DURARARA!! Vol.4 CHAPTER 5, PART I
WARNING: UNBETA-ED.
CHAPTER 5
A PEDESTRIAN'S GUIDE TO IKEBUKURO IKEBUKURO ATTACKS BACK II: THE VIOLENCE LEGENDS OF IKEBUKURO
The future -
Excerpt from the Foreword of Ikebukuro Attacks Back II -
Hi.
Before we start there are several things I'd like you to know. I have no intention of revealing my true identity, and trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I did.
So this is what I will tell you. I'm not going to say exactly what I am - I'll leave that to your own imagination.
Either way, I had virtually nothing to do with the events mentioned in this book.
Except maybe the "Ripper Night", but my involvement in that incident was limited to the cyberspace - I had nothing to do with it in the real world.
That's right...I was just an observer.
All I did was...watch.
I told you I was not planning to reveal my identity, but I can at least tell you my name.
My name is Shinichi. Tsukumoya Shinichi.
Feel free to forget it since it's not all that important anyway.
Excerpt from Chapter 5 of Ikebukuro Attacks Back, The Shadow Rider Soars Under the Sun -
Do you know about the bousouzoku incident on that Ikebukuro afternoon early this spring?
Several gangs of bousouzoku had soared down the road while fighting against each other. It was a scene reminiscent of the Spanish Los Sanfermines or tornado attacks.
They were fighting while moving at an extreme speed. For the residents, tourists and people who had come to do their shopping it was probably pure shock.
It was said that a police officer on a white motorbike took down all the gangs single-handedly.
So what had triggered this incident?
It was the Black Motorbike - the being opposite to the White Motorbike in every way.
There was a commotion online the day before this incident happened.
A shocking video aired on TV (explained in more detail in other chapters) led to a big talent agency offering a reward of ten million yen to anyone who could find out the real identity of Mr. or Ms. Black Rider on the Black Motorbike.
People went after the money like bees after honey for a few days - after all, all they needed to do was to go after a motorbike and reveal the rider's identity, and the sum of the reward rivaled that of a cross-talk contest or the jackpot in a TV quiz show.
It only lasted for a few days because complaints about the commotion came from the police, local residents and even the agency's own actors and actresses, forcing the agency to withdraw its offer.
But that too caused another commotion. The reward made it to headlines the very next day, and its withdrawal left the media in major confusion. A Tsuchinoko*-like mania swept through the society after the Black Motorbike...or, to be exact, the transformation process of the motorbike to a horse was captured on film by cameramen from a certain TV channel.
*Tsuchinoko: a legendary snake-like cryptid.
Is that video real or fake? It remained controversial - but I know the truth.
However, I will not say it here.
I mentioned in the foreword that I will not interfere in the happenings in this city.
I have to be nothing more than an observer in order to write this book.
I will not reveal the real identity of the Black Motorbike in this book no matter what.
I really do know it, though. It's your choice whether to believe me or not.
Similarly, there were other events that led to the "Ikebukuro Bousouzoku Incident".
Although if you only look at the way the incident ended, you'll naturally be led to think that it was only a rumpus caused by bousouzoku coming from other cities who later went back home.
But there was "something else".
Something that was not covered in newspapers or on TV.
I know what it was, but I will not tell.
If you really wish to know, please go find out on your own.
Everything has a hidden side.
But you'll never get to know it unless you pay.
If you wish to know, you'll end up having to get yourself involved and experience on your own.
I am no exception.
All I did was watch.
Therefore - I have no way of knowing how the parties involved felt about the incident even if I do know what actually happened behind the scenes.
I will say to you what is obvious: the parties involved do know how they themselves felt.
That's the way it is. If you really wish to find out the truth behind the scenes, you need to pay - whether the payment be in the form of money, time, or interpersonal responsibility. Pay for your viewership - and then you'll be able to browse the world like a book.
If you're strong enough, you can also extract the truth from the parties involved using your physical strength.
But I wouldn't recommend it since it would probably spell the end of you.
- Unless you're strong enough to defeat the debt collector in the bartender suit, that is -
In which case I won't stop you.
♂♀
Now - a national highway in Ikebukuro
"Stand still, bastard!"
"Shahzoahhhhh!"
"Dahjahhhhh!"
"drfthjk - !"
The young men, shouting nonsense as they soared, had Celty cornered on her motorbike.
- Ahhhhhh...why...why did things have to turn out like this?
The number of bousouzoku had increased; what was worse, a van that looked like it belonged to a TV station was now on their tail.
- If they want ten million yen that badly -
- Why don't they just work hard and save 50,000 yen each month and keep doing that for 200 months?
Celty shouted things somewhere between sensical and nonsensical in her heart. She tightened her grip on the handles and cheered her black motorbike on.
- We're flying, Shooter!
The black motorbike seemed to get what she was trying to say immediately. Instead of the sound of an engine came a sharp neigh as the motorbike pranced off the ground as if it were on springs.
"W - W - What......"
One of the bousouzoku screamed.
No wonder he was shocked - the motorbike had jumped at least two meters high into the air without a springboard.
The giant shadow jumped off the ground at a slightly askew angle, flying over the guardrail and at the direction of the sidewalk, even flying over the heads of dumbstruck passers-by -
And "landed" on the vertical wall of a building. It soared on with its side car parallel to the ground.
Celty let hand-shaped shadows extend from her body to grasp the baggage, from which the human hand continued to dangle and threaten to fall off the side car altogether.
The bousouzoku could only stare as their common sense was rendered increasingly useless -
"What are you playing at? Oi!"
"You want us to cut your limbs off?"
"Watch yourself or I'll engorge your ears!"
Their fuse seemed to have burned out at the inflow of supernatural phenomena into their senses. They continued to chase after Celty whether out of embarrassment, anger or sheer excitement.
- Ahhhhh! I really shouldn't have agreed to take this piece of baggage!
Celty was reminded forcefully of what had led her to.
♂♀
The past - thirty minutes ago
"I'm sorry to not have been able to make this job easier for you."
The male who was saying this to her was wearing sunglasses and a gauze mask that covered his nose. Additionally, he pulled his cap so low that his face was almost entirely concealed.
The tall, suspicious-looking male pointed at the large bag sitting next to him and explained the job.
"I want you to keep this for a day."
[Keep this?]
"Yeah, I have my reasons...anyway, if anyone sees it today I'll be in trouble. You can get rid of it any way you want after 24 hours from now. If you want to bring it back to this park, I can take care of it. Ah, also, please don't try to find out what's inside the bag......"
The job sounded outright fishy.
Even if it hadn't, Celty still had to keep in mind that she was already wanted. She'd be in even greater trouble if the contents of the bag turned out to be bombs or transponders. Celty decided to not conceal her anxiety as she began to type.
[......Sorry, but could you tell me who gave you my name?]
"An information broker named Orihara Izaya."
[......Ahh, that explains it.]
- Just like I thought.
It was not the first or second time suspicious clients had come to her.
Among the jobs they entrusted her with there were, for example, requests like "Please take this handmade bomb my subordinate made behind my back to a construction zone in the mountains and get rid of it." and she had already found herself several times in action-film-like situations.
These suspicious clients knew her almost invariably from Orihara Izaya.
Celty pondered this over for a moment - and realized that the bag was just about the right size of an average human. She heard her heart's sirens wail.
- I've been asked to transport people who had been drugged with sleeping pills before......in fact, it was Izaya who had asked me.
Celty shook her head quietly as she was reminded of what happened about a year ago.
- If it were any other day I would still have taken this job, but today...it's just not the best idea to.
- I'll refuse politely.
[I'm really sorry, but I'm only a courier. If you're looking for a place for safekeeping, I suggest that you try the bank.]
"I know. But I really want you to take this job."
[I don't think I can - ]
Celty's fingers stopped typing at that.
The male had handed her the white envelope he was holding and said after looking around to make sure no one was listening:
"How about I pay you in full now since you know how this job is going to be like? I can only hope that this is enough, though......"
The envelope he had handed to her contained - if not as many ten-thousand yen bills as the envelope she had lost the day before - then at least about 80% as many.
Celty deleted everything she had typed in silence. It took her only a second to type anew the following words:
[I'll do it!]
♂♀
Now - a national highway passing through Ikebukuro
- Ahhhhh......I should never have accepted the money...
- I was too thoughtless...too thoughtless! Just because I lost money the day before...
But it was too late for her to regret.
The White Motorbike had without doubt also seen the human arm when it dangled from the bag.
Before that all she had violated was the traffic law, and she would only get punished if they had been able to catch her. But if she was to become a murder or a body-abandoning suspect, she would doubtlessly become wanted by the police. Celty felt like she could cry at that thought.
- It's OK if the police are to go after me...
