K SIDE:RED
Chapter 5 : Hearing the report, s.h.i.+otsu let out a breath.  “I see. You can stop now. It can’t be

Hearing the report, s.h.i.+otsu let out a breath. 

“I see. You can stop now. It can’t be helped if the red king is hanging around. But continue observation…. yeah, I’ll let Mizuchi-san know.” Hanging up the phone, s.h.i.+otsu sighed deeply.

It seemed as though there really was nothing but cowards. Thinking of his subordinates who had run away with their tails between their legs, s.h.i.+otsu smiled bitterly. Even as he thought he needed to contact Mizuchi, his body wouldn’t move.

“Without the blue king, this is as far as Scepter 4 goes, isn’t it?”

Remembering Mizuchi’s voice when he had said that, s.h.i.+otsu’s face twisted. That was a year ago now, wasn’t it. He had suddenly been called by Mizuchi to the center and made to listen.

“…even so, do you seriously intend to make a child like that into the next blue king?" 

In response to s.h.i.+otsu’s scolding reply, Mizuchi deeped his smile. That smile was like a reversed side, he thought. All the time, anytime, Mizuchi never stopped smiling. Even when he was plotting something, had evil thoughts, or felt anger.

Most of the people who weren’t deeply involved with Mizuchi thought he was a kindly doctor. But from s.h.i.+otsu’s point of view, Mizuchi’s smile was just creepy.

"One doesn’t often get to see a Strain with such strong powers as hers… they say that the current colorless king, Miwa Ichigen, has the power of prediction, but if we were just to talk in terms of clairvoyant powers, she could even rival a king.”

“…is that child’s power prediction?”

“No. Her powers are not something so narrow. Her clairvoyancy allows her to ‘See’ all things, and to 'Synchronize’ herself with them… so, what then do you think would happen, if her powers were to be directed at the 'Slate’?”

It was like a teacher was asking a student a question. s.h.i.+otsu didn’t reply, and silently looked at Mizuchi.

“Using her powers, she 'Sees’ and 'Synchronizes’ with the slate. Does that not mean the crowning of a king? It is still a mystery how the slate chooses a king. However, when a king is chosen by the slate, they feel as though they are one with it, and they claim to feel the slate’s will and memories. If that is the case, then rather than just waiting for the slate to choose a king, it woul be possible to move and connect with the slate on our own, and we could take the throne ourselves. Don’t you think so?”

Mizuchi’s tone had a fever to it. s.h.i.+otsu looked at that with a chilled heart.

“…so, you’re saying you’re going to make a blue king with that method, and give it to us as a present?”

“That’s a stern tone you’re using. But, that’s exactly right. The blue clan, which has lost its king, has no future. If you lot want to survive as clansmen, there is no alternative but to obtain a new king, is there.”

“And for that, you’ll coerce a child?”

Mizuchi made his smile thicker again. Something like pity floated in the eyes he used to look at s.h.i.+otsu while smiling.

“You cannot achieve anything while being moved by emotion. It isn’t as though you think of the creatures turned into food and cry at every meal, do you? A rightful person would eat it all with grat.i.tude. What you should do is not pity her, but be grateful to her when she becomes king and be loyal to her.”

Their talk completely failed to match up. And in any case, trying to talk reason with Mizuchi itself was nonsense. Not to mention what he’s doing to Anna, s.h.i.+otsu was also aware that Mizuchi was doing inhumane experiments on several Strains who had committed crimes. To Mizuchi, there was nothing that would have higher priority than his research on the slate. 

s.h.i.+otsu killed his expression and asked one more thing.

“That dream of yours, Mizuchi-san, does it not go against the lord’s will?”

“…ahh, so you feel uneasy because I am performing the experiments on her so that the 'Rabbits’ won’t notice.” Mizuchi sarcastically raised just his eyebrow.

