Chapter Six: Three Colors Squadron, Sermon, and Future Plans
The first time I met Black Knight was when I was in my third year of middle school.
I was coming home late from school and tried to take a shortcut through a narrow alley on my way to cram school. Unfortunately, that’s where I encountered a monster.
“Well, well, well, I never expected to be found by a human,” said the monster.
The existence of this monster, known as the Black Knight, had been rumored as an urban legend even before I met him. It was a creature that attacked people from the shadows. While its existence hadn’t been widely acknowledged because it appeared and disappeared repeatedly, its victims had been steadily increasing, enough to disrupt our daily lives.
What stood before me at that moment was a four-armed monster wearing something like a gas mask.
“Nice to meet you, young lady. I am the Atmospheric Monster Gas Air,” he introduced himself.
I tried to run away immediately, but I couldn’t take a step. Instead, my body collapsed to the ground.
“I-I can’t breathe.”
Well, I could breathe faintly, but at that moment, it felt like my ability to breathe was forcibly limited to the bare minimum necessary to keep me conscious.
“Oh my, you seem to be in distress. Can’t breathe much, can you? Don’t worry; I haven’t created a vacuum. To savor the fear as your breath gradually fades away, moderation is necessary.”
“It’s unbearable… Help…”
I was in agony. I felt the clear presence of death, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
The monster, peering into my face, had a smile that seemed ecstatic.
“Oh, that’s good! Very good! However, it’s not enough yet! I want to see more! Taste more! For that, we need a place where lots of toys gather.”
Looking back now, it wasn’t just me who was in danger. This monster had the ability to manipulate air, and what he intended to do was mass murder using that power.
“No, I can’t take it anymore. I need to eliminate all the air in this area.”
“Hey!”
A voice, not mine or the monster’s, echoed. The monster immediately turned toward the voice.
“You! The dark one!”
The next moment, there was a light “thud” sound in the alley. Suddenly, I could breathe, and as I desperately gasped for air, I looked up. The monster who had been in front of me had lost his head and collapsed.
“Is that guy aiming for me?… Well, it doesn’t matter either way.”
In place of the monster, there was a man dressed in armor like the ones you see in anime and manga. He threw something that looked like a ball to the ground.
“Huh!?”
It was the monster’s severed head, the same one that had tormented me just moments ago.
Startled by the gruesome sight, I unintentionally called out to him.
“U-um, excuse me…”
In the moonlight, his figure was much more mechanized than I had imagined. He wore an all-black suit that covered his entire body, with a mask covering his entire head, emphasizing his elongated compound eyes. Plates and worn-out paint covered his shoulders, chest, legs, and arms as if they had been forcefully attached. Extending from his shoulders and chest were cords and pipes. The number “0” was engraved on his chest.
His appearance was so otherworldly that I couldn’t help but be fascinated.
“Who are you?”
“Huh?”
As he tried to address me, he suddenly turned to look behind him.
At the end of his gaze, I saw a girl with long hair sitting on top of a pile of old appliances in the corner of the alley.
“When that guy was tormenting you, you didn’t come to help, did you? Who are you?”
“I’m neutral. I don’t side with humans or monsters. But I like you.”
It was a sudden confession.
He moved cautiously, positioning himself to my back and raising his fists as he spoke to the girl. She raised both her hands in a sign of surrender while wearing a wry smile.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alpha. I came here to be your friend. Please be good friends with me.”
The girl had an unreal appearance, as if she had stepped out of a painting. However, for some reason, I couldn’t even remember the name she mentioned, let alone her memorable appearance.
The boy and the girl seemed to be having a conversation, but I couldn’t hear their words, and my memory abruptly cut off at that point.
That was the beginning of my encounter with him, Black Knight, or rather, Katsumi-kun. He probably doesn’t remember it, but he was undoubtedly my savior.
“Akane, Akane!”
“Ugh?”
…Looks like I accidentally fell asleep.
“What are you doing? We’ve reached the president’s office.”
Kirara woke me up as I was dozing off, leaning against the elevator wall.
She speaks with a strange Kansai dialect when she’s acting as Yellow, but she talks normally at other times.
Well, for us, it can be quite confusing…
“President, what’s this about?”
“Did you come up with another weird gag?”