- But I don't want to part with Shinra because of that!
- How long will I have to hide before it's no longer legal for them to treat me as a body-abandoning suspect?
- Will they be able to treat me as a suspect at all if they don't find the body?
Celty jumped from the side of the building and landed on another.
Her movement looked too smooth to be real, to the extent that the viewer would easily mistake it for some sort of CG effect.
- Screw it. I thought I was ready for whatever situation this job would land me in...
- I know the way I make my living is abnormal as it is......!
- But I still can't afford getting arrested now......!
- I should at least try to get away from Ikebukuro before I get anyone I know into trouble......
Celty continued to soar on her motorbike as she contemplated her plight after her arrest.
Faces she knew rushed to her mind one after another.
- Ahh, a lot has happened this year......
- I met Mikado and other people...and became a Dollars......
- I became friends with Anri-chan as well......
- Most importantly, Shinra......
- ......
- Shinra......
- Ahh, I can't!
Love and sadness rushed to her heart at the same time, but unfortunately she had time for neither.
- Cheer up!
- Do something!
- Figure out a way out of this!
There was no reason to give up before she had at least tried what she could.
Celty made up her mind to focus on getting away from the bouzousoku on her tail. She turned her sensors forward and made a turn at a crossing.
There was no danger of running into another vehicle as long as she kept her motorbike on the wall. She managed to do so with her shadow and was able to get rid of the bousouzoku coming for her from behind by taking a sharp turn without decelerating.
But she knew it was not going to be long before they caught up with her again.
Just as she turned into another street to eventually go back onto the main street and get rid of them once and for all -
She saw a familiar-looking van driving down the road right beside her.
- That's......
It was an unforgettable van with anime characters painted on its door.
- That's Kadota, Yumasaki and Karisawa's van!
Celty decelerated immediately as this thought (which would have made Togusa cry had he been able to hear it). Then - something struck her as weird about the van.
- Weird?
- Wait...wait a second...why...how come......
She noticed small dents all over the van's body and star cracks on the windshield; it looked as if the van had just escaped slightly scathed from a commotion.
Celty quickly got off the wall and closer to the van.
From the van, voices came as the people inside took notice of her.
"......Black Motorbike!"
"Celty-san!?"
"......Celty-san!"
"Ah, Cel-chi!"
"Isn't it Celty-san?"
"What's up? Who is it, Ryuugamine-sempai?"
"Ahhh! It's the Black Motorbike! The Black Motorbike, Kuru-nee!"
"Shock (No way)......"
Celty started as she saw a number of faces she did and didn't know pressed against the window of the van. She adjusted her speed to keep up with the van.
Concealing the baggage in her side car from their view with her shadows, she steered the motorbike expertly with one hand and typed with the other:
[Sorry, the bousouzoku's after me! Try to get away from me as fast as you can!]
"......"
Kadota smiled hollowly at the words she managed to type and replied:
"Actually......we're probably the ones who should be saying sorry to you, Black Motorbike-san."
- Eh?
At that moment, horns blowed from behind.
Celty turned sharply to find a gang of bousouzoku on their motorbikes.
"We already have some after us as well."
The aggregation of violence and pent-up energy merged with the gang chasing after Celty -
The resulting group consisted of over fifty motorbikes and advanced on them with as much killing intent as there was in a typhoon.
[Should we despair now?]
"Not when there's still one single hope."
Celty tilted her helmet, not understanding what Kadota had just said. Kadota smirked and said:
"These guys are all 'guests' in this city. We, on the other hand, are 'Dollars', aren't we?"
"If anyone dares intrude on our territory...we'll just have to make them learn."
♂♀
Two hours ago, somewhere in Ikebukuro
"Oi, bro."
The young men who had two girls cornered turned around in surprise as Kadota called out to them.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
"What do you want? Ah?"
Kadota flexed his neck muscles and cackled his joints at their fierce replies and said:
"I just found it funny...that four grown men are picking on two little girls."
"......"
"Show me your sticker with your gang name and I'll change it to 'the Rampaging Lolicons' for you."
"Shut up! Die!"
Kadota provoked them as a way of greeting.
One of the delinquents fell for his tactics and grabbed his collar.
Kadota used the momentum to crush his nose with his forehead as his collar was pulled forwards.
"Gahhh!? ...Urgh!"
The delinquent's face was distorted at the sudden impact. From his now-askew nose blood gushed out a second later.
"That was close. What kind of bastard tries to knock people out with his nose? You were lucky that my skull didn't crack."
Kadota touched his forehead as he said apathetically to the delinquent, who groaned in pain as he pressed his hands to his face.
The other three delinquents stopped smirking and instead stared with angry and alarmed eyes at Kadota, who continued to act as if he were the victim.
"You...ahhhhhhh - ahhhhhhhhh! Gulp! Uh! Uwah!"
"!?"
One of the delinquents yelled suddenly, and everyone else looked in his direction.
They saw a man moaning with his hands cupping his genitals and a girl in a gymnastic suit holding on to her schoolbag.
It wasn't hard to guess what had just happened just by looking at the male. The whites of his eyes were showing as he pressed his lower belly in pain.
As the delinquents stood frozen on their spots -
The bespectacled, docile-looking girl, who didn't look in the least worried that her panties would be showing, stepped onto one of the motorbikes and delivered a kick at the jaw of the male next to it.
Her shoes were safety shoes with iron plates placed inside at the front - which made them totally "unsafe" weapons against the delinquents.
"Gulp......"
After a second, the male stumbled and fell.
That left only one delinquent still standing. As for the one who had blood gushing out of his nose - Karisawa and Yumasaki had tied his wrists together with his turban.
"......You...you...you just wait! Especially you, the capped one!"
The unhurt delinquent glared at the girls and turned to threaten Kadota instead.
It looked like he was planning to pretend that they had never been gotten the better of by two little girls and blame everything on Kadota.
Kadota watched the men escape on their motorbikes and turned to say to the girls in a sailor uniform and a gymnastic suit respectively:
"Oi, we'll be in trouble if they call the police or get more of their people to come over. It's about time we got out of here."
"Eh? Ah......."
"I'm Kadota. You're Izaya's sisters, aren't you?"
"Ehhh!? You know Iza-nii!? ...Ah, now that I think of it, we've met you once before!"
Mairu looked genuinely surprised, while Kururi, who had probably been aware from the very beginning that Kadota was an acquaintance of their brother's, lowered her head and said:
"Thank (Thank you)...very (very much)..."
"No...no problem. I know this may sound patronizing, but you attract too much attention for your own good. If you're going somewhere, my friend can drive you - how does that sound?"
"Uwah, really?"
"Yep, but there's no way we would be able to drive you to Hokkaido even if you asked."
Mairu brandished her hands and asked a bitterly laughing Kadota:
"Listen! We were planning to walk around Ikebukuro for an entire day today! Someone we know was supposed to contact us, but we were told to 'Wait for the call to tell you the time and place to meet'!"
"What does that even mean? ...Whatever. These two people are going to show some Raira students around Ikebukuro as well, do you wanna tag along?"
Karisawa and Yumasaki considered this for a few seconds before answering casually:
"Yeah~we won't mind at all."
"Not at all~these girls look kind of like 2D characters anyway."
"Shut up."
And this was how these people came to move together as a group that afternoon.
Kadota tried to convince the girls several times that they should head straight home, but he didn't insist further once they told him that they had something they must do in the city.
- Whatever. If worst comes to worst I'll just contact Izaya and tell him to take these two home.
He nodded to the girls once he had made up his mind. He called Togusa and took the girls to a nearby cafe to wait for the van.
A short while later -
Just as they were about to get into Togusa's van, about five times as many delinquents caught up with them on their motorbikes, and the chase - or the fight - began.
♂♀
Now - inside Togusa's van on a national highway passing through Ikebukuro
"So that guy was just pretending to run away - he was actually following us around and thought he could get us when we were about to walk out of the cafe."
"My, my, did these guys grow up reading nothing but manga with delinquent protagonists?"
"I'm sure it's not like that, Karisawa-san! Delinquent protagonists in manga are almost always manly with a strong sense of justice! If they used them as textbooks in schools boys would have known never to bully girls!"
"But isn't that because they are too stupid to understand what the textbooks are trying to teach them?"
"......But - !"
Yumasaki and Karisawa's conversation was as predictable as ever even in their current perilous situation with scores of motorbikes chasing after them.
"W - What are we going to do about this? Are we calling the police......?"
Kadota shook his head at Mikado's shaky inquiry.
"I think someone else already did that! I saw several white motorbikes just now! The problem is whether we can get away from them in these few minutes before more police can come. If these guys are going to gang up on us with steel pipes...I can still deal with them, but you'll be screwed."