“Yes, as chief of this center, I have a responsibility to perform experiments on Strains based on humane methods. But that is just the principle. If I am able to get closer to the solving of the slate’s riddle, then the lord should also be glad… but, until then, I cannot allow the lord’s name to be damaged, can I? The lord knows nothing. It is also my duty to make that appearance.”

s.h.i.+otsu had nothing more to say. In either case, he could not object. s.h.i.+otsu and Mizuchi were both different clansmen… but they were not in an equal position. The remaints of the blue clan led by s.h.i.+otsu were now no more than something like handymen hired by Mizuchi.

He had felt the desire to throw everything away and retire countless times. What kept him from doing so for ten years was the blue power he had received from his king, and what little sense of responsibility that remained in him even after his king had died.

…Sense of responsibility? 

At his own thoughts, s.h.i.+otsu ended up laughing. A life like residue, getting dragged into someone else’s ambition. Being forced to do work that cornered a small child. Corner her, corner her, and finally make that child into their top in order to keep the skin of their necks attached. 

s.h.i.+otsu laughed in his throat and went to the phone.

In order to report to Mizuchi that his subordinates had failed to retrieve Anna, and that they had pathetically scattered when threatened by the red king. 

As he lifted up the phone, s.h.i.+otsu suddenly dreamed that a rightful king, not that pitiable child, would be born right at that moment. If that were to become reality, then s.h.i.+otsu and the others who had completely lost their cause would be immediately dealt with by the king. 

s.h.i.+otsu wished with his dried-out heart that that fantasy would become reality.

Apparently, Anna intended to become the blue king.

As he finished hearing that from Totsuka, Kusanagi sighed. Kusanagi, Suou, and the others were in Honami’s school. The sun had gone down, and the nighttime school grounds were sunk down in a creepy darkness. Honami was apparently working overtime, and was still working in the office. Anna was supposed to be reading a book beside her.

When Kusanagi had been contacted by Suou and ran to Honami’s school, there was no presence of anything suspicious around her. While being suspicious of his surroundings, he went ahead and waited for and met up with Suou and the others, and then because Anna was lonely… they claimed, they pushed her off on Honami. 

“By the way, is this really okay? If it’s found out that people like us came into the school, would Honami-sensei get fired?” Said Totsuka with a smile that made it hard to tell whether he was worried or not. As he said that, he was sitting cheekily on someone’s seat. Kusanagi was lightly sitting on the desk of Totsuka’s seat. Suou was leaning at the window, while Yata, Fus.h.i.+mi, and Kamamoto were standing broken up within the cla.s.sroom, and they were all grimacing. 

“The blue king… huh.” Kusanagi whispered quietly.

“I wonder if at the center, Anna-chan is… being made into a test subject for the sake of pursuing the 'Slate’.”

He couldn’t believe that Anna wanted to become a king of her own will. Thinking of how Anna was often worried about Honami, it was natural to think that she was being made to cooperate with the experiments for Honami’s safety. If that was the case, then it would stop being a problem that would simply be solved if they didn’t give Anna back to the center. 

“…We might have to make this into a big deal, I guess.” Kusanagi sighed, got a cigarette out of his chest pocket, and put it in his mouth. As he was about to light it, he stopped himself. This was a school.

Putting his lighter away, Kusanagi fell into thought while moving the unlit cigarette in his mouth around. 

“Weren’t that kid’s parents killed by the center?” Suddenly, Fus.h.i.+mi, who had been quiet until then, spoke up in a cold tone.

“Hey!”

Yata kicked back his chair and stood. Raising his eyebrows, he glared at Fus.h.i.+mi in a reproachful way. Fus.h.i.+mi glanced at Yata particularly coldly.

“Maybe that kid didn’t want to go to the center at first. Her parents felt that the center was suspicious, and tried not to hand her over. That’d mean the center would lose a good test subject… so, they killed her parents who were in the way and made it look like an accident.”

“Don’t say random things based off of your imagination!”

Fus.h.i.+mi went 'hmph’ at Yata, who had stood up suddenly.

