Chapter 64

EPISODE 5 LET’S RESCUE THE DAMSEL IN DISTRESS! “Hmm, they’re not here yet~. Ehem, ehem.” “You’re right~. I was almost certain that they would arrive~.” “We’ve been waiting for an hour, yet they have not shown themselves! My legs are getting sore…” Rei, Kiyomizu, and Alfoncina were waiting at an arcade in the Empire’s shopping mall. Just waiting, and not playing the games. Of the three, Rei was somewhat upset. “Sigh… I can’t believe Ryo’s off on a date with someone… I wish he’d told me… My soul is about to leave my body from the shock… Ehem, ehem…” Rei the ninja had apparently heard the news from her boss, Ouka. “I think he didn’t tell you because he didn’t want your soul to leave your body,” Kiyomizu piped up. “I see! This is how Ryo shows his love! Yaaay!” Rei was brought back to high spirits instantly, while Kiyomizu whispered, “What a fool.” “But Ryo still isn’t here~.” Rei scanned the area again. The arcade was fairly busy for the weekend, but Ryouta was nowhere to be seen. “How odd~. I thought most everyone comes to arcades on dates~. Claw machines are a classic, after all.” “I thought the same! But I see neither Sasara nor Ryouta dearest!” “Waaah! This means we failed to ruin their date~! And the air in here is so stagnant, I cannot stop coughi—ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem.” Despite her coughing fit, Kiyomizu and Alfoncina made no move to comfort her. “Oh… I’m getting the sense that I’m not part of this group…” “You are very relaxed for a big sister. We want to ruin their date, too, but we have a more serious problem here.” “What?! What kind of problem? Is Ryo getting married…? That shouldn’t happen, so we should be fine, shouldn’t we?” “By the reckoning of the Holy Church of the Sacred Blood, Ryouta has the worst luck~. I do hope his life hasn’t been endangered somehow.” Alfoncina was acting lighthearted, but her eyes were serious. “Exactly. Ryouta dearest’s luck is unusually bad. He is like the friend who says, ‘I’ll get married when I come back from war’ after getting drafted.” Kiyomizu’s worry was showing itself, too. “And as a relative of Ryouta dearest, you should be aware of this, too. Bad luck can sometimes infect close relatives.” “O-oh no, could that—? Ahem, ahem, ahem, cough!! Gu-hack! Huff… Ah… Cough, cough…” Rei fell flat on the floor, having coughed herself unconscious. “Oh no, she fainted! I think she may have truly been infected by his bad luck!” “What perfect timing.” “I’ll go stick her in the first-aid office for now!” “Okay. She might be used to all this, but Ryouta isn’t.” Rei was groaning quietly. “…Oh, a field of flowers~. So many rare blossoms here~. What, I have to pay a fee to get past here? How much is it? Six mon? I don’t have the old coins on me! Fine, I’m leaving!” Apparently, she was dreaming about something. “I think she’s hovering between life and death!” “She’s not going into the flower field, so I suppose she’s all right~. Rei, Rei? Are you all right?! Stay away from the flowers!” Alfoncina started forcefully calling to Rei. “…Oh dear, I’m lost now… Ahh, a person with one eye is chasing me! Help, help!” “She’s come across something supernatural! Is she all right?!” “It might be best to pray for her… This might be surprisingly dire…” “…Ah, there it is. Up in the sky, I must go—” And Rei suddenly fell quiet. “They say people go into the sky when they die—she isn’t dead is she? Oh dear…” “Her heart still seems to be beating, so I think she should be all right…” Neither of the other girls were used to dealing with Rei, so they were perplexed as to what to do with the unconscious girl. Three minutes later— Rei slowly woke up. “I dreamed I went to a flower field, but they told me to pay six mon, but you can only find the coins in museums nowadays. So I came back.” “You might not’ve been able to come back if you did pay. That is exactly the price needed to cross the river of the dead, after all.” “My…that was close… But Ryo should be all right then, too. He doesn’t have six mon anyway.” “That is not the problem here!” “Oh, and I gave Ryo some words of encouragement, too,” Rei said airily. ““What?”” Ryouta sat in a chair in the little arcade at the cable car building. He should have gone right after Sasara; he even had his sword with him today. But what Toraha said weighed heavily on him. Come when you are ready. Ryouta had no idea if he was ready. At the very least, he couldn’t say he loved Sasara the way Toraha did. Even if he did say it, it would be an obvious lie. He hadn’t had any romantic feelings for her during