novelI really wanted to hear those words
| ← Ch.040 | Ch.042 → |
Behind the facility was a forest. The path that Taiyou opened up by creating a hole in the wall, did not lead to a road, instead Yurikago had to weave and dash between the trees. Holding the memory card that held the data firmly in her hand, as long as she had this, she could stop the plans that Sakura perpetuated.
「By the way, there's been something that got me curious」
Hera was talking to Yurikago, Hera was an existence she could not fathom until moments ago.
「What is it?」
「Yurikago-chan, aren't you supposed to be the next head of your family? Doesn't that mean, that you are in a higher position compared to Sakura-chan?」
「......My rank is higher」
「Is that so? then in that case, can't you just order her to stop, and that will be the end of it??」
Hera was without a doubt asking her about the Blood Soul Project. And Yurikago understood that it was a very natural question to ask.
Putting on a disguise, and coming in contact with people from the outside was not a first time for her. And for outsiders, it was difficult for them to understand that a huge power struggle which was occurring within the Juunishima family.
Certainly if you were to compare their rank between Yurikago and Sakura, they were like heaven and earth. Similar in the way that the elder brother of Oda Nobunaga could not succeed his family no matter how much he struggled due to being an illegitimate child, Sakura could not ever reach as high a position as Yurikago.
Therefore, just like what Hera has asked, it was actually quite possible to stop Sakura's actions by force if she ordered her to do so.
However, the order would only be followed by pretext.
Although the plan itself, if it was declared publicly would garner public criticism from a humane viewpoint, at the same time, with how big and powerful the Juunishima clan is........ And the fact that an unprecedented degree of earnings can be achieved from the success of this plan, it would not be so easily stopped.
Women all over the world could stop growing old, the ultimate anti-aging solution.
Just as Sakura has said previously, the amount of expected earnings would be in trillion of monetary units.
It is beyond a man's imagination just how many women who would drop their wallets and spend fortunes to become beautiful, not only that, on the opposite side, there also an abundance of males who would spend money for their women as well.
If Yurikago were to act foolishly and forcibly stop that plan without any good reasons, this would become a subject that she would be attacked with later in the future.
Consequently, she needed a just cause, in this case human rights.
This is why she voluntarily took action herself whilst disguising herself, she did not really want to explain all this to Hera.
In her achievement of this objective, it was by no means a requirement to explain to Hera. Also, she was different from Sakura, she did not have a hobby of enjoying a game of words nor was she interested in conversation.
Thus, Yurikago hastened her steps as she ran away in the woods...
(Natsuno Taiyou)
Since a while ago and for a long period of time, this name was sticking inside her head and she could not stop thinking about it. The boy who had similar sense of values to herself, having different objectives and a way of doing things, and the boy who put his way of doing things into practice.
This particular concept had not parted from Yurikago's head. When she took a sidelong glance, Hera was flying next to her side nonchalantly. She wondered if Hera was not worried about Taiyou.
「You—」
「Yes desu, What's up??」
Responding Hera turns her face towards Yurikago. The moment Hera's face was seen, Yurikago withheld her curiosity of "Aren't you worried about him" and asked a different question.
「—-You understand what he is capable of right?」
「Yes desu?」
「It seems that guns do not work against him, just how far does that apply?」
「To be accurate he has a skill called "Long distance immunity" desu. It isn't a matter of how effective it is, if it is a long distance attack, nothing will work against him desu」
「I want to clarify the definition of long distance, is it an absolute thing?」
「Yes desu」
「Then how about short distance? For example if he were to be hit by crow bars?」
「That will not do desu, his body will be violently damaged desu」
Yurikago makes a pale face and began to tremble.
「....... Does he have a method to deal with those kind's of attacks?」
「Taiyou-chan desuka? Ummm, get them before they get him desuka?」
「......」
Whilst advancing her path through the woods, Yurikago had a frown on her face.
When everything was put together, she concluded that Taiyou was in an extraordinary pinch right now. Yurikago instinctively thought "is he alright?".
「He should be alright desuyo?, his mind is still clear, nanodesuyo 」
「I, I'm not asking because I'm worried okay」
「Is that so nanodesu?」
「Isn't it natural」
Yurikago spoke in a tight tone of voice as if she wanted to get past the subject. And once again looking at the carefree Hera flying around her, she asked another question.
