Chapter 2.5

That day's regrets, someday's promise

"I'm worn out…"

Later, back hunched and shoulders slumping, I trudged down the dark road that led back to the hideout.

"Kimizuka, I was gonna say you look like an old man, but you're more of a zombie now," Saikawa admonished me. She was walking beside me.

"We had a vampire, a pseudohuman, and a corpse puppet all in one place back there. Anybody would end up zombified."

"Ah-ha-ha! It was an all-star assembly, wasn't it?" Saikawa gave an easy laugh.

I almost told her, Man, you don't have a care in the world, do you… But it was a relief to see she could smile like that after everything.

"Seriously. I'm impressed we made it through."

I thought back to the exchange on the roof, about half an hour ago—

"Ha-ha, ha-ha-ha!"

Putting a hand to his forehead, Scarlet grinned broadly. He seemed to find this hilarious.

"What was that girl? One would think she no longer saw me at all."

In the end, Saikawa hadn't even given Scarlet's offer a response. She'd finished one song in her rooftop recital, then hurried back to her dressing room to change by herself.

From the way she was acting, though, her intentions were clear. Saikawa wouldn't bring her parents back to life. Chameleon's incomplete resurrection had been enough to show her that they wouldn't genuinely come back.

And even if her parents weren't here, Saikawa could get by on her own. That was what mattered. Her left eye would show her what lay ahead. This was her story, a life that was hers alone.

"The world has some very entertaining humans in it," Scarlet commented, approaching Chameleon's corpse.

After Saikawa had gone, I'd finished Chameleon off.

This was the second time I'd killed him. I knew it was a weird thing to say to an enemy, but I silently prayed that he'd rest in peace.

"By the way, Scarlet, why did you help Bat instead of Seed?"

Bat had disappeared into the darkness ages ago, so the vampire and I were alone. It seemed like a good time to ask.

"You could say it was a whim… However…" There was something oddly significant in Scarlet's tone. "I wished to see the 'singularity' for myself."

What did he mean, singularity? He peered at me. "Besides." "?"

"The price Seed initially offered to pay me was abnormal." Scarlet smiled thinly. "I thought it would be intriguing to go along with his caprice, so I accepted. Still, it led me to an encounter with something fascinating. Now, I shall take my leave."

Scarlet nimbly jumped up onto the fence. "What exactly did Seed try to pay you?"

"Ha! Deduce it for yourself someday, human… If you are the man who stands beside the daydream, that is." Scarlet spoke over his shoulder to me. "Well, I suppose I'll ask a question of my own while I have the chance to."

Turning halfway around on his narrow perch, Scarlet said: "Is there no one you wish to bring back to life?"

He looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

Bringing the dead back to life was profane. If it was really possible, then I'd—

"Well, you needn't answer now. In any event, this visit is merely my debut.

My true entrance lies in the future. Find your way to it someday, human." Then Scarlet leaned backward, letting himself fall.

When I saw that…

"It's Kimizuka. Kimihiko Kimizuka."

Even I don't know why I did it. Only that the next thing I knew, I'd given him my name.

"Kimizuka? …Kimizuka!"

Somebody tugged at my sleeve. I glanced over and found Saikawa looking up at me, perplexed.

"We're here."

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking."

While I was absorbed in the memory of that last exchange with Scarlet on

the roof, we'd made it back to SIESTA's house.

"Honestly! You're the only one who'd let your mind wander while I'm talking to you!" Saikawa glowered at me, then turned away sulkily. Apparently, she'd been trying to strike up a conversation with me.

"Sorry." I patted her lightly on the head, but she was still pouting. "Enough. I'm not talking to you anymore, Kimizuka."

"Well, that's just sad…"

Is this how dads feel when their daughter goes through a rebellious phase? "I'm sorry." She'd smacked my hand away, and I lowered it with another

apology.

Saikawa was striding ahead, without waiting for me. "I told you—" "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything."

"Huh?" She turned around.

I really should have said all of this to her before I said anything else.