"T - That's true......"
"Don't worry. I'll at least make sure to get you and the other students out of here. If worst comes to worst we'll charge straight into the police station."
A never-heard-before sound came from the driver's seat as Kadota said this. Mikado, on the other hand, relaxed somewhat and nodded -
- Don't!
He hastened to tell himself that he should put others first.
- I should make sure to get Sonohara-san, Aoba-kun and those two girls over there out of this place first......
- But I can't just run away and leave the Dollars people and Celty-san to deal with this on their own either......!
He gritted his teeth trying to fight back his fear as he was reminded of the time when they had charged into the Yellow Turbans' meeting place - and of the time he had first met Celty.
- I might...die...but...I have to do something......
Aoba, who saw Mikado tighten his fists with a stern look on his face, talked to him in a surprised tone:
"Um...Ryuugamine-sempai, are you all right?"
"Eh? Ah...ah...ahhh, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, I'll at least try to get you......"
"No...it's not that...actually, forget about it..."
"?"
Mikado was confused for a moment at Aoba's ambiguous reply -
- before he turned his gaze towards the window again.
Something that looked like a bag could be seen in the side car Celty had apparently installed on her motorbike.
"Celty-san...now that you're wanted......"
For a split second.
In that fraction of a second the boy stared at Celty, and said something that sounded completely out of place.
"Will we ever be able to...see each other with light hearts again?"
♂♀
The Black Motorbike with entire gangs of bousouzoku on its tail soared alongside Togusa's van.
Everyone in the van was also being chased, even though getting themselves involved in this incident was never the intention for some of them.
Celty, Kadota, Togusa, Karisawa, Yumasaki, Mikado, Anri, Aoba, Kururi and Mairu.
Ten protagonists in a Great Escape.
Celty would have been able to fight the bousouzoku on her own - but if she were to do so, she would face the great risk of being cornered by the White Motorbike and his subordinates.
- Wait, why don't I just do that, since that way...I'll at least be able to make sure everyone in the van gets away safely......
Celty looked back and scanned the crowd behind her as she thought.
They had increased in number, and two TV helicopters had joined them in mid-air.
- Screw it, I can't risk making everyone look like they're accomplices of someone who's about to abandon a corpse......
- If I'm not careful enough their faces may even be seen on television......!
Kadota and his gang will probably be able to deal with it, but Anri, Mikado and other students will be in greater trouble. They may even get expelled if people knew that they have been involved with these riotous bousouzoku riots and myself -
- What should I do...
- What should I do? What should I do!?
She had always been alone.
She had been a courier in this town for years without having to worry about such things. For her all humans had been mere "others" - even Shinra.
Even if she got caught, or killed, or if her identity got exposed - she would still have only her own safety to worry about.
Shinra had stopped being just an "other" since that incident a year ago.
She had come to meet many people. Within a year, her "relationship" with the world that surrounded her had changed completely.
She was no longer alone.
Celty at last realized what kind of burden had come with that fact.
- ......
She was reminded of a casual conversation between her and Shinra at home as well as other trivial happenings.
♂♀
Several weeks ago, Shinra's apartment
[Ikebukuro witnesses the advent of an exotic fairy, Celty!
A dullahan in the modern disguise of a headless rider, Celty has come to Ikebukuro in search for her stolen head and memories!
But there, she falls in love with the young Shinra, and instead of looking for her head chooses to enjoy the everyday life of the enamored!]
"......That would be my basic setup for the story! Celty-san deviates slightly from tsundere in my opinion! She's a new type of character somewhere between tsundere and 'straightforward but aloof'!"
"Ehhh - Yumacchi really has a narrow mind when it comes to identifying tsundere. I'd say tsundere is just fine!"
"Celty-san is different! But if you have to categorize...she's a strong and capable character, but she's kind of missing the 'aloof' part of 'straightforward but aloof'! She's actually an 'older sister' type of the Edo-era variety! Sort of like 'older sister flings herself at an unreliable young guy'...right! That's what they call an 'older-younger-sister' type!"
"That's just confusing."
In place of a table there was a kotatsu* in the room, around which Yumasaki and Karisawa sat warming their feet and exchanging opinions airily.
Listening to the exchange, the other pair of male and female on the neighboring table began to talk among themselves.
[Shinra.]
"Why that face, Celty?"
[Why did those two just burst into our apartment and start a discussion about me? Plus...where did they get my personal information?]
"Ah, that. I figured they would know at some point anyway so I just told them...I ran into Kadota and these people at the bar...and Yumasaki-kun brought up these awesome rumors about you..."
[......]
"So I told them you're my girlfriend...well, since they'd know anyway...and how we did this and that kind of stuff when we dated...whoops, guess alcohol is scary when it starts talking for you...ahhhhh that hurts that huuuurts Celty what are you doing. I see you're a tsundere after all ehhhhh that hurts that hurts really that huuuur - "
[No problem. Now that I'm being called tsundere anyway I'll just use my shadow to treat you to some real 'tsuntsun' before I'm supposed to go 'deredere'.]
"You say it's 'tsuntsun'...but it's kind of way asphyxial ahhhhhhhhh.......!"
Looking at the other pair being all predictable, Yumasaki and Karisawa carried on with their just-as-predictable conversation.
"See? I told you she's a tsundere."
"Nope, these two are too honest about their feelings for each other to be tsundere. I'd rather say it's a form of mutual soft SM...Celty-san is topped mentally but Kishitani-san is topped physically...but seeing how they both enjoy it so much, they must both be on the S side!"
"That's just confusing."
♂♀
Celty's chest heaved as if laughing at the trivial piece of memory.
- "My girlfriend", he said...
- That's...heart-warming, really.
- I have been too careless this year.
- Too happy.
She immediately scolded herself for her naïveté.
After she was done being mad at herself -
She began to think.
And think.
- Well, that's why.....
Celty used her shadow as a third hand to type words onto her PDA.
- That's why...right......
And - threw her PDA to Kadota in the navigator's seat as she maintained the same speed as the van did.
- I can't just abandon everything I have right now.
" - ! Oi, Black Motorbike, are you...serious?"
Kadota asked as he handed the PDA back to her. Celty simply raised her thumb at him in silence.
"......I see...hey, Black Motorbike. I know your name, although not directly from you. So this may sound strange to you..."
The male who had never before talked to Celty stared at her with a solemn expression and raised his thumb in reply as he said flatly:
"I'll thank you afterwards, Celty."
Celty made up her mind in silence as her heart gradually calmed down upon hearing his voice.
- Ahh, that's right...whoever the opponent, whatever happens, and whenever they attack - I will not give up my ties to this world.
- How could I?
- They're everything I have left now that I have lost my head.
Celty let the shadow scythe form from her hand after she had strengthened her resolve -
And headed for a certain destination with the van to give her scythe some room to work to their advantage.
They weren't that far away from the gangs chasing them. Fortunately for them, the traffic lights have so far had mercy on them and their path was clear. Thanks to all the havoc the bousouzoku had been wreaking around the town, the traffic had thinned considerably.
Celty and Kadota's gang used these conditions to their advantage and made it to their destination in about a minute -
They were now right under the railway overpass that connected the West and East Gate of the Ikebukuro Station.
The van kept going -
While Celty turned her Coiste-bodhar around and made him come to a screeching halt.
Scores of motorbikes had caught up with her.
Ironically, she only became aware of this fact at the sight of the White Motorbike.
As her conversation with Shinra that morning came back to her mind -
Celty chose the best timing to raise her giant shadow scythe high.
The next second -
Like a giant spider sitting in its lair -
Countless ropes extended themselves from Celty's scythe and formed a giant web in the tunnel under the overpass.
♂♀
At the same time, the Headquarters of Medei Group Awakusu-kai
Awakusu-kai was a branch under Medei Group, which had its territories throughout Ikebukuro.
The innermost room was furnished with an expensive-looking desk, picture frames and black leather sofas. In every way, the room looked like a typical yakuza's headquarters as portrayed on TV. However, the entrance looked like any other office's.
Kazamoto, one of Awakusu-kai's executives, were listening to his subordinate's report in this office-like room furnished to conceal what was really going on here.
"......So gangs from other cities are doing whatever they liked......"
"......Just ignore them as long as they don't do anything to stores under our protection. Leave the rest to the public servants who should be doing something with our tax money."
He was young, but his eyes were as sharp as a reptile's.
After giving the sarcastic reply, he asked his subordinate another question.
"And? What did you find out...about Yadogiri?"
"Yes. Shiki-san has gone to visit that underground doctor."
Kazamoto tapped his cheek several times with his fingers and continued:
"Actually...I don't care. Headless Riders...monsters, ghosts or aliens, I don't care what conclusion the world eventually comes to. I don't give a damn whether these supernatural things exist or not."
