Ch.284If Side Story. Tokyo Slayers: Final Chapter (22)

Releasing the goldfish was good, but in the end, Souta and his group were caught by security guards.

It seemed that no one found out about Souta fighting with those people, and thankfully they weren’t handed over to the police. In truth, it would have been troublesome for the other side too. Some of the men looked like adults.

“Those bastards… I can’t just let this go.”

Though Fukuda’s muttering was a bit scary, Souta decided to ignore it.

He was probably just speaking out of frustration. The other group had already disappeared, so what could be done now?

Rather than that,

“Are you okay where you got hit?”

Souta asked Fukuda.

“…I’m fine.”

Fukuda replied in a tone that didn’t seem like he was pretending.

Either he wasn’t hit as badly as expected, or Fukuda was just that strong. At least for now, since he said so himself, there was nothing more to say.

“……”

Yuka was lost in thought. Her gaze kept shifting toward Kurosawa, then wandering elsewhere, before returning to Kurosawa again.

Souta thought he understood what Yuka had warned about. Certainly, Kurosawa… possessed somewhat unusual abilities.

As Yuka said, if she hadn’t stopped Kurosawa there, a disaster would likely have occurred.

But at the same time, Souta still didn’t think Kurosawa was all that strange.

If he were to filter out “abnormal beings” based solely on abilities, Souta himself wouldn’t be so ordinary either.

Perhaps it was fortunate that today’s events showed that Kurosawa had emotions like other children.

“Yuka, are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

Yuka nodded indifferently at Souta’s words.

Yuka’s arm had been cut too. It probably happened when Kurosawa’s hair moved.

But Yuka didn’t try to exclude Kurosawa either. She had simply been willing to sacrifice herself in hopes that Kurosawa would stop.

Was it simply because she hadn’t brought a knife? Or—

“Ah, it’s starting.”

Nanami said.

Her voice was a bit more exaggerated than when they were walking through the street filled with food stalls earlier.

Since such an incident had occurred on what should have been a fun day, she was probably trying to cover that memory with other enjoyable experiences.

Souta felt the same way. That’s why he had been waiting until just before the fireworks started.

Shii, relieved that Souta was safe, had relaxed and was leaning against his shoulder.

The complicated feelings caused by various incidents didn’t last long.

Bang.

A small explosion sounded from across the river, and a red light quickly rose toward the sky.

Bang.

Once again, that sound echoed in the middle of the sky, and the red line spread in all directions, creating a round circle.

Surely those fireworks were affected by Earth’s gravity, yet their ascent seemed unbound. The fireworks that scattered in all directions like in zero gravity while showing off their brilliant colors were beautiful enough to instantly blow away all the complicated thoughts in one’s mind.

Exclamations of awe flowed from everywhere.

It was the same for Souta’s group.

Nanami, who was always expressive. Yuka, who was usually a bit blunt but actually had a sensitive and kind heart.

Both of them looked up at the fireworks with strangely similar expressions, their mouths slightly open. Was this the sight they had been hoping for?

Fukuda was the same. Usually acting as if everything was bothersome, as if he was being forced to come along, now he was looking up at the fireworks with a somewhat dazed expression. It seemed he had almost completely forgotten the pain in his body.

Shii’s eyes sparkled. Perhaps they seemed even more so because they were slightly wet with tears.

And, Kurosawa.

Kurosawa too was silently looking up at the fireworks.

As always, her expression was somewhat blank. Honestly, it was a bit difficult to tell what she was thinking just by looking at her face.

But in those two red eyes visible through her hair, the fireworks were clearly reflected.

Kurosawa was staring intently at the fireworks etched in the sky.

“……”

Many things had happened today. They experienced things they shouldn’t have had to, and learned things they perhaps didn’t need to know.

But that was all.

All those things were just encounters on the way here.

Souta could only hope that today’s memory would remain as a fond recollection in the future.

He hoped that today wouldn’t remain as a terrible day in Kurosawa’s memory.

*

After watching the fireworks, the festival came to an anticlimactic end.

Harumi Fukuda took Kurosawa by the wrist and caught another goldfish for her.

True to her nature as someone who couldn’t even say “thank you,” she just stared blankly at Harumi while holding the bag with the swimming goldfish.

“Let’s go now.”

Harumi said to Kurosawa.