all of this. I mean, she is cute, but that’s not the problem… Maybe he should just give the Tatsunami family a call, just like Toraha said. But that wouldn’t make anyone happy. Oh yeah, and Shiren also said to me… “Be responsible for the actions you take.” She’d given him a warning. People had only so many hands. If he reached out to everyone, he would soon run out. Still, I can’t just hop on the gondola and go home! “Oh, so pensive~.” “Yeah, I’m not ready or decisive or anything…” “I see. It is an incredibly big decision for someone your age. I suppose even those under eighteen want to buy adult books, too.” “No, that’s not it! This isn’t a…teen sex thing! It’s way bigger than that!” “Teen sex things are a big deal! Do not take them so lightly!” “I mean, yeah, but you’re emphasizing… Wait.” Ryouta wondered who on earth he was talking to. He cautiously lifted his gaze to the chair next to him to find…his sister. “Why are you here, Rei?” “Hmm, well, I’m not really sure myself, but I ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehemed, couldn’t breathe, fell unconscious, then suddenly found myself here.” “Wait, are you sure you’re not dead?! Are you okay?!” Now that she mentioned it, she was a little translucent. “C’mon! Don’t do this! What am I supposed to do if there’s a death in my family now, of all times?!” “Hmm. I suppose you could say I’m a living ghost. This happens to me about once every three weeks. They were charging to get into the flower garden, so I turned back and that’s when I found you.” “I have no idea what I’m supposed to say… T-take care?” “I should be all right. If you’re worried about something, Ryo, I can help you.” “But this is my problem…” “Well, I’m old enough, so I can buy as many age-restricted books as you want me to. I’ll even buy the ones with extra rare fetishes!” “No! This isn’t because I’m embarrassed about going to buy them at the store! This is a relationship thing!” “Ah, I see~.” She finally understood, although he’d almost lost track of what was serious and what wasn’t as he was talking to Rei. “I’ve been through a lot in my life, so I would be happy to give you some advice.” Maybe it was because she was a living ghost, but Rei looked more grown-up than usual. “Shouldn’t you just speak honestly?” she said. It was a normal piece of advice, not a magical panacea or anything. “I know you might be afraid to speak honestly, but that might be your only choice. If you lie, you will most certainly find unhappiness. And that’s what’s important—you.” “But if I just think of myself, then—” “Someone who cannot make themselves happy has no chance of making others happy.” Ryouta couldn’t say anything in return. Right now, he couldn’t make Sasara happy, he knew. “If a person doesn’t have one yen, then they don’t have any yen to donate.” “Yeah.” “By the way, how much is six mon in today’s money? I need it to get into the flower garden.” “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to pay! That’s a traditional offering to the little statues at the graveyard!” “Oh, that’s right, there was free entry to the garden yesterday. I just missed it~.” “You barely just managed to stay alive, Rei! Please don’t leave! If you’re a living ghost, go back to your body!” “But why is it today that I’ve managed to come to you?” It was a simple question. Frankly, Rei had come close to death countless times. “I think you must be quite close to death, yourself, Ryo.” “That’s a scary thing to say…” “But you’ll be all right. You don’t have six mon, either.” Rei looped around toward Ryouta’s face, then smiled and nodded. “Bye-bye.” She vanished so completely that Ryouta almost wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing. “Yeah. It’s not like all of my problems’ve been solved or anything.” His only choice was to face the challenge head-on. He didn’t really have any other choice to make. “Okay, I got some rest, so now it’s time to work.” He gripped his sword. “Time to save the damsel in distress.” There was a flat, rocky surface on the mountain, where no trees provided shelter from the sunlight. It almost looked like a thousand sheets of rock had been laid out next to each other, which is exactly what its name, Senjojiki, meant. And there was Toraha and Sasara. Sasara had been crying the entire time, although the exact reason for her tears was unclear. “I understand how painful this must be, Lady Sasara, but please have some self-control.” Toraha was watching the path he had used to come here, assuming Ryouta would follow them. “You’ve grown,” Sasara sniffed. “You