Chapter 4: Stop Sign. Beast_Body,_Human_Heart.[Part 7]

Kamijou was standing at a corner of the ruins.

The moment the dust scattered, Kazakiri Hyouka was gone. However, despite there not being any rain, there were 2 or 3 drops of water on the ground.

Mikoto and Shirai had heard the commotion and immediately rushed over. They said that Anti-Skill and Judgment members would arrive soon, and it was best to run away before things got sticky.

Thus, Mikoto and Shirai grabbed Index, who wanted to stay there with Kamijou, and used her teleportation to get away. Shirai's Teleport seemed to have some sort of limit in terms of distance, so they should probably be a distance of about 100m. Due to the ability of Kamijou's right hand, he could only run away on his own.

As for Sherry, Anti-Skill would most likely take care of her. Seeing past cases, Sherry's name wouldn't even appear in the paper.

"AH…so troublesome."

Kamijou sighed. Before the Anti-Skill and Judgment members arrived, he had something that he must finish. He looked up and seemed to confirm something before walking up to one of the abandoned buildings.

The windows and interior decorations had all been removed from the buildings, and the gray concrete was exposed. There were phrases and directions written all over the walls and floor with red chalk. Maybe they were meant for demolishing procedures. The red sunset passed through the windows that didn't have any glass in them, piercing through the dusty space like a laser.

Kamijou headed up the stairs that had the rails removed.

Up, up, up, up, up, all the way to the highest level.

The door leading to the roof was also removed.

He walked onto the roof that was dyed red by the sunset. The place seemed like it used to be a garden. The soil in the flowerbed had dried up and blown away, the plants had already withered and died, and their remains that had become tea colored were swaying in the air.

And in a corner of this ex-wonderland that was now like a graveyard, Kazakiri Hyouka was sitting on a chair, her back leaning on the metal handle that was meant to prevent falling. Her head was lowered, so one couldn't see her expression.

Her limbs that had been crushed were now restored, and it looked like she didn't have any visible wounds on her.

But she didn't even say a word, just silently lowering her head.

Kamijou narrowed his eyes.

If Kazakiri Hyouka's aim was to get away from Index, or rather, to get away from 'humans', she could only go here. In order to get away from Index, yet unable to go anywhere, she could only stay in the ruins.

The lonely girl saw Kamijou on the roof, yet still didn't say anything.

Only the sounds of water dropping could be heard between them.

Kazakiri, who had lowered her head, held a large billboard with both hands. The transparent water droplets continued to drip on it.

"Because…I was so happy…"

Kazakiri seemed to notice Kamijou's look as she finally looked up, and gently smiled.

"Because…I used all my strength…to protect important friends. Not anyone else, but me…so…I'm very happy. I'm so happy, thus I cried…really…"

"…"

"Why…why must you show that expression? Please…smile, praise me a bit…also, if possible, be a bit jealous of me, so that it can be perfect…I…I took away your role of being the knight…ahhaha, what am I saying…"

Kazakiri Hyouka smiled, but Kamijou Touma didn't.

He couldn't smile.

Facing this sad expression, how could he smile?

"Uu…"

Kazakiri bit her lips, and the smile gradually vanished.

"I knew this…right from the beginning."

Kazakiri muttered,

"…It's a natural thing…everyone can guess it…a monster like me revealing my identity…anyone can guess the outcome…if I had continue to hide it, maybe it wouldn't have been discovered…but I foolishly revealed the truth…but I don't want…I don't want to let others see me like this…"

Saying all of this, Kazakiri couldn't continue.

Her throat continued to let out a choking voice.

"…But I had no choice."

She tried her best to move her trembling lips, and said the words.

"In order to save…the first person who ever treated me as a friend…I had no choice…"

She must have made this realization right from the beginning.

As a monster, once the truth was revealed, she would lose her most precious thing. Because this worst-case prediction clearly appeared in her mind, Kazakiri hoped with all her heart.

Hoping that this prediction would not come true..

She wouldn't think of how low that probability was, but would desire a miracle from God.

But the result was—

"Why…must I lose it…"

She slowly and shakily moved her back from the railing, and stood up.

"Why…must I make others frightened?"

She let out tears and buried her face into Kamijou's chest.

The sorrow hidden beneath the smile was all released from close range.

"I…I…I just can't stand seeing my friend getting hurt, so I stepped forward…because I have strength, I can protect those important…so I couldn't leave it as it was…that's just…THAT'S JUST HOW IT IS!"

