[She Died Twice]
Currently, Roll, Sen, Utsusemi-san, and Yoiyami-san are gathering in the room I am in.
Roll is beside me, Sen is leaning on the table, and Utsusemi-san is sitting on a chair. And Yoiyami-san is leaning his back on the wall – each settle down in their own position.
After the surviving members and Yoiyami-san gathered, I received an explanation about the current situation from Roll.
About how the destruction of Anonymous was reported. About how Boss has been promoted to general.
About how, following that, the other evil organizations were being destroyed one after another by the Self-Defense Forces… no, by Boss.
About how the expansion of Saint Celia, namely the plan to recommend migration to the safe Saint Celia which is out of the reach of evil was announced in a large-scale.
And about how… we are currently wanted, and by having Yoiyami-san shelter us, we have managed to escape from the eyes of the Self-Defense Forces.
The world changed a lot during the 10 days I was sleeping.
“Well anyway, you slept well, weren’t cha?” After the story is over, Utsusemi-san says so happily.
“Yes, thanks to you,” I say while lightly glaring at Utsusemi-san.
I heard that the reason why I was unconscious for 10 days was because this person didn’t treat me at all until his injuries were fully healed.
Due to that, I’ve been wandering around the border between life and death until now, and finally recovered from the critical condition, or so it seems.
“Well, if you were in my position, you’d do the same, ‘ight?” Utsusemi-san says with his index finger pointing between my eyebrows.
Being told so I thought, ‘certainly’.
I clear the frown between my eyebrows and exhale *fuuh*.
That’s right. I’m alive now, so something like that doesn’t matter.
I can hear a rustling sound *kasa kasa* of insects crawling on the ceiling.
“Then, in regard to the future…”
“Wait, Roll,” I stop Roll who was about to get into the main subject.
Before that, I have something to ask. To Yoiyami-san.
“Yes, what’s wrong?”
“I have a question for Yoiyami-san.”
“What.”
“Did you know, Yoiyami-san?”
About Boss’ ambitions, his plans.
The gazes in the room concentrates on Yoiyami-san. Even Utsusemi-san directs a half-serious gaze at Yoiyami-san.
This reaction. So no one asked about this.
Even though it’s extremely important.
If he knew it would come to this, that means Yoiyami-san had let us, the organization died without lending a helping hand.
No, Yoiyami-san who left the organization has no obligation to save us to begin with. He has none, but if he knew this would happen, but didn’t even tell me, I won’t think of him as an ally anymore.
Come to think of it, the reason why Roll and the others hasn’t asked that is perhaps because Yoiyami-san is sheltering us currently.
When my thought reaches up to that point, Yoiyami-san opens mouth with his gaze focusing on empty space.
“No… I didn’t know.”
Hearing his reply, I immediately feel relieved.
“Really?” Roll asks again with a suspicious look on her face.
“Really.”
There, Yoiyami-san look into my eyes sitting on the bed.
I have no ability to detect Yoiyami-san’s lie, but If I don’t trust him here, the story won’t proceed.
“Then can you answer me? Why did you leave the organization? What caused you to fall out with Boss?”
“……”
I’ve been avoiding the question until now, but it will be a problem if I don’t have the answer.
I also look firmly into Yoiyami-san’s eyes.
This is not because I doubt him, but because I want to know.
I wonder if Yoiyami-san understand my true intention.
“…When you think carefully about it, since Yoiyami-san is a member of Anonymous since its founding, isn’t it strange that you don’t know the purpose of the organization? Kemuri-san, Chiyaku-san, and Shindo-san knew, and they were on Boss’ side.”
“That’s probably because the difference in view between Hyde and me.”
Yoiyami-san says as thought to interrupt my words.
I involuntarily shut up.
“We seemed to understand each other, but we actually didn’t. Our thoughts didn’t match up.
That’s probably why Hyde intended to kill me too.”
“I see. Then…”
“That sounds like you breakup due to differences in musicianship.”
