Chapter 2

“…Be my guest.” “All right.” Jim shrugged and went to pick up the receiver. There was a brief exchange before he said, “…Hmm.” Cocking his head, Jim sat back in his chair. He looked intently at the four photos spread out on the desk. “Norman, you say these monsters are human beings.” “That’s right. And they’re cute girls to boot.” “I see.” Jim nodded and spoke seriously. “The four of them seem to be out there trying to kill each other.” Whirls of silver raced along the night’s empty streets. The girl’s waist-length hair trailed behind her as she moved, each strand gleaming brilliantly under the faint streetlights, as did her distinctive dark-yellow eyes. Her outfit—something a boy might wear—left only her face exposed. Even her hands were wrapped in leather gloves, and in them she held something ill-suited to her slender frame—a sniper rifle as long as she was tall. It was a weapon ideally used while lying down, but… “Ugh, this is such a pain…!” The girl’s beautiful features twisted in irritation as she pulled the trigger, still standing. What echoed wasn’t just the sound of the gunshot. It wasn’t a physical ripple through the air. It was a vibration transmitting to something else entirely. In response… “RAAAH!” …something else crashed out of the darkness with a bestial roar. Its form was invisible. However, a pair of red eyes stood out against the darkness of night. “How inelegant, Miss Shizuku.” “Elegance isn’t everything, you know!” A newcomer drove a flying kick into the side of the red-eyed shadow, eliciting another roar. The shadow was blown back into the darkness before it could even reach the streetlight. “Ha! That was a nice, satisfying kick, Eltiel!” A different woman touched down with a hearty laugh. She was a tanned beauty in men’s clothing, a single streak of her black hair dyed red, and a cigarette in her mouth. Her black jacket was slung over her shoulders, her arms free, and the right leg of her trousers was daringly cut off. “No need to thank me, Shizuku!” In lieu of a reply, the silver-haired girl—Shizuku—pulled the trigger. The shot, fired at ultra-close range, struck the black-haired woman in the chest almost instantly. “That gun really doesn’t suit you, you know. And it doesn’t work on me.” The woman looked like she might burst out laughing and flicked aside the bullet that had been harmlessly lying on her ample bosom. Strangely, though the bullet was crushed, neither her skin nor clothes were damaged. “Tsk!” “Hey now, don’t be like that!” The silver-haired girl jumped back, and the tanned woman chased after her. The distance between them—only a few steps—vanished in no time. The woman raised her fist with a gleeful smile. Thunk. Then a completely new, satisfying sound rang out, followed by another voice. “Allow me to return the favor, Miss Lonsday.” “…!” Lonsday swung a backhand blow behind her instinctively. A dull, cracking sound rang out—she had just hit something very hard with an incredible amount of force. But there was nothing there, only the city’s low lights. Still, the woman had clearly hit something. Blood dripped across her skin, where even a bullet hadn’t been able to scratch. Despite this, the woman smiled and called out to the girl who’d appeared with a light step. “You’re late, Fairy.” “The star always arrives last, Miss Jewel.” Clareth—“Fairy”—was a flaxen-haired girl dressed in a uniform. Her heterochromatic eyes—the right pale blue-green and the left light pink—gleamed in the night. After the silver-haired girl distanced herself from the tanned woman—Lonsday—who stayed frozen in place, she called out the new arrival’s name. “…Miss Clareth.” She sounded reluctant and irritated, as if she didn’t want to say anything but couldn’t help herself. “Hey there, Shizu. A little gratitude wouldn’t hurt.” “…Why should I be grateful? If Miss Lonsday hadn’t counterattacked, you would’ve hit me, too.” “Tee-hee. I wonder? What do you think, Eltiel?” “…You always like to play with smoke and mirrors.” Answering the girl with mismatched eyes was Eltiel, a tall woman emerging from a black mist. She was beautiful with waves of golden hair. What especially stood out about her was her physique—she was over two meters tall. She wore a patchwork trench coat from the neck down, from which her breasts bulged prominently. “You’re a feast for the eyes, Eltiel.” She was completely naked beneath the trench coat. “Please leave me alone.” The woman sighed, lowered her gaze, and sniffed slightly. “Seems we’re all here.” The silver-haired girl with the sniper rifle, Shizuku. The golden-haired woman wearing nothing