"I'm sorry I couldn't say anything to you. I'm sorry all I could do was watch. I'm sorry I couldn't help. All I could do was wait for you to get through it on your own, Saikawa, and—"

Just as I was about to finish the sentence, something caught me around the waist.

"I'm sorry," I said just one more time, and then I hugged Saikawa back.

She'd flown into my arms.

"…Three years." I heard Saikawa's vaguely needy voice from a little ways below my chest. "It's been three years since anyone hugged me."

Three years. By now, I didn't even have to ask what that number meant to Saikawa.

I couldn't take her parents' place, though. Nobody could. Nobody could replace anyone.

Still, I thought. Still.

I could walk with her. I could hold her hand and pat her head. I could also hold her close like I was doing now. In that case—

"I'll let you cry on my shoulder anytime." I wanted to do for her what no one had done for me a year ago.

"You too, Kimizuka." Saikawa looked up at me. "You can lean on me and be more demanding too." It was clear from her expression that she wasn't joking. "It's okay to do what you want to do."

Saikawa had said this to me before.

True to her words, she'd chosen her own path. She was sure her deceased parents would be proud of her as she pursued her career as an idol singer, surrounded by friends. She also knew it was what she personally wanted to do.

Then what about me?

I'd inherited the deceased ace detective's last wish…but was that really what I wanted to do?

What exactly was it that my heart wanted right now?

 Everything changes now

"We're hoooome!"

Heading down the underground stairway, Saikawa opened the iron door. It had been a long day, but we'd finally made it back to SIESTA's hideout.

"Sorry we're laaaate," Saikawa called to Natsunagi and Charlie, who'd stayed here. After all that mess, the clock on the living room wall said it was past midnight.

"I'll just take a shower, then hit the sack." …Or so I thought, but first I probably needed to fill the other two in on what had happened to me and Saikawa. Especially the part about Seed's objective and what was going on with SPES, fast—

"Nagisa!" Saikawa shrieked. She was crouched down beside the dining table in the living room.

"What's wrong—?!"

Natsunagi was on the floor, unconscious.

"Nagisa! Nagisa…!" Saikawa called, then started to shake her roughly.

I stopped her, then put my hand by Natsunagi's lips to see whether she was breathing… Okay, she was alive. Then, while we were doing that—

"…Kimi…zuka? Yui…?" Natsunagi's eyes opened a little, and she registered me and Saikawa.

"Are you okay?!" "Nagisa…!"

We'd crouched down beside her. "R-run…," she croaked.

In the next instant, I could feel something deadly behind us.

"…!"

Snatching the gun from my waist, I turned and pointed it at the figure that was standing a few meters away. My opponent was pointing a slender sword at me.

"Why…?" Saikawa murmured in a tremulous voice when she saw the face of the person I was holding at gunpoint.

…Yeah. I knew how she felt. Even now that we'd taken aim at each other, I doubted my own brain. Maybe this was some sort of dream, or an illusion.

At the same time, I was well aware that this person wasn't the type to play practical jokes.

So as for me, I chose to keep my tone as light as I always did with her.

"Hey, c'mon. This is a pretty big personality shift—Charlotte Arisaka Anderson."

Between her flowing blond hair and emerald-green eyes, there was no mistaking her for anyone else. Just a day ago, we'd been close friends, living under the same roof. Now she was eyeing us coldly, as if we were prey she needed to hunt.

"Run for it," I urged, stepping in front of Natsunagi and Saikawa to shield them. But Natsunagi was in no shape to go anywhere under her own power, and Saikawa was frozen with shock.

"It's no use." Charlie's expression was heartless. "Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth—I will kill Yui Saikawa."

Not Natsunagi, not me. Less than an hour after Saikawa had just freed herself from a powerful set of shackles, Charlie was declaring that she was the target she had to annihilate.

"Wh-why?" Saikawa sounded less shocked than genuinely perplexed. "We were together all day yesterday, and we chatted for so long…"

"I have orders," Charlie told her briefly. "They came in just a little while ago. And so I'll do it. There's no other reason."

