The Roses of Tartarus

by Gakuto Mikumo

  From this swarm of buildings, it was the roof of a particularly plain one among them upon which a single girl was lying, as if asleep.

  She was a little girl not even a hundred and fifty centimeters in height. She looked to be in her mid-teens. Because she was wearing a white shirt and a suspender skirt, she looked very much like an elementary schooler attending a noted academy.

  Her face, too, seemed young and frail. Her big almond eyes were adorable, but her general appearance did not stand out. It did not, save one thing—the large, beast-like ears springing from her head.

  “December, do you read me?”

  The little girl spoke to a smartphone lying next to her.

  “This is December. You’re coming in loud and clear, Carly.”

  The reply from the smartphone was immediate. The person on the other end had a serene tone largely devoid of tension.

  The voice brought an expression of visible relief over the girl.

  “Carly in position. Field of view all clear.”

  “Copy. Vehicle boarded by target moving along Island West Fourteenth Avenue toward Keystone Gate. Will arrive at predicted location within three hundred seconds.”

  “I have confirmed by visual. Preparing to snipe the target.”

  The beast-eared girl calling herself Carly roused herself and opened a case placed at her fingertips. It was a black case for carrying a cello. However, its contents were not a musical instrument, but rather a large military rifle. It was a bullpup-style anti-materiel sniper rifle.

  “Yes, yes. Sending the data now.”

  “Confirmed.”

  The smartphone’s screen displayed various data as measured by December: wind direction, wind speed, humidity, air temperature, air density, and the target’s attire.

  “I’ll leave the rest to you. Fire at will, Carly.”

  “Copy. Thank you, December.”

  “You are very welcome.”

  Carly listened to December’s cheerful voice as she adopted a prone firing position. Through her scope, Carly was only able to see a tiny crack between a tangle of office buildings. But for her, this was plenty.

  The scenery gleaned through the scope was the entrance to a high-class hotel.

  Carly’s superhuman senses allowed her to accurately detect moving cars at a range of nine hundred meters. The screeching of brakes. The footsteps of the doorman. The black-painted, high-class sedan parked in front of the hotel. The opening of the door, the first bodyguard getting out of the front passenger’s seat. Next, the second bodyguard riding in one of the back seats getting out. Then, flanked by those two, a small, old man exited the vehicle. Her chance to snipe would only be good for a few meters between there and the building.

  Relying on the senses in which her body was immersed, she made minor adjustments for the wind and the state of the atmosphere. Carly quietly pulled the trigger. Gas spewed out from the muzzle break, assaulting her with the dull recoil peculiar to a .50 caliber round. Even so, Carly calmly tracked the arc of the bullet she had fired.

  Her acuity to movement, particular to beast people, allowed her to watch the bullet until the moment it sent her target’s skull flying.

  It had all happened in an instant. Killing intent encased in a full-metal jacket had been sent flying from nine hundred meters away. The target probably hadn’t known what had happened to him until the very end.

  “Hit confirmed. Pulling out,” she reported, setting the rifle in her cello case, her duty finished.

  “That’s my Carly.”

  She heard the gentle voice of December over the smartphone from the other end. Even as the words instilled feelings of pride, Carly shook her head a little.

  “No. Thank you, December.”

  4

  It was a corner of the student cafeteria. On a sunny terrace, Yukina Himeragi was divvying up the hamburg steak of her lunch set. She was with her classmates: Minami Shindou, Sakura Koushima, and Nagisa Akatsuki.

  Even among the students, the cafeteria of Saikai Academy was held in high regard, and it was particularly packed during lunch hour. Out of consideration for their high school seniors, the students in middle school did not normally eat the school’s food.

  However, that day only, the empty seats on the popular terrace stood out, and even Yukina and the others were able to make use of them without the concern of inconveniencing others. The unfilled seats were doubtlessly follow-up effects of the ship incidents and the canceled flights.

  Yukina’s class had six students absent all by itself, and with the teacher absent, half the lesson was self-study. Yet, the matter that had bewildered Yukina and the others since morning was a separate issue altogether.

