Chapter 3: Peace Diamond (Parts 1-2)

Chapter 3 Part 1

— Where... is... Yasuragi?!

Miru-chan, coming towards me, says:

— B-but senpai, we've never used the diamonds!

I understand her concern, but if the diamond chose her, then there shouldn't be much of a problem.

In moments like this, all I can do is calm the situation and make her feel more confident.

— We have to do it... for the gothic lolita!

I say it out loud... while striking a Jojo pose...! My plan worked, calming Miru-chan through laughter...

— ...senpai, I think you don't really know the true meaning of gothic lolita...

The expression on her face tells me it wasn't funny at all...

— Eh? But it's gothic and she's a loli so I thought that... Ugh!

A black panther leaps at me.

Wait, a black panther? Where did that come from?!

I just remembered she had a cat, why would it have changed to a black panther?!

And why does the diamond's power affect other beings?!

Now is not the time to be distracted by nonsense; I'm in the middle of a battle, I should take this more seriously.

Kibō enters my diamond, I start emanating a powerful aura that pushes the panther away.

Kibō says to me:

— I'll try to help you, I'm not doing all the work, so...! Create a weapon!

— And how am I supposed to do that, idiot?!

— Have hope for once in your life!

— What's the point of that?! What hope am I supposed to have?!

Ai enters Miru-chan's diamond.

— We have to fight too, Ai-chan!

— Understood, Miru-chan!

Angel wings start sprouting from Miru-chan, and a bow appears in her hands; she begins to ascend through the narrow school corridors emanating a pink celestial aura.

From what I can see, she can control her powers decently.

I hear other students saying things about her.

— Oh, dude, I told you she was an angel!

— I always knew it!

It seems like the situation doesn't worry them at all; they're just admiring how beautiful Miru-chan is.

Makoto comes running into the hallway where everything is happening.

— U-Uraseku? What's going on?!

While I try to fight the panther, I respond to Makoto:

— I-I don't know either, but I'll figure it out!

Tch, damn it, I don't know how to create weapons; I'll have to use my fists!

I shouldn't distract myself by fighting the panther right now; the girl has been gathering power since she arrived...

I manage to push the panther far away from me.

— Hey, Miru-chan, take care of the cat; I'll take care of her!

— A-Are you okay, Uraseku-senpai?!

I notice her sad and worried look towards me.

— I'll try to survive this...

I say, smiling.

She hesitates for a moment, then nods firmly.

— I understand, be careful...

Miru-chan manages to corner the panther and starts chasing it around.

All my classmates begin to evacuate.

I'm left alone with the girl who seems to have finished gathering her power.

— Hey... give me Yasuragi!...

— Tch!

She reveals medium-sized black wings, much like those of a demon.

I knew a hard blow was coming, so I try to strike a fighting pose and protect myself, but my inexperience in this is working against me.

— Graaagh!

She's really furious, fast; she flies towards me and hits me in the stomach.

Her blow was too strong; it sends me flying into the wall.

That blow weakened me; I feel like all the air has been knocked out of me...

I fall heavily to the ground, very weakened.

— I...

I slowly get up, wiping the blood from my mouth.

— I... won't give you Yasuragi!

She can't control her anger; she lunges at me again, starting to deliver brutally strong punches, and I just try to dodge as best I can.

My mind goes blank not knowing what to do in a moment like this.

Tch... there's something Seji-sensei taught me... it's like knocking someone out... I wish I hadn't tried it on myself...

I have to find the perfect moment to knock her out, always being careful not to hurt her too much...

Miru-chan starts testing her powers against the panther; it's only a matter of time before she defeats it.

— Wait...!

I tell the girl as she continues to throw punches and I keep dodging.

— W-we need to talk!

— We have nothing to talk about...!

Out of nowhere, she conjures up her weapon, which seems to be a magical staff.

— So disappear if you don't want to die!

She can create weapons... but apparently doesn't know how to use them; in her fit of rage, she just hits me with the staff.

Her blows are brutal and strong; I try to defend myself, but even that is very painful.

If this keeps up, I might end up unconscious or dead.