"Y - Yes."
"The problem is, that Miss Top Idol he asked us to 'take care of' - she gave four of our men hell...usually we would have blamed it on their own carelessness and made sure to take care of her anyway, whatever that takes......"
The subordinate asked nervously as the lizard-like male continued in a nonchalant tone.
"So...so this time things are different?"
"Correct...the man who made that request happened to have the guts to not tell us everything about her, which led us into danger - we should really be after him since he was effectively looking down on us."
The subordinate managed to answer as cold sweat trickled down his spine at the male's freezing voice.
"That's...right. But...I heard...that the plan was not to kill that woman......"
Kazamoto averted his gaze for a second. There was a trace of warmth in his voice now that wasn't there before:
"That is kind of hard to explain...it's true that the request was for us to 'bury her in the mountains', but our plan was to send her to some foreign connection we have."
"Y - Yes, but why..."
"......You're asking too many questions."
Kazamoto fixed his subordinate with the most unrelenting gaze he had given him up until now. Turning his chair to face him with his back, he began to tell the embarrassing truth:
"I heard that our head thinks Hijiribe Ruri - our target - reminds him of his daughter he had married off to someone with a more decent occupation...and he's like her No.1 fan. Apart from that, several of the Medei Group's heads are her fans as well......"
"I...I see......"
The subordinate was still at a loss as to what to say. Kazamoto said in a fainter voice as if eager to shoulder part of the embarrassment for his superiors:
"And, um...Shiki and I are fans as well...look...um...she's not just any pretty girl, is she?"
♂♀
Two days ago, midnight, Hanejima Yuuhei's apartment
"You might get killed - did that thought...never occur to you even for a split second?"
The male pinned to the bed -
And the killing monster sitting astride him.
She could easily have pierced his heart with bare hands - at least according to the news.
The young man did not let out a single wail as his own death looked down at his face.
The killing monster's hand, meanwhile, was visibly shaking.
In only seconds - which felt like minutes to Hijiribe Ruri, or the killing monster "Hollywood" -
Her consciousness threatened to abandon her several times.
She felt like she was no longer herself. Her vision blurred several times.
The silence was insufferable for Ruri, who felt even her lips tremble.
So it came as an immense relief when the male under her began to speak.
".......Can I ask you something?"
"......What?
"Do you wish to kill me because you're afraid I might tell others?"
"......Maybe."
Ruri averted her eyes in silence as the flat voice of the male - Hanejima Yuuhei - sounded in the room.
- No...it's not like that...
- I'm not doing this because I'm afraid that he's going to tell -
As her body continued to tremble, Ruri realized what she was feeling.
It was fear.
She felt at the same time cold and nauseated, to the point her heart was threatening to freeze over.
- Not to mention I really can't bring myself to do this...
- I probably won't be able to kill this man, whether I had had a plan or let my instinct lead me on.
- It's not only him.
- I probaby won't be able to kill anyone except for "those people".
What kind of emotion was being shown on her face?
Yuuhei, who was watching Ruri from underneath her body, told her in a tone flat and devoid of emotion as ever:
"If that's the case, it's better to give up."
"......?"
Ruri frowned and looked down at Yuuhei's strange suggestion.
The male's eyes were icy enough to conceal any emotion he might have had underneath.
"The surveillance cameras here should have captured me when I carried you into the building. And you as well, of course."
"......!"
"There's no way you would know where to find the surveillance videotapes, right? So I don't think there's any point in killing me if it's just for the purpose you mentioned."
Ruri couldn't help but shake like an autumn leaf at Yuuhei's calm reply, but she managed to regain her composure and say:
"......What if...my purpose is just to kill you?"
"Then I've got nothing to say...as much as I hate to be killed."
Yuuhei answered without a second thought.
The young man was immensely successful in every aspect of his life, but what he said was a little surprising to Ruri. She asked:
"......That's unexpected...do you not want to be killed?"
"No. I still have many things I haven't been able to do."
"......"
Ruri's eyes popped wide as she heard his reply.
She stopped to smile widely as if she had seen a mysterious creature dancing.
She was still trembling slightly and feeling nauseated; but she smiled silently in something that felt like self-irony.
"What's so funny?"
"Haha...nothing...I was just amused that you said you could feel regret when you feel basically like a robot to me......what exactly are the things you want to do, you perfect mannequin?"
"Let me see. There are a lot of them, such as finishing the shooting of my newest movie......"
The young man considered this for a while in all seriousness without showing any emotion -
And reached a conclusion.
"But the most important thing I'd wish I had been able to do...would be to do something, anything, to stop the girl right in front of my eyes from crying."
Time stopped between the two of them as the young man said this with a voice and a face completely devoid of emotion.
"......"
"......"
There was no trace of emotion in Yuuhei's eyes.
But that only made it sound even less like he was joking or putting on an act.
Ruri kept her hand high after a brief silence as she said:
"Are you trying to flirt with me? Or are you sucking up to me to get me to spare you your life?"
"Could be either...I don't know. People say I don't seem to understand how others are feeling. Some say it's impossible to guess what I'm thinking. I feel the same way. But even if I don't really know about myself, I do know something..."
"......"
"A man fails the hardest when he fails to stop a woman's tears."
The young man's face looked so apathetic that he couldn't even be compared to machines; rather, there was something that bordered on Taoist and carefree about his apathy.
Ruri even began to feel like the male before her eyes was nothing more than an apparition. She continued to force words out of her throat:
"That's...your line as Carmilla Saizou, isn't it......"
"Yes, he's one of the people I respect the most."
"Respect...? But he's just a role you played..."
There was a note of resignation in Ruri's tone now as she was reminded of the movie in which she and the male had worked separate jobs.
Yuuhei, however, continued to talk about himself unflustered:
"That's right. I have respect for every role I've ever played, be it a killer or a delinquent or a lady boy in love."
"......"
"I grew up watching the negative example my brother had set - his emotions were too unconstrained. Therefore, I feel like I have missed a lot of important things I needed to grow into a complete person. That was why I chose to become an actor."
"Eh......"
"I wanted to feel the emotions humans feel through playing every role I'm cast in in movies."
Yuuhei said in an unembarrassed and apathetic tone.
Ruri lowered her hand in silence as she stared at the male who, rather than begging for her mercy, chose to say what he said when facing his own death.
- Ahh, he's the opposite...
- He's the opposite of me...
- He's the opposite of me, a human who wants to become a monster.
- He is a monster.
- He is a monster that wants to become a human.
He was not capable of extreme violence. He couldn't make fire erupt from his lungs, nor was he immortal.
But Ruri realized that the male in front of her had a mentality far more "abnormal" than hers.
She also realized that tears had begun to well in her eyes.
She didn't know whether they were tears of sadness or something else.
- That's why...this person...is more "human" than I am.
The male in front of her craved, more than any other human being on earth, the exact thing she was trying to get rid of.
What should she think of this man?
Should she pity him? Or sympathize with him? Or hate him? Or treat him as someone from a different world and ignore him altogether?
She was unable to decide.
Confusion.
The emotions she was determined to live without were overflowing and threatening to wash away her monster mask.
"......Sorry...you saved my life, and I still haven't said 'Thank you'."
She withdrew herself from over Yuuhei's body and murmured as she sat on the bed.
"......Thank you, I mean it...you saved my life."
"No, there's no need to thank me."
"Why...? And...speaking of which...why did you save me...?"
"......Well......think about it. Let's assume that you're 'Hollywood'..."
And then Ruri noticed.
Yuuhei's face looked a little bit troubled within that split second.
"I was trying to think of who on earth would be able to make you, with your superhuman strength, look the way you looked when I found you...and...could you answer this question for me?"
"?"
"Did it have to do with...someone in sunglasses and a bartender suit?"
Ruri looked up in surprise at her savior's inquiry.
The memory of the real "monster" who had sent her flying into the air with a park bench rushed to her mind.
"Is he...someone you know?"
"......Ahh, I knew it......"
Yuuhei sighed in what sounded like resignation and stood up quietly to say:
"Um, I'll tell you more about him later. Firstly I need to apologize to you for that."
"Apologize?"
Ruri gave Yuuhei a confused look; but it was not the best time to press him further.
The top idol looked something up on the computer screen and said:
"Speaking of which, I did something without asking for your permission first."
"......What is it?"
Ruri didn't know whether she should continue using honorific speech or go with something more straightforward and casual. Either way, she tried to continue the conversation while avoiding making him feel uncomfortable.
"Actually...it seemed to me that there were people on your tail...when you were unconscious. According to Kishita...that doctor, they didn't look like they were the most decent people, either."
"Eh......"