“Everyone’s going home anyway, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

Harumi knew how strange it must look to change her attitude so suddenly right after watching the fireworks.

But she couldn’t stop her thoughts.

The festival had been more fun than expected.

The fireworks were beautiful enough to make her glad she came to see them.

But, but—

She couldn’t forgive those guys.

Harumi knew that her plan wasn’t anything special.

She also knew she would be using someone else’s hands—

No, would it really just be using someone else’s hands? Yuu’s father, lying in the hospital, couldn’t exactly be called a mere stranger in this situation.

After what happened to Yuu, and whether it became an issue or not, that person who was close to Yuu had also fallen ill and couldn’t get up.

So, that man would surely have the right to know about this. That’s what Harumi thought.

It wasn’t just out of loyalty from being a friend’s father; it was a thought with some purpose behind it.

And.

“……”

She also had something she wanted to ask Kurosawa.

She hadn’t thought of it earlier because things had happened too quickly, and above all, it was too absurd a thought.

But if, if Kurosawa had some kind of ability. If, as Yuuki had said, she could have “disposed of” all those trash right there.

Why had Kurosawa remained still in front of Mako?

Why had she watched as Mako ended up like that?

…Knowing this thought was absurd, knowing it would be useless to ask, knowing that Kurosawa, being human, must have had some reason.

She couldn’t ask right here.

She didn’t want to end the memories they had just made with a fight.

Perhaps that’s why she took Kurosawa to catch another goldfish. For this idiot who couldn’t even say thank you.

“…I’m leaving.”

And that’s why she could only say this. There was no point in overthinking things in front of these kids.

Hearing the others saying goodbye behind her, Harumi waved her hand casually and walked away quickly.

Her destination was the hospital where Yuu was admitted.

*

People on the train looked at the girl in black clothes holding a goldfish, with slightly overgrown black hair, as if she were a bit unusual.

But there are many people in the world who dress uniquely. Kurosawa’s attire was enough to catch the eye momentarily, but that was it.

Holding the bag with the goldfish, Kurosawa got off at the train station and walked slowly home.

The sky had already darkened, and there weren’t many people walking around the residential area, but Kurosawa never found the path frightening.

Nothing special happened on the way home either.

Kurosawa went up to the second floor and opened the door.

“Welcome home.”

As always when Kurosawa came home, Kagami’s voice could be heard from inside.

“Did you have fun with your friends? Wow, is that a goldfish you’re holding? Did you catch it?”

Did Kagami know about goldfish scooping too? Kurosawa had seen it for the first time today.

In Kurosawa’s memory, Kagami had always been inside this house.

“Yes. …Fukuda caught it.”

“Wow, so you received a gift from a friend?”

Kagami said, seeming genuinely happy.

Why?

How could she smile so happily just hearing Kurosawa’s stories, when she couldn’t even go outside?

Come to think of it, the other children were the same. They would do things for Kurosawa that she didn’t understand, and they would be happy when Kurosawa accepted or ate what they gave her.

Though she didn’t know why, Kurosawa liked it when they did that. If this feeling was what it meant to feel good, then she felt good.

“There should be a container in the kitchen. Let’s move it there and raise it.”

Kagami said.

Kurosawa carefully placed the goldfish bag on the floor. The water didn’t spill over like when she had dropped it earlier.

“And, what else happened today?”

That question came from behind as Kurosawa headed to the kitchen.

While searching the kitchen cabinet for the container Kagami mentioned, Kurosawa listed the things she had eaten today. At least the things the others had told her about.

Also the fact that there were many people.

And—

—about the people who tried to hit Kurosawa and Fukuda, she didn’t mention.

Somehow it felt like she shouldn’t.

There was no need to break Kagami’s expression.

Since the other children had done so after watching the fireworks.

“…I saw fireworks.”

“Fireworks.”

Kagami said somewhat blankly.

After taking out the largest container she could find and turning around, Kurosawa saw Kagami looking at her with a dazed expression.

“…Were they pretty?”

“…Yes.”

“I see.”

Kagami smiled brightly again.

As if she had seen the fireworks herself.

“Next time, let’s go see them together.”

“…Yes.”

Could they go next time?

Kurosawa didn’t bother to deny those words. She didn’t even look at the chains.

To say it again,

There was no need to break the expression of the person she was talking to.