“Please shut up, Utsusemi-san,” I glance at Utsusemi-san who suddenly cracked a joke and turn my eyes back to Yoiyami-san.
“Then is that the you reason you guys fell out?”
“No. Something like that won’t make me leave the organization.
The reason why I left the organization was…” For the first time, Yoiyami-san turns his eyes down.
He exhales heavily and shows a hesitant look.
I had a short relationship with Yoiyami-san, but it surprised me that he made that kind of face.
I wonder if it’s something that he wants to keep closed deep in his chest that much.
However, since we are in this kind of situation, we should have the right to hear it.
After a while of waiting, Yoiyami-san mutters,
“A woman.”
It’s completely unexpected.
The cause of the conflict between Boss and Yoiyami-san is a woman?
I move my gaze to Roll.
Roll looks at me and shakes her head. It seems that she has never heard of such a story.
As for Sen… she is unrelated to the talk, huh.
Laughing with a *hah*, Utsusemi-san responds first.
“That one is definitely a joke, ‘iiight? Yoiyami of those days! And Hyde! Had a fight that erased one branch because of a woman, that’s so unbelievable! No, not like I’m makin’ fun of you, y’know? Rather…”
“Utsusemi-san, can you shut up?”
“OK, OK. Imma stay silent.”
Yoiyami-san’s conversation has its own pace. There should be more to it.
Thinking so, I wait for Yoiyami-san’s words.
After a while of silence, Yoiyami-san speaks,
“Hyde killed a woman. My woman… That’s the cause of our conflict.”
“……”
…I see. That’s how it is.
That would be a plenty enough reason for him to quit.
“But previously, you said you didn’t hate Boss. That you regretted leaving the organization.
Were those your true feelings, even though something like that happened?”
“Ahh. I’ve killed someone’s loved one too. When I think that way, my anger naturally weathers.”
“…Is that so? Then, why was that woman killed by Boss?”
“Because I loved her.”
Yoiyami-san stops, so I thought to put a break in this question-and-answer session.
Since the story has deviated so far, it can be seen that the estrangement of Yoiyami-san from the organization had nothing to do with the current situation. It was just a trivial – or perhaps not so trivial – dispute caused by a mixture of personal feelings. Boss probably just wanted to separate Yoiyami-san from that woman.
“Hee. Well that aside, who the heck is that woman? I sure as hell am curious about that the most.”
Yoiyami-san doesn’t have the obligation to answer to that extent, right?
He has talked so much, so it’s enough.
Or so I’d like to say, but to be honest, I’m also curious about that. I can’t imagine the what kind of woman that Yoiyami-san loved.
Yoiyami-san frowns, but I couldn’t say ‘You don’t have to answer,’ to him.
As a result, Yoiyami-san opens his mouth solemnly,
“Codename Observer.
Though she’s not the Observer you guys know, but her predecessor.”
“Predecessor……?”
…Hm? What does that mean? Does that mean that there was another Observer preceding the Observer I met?
Yeah, Observer was a top secret to begin with, we only learned about her on the brink of the organization’s destruction. Even then, we still don’t know much about her.
“Ahh. She was killed and a new Observer, the one you know, was chosen.”
In other words, Boss had killed members of the organization even in the past.
“Though you say that, I can’t be convinced that he killed her just because you loved her. There must be another, clear reason, isn’t there?”
Just like Utsusemi-san said.
“Hyde didn’t answer that. So,”
“So, you fought him, right?”
And the scale was so large that one branch was destroyed.
In other words, ‘because Yoiyami-san loved her’, such a reason is only Yoiyami-san’s conjecture.
“…But you might be right. If this plan had been in Hyde’s mind since then, Observer’s existence might had been a hindrance for him.
Thinking about it, Hyde had no control over Observer. Because she had sensing ability beyond human intelligence.”
I feel a little discomfort.
‘I’ve been separated from my body and brain’.
“Perhaps he thought might as well just get rid of her.”
‘This is the first time I can speak in human language like this in several years.’
Wait a minute.