She strikes too hard, tearing my uniform significantly; I try to defend myself with my diamond, but it's impossible.

— What are you doing?! Create a weapon!

— Shut up, Kibō, that's what I'm trying to do!

I'm reaching my limit, spitting blood... starting to feel dizzy...

I get distracted for a moment, and the girl grabs Yasuragi.

Yasuragi tries to calm her down.

— Th-this isn't you, remember!

Miru-chan steps in; she has defeated the panther, which has returned to its original form as a very small black cat.

Miru-chan tries to help, but the girl unleashes a powerful energy blast towards her wings, knocking her down.

Instinctively, I run towards her with all my strength and catch her to prevent her from hitting the ground; from all the hits and bruises, my uniform is soaked in blood, I can barely stand...

My uniform is torn in many places, and I'm bleeding worryingly.

Miru-chan is very tired, not opening her eyes; seeing her so injured, I just want to end this once and for all.

I gently lay Miru-chan on the ground.

Turning towards the girl, I say with a tired, wavering voice.

— Forgive me... f-for what I'm about to d-do...

I use all my strength and speed to get behind her and apply the technique Seji-sensei taught me.

— Agh...!

I've knocked her out... and before she falls to the ground, I catch her in my arms.

Miru-chan regains consciousness and says to me:

— S-senpai... Uraseku, you're very injured!

Miru-chan stands up and runs towards me.

— I-I should take you to a hospital!

— D-don't worry...

Kibō exits the diamond.

— She'll be fine; she's at peace again for some reason, in that case, the diamond will heal her.

— Alright...

Despite not having much strength left, I decide to carry the girl in my arms.

Turning to the teacher who is still there, I say:

— Sorry for the damage caused, Mr. Cehota, but we have to go now; I hope you understand.

All those who secretly watched us had surprised expressions on their faces from what they witnessed; I don't blame them.

Ai exits Miru-chan's diamond and says:

— Well done, Miru-chan, for your first time using the diamond, you did great!

Kibō says:

— I wish I could say the same...

I feel very weak... I won't hold on much longer...

— K-Kibō...

— I'm Kibō!

With a smile and tears of pain in my eyes, I say:

— The diamond... is hurting me...

Two new cuts appear on my face.

My eyes roll back; I'm about to collapse to the ground, with my last strength, I manage to fall backwards so the girl isn't hurt too much by the fall.

— Senpai!

The last thing I see is everyone rushing towards me to help.

I hear someone calling out to me; it catches my attention, it's Hiroki...

— They too...?

I can't understand what he meant by that; finally, my eyes close, and I fall unconscious...

Chapter 3 Part 2

I'm not dead...

— An unfamiliar ceiling...

The first thing I see upon waking is the hospital ceiling, but beside me, I sense a presence.

— Uraseku-senpai, you're awake!

Miru-chan launches herself into a hug.

What can I tell you? It smells like the sun! Wait, what does the sun smell like? I'm still not used to Japanese love phrases, especially because I've never used them...

— Miru-chan, how long was I unconscious?

— Um... two days.

I lost two days in here; this can't be...

— I see, so the doctors already know about my diamond.

Miru-chan gives a sarcastic look.

— After everything that happened, everyone knows...

I hadn't thought about that.

— Hahaha, that's right! In a small town like this, rumors spread like wildfire, I guess people here are really nosy!

— Nosy?

— Ah...!

I forgot that I shouldn't use Salvadoran words here because nobody understands them...

— Forget about that; by the way, what about the girl?

Right now, all I care about is whether she's okay.

Miru-chan seems happy, so I suppose she's fine.

— She has recovered thanks to the diamond; she still hasn't woken up, but her parents are taking care of her. It seems her heart is at peace again, and the diamond has returned to normal.

I'm glad our efforts weren't in vain.

— I see, you did a great job, Miru-chan.

I smile shyly.

— No, no! You also did a great job, Uraseku-senpai.

She smiles affectionately.

I spend some time talking to the doctors about my condition.

They told me I'm completely healed, which astonishes me; I thought the diamond would only harm me.

