150 years ago, because of a single witch a large-scale destruction called Invisible DisasterAkashic Hazard has occurred, killing the majority of the human race. Even now the after-effects still lingered, outside of the areas habitable for humans existed a contaminated area called the "Sanctuary".

There only salvation was that the Sanctuary wasn"t expanding. Humanity was able to recover to its current state in only 150 years thanks to its existence.

"...I hate...this city..."

While looking at the neon lights shining vividly, a girl holding a convenience store bag muttered to herself.

She had semi-long hair that spilled from under the hat and her height was slightly below average. She was dressed in a jacket, miniskirt, long boots and a m.u.f.fler even though it was autumn.

The girl quickly ran up the stairs of an apartment built 20 years ago and stopped in front of the room"s door.

She took a key out of her pocket and opened the door casually and then took off her shoes and left them at the entrance before entering the living room just like that.

It was a very simple room with nothing in it except for a fridge and a table. The girl put a package with something inside along with a convenience store bag on the table and left the room through a sliding door in the back.

"...this smell; Haunted!"

She called facing the sliding doors and sat down on a chair disgusted.

And then,

"——Oh? You"re back? I didn"t notice at all."

A man"s voice resounded from the other side of the sliding doors.

The girl sat down and after a while the door opened and a man appeared. He had a bizarre appearance, as he wearing an ap.r.o.n like the ones butchers used and rubber gloves with a surgical mask.

In his right hand was a machete, in his left a saw. The equipment was dyed dark red with blood.

The girl clicked her tongue with blatant disgust.

"...you."

"Ooh, forgive me for appearing like this. The materials went on a little rampage hahahaha. I"m going to change now, so don"t make that face."

"...I don"t really care. I won"t stay long."

The man went "oh?", and blinked in surprise and a bit of disappointment. He threw the mask into the trash.

His youthful appearance was mismatched with his b.l.o.o.d.y body.

The girl seemed to really hate him.

He responded to the hostility with a smile.

"You"re quite late. I was worried that you might have failed."

"We"re being marked at all times, please understand that."

"That happens all the time. You"ve been cooperating with us for a year now. Isn"t it about time you got used to it?"

"...I"m not cooperating with you cause I like it."

"So you still haven"t gotten used to it yet? Despite being the daughter of my senior you still can"t stand these b.l.o.o.d.y and cruel things?"

She clicked her tongue again with an unpleasant look on her face.

Satisfied after looking at her disgusted face, he moved his gaze from her to the table.

"Did you bring that thing?"

"I acquired the fragments without a problem."

"I"ve heard that the academy"s test platoon interfered. Is everything all right?"

"...where did you obtain that information?"

"What, did you think you"re the only one cooperating with us?"

"Imbeciles... It"s not a problem, my face wasn"t seen and I haven"t left any evidence of the cult. I was vigilant but..."

"I guess it should be all right. Other members are causing multiple incidents all over. Besides, we have reached the point where we can no longer remain cautious. Inquisition"s peace has been falling apart lately."

The man said that and looked at the plastic bag on the table.

"...oh, you"ve brought me lunch. Sorry for being a bother."

He said those heartfelt words and after taking off the ap.r.o.n and gloves, started stuffing himself. He was truly happy to eat the convenience store"s food.

"Even though you specifically asked me to buy you lunch..."

"Well, I eat this convenience store"s food every day so I like it a lot. The colouring is good with preservatives and the taste is good as well."

"Mmm!" he let out, while he was enjoying the food.

The expression of the staring girl was really stern.

"That aside, what are you going to do with those fragments? What are your intentions?"

She asked the man who devoted himself to eating lunch. He stopped moving his chopsticks and pointed them at her, swallowing.

"Nn... with that?"

"Yeah, you can see there"s no magic left inside it, it cannot be used as a magic converter... but it"s not just a sc.r.a.p of iron..."

Hearing the girl say that, he smiled happily.

"Fufu, don"t you know about it? A certain person became a legend thanks to using this. It"s part of a Magical Heritage. You should know that as well... about those monsters" boss."

"So what? It"s worthless debris. A Magical Heritage loses it"s value once broken."

"There"s no such thing. I"m a necromancer and an alchemist, aren"t I? Hero『Eienherjar』 needs a weapon to fight doesn"t he? That"s what this fragment is for."

"...can that thing really be summoned?"

He responded to her anxiousness with a smile, and placed the box on the table before wiping his mouth.

"Thanks to your bringing in this fragment, we now have enough fighting strength. The guy I finished off there was the last one. Since cremating people after death is a strong-rooted custom from old j.a.pan, I"ve had a hard time collecting materials and because of that I had to procure them from elsewhere."

"...how many people did we kill for the sake of this strategy?"

"Around 50 I guess? Don"t worry, half of them were criminals, although we borrowed some bodies from morgues when we could. A lot of fresh meat was required, what a pain, otherwise they wouldn"t move properly."

He talked happily while revealing a smile, but had the eyes of a dead fish.

The girl directed her eyes that were full of murderous intent at the bag.

After noticing the killing intent in her eyes, the man stopped talking.

"Oh? What happened? Why the scary face?"

"If you don"t stop talking to me so casually, I"ll kill you right here, right now."

It wasn"t just a joke or a lie. She spoke what she felt in the depths of her heart.

The man narrowed his eyes with a satisfied expression after hearing that.

"You want to kill me but you won"t do it will you? You know what kind of fate awaits you if you kill me right?"

"............"

"Wouldn"t you be in trouble then? O, daughter of a great witch, Nikaido Mari-san?"

The man mentioned the girl"s name. Immediately after, he heard the sound of her teeth grinding.

"Cut the needless chatter...! You indiscriminate necromancer...!!"

At that moment the girl called Mari tried to grab the man, but something in the back caught her attention.

Stopping her feet, the girl clenched her teeth. Twin spots ominously shined in the darkness.

A huge amount of something that wasn"t a living being was in the room beyond the door.

"It"s okay. If the rescue of Akatsuki"s VIPs is successful, I will accept your request. But if it fails I"ll have you lend me a hand with gathering information again."

