/
Chapter 97
Flowers on Both Sides?
Translated by LyraDhani
Edited by LyraDhani
The day after the fierce battle, Tsugumi woke up from his sleep and went to the government to make a report. After a checkup at the laboratory to see if there were any irregularities from the battle, he decided to have a late lunch at the government cafeteria.
After ordering the daily set meal and pancake set at the reception desk, Tsugumi took an empty seat and recalled last night as he took a breath.
–The reason for the Irregular’s behavior. The unnatural resurrection. And the mysterious burned woman. There were just too many things he didn’t understand.
First of all, what exactly is an Irregular?
As a result of the consideration by various intellectuals, he knew that irregular Demonic Beasts had a certain level of wisdom and malicious intent, and that they were likely to receive instructions from some kind of entity. But from that point forward, there was no information and it was a complete dead end.
…If only there was the cooperation of the Gods, he would be able to make more progress in the investigation, but at the present time, it was also difficult. He simply didn’t have enough hands.
Amaterasu had her hands full with maintaining the barrier and Magical Girl systems, and the subordinate Gods of Amaterasu were also busy assisting her, so they weren’t able to investigate Irregularities.
And while some of the Gods who didn’t belong to the government might be aware of something important about the Irregulars, he couldn’t expect much information from them.
At present, there were various Gods visiting Japan in the box garden managed by Amaterasu, but there was no hierarchical relationship between the Gods. Amaterasu was just an administrator and didn’t intend to stand above them.
However, because they were equal, she had to prepare a certain “price” in order to obtain some information from the other Gods. Depending on the nature of the “compensation”, the balance of power, which was just barely maintained, might be lost. If they weren’t careful, it could lead to the collapse of the barriers. For these compelling reasons, he had no choice but to give up information from the Gods.
–It might seem a little heartless that the Gods were not lending a helping hand, but it was the way it should be. In the first place, Demonic Beasts were a problem occurring on the human side. The Gods’ help was largely based on their good intentions. It would be a mistake to rely on them for everything. The problem of Demonic Beasts should be handled by humans.
As Tsugumi was thinking about such things while sipping his tea, a voice called out cheerfully from behind him.
“Ah, Hagakure-san. What a coincidence! Are you having lunch now?”
“Yes. Agatsuma-san too?”
When Tsugumi answered, Agatsuma gave a small nod, placed the tray with the food on it on the seat in front of him, and naturally sat down. Apparently, she intended to eat here as well.
“I’m sorry to hear about yesterday’s mishap. You were called out suddenly, weren’t you? I wish the Goddess would be a little less selfish!”
Agatsuma said as she dexterously wrapped the pasta around her fork.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry, but I think we’ve had some kind of misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes. The staff of the Countermeasure Headquarters told me that the three Goddesses of Itsukushima thought that they had given an oracle [this time the enemy is troublesome, so it is better for Magical Girls who have made a contract with a powerful God to come]. Perhaps the priest who received the oracle didn’t hear it well. …I did something a little bad to Goddess.”
…They were giving advice with good intentions, but Bell behaved like she was trying to pick a fight with them.  As it turned out, the misunderstanding saved Tsugumi’s life, but it was still a rude thing to do. Bell aside, maybe Tsugumi should go to Itsukushima later to properly apologize.
“I didn’t know that was going on. –And what was with the woman at the end, anyway? She was so different from the others. Do you know anything about it, Hagakure-san?”
“No, nothing in particular. …Frankly, I’d rather hear about it myself.”
As he answered, he let out a weary sigh. When he went to report on the battle, he was persistently asked about the woman with the burns, but there was no way he could reply about what he didn’t remember.
Agatsuma, perhaps unsatisfied with the answer, looked a little dissatisfied, but she quickly mended it with a smile and said.
“Hmmm, I see. If you find out anything, please let me know too!”
“Yes. At that time, I’ll be sure to report it to Agatsuma-san then.”
Tsugumi replied, and then he and Agatsuma parted without any major conversation. He was a little concerned about Agatsuma’s disturbing atmosphere, probably because of the “burn woman” thing. A situation where you get burns of that magnitude – it could only be associated with the great fire.
In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that Tsugumi did not sign an information-sharing agreement about the situation – the great fire – when they first met.
It was only yesterday that he learned about the detailed circumstances of the great fire, but from a simple standpoint, Tsugumi was close to the perpetrator’s position. To Agatsuma, who was the perfect victim, Tsugumi, the brother of the main culprit, might seem just as spiteful and evil.
Even though he had no memory of it, the fact that his relatives caused that great fire would never go away. Thousands and thousands of people died in the great fire. Even if Tsugumi spent his life fighting for peace, it would never be able to match the weight of his crime.
The woman with the burns might have been an illusion created by Tsugumi’s guilt.
The last slice of the pancake was popped into his mouth, and Tsugumi muttered in a small voice.
“Really, I can’t help myself.”
◆　◆　◆
Two weeks had passed since the battle with Irregularity, and although Tsugumi was depressed by what he had learned, he was slowly getting back to his normal self.
After all, from the perspective of Tsugumi who had no memory, being told, “Your sister is the culprit of the great fire!” didn’t seem very realistic to him.
Why did Shikabane Sakura (Oneechan) cause such an incident? Until he knew that, Tsugumi could never truly face the great fire – or so he thought.