  That issue was Nagisa Akatsuki.

  “Hey, Yukina. What happened to you two on winter break…?”

  Minami Shindou, aka Cindy, twirled the pasta on her plate around with a fork as she posed the question. She sounded as if she was thoroughly at a loss.

  “What…do you mean?”

  Yukina stopped handling her food as she echoed the question back. She didn’t require an explanation to vaguely understand what Cindy was trying to say to begin with.

  “You know. That.”

  “Nagisa?”

  As expected, Cindy’s eyes indicated the side of Nagisa’s face as she sat close to the cafeteria window. Cream croquettes were supposedly one of her favorites, but Nagisa left them untouched as she stared absentmindedly at the schoolyard.

  “This, um, isn’t like her, right? It doesn’t seem like her health’s in bad shape, either…”

  “I suppose not,” Yukina gravely concurred.

  The normal Nagisa was a chatterbox, speaking three times as much as a normal person. That liveliness was part of Nagisa’s charm, so for her to remain quiet that long was eerie to no small measure. It was enough to make Yukina think it was some kind of ill omen.

  Staring at Yukina, Sakura casually asked, “Did she go to the mainland during the winter break?”

  “Yeah. Nagisa was visiting her grandmother.”

  “Just Nagisa…? I see… Then, where were you and Akatsuki, Yukina?”

  “We were—”

  When Sakura questioned her like it was some kind of interview, Yukina unintentionally let the truth slip out. With an “Oho,” Cindy leaned forward with deep interest.

  “Um, on the mainland, Nagisa’s father and grandmother were injured, so senpai and I wound up going together to pick up Nagisa—”

  Yukina carefully explained it away, as if trying to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. Though the sequence of events was…rearranged somewhat, she was mostly honest nonetheless.

  “Ah, was that it? That so? Quite a thing to go through just after New Year’s,” Cindy said out of concern. She was the type of person who was surprisingly considerate. “Maybe Nagisa’s in the dumps about that?”

  “Mmm. I don’t think so…”

  Yukina shook her head a little. After all, Hisano Akatsuki ought to have left the hospital by then, and Gajou Akatsuki was in high spirits, unthinkable for a gravely injured patient; indeed, claims of sexual harassment from nurses had apparently come from the hospital only the night before. She didn’t think it was anything worth Nagisa worrying about to the extent of being morose.

  “Speak of the devil…”

  Sakura abruptly pointed something out. She was staring at the student cafeteria’s vending machine corner. That very moment, Kojou Akatsuki and Asagi Aiba were lined up side by side as they made their purchases.

  Cindy spoke with just a slight bit of envy in her voice. “Ah, Akatsuki. And he’s with Asagi Aiba…getting along nicely, same as usual. Well, they do suit each other…”

  Flattery could not describe the sight of the two arguing over which carbonated drink flavor was tastier—grape or orange—as even remotely romantic, but viewed from a distance, their relationship did seem rather intimate nonetheless.

  Yukina strongly pursed her lips as the scene stirred a faint throbbing in her che
st.

  Right beside Yukina, an ominous snap rang out.

  “…Snap?”

  The destructive sound of something being broken caused Cindy to turn back and look at Yukina.

  No, no, Yukina’s nervous shake of her head said. True, Yukina found the scene unamusing for reasons Cindy did not know, but she hadn’t done anything. The individual who had broken the chopsticks in her hand with an emotionless face was someone far less expected.

  Nagisa, gazing outside absentmindedly up to that point, was biting her lip as she stared at Kojou and Asagi.

  Tears were streaming out of her wide-open eyes.

  “Nagisa…?!”

  “N-Nagisa? What’s wrong?”

  Yukina and the others were shaken. However much she’d seemed off that morning, they’d never expected Nagisa to break into tears over such a thing.

  The fact that they didn’t know the cause bewildered Yukina and the others all the more.

  Nagisa and Kojou were siblings that got along comparatively well. But none thought Nagisa would be jealous of Asagi because of it. She was very fond of Asagi, adoring her like a big sister.