The girl couldn"t tell whether he was lying or speaking the truth. However, there was a reason why she couldn"t defy him.

"We have to carry out the plan decisively."

"......I will definitely protect our promise."

"As for not involving ordinary people... don"t worry, our heretical cult"s enemy is just the Inquisition. From the very beginning we will try not to involve innocent people, but some might get caught up in it."

"............"

"We will definitely win. We will abolish this prejudice and discrimination against witches. We will become heroes and battle maidens. The dictatorship of Inquisition will not last much longer."

Saying that, he held his right hand against his chest like a gentleman.

"Well then, this battle maiden takes her leave." [7]

After the girl left, the male necromancer, Haunted, was sitting on his chair and quietly finished his lunch in a room filled with the stench of death which would cause any normal person to vomit.

But Haunted wasn"t bothered in the least by it.

He breathed out, relieved.

"——You"re such a liar, Haunted."

From the darkness sounded a voice like a bell.

Haunted just turned his head towards the darkness and smiled.

"Did you listen? Nacht?"

"If it"s that loud I"ll hear it even if I don"t want to. I"m in a bad mood cause I was woken up."

It was a languid voice, and judging from the tone, a girl"s.

Haunted raised his cup of tea as if he were holding a gla.s.s of wine.

"So? What did I lie about there?"

"The thing you told Mari earlier... about how you"re going to fulfil your promise after her scouting ends, or how you"re not going to involve ordinary people."

"Aah... about that."

Haunted"s mouth distorted and he laughed with a "kukukuku".

"Indeed, that was a lie. ...do you know why I lied? Nacht?"

Being asked, she responded after a short pause.

"............somewhat."

"So you don"t know. I"ll tell you then."

"No, I know more or less——"

"The reason why I lied to her... that is..."

"............"

This guy wants to say it... was what she thought, but her voice was silent.

The next moment Haunted opened his eyes wide.

"——Because I want to see Mari-chan"s frustrated face!"

It was a bizarre outburst; he looked ecstatic.

"That cute child grew up persecuted in various ways and she talks big, but her heart is feeble. I can"t stop myself. I want that child to taste humiliation and shame. What else can I do? Rather than physically, I"ll have her suffer mentally."

"Mm, I thought it was something like that. You"re a pervert."

"You think so too, Nacht?"

"Well, I"m all for it."

"So even you want to see her biting her lips with a frustrated face? To admire her as tears acc.u.mulate in her eyes and bright red face?"

"No... because."

"So it will be, won"t it? It will be, right?"

It was too late to say anything.

"Someday she"ll do as she said... but she"ll never be able to escape from me or Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』, hahaha."

Haunted"s voice didn"t stop and he continued to talk about that, so she sighed giving up.

Just like her voice, she was anxious about the future.

She was convinced that in front of her was a perverted gentleman talking about a very special type of moe.

The only magical society able to take on Inquisition was Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』, and she still couldn"t believe this man was one of their higher-ups.

"Ahahahahaha, ugh, gufu, fufufu, gihihihi, fuhihihihi."

"............"

He was a necromancer, an alchemist and a summoner. In addition to that, he was a blasphemous former priest. That was Haunted of Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』.

Those that knew his name, age, and his upbringing were very few among the cult.

"...this uneasiness..."

This existence was called Haunted and Nacht...

an S-rank Magical Heritage, a magical sword 『Dáinsleif』, felt a physiological discomfort looking at him eating. She sighed again.

One week pa.s.sed since the successful operation, and the rating of the 35th platoon had undergone a cataclysmic change for the better.

From the time that 『Trackless Psalms』 was seized until now, they had confiscated three other Magical Heritages. Rumours of Small Fry Platoon"s achievements over the last week reached members of other platoons.

That being said, the only one who was evaluated highly was Ootori Ouka.

The other members were thought of as even more miserable than before.

Ouka walked down the corridor that had the first year cla.s.srooms. She walked with her back straight as she pa.s.sed by frozen students whose gazes were glued to her.

"Hey look. isn"t she the one who joined Small Fry Platoon as a part of some special deal?"

"Why isn"t the former Witch HunterDullahan talking at all? It"s the first time I"ve seen a Witch HunterDullahan too..."

"In just a week she seized three D-ranks all alone? That"s amazing... Witch Hunter"sDullahan"s abilities are really amazing."

"She"s beautiful, has great style and she"s strong too. I admire her!"

"But why was she a.s.signed to Small Fry Platoon? If she came to our platoon, it would be a piece of cake to reach the promotion quota!"

"The rumour is that the Small Fry Platoon was so bad, the chairman called a pro to help them out. Isn"t that unfair?"

"That"s true, it"s a waste of human resources. Look at that unskilful bunch, especially the captain! Look at his evil eyes, and that sword hanging at his waist! Shouldn"t he realize already that it"s no good?"

"Isn"t that platoon in last place because of him? Seriously!"

Walking around 5 meters behind Ouka was the 35th platoon trio. Students briefly looked at them with contempt.

In the first place, he was accustomed to this kind of thing and should have laughed through it, but he was worried for the first time. If a top-notch helper entered his no-good platoon, complaints from other students were bound to be voiced all over the place.

Even worse than usual, the members other than Ouka trudged down the hallway.

As the morning cla.s.ses ended, Usagi hit the desk strongly with both of her hands.

"What is the meaning of this?! Ouka Ootori?!"

Usagi questioned her. Ouka, who was performing maintenance on her weapon, tilted her neck with a cold expression.

"Meaning of what?"

"Your att.i.tude every day! Are you taking us for idiots?"

"That wasn"t my intention. If I was rude, I apologize; sorry."

After hearing such a straightforward response from Ouka, Usagi let out a squeaky scream "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiihh" .

"I told you to explain yourself, not to apologize!"

"That"s why. What about?"

"Why are you acting selfishly and excluding us from the investigations, and continuing to bring back Magical Heritages arbitrarily?! We"re completely losing face because of this!"

"Isn"t that fine? You guys can earn points without doing anything at all. What are you unsatisfied about?"

"We don"t want an automatic point-making machine! Do you know how horrible we feel because of your one-man play?!"

