Editing City Series:Volume4b Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 2===

'''7:06 PM

The city’s siren could be heard in the distance through the Osaka Hilton’s window.

Shoui looked around the room as he listened to it.

He was inside a bedroom with three other people.

Takada sat on the bed in front of him, Aoi stood by the wall, and Ikemaru stood in front of the door.

A few minutes had passed since Iba had left the room to begin a diversion in the city and the others had gathered in this one room.

Shoui stood by the window and listened to the siren.

“I can’t believe this.”

When the Dog God spoke for him, Ikemaru glanced his way and then close his eyes again.

He was definitely keeping an eye on Shoui to make sure he did not leave the room.

Because she knew that, Aoi looked no one in the eye and smiled a little.

“Well, we just have to stay put a while longer. Everything will be settled before long.”

“Are you sure?” asked Shoui through the Dog God. “An ether round dropped from the sky earlier…”

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. Prefectural #2 is being attacked from underground and above ground simultaneously. Nakamura is underground and…he can tame Ixolde with the charm Takahiro made. That should more or less end it.”

“Can he really steal the strongest Rhythm like that?”

“Takahiro’s ''kotodama'' will transform Ixolde itself and bring it to our side. You saw those bikes flying like birds, didn’t you? …This is more than that. It will be a complete transformation.”

“It’s a lot like Tuning. Right, Takahiro?”

Ikemaru looked unsure how to answer Takada’s question.

But after a while, he corrected his expression and silently nodded.

Aoi gave an exasperated sigh at his behavior.

“More importantly…Hizaka-kun, was it? There’s a more personal matter I would like to ask you about.”

“What is it?”

“I know this is sudden, but do you know of any cherry trees that bloom in winter?”

“That bloom in winter?”

“I can’t tell you why, but I’m searching for those. Supposedly whoever sees those cherry trees will invite in bad luck as a jinx. For example…causing the Kinki Riot or leading to my birth.”

“Why are you looking for them? If the jinx is true, won’t it only bring bad luck?”

It was Ikemaru and not Aoi who answered Shoui’s question.

“She has her reasons.”

“I see.” Shoui crossed his arms and wrinkled his brow. “I think Saki-san said something about that, but it didn’t sound like he knew much about it.”

“Do you have any idea where I might find information on it?”

“Old Lady Senga might know something, but…sorry. I don’t know anything.”

He gave a quick bow and looked back again.

He found a view from twenty stories up.

And a shadow suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

It was a window washing robot. Its boxy one meter body had a cleaning brush installed and it moved down past Shoui’s eyes as it cleaned the window.

Shoui relaxed and sighed as it slowly passed by.

With the increased transparency of the fresh cleaning, he could see the area in front of Osaka Station below. People were moving around like normal despite the sound of the siren.

“I can’t believe this,” said his Dog God once more.

“What can’t you believe?” asked Takada behind him.

He answered without looking back.

“You can already tell thanks to the Dog God, can’t you?”

“There are some things I can’t accept unless you actually say them.”

Yuuki’s face appeared in Shoui’s mind. He pictured her as she was now: known as the Killing Holder and acting accordingly.

But he also knew who she had been in the past.

“I really can’t believe this. What does it all mean?”

“You can’t believe she has two sides to her? The past and the present. The seen and the unseen. And can you not believe that the Killing Holder can be the Killing Holder now that she has lost her doubt?”

“I’m not worrying about anything as cool as that.”

When he turned around while scratching his head, he found Takada standing right there.

…''!?

Surprise showed on his face as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Before he could resist, she placed her lips on his with her eyes closed.

“Ah,” said Aoi, but Shoui’s vision was blocked by Takada’s face.

Ikemaru sighed on the far end of the room and the girl finally moved away.

Shoui was unsure what to say as Takada took several steps back and sat on the bed with her eyes still closed. The bedsprings creaked quietly and softly and the sound gently overlapped with the background noise of the siren for a few seconds.

Then she opened her eyes and looked up at Shoui.

She lowered her eyebrows and gave a small smile.

“You’re a liar.”

“…”

“Are you scared? Scared you might reject that girl?”

Shoui could not answer.

But Takada said more.

Taromaru recited some words with her voice.

''A white flower blooms in the darkness

''An empty party begins in the fire

''A memory of death floats in nothingness

:''A king resents him

:''A queen smiles at him

:''A sage resigns himself

::''Fall into indecisiveness while looking to another’s path

::''Choose your own path and hesitate

::''The true path lies in the past

The prophecy had changed somewhat from those he had heard before.

Taromaru explained why.

“Possibility is on the move around you, Shoui-san.”

“Possibility?”

“Unlike with Hisahide-san, I doubt my prophecy will become your Words, Shoui-san. I believe you lost your Words somewhere.”

Shoui repeated that under his breath.

Without actually speaking, the Dog God on his shoulder moved its mouth to match the muttering in his heart.

Takada raised her lowered eyebrows and smiled a little as she watched the boy and the animal.

