Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Chapter 44

Preparation For Solitude

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

–While Yurie was fighting the beast, Suzushiro Ran was running around the maze with a hose connected to the water supply.

“…Ah, I’m tired.”

Ran was gasping for breath as she sprayed water into the maze. The maze had three levels, and if the top floor was sprinkled with water, it would trickle down to the lower levels. Fortunately, there was a tank-type water supply on the rooftop, so there was no difficulty in finding a source of water. Well, she chose this place for the battle, knowing in advance that there was a tank of water.

Unlike Yurie, who could use her skills with just a blade and her body, Ran needed to make preparations beforehand in order to use her skills. The water sprinkling was part of that preparation.

However, despite her efficient watering, Ran’s expression was dark.

Suzushiro Ran was unusual among the many Magical Girls in existence in that she had few direct methods of attack. It could be said that she was the exact opposite of Yurie, who pushed on physically.

Because of her skill set, the most dangerous part was left to Yurie this time, but it wasn’t as if Ran was taking no risks either. In a sense, this part was tougher than directly confronting the Demonic Beast.

“I’ll leave enough water to cover the beast directly later, but I probably don’t have enough water in the maze. I wonder if Yuri-chan is doing well?”

–Despite the worried look on her face, Ran did not doubt in the slightest that Yurie would finish the job. No matter how terrifying or strong the other Demonic Beast was, Yurie was never driven by fear. It was no exaggeration to say that her strong and unshakable mentality existed precisely because she was a Magical Girl.

The most important quality for a Magical Girl was not a sense of justice or appearance, but spiritual strength. At the very least, many Gods were concerned with the inside more than what was on the outside.

-God, I wonder if he’s going to get angry.

Thinking this, Ran let out a loud sigh.

Ran’s contract God was a bit special. He hated it when Ran did things that involve self-sacrifice. Her activities as a Magical Girl were considered a separate category because it was part of the job, but her behavior this time was out of line.

If Ran’s contract God had been here, he would have been screaming like a wildfire. Even if that were not the case, she would get a lecture when she got back home for sure. Ran was now feeling depressed.

“Ah, it’s been a terrible holiday.”

Ran complained as she looked out the window between the maze and gazed at the view outside.

There were many fun attractions lined up, but even if Ran and the others defeated the beast, it was unlikely that they would reopen today due to the investigation into the cause of the irregularity. The ticket she had been given now had gone to waste.

Besides, she would be busy tomorrow with the announcement of the new Rikka. If she got chosen, she wouldn’t be able to take a proper vacation for a while, and the day when she would visit this Amusement Park to play might never come again.

–Well, that’s only if I survive.

The odds were against them. According to the story of the encounter with the Demonic Beast, its strength rank was as close to E-class as possible. Ran’s sub-skill, if fitted well, could play tricks on A-class Demonic Beasts. No matter how limited the output was, there was no reason to not win.

The only concern was the side effects of using the skill, but she’d already come up with a solution for that. The rest was up to Ran’s fierceness.

Ran was idly gazing outside when she spotted a small figure running toward the maze from the distance. It was Nanase Chidori, one of the siblings she had asked for help. She was running forward without looking back. From the looks of it, Yurie must have done well.

“Un. Yuri-chan seems to have succeeded.”

Ran let out a relieved breath, and then proceeded towards the entrance of the maze.

◆ ◆ ◆

Chidori arrived near the entrance just in time as Ran went downstairs. Chidori opened her mouth with a nervous look as she regulated her breathing.

“Mibu-san gave both bottles of poison to the Demonic Beast. And then… My brother will lead the rest of the way here.”

“I see. Thanks for coming so quickly. –Is Yuri-chan okay?”

When Ran asked this, Chidori made a slight stilted gesture, but quickly replied, “She doesn’t seem to be hurt.” Wondering about this, Ran tilted her head and asked her back.

“Did something strange happen?”

“No, well, in the middle of the fight, Mibu-san cut off the clothes she was wearing…”

Chidori replied, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Ran heard the reply and came to an understanding. Perhaps Yurie had used her skill. She had heard beforehand about the side effects, so she could understand why she did it. But as a girl, she had mixed feelings.

“Ah, yes. I think it was necessary, so don’t worry about it. …Well, that means Yuri-chan is half-naked and alone with a boy.”

It was unlikely that she’d be in a strange mood in this emergency situation, but she was still worried.

“It’s okay! My brother doesn’t have the courage to touch a woman! I’m sure he’ll come running straight here with Mibu-san.”

“Ri, right?”

Even if she was his sister, it was too bad an assessment. He didn’t seem that timid when she first talked to him, but perhaps he was in fact a bit reserved.

While they were talking, she saw two shadows in the direction Chidori came from.

The one in the back was the blue Ogre, a Demonic Beast. And the one running in the front was–

“…Whoa.”

–Nanase Tsugumi was running, holding Yurie in her underwear with both hands. Yurie herself would not mind, but it was somewhat embarrassing to watch.

Perhaps he was carrying Yurie who collapsed from skill overuse with good intentions, but the impact of seeing this moment was too great.

…He was probably going to have a difficult time after he was saved. Yurie’s fans were not that extreme, but he might be the center of attention for a while.

Ran glanced at Chidori next to her as she thought about this. She was looking anxiously at Tsugumi who kept running. She was probably just genuinely worried about her brother, who was being chased by the Ogre.

–It’s time to focus.

She could think about this later when it was over. If they got any criticism from the public, then Ran could deal with it. She thought so and took a deep breath. Her mind needed to change.

No matter how weakened the beast was by the poison, she shouldn’t let her guard down. If Ran failed here, at least one person would surely die. It was what they were trying to prevent.

Tsugumi who was guiding the Ogre increased his running speed as soon as he caught sight of Ran and the others standing in front of the maze. He then reached the front of the maze with a significant distance separating him from the Ogre.

“I’ve got you…!”

“Tsugumi, no injuries?”

“No! Mibu-san is safe! …I’m sorry, just a minute, please.”

Exhaling roughly, Tsugumi gently handed the unconscious Yurie to Chidori as he looked away. Fortunately, Yurie was small and light. Even a girl like Chidori could probably hold her temporarily.

Then, he quickly took off his jacket and put it on Yurie to help her. It seemed he could not leave her in her underwear.

Ran looked into Yurie’s limp face and breathed a sigh of relief.

Yurie’s skin was slightly reddened and she was breathing shallowly, as if the fever from the side effects had not yet subsided. But there were no noticeable injuries, and she would soon recover as long as she took a rest.

“Good work! Then you two, take Yuri-chan and get away from here. The rest is my job.”

Ran was about to evacuate the two when Tsugumi stopped and stared at her silently. For some reason, his gaze was fixed on Ran’s left hand.

“What? Something wrong?”

“…No. Nothing.”

He looked unconvinced, but Chidori called him away to the rear of the maze.

-Is he aware of what I am about to do?

Ran shook her head in a small way, thinking that there was no way that he knew, and then she looked at the beast that was slowly walking up from the front. The remaining distance was about fifty meters. At that speed, it would reach here in a few minutes. The time had come.

Ran then took a small pair of pliers out of her pocket that she had found in the staff room of the maze, and without hesitation, she placed the tip of the pliers on the nails of her left hand.

–The side effect of Ran’s skill was “sleepiness”. The violent drowsiness of the skill instantly reaped Ran’s consciousness. The countermeasure was quite simple. –It was nothing but pure pain.

“Well now…. –Let’s try a little harder!”