novelraw Chapter 219 – No Time to Rest
Chapter 219 – No Time to Rest
These people are evil…
They’re going to accuse Katja of using magic without any proof…? They’re gonna pin it on her? And they expect me to testify against her? In exchange for my ‘freedom’? They want me to betray her?! Really?!
“Go screw yourself! I’m not selling out my friend!” I stood up from the bench and slapped Daisuke’s outstretched hand.
“Guhh…” Daisuke grabbed his hand to massage it. He remained composed and continued. “With or without your help, we’re still going to make the charges stick and take into custody. I understand that you may feel like this is betrayal but think about what is best for yourself. How long will you fight until you get hurt? Don’t you want out of this life?”
“I don’t care about that…”
I’ll be fine… With the VISS Driver and my friends, nothing’s going to happen. Hecate’s the last one who will ever get hurt… We’ll support each other and survive… I’m here because I want to… This is where my happiness is… I’m fighting to protect this life.
They’re going to take Katja into custody regardless… How dare they? How could he even suggest that?
“It’s impossible for Katja to have used magic, because I’m the one who did it!”
That shut them up… What now? Are you going to pin anything on her with the real culprit confessing to your face? Daisuke’s composure finally broke, and he was left frowning.
“I- I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that… Even if that turned out to be true, then that’s all the more reason for you to help us. You’re not the first human to show supernatural abilities. We can grant you immunity from the standard procedure if you work with us.”
You really think that changes anything?!
“Besides, there’s no point in being loyal to someone like Katja. Do you even know anything about her? About the Kurokawa family? Katja’s not the person you think she is. She’s not someone worth sacrificing yourself for. She’s not a good person, and she’ll betray you without hesitation.”
Katja…? She would…? “Yo- you’re lying! Katja’s not like that!”
Daisuke adjusted his suit’s collar, with his professional smile back. “She hasn’t told you about her past, has she? Let me tell you about the Kurokawa family’s history and traditions, then. That should help you understand why we need to bring her back with us.”
“You see… The Kurokawa family comes from a long lineage of warriors that has served people in positions of power as bodyguards and peacekeepers. We consider it our duty, and that’s why, in this day and age, we hoard positions of power in the PSF. We live in an age where monsters are the biggest threat to humanity’s survival, and we’re the only ones capable of keeping them in line.”
He’s not lying, is he…? Katja’s always had a strong sense of duty. Too strong, even.
“As you might be able to imagine, a family shouldered with such an important duty needs to be a powerful family. And powerful families need powerful leaders. Powerful heads. The future heads of the family are always decided through a contest of strength. Every couple decades, the children from the various branches of the family are pitted against each other in a contest that decides who is to be the rightful heir.”
They make the children fight?! Th- that’s absurd… Katja said she was the rightful heir, didn’t she…? Does that mean she came out on top?
“That’s right… It’s a practice that’s cruel for normal people but absolutely necessary. Worse, it’s a contest where they fight with their lives on the line. And since you already know that Katja’s alive… Well, I don’t need to spell out the rest, do I?”
Daisuke’s expressions were all over the place. He smiled, then looked rather somber… It’s hard to process everything…
“Katja’s hands are stained. She’s not someone you can relate to, is she? Are you really going to stand up for someone like that?”
Did she really…? There has to be another answer… Are they really going to take her no matter what? Before she can even explain herself? What do I do? I can’t even take the blame for her if they don’t listen to me? Do I fight? The entirety of Three Records? That’s impossible…
“I need some time…”
“Hmm…” Daisuke tapped my shoulder. “Think it over. The outcome won’t change whether you testify or not. The only question is whether you want to make it easier for us and yourself. Go get some fresh air.”
I practically ran out there. I need to find Katja… I need to talk to her… I need to tell her what they’re doing… She was already acting like there was nothing we could do. If she really doesn’t do anything, it will be truly over!
“Katja! Come with me!” I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the others. “If they come looking for her, keep them busy. We’ll be right back.”
Hopefully they’ll understand… We need to buy some time.
“Ah! Iroha? Where are we going?” I let go of her hand as soon as we got outside. I just didn’t want Daisuke and his partner to hear us. “What’s going on? You know we can’t leave right now.”
“I know, but… I have something important to tell you. This inspection is rigged. Daisuke is planning on incriminating you for using magic. They’re going to take you away! We gotta do something!”
“Magic…? Wh- what are you talking about? I’m gonna need an explanation first.”
