play with magic school clan -2

Anrakuichi is one of the cities designated as a dark city.

There are many special facilities and shops for the back alley, and the location of the building is very convenient for those living in the underworld and the back organization.

Naturally, thanks to that, a large number of people living behind the scenes inevitably gather, and there are constant conflicts. Therefore, there are many areas designated as neutral zones by the "center", the public institution of darkness. There is a rule that fights should never be caused there, so it is a safe place for the residents behind the scenes.

In addition to being chased away during a conflict, it can also be used for gathering information and trading products. However, using it as an escape is the last resort, and the transaction is limited to something that anyone can find out about. Because many underground residents gather in the neutral zone, information will be leaked.

The downtown area in the center of Anraku City, the building called Kando Building in the perfect town and its surroundings was also one of the places designated as neutral.

Anne was meeting her friend at the bar "Tasmanian Devil" where people from the back of Kando Building gather. She opens an iron door with a picture of a Tasmanian devil, a marsupial that is said to inhabit the island of Tasmania, and she goes inside.

The inside is quite spacious, but it looks like a normal bar. There are quite a few customers, but there is not a single ordinary person on the main street.

(Oh?)

Hearing the piano playing in the store, Anzu took a step towards the back of the store. There is only one person playing the piano here.

"It's been a long time."

In response to Kyou's voice, a boy called Kasane, who was playing the piano, raised her face and bowed to Kyou. He is a blond-haired, green-eyed boy with an amazingly beautiful and lovely appearance. He's angelic - to the extent that the adjective isn't an exaggeration at all. However, there was a shadow on his expression, and even when he looked up at Anzu, he looked frightened.

Although he had a Western appearance, his name was Shizukuno Kazushizuku no Rui in Japanese. If it's just the name, probably everyone in the back alley knows it, but not many people know the real thing. It is said that he is a famous sorcerer in the paranormal industry.

Anne and I had a friendly relationship to the extent that we would talk when we met at the store. Putting aside the sorcery and such, Kyou focused on his playing and paintings.

Inside the Tasmanian Devil store, there are several paintings that were painted by this boy. A particularly conspicuous oil painting measuring 2 meters in length and width was that of the Tasmanian Devil store seen from the entrance. Anne also enjoys painting landscapes, so she was interested in both Kasane and Kasane's paintings.

The master, who is always dressed in a bear costume, tells him to be careful because he has social phobia, but Kasane seems to be open to Anzu, and they have some conversations. .

It seems that she came here to play the piano part-time, and is also in rehabilitation to try to fix her social phobia. For that reason, I don't think it's necessary to take a part-time job at a bar for residents of the underworld, but it can't be helped because this boy is also a resident of darkness. Strange to say, Kasane seems to feel more at ease in the underworld than in the general public.

He sits in a box near the piano and waits for his client.

Because this store is located in a neutral backstreet area, information exchanges and business deals are frequently conducted here. However, it is limited to content that is not problematic even if asked by peers, and it is a tacit understanding not to listen to such exchanges of others on this occasion.

"Sorry, I was two minutes late."

A woman dressed in a black leather jacket, camouflage sleeveless and short army pants, which looks cold for this season, sat in front of Anzu. She is quite beautiful, but she is quite stooped. She also has a slight squint.

Even in her seat, her back is hunched and her hands are in her pockets.

Her name is Reimi Higuchi. Twenty-five years old, two years older than Kyou. She's a freelance groomer. In Anrakuichi, he is known as a skilled gunslinger with the nickname "Kasumi Gun Kasumiju no Reimi".

She has worked with Kyou many times in the past, and they are close enough to be called best friends even in private. Sometimes Anzu asks for cooperation, and Reimi often asks Anzu. In this case, it was the latter, and it was a job request from Reimi.

"Turner" is one of the popular occupations in the back alleys. He is a so-called jack of all trades, doing work regardless of genre, such as murder, escort, crafting, and literally cleaning up. Anne, who has actually worked side by side with her many times, has no presence as reassuring as Reimi, and I have never seen anyone better than her. No, I can't even imagine.

"Recently, there seems to be so much work that I can't even turn my head.

"Nahahahahaha, judging from my ability, it's too late. I don't have the eyes to see the world."

Anzu teased Reimi with a cheerful smile.

"Wait, it's all thanks to you doing a good job selling me. If Anne does more work, wouldn't she be better known?"

"I'm not really interested in making a name for myself, as long as I'm happy with my work."

"By the time we met, you were angry when I told you I didn't know your name. If your name spreads, you'll get job offers from all over the world, and the world will expand accordingly, isn't it? Do you need Yu~?"

"Because I want to work at my own pace. And about work."

Cut from her apricot, Reimi erases her smile.

"The continuation of the example story."

Anzu guessed what kind of work he was referring to with just those words.

Reimi has her purpose and she has fallen into the back alley.

Exactly ten years ago, Reimi's parents, her sister six years older than her, and her brother-in-law were killed. It happened on the day of her sister's wedding reception. The whole family was kidnapped, and one by one they were tortured to death in front of Reimi, and only Reimi survived.

For some reason, Reimi remembered only fragments of her memories at that time. She doesn't remember how she was saved. When she woke up, she was at home. All she remembered was that her family had been killed, but she didn't quite remember who they were.

To find out who killed her family and take her revenge, Reimi has fallen into the back alleys. And as her years passed, she slowly regained her memory.

I also remembered that the group that killed her Reimi's family was a suspicious group dressed like magicians who were performing some sort of ritual.