have always been a loser; you would go and hide every single time you saw me.” Sasara had no idea that Toraha would do something so daring. He may have been skilled with a sword, but his mental game was still a bit weak. “Please do not say that to me… I had to grow at least a little bit. All to make you happy, Lady Sasara,” Toraha declared. “Even if you did taste his blood, I doubt many people know. We only need to pretend it never happened, and then you can marry me. And quit the Imperial Guard.” “Do not make my decisions for me! Do you even understand my relationship with Lady Ouka?!” “You cannot be an Imperial guard forever. You will eventually have to graduate and move on, just like high school.” “You may be right, but…” “And not even Her Majesty the Emperor can marry you to make you happy, Lady Sasara.” “I know that…” By presenting every bit of reality to her, one by one, Toraha snipped off Sasara’s strings. “And I understand why you think about that boy. His blood saved you from death. But he causes you to hesitate, so I will prevent him from doing so.” Toraha drew his sword and cut into a nearby rock. A crack formed in the rock. The top half slowly slid out of place, then fell. Only a master had the skill to slice a rock in two with a sword. “Please do not kill him…” “Well, that will depend on his decision.” Toraha turned to his cousin and smiled. “If he decides to throw it all away and choose you, then I will acknowledge my defeat and hand over my rights to him.” “What?” “Masakane Akinomiya will be the last sore loser in my family. Once a determination has been made, I will not start grumbling with excuses. But that boy seems entirely unqualified, so I have no choice but to intervene. That is all.” There came the sound of footsteps shuffling on stone as Ryouta slowly approached. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Toraha. I had a good think.” “I was not expecting your eyes to be so clear. Tell me your answer.” Toraha quietly held his sword at the ready. He was completely grounded as he did so, as though he had been raised with that sword for decades. Even an amateur could immediately sense his skill. Ryouta held his sword at the ready, too. It was a fine article, given to him by the emperor herself. “Here’s my answer: Break off your engagement with Sasara. And I’ll pretend like my engagement never happened. Sasara will remain a part of the emperor’s personal guard,” Ryouta announced calmly. There was nothing to get worked up over, after all. Nothing needed to change at all. “Listen! Enough with your jokes!” Pure, palpable malice filled Toraha’s eyes, and he dashed straight toward Ryouta. Ding! came a dry metallic sound. Ryouta had blocked with his sword—the attack had gone straight for his head. Either way, Toraha wasn’t going to just kill him outright. Even if he knew capital punishment was the answer, he still needed to ask the suspect’s motives. “So you’re not choosing anything! You came all the way out here to give me the most irresponsible answer?! I have never been so disappointed in my life, Ryouta Fuyukura!” As their swords scraped against each other, they glared hard at one another. “Do you love Lady Sasara, or no? Which is it?!” “Oh yeah, I can give you a clear answer. And you listen, too, Sasara, since you’re here.” With tears still in her eyes, Sasara stared at Ryouta. “Do I love Sasara? No. She’s a precious friend, but nothing other than that.” Ryouta gave up all feelings of romance—although technically, he couldn’t give up something he never had in the first place. Emotion vanished from Sasara’s face as she slowly processed what he said. “Then that means my path has been set…” Sasara Tatsunami and Masatsuna Toraha would be engaged, and that would be that. They just needed to tell her parents about the whole situation, and then it was over. She would have to submit her resignation from her post as an Imperial guard. Whatever happened, he just needed to wait it out. “Then do what’s right and stand down. Lady Sasara will be in good hands.” Toraha took off a bit of pressure; he no longer had a reason to kill this noncommittal boy. He had no interest in taking a life for no reason. “Sorry, what? Why do I have to do that? I’ve obviously gotta fight to save my friend from you.” In the next moment, the blade sliced through Ryouta’s arm. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as red blood oozed from the cut. An experienced swordsman could handle a blade so deftly that the bleeding wouldn’t start for some time until after the pain. The two stepped back from each other. “Glad to see that didn’t hamper your skill. