Katahane no Riku

Chapter 31.Whispers of the woman in white?coat

(This title is so chuuniii!!!! ;-;)

The Barusak residence, which is located just at the outskirts of the capital, was engulfed into an unnatural tension.

It was as if that residence that was white as chalk was faintly being surrounded by black clouds. Even the lowest servants of the house had their expressions filled with a anxiety and tension. Inside the residence, Rook was alone walking. Without bringing anyone together with him, he was walking with his noble face twisted. His mood was felt like he could explode at any moment if one were to confront him in a bad manner. The servants that would as usual bow their heads when he crossed their paths, whether it was because they feared his irritation or because of another reason, they would hurriedly get out of his way.

Among them, there was solely one person… A single hero that would talk to Rook like usual.

“Oya, Rook, what happened for you to have such a dangerous expression like that?”( おや)

It was a woman wearing a white coat that was fiddling with her smoking pipe with a single hand. After giving a glance to the woman, he snorted.

“It′s nothing. It has nothing to do with Raku-oneesan.”

“If her cute and genius little brother gets in trouble, isn′t it the job of an elder sister to help him?”

The woman called Raku was showing a bold smile.

The head of the family, Raimon Barusak, had three children. Because the second daughter was incompetent, she had been disposed of and is not living at the residence anymore. Setting aside that useless daughter, the two remaining people were extremely talented. One of them was the next head of the family who was even said to be a genius that would only appear once each thousand years, Rook Barusak, and the other person was Rook′s elder sister, the chief of the research of cutting-edge spiritualist techniques, Raku Barusak. The two of them had good looks that wouldn′t lose to the good looks the royalty had, with both having their characteristic porcelain like white skin that seemed unfit to the sunlight and hair as silver as snow.

But Raku would never properly maintain her hair. Her hair that was supposed to be a beautiful silver hair was very painful to look at. Adding to that, she probably thinks that having a haircut is a pain to do, and so, having her silver hair extending to her back, she had a dirty rubber band fitting to the appearance of her hair being used to tie it. Without comparison to Rook′s hair, who would make one want to touch it, the difference was to the point of her hair making one want to close one′s eyes.

“I know it well. I… I know everything.”

Rook glared at Raku with a sharp glint on his eyes. In Rook′s eyes, flames of hatred were burning. Clenching his fists, it looked as if he wanted to punch his elder sister Raku immediately.

“Dear me, what would you be talking about?”

But Raku′s easygoing expression wasn′t broken. Putting the smoking pipe in her mouth, the air became filled with smoke. Her demeanor seemed to be pouring oil in Rook′s anger. Grasping the collar of her white robe, he lifted her up.

“Don′t play dumb!! Because of your… Because of the bomb Raku-oneesan made, Kurumi had died!!”

Remembering Kurumi′s loveable figure, tears started to come out of his eyes.

It was not only because she was a spy that was getting information from the demon side that he felt pained; he also loved her as one of the harem members. How many times had he used his hand to touch on her fluffy small tail that was fitting of a squirrel-shaped demon? While blushing, Kurumi would let him touch her smooth tail. But now, he couldn′t touch that fluffy fur anymore.

Kurumi had died at the underground passage of Derufoi city.

He didn′t know the situation in detail, but thinking how the deplorable dead body of Rebecca, who was like a little sister to him, was also down there, and also knowing about the death of the spiritualists that went down there to see what was going on, it was possible to assume that Rebecca and Kurumi had been cornered and… Had chosen death by their own.

“If Kurumi had to choose to self-explode… Then, there would be no way Rebecca would also be killed by getting caught in the explosion.

Tears were falling at the floor drop by drop.

He wasn′t going to hear Rebecca′s mispronounced words anymore.*1

The little girl that would always be grasping his sleeves was not here anymore. She wouldn′t show him her pure smile once again.

Rebecca had talent as a spiritualist dormant inside her. But they faced an demon that was able to corner Kurumi. Probably, it was a very rough fight. Her head that had been retrieved was scorched and no longer was it possible to read the expression on her face. The instant she had been caught by the explosion… Must have been painful. It was probably so agonizing she had cried out at the moment. Although Rook was her senior, he wasn′t able to save her. She ended up dying a painful death. He was suffering withthe memories of the time he had been raising her with care.

“Saying she died by being caught by the explosion isn′t precise.”

Although she was being grasped by her collar, her expression didn′t change. As if it was a pain in the ass, she started to state the facts about all the situation.

“Didn′t they tell you that from the autopsy results, she most likely had died before getting caught by the explosion?”

“Shut up!! Even so, but even so!!”

