Vol 2 Chapter 5.1
Chapter 5A
The Messenger
Somewhere in Ikebukuro. Storefront of the antiques store Sonohara Hall.
The store was on the outskirts of Ikebukuro, and had an unplaceable sense of isolation about it.
Being that it was an antiques store, it could be said that the store’s exterior was only fitting and in fact enhanced its charm.
Suddenly the door to the shop swung open, and a group of young people clad in modern-style uniforms emerged.
Stepping out of the store, a quiet-looking boy—Mizuchi Yahiro—heaved a sigh of relief as he looked at the radio in his hands.
Although said offhandedly, the grat.i.tude Yahiro offered was sincere. The girl he addressed, Tatsugami Himeka, shook her head.
“But thank goodness I could get a cheap one.”
The casing itself was wooden, with an ascending dragon engraved in the back. When Yahiro had first seen the red and black of the mahogany he had even thought it might be mechanical rather than electrical.
“You’d think a store recently opened by a Raira graduate would be pretty new, but it turns out to have this ancient vibe, what a shock, huh? And the store owner looks so serious with those gla.s.ses, but she’s a real beauty—is she attached, you think?”
The boy with the dyed-green hair recalled the store owner from earlier and continued to speculate:
“Hm… I don’t know, but when the place just started up there were some people helping with the renovations.”
Yahiro looked over his shoulder at the store shrinking into the distance behind them.
“I suppose there are plenty of private businesses around. Different areas have different environments, and there are a lot of interesting shops, so you might want to tour around to look.”
“Wait, this isn’t actually exclusive to Tokyo.”
“Ah, sorry. I never really left my own village.”
After that half-hearted reply, Kuon looked at Yahiro’s radio.
“I think it’ll be fine. I already have a smartphone anyway.”
“SNS?”
“SNS—short for Social Network Service. The blanket term for services that use the internet to support human communication. In a nutsh.e.l.l like Twittia, Facemagazine, Nixi, Fine…”
“Like chatrooms?”
Kuon made as to continue, but he trailed off as a car horn honked from behind them.
The trio spun around to see a car slowing down behind them.
He wore the same Raira uniform as them, and on first glance appeared to be their age.
“…Kuronuma-sempai.”
” are you here? Didn’t I tell you I’m not free today? Argh.”
The uppercla.s.sman Kuon had called Kuronuma had a typical, tame look to him, but the fierce man in the driver’s seat, combined with the fact that the rear windows were heavily tinted, lent a shady atmosphere to the situation.
“…Hey, Kuon. Who are your friends here?”
Yahiro guessed that the wound on his face must have drawn his eye. Kuon answered informally,
“I see. I’m Kuronuma Aoba, third year. Pleasure.”
In reply to Aoba’s friendly introduction, Yahiro bowed his head, while Himeka murmured her own greeting.
Aoba asked, looking at the bruise on Yahiro’s face.
“You fell? Where?”
Having not expected further probing, Yahiro stumbled over his answer.
“Yeah! It was at the station! This guy’s not used to the crowd since he came from up north, so he felt sick and toppled over all of a sudden! What a shock!”
Yahiro hurriedly corroborated the lie Kuon had so fluently produced.
“It’s a hot spring town in Akita… Um, it’s called Haburagi Village; north of Lake Hachirogata.”
After affirming this, Aoba grinned and said to Kuon,
“Something like that, I guess.”
With that he turned back to Yahiro and Himeka.
“Wha, you’re awful, Aoba-sempai… I might look like this, but I’m a good tutor too, you know?”
Ignoring his junior, Aoba waved, smiling.
Emitting the air of an amiable uppercla.s.sman, Aoba shut the window.
“Puhyo~ That was embarra.s.sing. That senior was just messing around. Don’t mind it, all right? I mean it. It’ll be a favour to me, too.”
“I don’t think he said anything worth worrying about in the first place.”
“Anyway, it’s best if you stay away from him.”