Who would issue orders to kill Saikawa?

SPES? No, it couldn't be them. Bat had told us that SPES—well, Seed— was trying to take Saikawa over and use her as a vessel. He couldn't kill her.

"It's time." Without telling us anything else, Charlie leveled her saber. "If you get in my way, I'll kill you, too. I won't let you stall for time."

In the next instant, she'd vanished.

No—it only looked that way. That was how fast she'd closed the distance between us.

Charlie was taking this seriously. It wasn't like she even needed to; I'd never managed to beat her in combat, period. If we were in a one-on-one fight now, I was already—

"I knew I was right to drink your blood."

I'd heard that same mocking tone just a little while ago.

The vampire stepped between Charlie and me, golden eyes gleaming, as red drops of blood danced around him. He was in control now.

"…! Scarlet, you—!"

But that blood was his. Along with the bright blood, Scarlet's right arm was tumbling through the air. Charlie's sword had severed it.

"Oh-ho. To think you'd lop off my arm." The sudden intruder had startled Charlie; meanwhile, Scarlet didn't turn a hair. "My compliments. You're quite skilled…for a human."

Catching his flying right arm in his teeth, Scarlet unleashed a high kick at her.

"…!"

But it was no ordinary kick—he was a monster, after all. There was a dull thud, and Charlie flew backward.

"Ghk! Who…are you…?" Charlie had crumpled to the floor a good distance away. She looked up at Scarlet in obvious agony.

"It appears you hadn't factored my existence into your plan." Scarlet pressed the arm against his bleeding right shoulder. The surfaces rapidly joined up again—he didn't even have to stitch them together.

"Scarlet, why are you here?"

He'd hinted that we'd probably meet again someday, but I hadn't expected to see him less than an hour later.

"Oh, I'd forgotten something." Walking up to me, Scarlet slipped something into the breast pocket of my jacket. "This is the price I was going to receive from that mammal. Since our contract has been annulled, I thought to return it to him, but he told me to give it to you instead."

"Bat did?"

The object was small and hard. What in the world…?

"It's a stone that would let me walk under the light of the sun. —Or so he claimed, but I couldn't say whether it's true. It was a truly appealing notion for a vampire, but…"

Right, vampires can only go out at night. Bat had gotten something that useful for Scarlet to pay him for returning the dead to life?

"And so, human, that concludes my errand. You've made extra work for me." After disrupting the situation as badly as possible, Scarlet prepared to make his exit. I turned to him.

"Hey, vampire. Would you take those two and run away?" I asked him to get Natsunagi and Saikawa to safety.

"Is that a formal contract? If so, then—"

"The price is my blood," I said, shutting him down in advance. He'd already taken that blood when we first met. If the guy who'd saved his life was asking him for a favor, he'd probably listen.

"…I see. However." Scarlet narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to defeat that blond girl?" He gazed at Charlie, who was getting unsteadily to her feet.

"Yeah, that's fine. It would be hard to ask for too big a favor for disgusting blood."

"Ha-ha! What an entertaining fellow you are."

Besides, I have to deck her at least once. "That means I'll take over here." As I spoke, my eyes were on the girl I could never seem to get along with or get rid of.

Scarlet turned on his heel. "Very well. I accept your request. Next time, come to me bearing a new price—Kimihiko Kimizuka."

Holding Natsunagi and Saikawa to his sides, Scarlet spread his black wings and flew from the room.

"Kimi…zuka…"

"Kimizuka…! I promise, we'll—!"

Natsunagi and Saikawa gazed at me, on the verge of tears.

Geez. Keep that up and you might make me think you like me. Gimme a break.

"All right. Now."

The three of them were out of sight in no time, and then only Charlie and I were left.

There was no way I could cut and run, not after I'd done all that posing. "Are you ready?" I watched Charlie steadily. She'd retrieved her sword. "…I should ask you the same thing."

"Oh yeah? Well, whichever."

Let's get started, here and now. We have a year's worth of fighting to catch up on.