I ran through the aisles looking for Shirayuki, doing my best to hide the sound of my footsteps. The corridors were wide and there were shelves of munitions left and right. According to my butei handbook, which I managed to keep lit with a miniature light, the area up ahead of me was a wide-open space. It was called the grand warehouse, and it was where the most dangerous munitions in Junction were stored. It was from there …
“…!”
…that I felt human presence. The person was having an argument. I couldn’t make out what was being said, someone was definitely there. I reached for my Beretta, and as my hand touched the grip, a frown came to my face. In the darkness, which was ever so slightly illuminated by the red lamps, I noticed warning signs all around me that read “Keep Out” or “Danger.”
This was an explosives warehouse.
If a bullet were to ricochet off of anything it shouldn’t and set off an explosion … Butei High would be sent flying. And by no means was that just a figure of speech. It would be like a battleship taking a direct hit from a torpedo. The sheer amount of explosives being kept here was easily capable of doing just that. And as far as I could see, everything was put away in a very disorganized manner. If one explosion were to cause a chain reaction of other explosions, there would be a large number of casualties among the faculty, students, Adsiard athletes, and the many capable young buteis gathered here in Butei High from countries all over the world. And that wasn’t all. The press was here to cover the Adsiard. There would be reports of an unprecedented tragedy in which hundreds of high school students were blown to pieces and sent flying all over the place. … In any case, I couldn’t use my gun. I took out the butterfly knife in my pocket and opened it quietly. The blade glinted with red underneath the emergency lamps. The butterfly knife was a weapon prone to making sounds and not suitable for infiltration missions. I had to keep it steady in my hand and be careful not to wave it around too carelessly. Keeping that in mind, I used the blade a makeshift mirror to furtively peer around the corner … that’s when I saw her. Roughly fifty meters away from me, bathed in the red of the emergency lamps and next to a wall where munitions were stacked into a huge pile, stood Shirayuki in her priestess garbs. She was talking with somebody I couldn’t see because that person seemed to be lurking on the other side of a shelf of explosives, which were lined up rather irregularly—or possibly rearranged that way. I had an impulse to go right ahead and jump out onto the scene but somehow managed to restrain myself. First, I had to get a grasp on the situation. After all, that “somebody” might be pointing a gun at Shirayuki. I brought myself as close the corner as I dared and pricked up my ears.
“Why do want me, Durandal? My abilities aren’t even that spectacular.” Shirayuki’s voice was filled with fear.
… Durandal! Durandal actually exists?!
“There is someone who is attempting to outwit us—unaware that the front is the rear of the rear.”
It sounded masculine but it was definitely female voice – and she spoke in slightly old fashioned way. “One who feigns the idea of peace negotiations while making preparations in the shadows. But strife will only serve to further strengthen the one to attempts to outwit us. Our great founder is one who dons the rear side of the shadows; in other words, our founder is one who dons the light and made plans for the shadows.”
“What … are you talking about …?”
“The enemy has begun training Stealths (espers) in the shadows. We are going to cultivate stronger Stealths on the rear side. A rare stone of ore such as yourself—well, it is only natural to reach out one’s had to such a stone. There is nothing to find mysterious about it, Shirayuki. By good fortune you were guarded by a defective butei. ”
“A defective butei . . . ? Who do you mean?” There was a hint of anger mixed in Shirayuki’s voice. The voice of girl opposite from her took on a more mocking tone.
“I thought I might have had a little trouble dealing with Holmes, but just as I planed, Kinji Tohyama took on the role of sending her away. What else could one possibly call him besides a defective butei?”
“Kin-chan . . . Kin-chan is not defective!”
“But given your plight, is it not true that he was unable to protect you?”
“That’s … that’s not true! Kin-chan wouldn’t lose to you! I didn’t want to cause any trouble for him … so I just decided against calling him!
“Hmph!” Durandal laughed. “So you didn’t want to cause any trouble for him? But you know, Shirayuki—you, too, played a role in my scheme.”
“I did?”
“[You remember the phone call, don’t you?]”
My heart nearly stopped when I heard the voice that came out from the shadows.
That … was my voice! Did that girl just imitate my voice?!
“[Shirayuki, come quick! Get over here! I’m in the bathroom!]”
“… Ngh!”
I could tell that Shirayuki had her breath stolen away. The other girl must have found it amusing because she seemed to be enjoying herself as she continued to speak.
“Holmes had set up numerous surveillance cameras, but I was the one surveying your apartment. You were by the living room window, the lights went off in the bathroom that was occupied by Tohyama … and Aria had made her way back at just that moment. I’m not the type to pass up on such opportunities.”
“You posed as Kin-chan to make me take action … and created a scenario in which Kin-chan and Aria would … fight amongst themselves?”
“Everything else played out on its own. Before a few days could pass, Aria had left the two of you.”
Durandal. … She was watching us? She was hiding right next to us—next to Aria and I … and her target, Shirayuki? And the first thing she did was to get rid of Aria, the keystone in protecting Shirayuki. She then waited for me to let down my guard. And now she was trying to kidnap Shirayuki …!
“Follow me, Shirayuki. But … before you become one of us, you should first become disillusioned with Tohyama. A gem such as yourself should offer your body and soul to someone else.”