The girl's slender and delicate hands were beating on Kamijou's chest.

The obscure voice continued to come from the face that was buried in the chest.

"I'M SO SAD…SO UNSATISFIED …IT HURTS SO MUCH…! WHY MUST IT END UP LIKE THIS…! DID I…DO SOMETHING WRONG? I WANTED TO PROTECT OTHERS…AM I WRONG IN THINKING THAT WAY?"

The torn and heartbroken voice pierced Kamijou's eardrums.

She knew that it was useless, but she couldn't control herself, and shouted.

"I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE TOGETHER! WANTED…TO BE FRIENDS FOREVER! I THOUGHT…WE'LL BE BEST FRIENDS! WHY…DID IT END UP LIKE THIS? WHILE THE PERSON I WANTED TO PROTECT WAS STARING AT ME IN SURPRISE, CAN YOU UNDERSTAND MY FEELINGS? UP TILL NOW…I CAN'T UNDERSTAND IT MYSELF!"

The girl continued to vent her unarranged thoughts.

The pain inside made her unable to maintain her silence.

"CA…CAN'T A MONSTER HAVE A HEART THAT WANTS TO PROTECT OTHERS? IF I WERE A HUMAN…WOULD THIS NOT HAPPEN…? BUT…WHAT COULD I DO? EVEN IF I'M AFRAID, EVEN IF I'M HATED…I CAN'T JUST SIT BY AND DO NOTHING…!"

"…"

Kamijou Touma could only silently listen.

Seeing the girl in front of him tremble and unable to make any sound even while crying, he couldn't even stroke her head.

Because this illusion was too fragile, as it would vanish after just a slight touch.

Imagine Breaker.

The boy that had been given this title couldn't even hug Kazakiri Hyouka.

Thus, he could only say,

"Are you hurt?"

"…Uu…"

"Sad?"

"UUU…!!"

Kazakiri no longer hit Kamijou's chest, just grabbing onto his shirt like a child. She wanted to suppress this choking sound, albeit unsuccessfully as it came out between her tightly sealed lips.

"Since you have these feelings, you're not a monster. Maybe it sounds old, but I can assure you that you're human."

Kamijou paused, and continued,

"Besides, your story isn't over."

"Eh?"

Kazakiri looked up, her face revealed an astonished look.

Footsteps could be heard from behind Kamijou.

So she came, Kamijou thought as he revealed a smile.

Misaka Mikoto had just said that as they were afraid that a certain girl would be arrested by Anti-Skill or Judgment, they should first take her away. But that girl had insisted on following Kamijou till the end and wouldn't leave. Kamijou saw all these.

If that girl had already guessed where Kazakiri Hyouka would be hiding,

And that she couldn't come here immediately because she was forcefully taken away by Mikoto and Shirai,

And until the end, the girl would be worried about Kazakiri…

Index would definitely come here.

"…Eh?"

Kazakiri Hyouka, who had buried her face in Kamijou's chest, let out an astonished sound once she saw the person appearing behind Kamijou.

Kamijou slowly turned his head around.

At the entrance on the roof that didn't have a door, stood a girl in a pure white nun's habit. Some of the safety pins on the skirt were gone, and it now looked like a high-cut Chinese dress. The girl continued to pant, her body full of sweat; it was easy to tell that she had run all the way back, not even resting once.

On seeing Kazakiri Hyouka, that girl---Index ran over without any hesitation. No fear, no contempt. It was like a lost child in a theme park finally finding mom.

Kazakiri Hyouka blankly stared, even forgetting to blink.

"Wh…why? Isn't this…very strange?"

Kazakiri trembled as if her body was cold.

"This…is…so strange…I'm not human…why would she…show this expression to a monster? Why is…she seeing…me like a friend?"

Kamijou Touma casually sighed.

"It's true that your body is different from ordinary people, you can do things that no ordinary person can do."

From Kamijou's tone, it seemed like he was complaining 'why must you ask such a simple question'?

"But this doesn't change the fact that 'you're her friend'."

This sentence made Kazakiri Hyouka cry, and her legs weakened as she knelt onto the floor.

Index leapt towards Hyouka, and both of them collapsed on the roof of the building.

Kazakiri staggered and wrapped her arms behind Index, hugging her.

Seeing the two of them, Kamijou chuckled.