Chapter 1

It was a dreadful windy day.

It was the day when Tokyo’s Subhead made important announcement toward her subordinates.

Surely she did that as a set with that background words as part of her speech. She is the type of person who likes to give such exaggerated speech.

Suzaku Ichiya doesn’t hate the act of using that kind of effect to strengthen her image, and he also quite fond of Tokyo’s Subhead herself.

That mean, he likes her like the other human in this whole world.

That’s why when he received summon from her, he quickly climb the numerous ladders of central command building. Compared to the shabby engineering department building, it was built more gorgeous by no small margin.

In the top, the fifth floor is where the support room for guest staffs, Tokyo’s Head and Subhead office, central conference room for the head of each department, and rooms that usually used by executive staffs

“This is the place.”

Among them was the 1st strategy meeting room which was specified before. When he opened the door of that room, his hair was thrown disarray from the strong wind.

It seems the window was left open.

That time was the time when lunch break has just begun. Even for the upperclassmen they should still have afternoon class. There should be none using this room.

His eyes turned sharper than usual as he narrowed his eyes and shield them with his hand.

There is a round table in the middle of room. None sitting near it, only tea and cakes placed there.

Far inside, as if plastered to the backside of seat, a cream coloured cardigan flapping because of the wind.

“Oya?”

Standing near it, is the first guest, a figure he familiar with.

A girl with black hair tied in ponytail, and straight back. Even from behind, one can tell that her limbs were well balanced. The two thighs that peek out boldly from the shortened skirt uniform, show the desire of being stylish.

“What a coincidence to meet you here, Tsugumi.”

“…”

“Perhaps you were called by Subhead too? That’s reassuring.”

“…”Even though Suzaku called to her, there’s no sign of her turning toward to him.

Ukai Tsugumi standing while looking down from the opened window.

“…Father, Mother, thank you for watch over me all this time. Please forgive me for going to the other side first.”

Or to be precise her right leg stood at the windowsill, while her left leg hanging in the air, as if she’s going to fly high to the heaven at any given moment.

It’s as if she was compelled to do such thing the time she heard Suzaku voice. However since Suzaku didn’t have any clue at all why would she do that, he believe he just seeing thing.

“What is it? Is your stomach hurt?”

“…Please don’t grief for me. Because I only want to clean my past which was dirtied by humiliation and then reborn as Neo-Tsugumi.”

“Look here. It’s me.”

“Ahh, I heard his voice again. I must be hearing things. Yes that’s it. It’s 100% just auditory hallucination. I must quickly reborn, to make it clean and spotless…”

Gripping an invisible one way ticket, the muttering figure recklessly chase after reality.

“Wait.”Even Suzaku turned frantic and quickly getting close to her.

He don’t know what should he do, but he thought it was similar to how a cat who climb a tree and can’t get down.

He grabbed her by the collar and together with “Guee!” frog like shriek Tsugumi fall on her back.

“Guuu, please stop grabbing me like that…”

With her limbs folded, she looked upward and glared at Suzaku like a small animal.

With long slit pupils and sharp chin, also below that, two feminist bulges also can be seen.

Pressed inside tight uniform, you can even make out which is up and down.

Just like, a pet showing its belly. Depend on you see it, it can also be said an attractive pose.

Of course, since Suzaku also an adolescent boy, that scene also tugs his heart string.

It reminded him of frog dissection lesson. The lesson about anatomy of the dead creature is really interesting, Suzaku reminisced.

“Anything will be clear after being processed.”

“…What do you mean with ‘processed’? What did you imagine while looking at people body?”

“Leave it to me. I will reveal what is inside one’s mind.”

“Why are you acting as if you’re dealing with a tool? Hei?”

Tsugumi look at him suspiciously and hide her belly with her hand.

Then, from her uniform’s cuff, machinery oil smells drifting to the air. It seems she coming here right after maintaining railroad car machinery.

“Ah…”

The end of her eyebrows dropping a little, and after glancing a bit toward Suzaku, she felt stupid and stopped trying to pull her sleeves.

The one standing in front of her is a man who doesn’t understand the meaning of youth.

“Good grief…”

She sighed, curled her body and then pulled herself toward the window frame. Turning her back toward the outside world, she lost the drive to jump down.

However, Suzaku who full of chivalrous spirit won’t leave it at that.

“What’s with you? Perhaps I can help. For the sake of my beloved humanity, let’s solve the problem together.”

“…rather than solving them together, actually you’re the problem.”

“I see, so it’s me. Then more the reason you should tell me. Your problem about me, let’s solve it together with me.”

“NO.WAY.IN.THE.HELL!”