「By the way, when you said that he's fine, what exactly did you mean?...... do you mean that he was able to successfully buy us time?」
Yurikago spoke as if she needed an explanation.
「Yes desu, it's because he's Taiyou-chan desukara?」
「What do you mean?」
「It's because he's my Taiyou-chan, thats why... it's because he was putting on a show and looking cool as he declared to Yurikago-chan that he would buy us time, therefore, he definitely will be fine desuyo?」
「..... That's it?」
「Yes desu?」
「Hang on one minute, isn't there something more? Doesn't he have more special skills perhaps? Or special ideas?」
「Special skills?」
Hera inclines her neck and was in thought. The face that appeared naturally after, implied that there was no other special skill.
「......」
She halted her movements instinctively, and looked at Hera with eyes of complete astonishment.
"Believe in others required no reasoning"......Although that kind of thinking may be nice to hear, Yurikago was by no means that kind of person. For her, in order to believe in something, there needed to be a good reason. If there was a clear reason to it, she was the type of person who could believe in anyone, however, believing in a person based purely on faith was something she absolutely could not do.
「What's wrong desuka?? If we don't escape quickly, we will be in trouble desu」
「......」
「Yurikago-chan?」
Yurikago was hesitating. After getting out of the hole in the wall and escaping, it was the first time she turned around. The wall was now far enough that it was completely covered by the trees. Beyond the wall, there was Taiyou, who in order to buy her time, was sacrificing his body. The fact that there has been no sign of pursuers arriving means that, whatever he was doing, he was succeeding in halting their movements.
However, the success of the plan had no relation with how safe, he was right now. No in fact, it was an inverse relation. Almost like the stories whereby, the General of the Army has the duty of holding off the rear, whilst the lord escapes.
「—-tsu」
She grinded her teeth together, and reflexively curled her hand into a fist.
Even more than before, the memory card in her hand emphasized its importance once again. In the present state, it was the thing that could not be captured by the enemy.
「Yurikago-chan?」
「....... It's nothing. Let's go」
Yurikago shook her head. She turned her back from the direction of the wall and started to walk again.
Holding back her emotions which was in conflict, she turned her eyes away. With a single intent, she advanced and advanced forwards.
Rustling sounds.
Suddenly, there was a sound of something moving that was not the sound of her footsteps. As if a person was hiding within the grassy bushes, there was an unnatural sound of shaking leaves.
Yurikago halts her movements and glared at the grassy place.
「You, did you bring anything?」
「An item desuka? I didn't bring anything desuyo??」
「....... Then what about if I threw an item away, could you pursue it and confirm where it fell?」
「If that's the case, I can do it desu?」
Yurikago nodded expressionlessly, and she thought that if worse comes to shove, she would throw away the memory stick in her hands and hide it amongst the bushes, and she could then retrieve it tomorrow or the day after as long as she had the location.
And, she continued to stare at the thicket.
「Puu, hah...... The air.... is...deli, cious」
What appeared was a young maiden with abnormally white skin and hair wearing a black lacy dress.
Shirokiyami was there.
「You, why are you here?」
Yurikago was caught off guard, and Shirkoyami casually approaches her.
「I found-you. I've come to, pick you-up」
「Pick me up?」
「Yea. I thought that..... thing kind of thing might—happen」
Shirokiyami says this, as her white long hair that reaches the back of her knee flutters, and she turned her body around.
「Let's-go」
「Wait」
Shirokiyami stops moving forward, and only her neck turns to look, with a face that said "???".
「Are you cooperating with me?」
「To be accurate..... I'm cooperating with—him」
「That's also fine, to what extent are you willing to help?」
「I'm being employed by him, so.... it's a daily-thing」
「In order for me to go ahead, he is staying behind and in danger. What about instead of helping me escape, you save him instead?」
「If.... a bonus is—paid」
「10 million, I will pay it」
「Ok-ay」
Saying this Shirokiyami turns around in the direction in which Yurikago came from, and ran like the wind.
Though Shirokiyami returned towards the wall, all she could see was a mountain of corpses piled up, and the appearance of Taiyou who was standing on top with a dignified appearance.
| ← Ch. 040 | Ch. 042 → |