"If you guys want to work, work on something else. I"m fine alone."

Ouka had been using that kind of tone ever since the 『Trackless Psalms』 incident.

It was no wonder Usagi was angry. Even Takeru wasn"t convinced by it. "What"s this about...?" is what he wondered.

Usagi had a red face, and it seemed like steam was about to come out of her ears. She walked towards Ouka to grab her.

"It"s the first time... someone has insulted me this much... who the h.e.l.l do you think you are?!"

Takeru stopped Usagi who was about to rush at her. He tried to appease the unruly horse by rubbing her back.

"Stop that, it"s a waste of time to talk to this woman. She"s only interested in her own well being."

Said Ikaruga to Usagi while reading an ero magazine, lying on top of the servicing desk.

Hearing her words, Ouka let out a small sigh.

"I"ll tell you one thing. This is the best way for the 35th platoon and you guys."

"Hee, the best way for us? Why don"t you just tell us why or how the h.e.l.l you came up with such a conclusion?"

Ikaruga asked the question while putting the book down. She smiled fearlessly as she crossed her arms.

Ouka responded,

"...in that case I"ll state this clearly."

She put her favourite gun down as she stood up.

All members looked at her. The room had gone quiet with all their gazes concentrated on Ouka.

She spat the next words indifferently.

"Your best choice is to do nothing."

Ikaruga sharpened her gaze, Usagi stood up and wanted to say something, and as expected, Takeru frowned.

"What... do you mean?"

Asked Usagi.

"It means if you dispatch, to put it simply, with your abilities if you go against the local organizations holding Magical Heritages, the likelihood of you dying is high."

"Wha... you say we"re lacking?"

"If it"s me alone, the success and survival rate is higher."

"What did you sayyyyyyyy??"

"First, Saionji. There"s a fatal flaw in your sniping. A sniper is a cornerstone of many missions, and you"re supposed to a.s.sist the vanguard in the enemy territory. However, your stage fright causes you to shoot in completely wrong directions as your allies are being brought down. I don"t want to leave my back to such a person. If possible, I wouldn"t want you to touch the rifle ever again."

"Gu......nghh."

Usagi made a frustrated face as tears appeared in her eyes.

Then, Ouka looked at Ikaruga.

"Suginami, you too. I will admit your maintenance ability is amazing as usual, but this time you went too far. Don"t remodel my gun without permission. Don"t go equipping it with full auto. I won"t be able to use it anyway because of the low ammo capacity. And it"s clearly illegal remodeling."

...so she did that.

Takeru couldn"t even use guns, but he was still shocked.

"The magazine capacity doesn"t matter does it? And as long as you hold it in your hand properly you should be able to handle the recoil."

"Even if we ignore the case of recoil, how are you going to explain full auto?"

"You mean the barrel?"

"The magazine holds only nine rounds. Also, test platoons are not allowed to use alchemist parts other than ones supplied by the academy. The components were clearly brought in from outside."

"Have some sense of romance. Just overlook that much——"

Ikaruga"s opinion on romance was pretty biased. Ouka distorted her mouth displeased, but considered reasoning with Ikaruga useless. She stood up soundly, pushing the chair away.

Then she moved towards Takeru, who was standing right next to a greatly shaken up Usagi, and she looked directly at him.

"And the last one is... Kusanagi."

Although she used an emotionless voice when talking to the other two, it was different with Takeru.

Takeru was pinned to his chair with a straight back, a *gulp* sound leaked from his throat.

Disgust was clearly visible on Ouka"s face.

"You shouldn"t remain captain any longer. What I just told those two, should have come out of your mouth instead. Do you want your teammates to die?"

She was completely correct. There was no way to refute her.

Takeru was aware of that point, but could he talk all high and mighty to his subordinates when he was hardly any better? He always ended up thinking like that, and it would be really pathetic if that was the case.

"Or maybe you don"t want to act bossy because you yourself are no better?"

He was seen through.

"...that"s what disqualifies you from being a captain."

He was unable to say anything in response - a person with an att.i.tude like him wasn"t fit to be the captain.

He couldn"t even say anything self-deprecating. That"s what Takeru thought in the current situation.

"...that"s right, that might be true."

Takeru felt his usual stomach ache, and for some reason Ouka"s hair ruffled, her eyes opened wide, and her expression roughened even more.

"You"re not qualified to become an inquisitor...!"

Ouka revealed her fury, closed up on Takeru and grabbed his coat.

Unable to react to that sudden action, he was pulled towards her.

"...Ootori."

"The chairman told me about your motivation... you want this job because of money, you d.a.m.n sn.o.b... shame on you!"

"......!!"

"Inquisition is rotting because of evil selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.ds like you!"

Takeru was reticent.

In that moment, his vision was dyed red, and he almost returned to his old self.

I don"t deserve to be told that by you.

What do you know about me?

What do you know——about us?!

Was what Takeru restrained himself from saying in reply.

If you looked only at the surface, Ouka didn"t know anything about Takeru.

But the opposite also held true, Takeru didn"t know anything about Ouka.

That"s why he endured and didn"t reply. He swallowed it.

"You surely act big evaluating us, but are you really qualified to do that?"

At that time, Ikaruga said that while sitting on her chair.

"...what?"

"You say that Kusanagi isn"t qualified, but what about you? In the first place, Ootori, didn"t you come back to the academy because your qualifications were stripped from you?"

Quiet and indifferent, Ikaruga accused Ouka.

Being told that by Ikaruga, Ouka lowered her gaze and remained silent.

"I know what you"re being called by fellow Inquisitors."

"......!!"

"Crimson Princess『Calamity』, disobeying orders and killing the culprits. You turn every crime scene into a sea of blood, like a plague. That"s not something a normal human would do."

"...you...investigated me without permission..."

"Doesn"t that apply to you as well? You also investigated Kusanagi and his aspirations without permission."

"That"s... the chairman"s...!"

After saying two words she swallowed the rest of them, and clenched her fist soundly.

"............"

In the end, she didn"t object to Ikaruga"s retort. She closed her eyes and turned on her heels.