“…Kusanagi-san and everyone were thinking the same thing too, right?”

Yata quickly turned to look in Kusanagi’s direction. Kusanagi sighed lightly, and took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth.

“I’m thinkin’ the possibility isn’t low.”

At Kusanagi’s words, Yata looked shocked. Fus.h.i.+mi looked between Yata and Kusanagi with an uneasy face.

“Hasn’t that kid herself realized? Because there was a past case with her parents, she seriously thinks there might be a danger to her aunt… no.” It’s a bit different, Fus.h.i.+mi said as though talking to himself. Beyond his gla.s.ses, his cold eyes narrowed.

“Even if she’s noticed the possibility, she might be trying not to see it.”

Suddenly, Kusanagi felt like he might have heard a slight noise out in the hall. He frowned and got down from the desk he was on, going over to the door. He stuck his head out the door, but there was nothing but a dark hall and no one was around.

“Kusanagi-san? Is something up?” Kamamoto said questioningly. Kusanagi shook his head.

“Nah. I just thought I heard somethin’.” Returning to the inside of the cla.s.sroom and turning back around, Kusanagi’s eyes met Yata’s, whose fists were shaking. 

“If… if what Saru said was true, then we can’t forgive that, can we!”

If Anna had vaguely come to realize the truth behind her parents’ deaths and was pretending not to see. 

Kusanagi thought and his mood became heavy. To Anna, 'pretending not to see’ was different from a normal person’s. Because Anna 'Sees’ without acceptance or denial. To look away from that would be nothing but denial of reality.

He tried to imagine how the world, how the truth reflected in Anna’s eyes… and stopped. Even if he thought about it, it wasn’t something Kusanagi could understand. It was the same as how he couldn’t truly understand how a king… how Suou saw the world, even if he thought about it. 

(Ah-, this is no good. I’m draggin’ it along.)

Remembering what he had talked about with s.h.i.+otsu during the day, Kusanagi scratched his head.

“What’ll you do, Mikoto?”

Suou slowly looked up when addressed, while still leaning against the window. 

“This is how things are. Like Totsuka said, makin’ Anna your clansman is one option too.”

Suou frowned in a complicated way.

“…I can’t make someone into a clansman if they’re not interested.”

“Want to try and convince her?”

When Totsuka tilted his head and said that, Suou’s face got even more complicated and he looked away.

“…it can’t hurt to not make a brat go bad, can it.”

Totsuka smiled wryly at those words that could also sound like they weren’t like Suou. 

“I guess.”

As Suou looked out the window at the dark school grounds, he said 'and before that we might as well,’

“Crush it.”

To those words thrown out casually, Yata raised his clenched fist.

“That’s right! Let’s go, Mikoto-san! There’s nothing to do but crush that inhumane facility, right! They owe me, too!" 

Watching Yata who was getting all excited, Kusanagi let out a long breath.

"For now, we can finish this talk when we get home… I’ll go check on Honami-sensei and Anna-chan.”

As his head hurt because he felt like this was getting to be a troublesome situation, Kusanagi went out into the dark hall. When he walked towards the office’s light at the end of the hall, he heard footsteps following him in a hurry.

“Totsuka, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just thought I’d go too.” Smiling, Totsuka lined up beside Kusanagi.

“Kusanagi-san, you went to Scepter 4 today, didn’t you.” As he walked, Totsuka said this casually.

“Yeah.”

“Did something bad happen?”

Being asked that lightly, Kusanagi was at a loss for an answer momentarily. Stopping and looking to his side, Totsuka was watching him with a mysterious smile. 

“It’s like, you’re a little tired, aren’t you.”

What a sharp-eyed guy, Kusanagi thought as he felt a complicated mix of being impressed and displeased.

“…not really. It wasn’t a real fun talk, so I just got a bit sentimental.”

“It must’ve been pretty big if it made Kusanagi-san sentimental.”