"So I took some precautions without consulting you first."
(TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II)
CHAPTER 5
A PEDESTRIAN'S GUIDE TO IKEBUKURO IKEBUKURO ATTACKS BACK II: THE VIOLENCE LEGENDS OF IKEBUKURO
The future -
Excerpt from the Foreword of Ikebukuro Attacks Back II -
Hi.
Before we start there are several things I'd like you to know. I have no intention of revealing my true identity, and trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I did.
So this is what I will tell you. I'm not going to say exactly what I am - I'll leave that to your own imagination.
Either way, I had virtually nothing to do with the events mentioned in this book.
Except maybe the "Ripper Night", but my involvement in that incident was limited to the cyberspace - I had nothing to do with it in the real world.
That's right...I was just an observer.
All I did was...watch.
I told you I was not planning to reveal my identity, but I can at least tell you my name.
My name is Shinichi. Tsukumoya Shinichi.
Feel free to forget it since it's not all that important anyway.
Excerpt from Chapter 5 of Ikebukuro Attacks Back, The Shadow Rider Soars Under the Sun -
Do you know about the bousouzoku incident on that Ikebukuro afternoon early this spring?
Several gangs of bousouzoku had soared down the road while fighting against each other. It was a scene reminiscent of the Spanish Los Sanfermines or tornado attacks.
They were fighting while moving at an extreme speed. For the residents, tourists and people who had come to do their shopping it was probably pure shock.
It was said that a police officer on a white motorbike took down all the gangs single-handedly.
So what had triggered this incident?
It was the Black Motorbike - the being opposite to the White Motorbike in every way.
There was a commotion online the day before this incident happened.
A shocking video aired on TV (explained in more detail in other chapters) led to a big talent agency offering a reward of ten million yen to anyone who could find out the real identity of Mr. or Ms. Black Rider on the Black Motorbike.
People went after the money like bees after honey for a few days - after all, all they needed to do was to go after a motorbike and reveal the rider's identity, and the sum of the reward rivaled that of a cross-talk contest or the jackpot in a TV quiz show.
It only lasted for a few days because complaints about the commotion came from the police, local residents and even the agency's own actors and actresses, forcing the agency to withdraw its offer.
But that too caused another commotion. The reward made it to headlines the very next day, and its withdrawal left the media in major confusion. A Tsuchinoko*-like mania swept through the society after the Black Motorbike...or, to be exact, the transformation process of the motorbike to a horse was captured on film by cameramen from a certain TV channel.
*Tsuchinoko: a legendary snake-like cryptid.
Is that video real or fake? It remained controversial - but I know the truth.
However, I will not say it here.
I mentioned in the foreword that I will not interfere in the happenings in this city.
I have to be nothing more than an observer in order to write this book.
I will not reveal the real identity of the Black Motorbike in this book no matter what.
I really do know it, though. It's your choice whether to believe me or not.
Similarly, there were other events that led to the "Ikebukuro Bousouzoku Incident".
Although if you only look at the way the incident ended, you'll naturally be led to think that it was only a rumpus caused by bousouzoku coming from other cities who later went back home.
But there was "something else".
Something that was not covered in newspapers or on TV.
I know what it was, but I will not tell.
If you really wish to know, please go find out on your own.
Everything has a hidden side.
But you'll never get to know it unless you pay.
If you wish to know, you'll end up having to get yourself involved and experience on your own.
I am no exception.
All I did was watch.
Therefore - I have no way of knowing how the parties involved felt about the incident even if I do know what actually happened behind the scenes.
I will say to you what is obvious: the parties involved do know how they themselves felt.
That's the way it is. If you really wish to find out the truth behind the scenes, you need to pay - whether the payment be in the form of money, time, or interpersonal responsibility. Pay for your viewership - and then you'll be able to browse the world like a book.
If you're strong enough, you can also extract the truth from the parties involved using your physical strength.
But I wouldn't recommend it since it would probably spell the end of you.
- Unless you're strong enough to defeat the debt collector in the bartender suit, that is -
In which case I won't stop you.
♂♀
Now - a national highway in Ikebukuro
"Stand still, bastard!"
"Shahzoahhhhh!"
"Dahjahhhhh!"
"drfthjk - !"
The young men, shouting nonsense as they soared, had Celty cornered on her motorbike.
- Ahhhhhh...why...why did things have to turn out like this?
The number of bousouzoku had increased; what was worse, a van that looked like it belonged to a TV station was now on their tail.
- If they want ten million yen that badly -
- Why don't they just work hard and save 50,000 yen each month and keep doing that for 200 months?
Celty shouted things somewhere between sensical and nonsensical in her heart. She tightened her grip on the handles and cheered her black motorbike on.
- We're flying, Shooter!
The black motorbike seemed to get what she was trying to say immediately. Instead of the sound of an engine came a sharp neigh as the motorbike pranced off the ground as if it were on springs.
"W - W - What......"
One of the bousouzoku screamed.
No wonder he was shocked - the motorbike had jumped at least two meters high into the air without a springboard.
The giant shadow jumped off the ground at a slightly askew angle, flying over the guardrail and at the direction of the sidewalk, even flying over the heads of dumbstruck passers-by -
And "landed" on the vertical wall of a building. It soared on with its side car parallel to the ground.
Celty let hand-shaped shadows extend from her body to grasp the baggage, from which the human hand continued to dangle and threaten to fall off the side car altogether.
The bousouzoku could only stare as their common sense was rendered increasingly useless -
"What are you playing at? Oi!"
"You want us to cut your limbs off?"
"Watch yourself or I'll engorge your ears!"
Their fuse seemed to have burned out at the inflow of supernatural phenomena into their senses. They continued to chase after Celty whether out of embarrassment, anger or sheer excitement.
- Ahhhhh! I really shouldn't have agreed to take this piece of baggage!
Celty was reminded forcefully of what had led her to.
♂♀
The past - thirty minutes ago
"I'm sorry to not have been able to make this job easier for you."
The male who was saying this to her was wearing sunglasses and a gauze mask that covered his nose. Additionally, he pulled his cap so low that his face was almost entirely concealed.
The tall, suspicious-looking male pointed at the large bag sitting next to him and explained the job.
"I want you to keep this for a day."
[Keep this?]
"Yeah, I have my reasons...anyway, if anyone sees it today I'll be in trouble. You can get rid of it any way you want after 24 hours from now. If you want to bring it back to this park, I can take care of it. Ah, also, please don't try to find out what's inside the bag......"
The job sounded outright fishy.
Even if it hadn't, Celty still had to keep in mind that she was already wanted. She'd be in even greater trouble if the contents of the bag turned out to be bombs or transponders. Celty decided to not conceal her anxiety as she began to type.
[......Sorry, but could you tell me who gave you my name?]
"An information broker named Orihara Izaya."
[......Ahh, that explains it.]
- Just like I thought.
It was not the first or second time suspicious clients had come to her.
Among the jobs they entrusted her with there were, for example, requests like "Please take this handmade bomb my subordinate made behind my back to a construction zone in the mountains and get rid of it." and she had already found herself several times in action-film-like situations.
These suspicious clients knew her almost invariably from Orihara Izaya.
Celty pondered this over for a moment - and realized that the bag was just about the right size of an average human. She heard her heart's sirens wail.
- I've been asked to transport people who had been drugged with sleeping pills before......in fact, it was Izaya who had asked me.
Celty shook her head quietly as she was reminded of what happened about a year ago.
- If it were any other day I would still have taken this job, but today...it's just not the best idea to.
- I'll refuse politely.
[I'm really sorry, but I'm only a courier. If you're looking for a place for safekeeping, I suggest that you try the bank.]
"I know. But I really want you to take this job."
[I don't think I can - ]
Celty's fingers stopped typing at that.
The male had handed her the white envelope he was holding and said after looking around to make sure no one was listening:
"How about I pay you in full now since you know how this job is going to be like? I can only hope that this is enough, though......"
The envelope he had handed to her contained - if not as many ten-thousand yen bills as the envelope she had lost the day before - then at least about 80% as many.
Celty deleted everything she had typed in silence. It took her only a second to type anew the following words:
[I'll do it!]
♂♀
Now - a national highway passing through Ikebukuro
- Ahhhhh......I should never have accepted the money...
- I was too thoughtless...too thoughtless! Just because I lost money the day before...
But it was too late for her to regret.
The White Motorbike had without doubt also seen the human arm when it dangled from the bag.
Before that all she had violated was the traffic law, and she would only get punished if they had been able to catch her. But if she was to become a murder or a body-abandoning suspect, she would doubtlessly become wanted by the police. Celty felt like she could cry at that thought.
- It's OK if the police are to go after me...
- But I don't want to part with Shinra because of that!
