Aizawa Daisuke Page 5
Dosa, dosa, dosa.
I take off the weights on both hands and both feet, then begin walking away.
“Kuh… w-, wait a moment!”
But I no longer stop.
“I said, wait a moment!”
Annerose circles in front of me in a fluster.
“Don’t think that you’ve won with just this, alright? Watch…”
Then Annerose cracks her neck, with a koki.
For some reason, it’s excessively fast.
“Even I can do something of this level, alright?”
“Is that so…”
I don’t quite get it, so I just walk past Annerose with her doya-gao.
What did she even want to do anyways?
The summer morning is refreshing.
I open my mouth wide in a yawn while gazing at the blue sky spread out beyond my
window.
I roll around in my bed, not doing anything in particular, just dazedly passing the time.
There isn’t much of the summer holidays left.
The tournament proper of the Festival of the God of War begins next week too, so I’ve
got to do image training.
However, spending time like this, letting time pass by without doing anything in
particular, is necessary for humans.
Nah, sorry, that’s a lie.
At the very least, it’s necessary for me.
“Oi Sid! I’ve got a really interesting story, so open up!”
Suddenly Hyoro is pounding my door while shouting.
As long as humans live with humans, troublesome things are bound to occur. Why do
humans continue to seek other humans even while feeling this troublesomeness? This
is what I’m ruminating upon in the morning of my now scarce summer holidays.
Isn’t this great, this feeling? It’s like the ‘yare yare’ kind of master who keeps a certain
distance from humankind.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming.”
I unlock the door and allow Hyoro in.
“This is the wanted poster of Student Council President Rose. 10 million Zeny for
capturing her alive! And at least 500k Zeny for useful information!”
“Fu~n.”
I accept the wanted poster from Hyoro and take a look at it.
“Let’s go catch her!”
“What, why?”
“I’m broke.”
So says Hyoro with desperation.
“Didn’t you say that there’s a match with guaranteed victory?”
“Don’t mention that to me ever again.”
“Didn’t you earn a lot from betting?”
“Shut up. Shut up. Ok, listen to me. I won’t say the reason, but anyways I’m broke. Thus,
I need money.”
(T/N: Urusai damare.)
“Is that so.”
“So, help me.”
“Eh, so troublesome. Do it by yourself.”
“Don’t be so hasty, think about it deeply. Two people searching is a lot more effective
than one person searching. Why? Because then the probability of finding her would
be doubled!”
“Heeeh~”
Even while my shoulder is being shaken by Hyoro, I’m just thinking ‘what a pain.’
In the first place, I quite appreciate Rose’s rebellious spirit that enabled her to stab
her fiance . Isn’t it great that she has all that energy and spunk?
So in other words, I’m leaning more towards the side that hopes for Rose’s successful
escape.
“Please, I’m begging you!”
Hyoro actually lowers his head.
“U~ n…”
At that moment.
“Sid-kun, your Onee-san has come.”
The dorm manager peeks into my room while saying so.
“Onee-san?”
“Sid-kun’s older sister. She’s waiting for you in front of the dorm, so don’t keep her
waiting too long, alright?”
Leaving those words behind, the dorm manager leaves.
“Claire nee-san… so she’s back.”
I have a really bad feeling.
In s split second, I weigh which option would be more troublesome.
“Alright, let’s begin Operation Capture Rose.”
“Sid, I had believed in you! As expected of my good friend!”
I grab Hyoro by the back of his neck, and open the window.
“Oi Sid, what are you doing?”
“There’s no time. We’re going by the window.”
“Hah? What are you saying? Eh, wait a, EHHHHH?!”
“Tou!”
(T/N: Again, ‘tou’ is like what sentai rangers say when they jump, the idea being that it
somehow makes the jump cooler.)
And thus we fly down.
2
“Iris-nee-sama said thanks for the information. She wants to continue the cooperation,
apparently.”
“What an honor.”
So replies Beta while looking at the back of Alexia, who is walking in front of her.
The spiral staircase is illuminated by Alexia’s magical lamp.
They’ve already gone quite the distance down. The cold, humid air tells them that they
are underground.
“It seems that Doem Ketsuhat is indeed connected to the Order.”
“Indeed.”
“Problem is, we have no evidence.”
“This is a problem between the Church and the country, so normal evidence would not
be sufficient.”
“I am well aware. My father did stress this to me. He said that if we are to expose the
connection between the Order of Diabolos and the Church, we would need justification
that can convince our citizens and the surrounding countries.”
“Because if our country is branded heretical, everything would be over.”