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t be able to hold the sword anymore.” “I’ve heard I’m pretty good for a novice. Even if you did get me.” “I did give you the role of prince that saves the princess, after all. I hate those kabuki shows that end in a double suicide; they leave a bad aftertaste. I made sure to specifically tell you to come only when you’re ready, see.” “All your examples are outdated.” “Oh, come off it. But instead you came here to tell me you have no intentions of marrying the princess. To be honest, I’m shocked.” Even Ryouta could tell that the master swordsman’s mind wasn’t exactly a calm sea. That was probably why Ryouta was still alive. If Toraha was in turmoil, he would make more mistakes. “How do you intend to make the princess happy?! It’s your responsibility!” Toraha cut Ryouta’s arm again, this time up by the top of his shoulder. As Ryouta reeled from the pain, Toraha cut him again. This fight was barely a fight at all. At this rate, Ryouta would be a mangled corpse in only a few minutes. Maybe he should cry and apologize and hope that would ensure his survival. If he told Toraha that Sasara was all his, invite his disappointment and scorn, then Toraha might have forgiven Ryouta. Well, if I didn’t want to die, then I shouldn’t have come here in the first place. I know what I should do if I want to get through this alive. But he didn’t want to survive with regrets. Conveying exactly how I feel is my way of fulfilling my responsibility. Ryouta had never planned to lay a single blow on Toraha; he just needed to survive until he said what he needed to say. But his enemy was merciless. “You need to die.” Toraha stabbed him in the stomach, and the pain that surged through his body this time was nothing like what had come before. He might not survive this. Even though he’d made it out of plenty of tough situations before, this time might be when his luck ran out. But if he perished here, what was it all for? He still had a job to fulfill. “What am I going to do about the princess’s happiness? If you don’t know the answer yourself, Toraha, then go back to your temple elementary school!” Ryouta took a deep breath and said: “The princess decides her own happiness! It’s not something a prince decides for her!” Sasara’s eyes widened. A weak breath escaped Toraha’s lips. Up until this point, Ryouta had made the same mistake. Toraha had lost hold of something very important. Neither of the given choices included what Sasara Tatsunami herself wanted. External forces were going to decide everything for her before she could ever express her own will. “A princess has the right to choose her prince—or to stay a princess forever. What do you want to do, Sasara?” That was enough with the metaphors. Covered in wounds, Ryouta asked Sasara the question. “How should I know?!” she yelled, her voice choked with tears. “What am I supposed to do as an Imperial guard? I have no idea how I’m supposed to talk with Lady Ouka about this; it’s so, so difficult! It occupies my thoughts all the time. How am I supposed to give my official answer now?! I am not so strong, nor so simple!” This wasn’t a simple question of A or B. She might not find a satisfactory answer tomorrow, or the next day, or even after a whole year. “Yeah. But that’s why I came.” He found himself smiling much more than he’d expect, being on the verge of death. “There’s no time to think carefully about it. So let’s pretend this engagement business never happened. And talk more to Ouka about being her personal guard. Make her take off her mask as the emperor.” “All right!” “And feel free to talk to me if there’s ever anything I can help you with. We’re friends, after all.” He’d said everything he needed to say; his work here was done. He fell to his knees. He’d lost too much blood; his head spun. I really think I’ll be able to see the flower garden soon… The little brother goes after the older sister, huh…? We’re so far from the hospital here. Of all times… Even though he’d acted knowing full well the risks, he was still afraid to die. And he’d left so much unfinished. Who’s going to take care of Shiren? I doubt anyone besides me could pull it off… I bet they’d treat the whole thing like a joke after like, three hours and just leave. He had plenty of other regrets, but it didn’t seem like he’d be settling those, either. A wave of vertigo, ten times greater than anything else he’d experienced in his life, overcame him. His body was falling apart.