"The things you said about me... I won"t deny it. But when it comes to the platoon"s activities, I have no intention of changing my mind. As I see it, Kusanagi is clearly not qualified to be captain."

Ouka"s feelings went back to normal - she was her original self again.

With her back turned to them, Ouka walked towards the exit.

"The same with other things I said, the thing about probability of you dying during a mission was correct. I refuse to go down with you."

"""............"""

"That"s all I have to say."

Leaving those words behind, Ouka left the room.

*clang*

In the awkward silence left behind, a stiff cough resounded.

"She"s completely confident in her own abilities, and doesn"t believe in anything but herself."

"Well the things she pointed out are roughly correct."

"It seemed like she was especially pa.s.sionate in your case, Kusanagi. Did something happen between you?"

Takeru recalled the events from a week ago in his head.

Remembering when his hand grabbed the soft bulge, he blushed.

After looking at Takeru"s face, Ikaruga put a mint bar candy that was lying on the work desk in her mouth and looked towards the ceiling.

"...you perverted brat."

"?!"

He looked at Ikaruga surprised. Could it be that the radio was switched on in there, and she heard everything that had happened?

Takeru"s shoulders slumped.

"I"ve heard her reaction towards witches and criminals is abnormal. Her hatred is obvious."

"So you really did investigate her... so you were looking for a way to deal with Ootori as well huh?"

"No, I was looking for her weaknesses."

"...it"s that after all..."

Ikaruga revised Takeru"s observation.

"I didn"t have to investigate much. Her Crimson Princess『Calamity』 nickname is pretty famous. She did seize a large number of Magical Heritages, but her kill count is surprisingly large as well."

"............"

"I wonder if it"s because of something that happened in the past."

"Though I"m not that interested," she added and Ikaruga sucked on a chupa-chups and a mint candy.

The number of people she shot to death was large. Takeru also happened to know something about that. In the『Trackless Psalms』case the other day, he realized how dangerous she was.

『"...I"ll exterminate you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds... witches too... everything...! "』

There was a great hatred dwelling in those words.

It would be a lie to say he wasn"t interested as a member of the same platoon.

"That fellow, she was always alone. Because of her att.i.tude, no one was willing to get close to her and she persistently said NO to all invitations anyways. The reason for it... was her exemplary bankrupt personality. Well for one thing, she has really bad character."

""............""

"Why are you two looking at me?"

""You"re not one that should be saying that!""

The two of them spoke at once.

"What?"

Said Ikaruga as she ate another mint candy.

The atmosphere relaxed, Usagi was unexpectedly weak during arguments and was scared during the clash with Ouka, but now she returned to the conversation with her usual arrogance.

"Geez, that woman just can"t be honest! Why can"t she do it properly?!"

"...do what, Usagi?"

"It"s about Ootori Ouka, she"s terribly clumsy. She should be more honest with her feelings."

"Fuun... you know something about her?"

Why don"t you tell us? she seemed to inquire from Usagi who wore a c.o.c.ky att.i.tude.

Usagi snorted, she proudly puffed out her big chest.

"Obviously, I will, because I"m a model maiden."

"Haa."

"It"s simple, listen. That woman has no friends, and she wants to become our friend, but she"s clumsy and can"t do it. That"s why she clings to you, the captain. 『"I"m better than you, so please let me be one of your comrades!"』, she asks us to take her in like that. She"s strong but dishonest. I"ll definitely have her become our friend!"

"With that att.i.tude, it seems like she would blatantly refuse."

"In other words—— Ootori Ouka is just lonely——!"

"Fufufun", Usagi puffed her chest out further looking proud.

Coincidentally, this time it was Ikaruga and Takeru that had the same impression.

""Isn"t that about you?""

Both of them voiced their thoughts.

"Whaa?! Are you saying I"m lonely?"

"You were alone in middle school, and without a single acquaintance. Also, you do have the lonely expression of someone who"s left out."

"I-I wasn"t really lonely or anything!"

"But that doesn"t change the fact that you didn"t had a single friend."

"Guhhh."

"I wonder if bunnies really die when they"re lonely〜?"

"Nghhhhh Suginami Ikarugaaaaa!!"

*bam* *bam*, Usagi rushed towards Ikaruga while letting out steam, but she was held at distance by a single hand pressed against her head.

In the noisy platoon room, Takeru was thinking of what to do next.

What Ouka said was true; even if she worked alone, she would earn them points.

But this way, there was no meaning in having a platoon. As captain, he felt it was an unacceptable choice for all three of them.

To act like a captain... the fact is, that Ootori was mostly right. I should think about the future of our platoon.

He laughed wryly.

As a fellow platoon member, she wants to be recognized, huh?

If it was possible to support each other, then it would lead to an overall improvement of their skills. Previously, they weren"t able to cooperate properly. In order to add Ouka"s fighting strength to theirs, to have her provide her abilities, to have her cooperate with them... no they didn"t have to go that far. Even if they could just get her to a.s.sociate with them, it would definitely produce good results. Above all...

"...to make her our comrade. It would be pretty hard now."

Takeru stood up from his chair and approached the other two. He gently placed both of his hands on the table and closed his eyes.

Now that it"s come to this, let"s not waste the knowledge from the books you"ve read. Takeru thought in his heart.

"——I have a proposal."

After he opened his eyes, a sense of mission and self-confidence was seen in them.

A few minutes later...

Three people were sticking to a wall at the cafeteria entrance and poking their heads inside. They were peeking inside with a scope, apparently observing something. From the side, it looked really strange. In their line of sight was their target... Ootori Ouka.

"...target acquired."

"As expected, she"s eating her lunch alone."

"The lunch menu? What"s her lunch menu?"

Ouka was sitting alone in the window seat with a grumpy face.

And on top of the table was...

"...anpan and milk... why anpan and milk?!"

"Anpan and milk... that fellow is just like Kusanagi."

"Hey! Don"t make fun of anpan and milk! It"s super tasty! It costs only 160 yen including milk! It"s tasty and easy on the wallet; the strongest combination!"

""You"re too loud!""

"...sorry."

Takeru who couldn"t stay silent demonstrated how he felt about anpan and milk and was admonished, causing his shoulders to slump.