Using those fragmentary memories as clues, Reimi and Anzu tried to come up with various possible lines. Cult religious groups, magic associations, pleasure organizations, etc. However, none of them matched her memories of Reimi, and it ended in vain.

Reimi, who is always cheerful, has fallen into her back alley with her convictions, where she has amassed her powers and intends to exact her revenge. Anne felt something like this.

Anne even told Reimi directly that the revenge drama itself was a spectacle. That's why she's dating like this. Reimi, who knows Kyou's personality very well, even laughed when she heard that.

She said, "It brought back some of her memory, and it's pretty important. I finally remembered how I got out of there."

"That's also interesting, or maybe it's a big clue for your revenge?"

"I see. But the way I was saved--or rather, the person who helped me is the problem."

Reimi gave her a wry smile.

She said, "She was a girl with red eyes. She wore a white coat like a doctor."

"a little bit..."

Anne's complexion changed at Reimi's words.

A red-eyed girl--for that alone, everyone living in this world is famous enough to know who they are referring to. and dangerous person.

Reimi opens her holographic display on the table and flips it over to show Anzu an image of her. A girl and a boy are shown on the display.

"I'm surprised. It hasn't changed at all from my memory. Ten years ago. Maybe the rumors about immortality are true."

A lovely girl of about 14 or 15 years old, with a petty face reminiscent of a cat. She has red jade eyes in large slits hanging from her eyes, and a white coat. The moment Reimi's memories revived, she should have known immediately who it was.

"Junko Yukioka"

Anne muttered the name with her mysterious expression. Junko Yukioka, a mad scientist who knows no one in the back alleys. Anne is also this Tasmanian devil, and she has seen the real thing many times. She also visits this store often.

A person who has developed numerous excellent firearms, drugs, and biological weapons, and even created a world-famous weapon brand called the Yukioka brand.

Whether it's a resident of the main street or a backstreet, they are subject to human experiments indiscriminately. There are various anecdotes, such as the fact that several organizations came into conflict with each other.

In fact, several organizations and individuals have turned against her, resulting in her being slaughtered. She is such a troublemaker that an information bulletin in the back alley publishes an article about Junko Yukioka at least once a week.

She is said to be a demon-like person who brings disaster and suffering, but her scientific and technological prowess is said to be more than a century advanced in the modern age where scientific civilization is stagnant, and many death merchants and illegal drug dealers. The organization wants an exclusive contract with Junko Yukioka.

She also has various achievements and achievements not only in the back streets, but also in the main streets. For example, it is said that Junko Yukioka was involved in the production of the latest laser satellite "Tsukuyomi" that completely neutralized the continental ballistic missiles deployed after the US-China War. There is also a story that ten years ago she was in the subjugation team of the giant monster "Arraune" that appeared in Japan.

"Those guys, all dressed in all black with suspicious white embroidered stars on their chests, killed their families one after another in front of me. That was the worst anti-vomiting imaginable. It was a way to make it happen.It was very stimulating to me at the time.I didn't even faint.And when it was finally my turn, the child appeared.Here again, my memory flies, but I realize Then the suspicious group was all dead.I think they were killed by Junko Yukioka.So, she smiled at me and said, "It's okay now." So, when I woke up, I was at home, but I don't have any memories of that time again, this is it."

Reimi held her head and let out a big sigh.

"It's very dramatic. It's full of mysteries. If you search for who they are and why they were hostile to Junko Yukioka, you'll probably find out a lot of things."

"If that's the case, then even I can look into it. But I don't have any clues. Even the magic associations and magic school organizations in the back streets don't have anything that corresponds to that clothing."

Of course, not only Reimi, but also Anzu has cooperated in searching for such a group all this time. However, despite years of research, the group that Reimi mentions has not been found.

"It might sound bad to say this, but it's starting to get interesting. It's interesting. Why were you hostile to Junko Yukioka, and why did you help me? By chance, you were there when they were about to attack. , I might have just helped you by the way."

"I think so. That's why I tried to contact Junko Yukioka by e-mail, but she told me that she was busy and would like to take a break for a while. I wonder if I can contact you using my connections."

"Hey, you're connected... I have an idea, but if I try to force contact with him because he's been refused once, I wonder if he'll bend his navel."

As she said this, Anzu lowered her eyes to the boy next to Junko Yukioka.

A boy with a well-proportioned face that could be called a fair-haired boy, with impressive large eyes that tend to be black. It was clear at a glance what Reimi intended to project with Junko Yukioka's image. If she becomes hostile to Junko Yukioka, this boy will also become an enemy.

"Makoto Aizawa, commonly known as Junko Yukioka's murder doll.

"Yukioka's appearance hasn't changed for many years, so it's mostly known that he's immortal, but this face photo that's been around for a long time hasn't changed at all. It's literally a robot made by Junko Yukioka, a living creature There are rumors that it's a weapon, but it's said that he's killing all the monsters who are hostile to Yukioka.

Saying that, Reimi laughed and shrugged her shoulders, but from Anzu's point of view, Reimi was also excited.

"Hmm, even if you visit, it would be better to assume the worst situation and gather various information in advance.

"That's what I thought, so I came to talk to you."

Reimi grinned.

"Not only that, but to show me the continuation of the story. I've been involved in this matter for a long time."

Anne said it jokingly, but she actually thought so. She is unscrupulous, but out of sheer curiosity, she wants to see Reimi's revenge drama to the end and find out what the truth is. And of course she wants to cooperate with her as her best friend.