Being told that with a bright smile and teasing expression, he felt annoyed along with feeling a bit better. What a mysterious guy, Kusanagi thought rather late. He tried to start walking again, but his legs just wouldn’t move, so he opened his mouth while looking in the direction of the office.

“We can’t understand the world as Mikoto sees it.”

“Yeah.”

“We also can’t really understand the world as Anna-chan sees it, can we.”

“That’s true.”

“But… there might be just something between those two that they can share.”

“I think so, too.” Totsuka smiled transparently and nodded. Kusanagi felt like he could understand Totsuka’s feelings when he had wanted to bring Anna into Homura now.

They were holding down the things within them so that they wouldn’t spill out. That was what the two of them shared, most likely. There was no way to solve what those two were holding. 

About the only thing they could do was offer momentary soothing, and continue to pull those two back from this side whenever they were almost swallowed up by what was inside.

Looking at Totsuka out of the corner of his eye, Kusanagi started walking again.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“…what’s wrong, Kusanagi-san? Are you that seriously sentimental?”

“Shut it.”

When Kusanagi opened the office’s door, Honami was just getting ready to go home. She looked in Kusanagi and Totsuka’s direction while getting papers together and smiled.

“Ah, sorry to make you wait. I just finished my work. I can go ahead and leave…”

“Huh, Honami-sensei, what about Anna-chan?” Asked Totsuka, who had peeked into the office and realized that the small, doll-like form was nowhere to be seen. Right then, Honami’s smiling expression clouded uneasily.

“Eh? Anna hasn’t gone over there? She said she was going to go to Suou-kun and everyone, and left here just earlier…”

Blood drained from Kusanagi’s face. When he reflexively looked beside him, Totsuka had also paled. 

Anna had come to the cla.s.sroom where they were talking.

At that time, what had they been speaking about?

“I’ll go look.” Totsuka said as he swiftly moved away. 

Kusanagi soothed Honami, who was worried, and said he’d go check the cla.s.sroom, then rushed back to where Suou and the others were.

…Weren’t that kid’s parents killed by the center.

…I’m thinkin’ that possibility isn’t low.

…Even if she’s realized the possibility, she might be trying not to see it.

If that conversation had entered Anna’s ears… cursing their own uncarefulness, Kusanagi ran down the hall.

She had known.

In truth, she had known.

Anna ran along the nighttime road.

It felt like her heart was going to overflow. The world Anna had kept closed up in her chest until then… the monochrome, unrealistic… no, the world with its realness killed, was threatening to overflow. 

She couldn’t do this.

Anna desperately tried to hold herself back, but her heart was shaken into bits, and when she tried to gather them up they’d overflow and fall.

“Anna.”

She remembered her mother’s kind voice. The feeling of having her hair gently stroked. The warmth she felt when held. Soft laughter.

“Anna!”

Anna’s father had called her name while picking her up all at once and putting her on his shoulders. She remembered the high view that was different from usual she had seen then.

Memories of a warm place that was lost, never to return, shook Anna from inside. Her body shook and wouldn’t stop. 

Her parents had died in a traffic accident. It had happened right after Anna acted like she didn’t want to go to the center and her parents had promised not to send her back. 

…even if she’s realized the possibility, she might be trying not to see it.

The words she had heard from inside the cla.s.sroom had pierced her directly. Anna had been desperately trying to look away from the truth scattered in front of her eyes. Because if she were to accept the truth that /her parents had died because of her/, it seemed as though she would break.

In reality, Anna was about to break now. Something that had pooled inside her body overflowed.

Anna thought about Suou. The person who kept a pretty, red… and terribly savage beast inside his body. That person was the same as Anna. They both lived cut off from the rest of the world so they wouldn’t let what was in them outside. 

But Anna, right now, was unable to do that. 

It was going to overflow.

It was going to mix.

She would feel it.

Anna’s narrow world and the wide outside world were going to end up becoming one.

“…help me…”

Anna’s voice melted into the night’s darkness and vanished.

…the world overflowed.