They continued to observe Ouka.

Ouka opened the milk, and used both hands to take anpan out of the bag. Then she suddenly stopped her movements and *swish* *swish* started looking around warily.

The three hid in a hurry.

"Why is she so vigilant during a meal?"

"...there"s something for sure."

"T-there"s something special about anpan and milk...?"

"We have to wait until she drops her guard, but why is she this tense?"

The three of them breathed in and gulped, as Ouka finally brought anpan to her mouth.

And then... *mofunn*

"She"s eating."

"Yeah, eating."

"Eating."

She was just eating an anpan, but the three of them started sweating. Their weird gestures attracted the gazes of the surrounding people.

Meanwhile, Ouka reached for the bottle of milk, and drank it with a gulp.

And after few seconds.

"〜〜〜♪"

Ouka"s grumpy expression melted like ice.

"""............"""

All of a sudden she made an unbelievably cute expression. The trio were at a loss for words; it was as if she soaked in a hot spring. She tried to desperately hide that expression again.

"............"

And again, at the moment she took another bite from the anpan, her expression went back to the original one.

"〜〜〜♪ *Mmm mofun*."

And again, her grumpy expression came back. When looking closely, it could be seen that she was lightly stomping her feet happily when bringing the anpan to her mouth.

It was the first time the trio had seen a scene like that with her having shown such an expression.

"...it"s her favourite, that one."

"Fuu... she"s so clumsy, she doesn"t hide her happy expression at all."

"She"s... unexpectedly normal."

Takeru and Usagi were too shocked by the difference from her everyday self to comment. Ikaruga was grinning like crazy and released the shutter repeatedly.

"Fufu, ufufufufufu, use... I can use this! I can use this in various ways against that prideful woman. W-with this weakness here, I wonder what kind of cosplay I"m going to make her wear..."

"Hey, what are you taking pictures for? Come on, we"re going back!"

"A-anpanman after all?![8] A heroine whose only friend is her gun?! Who shall it be?! What if there are problems with copyright, what do I do Kusanagi?!"

"We"re withdrawing, come on already!"

After grabbing Ikaruga who was laughing like mad by her neck, the three of them fled from the spot they were hiding in.

...an hour and a half later.

"...certainly, when I heard your proposal to approach her, I thought it was going to be more... more like... well, different?"

Said Ikaruga with displeasure. She was sitting by the work desk, making origami with scissors in her hands. Even though she complained, her hands didn"t stop moving. After folding origami four times, she used scissors to cut along the line with a *snip*sound. The monotonous task to make and connect the chain with glue had already continued for an hour.

The decorations Ikaruga made were hung all over the platoon room. A white fabric was hung from the ceiling and on it 『Small Fry Platoon☆ New Member Welcome Party』 was written with shabby handwriting.

It was the pinnacle of masochism to label themselves the 『Small Fry Platoon』.

"Haa, with this Ootori should open her heart to us a bit!"

"It"s an idea elementary school student would come up with."

"But in this 『How to Bond with Your New Employees』 book, it"s written that a welcoming party is very effective!"

He really is an amateur when it comes to acting clever. Ikaruga thought as she gazed at Takeru.

"Do you think that robocop will be pleased with this?"

"We won"t know until we try!"

"Incorrigibly awkward... as expected from a friendless platoon captain."

"...well I don"t have any."

"I don"t have any either."

Even though she condemned Takeru with an amazed look on her face, her hands didn"t stop. As expected of an aspiring BlacksmithRegin, her hands were really skillful.

"Even though you say that, you"re still properly helping us out."

"I"m doing it because it"s the captain"s order. Also, even though it doesn"t fit with Ootori, but the idea itself is worthy of praise. Well, I don"t understand why you are stubbornly sticking with it."

Even though Ikaruga didn"t approve of Ouka as a person, she acknowledged her skill. Takeru scratched his cheek with a tender expression.

"Well, that might not be enough."

"It"s as if you fell for her."

"...eh?"

"A boy falls in love with a girl, which gives him an opportunity to change."

"That"s not it! I want to do something small for her as a comrade."

As Takeru tried to deny, *tap tap tap* Usagi came from the direction of the kitchenette.

"I"m done, Kusanagi! It"s satisfactory even if I do say so myself!"

Holding a dish with a large short cake on top of it in both of her hands, Usagi stood in front of Takeru full of self-confidence and with cream on her cheek. Despite being reluctant in wearing the rabbit-patterned ap.r.o.n Ikaruga prepared, it suited her really well.

Takeru was really surprised.

"Usagi, you really are good at cooking."

"I learned it from my grandmother when I was a child. Look, it"s a short cake with red bean paste filling and cream."

"Fufufun." Usagi puffed her chest out, and Ikaruga had a questioning look on her face.

"Red bean paste and cream? Is that tasty...?"

"Hmph... don"t complain before you try it. This will make that woman go wild."

She held out small dishes to Takeru and Ikaruga that looked like they were small portions for tasting.

Ikaruga was acting as if she were about to taste poison, but the two of them stuffed the cake into their mouths.

*munch munch* After chewing for a while, the two of them made surprised expressions.

"...oh? It"s delicious, how unexpected."

"That"s true, it"s super tasty. Usagi, you really have talent."

After hearing the honest impressions of Ikaruga and Takeru and their praises Usagi blinked in surprise. Even though she was full of confidence before, she still looked down with flushed cheeks.

"I"m not really pleased with you calling my name... but to be praised like this... I di-didn"t expect that."

"No no, it"s really good. You"re amazing, Usagi. I can"t do anything outside of my swordsmanship."

"...i-is that so, so it"s tasty. I"m happy, really happy. To have people eat it happily... it was really worth making it."

Although she seemed embarra.s.sed, she was really happy inside her heart. She placed her hands on her cheeks and looked down.

Feeling that she looked just like his little sister, Takeru almost patted her head instinctively. But then...

"——I"m coming in."

Everyone turned around as the door opened at the same time knocking resounded.

Takeru and the others reached for the crackers on the table.

And,

*pop*......*pop*................. *pop*

A few completely uncoordinated sounds filled the room, as the trio"s timing was all over the place.