- How long will I have to hide before it's no longer legal for them to treat me as a body-abandoning suspect?
- Will they be able to treat me as a suspect at all if they don't find the body?
Celty jumped from the side of the building and landed on another.
Her movement looked too smooth to be real, to the extent that the viewer would easily mistake it for some sort of CG effect.
- Screw it. I thought I was ready for whatever situation this job would land me in...
- I know the way I make my living is abnormal as it is......!
- But I still can't afford getting arrested now......!
- I should at least try to get away from Ikebukuro before I get anyone I know into trouble......
Celty continued to soar on her motorbike as she contemplated her plight after her arrest.
Faces she knew rushed to her mind one after another.
- Ahh, a lot has happened this year......
- I met Mikado and other people...and became a Dollars......
- I became friends with Anri-chan as well......
- Most importantly, Shinra......
- ......
- Shinra......
- Ahh, I can't!
Love and sadness rushed to her heart at the same time, but unfortunately she had time for neither.
- Cheer up!
- Do something!
- Figure out a way out of this!
There was no reason to give up before she had at least tried what she could.
Celty made up her mind to focus on getting away from the bouzousoku on her tail. She turned her sensors forward and made a turn at a crossing.
There was no danger of running into another vehicle as long as she kept her motorbike on the wall. She managed to do so with her shadow and was able to get rid of the bousouzoku coming for her from behind by taking a sharp turn without decelerating.
But she knew it was not going to be long before they caught up with her again.
Just as she turned into another street to eventually go back onto the main street and get rid of them once and for all -
She saw a familiar-looking van driving down the road right beside her.
- That's......
It was an unforgettable van with anime characters painted on its door.
- That's Kadota, Yumasaki and Karisawa's van!
Celty decelerated immediately as this thought (which would have made Togusa cry had he been able to hear it). Then - something struck her as weird about the van.
- Weird?
- Wait...wait a second...why...how come......
She noticed small dents all over the van's body and star cracks on the windshield; it looked as if the van had just escaped slightly scathed from a commotion.
Celty quickly got off the wall and closer to the van.
From the van, voices came as the people inside took notice of her.
"......Black Motorbike!"
"Celty-san!?"
"......Celty-san!"
"Ah, Cel-chi!"
"Isn't it Celty-san?"
"What's up? Who is it, Ryuugamine-sempai?"
"Ahhh! It's the Black Motorbike! The Black Motorbike, Kuru-nee!"
"Shock (No way)......"
Celty started as she saw a number of faces she did and didn't know pressed against the window of the van. She adjusted her speed to keep up with the van.
Concealing the baggage in her side car from their view with her shadows, she steered the motorbike expertly with one hand and typed with the other:
[Sorry, the bousouzoku's after me! Try to get away from me as fast as you can!]
"......"
Kadota smiled hollowly at the words she managed to type and replied:
"Actually......we're probably the ones who should be saying sorry to you, Black Motorbike-san."
- Eh?
At that moment, horns blowed from behind.
Celty turned sharply to find a gang of bousouzoku on their motorbikes.
"We already have some after us as well."
The aggregation of violence and pent-up energy merged with the gang chasing after Celty -
The resulting group consisted of over fifty motorbikes and advanced on them with as much killing intent as there was in a typhoon.
[Should we despair now?]
"Not when there's still one single hope."
Celty tilted her helmet, not understanding what Kadota had just said. Kadota smirked and said:
"These guys are all 'guests' in this city. We, on the other hand, are 'Dollars', aren't we?"
"If anyone dares intrude on our territory...we'll just have to make them learn."
♂♀
Two hours ago, somewhere in Ikebukuro
"Oi, bro."
The young men who had two girls cornered turned around in surprise as Kadota called out to them.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
"What do you want? Ah?"
Kadota flexed his neck muscles and cackled his joints at their fierce replies and said:
"I just found it funny...that four grown men are picking on two little girls."
"......"
"Show me your sticker with your gang name and I'll change it to 'the Rampaging Lolicons' for you."
"Shut up! Die!"
Kadota provoked them as a way of greeting.
One of the delinquents fell for his tactics and grabbed his collar.
Kadota used the momentum to crush his nose with his forehead as his collar was pulled forwards.
"Gahhh!? ...Urgh!"
The delinquent's face was distorted at the sudden impact. From his now-askew nose blood gushed out a second later.
"That was close. What kind of bastard tries to knock people out with his nose? You were lucky that my skull didn't crack."
Kadota touched his forehead as he said apathetically to the delinquent, who groaned in pain as he pressed his hands to his face.
The other three delinquents stopped smirking and instead stared with angry and alarmed eyes at Kadota, who continued to act as if he were the victim.
"You...ahhhhhhh - ahhhhhhhhh! Gulp! Uh! Uwah!"
"!?"
One of the delinquents yelled suddenly, and everyone else looked in his direction.
They saw a man moaning with his hands cupping his genitals and a girl in a gymnastic suit holding on to her schoolbag.
It wasn't hard to guess what had just happened just by looking at the male. The whites of his eyes were showing as he pressed his lower belly in pain.
As the delinquents stood frozen on their spots -
The bespectacled, docile-looking girl, who didn't look in the least worried that her panties would be showing, stepped onto one of the motorbikes and delivered a kick at the jaw of the male next to it.
Her shoes were safety shoes with iron plates placed inside at the front - which made them totally "unsafe" weapons against the delinquents.
"Gulp......"
After a second, the male stumbled and fell.
That left only one delinquent still standing. As for the one who had blood gushing out of his nose - Karisawa and Yumasaki had tied his wrists together with his turban.
"......You...you...you just wait! Especially you, the capped one!"
The unhurt delinquent glared at the girls and turned to threaten Kadota instead.
It looked like he was planning to pretend that they had never been gotten the better of by two little girls and blame everything on Kadota.
Kadota watched the men escape on their motorbikes and turned to say to the girls in a sailor uniform and a gymnastic suit respectively:
"Oi, we'll be in trouble if they call the police or get more of their people to come over. It's about time we got out of here."
"Eh? Ah......."
"I'm Kadota. You're Izaya's sisters, aren't you?"
"Ehhh!? You know Iza-nii!? ...Ah, now that I think of it, we've met you once before!"
Mairu looked genuinely surprised, while Kururi, who had probably been aware from the very beginning that Kadota was an acquaintance of their brother's, lowered her head and said:
"Thank (Thank you)...very (very much)..."
"No...no problem. I know this may sound patronizing, but you attract too much attention for your own good. If you're going somewhere, my friend can drive you - how does that sound?"
"Uwah, really?"
"Yep, but there's no way we would be able to drive you to Hokkaido even if you asked."
Mairu brandished her hands and asked a bitterly laughing Kadota:
"Listen! We were planning to walk around Ikebukuro for an entire day today! Someone we know was supposed to contact us, but we were told to 'Wait for the call to tell you the time and place to meet'!"
"What does that even mean? ...Whatever. These two people are going to show some Raira students around Ikebukuro as well, do you wanna tag along?"
Karisawa and Yumasaki considered this for a few seconds before answering casually:
"Yeah~we won't mind at all."
"Not at all~these girls look kind of like 2D characters anyway."
"Shut up."
And this was how these people came to move together as a group that afternoon.
Kadota tried to convince the girls several times that they should head straight home, but he didn't insist further once they told him that they had something they must do in the city.
- Whatever. If worst comes to worst I'll just contact Izaya and tell him to take these two home.
He nodded to the girls once he had made up his mind. He called Togusa and took the girls to a nearby cafe to wait for the van.
A short while later -
Just as they were about to get into Togusa's van, about five times as many delinquents caught up with them on their motorbikes, and the chase - or the fight - began.
♂♀
Now - inside Togusa's van on a national highway passing through Ikebukuro
"So that guy was just pretending to run away - he was actually following us around and thought he could get us when we were about to walk out of the cafe."
"My, my, did these guys grow up reading nothing but manga with delinquent protagonists?"
"I'm sure it's not like that, Karisawa-san! Delinquent protagonists in manga are almost always manly with a strong sense of justice! If they used them as textbooks in schools boys would have known never to bully girls!"
"But isn't that because they are too stupid to understand what the textbooks are trying to teach them?"
"......But - !"
Yumasaki and Karisawa's conversation was as predictable as ever even in their current perilous situation with scores of motorbikes chasing after them.
"W - What are we going to do about this? Are we calling the police......?"
Kadota shook his head at Mikado's shaky inquiry.
"I think someone else already did that! I saw several white motorbikes just now! The problem is whether we can get away from them in these few minutes before more police can come. If these guys are going to gang up on us with steel pipes...I can still deal with them, but you'll be screwed."
"T - That's true......"
