“So you’re ... like that too. That’s how you see me.” Aria’s anime-like voice was subdued and trembling. From that soft voice, it became apparent to me that conversely she was truly and sincerely angry—much more so than usual. “Nobody understands me. They all say I’m a dogmatic, trigger-happy girl who jumps to conclusions—a reject of the Holmes family. You’re ... the same way!” Aria then tilted her face downwards and continued to yell—not necessarily just at me, but as if she were yelling aloud for anyone to hear. It was almost like she was directing her words at every person on the planet. “I can tell! I know that an enemy is approaching Shirayuki! But ... but ... I can’t explain it! I’m not like my great-grandfather, the brilliant Sherlock Holmes! I can’t explain the situation theoretically so that anyone will be able to understand! That’s why no believes me! I’m always an “aria”! But ... but ... I just know intuitively! I keep telling you, so why?! Why won’t you believe me?!
With tears in her eyes, Aria flung her pom-poms on the floor and began bawling like a child. … It probably would have been a good idea to at least say something kind to her at this point. But I was already much too worked up over my argument with Aria. I was unable to be honest with myself. And as a result...
“... You got that right. I don’t understand! How am I supposed to believe an enemy is on the approach when he doesn’t even exist?! If you’re going to insist on something, then give some proof! That’s what a butei does! I’ll say it as many times as I have to! There is no enemy!” I further attacked Aria, who was already up against the wall.
“... You ... you ... big idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!!” Now she had completely gone berserk over how I wasn’t conforming to her will ... and with a flushed red face, pulled out her pistols!
“Wai…!”
Bullets came whizzing at me before I could finish my sentence. The countless projectiles flew past me at a hairs length all around my body. The only thing I could do in response to the surprise attack was hunch down, and at that moment, Aria came running towards me.
“Kinji you idiot! Gold medal idiot! Nobel Prize for idiocy!!” She yelled the words at the exact moment her foot came flying into my face, knocking me over backwards. Then after reloading her pistols, she fired repeatedly at a rather odd angle and ran down the stairs. I was lying sprawled out on the ground very much like I had been before Arai made her appearance. Looking behind me, I had an upside down view of the water tank, which was rapidly losing water. Aria’s last gunshots had riddled the tank with numerous holes, and taking a good look at it, I noticed that they formed straight lines—rather, they formed letters.
I D I O T K I N J I
Aw, come on ... How are you gonna fix that? An eraser certainly won’t help. I have to give her credit for her accuracy though. She’d win the gold medal for gun idiots at the Adsiard hands down.
After returning to my apartment later that day, I calmed down and decided I would nonchalantly apologize to Aria when she got back, so I waited for her return. But despite how long I waited, she never came home. I don’t suppose she actually went off somewhere else like I told her to.
Night had fallen and Aria still hadn’t come back, so I explained to Shirayuki, what happened.
“So, you’re the only one who’s going to act as my bodyguard from now on?” If anything, Shirayuki seemed quite pleased.
“Yeah. That’s what it sums up to.”
I slunk into the couch I bought anew and started doing some maintenance work on my Beretta M92F by disassembling it like a plastic model. A classmate of mine from Armed just finished customizing it. Aria wasn’t here. For some reason, that fact alone made even this pistol look inadequate.
“I’ll be your bodyguard until the Adsiard is over. Guarding you is a plan the educational affairs department and Aria forcibly set into motion, but ... a promise is a promise.”
Shirayuki looked as if she were deeply moved by my use of the word “promise.”
“You did promise to protect me, didn’t you ...” Shirayuki said reminiscently and cast her eyes downward. “Just the thought makes me so happy ...”
“Aren’t ... you concerned at all?” You have an E-rank butei as a bodyguard. I don’t think it’s likely, but in the off chance that Durandal does exist and comes to attack you ...” I reminded Shirayuki, but she simply shook her head.
“I never felt any concern from the very beginning.”
