152: A Small But Strong Vessel
It has been about five hours since the Hinosmera outburst that burned Kasumigaseki and Ginza to the ground. The Ark Dominion underground secret base was filled with a hectic atmosphere.
「Injured people coming through, uii! Please make way, uii!」
「It hurts, oraui…… At the end…… I want to run through the Akagi Pass with everyone once again, orauii…… Gaku」
「Pull yourself together, president! Presideeeeeeeeeeent!!」
「Sshi ~anunnrurussa ~on~ou! !」
The man being carried away on a large stretcher was the former president of the North Kanto Mysterious being Union and now the organizer of the Zako fighters, the gray wolf mysterious being, Bancholf. This time, more than 400 people from the Ark Dominion participated in the operation, and many injured people were brought into the secret base in addition to Bancholf.
「Open the warehouse of the teaching corps as well! Bring me as much morphine as you can!」
「Oi Usanyi, your ears are also bleeding a little, right? Shall I use my spit on it?」
「Hahyuh!? Th- th- th- this is the enemy’s blood! Rather than this minor general, General Bearion is the one with more wounds on your body……!」
「Gahahahaha! A scar across the face is a man’s badge of honor!」
Naturally, there was no way that everyone could fit in the small infirmary. In the Dark Cathedral, where Rintaro and Dragius had their first encounter, there were now many temporary beds lined up. It is easy to see how large-scale this operation was for Ark Dominion.
Fortunately, most of them suffered only a few broken bones.
Except for one seriously injured.
「Hey, don’t move yet! You were unconscious until just now, it would be too much for you to stand up right now!」
「…… I’m sorry, Doctor. But I really have to go now.」
「Rintaro……」
「Please, Minato.」
As a doctor, Minato could not allow her patient to be overwhelmed. However, Minato was weak against Rintaro’s stagnant eyes.
「……Umm, Rintaro …… Rest……」
「Thanks, Minato! Then I’ll be off!」
「Aah, Wait……! ……Haa」
After saying that, Rintaro walked away with such a leisurely pace that he didn’t look like he was injured. Still blaming herself for being a pushover, Minato watched Rintaro’s shrinking back.
「……! It hurts……!」
Rintaro checked to make sure Minato was not following him and held his throbbing side. Several ribs were broken, and the bruises were bad.
Although he escaped the impact by falling on his back, he had fallen 50 meters to the surface of the sea alive. As one might expect, he could not have been all in one piece.
However, Rintaro never stopped his steps. Whether a wound opened or a bone was broken, such things are merely trivial.
（Physical wounds can be healed later. But……）
Now “she” needs Rintaro.
In the corner of the darkened hall, which resembled a field hospital, there was a space separated by partitions. A girl, who was sitting on a pipe chair with her arms crossed at the entrance, cried out in surprise when she saw Rintaro’s face.
「Huh senpai, is it okay for you to move now?」
「I am not really okay yet. So how is it, Samecchi’s condition?」
「There doesn’t seem to be any sign of distraught at this point. Vital signs are also normal」
Kirika gave her report in a matter-of-fact manner, playing with her silvery white hair with her fingertips.
For better or worse, it was probably a good decision to put Kirika, who is the type of person who keeps her distance from others, on Samechi. At first glance, she may seem indifferent, but from her downcast eyes and her inability to stop playing with her hands, it appeared that she was quite concerned in her own way.
「Thanks Mayuzumi, thanks for your hard work. ……I thought she’d be crying more.」
「Although she is physically well, Samecchi’s mental health is more of a problem. If you’re going to enter, you’d better be prepared.」
「Yeah, I know.」
Rintaro briefly thanked her and, at Kirika’s urging, sneaked through the partition. A ghost wearing white sheets was sitting on a simple temporary bed.
The girl, covered with a sheet over her head, hurriedly plopped down on the bed when she saw the man who had entered.
Rintaro, watching her, silently sat down on the bed.
「…………」
「…………」
Samecchi, who had turned into a caterpillar on a bed sheet, only twitched a little from time to time and did not say anything. From the small sound of sniffling, Rintaro knew that Samecchi was holding back her sobs.
After a short silence, Rintaro was the first to open his mouth.
「I heard from Minato, you saved me. If it weren’t for Samecchi, I’d be food for fish in Tokyo Bay.」
After being caught in the collapse of the Rainbow Bridge, Rintaro had little memory until he was rescued by a helicopter. However, Minato and the Zako fighters told him that Samecchi had “swam” to Rintaro’s rescue.
Rintaro isn’t someone who doesn’t understand what that fact means.
「It’s about Hinosmera… apparently she hasn’t been found yet.」
The pile of sheets shook noticeably at his words. Rintaro gently patted Samechi’s back through the sheets.
「Aniki……」
After muttering a few words, Samecchi jerked up and looked at Rintaro’s face. Her large eyes were filled with tears that looked as if they were about to spill over.