Tsugumi knew this was an escape, but it was the best he could do right now. No matter how much he lamented, it didn’t change the past. It would be more constructive to look forward and pursue the truth. Thinking like that, Tsugumi let out a small breath.
–Even so, the class is very noisy today. Is there some kind of event going on?
There had been a sudden air of excitement in the school since Tsugumi arrived. This was especially noticeable in F class–the class to which he belonged.
After taking his seat, Tsugumi put his hand on his chin and made a thoughtful gesture, then immediately nodded his head in understanding.
“Ah, by the way, that transfer student is coming today, huh. Hey, Yukitaka, don’t cause too much trouble.”
Looking sideways at his classmates, who were fussing about a new student they hadn’t seen yet, he said to Yukitaka, who was sitting next to him.
“I’m not interested. Because it’s her relative, you know? As far as I’m concerned, it’s not a good person.”
Yukitaka replied in a discouraged voice without taking his eyes off the phone in his hand. …He didn’t know what Yukitaka hated so much about Mebuki, but perhaps it might be convenient this time around. Since Mebuki asked him, it was his duty to protect the new student from Yukitaka’s meddling.
“I’m not sure why you’re being so harsh with Mebuki-senpai. It’s not like she did anything to you, right?”
When Tsugumi asked that question, Yukitaka looked up and opened his mouth with a disgusted look on his face.
“There are some people in this world who are unacceptable to the core of their being. Tsugumi-chan, who thinks she’s a saint, will never understand.”
“No, I don’t think she’s a saint…”
As he said this, Tsugumi tilted his head slightly. It was true that Mebuki was kind and caring, but she also had a strong side. Tsugumi thought of her as more of an endearing person, but he still felt that he was often used in a good way.
Still, the reason why he listened to her requests might be because he liked her smiling face. When Tsugumi told him this, Yukitaka said in dismay.
“You know, you really shouldn’t be so seduced by her face. Her types laugh and use people as if they are all good, yet they act like it’s for the best. It’s repulsive.”
“…Am I the only one who thinks that’s an oversized boomerang?”
“I don’t mind. Unlike her, I am fully aware of it.”
While he was talking about this with Yukitaka, the time for homeroom had come. Along with the bell, Suzune entered the classroom with a tense expression. She arrived at the teacher’s table and opened her mouth.
“Well, as you probably already know, there will be a new student in this class starting today. The new student is a little bit strange, but please get along well.”
When Suzune announced this, some of the boys shouted that they could not wait to see her.
…The reason for this was because Tsugumi had told them in advance that a cute girl who looked like Mebuki-senpai would be coming. There was no better deal.
In comparison, the female students were quite calm. If anything, they were looking at the rowdy male students with a look of dismay. The atmosphere seemed disturbing, but there was no need to worry.
He had properly told the girls that “A distant relative of Mebuki-senpai is coming”. They were also close friends of Mebuki-senpai. It was hard to imagine that they would do anything strange to that relative. Tsugumi stared ahead, thinking so.
“Then, Lake-san, please come in.”
As Suzune announced this, the door opened with a clatter and a shimmering golden hair flashed in front of their eyes. The sight of it took the classmates’ breath away.
The person with beautiful hair similar to Meibuki’s stood in front of the teacher’s table and at Suzune’s urging, smiled, and said.
“Nice to meet you all. My name is Azalea Lakes. I can speak basic Japanese, so please don’t hesitate to talk to me.”
The person who introduced himself as Azalea indeed looked a lot like Mebuki. But there was one point difference from Mebuki.
Wearing the same black collar as Tsugumi, and black slacks instead of a skirt, he was not a “pretty girl” at all, but a “beautiful boy”.
“Hey, Tsugumi-chan.”
“…..”
“Hey, Tsugumi-chan, didn’t you tell me before that the new student is a girl?”
Yukitaka poked at Tsugumi’s elbow and muttered in a mocking tone. At the same time, the boys in the class turned their resentful stares on him.
“…No, because Mebuki-senpai told me she was a cute girl, so I thought…well, you know, I am sorry.”
He tried to make such an excuse, but a boy in the class sent him a gesture mixed with anger, “You, later, rooftop”, and the Tsugumi bowed his head.
In hindsight, Mebuki’s line at that time was probably an inducement to make the misunderstanding that the new student was a woman. …Really, that person was naughty and annoying.
And in contrast to the boys who were quietly frustrated, the girls cheered for the legitimately beautiful boy. Apparently, because they were not expecting it, their joy was greater. …It seemed the deal was no different for boys and girls.
–Even so, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
It wasn’t because he looked like Mebuki, but he couldn’t help but feel as if they had met face-to-face.
As Tsugumi tilted his head and stared at Azalea, their gazes suddenly met. Azalea smiled, his eyes narrowed, as if he had found something interesting.
Zap, he felt a pain in his finger which had the proof of his contract with Bell.
“Well, Lake-san’s seat is over there in the third row, at the very back – next to Nanase-kun, please. Nanase-kun, raise your hand.”
“Ah, yes.”
He raised his right hand.
His name was suddenly called out and he raised his right hand in a small gesture. Then, Azalea, who sat down next to Tsugumi just as Suzune asked him to, calmly opened his mouth.
“I’ve heard about you from Kei-san. –I’m looking forward to working with you, okay?”
“I’m looking forward to working with you, too.”
With that said, the two greeted each other with a smile.
However, there was no way to know what kind of expression Yukitaka – the person to whom the Tsugumi had turned his back at this time – was looking at them.