“…”
“After all, I have you with me. The truth is you’re a very strong person. You won’t lose to anyone. I believe in you. Kin-chan, allow me to request your assistance once more. Please protect me.”
“S… Sure.”
Shirayuki was speaking formally half in jest, and I answered almost reflexively. I could tell from Shirayuki’s voice that she wasn’t making jokes, nor was she trying to flatter me. It was the voice of a person who believed in me with all her heart. Indeed, I was the one who took out those punks that were giving Shirayuki a hard time. Ever since the day of that exam, Shirayuki had placed complete and utter confidence in me. But that confidence wasn’t placed in the “regular” me. It was placed in the hysteria mode-me at that time. In the off chance that Duradal did actually exist ... In the one in a million chance that Shirayuki was being targeted just like Lezzad, SSR ... and Aria said ... In the one in a trillion chance that anything should happen ... Would I ... be able to protect Shirayuki? Would I be able to uphold the trust that she places in me without so much as a second thought? ... Probably not. But ... it was nothing to worry about. I’d been keeping an eye on Shirayuki for days now, and there hasn’t been a sign of danger anywhere around her. That’s probably how it will continue to be. I’m sure of it.
Having decided as much, I placed the Beretta that I finished servicing on top of the table.
“K-Kin-chan-sama.” Shirayuki, who apparently had been waiting for me to finish, addressed me in that odd manner again and slowly turned herself in my direction.
“What?”
“So, that interlop ... I mean, Aria won’t be around during Golden Week either?”
“No ... I suppose not. Did you want to go somewhere?”
“N-No. I’ll be taking it easy at home while I study,” said Shirayuki, vigorously wavering her open palms at me back and forth.
“... You’re just gonna shut yourself indoors the whole time? You’re always studying. If you don’t let yourself loose every once in a while, you’re going to regret it later. You’ll say to yourself, ‘Ahh, I wish I had more fun when I was younger.’”
“B-But ...”
I saw Shirayuki losing heart and it suddenly hit me.
“Is the Hotogis?”
“...”
She didn’t deny it. Shirayuki was forbidden to leave the shrine and school grounds. She was a caged bird. Already feeling less than stellar because of my fight with Aria, the phrase only served to increase my irritation and I stood up from the couch. From there, I marched over to the computer and audibly flung myself into the chair in front of it. Turning my back on Shirayuki in itself was enough to throw her into a panic.
“K-Kin-chan, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I ...”
She had no idea why my mood took a turn for the worse, but for time being, she performed her conditional reflex of apologizing. Instead of responding to her, I tapped away at the keyboard and went to the homepage of a community magazine for Tokyo. Shirayuki was momentarily startled when the printer suddenly activated, but she took the paper it produced. She then offered the printout to me, turning it around so it would be easy for me to read.
“Here you are ... Kin-chan. What’s gotten into to you all of a sudden?”
“That’s not for me. It’s for you.”
“?”
Shirayuki looked shocked and turned the paper around for her to read.
“... May fifth, Tokyo Walt Land Fireworks Festival ... Come in your yukata and get an early look at the Star Illusion ...?” she read aloud and gave me puzzled look.
“Go.”
“Huh?!”
“It’s not something to be that surprised about.”
“I-I can’t! So many other people would be there! ... I ...”
“Don’t worry. You don’t have to actually enter Walt Land. It’ll be from a bit of distance, but you can watch it from Kasai Seaside Park. Think of it as outdoor training and leave the campus for one little day.”
Needing to travel somewhere for training is an odd concept, but she was an odd girl, so these were the measures that needed to be taken.
“B-But ... I ...”
As I figured, she was still reluctant so I got up and gave her a pat on the shoulder.
“... I’ll come with you ... as your bodyguard.”
“Y…you’ll come with me ...?”
“Yeah. That event is taking place before the Adsiard.” I assured Shirayuki, who eyes suddenly began to sparkle. She nodded once, flapping her perfectly straight bangs.