In the car.
“We approached them too randomly, don’t you think?”
The driver munched on chewing gum as he spoke.
“Probably. Kuon rarely bothers to hang out with anyone besides us, so there’s a huge likelihood.”
“If it were up to me I’d have exchanged contacts.”
Aoba’s teammate Yoshikiri asked from the back seat.
“But Aoba. Even ignoring his build—doesn’t he seem a bit too timid to fight anyone?”
Even so, Aoba replied after some thought,
“Eh? No, I couldn’t see from the window.”
Yahiro’s hands, from what Aoba had seen, were littered with unusual scars.
Hearing this another pa.s.senger in the backseat laughed.
“Oi shut up.”
“Kuon’s planning something, so I want to get that guy’s contacts. But it would’ve been awkward to ask for his email back there.”
“Haburagi Village… Ha-bu-ra-gi… There, this one?”
The website for the village office itself only showed up some way into the results, so it was surmisable that the place was quite famous for its hot springs.
After some minutes of searching, Aoba’s eyes narrowed.
The website on the screen was a message board based in a town near Haburagi Village.
[I heard the monster from Haburagi’s going to a high school in Tokyo]
[Serious?]
[The seniors were terrified]
They bantered back and forth, treating the site as more of a chatroom than a message board, but this was sufficient for Aoba to confirm Yahiro’s ident.i.ty.
“Now what next? I’m curious about what Kuon is thinking…”
Yoshikiri made this vile proposal, to which Aoba answered,
Then he continued calmly. “Well, he could just be looking for more people to work for him… In the first place, we don’t know the motives of that newcomer, either.”
The conversation in the car ended there, and with that they returned to their normal—as it was for them—everyday lives.
“Oh, who is it.”
After a moment of astonishment, his mouth crooked into a smile as he picked up the call.
At Aoba’s cheeriness the Blue Squares in the car exchanged glances. His use of polite language indicated the other party was of a higher status, but it had been a long time since Aoba had spoken to someone like that so cheerfully.
Ryugamine Mikado had cut all ties to people like themselves, and at most made small talk with Aoba now and then in school.
“Sure, if it’s someone I know I can send a photo over.”
A hint of surprise flitted over that smiling face. And as if to check with the person across the line, he repeated the unique name.
“Tatsugami Himeka… you said?”
A few days later. Raira Academy.
Raira Academy had begun regular lessons, and Yahiro was able to partic.i.p.ate normally without standing out or being ostracised.
Both Himeka and Kuon were astonished by his quick recovery, but injuries were so common for Yahiro, who had suffered random ambushes since childhood, that he found himself awkward with their reaction.
His fight with Shizuo behind him, Yahiro was just feeling grateful that he had successfully launched his peaceful high school life— But in the end this peace was too easily terminated that very afternoon.
“Mi~ zu~ chi~ -ku~n! Le~t’s ha~ve so~me fu~n… aha!”
Yahiro was holding his home-made lunch, pondering where to eat it, when that feminine voice rang out from the back of the cla.s.sroom.
“Ah… Er… Orihara-sempai?”
The third year, who wore gla.s.ses and a braid, entered the first year cla.s.sroom with nary a blink, and hopped onto Yahiro’s desk.
“Er, I’m on after-school duty for the Library Committee…”
They had only met once so far; yet Mairu uttered something so inconsiderate.
“It’s fine. I’ll just say sorry to the Pres. By the way, where’s Kuon-kun?”
“Ah, I see. Maybe he’s eating with Aobacchi and friends?”
Thus no one was around to rescue Yahiro; there were only his cla.s.smates, who were glancing surrept.i.tiously from a distance.
“Ah, that won’t do. No rush, no rush.”
“…?!”
With a smile that put one at a loss whether to describe as innocent or annoying, the girl left the cla.s.sroom.
“Mizuchi-kun, you know Orihara-sempai?”
“I just met her recently… What is she like?”