"Don't worry. I'll at least make sure to get you and the other students out of here. If worst comes to worst we'll charge straight into the police station."
A never-heard-before sound came from the driver's seat as Kadota said this. Mikado, on the other hand, relaxed somewhat and nodded -
- Don't!
He hastened to tell himself that he should put others first.
- I should make sure to get Sonohara-san, Aoba-kun and those two girls over there out of this place first......
- But I can't just run away and leave the Dollars people and Celty-san to deal with this on their own either......!
He gritted his teeth trying to fight back his fear as he was reminded of the time when they had charged into the Yellow Turbans' meeting place - and of the time he had first met Celty.
- I might...die...but...I have to do something......
Aoba, who saw Mikado tighten his fists with a stern look on his face, talked to him in a surprised tone:
"Um...Ryuugamine-sempai, are you all right?"
"Eh? Ah...ah...ahhh, yeah, I'm good. Sorry, I'll at least try to get you......"
"No...it's not that...actually, forget about it..."
"?"
Mikado was confused for a moment at Aoba's ambiguous reply -
- before he turned his gaze towards the window again.
Something that looked like a bag could be seen in the side car Celty had apparently installed on her motorbike.
"Celty-san...now that you're wanted......"
For a split second.
In that fraction of a second the boy stared at Celty, and said something that sounded completely out of place.
"Will we ever be able to...see each other with light hearts again?"
♂♀
The Black Motorbike with entire gangs of bousouzoku on its tail soared alongside Togusa's van.
Everyone in the van was also being chased, even though getting themselves involved in this incident was never the intention for some of them.
Celty, Kadota, Togusa, Karisawa, Yumasaki, Mikado, Anri, Aoba, Kururi and Mairu.
Ten protagonists in a Great Escape.
Celty would have been able to fight the bousouzoku on her own - but if she were to do so, she would face the great risk of being cornered by the White Motorbike and his subordinates.
- Wait, why don't I just do that, since that way...I'll at least be able to make sure everyone in the van gets away safely......
Celty looked back and scanned the crowd behind her as she thought.
They had increased in number, and two TV helicopters had joined them in mid-air.
- Screw it, I can't risk making everyone look like they're accomplices of someone who's about to abandon a corpse......
- If I'm not careful enough their faces may even be seen on television......!
Kadota and his gang will probably be able to deal with it, but Anri, Mikado and other students will be in greater trouble. They may even get expelled if people knew that they have been involved with these riotous bousouzoku riots and myself -
- What should I do...
- What should I do? What should I do!?
She had always been alone.
She had been a courier in this town for years without having to worry about such things. For her all humans had been mere "others" - even Shinra.
Even if she got caught, or killed, or if her identity got exposed - she would still have only her own safety to worry about.
Shinra had stopped being just an "other" since that incident a year ago.
She had come to meet many people. Within a year, her "relationship" with the world that surrounded her had changed completely.
She was no longer alone.
Celty at last realized what kind of burden had come with that fact.
- ......
She was reminded of a casual conversation between her and Shinra at home as well as other trivial happenings.
♂♀
Several weeks ago, Shinra's apartment
[Ikebukuro witnesses the advent of an exotic fairy, Celty!
A dullahan in the modern disguise of a headless rider, Celty has come to Ikebukuro in search for her stolen head and memories!
But there, she falls in love with the young Shinra, and instead of looking for her head chooses to enjoy the everyday life of the enamored!]
"......That would be my basic setup for the story! Celty-san deviates slightly from tsundere in my opinion! She's a new type of character somewhere between tsundere and 'straightforward but aloof'!"
"Ehhh - Yumacchi really has a narrow mind when it comes to identifying tsundere. I'd say tsundere is just fine!"
"Celty-san is different! But if you have to categorize...she's a strong and capable character, but she's kind of missing the 'aloof' part of 'straightforward but aloof'! She's actually an 'older sister' type of the Edo-era variety! Sort of like 'older sister flings herself at an unreliable young guy'...right! That's what they call an 'older-younger-sister' type!"
"That's just confusing."
In place of a table there was a kotatsu* in the room, around which Yumasaki and Karisawa sat warming their feet and exchanging opinions airily.
Listening to the exchange, the other pair of male and female on the neighboring table began to talk among themselves.
[Shinra.]
"Why that face, Celty?"
[Why did those two just burst into our apartment and start a discussion about me? Plus...where did they get my personal information?]
"Ah, that. I figured they would know at some point anyway so I just told them...I ran into Kadota and these people at the bar...and Yumasaki-kun brought up these awesome rumors about you..."
[......]
"So I told them you're my girlfriend...well, since they'd know anyway...and how we did this and that kind of stuff when we dated...whoops, guess alcohol is scary when it starts talking for you...ahhhhh that hurts that huuuurts Celty what are you doing. I see you're a tsundere after all ehhhhh that hurts that hurts really that huuuur - "
[No problem. Now that I'm being called tsundere anyway I'll just use my shadow to treat you to some real 'tsuntsun' before I'm supposed to go 'deredere'.]
"You say it's 'tsuntsun'...but it's kind of way asphyxial ahhhhhhhhh.......!"
Looking at the other pair being all predictable, Yumasaki and Karisawa carried on with their just-as-predictable conversation.
"See? I told you she's a tsundere."
"Nope, these two are too honest about their feelings for each other to be tsundere. I'd rather say it's a form of mutual soft SM...Celty-san is topped mentally but Kishitani-san is topped physically...but seeing how they both enjoy it so much, they must both be on the S side!"
"That's just confusing."
♂♀
Celty's chest heaved as if laughing at the trivial piece of memory.
- "My girlfriend", he said...
- That's...heart-warming, really.
- I have been too careless this year.
- Too happy.
She immediately scolded herself for her naïveté.
After she was done being mad at herself -
She began to think.
And think.
- Well, that's why.....
Celty used her shadow as a third hand to type words onto her PDA.
- That's why...right......
And - threw her PDA to Kadota in the navigator's seat as she maintained the same speed as the van did.
- I can't just abandon everything I have right now.
" - ! Oi, Black Motorbike, are you...serious?"
Kadota asked as he handed the PDA back to her. Celty simply raised her thumb at him in silence.
"......I see...hey, Black Motorbike. I know your name, although not directly from you. So this may sound strange to you..."
The male who had never before talked to Celty stared at her with a solemn expression and raised his thumb in reply as he said flatly:
"I'll thank you afterwards, Celty."
Celty made up her mind in silence as her heart gradually calmed down upon hearing his voice.
- Ahh, that's right...whoever the opponent, whatever happens, and whenever they attack - I will not give up my ties to this world.
- How could I?
- They're everything I have left now that I have lost my head.
Celty let the shadow scythe form from her hand after she had strengthened her resolve -
And headed for a certain destination with the van to give her scythe some room to work to their advantage.
They weren't that far away from the gangs chasing them. Fortunately for them, the traffic lights have so far had mercy on them and their path was clear. Thanks to all the havoc the bousouzoku had been wreaking around the town, the traffic had thinned considerably.
Celty and Kadota's gang used these conditions to their advantage and made it to their destination in about a minute -
They were now right under the railway overpass that connected the West and East Gate of the Ikebukuro Station.
The van kept going -
While Celty turned her Coiste-bodhar around and made him come to a screeching halt.
Scores of motorbikes had caught up with her.
Ironically, she only became aware of this fact at the sight of the White Motorbike.
As her conversation with Shinra that morning came back to her mind -
Celty chose the best timing to raise her giant shadow scythe high.
The next second -
Like a giant spider sitting in its lair -
Countless ropes extended themselves from Celty's scythe and formed a giant web in the tunnel under the overpass.
♂♀
At the same time, the Headquarters of Medei Group Awakusu-kai
Awakusu-kai was a branch under Medei Group, which had its territories throughout Ikebukuro.
The innermost room was furnished with an expensive-looking desk, picture frames and black leather sofas. In every way, the room looked like a typical yakuza's headquarters as portrayed on TV. However, the entrance looked like any other office's.
Kazamoto, one of Awakusu-kai's executives, were listening to his subordinate's report in this office-like room furnished to conceal what was really going on here.
"......So gangs from other cities are doing whatever they liked......"
"......Just ignore them as long as they don't do anything to stores under our protection. Leave the rest to the public servants who should be doing something with our tax money."
He was young, but his eyes were as sharp as a reptile's.
After giving the sarcastic reply, he asked his subordinate another question.
"And? What did you find out...about Yadogiri?"
"Yes. Shiki-san has gone to visit that underground doctor."
Kazamoto tapped his cheek several times with his fingers and continued:
"Actually...I don't care. Headless Riders...monsters, ghosts or aliens, I don't care what conclusion the world eventually comes to. I don't give a damn whether these supernatural things exist or not."