  “Eh? Huh…? What am I doing…?”

  Nagisa stared at her fallen tears, speaking as if they surprised even her. Apparently, Nagisa herself didn’t understand why she was crying.

  “Are you all right?” Sakura asked, taking out a handkerchief.

  Borrowing it to wipe her drenched cheeks away, Nagisa giggled a “Tee-hee” and weakly smiled. “Yeah, of course. Sorry. I’m gonna head back early.”

  Carrying the tray with her largely untouched meal, Nagisa walked toward the student cafeteria’s exit.

  Cindy seemed about to go after her in a hurry but apparently reconsidered the action partway, sitting back down. She’d no doubt judged it was better to leave Nagisa alone for the time being.

  “Is she really all right…?”

  Even so, Cindy murmured in apparent concern. Sakura gazed at the vending machine area, where Kojou and Asagi had been all that time.

  “Jealousy?” Sakura asked.

  “It can’t be.” Cindy spread both arms wide. “Why start now?”

  “You have a point,” agreed Sakura with a nod. Kojou and Asagi hadn’t exactly just started being together. It was so taken for granted, you could joke that they knew each other a little too well.

  Why, then, would Nagisa be shocked by it…? As the two inclined their heads, a grave expression came over Yukina alone.

  “Just now… It couldn’t be…”

  She unwittingly murmured to herself as she rose to her feet. As she did, Yukina felt a strong backward yank. When she suddenly looked back, Cindy and Sakura were both grasping the cuffs of her uniform.

  “Hey, you. You’re the last person she needs chasing after her.” Cindy winked at her.

  Yukina blinked. “Eh?”

  “If it really is jealousy, you talking to her will make things worse,” Sakura explained.

  “It… It’s not like that. I…”

  I have an idea why Nagisa’s been acting strangely, Yukina wanted to say, but she swallowed the words. The secret of just what was hidden within her flesh and blood was not something to blithely divulge to others.

  “We’ll do the follow-up. Leave this to us.”

  “So for the time being, return these, please?”

  Cindy and Sakura entrusted their empty dinner trays to Yukina as they headed out of the cafeteria.

  Yukina sighed deeply, watching their backs as the pair departed.

  Within Nagisa Akatsuki slept Avrora, the twelfth Kaleid Blood—the soul of what was once the Fourth Primogenitor. The incident a few days prior at Kannawa Lake had proven that without a doubt. Nagisa herself likely remained unaware of that. But if Avrora’s soul was affecting its host, that would explain Nagisa’s current, unstable mental state.

  It would also mean that Avrora’s soul had begun to bleed into Nagisa’s psyche. Yukina was fearful that the two girls were in a far more precarious state than she had expected.

  What should I do? she wondered, but of course, there was no answer to be had.

  She couldn’t discuss it with Kojou, but she also hesitated to report it to the Lion King Agency. After all, it was their very own attempt to make use of Avrora that was the cause of Nagisa’s erosion to begin with.

  Half beside herself, Yukina rose up in wobbly fashion, cleaning up before leaving the student cafeteria when, without warning, a figure suddenly appeared, standing before her.

  It was a small woman, wearing an extravagant dress like that of a Western-style doll.

  “So this is where you were, transfer student?”

  “Ms. Minamiya…?”

  “Sorry, but I need to speak to you. Would you come with me for a moment?”

  Without any small talk, Natsuki came right out with what she wanted. It was rare for her to be without her usual aura of composure, which threw Yukina for a loop.

  “Speak with…me? But…”

  Yukina looked worried, her words hesitant. In the first place, federal Attack Mages assigned to police duties were in the same field as the Lion King Agency, and relations between the rivals were poor. It was extraordinary for Natsuki, a federal Attack Mage, to come to Yukina for aid. The Sword Shaman had a very bad feeling about it.

  However, Natsuki must have anticipated Yukina’s evasive reaction, for she made a leering, mean-spirited smile as she said, “If you do not politely do as I say, I’ll cry.”

  “C-cry?”

