Horizon:Volume 9A Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Couple Facing Each Other at the Rock Door[edit]
The biggest hurdle toward prayer
Isn’t the god
It’s the request itself
Point Allocation (Brainbuster)
●
The girls (who hadn’t actually fallen asleep yet) sat back up in the darkness, wondering what was happening.
First, Naruze pressed her hands together and prostrated toward the sign frame that had appeared at the center of the room.
“The god of doujinshis has rewarded me for my faith.”
Asama: “Oh! Hey, all of you! Due to a mistake – or an unexpected accident really – live commentary of Toori-kun and Horizon’s docking is being broadcasted out, but please just ignore that!”
Art-Ga: “Y-you can’t tell me what to do! This is a gift from my god, so I’ll do with it what I like!”
Asama: “Naruze, stop starting a weird cult. And this means you’re already listening in, doesn’t it!?”
“It does,” cut in Margot, speaking into the sign frame from Asama.
Gold Mar: “So what is this? Did they decide to try exhibitionism there very first time?”
Asama: “No, it was an accident actually, but given how Toori-kun normally acts, I can see why you would think so… I probably do need to caution him later, but since Horizon is there too, I really don’t think that’s what’s happening here. Yes, I trust them, but maybe I shouldn’t trust them so much…”
Unturning: “Are we listening to you change your mind in real time?”
That was such an Asama thing to do. But then Adele tilted her head.
Flat Vassal: “So what is happening here?”
Asama: “Well, Horizon hit Toori-kun with a brainbuster, which started the live commentary, and then Horizon locked the transmission in place.”
Gold Mar: “Yeah, these things happen.”
Tonbokiri: “Horizon-sama’s talents know no bounds!”
Bell: “Eh? Eh? What is…a brainbuster?”
“I know that one.” Adele stood up. “Help me out, 6th Special Duty Officer!”
“Judge. It goes like this, Suzu.”
Naomasa held Adele’s head below her left arm and bent backwards while lifting Adele straight up. The curving path positioned Adele completely upside down. And…
“Then she would drop me onto my head to bust my brain! …Okay, 6th Special Duty Officer, you can let me down now!”
“Sure.”
Naomasa dropped Adele on her head.
“So it is a perfectly vertical drop,” analyzed Gin just before a tremor ran through the floor and Adele bounced off of her head.
“Owwwwwwwwwwwwww!!”
Suzu cried out in surprise and Mary applauded.
“Now I understand. He hit the switch with his feet, didn’t he?”
Naruze wasn’t sure it was quite so understandable, but when Adele got back up…
“Ow ow ow ow! Wh-why would you actually use it on me, 6th Special Duty Officer!?”
“Hm? Wasn’t that the point of the demonstration?”
“Yeah, I had a feeling there was a miscommunication while I was watching you two,” said Margot.
Naomasa was apologizing, but Naruze had everything mostly figured out.
Art-Ga: “Asama, we understand now. So what do we do about it?”
●
Asama considered the question while Mitotsudaira marveled at how that explanation had been sufficient.
She wanted to do something about this from here, but…
“I could erase the spell, but I can’t take control of it or alter it. It was a simple spell, so I didn’t bother including any of those functions.”
Asama sent a few spells to Naruze.
Asama: “Um, Naruze? I just sent you some spells. They’re patches for the opened divine transmission spells, so they will mute the audio. Once the patch is in place, you won’t be able to hear the running commentary, so apply them ASAP.”
●
“Judge,” said Naruze while throwing an immediate chop to shatter the spell sign frame sent over by Asama.
Art-Ga: “Understood. I’ll make sure we can’t hear anything. The rest of you should too, okay?”
The others exchanged a glance before nodding.
Girls: “…Judge!”
Asama: “I’m a little worried you’re not being honest with me, but you must not listen in, okay? I really, truly mean that. You must not. Do you understand me?”
Gold Mar: “Why does that sound like she’s trying to tempt us to do it?”
Meanwhile, the bedroom scene was still in progress.
They could hear the voices.
“Hey, wait! Don’t face me with that threatening stance!”
“Ho ho? Toori-sama, are you unable to talk this out with words?”
What were they doing? Then the door to the bath opened and Masazumi emerged.
“Hm? What are you all doing up? Get to sleep.”
Ugh, fine, grumbled Adele as she cracked her neck, got up with Naomasa, and began to explain.
●
Hm, thought Toori. At least we’re able to communicate.
…And the wrestling moves just spices things up a little.
In that case, he needed to tell her what really mattered.
“Let’s see, what were we talking about before?”
“I believe you were telling me you wanted to eat bugs for dinner tomorrow. You mentioned that cicadas are your favorite.”
“I did not! I’m pretty sure you’d just said your anticipation for having me grope your boobs was at 2000☆%!”
“Haaaack spit!”
“Did you only do the sound cause we’re indoors? That’s a neat trick, Horizon!”
“So what were you saying, Toori-sama?”
“W-well, it was about your boobs.”
“Care to try again?”
“I still think it was about your boobs.”
“Wrong. Try again.”
“Ooh, ooh, ooh!”
He got his late summer night started by beating the futon with his arms and hooting like an ape.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect that to be so much fun!”