I'm also surprised they didn't do any strange tests on me; I won't mention it to them at all, just in case.

I can't solve the mystery of the diamonds, nor do I think I'm anywhere near figuring it out.

There's no point in staying in the hospital, so Miru-chan and I decide to go to Seji-sensei's pupuseria.

As the doctors were discharging me, it became night.

On the way, Miru-chan shows me where the girl lives.

Now that she's calmed down, I should visit her to make up for the trouble I've caused.

I chatted with Miru-chan for a while about what happened at school; apparently, we only had those two days off, and we'll have to go back to regular classes tomorrow.

At this point, there's no need to hide the topic of the diamonds anymore.

We finally arrive at the pupuseria; I was expecting a warm welcome...

— Hahahaha! A little girl almost killed you! Hahahaha!

Seji-sensei and Kibō were laughing at me.

— Hey, how do you know that?!

— Kibō told me everything; he also said you couldn't summon your weapon.

Kibō is still laughing hysterically, but Seji-sensei has stopped laughing.

— The diamond rejects me; how do you expect me to do that?

Miru-chan intervenes.

— Hey, hey! He did a good job.

She eases the tension a bit and before leaving, she says to me with a sweet smile:

— You should rest, Uraseku-senpai...

My face turns as red as a tomato; after that, Miru-chan and Ai leave the pupuseria and go home, leaving only Seji-sensei, Kibō, Chie, and me.

Seji-sensei proudly says to me:

— Look how great you are, son! Not every Salvadoran would catch the attention of a Japanese schoolgirl!

— Don't think that all Salvadorans have an inferiority complex; I knew from the beginning that a Japanese girl would be interested in me.

I never really believed a Japanese girl would be interested in me... I don't even know if she likes me!

— Uh-huh... whatever, Seji-sensei, I'm going to bed.

Chie, completely drunk, lunges at me and says:

— Come *hic* eat pupusas and drink sake with me!

Seji-sensei smacks Chie on the head and very sternly says:

— Absolutely not, he's not old enough to drink yet! And put that sake down!

— Noooooo *hic* oooooooo!

... I'll have to get used to this kind of thing if I'm going to live with this diamond.

Living...

Kibō takes a seat in the pupuseria and says to me:

— Come on, you should eat, even just a little.

— You're unusually kind today, Boki.

— I'm in such a good mood that I don't even care if you say my name wrong; just come and sit down to eat.

I sigh heavily and, turning to Seji-sensei, I order two mixed pupusas for myself and one cheese pupusa for Kibō; I also order two chocolate drinks.

— Alright, they'll be ready soon; by the way, you won't have classes tomorrow, so you should help me here at the pupuseria.

— I'm sorry, Seji-sensei, I have something important to do tomorrow.

Seji-sensei serves us the chocolates; we thank him, and Kibō says to him:

— Are you going to visit the girl with the peace diamond?

— Exactly.

I nod seriously.

Seji-sensei questions me seriously.

— You're going to the house of an eleven-year-old girl? That won't cause you problems in the future, will it?

— Hey! What are you implying? I'm still underage, so it doesn't matter!

Despite the jokes, I spend a pleasant evening with them.

I finish my dinner, watch some TV, play a game, and then take a shower.

The steam from the hot water fills the bathroom.

While showering, I'm thinking about what to bring to that girl as an apology for the trouble I may have caused.

— Hmm, what could I bring to an eleven-year-old girl I don't know who almost killed me?

I start thinking about things that might appeal to a girl...

A doll, a dress, a bow...?

I just remembered she had a very peculiar style of dress; will she like guitars?

I don't have money to spend on those kinds of things.

I let the water run, wasting my time waiting for something to come to mind.

I'm overcomplicating things.

— I know! I'll bring her some chocolates.

My mind lights up; kids like sweets.

I turn off the shower and head to my room to sleep; tomorrow, I'll pay her a visit, although I don't know why I plan to do that.

Now that I think about it, she might not have woken up yet; either way, maybe one of her parents is home, it would be a good time to explain what happened.

For now, I'll just sleep...