Chapter Thirteen: Acceptance, the Changing One
In the end, I submitted a request to go out to Reima and went through the proper procedures to temporarily leave the solitary cell.
Even I was quite surprised by my decision to show that much courage.
“Eh, Katsumi, you’ll accept permission to go out!?”
“Your voice is loud… Well, Shirakawa told me. I should go outside too…so I reconsidered.”
Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to it.
But it’s about time I come to terms with my past and move forward.
“Th-this is huge! I have to let Kirara and Aoi know right away!”
“Don’t make such a big fuss…it’s just going outside.”
“It’s huge! Bigger than when the monsters appeared!!
“Are you insulting me?”
Red, rushing to contact Yellow and Blue with the momentum of a baby taking its first steps.
“…Ah.”
Noticing I’m naturally smiling, I unconsciously touch my cheek.
Did I think it was fun? I don’t really understand myself.
And then, on the day I got permission to go out.
I was led out of the Crusaders’ headquarters by the three girls.
I knew Reima would approve, but I didn’t think the government would allow it so easily.
In effect I’m no longer a criminal, but my individual threat level shouldn’t be negligible.
…Well, I shouldn’t think too deeply about it.
“Hey, you guys.”
“””…………”””
Red walks in front, with Blue and Yellow side by side behind me.
They surround me in a triangle, and suspicious gazes gather on us from around.
…………
“Hey, let’s go to that back alley over there.”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“Did something happen?”
“Hm?”
Too embarrassed from the stares, I move us to a nearby back alley after putting up my parka hood. Then I say what I’ve been thinking this whole time.
“What’s with the escort formation!?”
Surrounding me in a triangle makes no sense!
Even I, who’s a bit ignorant of common sense, understand!
Because we’re obviously suspicious!!
“Stop standing out so much! That kind of thing!! I’m not gonna run away!!”
“B-but we don’t know what could happen… Wh-what if a monster appears? You don’t have a Morpher.”
“Suspicions? you guys weren’t just playing normally…!?”
That’s right, during the fights with monsters they were also busy, and after I got captured they kept barging into my room…these guys have barely…!
“Poor them…!”
“I don’t really get why I’m being pitied like this.”
“We invested our youth in you!”
Blue is saying something really heavy…
Ignoring her words, I scratch my cheek awkwardly and embarrassed.
“Ah, you can watch me and stuff but forget about that today. There are no…monsters anymore.”
That’s right, there are no more monsters now.
I tell myself that and confirm my Proto Morpher isn’t on my arm.
I don’t need to be the Black Knight.
Today I can spend it as a normal civilian.
“…If you wanna play then let’s play. It’s been a while since I’ve gone anywhere like this so teach me.”
I say that awkwardly smiling, and the girls look at each other and beam.
“””Yes!”””
I didn’t really play outside much.
At least after age 7, there’s no way I would have felt like playing with someone.
The relatives who took me in thoroughly treated me as a nuisance, so they didn’t give me any allowance to play or toys.
‘That expressionless boy. He’s creepy.’
‘Don’t let him outside where he can be seen.’
They didn’t let me get close to their own kids, and when I became a middle schooler they kicked me out to live alone.
For me that was easier too.
Even if everything, inheritance and proper meals, was stolen from me, being alone was still better.
‘Help…Katsumi’
‘It…hurts…’
I’m done with family.
‘Why…isn’t help…coming…’
‘It’s…no use…ah…’
I didn’t need family.
‘Don’t look…help me…!’
‘You’re the only…damn…gehot…gah…’
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Until their last breaths, my parents who were rescued right before dying continued spewing resentful words at me still living, terrified and deranged by their own deaths.
They were right before my eyes.
Trapped between the belt and seat, unable to move a muscle, my small hands were in a position just barely out of reach of dad and mom.
Even if I looked away, their breathing, voices, the spatters of blood they coughed up, relentlessly pounded reality into me.
They didn’t let me sleep.
I must have been loved.
But that amounted to nothing but a flimsy temporary thing when faced with death.
“But still.”
That’s all in the past now.
“Katsumi, that movie!”
“…What is it?”
Coming back to myself, Red points somewhere.
There’s some kind of movie poster pasted above the building called a movie theater.
“It’s a movie that’s a talked about hit. I thought you might like it.”
“Oh, what is it? You watch in individual rooms?”
As we head to the movie theater, I say that and Yellow hits my shoulder with an awkward laugh.
“No. You’re supposed to watch on the big screen.”
“Is that so…”
It must be amazing even though I can’t imagine it.
…I’m starting to feel embarrassed from being too sheltered.
I should learn at least some knowledge about things like this later.
“Do you have enough money?”
“Yeah. The president said he’d cover it this time.”
Reima’s generous…
Since the movie seems to start soon, we end up watching the movie being screened after buying tickets.
As Yellow said, the movie was overwhelmingly more immersive seen on the big screen.
The content was a sci-fi action, maybe chosen to suit me.
The protagonist fights and saves the imprisoned heroine.