“I don’t think that all members of the Church are tied to the Order of Diabolos. It’s
probably only a handful of the upper echelons.”
“And that’s what makes this so troublesome.”
“Indeed.”
The two’s footsteps continue reverberating throughout the staircase.
“My father is solely insisting on not causing a dispute with the Church. But then what
of the Order, right?”
“He probably intends to leave them alone, same as he’s done so far.”
“Same as so far…”
Alexia’s footstep is late by a beat.
“Merely my arbitrary conjecture. Please forget it.”
“…Well, that’s fine for now. Nee-sama said something that caught my attention. That
the king of Oriana Kingdom seemed a bit vacant.”
“Vacant, you say…”
“It was my first time meeting him, so I couldn’t tell. But there was some sort of sweet
smell around him.”
Sweet smell.
A certain drug comes to Beta’s mind.
“Perhaps it’s already too late then…”
“The Order has begun to move. With my father’s way of doing things, eventually our
country would also…”
The two continue down the staircase, now in silence.
“We’ve arrived.”
Alexia has stopped before a deep vertical hole with a ladder.
“One of the entrances to the royal capital’s underground tunnel system. You know of
it, do you not?”
“To some degree, yes. The tunnels that stretch underneath the entire city, built long
ago as escape routes for the royalty, right?”
“Correct. But what with the gradual loss of maps and keys and secret passwords and
whatnot, now it’s just a labyrinth.”
“So then, why are we here?”
“To erase you.”
Then Alexia puts a hand on the sword at her waist… and laughs.
“That was a joke. And you’re not even scared the slightest bit.”
“Hiii, don’t kill me…!”
“There’s a possibility that Rose-senpai is hiding inside these tunnels.”
Beta pouts slightly at the way Alexia completely ignored her wholehearted acting.
“Let’s begin searching in here.”
So saying, Alexia reaches for the ladder without delay.
“Um, please wait a moment.”
“What?”
“Did you tell anyone else about this?”
“How could I? Anyone I can trust to tell would stop me.”
“If this is a labyrinth, how can we be sure that we ourselves won’t get lost?”
“Easy. We just have to return the way we came.”
“Um, this is kind of hard for me to say, but can you stop involving me in your whimsical
fancies?”
“No.”
The two glare at each other for a while.
“If you have a problem, then you can go back by yourself.”
Alexia goes ahead and starts climbing down the ladder by herself.
Beta considers just leaving Alexia to her own devices and going home, but at this
current point in time, it would indeed be problematic if Alexia dies.
“Protecting her is also your job, Beta.”
So convincing herself, Beta also reaches for the ladder.
I am walking through the royal capital in early morning.
Hyoro said that he’s going to go ask around and went off somewhere.
In this world, people begin moving when the sun rises.
The streets are already bustling with people.
Though I
did say that I would look for Rose, I’m not actually going to do it seriously.
My hope for her successful escape is still unchanged as of now, so I guess I’ll just kill
time while pretending to look for her.
But well, I do kind of want to ask her about the motive that led to this incident full of
rebellious spirit that involved stabbing her fiance . If possible, I’d like it hear it in her
own words.
Either way, as long as I can kill time, that’s good enough for me.
Anger is something that fades with the passage of time. I’m sure Nee-san just needs
some time to calm her head.
While thinking such thoughts and sort of dazedly wandering the streets, I suddenly
pick up the sound of a piano from somewhere.
“Fumu…”
I’m actually kind of good at the piano.
In my previous life, I had practiced the piano as part of my training to become a power
in the shadows. Well alright, that’s a lie. It was just my parents forcing me to learn it.
To be frank, rather than practicing the piano, I would much rather have spent that time
doing actual training for becoming a power in the shadows. In other words, I had zero
motivation. But then again, what meaning does that hold in the face of parents?
(T/N: Asian parents.)
And so I grudgingly started learning the piano, but eventually came to think it not so bad.
Firstly, if someone is good at the piano, surrounding people arbitrarily make their own
assumptions.
Such as, this guy is busy because he has to practice the piano as soon as he gets home.
For the me who had limited human relationships to the bare minimum for the sake of
becoming a power in the shadows, that misunderstanding was extremely convenient.
Secondly, I simply came to recognize the coolness of the piano.
A power in the shadows playing the piano under the moonlight… how cool is that?
Exactly, this is the character setting that ‘I am not only strong in fighting, but also
proficient in the arts.’
Awe~some…
Before I realized it, I had gotten quite serious about the piano.
Of course, my top priority was my training to become a power in the shadows.
However, I did become quite fond of the idea of playing the piano to set up the mood
for a battle.