“To abandon discussion is the same with losing intelligence. Losing intelligence is the same with refusing progress. Refusing progress mean the defeat of humanity. That’s why, talk. Make your intention clear with communication. To prove that we stand the peak of all primates in the world.”“…Ahh, alright alright, I understand…”

Tsugumi shook her head in exasperation. She already experienced first hand that Suzaku is troublesome in this kind of time.

“It’s nothing significant,”

Tsugumi pouted her lips, and pointed toward outside of the window with shrugging her shoulder.

“I just remembered things in the past.”

When Suzaku look down from the window, he can see the back of the school covered in shade. Because that place is outside the range of school activities, even in the day none will pass through there.

That’s why that place usually used when calling out other student.

It was also the place where Tsugumi confess her love toward Suzaku, at the fifth months of first year.

It has been more than one year since then.

“So it’s something like that. It was the place that hold memory for both of us.”

“…Memory.”

“Yeah, life is about collecting memories. Everything that had passed will be nothing more than reminiscence.”

“…Reminiscence.”

“That time was fun, or something like that.”“…Fun…?”Suzaku with narrowed eyes, and Tsugumi who just parroting his word.

Suzaku is unaware of the fact that he is tap dancing in the landmines, and the light in Tusgumi’s eyes which covered by the dropping eyebrows.

It was so intense and un-doubtfully has the power to kill Unknown easily.

“….By any chance you don’t share the same nostalgia as me?”

“Not even a speck of dust!”

“Perhaps you can’t understand human’s feeling or something.”

“You are the last person I want to hear that from! What reminiscence! It’s the stain in my life! You stupid-dimwit-appearance-fraud!”

“Appearance fraud, what”“Apologize! Apologize right now! Say ‘I am sorry for luring you through appearance!’”

Tsugumi flailing her limbs and hitting the ground, act violently like a child.

That was groundless accusation!—well objectively speaking it’s not true.

Suzaku’s appearance is indeed pretty good looking.

At the time of high school entry, there was large scale class re-composition based on course they take. In the class he was allotted he’s the most popular with girls.

Handsome sculpted face, tall, and good manner. Calm and unfaltering voice, gaze filled with prudence. Zealous in both theoretical and practical study, have the determination to offer himself for the sake of humanity. Etc etc.

For good or bad, the students who were in the same class with him in middle school department entered different course. In the end people who know about his circumstances in engineering course were scarce.

And Tsugumi also study in the same class with him for the first time.

Tsugumi moan as if the scar that will never disappear hurt once again.

“If only I have at least one friend who knew you, they should have stopped me…”

“Rashness in the most dangerous thing in the battlefield. Oh Great Budha.”

“Look here, can you stop making a face as if it has nothing to do with you?”

Tsugumi was naïve. At that time it was season of love. The somewhat pumped up Tsugumi swept by the surrounding atmosphere, confessed fall into bad ending while having none to blame.

“That time there were a quite number of classmates who came to peek. Though I didn’t ask, they really root for me.”

“That’s the proof of you being popular. As brethren I also feel proud.”

“After that public execution everyone attitude toward me changed 180˚. I was treated as a set with a certain someone. Called as “Suzaku’s caretaker” “Complaints Receptionist” “Communicator (lol)”. Every time a certain someone made girl cry or boy angry, they come to me to complain. I won’t be able to participate love talk between girl the second time. What do you think Suzaku-san? If you have anything to say, I will gladly hear it.”“Nothing in particular.”

“Say something!”

“…Isn’t it good that you can focus on your study?”

“Not at all! Nothing good at all! I have enough of this!”

Tsugumi kick and struggle become even more violent. Perhaps because metabolism increased at noon, her tension become higher too—thought Suzaku rationally.

When he told her his conjecture, Tsugumi throw a waste paper toward him.

“Give me back my first love! Go get some label with ‘I am a landmine’ ‘Defect Product’ ‘Un-returnable Good’ and plaster it in the middle of your face! You big stupid moron!”

“Don’t ask the impossible.”

Wrinkle appeared in Suzaku’s face.

“Rather, I am also the victim here. To judge people worth through the quality of cytoskeleton is irrational isn’t it?”

“That kind of claim, how should I put it, it’s weird as human being!”

“Which part? No matter how I think about it, as a human I am the correct one. I love humanity, I love engineering department, I love my class, however there’s one thing, just one thing, the fact that there are many who were infatuated by a temporary feeling. I am really disappointed. Only that part, I must reject their low self awareness.”

“I am!”After shouting with all her might,

“…it was not a temporary feeling or anything…”

Said it in slowly fading voice.

For example, if the princess from the fairy tale were cursed to become a frog by accident then it might similar to it.

Tsugumi hug her knees and turned into a ball. Her lips were shut.

