip it around and

act like that was a positive exchange."

"Hey, it looks like we're just about there." She forcibly derailed the conversation. That's a move I use a lot too, though, so I couldn't really call her on it.

"Hm… We're headed to the TV station, right?"

I'd been distracted and hadn't noticed until now, but when I glanced out the window, I realized we'd left the city. As the car drove on, the clusters of buildings disappeared, and all I could see were old-fashioned houses and timeworn signs.

"Kimizuka, we're here."

The car stopped, and on Saikawa's instructions, I got out. "Where's 'here'?"

I shaded my eyes against the bright summer sun.

Blue sky and a green ridgeline. There were cicadas crying in the trees right next to us, and the place smelled like summer. This land might as well have been untouched by civilization, there to make you forget all about the big city.

"All right. Let's go, then."

Apparently, we still had to walk a bit. Sunlight lanced through the white clouds as Saikawa marched down a country road, leading the way.

"It looks like we're heading for a hill. Is there something at the top?" "What? Oh, yes, a hot spring!"

…I totally wasn't expecting that.

"Heh-heh! An idol and her producer on a forbidden romantic escape!" "…You'd better not be serious."

"No good? Eloping to a hidden rural bath… Oh, I like the way that

sounded. I'll put it in the lyrics for my next single." Ignoring me, Saikawa got out a notepad. I felt the birth of a famous—or rather, infamous—song coming on. But more importantly…

"Saikawa. Are you afraid of the media?" I thought I saw her shoulders flinch.

"What are you talking about, Kimizuka?" She kept walking without turning around.

Saikawa didn't complain easily. She kept her idol smile pasted on her face, and she always hid her true feelings behind it.

"I mean, if I'm wrong, that's fine."

We continued down the path, through lush greenery and the stifling scent of sunbaked grass.

  Scream at the unfairness of the world

"Here we are. This is it."

I'd picked up on the fact that she'd been lying about the hot spring, but I definitely hadn't expected this destination.

"This is where my mom and dad are." Gently, Saikawa knelt in front of the gravestone that stood at the top of the hill. "Actually, this whole area belongs to the Saikawa family. I had them buried here because the view is so good." As Saikawa spoke, she lit a stick of incense.

"Can I pay my respects, too?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm sure they'd both love that."

I stood beside her, put my hands together, and closed my eyes.

I'd never met Saikawa's parents, of course. However, I did know how she felt, and I offered a silent prayer.

"Thank you very much." A soft breeze blew, and Saikawa raised her head and smiled. "I think they're both relieved that I've found a life partner."

"You've gotta be kidding me. It's already okay to joke around again?" "Yes. My parents liked never-ending comedy routines even more than I

do."

"You inherited this from your parents. Unbelievable." We cracked up a little.

"…Somehow, though, I still feel like I'm dreaming." "Dreaming?"

"Yes. How should I put it…? It's like it's all one spectacular practical joke. Sometimes I think they're both actually alive, and pretty soon they'll jump out from behind something and give me a good scare."

As she spoke, her profile looked lonelier than I'd ever seen it. It might have been three years, but for Saikawa, the reality of her parents' death hadn't faded… Just like one year hadn't been enough for me.

"In the end, being on my own makes me uneasy. I always want to have someone watching me."

"Is that why you're an idol?"

"…Yes, that could be part of it," Saikawa responded absently. She was hugging her knees. "Besides, long ago, my dad told me he hoped I'd live my life wearing pretty dresses. He said he wanted me to light up the world. Mom was constantly telling me to run outside into the world and make friends. And so I—" Saikawa appeared to be fondly remembering the past. "I may not be able to stay an idol forever, though. After all, a global crisis may be just around the corner."

"Really? I think an idol who sings, dances, and sometimes fights pseudohumans would be pretty entertaining."

Just as there used to be an ace detective who knew a whole bunch about idols from Japón.

"…Heh-heh. Your persuasion tactics are as funny as ever, Kimizuka." Saikawa smiled, smoothly rising to her feet.

"But sometimes—I get a little tired."