“Hm… She’s exactly what she looks like.”
“Her older twin sister’s the VP of the student council…”
They supplied all kinds of information, but nothing specific, and so Yahiro was unable to grasp anything about her as a person.
–Well, it shouldn’t be anything too serious.
That was the outcome Yahiro imagined; yet this almost impersonal prediction was thoroughly disproved.
After school. The library.
As Mairu delivered this outburst with shining eyes, Yahiro’s face twitched of its own volition.
“Don’t pretend, don’t pretend. We know what happened!”
Yahiro was very obviously avoiding eye contact, but the two had him sandwiched and were looking at him intently.
They were sensitive enough to avoid the crowd of the peak hour, and approach Yahiro around closing hours where most people had left already.
Phrased that way it might sound exciting, but Yahiro was in no condition to savour the situation.
“You see~, it was videoed, you know~? It was from far away, so your face was blur, of course, but the guy beside you had green hair, you get it?”
“…Are you… sure…?”
He was panicking at this moment because he had not antic.i.p.ated that others would know about the fight.
Having a big fight in the middle of the street was of course problem behaviour.
Yet, if that was all, Yahiro was used to police involvement, so it was not an issue. But this was not his hometown; it was not his own family but the Togusa family putting him up that he would be causing trouble for. Yahiro, who feared this, had in fact been relieved that the incident had not attracted the police. Although he had gotten over his loss to Shizuo, he was not proud of his longstanding record of frequent violence, and was afraid that the school would expel him for the fight and send him back to his hometown.For Yahiro, this city was the only place where he could hope to find new self. He was thankful to his village. He did feel it was his home. But the hope he could find there was for peace and stability, and if he remained there, where he was labelled a monster, he would likely accept things as they were and give up on changing himself.
The Headless Rider, a true monster. Heiwajima Shizuo, who he had fought with his fullest strength against, and yet had been unable to defeat.
Yahiro was mesmerised by this barrage of changes in his life.
Afraid that the life he had finally achieved could be reduced to nothing.
“You don’t have to hide it. It’s not like we’re going to scold you for fighting or spread rumours or anything.”
You just admitted it
“Ah!”
If it were his past self in Akita, he would have grown serious for a time due to his fear, and would not have answered so foolishly. Yahiro was shocked at himself, and shook his head, attributing it to the culture shock bubbling in his mind.
Yahiro looked away for a moment, and sighed defeatedly; then he confessed.
“I knew it!”
“Eh?”
When his violence was exposed, the eyes of the people around him would grow fearful, and naturally they would distance themselves from him. That was the pattern he had grown used to up to now.
Yahiro hesitated in replying, but Mairu continued.
“Hero?”
“I don’t really want to be…”
–Special treatment doesn’t feel good, somehow, no matter what kind.
“No~? Well, that’s that, and we’ll respect your decision.” “Thank you very much.”
“But I think it’s already too late, yeah?”
Yahiro raised his head curiously, and Mairu replied: “Because you’ve already made a splendid debut here in Ikebukuro! Even if you try to lay low, the city won’t let you off so easily.”
A street in Ikebukuro. In front of Tokyu Hands.
“Yo, Yahiro, you’re late.”
The area in front of Tokyu Hands building, which stood next to it, was often crowded at any time of day or night.
The trio had agreed to meet up at six-thirty that evening to discuss what they would do from now on.
“Gah, Kuronuma-sempai?”
”They’re just as troublesome aren’t they!”
”So, what did they say? Those girls are into idols, so it probably wasn’t a confession or anything, right?”
After a glance at Himeka, Yahiro chose to answer vaguely.
He acted on this premise, and Kuon, probably detecting his reluctance, did not push him further.
“Really?”
“Until ten or so years ago the school was famous for delinquency. Back it was called Raijin High. Since it became Raira Academy things have improved a lot.”
