Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Edited by LyraDhani

A short distance away from the maze, Tsugumi remembered the object in his pocket. It was the remaining self-defense items. He didn’t expect Suzushiro to fail, but it would be better to give her these items just in case. These things should be held by those who need them.

As Tsugumi thought about this, he was reminded of the strange object he had just seen.

–The red flame-like shadow that seemed to cling to the left half of Suzushiro’s body. Perhaps he had seen it wrong, but there was a possibility that it was a sign of something.

Suzushiro was the last fortress in this battle. If the cause for concern could be alleviated, he should take an action.

So, he called out to Chidori, who was walking in front of him.

“Hey, Chidori. I’ve got something for Suzushiro-san, so I’m going over there for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

When he said this, Chidori looked doubtful.

“Give her what? Oh, is it perhaps the sword that Mibu-san is carrying?”

“No, it’s the remaining self-defense items that Meibuki-senpai gave me. …I’ll take that one too, just in case. If she says she doesn’t need it, I can just bring it back.”

“But isn’t it dangerous to go back?”

“It’s all right. With the speed of that Ogre, it will still take some time to arrive. It’s faster for me to get away.”

Chidori lowered her eyebrows in concern at the Tsugumi’s words, but then let out a sigh as if she had no choice.

“I think it’s okay because Suzushiro-san is there, but be careful.”

“Yes.”

When he replied, Tsugumi pulled the sword out of Mibu’s hand. The blade was wrapped in cloth, so there was no danger in carrying it around. Tsugumi waved lightly to Chidori and began to run toward the maze.

◆◆◆

–And then, in front of the maze, Tsugumi saw Suzushiro biting down on a scream with blood pouring from her left hand. At her feet, a pair of pliers stained with blood had fallen along with some reddish-black object. Looking at its shape, it was just the size of a fingernail.

Given the circumstances, he could only assume that she removed her own fingernails, but he wondered what had happened in the short time he was away.

As Tsugumi stared at Suzushiro from behind in dismay, Suzushiro turned around and opened her mouth, clucking her tongue.

“Why do you come back? …Ah, I didn’t want people to see me like this. –Don’t worry about this. I don’t have time to answer.”

Sweat pouring from her forehead, Suzushiro said so in a broken voice. Even though he was told not to worry, he couldn’t help feeling curious. However, it was not the kind of atmosphere where he could ask for details.

…Perhaps it was necessary for the skill to be activated, but it was painful.

Tsugumi was dismayed, but he spoke up about his original purpose.

“That, I thought I’d give you the weapon Mibu-san had, just in case. And I have a smoke ball for blinding, so I thought it might be of some use…”

“I don’t want a sword. I don’t think I can carry it. But I’ll take the smoking ball. …Well, I don’t know why you have such a thing.”

“A friend of mine gave it to me for self-defense. There are various circumstances… It’s pretty easy to use, if you throw it hard enough on the ground, it will start smoking.”

“Hmm? Well, okay. Thanks. You should go over there soon. The Demonic Beast is just around the corner.”

With these words, Suzushiro took the bag containing the smoke ball and put it in her jacket pocket. She exhaled painfully from time to time, but it seemed that her breathing had stopped being erratic.

Tsugumi bowed lightly, put the sword back in his hand, and hurried away. Then he looked in the direction of the beast. –He saw it.

The Ogre, covered in the pink liquid that had a tear gas effect and carrying a metal rod in one hand, was heading toward the maze at a steady pace with a look of fury on its face.

But the moment its eyes met Tsugumi’s, the beast stopped and roared into the sky.

“Ggahhhhhh!”

Tsugumi was pierced by murderous intent. The demon stopped roaring and stared straight at Tsugumi. He watched the beast’s movements in a cold sweat.

–Maybe, the Ogre is holding a grudge against me.

There were a number of reasons that came to mind, to say the least.

First of all, he had run into the Ogre with a motorcycle. The next one was the horrible attack on its face. And if he included the fact that he had interfered with it killing people, then Tsugumi must be quite an eyesore for the Ogre. It wasn’t surprising that he got targeted.

The Ogre, while increasing its walking speed, did not look away from the Tsugumi, as if it were looking at a vindictive enemy.

“…this, isn’t this beast coming towards me the way I ran away?”

Suzushiro let out a loud sigh and slapped Tsugumi across the chest with one hand.

“I wish you would have just escaped without doing anything unnecessary!”

The words of resentment spilled out of Suzushiro’s mouth. Tsugumi bowed his head, feeling deeply sorry.

“I’m really sorry …I didn’t think I would be resented by the Ogre.”

…His action was well-meaning, but it backfired.

If he left the maze at this point, the Ogre would probably follow his path. That would ruin the whole operation. And her resolve – even her injured finger.

He kept her eyes down and began to speak in a determined voice.

“I’ll go into the maze with you. Then the demons will arrive, and it won’t hinder your strategy, right? It’s my fault the plan went wrong. Let me take responsibility for that.”

If Tsugumi had not bothered to return to the maze, things would have gone on without any problems. Then it was natural for Tsugumi to take the risk for atonement.

Suzushiro looked a little hesitant at the Tsugumi’s offer, but then slowly shook her head.

“I honestly didn’t want to get civilians anymore involved, but I guess I don’t have a choice this time. …It’s pretty dangerous, will you still help?”

“Of course. Anything you say.”

When Tsugumi responded with a serious look on his face, Suzushiro gave a small laugh.

“Well, then, I’ll let you do your best. Hmm, but when the subjugation is over, let me hit you once. I was really pissed off earlier.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better…”

It felt like he was hit with a rather strong force earlier, but he supposed he shouldn’t worry about that. Rather, if he could be forgiven with that, it would be great.

Tsugumi then turned around and stared at the distant back of Chidori, which was getting further and further away. He put his hands together and bowed a little, apologizing to Chidori in his heart.

–Sorry, Chidori. I can’t go back yet.

But all that was left to do was to fit the maze into the plan he had heard beforehand. It might be a bit of a hassle to get out, but as long as he didn’t injure his leg, it shouldn’t be a problem. It wasn’t a situation that Chidori had to worry about.

“Then, it’s about time. Let’s get going. If you get lost and enter the dead-end, I won’t be able to help you.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Then, Tsugumi was led into the maze by Suzushiro. The Ogre followed, destroying the door in the way.

–The game of tag was about to begin.

◆　◆　◆

“–Eh, Tsugumi, why are you inside…?”

They didn’t know Chidori, who stopped in the distance and looked back toward the maze, was stunned by what she saw.