Ouka entered showing a look of surprise, and then looked with disgust at the coloured pieces of paper covering her hair.

The air inside the room froze.

"...what"s going on in here?"

She showed a really fierce look.

Even so, Takeru made a cramped smile.

"...u-umm... to welcome you toda——"

That was when Takeru noticed the state Ouka was in. Her uniform was stained with blood and dirt, and that wasn"t all; she also had scratches all over.

"...you, what are those injuries?!"

"An enemy showed a bit of resistance, and combat happening is not unusual. I have successfully secured a Magical Heritage, so there"s no problem."

"No problem... aren"t you bleeding?! Wait, right there."

"Rather than that, what kind of situation is this?"

Ouka narrowed her eyes and spit out those words slightly angrily.

She strongly glared at one member, Takeru.

"...organizing a party during platoon activity time? You"re really doing as you please, aren"t you, captain?"

"No, this is... we hosted it for you..."

"...? For me?"

"You see, we still haven"t done one yet, right? A welcome party."

"............"

That was when Ouka noticed the curtain hanging from the ceiling.

She showed a puzzled expression for a moment.

"We don"t know much about you, and you hardly know anything about us either do you?"

"............."

"So I thought we should deepen our camaraderie first."

Takeru put on a bitter smile. Ouka seemed to be troubled, her eyes wandering about. She didn"t know what to do in response.

But, gradually, a shadow appeared on her face. Her everyday cold expression came back and she sighed lightly.

"...sorry, I don"t have that much free time. You guys can do as you like."

"D-don"t say that. Suginami made decorations, Usagi made you a short cake with red bean paste and cream, and I... hardly did anything, but please think of what the other two did for you."

"I disagree with your cosy ways. Unlike you guys, I... didn"t enter Inquisition to play."

Saying that, Ouka reopened the door and left the room.

Her profile from behind didn"t look angry or like someone who looked at other with contempt. It just looked... very lonely.

Takeru grabbed the first aid kit, and jumped out of the platoon room following Ouka.

"Ootori!"

Ouka stopped walking annoyed and looked behind.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"It"s none of your business."

"Wait a moment. That"s a terrible injury, we have to perform first aid at least."

Ouka"s left leg was bleeding considerably, and it looked painful as if she was in a traffic accident.

Despite that, Ouka didn"t show any intention of taking care of it and started walking vigorously again.

"I can do that much myself. I told you before, it has nothing to do with you."

"We"re members of the same platoon, and I"m your captain."

"...to act like a captain at a time like this..."

She looked at him coldly.

But this time Takeru didn"t let himself be pushed away.

"Yeah, captain"s orders. Let me treat you quietly."

In front of an oddly strong Takeru, Ouka sighed as if giving up.

She sat down on the bench in the courtyard.

Taking out gauze and antiseptic from the first aid box, Takeru gently touched Ouka"s leg without any prior notice.

"Uhh?!"

"? What happened?"

"No... nothing, if you"re doing it... then do it fast. We"re wasting time."

Ouka instructed Takeru as she faced away with her cheeks slightly dyed red.

In order to see the wound clearly, Takeru used water to wash away the blood first.

"Good, the injury is not that serious despite all the blood."

"I told you it"s not a big deal didn"t I. It looked exaggerated because movement caused it to bleed more."

"But it would be good to find a doctor from HealerSeelie, a scar might remain."

"I"m not worried about that, I"ve had many injuries like this before."

With that said, Takeru was staring at Ouka"s legs intently.

"...what are you staring at like that..."

"Ah no, nothing... I just thought you have beautiful legs."

His honest thoughts came out of his mouth, *pop* Ouka"s face suddenly reddened.

"B-b... beautiful?"

"Yeah, it really looks beautiful."

"Uhhh?!"

"You can"t tell at the first glance but, you have flexible muscles and good balance. They"re almost perfect."

"...o-ooh, that"s what you mean."

"? What else could I mean?"

"W-whatever. Shut up and finish it."

Ouka looked away blushing, Takeru tilted his neck.

It didn"t mean Takeru wasn"t interested in her leg"s beauty as a girl"s, nor that he was insensitive. It because for the sake of providing first aid, he threw away his worldly desires, otherwise he would go back to being clumsy Takeru. Probably making the wound worse.

He sprayed the wound with disinfectant carefully.

"...nghh."

"Sorry, did it hurt?"

"It"s okay, I"m used to pain."

"Haha, you"re saying strange things."

"What"s so strange in what I said?"

"You can"t get used to pain, I can tell from my own experience. You can put up with it, but it doesn"t mean it"ll stop hurting. If you express the fact you"re in pain, the mental burden will be smaller than it would be if you were to hold it in. Just a tip for you."

Laughing a bit proudly, Takeru continued his treatment.

"............"

Ouka considered Takeru"s words. This guy says strange things doesn"t he, is what her narrowed eyes seemed to say.

To cry out in pain when it"s painful.

These words seemed to lodge themselves in her heart a little.

Until the first aid treatment finished, Ouka felt comfortable, and her eyes were wandered around sheepishly.

"Okay, it"s done."

Said Takeru while tapping it with his hand, and he wiped sweat from his brow.

The wound on her leg was wrapped with a crazy amount of bandage, it looked like a lump.

"...I feel like my mobility has fallen significantly."

"A-ahaha... I"m really clumsy aren"t I."

On Takeru"s good-looking face a wry smile appeared as he scratched his head.

After looking at his harmless expression and thinking she should have done it herself instead, she"s lost her will to blame him for it.

Ouka touched the awkwardly bandaged wound on her leg, and stood up with a puzzled expression.

"...I-I won"t thank you, it"s something you did selfishly without permission."

"That"s fine. As a comrade, isn"t that something obvious to do?"

"............"

This talk about being comrades was both comfortable and unpleasant to her, Ouka started to walk away from Takeru.

"Hey, wait. Where are you going?"

Takeru messily dropped the first aid kit, and hurried after Ouka.

"Platoon activity. I"m going to resolve another case."

"With your leg in this state? It"s better to stop... or at least include the platoon in it."