beneath her trench coat, Eltiel. The black-haired, tanned-skinned woman, Lonsday. The flaxen-haired girl holding a wand, Clareth. Under the low light, the four girls squared off. Clareth, also known as Fairy, was the first to speak. With a single rap of her emerald wand and a dazzling smile, she said, “Now then. We all have the same goal, so what do we do? Might as well ask, just to be safe—is there any chance we could call a truce and rescue Mr. Norman together?” “…Absolutely not.” “No, thank you.” “That’s not even funny. Why don’t you just admit it? You want us to play supporting roles so you can be the heroine.” “Sharp as ever.” Clareth giggled and toyed with the handle of her wand as she looked them over. “All four of us are here, so I’d personally like us to team up. It’s been what, a year and a half?” “…You asking to team up is hilarious, Miss Clareth.” “Something on your mind, Shizu?” Shizuku flashed a strained smile right back at Clareth. “Norman got caught up in this mess right after your turn. Look at how that turned out. You’re no Fairy.” She stared hard at Clareth with her dark yellow eyes, mocking and challenging her at the same time. “Don’t you mean, ‘Please let me join you because I failed to protect Norman’?” “Ever the biting wit, Shizu.” Shizuku gave a stilted, mask-like grin in response. “I guess I could be to blame. I’ll grin and bear it. But you know, Shizu, shouldn’t you—of all people—have known Mr. Norman was in danger? After all, weren’t you always eavesdropping on him, even when it wasn’t your turn?” Clareth countered. “Besides, you sure are quick to criticize others.” “Tsk.” It was Shizuku’s turn to endure the scrutiny of those mismatched eyes. She scoffed at Clareth’s pointed accusation. “Mistakes were made—No, that sounds like an excuse… But aren’t we all flawed? Isn’t that how we are? Right, Miss Detective? Widdle Hellhound?” “Why are you calling me that?” Eltiel replied. “’Cause you’re the cute type.” “No, no. I’m definitely the cool, transcendent beauty type.” Lonsday interrupted the conversation, cigarette between her fingers. “They don’t seem to be getting along over there. What do you say, Eltiel, wanna form an alliance?” “Don’t be ridiculous.” “I mean, you are Norman’s dog, aren’t you?” Lonsday retorted. Eltiel raised her eyebrows in response. In front of her, the beautiful woman stood, exhaling the smoke she’d just taken in. Lonsday continued. “So I’ve been thinking, if you’re his dog, then couldn’t you be mine, too?” “……You’re so vulgar.” “Ha! You’re the one with no class, Hellhound.” “And you’re just plain awful. Can’t you hold a conversation without stating your thoughts as fact? I can only imagine how hard it must be for Lord Norman to put up with you.” “That’s my job. Besides, Norman enjoys it. He’s quite the masochist.” “Excuse me? You’ve got it backward. He’s a sadist.” “Tee-hee. I guess we all have differing views on that. Right, Shizu?” “…Ridiculous. This isn’t the time for such conversation.” The four of them sparred verbally while more unspoken hostility clashed beneath the surface—like carnivores sizing up their prey. In the end, they were all saying the same thing. Though their hearts were quite different, there was one thing they all seemed to have in common. So the rest of you better not get in my way. They made their intent known in every way—attitude, gestures, presence—everything but words. “I like conversation, too, but not when it’s with you guys. Chatting with Fairy is one thing, but the two of you?” “Please don’t presume to speak about others, Miss Lonsday.” “…It pains me to agree with Miss Eltiel, but she’s right. It’s none of your concern. All I need is Norman,” said Shizuku. “Tee-hee. I knew it. This conversation’s going nowhere, huh?” They all looked at one another like they were sworn enemies. But while their attitudes differed, they were the same deep down. Shizuku took the tip of her leather glove in her mouth, pulled it off with her teeth, and raised her finger high. Eltiel bent forward and crouched low, baring a snarl. Lonsday flashed a chilling smile while she cracked her knuckles. Clareth kept up her radiant smile as she tapped the cobblestones with her wand. The four girls, each of them Unlaw, would now unleash their true nature—something that defied the very laws of the world. “What do you think of that?” “Hmm… Hmm.” Norman tried to move his arms but, remembering he was bound, simply sighed and grinned broadly. “I’m touched all four of them would come to my rescue.” Jim’s golden eyes narrowed. “…This may sound a little hypocritical, but your smile is ridiculously fake.”