It was a typical story, but the variety of battle scenes and twisting story kept us watching without getting bored until the end.
“That was fun~”
After spending 2 fast hours at the movie theater, we went to a nearby cafe and were eating a light lunch.
“When I ordered, I got a somehow warm gaze, what was that about?”
“Ahaha, I wonder whhyy~”
“I dunno either~”
“No clue~”
After looking at the three girls, the person looked at me smiling.
“So what should we do after this?”
“Katsumi hasn’t gone many places right? Then how about an arcade?
“That’s good. Also a bookstore?”
“Batting center!”
“Bowling!”
The three each think of places to take me.
I touch the cold cup of poured tea.
The cold sensation I feel on my fingertips tells me the scene before my eyes isn’t an illusion.
“Um, thank you.”
“What’s… what’s happening? Suddenly, gratitude…”
“Well, what’s with this sudden itchiness…”
Surprising even myself, those words of thanks slip out of my mouth, and I quickly come to terms with it.
Maybe I should have said it sooner.
I’ve changed.
Ever since the day I stole that suit, I’ve been living as the Black Knight.
I never even considered any other way of life, and I always thought that the day I lose is the day I die.
But they stopped me from thinking that way.
“Akane.”
“Ju…ju…ju…just now? You’re suddenly using my name…!?”
With a smile that escapes due to the surprise, I shift my gaze to the other two.
“Kirara, and Aoi, right?”
“W-what… what’s with all this…?”
“I-I got called…!?”
… They’re way too surprised.
While they start to recover from their astonishment, I continue speaking with a slightly diverted gaze.
“Thanks for everything up until today.”
“Katsumi-kun…”
Now, I can think like this because I’m still alive.
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scene transition
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I can consider it.
“If you’re with me, I feel like I can live facing forward too.”
“…If you wish, we’ll support you anytime.”
“Yeah. We’re comrades now.”
“Even without being asked, we’ve been nosy. And will continue to be.”
Ah, that’s right.
You’ve always been nosy towards me.
“Now I feel like…I could even become your comrade…an additional warrior.”
What I thought was annoying gradually changed something inside me.
I couldn’t understand what it was myself.
I still don’t know.
But that change must have been something good.
“But only if you’ll be my friend.”
Just as I was about to say the words after that, a roaring sound suddenly echoed through the sky.
Akane and I stand up and look at the sky, along with everyone else here.
“Something’s coming.”
Our instincts as warriors are sounding the alarm.
[pԀǝodlǝ oɟ Ǝɐɹʇɥ’ ɥǝɐɹ ns]
Along with the unidentified voice echoing, a huge crack runs through the sky.
[sn ɹɐǝɥ ‘ɥʇɹɐƎ ɟo ǝldoǝԀ]
It gradually starts changing into Japanese.
Together with that, it tears through space appearing.
[People of Earth, hear us]
The voice rings out clearly in Japanese.
A spaceship over 300 meters long pierces through the clouds and descends.
It focuses the gaze of all the people in the city on itself, letting them know of its existence, its threat, as it greatly transforms.
[We are the righteous apostles crossing the stars, the Savers]
An impossible looking transformation in terms of structure.
The front of the ship becomes the upper body, the parts that look like thrusters become the lower body.
Transforming into a huge robot in about 10 seconds, the spaceship forcefully lands on the ground.
[Evil is already destroyed, our glory is lost]
The robot that landed crushing the buildings below its feet raises both arms largely, as if to make known its existence, its threat.
Some scream, some are paralyzed in fear.
The panicked people start running.
[How unfortunate]
The voice continues echoing even after the transformation ends.
The voice’s master contained scorn, though it sounded biological.
[Outsider who survived the struggle to exist]
[But do not worry]
[We will manage you]
[Submit]
A pillar of light falls in the location visible from the cafe we’re in.
From within the shining pillar, five men and women appear.
Wearing mechanical armor, they all have something like Morphers wrapped around their wrists.
“Now then, where is that thing?”
“It seems to be nearby. But, the data was right, this planet is awful. The air is polluted, civilization level bottom of the bottom. It’s unbelievable this kind of place defeated our fated opponent.”
The slender man speaks to the pale light emitting haired woman beside him.
The man shows a dreadful smile once, then looks around at the humans present.
“Then, kill them arbitrarily and it’ll come out. V, S, M, transform.”
I can’t hear what they’re saying from this distance.
But I have a bad feeling.
The man with half his face covered in machinery shows a vulgar smile and speaks to the tall man.
“Heh, is it okay to rampage so readily?”
“We are justice. Then the bastards who took evil’s place are precisely evil.”
The two women and one man who stepped forward take a stance, stretching their arms forward.
It closely resembles the Justice Crusaders’ transformation.
“We’ve come for the trophy, player guys and gals.”
[[INVASIONSTART!!]]
A ringing voice.
With that sound, the three space invaders are wrapped in light.
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ah yes they’re going with the old “oh the people who were invaded by our enemies won? well that makes them our new ally and automatically evil” approach
not our alli and thus*
Hooboy ain’t this twisted!