"Can"t do that. The ones I"m chasing are too dangerous for you guys. It"s even bigger than the issue from the other day."

"...even more of a reason not to let you go. What are you chasing Ootori, Magical Heritage? A witch?"

"It"s none of your business."

"It is, I"m your captain."

Takeru used his authority as a captain once again insisting strongly.

Ouka was definitely frustrated, but her answer didn"t come out strong.

She reluctantly stopped, and faced Takeru with a serious look.

"...do you remember the 『Trackless Psalms』 case?"

"? Yeah."

"It hasn"t been resolved yet."

With that said, Takeru recalled that it was certainly true.

When they rushed in, they missed their trading partner.

"The biggest mystery there was how well armed they were, it was definitely too much for mere thugs or mafia. If we include your testimony, it seems like 『Trackless Psalms』 wasn"t the main article of the trade."

"Did you, by any chance have get any info on the trade"s other party?"

"No, I haven"t gotten that far yet. Even though I was given priority for questioning of these guys. They didn"t provide any useful information. Just the fact, that the traded object was a fragment of a Magical Heritage. The only thing that they were able to identify was a blade, so it should have been shaped like a sword."

"A fragment... isn"t the Magical Heritage rendered useless after it"s form is destroyed?"

"Indeed, they were trading something that supposedly had no value such a large price. That means the other party was unlikely to be a trader or a collector."

"? Why?"

For a while a question sign floated above Takeru"s head. Ouka revealed an irritated expression she had hid until now.

"What would an amateur want with a fragment. The possibility of the trading partner being a member of the magical society is high."

"Also, magical society... a group of witches and sorcerers? Do these kind of anachronistic organizations exist these days?"

I stick with my sword myself, but there"s no law against it. Thought Takeru. For modern witches managing a magical society would be extremely difficult.

However, Ouka didn"t say it was a joke or anything. She closed her eyes.

"Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』, an organization shrouded in mystery. It"s something like an a.s.sociation cultivating black arts."

Takeru had heard that name before, amongst the rumours appearing occasionally at school, this one was a popular urban legend. Witches and sorcerers that survived the war teamed up and aimed to overthrow the Inquisition.

If that story were to be real, it would be really outrageous. The witches of old, he didn"t know how the modern weapons would fare against those overwhelming enemies. In the past, there were many witches powerful enough to destroy the city instantaneously with a volley of magic.

"Also recently, there was another strange incident, since neither witches nor Magical Heritages were involved, investigation was handed over to the police. But I don"t think that"s the case. Those guys were trading corpses for money. The only ones that can use corpses, are witches."

"But... are those two cases related?"

"That"s right, these guys were also told 『"We will buy any fresh corpses as well"』.

Takeru gasped involuntarily.

Even though, it"s still too early to decide if they were dealing with Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』, the connection with the 『Trackless Psalms』 matter can indeed be seen. He had no clue what the h.e.l.l is the criminals purpose was, but thinking normally...

"I believe they are preparing for something. Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』 or not the involvement of witches and Magical Heritages is clear. I"m going to the cult"s meeting place; I was tipped of."

"You mean you were investigating corpse collectors alone lately?"

"Yeah, the seized Magical Heritages were a by-product of it."

What an aggressive woman... thought Takeru again.

"Well it"s fine. Now that you know, keep your mouth closed and go back to the platoon"s room."

"Nono, wait. If the opponent is Fantasy Cult『Valhalla』, then doesn"t it exceed the scope of students? Shouldn"t you report the information you obtained to Witch HunterDullahan?"

"Funn... the other Witch HuntersDullahans are buried under a mountain of different unrelated cases. They do not keep in touch with me anyway. Even before when I was a Witch HunterDullahan, they turned a deaf ear saying it"s under the jurisdiction of the police. I"ll resolve this incident alone."

As Ouka said that, there was a dim light in her pupils.

From the way she spoke, it seems like she was investigating this matter before she was fired. In her eyes something like tenacity could be seen. But Takeru didn"t think so.

It was sadness and hate.

"...You understand now? The people I"m chasing are too high level for you guys. They"re not recognized as an acquisition target by Inquisition. You will get no points for completing that investigation so there"s no benefit for you... don"t come."

Even if you come, you"ll just be a nuisance. It was a way of saying that revealed concern for other members.

Ouka walked away making loud steps.

Takeru almost stopped walking, but knowing Ouka was involved with such dangerous thing and letting her go alone would disqualify him as captain.

"I"m going with you."

"..why?"

"Why... we can"t let someone who is already hurt go off alone. Since you won"t listen even if I try to stop you anyway, I"ll go with you instead."

Ouka openly made a fragile frown.

"...I told you my injury is not a problem."

"Even if you"re not bothered with it, it"s going to dull your movements during an emergency."

"There"s no such thing, it doesn"t hurt that much."

"Even if you endure it, that definitely looks painful."

"I"m telling you it doesn"t hurt!"

"It hurts doesn"t it."

"It doesn"t hurt."

"It hurts."

"Persistent aren"t you."

"You"re a sore loser."

Seeing Takeru not budging an inch, Ouka made a honestly fed up expression.

In the end, the one who gave in was Ouka.

After Takeru and Ouka finished the first aid, they picked up all the equipment before going to the crime scene.

Takeru proposed to include Usagi and Ikaruga in it, but it had been rejected by Ouka. He wanted to tell her she"s prejudiced, but they were going to enter confined s.p.a.ces so a small group was better this time, so in the end he agreed with Ouka"s opinion.

The location was a certain harbour by the sea, in a place once called Tokyo Bay.

It was a relatively large prefab standing alone on the gra.s.s near the container yard.

Even though the prefab looked like an abandoned building that was rotting away, it also looked quite strange. Unlike its battered overall appearance, the locks installed were brand-new. There was quite a few of them and they were coiled with chains.

There were definite signs of life in this place, Takeru and Ouka stood on both sides of the door and confirmed the lock.

After confirming that it couldn"t be opened using normal means, Ouka pulled out a sawed-off shotgun she had in the holster on her back.

She gave it to Takeru, he knew she meant for him to destroy the lock.

"............ *furu furu furu furu*!"