“So, the predecessor was a real human? I can only imagine that form when it comes to Observer after all, see.”
I erase the voice Utsusemi-san let out.
I swallow my saliva *gokuri*.
Then Utsusemi-san looks at me.
“Why did you erase the sound. Shion.”
“… I’m sorry, I made a slight mistake in adjusting my ability.”
Yoiyami-san looks at me with suspicious eyes.
I can hear the ticking sound of the second hand of the clock in the next room getting louder frightfully.
If ‘that is the case’, Yoiyami-san would be shocked upon learning the truth, I’m sure.
“…What do you mean by a real human, Utsusemi?”
He read his lips.
Not good. I can’t deceive Yoiyami-san with my ability.
“Utsu…”
I try to send a sound so that only Utsusemi-san can hear it.
But with a glance from Yoiyami-san, I stop.
Eventually, when Yoiyami-san turn his gaze back to Utsusemi-san, I slowly bring my index finger in front of my lips.
However, Utsusemi-san turn toward Yoiyami-san’s direction – along with the chair, as though ignoring my gesture.
This might turn really bad.
Utsusemi-san, I beg you, please get the hint.
“Though you asked what do I mean by that, it’s the literal sense of the words, y’know?”
Utsusemi-san was fighting with Chiyaku-san, so he wasn’t there when Observer appeared. Neither did Roll and Sen.
Other than Observer, only me, Tsurugi, and Boss were there.
That will now birth a grudge. I can’t let that happen.
“I dunno whether the Observer I saw last time was a woman or not; it was just a ‘brain’ after all.”
I can’t take my eyes off Yoiyami-san’s face.
“………Shion, do you know something?”
“Nothing…”
“Answer me. After I left, Observer, what is it?”
‘Observer’ was Anonymous’ top secret. There was no way for Yoiyami-san who had left the organization to know about it.
No one knew until it was about to be destroyed by Boss’ hand.
“……”
“So, that’s how it is.”
*Shudder*
Roll, Utsusemi-san, Sen, and I.
We all jump back to the wall of the room at once.
No, we all instinctively took a distance from Yoiyami-san.
“Eh, wai… Yoiyami-san…?”
“Oioioi!! Whazzat!? That’s a joke right, oi seriously, WOW!”
“What is it this time…”
I swallow my saliva *Gokuri*.
“..Yoiyami-san, please calm down. Don’t be rash.”
I say with a quivering voice. This is the intimidation of the once most feared man in Anonymous.
The only person who could rival that Boss.
This kind of killing intent. If the Self-Defense Forces detects it, they’ll definitely come rushing in full forces.
“I will tell you everything I know. Please calm down.”
“No need. I’m going to ask Hyde directly.”
“Stop him!”
Seeing Yoiyami-san moving his feet toward the door, I scream and move.
I jump on Yoiyami-san.
The lagging Utsusemi-san, Roll, Sen also moves.
Then, everything ends in an instant.
Yoiyami-san, without taking even a single step, laid us down on the ground with a mysterious power.
This is, the ability to control darkness.
My sight is dyed black.
‘Anmoku’
Yoiyami-san’s technique to rob people’s sight. Even the ‘black’ in our pupils is his domain.
“What’s this…!”
If he was serious, our sight would be loss forever, but this time, he just covered our eyes with black.
Yoiyami-san’s footsteps head toward the door.
Now that we are deprived of our sight, am I the only one who can chase him?
“You sure are amazing, Yoiyami! You’re too strong, aren’t cha!”
Dammit, it’s not the time to say something like that.
No matter how strong Yoiyami-san is, heading to Boss’ place right now is suicidal.
There must be several generals and lieutenant generals in Saint Celia where Boss is right now.
What will happen to me if Yoiyami-san dies!
“Roll, break the floor!”
I have to stop him at all costs.
“Got it!”
I hear the sound of the floor cracking *bakibakibaki*, and then, along with a crashing sound, I get a falling sensation.
We break through the floor on the second floor and land on the first floor.