“But please do not forget my prophecy. Without your own feelings, it would likely have become your Words.”

Aoi and Ikemaru looked Shoui’s way when they heard that.

Aoi pulled the parts to her hexagonal rod from behind her waist and instantly connected them.

Shoui frowned at her action.

“Why pull out your weapon?”

“To keep you from leaving here. Based on what Seigi just said, it sounds like your destiny is closely related to what we’re doing here. And…”

“In that case, we cannot allow you to do anything that would lead the king to resent you.”

Ikemaru pulled out a few coins and squeezed them in his hand.

“At 7:10, Nakamura will defeat Osaka’s Chancellor and board a bullet train for Nagoya at New Osaka Station. We will begin a diversion at the same time. We must hurry and synchronize our timing to make sure that we do not get in his way and that inspection points are set up around the city.”

Aoi nodded in agreement.

“If anyone is going to do anything unnecessary, we might have to silence them.”

When Shoui heard her mischievous tone of voice, he scratched his head and turned toward the city once more. And he surreptitiously placed a hand on his forehead.

The scar below the bandanna ached.

“I can’t believe this.”

He spoke those words by proxy yet again and looked down at the city.

–''Shoui – Sight Tech – Auto-Take – Spot – Hit.

Then he noticed something odd about the city.

The flow of people on the road in front of the Osaka Hilton had been disturbed.

The people would normally walk by the hotel, but most of the people visible below were slowly making their way inside the hotel.

And all of them had one thing in common.

They were all boys Shoui’s age wearing casual clothing.

“It can’t be…”

Ikemaru replied to the Dog God’s words behind Shoui.

“So they’re here. …The special forces of Osaka’s Chancellor’s Officers are here to suppress us.”

Shoui looked back over his shoulder at the other three.

Takada looked up at him somewhat worriedly.

Aoi’s eyebrows gave her a belligerent look that was the polar opposite of Takada’s expression.

Ikemaru kept his eyes closed and toyed with the coins in his hand.

Shoui asked them all a question.

“Do you think Tokyo’s Chancellor will face Koto’s Chancellor?”

“Osaka’s Chancellor comes first. After that, it depends how long he has until the bullet train leaves. It’s possible he’ll have to head for New Osaka Station without tying up all the loose ends.” Aoi took a breath. “But if she pursues him, I think he’ll kill her.”

A serious look filled her face.

She lightly placed her hexagonal rod against the floor.

“The only things Nakamura lacks are the decisive attack power of a Rhythm and the experience of having killed someone. So if he has the Flame High and the Koto Guardian pursues him…”

“The odds are good he will eliminate this country’s only Killing Holder.”

“…”

Shoui said nothing, crossed his arms, and leaned toward the window.

He glanced outside and saw Takada reflected on the image of the city’s night. She looked worriedly up at him from the bed and the clock on the room’s wall was visible above her head.

The white clock on the warm colored wall said it was 7:09.

In another minute, the special forces of the Osaka Chancellor’s Officers would make their move below and the diversion Ikemaru had mentioned would begin.

Shoui had only a minute left to make the one decision he was allowed.

And when he looked out the window again, he heard a roar and saw light fall to earth from the western sky.

It was one of Suzaku Ver. 40’s ether rounds.

A single charge from one of those contained enough energy to destroy Private Showa’s schoolyard and this was a second charge.

As he watched that light, Shoui repeated what Takada had said.

“A liar, huh?”

As soon as he did, he gave a large nod.

“Time to go!!”

With that shout, he forcefully turned toward Ikemaru and the others.

–''Shoui – Savate Tech – Take – Run – Hit.

He reached full speed on the very first step.

And as he ran forward, Aoi swung her hexagonal rod like a baseball bat.

“I like that sort of thing…but it’s not enough!”

However…

–''Shoui – Boxing Tech – Take – Carry – Hit!

:–''Shoui – Savate/Gym/Dodge Tech – Counter-Multi-Take – Shield Dodge – Hit!

Shoui snatched up Takada as she sat on the bed.

“Kyah!”

Her Dog God cried out for her and a look of shock appeared on Aoi’s face.

“Y-you idiot!”

With that, Aoi frantically diverted her swing upwards so as not to hit Takada.

Shoui ducked below Aoi’s attack and the hexagonal rod grazed his hair.

The door outside was right in front of him now.

“Takahiro!”

Ikemaru Takahiro moved in response to Aoi’s cry.

He stood next to the door, so he removed his right glove and squeezed the coins in his hand.

By that time, Shoui had already raised a leg to kick down the door as he ran.

But Ikemaru calmly moved in front of Shoui and threw the coins forward.

“Become shooting stars.”

As soon as he said that, flares burst from behind the coins and they rocketed toward Shoui.

The coins ignored Takada’s presence as they become meteors meant to strike their opponent.

The speed and force they were given by brief words was equal to that of a clump of ore burning up in the atmosphere.

Shoui charged straight toward the group of flaming bullets.

“!”

An explosion followed.