“It’s because of what happened in the mall.” I said. “The mess caused by our fight apparently led their investigation to the conclusion that someone from our side used magic. They’re planning to pin it on you…” Katja was nowhere near as worried as she should be. Does she get how serious this is? Is it just resignation? Wake up! We need to do something! “Worse yet, the magic they’re talking about is probably mine! I told them that, but they completely ignored me!”
“I see…” She smiled and patted my head. “You exposed yourself for my sake, huh? You silly girl… I always knew there was something special about you. But you shouldn’t have done that…” Then turned her face away. “Sorry, but I guess this just means I’m out of time. I always knew my sins would catch up to me at some point. This life was too good for someone like me.”
“Yo- your sins…? Is that how you became the heir of your family?”
Katja flinched as if she just got stabbed. “He told you about that…? Then you should know what kind of person I am… I don’t deserve happiness…”
“That’s not true!” I grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at me. “Yo- you’re a good person! I don’t care what happened. You deserve it! I’m absolutely sure of that!”
“You can only say that because you don’t know the whole story…” She turned her face again with an expression that made my heart clench. “You don’t understand, and I’d rather you didn’t… I don’t want you to see me for who I actually am and get disappointed.”
She pushed me away and broke free from my grasp, taking a few steps towards the main building.
“Don’t try to do anything, Iroha. My time here is over… I’ll just take the blame and go along with my family’s plan. I can’t keep causing trouble for you and the others.”
Sh- she’s giving up…?
“No… Don’t give up so easily! There has to be something we can do! There has to be-!”
“Sorry… Goodbye, Iroha…”
The door closed behind her.
She’s going back to the dojo… Goodbye? That’s it? She won’t even try to do anything? Is our situation that bad? Is her family that powerful? What do I do now? I don’t wanna say goodbye like this…
Katja’s literally trying to get herself captured… How am I supposed to help her if she doesn’t want to be helped?
…
I went back inside, and we moved into the dojo as a group. Katja was avoiding eye contact, and everyone was worried.
There was no hope…
Katja hadn’t said anything, but the others all had realized something was off with this inspection. And they also knew that this upcoming fight would decide everything. Something irreversible would happen to the House after today. Someone needed to stop this, but their hands were tied.
“Are both fighters ready?” Daisuke asked. “I will now be conducting your squad’s practical examination. You will face off against my partner, Rook, in a single round of sparring. You’re allowed to use your Matching Weapon, and you’re expected to fight to the best of your ability. I’ll personally stop the fight before any serious injuries take place, do you understand?”
“I do.” Katja nodded in the middle of the dojo, standing face-to-face with the burly guy that has been following Daisuke around all day.
“Good. As a reminder, the purpose of this examination is to inspect your squad’s training standards and to ensure that all the members are fit for the responsibilities of our duty. Without further ado, you may star-”
“Wait!”
I can’t give her up that easily! If she’s not gonna do anything, I will! How could I just stand by and watch?
“I think I should be the one in this match! If the goal is to inspect training standards, doesn’t the newest member make for the best benchmark?”
A glimmer of hope. Anything to disrupt their plans.
“That’s a great idea!” Shinji said. “As these girls’ handler, I would like to request a change of representative. With the goal of inspecting training standards, I think Iroha would make a much better opponent. Unless that’s not actually that important of an element.”
Shinji put pressure on Daisuke. He used the training standards as an excuse, so now he’s stuck. Either he accepts the change, or he reveals his true intentions.
“Yo- you may have a point…” He couldn’t help but flinch. “Alright… I accept the change, but…” He wasn’t out of tricks just yet. “In the interest of a thorough inspection, we’ll do two rounds of sparring instead. One with Iroha as their representative, and one with Katja for confirmation. We’re not in any rush, so we might as well go be thorough.” Our counterattack was thwarted, and he grinned victoriously…
I walked to the dojo regardless and swapped places with Katja. “Iroha…” She was surprised I was still trying. After she told me not to do anything.
Maybe I shouldn’t have… Maybe it really is pointless… Even after I offered to fight in her place, Daisuke still found a way to set up a fight with her…
At this point, what can I even do? Is there any way to prevent her from fighting?
“Alright… The conditions are the same as before, so I won’t repeat myself.” Daisuke stood on the side of the arena, glaring at me. He must think I’m stupid for turning down his offer. And it didn’t even change anything. “Let’s start the first round right away. Are you both ready?”
The guy across from me instantly nodded.
They’ll blame Katja for using magic when it’s her turn… I bet they’ll come up with some reason to nitpick one of her moves and accuse her of using magic. Then they’ll take her into custody…
But if that’s the case, what if Katja never gets her turn? I think I finally figured it out…
“I’m ready.”