[She Died Twice]
Currently, Roll, Sen, Utsusemi-san, and Yoiyami-san are gathering in the room I am in.
Roll is beside me, Sen is leaning on the table, and Utsusemi-san is sitting on a chair. And Yoiyami-san is leaning his back on the wall – each settle down in their own position.
After the surviving members and Yoiyami-san gathered, I received an explanation about the current situation from Roll.
About how the destruction of Anonymous was reported. About how Boss has been promoted to general.
About how, following that, the other evil organizations were being destroyed one after another by the Self-Defense Forces… no, by Boss.
About how the expansion of Saint Celia, namely the plan to recommend migration to the safe Saint Celia which is out of the reach of evil was announced in a large-scale.
And about how… we are currently wanted, and by having Yoiyami-san shelter us, we have managed to escape from the eyes of the Self-Defense Forces.
The world changed a lot during the 10 days I was sleeping.
“Well anyway, you slept well, weren’t cha?” After the story is over, Utsusemi-san says so happily.
“Yes, thanks to you,” I say while lightly glaring at Utsusemi-san.
I heard that the reason why I was unconscious for 10 days was because this person didn’t treat me at all until his injuries were fully healed.
Due to that, I’ve been wandering around the border between life and death until now, and finally recovered from the critical condition, or so it seems.
“Well, if you were in my position, you’d do the same, ‘ight?” Utsusemi-san says with his index finger pointing between my eyebrows.
Being told so I thought, ‘certainly’.
I clear the frown between my eyebrows and exhale *fuuh*.
That’s right. I’m alive now, so something like that doesn’t matter.
I can hear a rustling sound *kasa kasa* of insects crawling on the ceiling.
“Then, in regard to the future…”
“Wait, Roll,” I stop Roll who was about to get into the main subject.
Before that, I have something to ask. To Yoiyami-san.
“Yes, what’s wrong?”
“I have a question for Yoiyami-san.”
“What.”
“Did you know, Yoiyami-san?”
About Boss’ ambitions, his plans.
The gazes in the room concentrates on Yoiyami-san. Even Utsusemi-san directs a half-serious gaze at Yoiyami-san.
This reaction. So no one asked about this.
Even though it’s extremely important.
If he knew it would come to this, that means Yoiyami-san had let us, the organization died without lending a helping hand.
No, Yoiyami-san who left the organization has no obligation to save us to begin with. He has none, but if he knew this would happen, but didn’t even tell me, I won’t think of him as an ally anymore.
Come to think of it, the reason why Roll and the others hasn’t asked that is perhaps because Yoiyami-san is sheltering us currently.
When my thought reaches up to that point, Yoiyami-san opens mouth with his gaze focusing on empty space.
“No… I didn’t know.”
Hearing his reply, I immediately feel relieved.
“Really?” Roll asks again with a suspicious look on her face.
“Really.”
There, Yoiyami-san look into my eyes sitting on the bed.
I have no ability to detect Yoiyami-san’s lie, but If I don’t trust him here, the story won’t proceed.
“Then can you answer me? Why did you leave the organization? What caused you to fall out with Boss?”
“……”
I’ve been avoiding the question until now, but it will be a problem if I don’t have the answer.
I also look firmly into Yoiyami-san’s eyes.
This is not because I doubt him, but because I want to know.
I wonder if Yoiyami-san understand my true intention.
“…When you think carefully about it, since Yoiyami-san is a member of Anonymous since its founding, isn’t it strange that you don’t know the purpose of the organization? Kemuri-san, Chiyaku-san, and Shindo-san knew, and they were on Boss’ side.”
“That’s probably because the difference in view between Hyde and me.”
Yoiyami-san says as thought to interrupt my words.
I involuntarily shut up.
“We seemed to understand each other, but we actually didn’t. Our thoughts didn’t match up.
That’s probably why Hyde intended to kill me too.”
“I see. Then…”
“That sounds like you breakup due to differences in musicianship.”
