“...Uh... I... Chaos... was... right, but... I rotted in that prison for two years, so for now... I’ve been released, okay?”
“Yeah, Hoshino-senpai said not to listen to criminals.”
“Haah...”
“Yes♣ We’ll deal with the criminal♣”
“...Damn it...”
Before Haruta could even finish speaking, everyone was already loading their guns and preparing for battle.
“...Haruta? Sensei still wants to live, you know?”
“...Sensei, I don’t really want to die yet either.”
Sensei tried to talk him down first.
Then everyone nodded as if they understood.
“...Do you get it now?”
“Yeah. The fact that you’re a criminal doesn’t change.”
“...Damn it.”
Then a familiar pink head came into view.
“Uhehe~ This old man wants to sleep a little longer~”
“Hoshino-senpai! This is not the time for that! Hurry up and grab your gun!”
“Uhehe~ What’s all the fuss about?”
“Hi, Hoshino.”
“...???”
“What, you two know each other?”
Sensei asked cautiously. Hoshino froze, and Shiroko still hadn’t lowered her gun.
“...Haruta?”
“Yeah. Took you long enough to recognize me, you pink midget.”
“...? W-what is this—”
“Wait a second, Serika-chan... just for a moment...”
“Huh? Hoshino-senpai! Snap out of it! That guy is Kivotos’ worst criminal!”
“I know that... and... no... Haruta? Come up to the rooftop for a second...”
“Yeah. It’s been a while, so I’ll hear you out.”
“??? Th-then... Haruta, do your best this time, okay!”
“???”
Questions bloomed across everyone’s faces as Hoshino and Haruta headed to the rooftop.
“Haah... so you really were locked up in the correctional facility for two years?”
“Yeah. The food there was pretty good.”
“...”
“Oh. What about Yume? Did she graduate?”
“Yeah... Yume-senpai graduated, so she’s not in Kivotos anymore...”
“I see. Good. Then the contract is meaningless now, so maybe it’s time to—”
“N-no! Just... like this...”
“Hmm... a contract with the devil can’t be broken until I say so?”
“...That’s fine too.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but give that up.”
“...”
“Haah... so that wasn’t the reason you came here, was it?”
“Right... help us.”
“I already smashed Kaiser well enough before.”
“I know that. But after you disappeared, that Kaiser started tormenting us again not long after.”
“...Should I just break them for good this time?”
“...”
“Yeah. Maybe not Kaiser itself, but let’s definitely crush the PMC this time.”
“Haruta? So, how’s the blind date going?”
“? Sensei?”
In the middle of talking with Hoshino, Sensei came in.
“U...uhehe~ Sensei? Since that’s over, let’s head back down~”
“...What, nothing really happened? No pink atmosphere or anything?”
“Hey! Sensei, if you say stuff like that to Hoshino, I’ll really die.”
“Right... do your best.”
“Uhehe~ If Sensei thinks that, then I’m happy~”
“No, shouldn’t you not be saying that?”
“Uhehe~”
“And why are you talking like that?”
Hoshino said nothing. She just pinched Haruta’s arm and stared at him.
“I mean, well...”
“Uhehe~ Haruta should have some sense and read the room~”
“...Haah... fine, do whatever you want.”
------------------------------------
“I’ve rescued Sensei, so I need to go back to Schale and work.”
“Yeah, be careful on your way.”
“Yes. Call me if you need anything.”
“Sure, I’ll call you sometime later.”
“Ah, Sensei.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Oh, if you meet Hina, please say hello for me.”
“Hm? Hina?”
“Yes. The Gehenna Discipline Committee chief.”
“Well... all right, but... is there a special reason?”
“Just... tell her I’m coming to see her again.”
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll be off.”
Haruta pushed off with his feet and shot into the air.
Soon a crack opened in space, and he slipped through it.
“Ugh... my stomach feels awful.”
Back at Schale, he was working with Akashi.
“...Who’s on duty today?”
“Haah... today’s duty officer is Hayase Yuuka.”
“Oh, Yuuka. Welcome.”
“? W-what! Why are you here alone!”
“Hm? Sensei is out on a business trip, so there’s nothing I can do.”
“...Haah...”
“What. I think I’m pretty handsome, at least.”
“...”
“Fine. Let’s just get to work.”
-------------------------
Three hours later.
“Huu... I’m hungry...”
“Me too...”
“Huh? Yuuka, you’re hungry too?”
“Yeah... now that I’m actually working, I’m hungry...”
“Then I’ll go out and buy something.”
“Hm? Do you have money?”
“Don’t you remember what I showed you before?”
“Ah...”
“Then since we worked hard today, let’s eat out.”
“What? We’re not done yet!”
“Haah... this obsession with work, seriously.”
“But! We still have to finish it!”
“Then I’m going out for steak. Good luck.”
“...”
“How about it? Doesn’t that tempt you?”
“...”
“Fine, then I’ll finish everything myself.”
Haruta asked Akashi to handle the work and left.
She resisted fiercely, so it was hard to stop her, but the moment he said he’d bring back steak takeout, her expression softened.
“But is there even a good steak place around here?”
“No? The nearest steak place is about 30 kilometers away.”
“? Then how—”
Haruta took Yuuka’s hand, tore open a crack in space, shoved Yuuka inside, and went in after her.
Crash!
“Kuhk...”
“Phew... how is it?”
“How is it? How is it?? I’m seriously having such a hard time right now!?”
“Ahahaha.”
