“Let’s see… It would really spice things up if somebody died right about now…,” someone murmured in the midst of the uproar, but unfortunately, nobody heard.
After all…
✦ ✦ ✦
BOOM!
✦ ✦ ✦
The roar that blasted through Central Park made it seem as if the earth and air themselves were trembling.
The mutterings of the mystery man, the shouts of the group, the grizzly’s howls, and every other noise was blotted out. It felt as if all the moisture in their bodies was quivering.
This was nothing like the bear’s earlier roar.
The sound was basically its own form of assault. It was a shock wave of noise, and the individuals who’d taken it directly couldn’t even open their eyes, not to mention hear anything.
How many seconds did it last?
They’d all left themselves wide open, but both allies and enemies were paralyzed.
The grizzly had also been badly startled, and he rose to his hind legs.
“Waugh?!”
“Eeeeek!”
For the second time that day, Isaac and Miria tumbled off the bear’s back.
The bear looked around, searching for the source of the sound.
He didn’t immediately take to his heels. Part of the reason was that he was relatively used to loud noises because of the human cannon during his circus days—but his nose had picked up a clear scent in the vibrating atmosphere.
The scent of an old friend.
Then the grizzly’s eyes found him.
The red-haired man who’d spent all those years in the circus with him.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Testing, testing. Can you hear me? Huh, this thing’s pretty loud even when you’re using it the regular way.”
With Salomé’s portable speakers dangling from his right hand, the redhead sent his half-impressed, half-annoyed voice echoing through the loudspeaker.
“Damn, that’s half-strength? What’s your name? Salomé. Were you trying to use this on me at full power the other day? You should give a little thought to everybody else.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Their eardrums hadn’t recovered yet, and most of them couldn’t hear the amplified voice with any clarity. The shock to their ears had even made some people dizzy.
Still, Chané immediately understood what had happened. And she hated that she did.
Please, no.
She hated the fact that it had only taken her a moment to process the situation. Her heart constricted with self-loathing; she hadn’t been able to entirely get rid of what she’d thought she’d discarded.
Even as warm emotions welled up in her heart, her brain was frantically rejecting them. She begged.
Please stay away.
Just this once, don’t save me.
However, the moment she saw that flame-red hair, the wall of ice she’d built in her heart melted away.
If you show up, I’ll feel relieved.
My drive to kill…is fading.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Don’t worry. You’re fine just the way you are, Chané.”
As if he’d heard her request and had embraced her anyway, the redhead spoke through the loudspeaker.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I love you no matter what, and for better or for worse, I doubt your dad can change his attitude, either.”
✦ ✦ ✦
The next one to understand the situation was Ladd Russo.
The hunch that had been scorching the back of his head for the past minute or so had been right on the money.
“Gingeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!”
Even though his eardrums hadn’t completely recovered yet, he screamed until the veins were standing out on his face.
“You sonuva— Are you trying to reenact that shit from before? Did you time this? Were you trying to swoop in and save the day when that twist’s back was against the wall? One wrong step and she woulda been dead, but you just knew there’s no way your timing could be off? Huh?!”
✦ ✦ ✦
The redhead—Claire Stanfield, aka Felix—grinned with overflowing self-confidence and spoke through the loudspeaker. “You nailed it. My timing’s never off. I started moving the second I saw Chané, though, all right? The world must have worked with me, adjusting fate so I’d be right on time.”
Inside Ladd, something snapped. Was it blood vessels, or had he gone so tense that he was tearing muscle fibers?
Ladd felt the pain, but he converted it into anger. He braced to take a run at Claire, but—
“Hold up, Ladd Russo.”
“……”
—the abrupt sound of his full name froze Ladd in his tracks.
It wasn’t because he was scared. He’d just gotten curious about what sort of crap the other guy was about to spout. He was pretty sure it would only make him angrier.
“I’m also sending this out to anyone who opposes Huey Laforet, Melvi Dormentaire, or the Runorata Family.”
“……?”
Gabriel and Juliano, members of the Runorata Family, looked at each other.
“What could he be planning to say, I?”
“No clue. Forget about that; it’s still hard to hear, Me.”
They knew this was Melvi’s guard, but they didn’t know him well enough to guess what he’d say in this situation.
✦ ✦ ✦
Without waiting for the man to speak, Cookie the grizzly ran up to Claire.
Claire gave him a signal, and Cookie crouched so that he’d have an easier time climbing onto his back.
Straddling the big grizzly, Claire pointed toward the sky.
“It all goes down tomorrow.”
“?”
Everyone’s eyes were on him.
“At the Ra’s Lance party tomorrow, my employer, Melvi Dormentaire, is having a big showdown against Firo Prochainezo of the Martillo Family. I’ll be outside, guarding the door, to make sure nobody interrupts them.”
Impassively divulging top-secret information in a park a few blocks over from Broadway, Claire spoke so eloquently he seemed about to burst into song.
“So listen up, supporting characters of my life. If you want to try humiliating me and killing me, just stop by to interrupt that match. If you’re too scared, don’t come near that building tomorrow. Simple rules, right?”
His words were completely unclouded.
They might be intended as a taunt, but as far as he was concerned, what he was saying was perfectly accurate.
“I won’t run or hide. I’ll just strike back with everything I’ve got.”
“Hey, bastard…,” Ladd growled as if he were about to drop dead of rage.
Claire glanced at him, then said something that really was just a taunt. “Well, you could raise a little hell here, attract the cops, and get your elbows checked. That would work, too.”
“…Huh?”
“It would be a good excuse to run away from me. I won’t stop you or anything. Frankly, I’d recommend it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“”
✦ ✦ ✦
Ladd’s overflowing fury had spiked past his capacity to express in words.
Letting that anger burst from the roots of his limbs down to their very tips, Ladd lunged at his opponent. He’d even forgotten that the guy was straddling an enormous bear.
It was a superhuman leap.
His leg muscles screamed as he pushed them past their limit, but Ladd didn’t care. With a wordless yell, he tried to slam his steel prosthetic into his enemy.
As far as he was concerned, even a ten-foot grizzly wasn’t enough of an obstacle to pose a threat.
✦ ✦ ✦
However, a bear was still a bear.