“Please shut up, Utsusemi-san,” I glance at Utsusemi-san who suddenly cracked a joke and turn my eyes back to Yoiyami-san.
“Then is that the you reason you guys fell out?”
“No. Something like that won’t make me leave the organization.
The reason why I left the organization was…” For the first time, Yoiyami-san turns his eyes down.
He exhales heavily and shows a hesitant look.
I had a short relationship with Yoiyami-san, but it surprised me that he made that kind of face.
I wonder if it’s something that he wants to keep closed deep in his chest that much.
However, since we are in this kind of situation, we should have the right to hear it.
After a while of waiting, Yoiyami-san mutters,
“A woman.”
It’s completely unexpected.
The cause of the conflict between Boss and Yoiyami-san is a woman?
I move my gaze to Roll.
Roll looks at me and shakes her head. It seems that she has never heard of such a story.
As for Sen… she is unrelated to the talk, huh.
Laughing with a *hah*, Utsusemi-san responds first.
“That one is definitely a joke, ‘iiight? Yoiyami of those days! And Hyde! Had a fight that erased one branch because of a woman, that’s so unbelievable! No, not like I’m makin’ fun of you, y’know? Rather…”
“Utsusemi-san, can you shut up?”
“OK, OK. Imma stay silent.”
Yoiyami-san’s conversation has its own pace. There should be more to it.
Thinking so, I wait for Yoiyami-san’s words.
After a while of silence, Yoiyami-san speaks,
“Hyde killed a woman. My woman… That’s the cause of our conflict.”
“……”
…I see. That’s how it is.
That would be a plenty enough reason for him to quit.
“But previously, you said you didn’t hate Boss. That you regretted leaving the organization.
Were those your true feelings, even though something like that happened?”
“Ahh. I’ve killed someone’s loved one too. When I think that way, my anger naturally weathers.”
“…Is that so? Then, why was that woman killed by Boss?”
“Because I loved her.”
Yoiyami-san stops, so I thought to put a break in this question-and-answer session.
Since the story has deviated so far, it can be seen that the estrangement of Yoiyami-san from the organization had nothing to do with the current situation. It was just a trivial – or perhaps not so trivial – dispute caused by a mixture of personal feelings. Boss probably just wanted to separate Yoiyami-san from that woman.
“Hee. Well that aside, who the heck is that woman? I sure as hell am curious about that the most.”
Yoiyami-san doesn’t have the obligation to answer to that extent, right?
He has talked so much, so it’s enough.
Or so I’d like to say, but to be honest, I’m also curious about that. I can’t imagine the what kind of woman that Yoiyami-san loved.
Yoiyami-san frowns, but I couldn’t say ‘You don’t have to answer,’ to him.
As a result, Yoiyami-san opens his mouth solemnly,
“Codename Observer.
Though she’s not the Observer you guys know, but her predecessor.”
“Predecessor……?”
…Hm? What does that mean? Does that mean that there was another Observer preceding the Observer I met?
Yeah, Observer was a top secret to begin with, we only learned about her on the brink of the organization’s destruction. Even then, we still don’t know much about her.
“Ahh. She was killed and a new Observer, the one you know, was chosen.”
In other words, Boss had killed members of the organization even in the past.
“Though you say that, I can’t be convinced that he killed her just because you loved her. There must be another, clear reason, isn’t there?”
Just like Utsusemi-san said.
“Hyde didn’t answer that. So,”
“So, you fought him, right?”
And the scale was so large that one branch was destroyed.
In other words, ‘because Yoiyami-san loved her’, such a reason is only Yoiyami-san’s conjecture.
“…But you might be right. If this plan had been in Hyde’s mind since then, Observer’s existence might had been a hindrance for him.
Thinking about it, Hyde had no control over Observer. Because she had sensing ability beyond human intelligence.”
I feel a little discomfort.
‘I’ve been separated from my body and brain’.
“Perhaps he thought might as well just get rid of her.”
‘This is the first time I can speak in human language like this in several years.’
Wait a minute.