“You bastard!!!”
“Let’s go in first.”
Haruta entered a hotel that looked expensive at a glance.
“...Haruta? Could it be this place?”
“What. It’s not that expensive.”
Then, as if it were perfectly normal, Haruta was guided by the staff and taken to a private VIP room.
“You’ve come again today...”
“Ah, yes. I brought a friend today.”
“Hmm...”
The robot staff glanced at Yuuka for a moment, then a synthesized voice flowed out.
“The same menu again...?”
“Ah, today not that—this and... this and...”
Haruta finished ordering with a gesture and paid in advance.
“...How much did you pay? I’ll cover as much as I can...”
“Hm? About 200,000 yen.”
Yuuka looked at Haruta in shock.
“...What??”
“200,000 yen.”
Yuuka’s eyes widened as she stared at Haruta.
“Can... can we really eat this?”
“Yeah. I’m paying.”
Haruta began eating the steak and mushrooms dipped in sauce as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Mm... nom...”
Yuuka started with one bite, then another, and before long she was eating happily too.
“Mm... but Haruta, when did you start coming here?”
“Hmm... not long ago. But this whole floor of the building is mine now.”
“???”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“...Well... if you have that much money, I guess it’s possible.”
“Right? Then hurry up and eat.”
“...Yeah...”
Soft jazz music flowed through the room. As the atmosphere improved, Haruta called the staff again and ordered a bottle of wine.
“Mm... I should buy some alcohol to bring back for Sensei today.”
“What? Alcohol? You’re a student!”
“So? I’m a criminal, so it’s not really a problem.”
“No... still!”
“I ordered two bottles. One for Sensei, and one for me.”
“What? You drink?”
“Yeah. Just instead of water.”
Who in the world drinks alcohol instead of water?
“...Are you seriously saying tha—”
“Hey, if I want to drink it, I’ll drink it.”
“No, but still!”
“You bought me dinner, so just let it slide once.”
“Even so, alcohol is—”
“I’m not exactly going to get drunk off wine, so don’t worry.”
“Haah....”
“Okay, then I’m drinking.”
The wine Haruta ordered came out along with a little side dish as service, plus more steak.
“Hmm... ordering alcohol again, I see... and you hardly ever get drunk...”
“Yeah. I’m just drinking for the mood.”
The staff looked at Yuuka and brought over two wine glasses.
“? Hey, she’s not drinking.”
“Hehe, even so, one glass should be fine.”
“Huuuh. If she can’t handle it, I’m the one who dies, though.”
“Then I’ll be going now... I hope the two of you have a lovely time...”
“Tch... well, want to try a glass?”
“What are you saying! No, alcohol is not for minors!”
“I spent two years rotting in the correctional facility, so I’m an adult.”
“What...?”
That’s right. Haruta was an adult from the start, so there was no problem with him drinking.
“Well, since you can’t drink, I’ll just have some with Sensei.”
Yuuka silently stared at the wine, then at the two glasses.
Haruta slowly poured wine into the glasses.
“You really won’t drink?”
“No!”
“Fine, then I’ll drink alone.”
Yuuka took the glass.
“...Glug.”
“H-hey! That—”
The wine Haruta had ordered was a special bottle prepared for Sensei. It was an expensive, high-proof wine that would get anyone who had never drunk before drunk off a single sip.
“Hey!!! Why did you drink that!!”
-----------------------------
Ten minutes later.
“Hic...”
“Damn it...”
Haruta knew very well this disaster had happened because he’d poured the wine wrong.
“Haah... first I need to lay her down in the Schale dorms.”
Haruta packed up the alcohol and meat, tore open space, and returned straight to Schale.
“Yuuka! Hey! Hey!”
“Uuuh...”
“Fuck...”
‘I’m really screwed.’
Haruta lifted Yuuka and headed for the dorm room on Schale’s fifth floor.
“Uh... wait, this feels like something really bad is about to happen...”
“Haruta...”
Haruta had always had good instincts by nature, and right now he could feel that something very bad had indeed happened.
“Hmm... for now, I should get Yuuka to sleep quickly and leave.”
Haruta laid Yuuka on the bed and turned up the heater.
“Hmm... now I should go feed Akashi—”
Just as he turned to leave, Yuuka grabbed his hand.
“Whoa, wait a sec. No.”
Haruta laid the completely passed-out Yuuka back on the bed and slipped out of the room.
“That happened?”
“Yeah, Akashi. But how’s the meat?”
“Yes... it melts in my mouth...”
“Good.”
Haruta leaned against the window for a moment and looked out at the scenery.
“...We’ll be meeting again soon...”
After finishing his thoughts, Haruta checked over his weapons.
“...Yeah. The defense chief, or those damn bastards, will probably do everything they can to come after me...”
Haruta spoke to the gun as he looked at it.
The gun gave no answer. He looked at the sword. Three blades, honed sharper than any knife, sharp enough to cut through anything.
The hammer was huge enough to crush a building, yet it felt light. Every weapon he had felt light in Haruta’s hands, and because of that, controlling his strength was essential.
“...Hina... wait just a little longer...”
Thinking of Hina, Haruta slowly closed his eyes.
---------------------------------------------
“Haruta... I miss you...”
Hina missed him too, and the memory of that day was still vivid.
If she had caught Haruta back then, the man she liked would have spent the next five years in a state where she wouldn’t even know whether he was alive or dead.
“...Haruta...”
They were looking up at the same sky.
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