“Acceptable. …Seriously though, I believe we were discussing how to run the Main Blue Thunder properly, but thinking about it again, running an entire store ourselves would probably be a lot of work.”
“I-it was a lovely idea, so why would you reject it yourself!?” he asked.
“I am an excellent automaton, known for her self-restraint and balanced outlook on life,” she said. “But I doubt I would be here if I didn’t want something like that.”
“I see,” said Toori. He looked up at the ceiling and took a breath before continuing. “So, what? Do you want to keep having fun the rest of your life, Horizon?”
“Judge. If I spend my life having fun, I will not spend it wallowing in sorrow. I do not know how long that life will be, but if we circle the Far East each year, the time will come that I feel like I have enjoyed each location’s fun several times over. At that point, I doubt I will fear even death.”
“And is today the start of those fun days?”
“No,” said Horizon. “This is not the start.”
●
…This isn’t the start of those fun days?
Toori considered what Horizon had said. And just to be certain…
“You’re not saying the start is yet to come, right?”
“Judge. If that was set in the future, I would not be here now.”
“Then,” he thought while he spoke. “Was it at dinner earlier when we decided we would be doing this?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the night before ImMoral Manga when you all stayed up talking?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day Asama and Nate moved in?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we spoke with the Celestial Dragons and they taught us so much?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we all slept in that tent?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we decided on our current ‘battle formation’?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we began our comeback at Novgorod?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we lost at Mikatagahara?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we finished the Armada battle and arrived at IZUMO?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we discussed this stuff on our date in England?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we ate yakiniku in England and discussed all sorts of things?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we talked like this at Mikawa?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day I failed to accomplish anything at Mikawa?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then,” he thought a bit before asking. “Then was it the day you arrived on the Musashi?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then,” he thought again. “Then was it the day you died on Remorse Way?”
“No, it was not.”
I see, he thought with a nod. I see, I see, he thought with two more nods.
“Then was it the day we had a blast cooking over a campfire or doing our school arts festival in elementary school?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it our first day of elementary school?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day you came to my place so long ago?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we first held hands?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day we first met?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day you first laughed?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day you first cried?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then was it the day you were born?”
“No, it was not.”
“Then, um…I kind of doubt it, but was it the day you were, uh, ‘made’?”
“Must you wiggle around when you say that? And to repeat myself yet again: no, it was not.”
He waved a hand in front of her glaring eyes, but he thought he got it now.
“So we’re parallel.”
●
Asama: “Oh.”
Art-Ga: “This happened before, didn’t it? Under fairly different circumstances.”
Silver Wolf: “Hey! We told you not to listen!”
Scarred: “But it’s such a lovely conversation. And I understand it so very well.”
Vice President: “I feel like we made our comments at this point back at Mikawa too.”
●
“Judge, we are.”
Toori nodded at Horizon’s affirmation.
“Then we can speak from our parallel positions.”
This is so familiar, he thought while he spoke.
“We are parallel. You’re actually saying your fun days are yet to come, right?”
Horizon gave a direct response.
“No, I am not.”
●
Honestly, thought Horizon. He is so persistent. So very persistent.
And he asked another question.
“We are parallel. So the day you were born wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day you first cried wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day you first laughed wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we first held hands wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day you came to my place so long ago wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So our first day of elementary school wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we had a blast cooking over a campfire or doing our school arts festival in elementary school wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“I see,” said. He must have come to understand a number of things. He took a breath before continuing.
“We are parallel. So the day you died on Remorse Way wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
She already knew when her fun days had started, but it was a day not present in her memory. And…
“We are parallel. So the day you arrived on the Musashi wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day I failed to accomplish anything at Mikawa wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we talked like this at Mikawa wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we ate yakiniku in England and discussed all sorts of things wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we discussed this stuff on our date in England wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we finished the Armada battle and arrived at IZUMO wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we lost at Mikatagahara wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we began our comeback at Novgorod wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we decided on our current ‘battle formation’ wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we all slept in that tent wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day we spoke with the Celestial Dragons and they taught us so much wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the day Asama and Nate moved in wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So the night before ImMoral Manga when you all stayed up talking wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“We are parallel. So dinner earlier when we decided we would be doing this wasn’t any fun?”
“That is incorrect.”
“Then,” he said. “We are parallel. You won’t ever have any fun in the future either?”
“That is incorrect.”
“In that case,” he said. “Are you saying none of it was fun and all of it was fun?”
“You already know that, don’t you, Toori-sama?” she said. “Those times were difficult, sorrowful, angering, and full of unknowns, but now that time has passed and I look back on them, I can accept some of it, but I wouldn’t be where I am now without those times, so even if I couldn’t forgive what happened at the time, I now know what I gained from it and I cannot bring myself to reject the happiness I found there. And I am sure the same will continue to happen in the future.”
So…
“As an observer, every last bit of it can be separated from the facts of the time and instead viewed as ‘part of what led me to happiness’.
“Of course,” she added. “This is all predicated on the fact that I am happy now. But this is…”
“A borderline?”
“Judge.” She nodded. “Because I have a future, I can accept both the sad things and the fun things.”
So…
“I want to accept the sad things while viewing them through the lens of the fun things.”
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