Translator: Reflet

  Editor: ryunakama

  “You’re looking more like a monster every day.”


  “And you…don’t?”


  “Touché.”


  Taiyou made a wry smile. If Shirokiyami, who was moving around at lightning speed while continuing to dodge bullets was like a monster, then Taiyou, who was bathing in a volley of bullets without a single scratch would also be considered a monster.

  This was in actuality what the members in the farmer garb thought of them. Having exhausted all of their ammo, they continued to hold their submachine guns in bewilderment, saying something to one another. Although it was in a language that he hadn’t heard before with lots of trilled r’s, he could at least tell that they were afraid.

  “Pretty darn scared over there. I wonder what they’re saying.”


  “Want a…translation?”


  “You can understand them?”


  “Yawn…yawn.”


  She said on purpose, giving a light nod.

  “Your mom…has, an outie.”


  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s NOT what they’re saying!”


  “Then…your dad…has, telescopic eyes.”


  “Sure, if they were going up against someone who looked like that, they might just make those terrified expressions!”


  “Just, kidding.”


  “Eh?”


  “It was all…a, lie.”


  “I know that, thank you!”


  Taiyou quipped, while Shirokiyami acted indifferent.

  During that time, their opponent had exchanged their magazines for new ones, attempting to shoot at them once again. While Taiyou was quipping, he casually began to walk toward them, punching each of their lights out one by one.

  “Amazing.”


  “That’s like lecturing Gautama on the sutras.”


  “…Malapropism?”


  “It means to have Siddartha Gautama compliment you on a lecture.”


  “That’s a, new one.”


  “So do we just keep advancing up the mountain like this?”


  “Mhm.”


  “What do we do? Defeat all of them?”


  “No…Just the boss, dead or alive.”


  “Never thought I’d get in the kind of situation where I’d hear that game term used correctly.”


  Taiyou and Shirokiyami once again ran off in sync. As per earlier, they dashed up to the summit on the bare mountain road, but unlike earlier, Taiyou was now fully in on this.

  “What’s wrong?”


  “Hm?”


  “Your face…it’s, grinning.”


  “Being able to run alongside you like this is so fun that I can’t help it.”


  “The last…spurt?”


  “I mean yeah, it is a hill and all…”


  He replied, lightly smiling.

  “But no, I mean when I think of when I first met you, I’m super happy to be able to keep up at this speed with you. I still remember that day.”


  “Mhm, you totally, wet your pants.”


  “Hey, don’t fabricate it!”


  “But…you were, drenched.”


  “Pretty sure that was blood! Blood that came from the wounds from your katana!”


  “No, it wasn’t.”


  “Eh?”


  Shirokiyami was firmly shaking her head for once. Taiyou had a vacant expression on his face. She often played around with him, but it wasn’t characteristic of her to just outright deny the truth…or so he thought.

  “That was when you grabbed that child…and got cut.”


  “…Yeah, you’re right.”


  Taiyou nodded as they ran. His memory was partially incorrect. The wound from that time was primarily in his palm area from grabbing Shirokiyami’s katana and smashing it through the middle. Of course she would deny that, thought Taiyou.

  “And I really liked…that, child.”


  “Man, I’m envious to hear you talk to lovingly about something.”


  “I like this child…more.”


  “Maybe I should smash that one too.”


  “No…if you ever do such a thing…”


  “If I ever do such a thing?”


  “I will kill you and then die too.”


  “Hmm, I’m quite curious about why you said that sentence without a single pause!”


  Once in a blue moon, Shirokiyami would speak in a normal tone. She had some sort of fixed set of lines that she spoke that way with, but he wasn’t really sure when she would do those things.

  “Hey, you did have a name for the current kid, right?”


  “Mhm…’Heaven Reversal’. Defying the laws of nature…you are the conqueror.”


  “I didn’t know it meant that.”


  He pondered this a bit while they were running.

  “…Did the previous one have a name?”


  “Previous?”


  “The one I broke.”


  A nod. It was quiet, but she was clearly nodding.

  “I see. What is that child doing right now?”


  “She is, sleeping.”


  “Let me meet her sometime. I want to apologize.”


  “That’s, fine.”


  “But…”


  “Don’t, worry.”


  She firmly shook her head.

  “It happened in battle…so, she is, satisfied.”


  “Okay.”


  Taiyou nodded. That one statement revealed Shirokiyami’s views on life and death. He felt as if he somehow caught another glimpse of her true self. That made him happy. He was enjoying this.

  “You are, grinning.”


  “I told you earlier. I’m happy.”


  “But you know…that I am, holding back, right?”


  “Even with that in mind, yeah.”


  Taiyou laughed, filled with unbelievable happiness.

  “Cause when I think of when we first met, the very idea of you slowing your pace just for me sounds like it would have been a faraway dream. I probably wouldn’t have even been able to keep up with you like how I am now.”


  “I…see.”


  “I’m even wondering how long I’d last if I went up against you right now. No sneak attacks, just front and center.”


  “Probably…instant, death.”


  “Well that’s pretty delightful in and of itself, cause it would mean that you went all out for me.”


  “You are very…positive.”


  “I just love everything about you and I can’t hold it back.”


  The mountains twisted round and round, but they just kept going straight up. They ran into some members again at another intersection, but they merely ran through them. Taiyou punched them, and Shirokiyami cut them down with her katana. It was pretty obvious in her case and even Taiyou’s case that they were hardly using any energy—-holding back in their attacks.

  “Oh yeah, there’s something that I forgot to ask you.”


  “What, is it?”


  “In order to make you mine, I know that I have to fight and defeat you, but…”


  “M, hm.”


  “What about asking you out on a date?”