CH 21

–Five minutes to go until the arrival of the Demonic Beast.

In Hakone-Yumoto, a hot spring resort town, there was a traffic jam of evacuating residents and tourists. On one of the buses, Nanase Chidori and Mebuki Kei were riding in the middle of the traffic.

–I’m in big trouble.

Mebuki rubbed Chidori’s back, who was pale and trembling. Chidori had been relatively calm when the alarm went off, but she had been in this state since she found out something.

Mebuki had no idea what it was, but she couldn’t find the words to say to her.

The train, which had been in a state of panic until about 10 minutes ago, had gradually calmed down after the government informed them that the Magical Girls had been dispatched. Some of the passengers were as frightened as staggered birds, but as long as the Magical Girls who would be dispatched did not make any mistakes, the people in Hakone wouldn’t be harmed by the Demonic Beasts.

“Even so, the government’s contact came too close and I was impatient. Is it because of the malfunction of Yata no Kagami? I want the government to be a little more solid.”

“That’s right. Moreover, the government’s Magical Girls couldn’t get there in time, so they asked a stray to do the job, right? But I heard she’s a C-class. I don’t mean to be rude, but I wonder if she’s going to be okay. I hope she can last until Rikka comes running…”

“Don’t say things like that. It’ll make you uneasy.”

Mebuki overheard the conversation between the bus driver and the attendant.

She didn’t think the conversation was appropriate on the part of the passengers, but she could certainly understand their uneasiness. This time there were too many irregularities.

Both the Yata no Kagami’s malfunction and the government’s dispatch error were unprecedented. It was understandable that they might have a hunch that something troublesome might happen again.

The name of the girl who agreed to take on the A-class Demonic Beast was Hagakure Sakura. She was a new Magical Girl who looked a lot like a cute kouhai and had recently become a hot topic at Mebuki’s school.

If possible, she would have liked to be involved with her in some other way. It might be inappropriate to think this way, but the chances of Sakura Hagakure’s survival in this battle were extremely low.

And Hagakure Sakura herself would surely challenge the A-class Demonic Beast with a determined spirit. Mebuki could only thank her for her selfless devotion. At times like this, she truly hated her own helplessness.

It would be too much to entrust the entire fate of the country to a handful of selected girls.

And there is one more thing that bothers me. –She was talking about Chidori.

Chidori turned bloodthirsty and started shaking like this when the name of Hagakure Sakura was mentioned. When they talked earlier, Chidori replied that she had nothing to do with Hagakure Sakura, but she might be hiding something in this situation.

“Chidori, are you alright? –Chidori?”

Mebuki felt uneasy about the quandary and called out to Chidori, who was holding her mouth down, but she didn’t say anything back. When Mebuki brought her face closer to confirm, Chidori seemed to be muttering something in a small voice.

Gently, she listened carefully.

“It’s–it’s my fault.”

“–it’s my fault, that person. Because I’m here in this place. It’s my fault. I am a bad person. It’s my fault. Because of me, Sakura-oneechan will die again…”

Mebuki gasped for air. What she spun out of her mouth sent a chill down her spine.

Chidori was repeating the same words over and over like a broken record. Her eyes were tinged with fear, and she looked too pathetic to call it repentance.

“Chidori!”

Mebuki couldn’t stand still and called out Chidori’s name in a loud voice. The passengers around her turned around to see what was going on, but there was no time to worry about that.

She shook Chidori’s shoulders somewhat roughly. If she left her in this state, it surely wouldn’t be any good.

Chidori was clearly delirious right now. If this didn’t work, she had no choice but to bring her back to her senses even if she had to stretch her cheeks.

“–Ah, Kei-senpai?”

Despite Mebuki’s concern, Chidori stared back at her with a dazed look. In her eyes, Mebuki was firmly reflected.

Seeing this, Mebuki let out a relieved breath. If she was conscious, then she was still okay.

“Chidori, calm down a little. Take a deep breath.”

When Mebuki said this, Chidori did as she was told and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she became a little calmer and bowed her head with a puzzled look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Senpai. I seem to have been somewhat distraught…”

“No, it doesn’t matter. A junior is a status that allows you to cause trouble for your seniors. Can you rely on me more?”

Mebuki made a joke like that, in her usual tone. Chidori smiled as if she played along, but her expression was still stiff.

After giving her a bottle of water and she had calmed down a little, Mebuki began to talk.

“May I ask you a few questions?”

“–Yes.”

“Chidori, you–you know about Hagakure Sakura after all, don’t you?”

To this question, Chidori gave a small shake of her head. Mebuki raised her eyebrows at the answer, but Chidori looked troubled and said with her eyes downcast.

“She was a trigger for what happened earlier, but she had nothing to do with it directly. When the government contacted me, I saw her on the screen and it was like a flashback to an event from the past… I’m sure it’s like a trauma. Even though ten years have passed, I feel ashamed of myself.”

–‘Ten years’ might be related to the catastrophe from when Chidori had lost her memory. But does the flashback mean that her memory has returned?

“Do you remember the past, Chidori?”

“Fragments, but only a little. For the most part, though, I can’t remember anything like Tsugumi.”

Then Chidori smiled sadly.

“Do you remember what I was saying earlier, Senpai?”

“Oh, ‘Sakura-oneechan’ was it? …You said a lot of other disturbing things, but let’s put that aside for the moment, shall we?”

“…Hagakure Sakura-san looks a lot like that ‘Sakura-oneechan’. But there is no way that person is her–“

Chidori continued as if talking to herself.

“Because Sakura-oneechan–she was supposed to have died protecting me and Tsugumi ten years ago.”

“–So that’s how it is.”

At the moment Mebuki was about to continue her words, she felt a blurring of space. Perhaps a Magical Girl’s barrier had been put up to cover this area.

In other words, the Demonic Beast had finally descended upon Hakone.

“Chidori. Let’s talk about this later. I’m afraid I’m more concerned about the battle situation right now. You’re probably wondering about her too, aren’t you? I think you should see how it all turns out.”

As Chidori said, she might not have a direct relationship with Hagakure Sakura, but she definitely had special feelings for her, to the extent that she saw her as that “Sakura-oneechan” over and over again. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so distraught over the mere resemblance.

At Mebuki’s words, Chidori showed a slight thinking gesture, and then nodded hesitantly.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

–The battle of Hagakure Sakura began, leaving many questions unanswered.