She murmured the words in a small voice, without looking at me. Then, surveying the scenery that spread out below us, she stretched luxuriously. "Nnnnnnn…! It really is nice to be out in nature, isn't it!" Saikawa was still facing away from me, but her voice was as cheerful as could be. "What do you think? Should we pitch my job and everything else out the window and actually start a new life in the country together?"

"I don't think a sheltered rich girl from the city could manage that."

"Oh, that's not true. I can cook, and living off the land will be easy-peasy." "Maybe for a few days, but you'd be missing convenience stores and Wi-Fi

before too long."

"…You're no fun." My reaction seemed to displease Saikawa; she took out

her phone and started to fiddle with it. Definitely snubbing me. "Witty retorts are fine, but if you're negative about everything, people won't like you."

"I see. You've got me there," I responded lightly, although I'd quietly gotten to my feet and was sneaking up behind Saikawa. "—But I don't mind being disliked for now." I snatched her smartphone out of her hands.

"Wha—! G-give that back!" Saikawa jumped, trying to grab the phone as I held it high in the air. However, it's not that easy to make up a height difference of twenty-plus centimeters. "Why are you picking on me?! Is it because I was playing with my phone while I talked about wanting to live in the country?! In that case—"

"No."

…Yeesh. Let me be a little nosy, at least. Keeping Saikawa at bay, I showed her the phone's screen. "It's because you've been staring at this stuff all day."

The screen showed the timeline of a certain social networking site. It was filled with nasty comments about Saikawa after that news report.

Saikawa never showed weakness. Before she was an idol singer, though, she was a girl in her last year of middle school. The news over the past few days had to be getting to her.

"…Give that back, please." "Mm. Sorry."

Saikawa took the phone from me, then lowered her head guiltily. "I don't care what they say about me." She bit her lip, turning off her phone. "But when they go after Mom and Dad…I just can't take it."

Saikawa's parents were her guiding star. She couldn't allow them to be tainted… That said, she didn't have any significant way to turn the situation around right now. Her enemy was an enormous, shapeless cruelty. There had never been a way to fight that.

—Even so, if there was one thing we could do now, it was… "Kimizuka?"

I'd taken a few steps forward. Saikawa gazed at me, mystified.

…Sorry, Saikawa. This is about all I can come up with.

I sucked in a deep breath, and—

"Dammit, you can't do this to meeeeeeee!"

On the top of the hill, I screamed my guts out at the landscape below.

"K-Kimizuka?"

Saikawa's gloomy expression had turned to shock. "Um, I mean, I'm very happy that you're getting angry on my behalf, but it's rather embarrassing…" "You can't just go off and die a hero all by yourself! You're so stupid,

Siestaaaaaaaa!"

"O-oh, was that what this was…!" Saikawa's retort sounded unusually flustered.

Sorry. I accidentally let the scream of my soul slip out there.

But…

"Okay, Saikawa." I turned to her, holding out a hand. "Go ahead and vent.

Let it all out."

If it wasn't possible to change someone, or something, then it had to at least be okay to scream all the unfairness out.

"…Are idols allowed to use dirty words?" "You aren't on the clock yet anyway."

Until that live broadcast started, Yui Saikawa was just a girl in her third year of middle school.

She was allowed to say whatever she wanted. Here and now, at least.

" ! Bastaaaaaards!"

Beside me, Saikawa shouted with her entire body.

Taking off her eye patch, she screamed at the reality that was hurting her, and at the unbearable unfairness of it all.

"You assholes don't know a thing!"

"You assholes—" "Y-you!"

Then she sucked in a deep, deep breath, so big it seemed almost impossible, and—

"I love my mom and dad! Stop being mean to them and just shut uuuuuuuup!!!"

Her scream carried so far, I thought it might make it clear to heaven. "…I wonder if they heard me."

Then Saikawa took a breath, getting herself under control. Her blue eye turned toward me. She looked as if she'd come back to her senses.

Of course, that wouldn't have resolved everything. At the very least, though, I had the feeling she'd sing her very best song after this.

"Yeah, that was a good scream. The radio towers could've picked that one up."

"Ah-ha-ha! It would be bad if my fans heard that, huh. But…" Saikawa looked up at me, clasping her hands behind her. "If they start flaming me, I'm counting on you to put out the fire. Okay, producer?"

The smile she gave me was as pure and open as a flower.