“That Kurumi, or whatever may that demon be called, simply got killed. Hey, it′s that thing. You can simply get revenge for the demon that killed that squirrel. Wouldn′t you feel better if you simply annihilated the whole demon race?”

“Of course I will get revenge!! But, to hold a grudge… That… Doing that is no good.”

He mustn′t start despising the demons.

He wanted to have revenge on the demon that killed Selestinna. He wanted to kill the demon that cornered Kurumi to death. He wanted to drop the hammer of justice onto the demon that cut the adorable Rebecca in pieces.

But he couldn′t hold a grudge over the whole demon race.

Rook always made sure he wouldn′t go past this line.

In the game, the magnificent and hard-working main character Rook wouldn′t hold a grudge over the demons no matter what kind of pain he would go through. In fact, even if one of the heroines was to get killed by the demons because of a wrong choice, he would still search for the path of reconciliation. That′s why he couldn′t hold a grudge over the demons.

He couldn′t forgive the demons that not only killed Selestinna, but even Kurumi and Rebecca. He didn′t want to have revenge on only the demons that were involved with those cases, but actually wanted to annihilate all of the demons. But for Rook to keep being Rook, only that he needed to avoid doing at any costs. Rook became desperate and started to reprimand himself. But rather than being able to bear those feelings, his hatred for the demons was only welling up.

“Blurting words of hatred to the creator of the bomb is merely you venting you anger, you know? I, Rook… I made the bomb just the way you desired. The demon that had actually used is the one to blame. …Or perhaps, you never thought Kurumi would actually use that bomb?”

Rook clenched his teeth.

At the time, which Raku had been obsessed with the production of bombs, Rook asked her whether she could make a bomb that would explode only by pressing a button with the teeth without thinking too much. Of course, the main character in the game didn′t ask for such a thing. Rook had only asked for it just for fun, and didn′t intent to actually use it.

Of course, even though Raku did make something similar to that, she wasn′t able to make such button triggered bomb. However, she was able to make a tiny bomb that was small enough to fit on the tooth. Even after receiving it, he simply had left inside his desk, but… Because Kurumi insisted she wanted it, he ended up giving the bomb to her. Of course, he had told her to never use it no matter what when he gave it to her.

“By exploding a bomb at your teeth, it is possible to have chain explosions with bombs attached to the body… Why, why would you do that, Kurumi!”

“As the one who gave it to her, you have some responsibility, you know?”

Together with a sigh, Raku declared. Because of the way she acted, Rook glared at Raku intensely.

“Raku-ane!!”(Ane = sister)

“Be honest to yourself, my little brother.”

Raku looked at Rook as if she was looking at something pitiful.

“You hate the demons, right? Then, it is fine to annihilate them. I will spare no efforts to help you with that.”

“Don′t kid with me! I, I don′t hate…!!”

“Whichever choice you make, you will need to decide your resolve.”

“Resolve? I′ve been able to do that since a long time. I will make a world where demons and humans can live together peacefully and…”

“Stop with these ideals. Only brats would believe in those.”

From Raku′s words, Rook felt a deja vu.

It made him think about the words Charlotte had told him. His intense feelings faded away and that cold look that was being given to him was being revived at his mind. The moment he remembered about that gaze, Rook took his hand away from Raku. And then, he unsteadily stepped back.

“I… I′m… These are not ideals. I really want to bring peace to the world. Something like war is wrong.”

“That′s what you call an ideal. You are having a nightmare that is called having ideals. …Well, it′s fine. It′s better if you prepare yourself for the next war. The Bistolru spiritualists had their head killed and is without a leader and the Buryuuser received a serious blow by losing many of their exceptional troops. The Bernaal and Borukk spiritualists are guarding the north. The one that will be fighting is only the Barusak. In other words, the command of the battle was entrusted to you.”

Raku′s white coat was moving with the wind. Her painful to look silver hair was fluttering in front of Rook′s eyes.

And then, after giving a last glance to her little brother, who kept standing there perplexed, she started to walk.

“Until you wake up from your ideals, do your best to survive. You can go visit me again anytime you want. I can hear your idle complaints and I will even prepare tea for you… My dear little brother.”

While smoking her smoking pipe, his elder sister Raku, one of the heroines, left the place.

All that remained there was the smell of the smoke and Rook Barusak standing still. Clenching his fists, he glared at the marks of the tears that fell at the floor before.

As if to gulp down the anger and hatred, Rook gave a deep breath. And then, as if putting on a mask, he returned to his usual face.

He hated the demons so much he couldn′t bear.

By destroying that race, he wanted them to taste the pain of losing one′s beloved ones.

But this was a feeling that the main character shouldn′t harbor.

“Even so, I…”

I must not hold resentment over the demons.

As if to engrave those words in his heart, he muttered them.