  In front of a wide-eyed Yukina, Natsuki covered her eyes with both hands. “Waaah,” she went, her voice rising unrestrained, deliberately making her shoulders quiver. Though it was crystal clear to Yukina that she was putting on a performance, a third party glancing over would not know the tears were fake. In fact, it would look exactly like Yukina was bullying Natsuki…

  Yukina felt the palpable physical pressure of nearby gazes gathering upon her. Even setting that aside, Natsuki’s presence stood out. A middle school transfer student was making a female teacher who looked like a little girl cry—there was no way such a circumstance wouldn’t gain attention.

  “Um, er… I understand! I understand, so please…” Yukina acquiesced, unable to bear it any longer. In the worst case, more weird rumors spreading about her inside the school might hinder her mission of observing the Fourth Primogenitor.

  “Let us be off, then?”

  Natsuki, ending her false tears on a dime, looked up at the stiff Yukina and spoke with an emotionless look.

  Yukina sighed, tempted to burst into tears herself as she warily followed suit.

  5

  December rode a white scooter through a narrow alley in the office building district.

  With most of the vehicles on Itogami Island operating with electric motors, the old-style scooter running on a gasoline engine was virtually an antique. The obnoxiously loud puttering engine and white gas exhaust stood out as being in exceptionally bad taste.

  December hummed a nursery rhyme in concert with the engine’s vibrations.

  She was a foreign girl with a baby face. She was wearing platform shoes, but even so, her height probably didn’t amount to a hundred and sixty centimeters. Her outfit consisted of a letterman jacket and a denim miniskirt. With a half helmet on her head, she wore goggles like those of a swimmer’s to keep the wind at bay.

  December gradually slowed down the scooter, finally stopping at the parking lot of an old mixed-use office building.

  It was a decrepit, ruined building awaiting demolition. The occupants had already finished moving out, leaving it empty and abandoned. However, December circled around to the back of the site, entering the building from the emergency stairs. She felt a faint trace of human presence in the supposedly unoccupied building.

  “I’m back, Logi.”

  December called out as she reached the top of the narrow stairs.

  An individual lying on the sofa responded to her voice. He was slender and wore a coat
with seemingly countless snaps; he was an androgynous-looking, handsome teenage boy. His face had an artificial, perfect symmetry about it, and his hair was indigo, a color that did not exist in nature. These visual characteristics revealed his true nature.

  He was an artificial life-form born from alchemy and science—a homunculus.

  “Did you blow through all of the shopping money, December…?”

  The boy named Logi spoke, discarding the magazine he had been reading. He was staring at the shopping bag December was carrying with an exasperated expression.

  “Making us worry by coming back so late… You might upset Teacher if you keep wasting money like that, you know?”

  “But I really wanted the season-limited New Year’s Nekoma…”

  As December spoke, she dangled a mascot doll attached to a key holder. Apparently, she’d bought up every treat in the convenience store just to obtain the doll she was showing off.

  “I know, Logi. I’ll give the other ones I picked up to you.”

  “Don’t need any.”

  Logi spoke coldly in response to the large mass of mascots December presented to him. “More importantly, what about Carly?”

  “She’s eliminated targets one and two. We’ll rendezvous at the safe house next.”

  “Hmm… So she pulled off the hit?”

  “That’s my Carly for you. Just as I predicted.”

  Watching Logi let out a murmur of relief, December smiled with pride. Logi responded to her carefree tone with an exasperated shake of his head.

  “We’re at the point they’ll finally tighten their guard. Their censorship has to be at its limits, too.”

  “I suppose so.”

  December nodded.

  Even with nearly half a day having passed since the first snipe, no information about the incident had leaked. The Gigafloat Management Corporation had likely twisted some arms to prevent the information from spreading—but two Itogami City VIPs had been assassinated in broad daylight. That wasn’t something that could be kept secret forever.

  “The big one’s next. You’ll be all right?”

  “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  When December asked out of visible concern, Logi glared at her with a dissatisfied curl of his lips. Without fanfare, he spread his palm, whereupon the blue shimmer within swayed.