Vol 2 Chapter 3 (1/2)
Chapter 3: Reminiscence
“Ooougi-kuuun!”
After class Saori, at her club activities, espied Takaya and Yuzuru on their way ho after them in her tennis skirt
They turned
“Ougi-kun, Ougi-kun! Is your amnesia cured yet?”
“You think it’s that easy to cure, you idiot?”
“Stop being so flippant! Everyone is worried about you! They’re wondering if you’re all right”
“More like they find it really interesting”
Yuzuru chuckled off to the side
Students heading ho off to their club activities streah “In any case, you” Saori began lecturing, as they walked to the school gates
“Are you listening to i-kun!”
“I got it, all right? You have Club right now, don’t you? You should hurry up and get back to it ?”
His gaze paused on a strange person
“What’s wrong?”
An unfaates
Sauvage-style long hair, white blouse, black jeans hugging long, slis; the students turned around to take a second look at this beauty as they went out the gates She looked like a college student, and appeared to be waiting for someone
Takaya started
Next to her stood a blue replica FZR that he had seen so a blue-lined full-face helmet
(No freakin’ way)
The wo them, make a face that said quite plainly, “Oh!” And then she beamed and waved
“Heeeello, Hot Stuff!”
“Wh-h! You—you’re the nut fro!”
“Thanks for earlier!”
What the?!
The wo there was the one who’d ridden the FZR that nize her, of course
“Takaya? Who’s that?”
“Her—it’s her! The evil wo!”
“Well, that’s pretty rude, isn’t it!”
“Who’s being rude here?! What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well!” The wonantly “I took tie to coratitude at least, Takaya-kun”
“?”
She knows my name?
“And about this —I heard that you rode a motorcycle, so I wanted to see what you could do But you still have a ways to go, huh? It’s obvious that you’ll fall if you cut the handles while braking that sharply, right? Didn’t they teach you that at the riding school?”
“Wait, how do you know about me?”
The worew blank and round
“ Oh, that’s right He did say that you’ve forgotten about us”
“What?”
“But we’ve been looking so hard for you We never thought that you’d be a high school student in a place like this”
(Huh?)
She looked over the bewildered Takaya critically, then nodded with approval
“But that’s good I wasn’t very happy when I learned that you were younger than ave Takaya a quick sideways glance and sain’, Kagetora?”
“!”
(Wh!)
His breath caught as if he’d been struck
She knew about him!
(Who the hell is this woman?!)
She glanced at the watch on her left wrist
“Hreed to meet here at three”
“Wait, what the hell!”
“He should be here already oh?”
Strangely enough, at that precise ht in front of them
And it wasn’t just any car A Mercedes Benz ee, dark blue frame: a famed status symbol of the upper class
(Waugh! A Benz!)
In front of the agog Takaya and the others the left driver’s side door opened, and a lasses and a black suit stepped out
(Woah! The mafia!)
Next to the petrified Takaya, the woman called out in a loud voice, “Yahoo! Naoe!”
“Huh?”
The black-suited lasses and walked towards theettable face
“It’s been a while, Takaya-san”
“”
It was Naoe nobutsuna
Saori, behind Yuzuru, did a wild dance of joy Takaya, exhausted beyond endurance, groaned wearily
“What’s wrong?”
“ So everything was at your instigation”
“I beg your pardon?”
“This woman—her! What the hell is with her?”
“Naoe, Naoe! How have you been?” The woman asked cheerfully
“You got here early, Haruie”
“And you’re looking sharper than ever!”
Noticing Yuzuru and Saori, he s lady”
“Naoe-san, long time no see”
Saori only danced around, crying “He calledlady!”
Takaya pressed harder against his forehead
“Anyway Why don’t you introduce me to that woman?”
“Well ‘That woman’ is a pretty rude way to address someone who’s your elder!”
“Stop that, Haruie”
She placed one hand on her waist and puffed out her chest proudly
“Hmmph I don’t need you to introduce inal nai Kenshi+n’s chief vassals, Kakizaki Kageie”
Naoe added into Takaya’s ear as he glared, ”He is one of us, Kagetora-sama: one who received Lord Kenshi+n’s decree to become a kanshousha
“Haruie, you said but you’re supposed to be a h! You’re not!”
“Oh please! I arily “Humph, you’ll see! I’ve been a woman for more than two hundred years I’irls around here”
“???”
Naoe provided an explanation “I’veon the sex of the body we choose, we can become either man or woman”
“You’re not serious”
Because Yuzuru and Saori were still listening in, Naoe changed the subject
“In any case, are you free tonight? I was thinking that we should celebrate our reunion by going out for dinner”
“Celebrate so are you treating?”
“Indeed”
He thought for a bit and answered, “So like a class reunion, huh?”
Naoe smiled “Then it’s decided”
Ayako was frolicking around the Benz with Yuzuru and Saori like a child
“Woah, cool! It’s a real 560!”
“It really is roomy! Very nice!”
Takaya looked at Naoe with a a Cefiro last time, weren’t you?”
“That was the third car My family went out today, and they only left this one”
“You crooked onna hit you if you tell me that it’s a Porsche”
“It’s a Ferrari”
Takaya’s fist shook in wrath But just then Naoe suddenly turned toward the school buildings as if soed at his attention
“What?”
“” Naoe scowled in the direction of the school for a e
(This school) His eyes narrowed to glints (Since when?)
Takaya asked doubtfully, “Naoe?”
“—Has so happened at this school?”
“Huh?”