And so, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m actually quite good at the piano.
“This… is pretty good, hmm…”
So I murmur.
Thing is, the person who’s currently playing the piano is also quite skilled.
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight Sonata” huh…
This is a song that I really like. More like, it’s in my list of ‘best ever’ for a power in the
shadows.
And so, I don’t think myself inferior when it comes to “Moonlight Sonata.” However,
this performer’s expression is also quite unique and tasteful.
“Not bad at all… I can almost see the light of the moon inside my mind… even though
it’s morning at the moment…”
As I play out the “oh, this person is not so bad either” cliche , I suddenly jolt in realization.
Isn’t it strange to hear a song by Beethoven in this world?
My face turns serious as I make my way through the crowd towards the sound of the
piano.
Alright, I’ll be honest.
I already know what’s coming.
I’m not a complete idiot, alright?
The sound of the piano is coming from the first floor cafe of one of the royal capital’s
top class hotels.
The security is so tight that normal people can’t go in, but the guards here let me go
right in.
As I go into the store without reservation, the performance is just about over.
“Epsilon…”
She is a beautiful girl with dazzling hair the color of a clear lake. Though her dress is
a sleeveless dress, her chest area is, of course, fully covered to hide the slime.
Her legs are also completely covered under tights, and her boots with hidden heels
are cleverly concealed.
A magnificent job as always.
When I draw close, she also seems to notice me.
She gives the customers a bow, then leads me towards the waiting room.
After the door closes with a click, she smiles.
“My lord, you were listening? How embarrassing…”
She looks at me with upturned eyes and slightly blushing cheeks, but I refuse to be
deceived.
“Epsilon, that song just now was Moonlight Sonata, was it not?”
“Yes. Among the numerous songs that my lord had taught me, it is the one that I love
the most.”
“Oh, is that so? It’s my favorite too.”
Though I had no intention of teaching her, it’s quite a happy thing to find someone else
liking something that you like.
“Thanks to my lord, I am building my connections and influence as a pianist and a
composer.”
“Eh, composer…”
“Yes, my lord. Beginning with Moonlight Sonata, I’ve also used Minute Waltz, Turkish
March, The Girl with the Flaxen Hair, and…”
(T/N: Moonlight Sonata is by Beethoven. Minute Waltz is by Chopin. Turkish March is by
Mozart. The Girl with the Flaxen Hair is by Claude Debussy.)
Epsilon continues proudly talking about how she’s received rave reviews from nobles
for ‘releasing’ famous classic and modern songs, how she’s gotten awards, and how
she’s been invited to the country of arts.
I apologize, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart… and all other great composers.
In this world, all the credit for your great works has gone entirely to Epsilon.
“…The previous concert was extremely well received, so I’m soon going to Oriana
Kingdom for work. As I’m sure you already know, Oriana Kingdom is currently a place
with very worthy ‘work’ to be done.”
“It is the country of arts after all.”
“Indeed, because it’s the country of arts… this time especially, I expect to get some really
good ‘work’ done.”
Epsilon smiles bewitchingly.
“Do your best out there.”
“I will do great ‘work’ and give them a performance truly worthy of the wonderful
songs entrusted to me from my lord.”
Epsilon gives me a graceful bow.
“Oh right, I’m changing the subject, but would you happen to know anything about
where Princess Rose has gone?”
“Princess Rose, is it? I believe that matter is currently being handled by Beta, so I am
not too informed on it. Ah, but I did hear something about her escaping into the royal
capital’s underground. For the full details, it would probably be best to ask Beta
directly.”
“Ah, knowing that alone is already more than enough.”
If I really do happen to find Rose by luck, then I’ll at least listen to what she has to say.
“Thank you. Umm…”
While looking at the smiling Epsilon, I think of what to say after my thanks.
Just like how I was glad to hear that she likes Moonlight Sonata, there must be words
that she would be glad to hear.
“Your figure is as beautiful as ever, isn’t it?”
“Th-, th-, there’s no such thing I still have a f-, f-, far way to go…!”
Without looking at Epsilon’s face, I divert my gaze outside of the window.
Ah, the blue summer sky sure does stretch on. Ah, the world sure is turning today too.
Rose is plodding through the dark underground.
The wound on her back that she had received while escaping is even now still oozing
blood. Though it is not deep, it is also definitely not shallow.
She needs treatment urgently, but with pursuers on her tail, she has no time nor
opportunity for that.
She is concentrating her magic on the wound as a makeshift measure, but the pain is
only increasing along with the passage of time. And in inverse proportion, she is