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Justice Crusader headquarters.
This place, unknown to the general public, is a building owned by a global corporation and is protected by the government.
The president of this corporation is Kanzaki Reima, the brilliant scientist who appointed us as Justice Crusaders and created combat suits for us to fight against monsters.
Today, I had been called by him and had made my way to the president’s office on the top floor of the headquarters.
“Excuse me. President, the Justice Crusaders have arrived.”
As I said this in front of the door, it opened automatically.
In the middle of the president’s office, there were three desks and chairs like the ones used in schools, and a whiteboard was set up in front of them.
“You’re here, everyone.”
“President… What’s with the way you’re talking?”
“You really don’t suit formal language.”
“The dissonance is incredible.”
“Ngu, sharrappu!”
With an irritating accent, the man who appeared in front of us spoke. He had slicked-back blond hair and a slim figure.
Kanezaki Corporation’s representative director and president, Kanzaki Reima.
He appeared in front of us with a serious demeanor different from his usual eccentric behavior.
He was wearing a slightly plain outfit that somewhat resembled a teacher’s costume on top of his lab coat.
“The teacher is very angry.”
“H-Huh…?”
Teacher? Was this person dressed up like a teacher on purpose?
It’s not surprising considering how he always goes by appearances, but what could he possibly want this time?
At least I haven’t used the suit without permission, and I can’t think of anything I’ve done to anger him.
“You guys shouldn’t trick him into calling you by name… Even the teacher would be disgusted.”
“…”
We were caught red-handed.
We took our seats at the provided desks, and the president approached the whiteboard with a contemplative expression.
“Let’s hear your excuses.”
Should I be the one to speak?
Though all three of us were involved, I was the one who proposed it.
“I asked him to call me by name and he wouldn’t, so I thought maybe I could create an opportunity at least…”
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scene transition
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“I can’t say I don’t understand your feelings, but it was a bad move to do that.”
He stated a valid point, and I was left speechless.
Honestly, I feel bad about what I did to him.
But I thought that in order to get closer to him, he should at least call me by name, so I decided to try something a little daring.
“He’s sensitive to malice, whether good or bad. He must be quite shocked that you did that, especially coming from you.”
“…Katsumi-kun.”
In other words, he still had some level of trust in us. We, who had treated Katsumi-kun in such a way, were collectively feeling down after being objectively criticized.
“But that assertiveness wasn’t a bad thing. To open his heart, that level of assertiveness is necessary.”
“Was the mistake in the way we did it?”
“Exactly. No matter how much you tease him, he won’t forcibly push you away. In other words, he responds to you at a ratio of 8 Tsun to 2 Dere…!”
While writing on the whiteboard, the president explained.
However, I’m not optimistic enough to be happy with just that explanation.
“But, when I hugged him while he was having a nightmare, he vomited…”
I gathered my courage, and my heart was pounding, but I never expected such a reaction.
Maybe I got too familiar…
“No, that was a good judgment. Your response at that time was correct.”
It still feels pretty dangerous to be disliked to the point of vomiting.
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“…Huh?”
“After he has a nightmare, it’s always like that. That’s why mental care for him is essential.”
I felt a tightening sensation in my chest.
It wasn’t relief that I hadn’t made him feel so disgusted that he vomited. It was frustration about the abnormality happening to Katsumi-kun.
At that moment, Katsumi-kun was having an unusually intense nightmare, and he looked like a child seeking help.
“What exactly happened in Katsumi-kun’s past?”
When I asked this, the president put his hand on his chin with a troubled expression.
“We have investigated his past on our end. But I can never tell you.”
“Why not!?”
“Undoubtedly, you would sympathize with him. You would empathize with his situation, treatment, and sorrow, and you would see him from a different perspective than before. I can’t allow that to happen to you, who will be dealing with him.”
Is it really that terrible?
I had a sense of it, considering that he was orphaned, but…
“Then, it’s impossible. Do you want us to befriend him out of sympathy? Do you want us to lick each other’s wounds? Isn’t that right?”
“…”
“But if you still want to know that badly, be prepared. The hell he saw when he was seven is beyond what is whispered about on the internet, more than just a joke.”
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Why is it so mysterious!?
I felt like things weren’t this mysterious last time.