"Y - Yes."
"The problem is, that Miss Top Idol he asked us to 'take care of' - she gave four of our men hell...usually we would have blamed it on their own carelessness and made sure to take care of her anyway, whatever that takes......"
The subordinate asked nervously as the lizard-like male continued in a nonchalant tone.
"So...so this time things are different?"
"Correct...the man who made that request happened to have the guts to not tell us everything about her, which led us into danger - we should really be after him since he was effectively looking down on us."
The subordinate managed to answer as cold sweat trickled down his spine at the male's freezing voice.
"That's...right. But...I heard...that the plan was not to kill that woman......"
Kazamoto averted his gaze for a second. There was a trace of warmth in his voice now that wasn't there before:
"That is kind of hard to explain...it's true that the request was for us to 'bury her in the mountains', but our plan was to send her to some foreign connection we have."
"Y - Yes, but why..."
"......You're asking too many questions."
Kazamoto fixed his subordinate with the most unrelenting gaze he had given him up until now. Turning his chair to face him with his back, he began to tell the embarrassing truth:
"I heard that our head thinks Hijiribe Ruri - our target - reminds him of his daughter he had married off to someone with a more decent occupation...and he's like her No.1 fan. Apart from that, several of the Medei Group's heads are her fans as well......"
"I...I see......"
The subordinate was still at a loss as to what to say. Kazamoto said in a fainter voice as if eager to shoulder part of the embarrassment for his superiors:
"And, um...Shiki and I are fans as well...look...um...she's not just any pretty girl, is she?"
♂♀
Two days ago, midnight, Hanejima Yuuhei's apartment
"You might get killed - did that thought...never occur to you even for a split second?"
The male pinned to the bed -
And the killing monster sitting astride him.
She could easily have pierced his heart with bare hands - at least according to the news.
The young man did not let out a single wail as his own death looked down at his face.
The killing monster's hand, meanwhile, was visibly shaking.
In only seconds - which felt like minutes to Hijiribe Ruri, or the killing monster "Hollywood" -
Her consciousness threatened to abandon her several times.
She felt like she was no longer herself. Her vision blurred several times.
The silence was insufferable for Ruri, who felt even her lips tremble.
So it came as an immense relief when the male under her began to speak.
".......Can I ask you something?"
"......What?
"Do you wish to kill me because you're afraid I might tell others?"
"......Maybe."
Ruri averted her eyes in silence as the flat voice of the male - Hanejima Yuuhei - sounded in the room.
- No...it's not like that...
- I'm not doing this because I'm afraid that he's going to tell -
As her body continued to tremble, Ruri realized what she was feeling.
It was fear.
She felt at the same time cold and nauseated, to the point her heart was threatening to freeze over.
- Not to mention I really can't bring myself to do this...
- I probably won't be able to kill this man, whether I had had a plan or let my instinct lead me on.
- It's not only him.
- I probaby won't be able to kill anyone except for "those people".
What kind of emotion was being shown on her face?
Yuuhei, who was watching Ruri from underneath her body, told her in a tone flat and devoid of emotion as ever:
"If that's the case, it's better to give up."
"......?"
Ruri frowned and looked down at Yuuhei's strange suggestion.
The male's eyes were icy enough to conceal any emotion he might have had underneath.
"The surveillance cameras here should have captured me when I carried you into the building. And you as well, of course."
"......!"
"There's no way you would know where to find the surveillance videotapes, right? So I don't think there's any point in killing me if it's just for the purpose you mentioned."
Ruri couldn't help but shake like an autumn leaf at Yuuhei's calm reply, but she managed to regain her composure and say:
"......What if...my purpose is just to kill you?"
"Then I've got nothing to say...as much as I hate to be killed."
Yuuhei answered without a second thought.
The young man was immensely successful in every aspect of his life, but what he said was a little surprising to Ruri. She asked:
"......That's unexpected...do you not want to be killed?"
"No. I still have many things I haven't been able to do."
"......"
Ruri's eyes popped wide as she heard his reply.
She stopped to smile widely as if she had seen a mysterious creature dancing.
She was still trembling slightly and feeling nauseated; but she smiled silently in something that felt like self-irony.
"What's so funny?"
"Haha...nothing...I was just amused that you said you could feel regret when you feel basically like a robot to me......what exactly are the things you want to do, you perfect mannequin?"
"Let me see. There are a lot of them, such as finishing the shooting of my newest movie......"
The young man considered this for a while in all seriousness without showing any emotion -
And reached a conclusion.
"But the most important thing I'd wish I had been able to do...would be to do something, anything, to stop the girl right in front of my eyes from crying."
Time stopped between the two of them as the young man said this with a voice and a face completely devoid of emotion.
"......"
"......"
There was no trace of emotion in Yuuhei's eyes.
But that only made it sound even less like he was joking or putting on an act.
Ruri kept her hand high after a brief silence as she said:
"Are you trying to flirt with me? Or are you sucking up to me to get me to spare you your life?"
"Could be either...I don't know. People say I don't seem to understand how others are feeling. Some say it's impossible to guess what I'm thinking. I feel the same way. But even if I don't really know about myself, I do know something..."
"......"
"A man fails the hardest when he fails to stop a woman's tears."
The young man's face looked so apathetic that he couldn't even be compared to machines; rather, there was something that bordered on Taoist and carefree about his apathy.
Ruri even began to feel like the male before her eyes was nothing more than an apparition. She continued to force words out of her throat:
"That's...your line as Carmilla Saizou, isn't it......"
"Yes, he's one of the people I respect the most."
"Respect...? But he's just a role you played..."
There was a note of resignation in Ruri's tone now as she was reminded of the movie in which she and the male had worked separate jobs.
Yuuhei, however, continued to talk about himself unflustered:
"That's right. I have respect for every role I've ever played, be it a killer or a delinquent or a lady boy in love."
"......"
"I grew up watching the negative example my brother had set - his emotions were too unconstrained. Therefore, I feel like I have missed a lot of important things I needed to grow into a complete person. That was why I chose to become an actor."
"Eh......"
"I wanted to feel the emotions humans feel through playing every role I'm cast in in movies."
Yuuhei said in an unembarrassed and apathetic tone.
Ruri lowered her hand in silence as she stared at the male who, rather than begging for her mercy, chose to say what he said when facing his own death.
- Ahh, he's the opposite...
- He's the opposite of me...
- He's the opposite of me, a human who wants to become a monster.
- He is a monster.
- He is a monster that wants to become a human.
He was not capable of extreme violence. He couldn't make fire erupt from his lungs, nor was he immortal.
But Ruri realized that the male in front of her had a mentality far more "abnormal" than hers.
She also realized that tears had begun to well in her eyes.
She didn't know whether they were tears of sadness or something else.
- That's why...this person...is more "human" than I am.
The male in front of her craved, more than any other human being on earth, the exact thing she was trying to get rid of.
What should she think of this man?
Should she pity him? Or sympathize with him? Or hate him? Or treat him as someone from a different world and ignore him altogether?
She was unable to decide.
Confusion.
The emotions she was determined to live without were overflowing and threatening to wash away her monster mask.
"......Sorry...you saved my life, and I still haven't said 'Thank you'."
She withdrew herself from over Yuuhei's body and murmured as she sat on the bed.
"......Thank you, I mean it...you saved my life."
"No, there's no need to thank me."
"Why...? And...speaking of which...why did you save me...?"
"......Well......think about it. Let's assume that you're 'Hollywood'..."
And then Ruri noticed.
Yuuhei's face looked a little bit troubled within that split second.
"I was trying to think of who on earth would be able to make you, with your superhuman strength, look the way you looked when I found you...and...could you answer this question for me?"
"?"
"Did it have to do with...someone in sunglasses and a bartender suit?"
Ruri looked up in surprise at her savior's inquiry.
The memory of the real "monster" who had sent her flying into the air with a park bench rushed to her mind.
"Is he...someone you know?"
"......Ahh, I knew it......"
Yuuhei sighed in what sounded like resignation and stood up quietly to say:
"Um, I'll tell you more about him later. Firstly I need to apologize to you for that."
"Apologize?"
Ruri gave Yuuhei a confused look; but it was not the best time to press him further.
The top idol looked something up on the computer screen and said:
"Speaking of which, I did something without asking for your permission first."
"......What is it?"
Ruri didn't know whether she should continue using honorific speech or go with something more straightforward and casual. Either way, she tried to continue the conversation while avoiding making him feel uncomfortable.
"Actually...it seemed to me that there were people on your tail...when you were unconscious. According to Kishita...that doctor, they didn't look like they were the most decent people, either."
"Eh......"
"So I took some precautions without consulting you first."
(TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II)