"............"

Ouka didn"t know about Takeru"s cursed skill in marksmanship. Seriously, in the worst case scenario he could even hit Ouka.

She made a disappointed face and posed with a shotgun after moving a small distance from the door.

A deafening gunshot resounded, the lock was blown off, and the door opened.

Takeru immediately kicked the door wide open.

"Idiot, I should rush——"

Ouka tried to stop Takeru, at that moment,

——*piin*, a sound as if something was pulled reached them.

"——Kusanagiii!"

After being called by Ouka from behind, Takeru turned around.

What he saw was the figure of Ouka suddenly embracing him.

But more than an embrace, it was more like a tackle. He was struck down because he was defenceless.

In that moment, a sweet smell of a girl entered his nose, their lips almost overlapped, it was breathtaking. His consciousness was almost swept away by desire, and then, a tremendous roar came from behind the door he was about to rush into.

As he was coughing in the smoke, Takeru understood what happened.

"Could it be... a trap?!"

"Stand up! We"re running!"

Before Takeru even noticed, Ouka"s figure ran behind the prefab. Takeru followed her immediately.

A black van"s engine just started running, it must have been prepared as emergency escape means to be used right away.

"s.h.i.t... we"re late."

As the van was getting away from them, Takeru frowned.

"No, not yet!"

Ouka changed her gun"s magazine to live ammunition and posed on one knee.

And then, the barrel oddly jumped up as she fired three times in rapid succession.

The van that was already as small as a pea.

"As expected it"s impossible——"

Just as Takeru was about to say that, the van in the distance started to fluctuate. It collided with a nearby container and landed on its roof. The bullets fired by Ouka hit the van"s tire.

"......you"ve got to be kidding me."

"It"s really amazing... but the recoil is nasty."

Ouka said that as she pulled the magazine out from the handgun. She stood up with a cool expression.

Even though it was partially thanks to Ikaruga"s special gun, the enemy"s escape route being in a straight line, and because there was no wind. With that gun, at that distance, that reaction and that skill were remarkable nevertheless.

Takeru couldn"t believe what happened in front of him.

"Kusanagi, check on the guys in the van. I will check the building."

"...I-I got it, thanks for saving me befo——"

"Don"t thank me, just hurry up!"

After he got yelled at, Takeru ran over to the fleeing car. He no longer knew who was the captain.

He handcuffed three people who fainted there, and quickly went over to the prefab.

After reaching it, he entered through the door in the back. As soon as he entered, he noticed abnormalities inside.

A strange smell, a fleshy, nauseating odour.

Takeru warily went down the building"s corridor towards the source of the strong smell.

At the end of the corridor, there was a room that was probably a bedroom. Behind the wide opened door he found Ouka.

While holding his nose, he looked at Ouka"s face.

"............"

Ouka were eyes wide open, her movement stopped completely. Takeru tried to say something, but then.

"What——gu...ugh...?!"

The strange odour"s intensity was beyond comparison to before, he held his nose involuntarily.

The colour and the scent of blood permeated the room, Takeru"s stomach was revolting. He grasped what was going on inside.

——Inside, there was h.e.l.l.

Packed in plastic bags, were countless human parts. Hands, legs, torsos, heads. They were divided into five groups, they were packed into bags and cla.s.sified separately.

But the real problem was elsewhere.

"...aaa....aa..."

Instinctively, a cry spilled from his mouth.

The curtain was being swayed by wind to and from. When evening sun"s light entered the room.

The wall was stained with huge amounts of blood.

In the middle of that h.e.l.l, on top of the bed there was a young child.

The center of that child"s chest was pierced by a knife.

"———"

His eyes narrowed, his expression showed mortification. Takeru bit his lip.

The help that would come to save you in the nick of time like in a movie or drama didn"t come. It was impossible in reality.

The probability of rescue was equal to zero. He knew that, when he decided to join Inquisition he knew it would be this way. He was prepared to see things like this on the sites.

Yes, he was prepared for it, but even so... this was,

This was the reality.

"............"

Ouka stretched her staggering hand to the boy"s cold body.

With unsteady hands she raised the boy"s body, and she embraced him as if she were embracing a baby.

"...I"m sorry... I was too late."

A trembling, gentle voice.

"Was it painful? Did it hurt...? But you no longer have to suffer..."

Hugging the boy"s dead body. Ouka stroked his cheek.

"Sorry... It"s fine now... Onee-chan... will shoulder all of it..."

This sad spectacle, full of compa.s.sion, Takeru couldn"t look at it.

It was too sad. Inconsolable.

"Onee-chan will... all of it."

That"s why.

"All of it...!!"

That"s why, he was late to notice Ouka"s abnormal state.

While he was looking away, Ouka rested the boy on the ground and pulled the shotgun from the back.

He didn"t know what was happening in the beginning, but looking at her back Takeru understood.

There were no anaesthesia bullets for a shotgun. It was loaded with lethal mithril bullets.

Ouka intended to kill the three people inside the car.

"——Ootori!"

Takeru momentarily pounced in front of Ouka who was about to leave the room to go to the criminals and caught her.

"What are you doing!"

"Move."

"Stop it, you can"t! If you kill those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds here, there will be no more chances for you!"

"Let go."

"Stop that! If you kill them here, all of it will go to waste!"

"Let go!"

Angry Ouka tried to escape Takeru"s restraint. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and her pupils displayed murderous intent, they were screaming.

Seeing her moving out looking like an evil spirit; a demon. Takeru thought he had to stop her.

He hugged Ouka desperately, and she lowered her gun.

"——I won"t let you! Didn"t you become an Inquisitor to stop people from sharing this child"s fate?!"

"...ughh...!"

"I don"t know you but... you definitely don"t want that do you?! If you screw up here, you won"t be able to save people you normally would...!"

"Uu...uuu...uuuh...!"

"Are you fine with that?!"

"Uuu...uuuhhh..."

Takeru"s voice finally reached her, and strength left Ouka.

She dropped on her knees, releasing the gun.

Ouka covered her mouth with her hand, she vomited; fainting on the spot.

In the city"s cemetery, located far away from city"s nois