“So, the predecessor was a real human? I can only imagine that form when it comes to Observer after all, see.”
I erase the voice Utsusemi-san let out.
I swallow my saliva *gokuri*.
Then Utsusemi-san looks at me.
“Why did you erase the sound. Shion.”
“… I’m sorry, I made a slight mistake in adjusting my ability.”
Yoiyami-san looks at me with suspicious eyes.
I can hear the ticking sound of the second hand of the clock in the next room getting louder frightfully.
If ‘that is the case’, Yoiyami-san would be shocked upon learning the truth, I’m sure.
“…What do you mean by a real human, Utsusemi?”
He read his lips.
Not good. I can’t deceive Yoiyami-san with my ability.
“Utsu…”
I try to send a sound so that only Utsusemi-san can hear it.
But with a glance from Yoiyami-san, I stop.
Eventually, when Yoiyami-san turn his gaze back to Utsusemi-san, I slowly bring my index finger in front of my lips.
However, Utsusemi-san turn toward Yoiyami-san’s direction – along with the chair, as though ignoring my gesture.
This might turn really bad.
Utsusemi-san, I beg you, please get the hint.
“Though you asked what do I mean by that, it’s the literal sense of the words, y’know?”
Utsusemi-san was fighting with Chiyaku-san, so he wasn’t there when Observer appeared. Neither did Roll and Sen.
Other than Observer, only me, Tsurugi, and Boss were there.
That will now birth a grudge. I can’t let that happen.
“I dunno whether the Observer I saw last time was a woman or not; it was just a ‘brain’ after all.”
I can’t take my eyes off Yoiyami-san’s face.
“………Shion, do you know something?”
“Nothing…”
“Answer me. After I left, Observer, what is it?”
‘Observer’ was Anonymous’ top secret. There was no way for Yoiyami-san who had left the organization to know about it.
No one knew until it was about to be destroyed by Boss’ hand.
“……”
“So, that’s how it is.”
*Shudder*
Roll, Utsusemi-san, Sen, and I.
We all jump back to the wall of the room at once.
No, we all instinctively took a distance from Yoiyami-san.
“Eh, wai… Yoiyami-san…?”
“Oioioi!! Whazzat!? That’s a joke right, oi seriously, WOW!”
“What is it this time…”
I swallow my saliva *Gokuri*.
“..Yoiyami-san, please calm down. Don’t be rash.”
I say with a quivering voice. This is the intimidation of the once most feared man in Anonymous.
The only person who could rival that Boss.
This kind of killing intent. If the Self-Defense Forces detects it, they’ll definitely come rushing in full forces.
“I will tell you everything I know. Please calm down.”
“No need. I’m going to ask Hyde directly.”
“Stop him!”
Seeing Yoiyami-san moving his feet toward the door, I scream and move.
I jump on Yoiyami-san.
The lagging Utsusemi-san, Roll, Sen also moves.
Then, everything ends in an instant.
Yoiyami-san, without taking even a single step, laid us down on the ground with a mysterious power.
This is, the ability to control darkness.
My sight is dyed black.
‘Anmoku’
Yoiyami-san’s technique to rob people’s sight. Even the ‘black’ in our pupils is his domain.
“What’s this…!”
If he was serious, our sight would be loss forever, but this time, he just covered our eyes with black.
Yoiyami-san’s footsteps head toward the door.
Now that we are deprived of our sight, am I the only one who can chase him?
“You sure are amazing, Yoiyami! You’re too strong, aren’t cha!”
Dammit, it’s not the time to say something like that.
No matter how strong Yoiyami-san is, heading to Boss’ place right now is suicidal.
There must be several generals and lieutenant generals in Saint Celia where Boss is right now.
What will happen to me if Yoiyami-san dies!
“Roll, break the floor!”
I have to stop him at all costs.
“Got it!”
I hear the sound of the floor cracking *bakibakibaki*, and then, along with a crashing sound, I get a falling sensation.
We break through the floor on the second floor and land on the first floor.