Her eyelashes tremble as she holds what she wanted to say, desperately holding it to the limit.

“What is it?”“Nothing. Haaaahhh….”

She hid her face between her knees, and as if holding back something, she shook her head left and right. Her ponytails that turned disorderly because of it, spread out gloomily in her neck.

“Seriously. Why did I confess to this kind of man I wonder… I wish I can back to one year ago, cover the mouth of my stupid past self and then burry her at the ground. After that dig another hole beside it and rest for eternity….”

“Don’t say something like that. I would feel bad if you’re not here.”

Tsugumi covered her ear exaggeratedly.

“Stop talking you stupid-idiot-dimwit. I don’t want to hear anything from you this late of time. As I thought, it is better if I just jump down right now…”

“I said wait. If you want to jump do it at April. In the period with no personal replenishment, we will lost important combat power, it will bad for humanity. Troubling humanity is the thing I don’t want to do the most.”

“Didn’t I say stop talking you piece of junk idiot! I hate that part of you the most!”

“I’m sad. Even if you were taken from the whole humanity and assessed as individual, you’re still my number one.”

“……Eh? What did you say?”

With a snap, Tsugumi raised her head. Suzaku serious gaze filled with respect targeted toward her.

“Listen carefully, Tsugumi. You’re my number one.”

“Yo-your joke not even funny, you know?”

“That’s neither lie nor flattery. You should know that I am not the type person who likes to beautify my words. I want you.”

“…Suzaku…”

Their gazes meet and they stare at each other for seconds.

During that time Tsugumi’s earlobe turned scarlet. Tsugumi gulped lightly, yet among the winds it was reverberated clearly.

“That, perhaps, finally, you, toward me…”

“Yes.”

Between the two who gaze at each other, Suzaku the first who break it with a kind smile.

“Your sekai (power) is wonderful. It is a power to see any possible future of things, right? Thanks to it we can successfully complete various technologies we have. As far as I know it is the best ability exist!”

“…Hn?”

“For the sake of my beloved humanity, I want your power. Let’s join hand and someday we will surely kill Unknown till the last one!”

“…….hn—?”

Suzaku hold out his hand toward her, while Tsugumi trembling slightly looking at that hand.

“Erm, ju-just in case, but, other than power…”

“Other than power? Hm? Is there anything else?”

“…I knew it! I knew it!”“If you exclude your power, what my number one you think you will become?”“Can’t hear it! Can’t hear it! You Stupid Idiot Brainless Dimwit!”

Tsugumi turned red like a broiled octopus. Her ponytail turned dishevelled because she rubbed her own head strongly.

That’s just her usual fit. Thought Suzaku as he looked over her warmly.

Even though she never act violently toward others, somehow when talking with him she turned like this. It has been like that since that day one year ago.

Though she’s exceptional in other areas, why did she turned this way?

“…Ah, I see.”

Revelation dawned toward Suzaku.

“Wh-What…!?”

Hearing his voice, Tsugumi’s body jerked.

“The conclusion I come up from your actions toward me.”“S-shut up!”

“That mean, you are…”

“I said, shut up..!”

Tsugumi turned flustered. Just like a girl who afraid her bad deeds getting exposed, her shoulder trembled.

With attitude full of affection and conviction, he placed her hand toward her trembling shoulder,

“—you’re in your period, right?”

Silence descends to that place.

“……….Ha?”

Tsugumi’s face which burned with red, cooled down in an instant as if water was poured on it.

In exchange, her gaze turned sharp and glare at Suzaku.

“Sorry, umm, sorry, please say it once again.”

“Don’t be shy. You can trust me more, if you feel your condition is bad just tell me. I know it’s something that hard to tell to others so you show it through that kind of actions. It’s just another proof of our bond.”

“…Listen, I am.”

“Trust is truly a beautiful thing. I will support you with the best of my ability. I’ll tell the subhead about it, so you can go home. Warm up your body and get some rest.”

“Please, listen. Listen I say!”

“Hm?”

“I REEEEAAAALLLLYYY hate that part of you!”

Losing the temper from before, Tsugumi let out a deep sigh.

As I thought, the reason her temper going up and down is that. Period is pretty painful, thought Suzaku.

At that time.

They feel the atmosphere trembled, and then a loud signal resounded.

[[EMERGENCY ALLERT—EMERGENCY ALLERT ANNOUNCEMENT, ten unknowns confirmed to have appeared in gate point inside the bay…and combat department has currently engage with them. Everyone inside the city please moves calmly—I repeat EMERGENCY ALLERT ANNOUNCEMENT…]]

The two of them raised their head.

The remains from war twenty years ago, has come back to start another one.