Chapter 1: Part 4

Part 4

After Shiori glanced at Homura, who was talking to her with unconcerned eyes, she returned some words back with a voice that had little intonation similar to her father.

"You flatter me. You too have become a really handsome man haven't you?"

"Hah-. Stop it with the flattery."

"Even after five years you are still ugly as usual aren't you?"

"So it was really just a flattery…"

"Well, but it really has been so long. You look healthy that it made me feel sick."

While spouting poisonous words like that, Shiori briskly approached near until the table between Homura and Onjouji.

And then she was going to sit besides Onjouji, however she soon seemed like rethinking back and moved her legs towards Homura's direction.

"Fuh-"

She took a seat besides Homura. And then after taking a single breath, she plopped her head leaning on Homura's shoulder.

A floral scent of shampoo gently tickled Homura's nose.

"What? So even though you abused me with hateful words, but the truth is you actually loved me?"

While saying so Homura circled his hand on Shiori's shoulder.

But that hand was *pachin!* struck down.

That hit was also done without holding back, he felt the numbness until his bone.

"…What. Shiori, you didn't love me?"

"Such thing is even more impossible than the sun rising from the west."

(It's on cataclysmic level you said…!)

"Then why are you clinging this close to me?" f "Because I like your scent."

"Even if you praise my body odor, I'm troubled how to reply to that."

Homura twisted his body uncomfortably, but Shiori didn't pay it any mind and brought her cheek closer to Homura's shoulder.

Onjouji asked a question towards that daughter.

"Shiori. Why did you come here? I should have told you to wait at the platoon room of the 101st."

"It can't be helped don't you think? Leader and Nakajima-kun are quarreling in the platoon room so annoyingly."

Homura picked out the name Nakajima from the 101st's data that he had a read of before this.

It was the name of the only male in 101st, the male that today abandoned Chikori alone and ran away.

"Well, as a leader surely she is going to complain of something like that."

Because of that one's action, Sumika almost died, so it was only natural to complain.

"There is also that but, it's also because Nakajima-kun suddenly said that he is going to get out from the platoon. …He said that he already got the permission from Otou-san, but I wonder if that's true?" [3]

"It's true. He was headhunted by a different platoon and moved into the 67th trainee platoon. In exchange there is a plan to enter Homura as the replacement, but… Although they are still trainees, but a talk about fellow magicians quarreling with each other is not really good. Homura. My bad but take a look at the situation. No matter what you also have to show your face officially to them after all. You should take this opportunity while you're at it."

"…geez, I get it."

Homura replied and stood up.

He was not enthusiastic to stick out his neck into other people's quarrel, but it had been decided already that he was going to look after the 101st. It was looking for trouble but, Homura was not an obstinate person that was going to look for every single trivial reason just for an excuse not to do what he had decided to do already.

"Shiori. Show me the way to the 101st's waiting room. You know the way right?"

"It can't be helped."

When he asked her, Shiori stood up without even showing him any reluctant attitude.

And then she exited the board chairman's room together with Homura.

"This way."

Saying that, Shiori took Homura's arm as if embracing it.

"Are you a ghost that resides inside my hand or something?"

"I like this hand you know. After all, this is the first scent that I know that makes me feel safe."

"…Oh yeah?"

"What? You don't like it?"

"No. This makes us a picture of a handsome man and a beautiful girl couple, ain't that great?"

While making that kind of frivolous talk Homura matched his pace with Shiori's steps and walked for a while.

Homura asked her something that weighed on his mind.

"Speaking of it, before I came here I took a look at the 101st's data, but you are [Rank D] it said? Your results are also full of red marks all over the paper, you really are making light of this. Is there any reason that you don't want to get serious?"

The strength of a magician was assessed in 6 levels from S to E, but among those ranks, rank D was quite a poor student. One could agree even if a magician of that rank was entered into the .

But Homura knew about Shiori's true power.

The girl's power was not something to be sorted into a degree of rank D. That was why he was feeling doubtful.

In response, Shiori gave a curt answer.

"I don't have any interest in going along with children playing soldier."

"Are you at the age that thinks getting worked up in a marathon and trying to win is uncool?"

"Isn't it fine? Even if my results are bad, it's not like I troubled anyone. Besides I did the minimum duty in my work as an Operator that no one can be dissatisfied with. There is no reason for anyone to complain to me."

"What a girl that is not cute at all."

"I'm happy to hear that from you."

―Was that the way of talking of someone that was hugging his arm?

(In the past she was a girl that was a little bit easier to understand though.)

'She is really rebellious now', Homura heaved a deep sigh inside his mind.

Against that Homura,

"Now that you mentioned it, I too have one thing that I want to ask you."

This time the question came from Shiori.

"Hey Homura. Why did you come to Japan after all this time?"

"No idea. Ask your father. And then after that teach me why."

"…So you really returned here without knowing anything. Otou-san being your superior is already something from a long time ago right? Even though the has already been dissolved a long time ago, why are you still following his orders? Are you gay?"

Absolutely not.

"That's because he is a man that can be trusted in a bad meaning. Ain't like I can even ignore him. …Rather, why are you that concerned? This doesn't have any relation to Shiori right?"

"Yes, that's right. It's just, makes me concerned."

Just then, *ton*, Shiori lightly pushed Homura's arm and separated their body.

And then, with blaming eyes she burned a clear fire of hatred―and said.

"A good-for-nothing that threw away his various promises and ran away, just what is he doing returning back here after all this time."

"…That's mighty harsh how you say it."

Homura shrugged his shoulders from Shiori's hostile gaze.

(Well, it's only obvious that she is angry.)

Five years ago, he got out from Japan without saying anything to Shiori.

That was the conclusion Homura reached from thinking about Shiori in his own way, but Shiori being angry like this was also only natural.

Because Homura also thought so, he couldn't even give an excuse or gloss over the matter in regards to the girl's blaming gaze.

Thereupon, as if Shiori had no interest in Homura that was like that, she returned her gaze to the front and resumed leading the way.

Their arms were already separated, now Shiori was walking briskly with a fast pace.

After a while,

{Your whining is annoying! It's my own business no matter which platoon I want to move to!}

{What's with your attitude-!!}

From the other side of the path corner, the angry voices of a male and female could be heard.

There was no mistake.

At the other side was the platoon room of the 101st.

"Hey. It's annoying right?"

"Well, certainly, it makes me want to just get away too…"

"I don't want to enter inside that anymore, so I'm going back first to the dormitory."

"Right. Thanks for the guide."

Shiori lightly waved her hand after telling him her farewell, and Homura advanced towards the corner alone.

Passing through the corner, there was a door there attached with a plate numbering 101.

The quarreling voices reverberated out from inside the door.