Naoe glared silently at the buildings Takaya also turned anxiously
“Is so here?”
“No, it’s nothing Let’s go,” he replied, and turned on his heels But he was still scowling toward the school over his shoulder with intense coldness
(Has no one noticed it?)
This abnormality
A sense of coldness enveloping Jouhoku High
A stagnantdistinct ‘malice’
(This is)
Night had fallen in Matsu a few drinks with Naoe and Ayako on the town
“Cheers!” Ayako said brightly, clinking their glasses together They were in a certain bar in the business district Ayako had clamored to try Matsuht them here, a place he knew that advertised “delicious basashi+”
Ayako drained her beer in large gulps and laughed uproariously “Waaaah, this beer’s so good!”
Amidst a crowd of business students, a strange trio sat at a table in one corner: a high school student, a college student, and a aged in some sort of scary occupation Takaya stared resentfully down at the orange juice in his cup, then turned his glare on Naoe, seated beside him
“Why the hell a juice?”
“You’re still a minor, are you not?”
“A little wouldn’t hurt”
“That would not be wise”
“What the hell? According to you, I’h, aren’t I? So come on already!”
“It’s your body that’s in question here Alcohol is not good for a body that is not yet fully mature”
“Why are you being so stubborn?!”
Ayako raised the beer bottle in one hand and shouted, “It doesn’t onna enjoy ourselves tonight! Yo, bro! More hot sake!”
“Wh-woah, are you all right over there?”
Ayako laughed loudly “No worries The night is young! Here, drink up!”
“Hey wait, stop filling it up like that!”
“Aaaah, this sake really does taste good when you’re with great company”
Pushi+ng away Ayako’s , Takaya stared at the tith amazement
“Are you guys planning to stay for a while or what?”
“We’ve already booked a hotel”
“And what are you here for this time?”
“’Cause! Naoe said he’d treat et it where they serve the real thing, right?”
“So you came here to eat raw horsemeat too?”
Naoe s of beer in his hand
“I didn’t get a chance last tiht?”
“Look, just what the hell are you doing? The station was destroyed, buildings were destroyed, the whole toas falling apart! It’s been hard repairing all of the dae”
“So it seems However, I do not believe I was that terribly meretricious”
“Aaaah, are you talking about that again? That’s awa onshou, and there you were shooting off all those flashy lights! It’s totally not fair that you left me out”
Oh, he thought
“So then you were the ally with the power of exorcis for”
“Bingo! That’s me!”
“ I’lad you didn’t come”
“What?! That’s mean!”
Naoe picked at the basashi+ by himself as the two quarreled loudly
“And? What happed to Suruga after that, Haruie?”
“Iawa has submitted to Oda”
“What?”
“History is repeating itself” Ayako rested her chin on her hands and sighed “There are bindings of fate froawa Yoshi+moto’s hatred toward Oda would seeh «power» as an onryou to match Oda’s forces He seems to have yielded to them”
“I see”
Takaya interjected, “What happened to shi+ngen after that?”
“We’re still searching for hi for a place to perform another revival”
“Reeeeally That idiot Kousaka It totally sucks that he had to go and resurrect Takeda shi+ngen Noe have even more trouble on our hands”
“You oku»?”
“Yeah! But now that we’ve found you, we’ve really got a boost of confidence”
Beside her, Naoe s that we should go and thank Takeda shi+ngen?”
“Ugh, no way! Over my dead body!” She reached for the hot sake “Waaah! Basashi+ is so great with japanese sake! Here, drink up, Kagetora! We’re not talking about these stupid things any ht Let’s party ’til dawn!”
“Onee-san, you’re totally plastered Woah! Don’t pour sake into my cup!”
“Cheers to Kagetora-kun!”
“Is she all right?”
“Don’t just sit there looking dumb—come on, drink with me! Hey bro, let’s have more over here!”
“Eek, you’re kidding!”
Takaya, roped into Ayako’s bright, unstoppable pace, was finally dragged haplessly along
Under the neon of the bustling business district, the peculiar threeso
It was past ten that night when they left the bar The three set out through the night wind toward the hotel
“Hey, look! Nee-san! Stop trying to move that quickly by yourself!”
The thoroughly sloshed Ayako raised her voice loudly in warbling song and strutted in front of the other two in perfectly wonderful humor
“Is she all right?” Takayawith utter aone You could’ve tried holding her back a bit instead of just s”
“I couldn’t have stopped hi”
“Whaaaat the hell!”
The glassy-eyed Ayako spun around in the“You two, stop co! Let’s hit another place—!”
“Urgh!”
“What’s up with you? Here, sing with ered in her steps “Huh?”
She lost her balance and sat down in place right in the middle of the road
“Aaaugh, don’t tell ainst his forehead, Takaya rushed up to her “Here, stand up You can lean on my shoulder”
“dum de dum”
“You shouldn’t drink so much that you can’t even stand!”
Supported by Takaya, Ayako finally started walking again Naoe followed in their steps, his gaze watchful and protective, his sely bitter
They finally reached Naoe and Ayako’s lodgings, a hotel in front of the station
“I’ll get the key froo ahead and wait for me in front of the room Number 502,” Naoe said, and headed for the lobby on the second floor, leaving Takaya with Ayako draped around his shoulders On Takaya’s back, the half-asleep Ayako was still going through her repertoire of songs
“Don’t fall asleep We’re almost there”
“dum de dum dum dum”
Takaya half-carried Ayako into the elevator, and they finally made their way to the room Takaya set Ayako down in front of the door, and Ayako slid down to the floor