A large hand was placed on Samechi’s head, who still did not cry aloud. aniki’s strong but somewhat warm hand was trembling a little.
「Aniki…… Hino-chan is……」
The words, spun in a muffled voice, were cut off there. Silence flowed between the two, as if waiting for Rintaro to speak.
Rintaro slowly opened his mouth, as if gently touching the cruel silence with his fingers.
「……That person, the Purgatory Mysterious being Hinosmera, committed many sins. She made many enemies and hurt many people.」
Rintaro thinks that this is what a “mysterious being” should be like. Perhaps it is because Rintaro is a former hero that he felt this way.
Despite this feeling, Rintaro continued.
「She…… Perhaps she is an evil that can’t be redeemed. Perhaps she shouldn’t be forgiven, and should be judged by the world.」
It is the nature of mysterious beings that their very existence is a crime and that they harm everything. It is the consensus of many individuals, organizations, and social justice itself that judge them.
Kuriyama Rintaro, once known as “Victor Green,” was the first of his kind. A genius at hunting mysterious beings, he was nicknamed the “Green Convict”.
Tears were about to well up in Samecchi’s eyes at the harsh words.
Rintaro gently wiped his fingers around Samechi’s eyes.
Then he took a small breath and tightened his stomach.
「But that kind of thing doesn’t matter.」
Samecchi’s eyes widened.
「……No matter how evil or guilty she was. Hinosmera was an important friend to Samecchi. Just as Samecchi was a precious sister to him.」
His own past looked down at Rintaro as if in mockery.
But that’s okay, just let him laugh.
In front of Rintaro’s eyes now were large, tear-filled, half-moon-shaped eyes and a half-open mouth lined with fangs. Holding the slender, trembling body close to him, Rintaro spoke his words quietly but clearly.
「Samecchi, I couldn’t protect your friend. sorry.」
That one word made the small but strong vessel of Samechi broke down.
「Bieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!!!」
A deafening, loud voice echoed through the dark cathedral. Everyone heard it, the wounded, those being tended to, and everyone else.
Rintaro thought. Samecchi surely did not want him to hear this voice.
She did not want to show her weakness to the many others who had been hurt because of her.
So until now, the girl had to bear everything still and alone.
「Bieeeee!!! aniki, Anikiiiiiiii!!!」
「…… You’ve really gotten stronger, Samecchi.」
Rintaro continued to hold the little body until she stopped crying.
How much time had passed? Suddenly, a small sound came from Rintaro’s chest.
He saw that Samecchi had buried her face in his chest, as if to hide her red cheeks. After crying so much, it was only natural that she would be hungry.
「Haha, well, aniki is hungry too. Samecchi, what do you want to eat? I’ll make you anything you want.」
「………………Curry……」
Rintaro’s cheerful question was answered by a small response from his chest.
「Curry? Do you want to eat curry?」
「……Samecchi wants to eat aniki’s curry, ssu…… The kind with lots of shrimps in it.……」
Rintaro huffed a smile and patted Samechi’s head once more.
At the same time, there was suddenly a lot of noise behind the partitions.
「Hey Mikarikki! Don’t push too hard!」
「Hohoho, I apologize. As you can see, my width is a little wider than others…」
「Your width and your antennae are getting in the way, bastard! My face has been stinging for a while now!」
「The white fish that dwells in the pure water is as modest as a petal swaying on the surface of the water. A crown of gold and a wand of silver are like a flower in full bloom.」
「Zazoma-sama said, “It’s better than your hair that can pierce the thickness of your face”.」
「What did you say, bastard!!!」
「You guys calm down! If you push that hard, we will fall! Ah!」
The partition that had just been propped up fell down with a bang. In response, the partitions on all sides surrounding the bed fell down all at once.
Stunned, Rintaro’s eyes meet those of dozens of mysterious beings.
「「「「「Ah」」」」」
Perhaps called by the cry of Samecchi, the mysterious beings gathered there from all over the Ark Dominion.
「……Umm, we just wanted to eat curry.」
「Th- Th- Th- That’s right! It’s not like we were peeking!? Right!?」
Some of the mysterious beings had bandages all over their bodies and others were on crutches. Whatever the reason, it probably means that Rintaro was not the only one who was more worried about Samecchi.
Rintaro sighed helplessly and put his hands on his head.
「Geez, you are really a bunch of rough guys. I am also an injured person though.」
That day, curry for 400 people was served at Ark Dominion’s underground secret base.
「Oh, well, what about General Tagaraak? I don’t think I’ve seen her since the mission.」
「Don’t be stupid, brother, there’s no way a robot would eat curry! Gahahahaha!」
As Rintaro, his ribs broken, impatiently served up refills for 400 people, he was a little concerned about the blonde-haired young girl who never showed up.
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