”Well more importantly, let’s get moving. We’ll show Yahiro around a bit, then discuss what we’re going to do over dinner, okay?”
Following his plan, the trio set off.
That there was a silhouette behind them, eying them with purpose.
And that there was more than one.
30 minutes later. Somewhere in Ikebukuro.
“It’s quite deserted here, huh.”
They were pa.s.sing by after visiting a tour spot; and Yahiro was surprised upon seeing this road.
“I see…”
As he was accustomed to all of the places in the village, no matter where he went he could always identify the place as local, but as he was new to the city environment, just a slight change felt completely different to him. Yahiro pondered over this drastic difference in population over such a short distance, when—
Suddenly he felt uneasy, and stopped.
Himeka asked, seeing that he had stopped walking so abruptly.
“Something’s… there.”
Kuon, hearing this, squinted.
“…ah?”
Unlike the commercial district where the street would be lined with shops, the area was completely shadowed.
“What could that be…”
It was a simple full-face helmet, with a tinted visor.
“…!”
He could see the ma.s.s of ‘darker black’ inch slowly, slowly towards them.
Anyone could tell.
On top of the fact that it had neither headlights nor a number plate, there was a ‘being’ clad in a pitch black rider suit straddling it.
There was no need to wonder what it was.
While Himeka, standing beside Yahiro, identified it out loud, sweat gathering in her palms.
“The Headless… Rider…”
Her eyes were wide, and her breathing had quickened.
“Tatsugami-san… Are you okay?”
It was concealed by his more ostensible shock, but at Yahiro’s core were ‘jubilance’ and ‘hope’.
The reason he had come to Tokyo was before him.
Neither Yahiro nor Himeka had imagined this being would show itself to them so easily.
A walking urban legend.
There were those who said it was the vengeful spirit of a motorcyclist killed in an accident.
There were those who said it was a kind of faerie; a dullahan.
There were those who said it was cursed motorcycle that had developed its own will.
There were those who said it was a stunt by the TV station.
There were those who said the Headless Rider never existed in the first place.
Even if there was a somewhat unusual side to them, the trio of students were in the end no more than simply human students. Before this trio who could be no more rooted in reality, this being revealed itself.
Kuon broke out in cold sweat as he said this, but Yahiro’s reason anch.o.r.ed himself.
“You can tell, right? I mean, yeah, there’ve been fakes before, but…”
Seeing this, Yahiro was able to speak with surprising calmness.
“Huh?”
“Ah…”
“It’s fine, thanks.”
Her fingers tightening into fists, quietly, she continued to watch the Headless Rider come towards them.
Kuon looked between Himeka and the Headless Rider, and blurted,
It might have been because he was from Tokyo and had at least heard of the Headless Rider before, but Kuon was not as afraid as he could be.
With this being in front of her, it would be normal to think:
Yahiro had also understood that, and naturally he took a step forward, as if to defend Himeka.
–But what should we do?
–If it really attacks… Can I hold it off?
Even when his opponent was a gangster with a sword he had been able to handle the situation, scared as he had been.
If, like the online videos showed, the Headless Rider were to brandish that kind of weapon, in what way should he dodge—
The cowardly boy focused his awareness to the utmost in that instant, and thought furiously of counterstrategies to various situations.
Because what the Headless Rider did as it arrived two metres from them exceeded his predictions completely.
From the rider suit reflected no light and could well called darkness itself, the Headless Rider took out a smartphone—typed j.a.panese into it, and thrust it towards them.
’Can I have a moment? I’m not inviting you to any weird religion, and it won’t take much time.’
“…” “…”
“…eh?”
Before Yahiro returned to reality it was a few seconds until he realised he was the one who had let out the “eh?”.
The glossy touchscreen shone as if to advertise her in the middle of the darkness that absorbed all light.
It took the wind out of Yahiro’s sails since he had been sure an attack was imminent, but even so, he told himself it could well be a deliberate act to lower their guard, and, still vigilant, he replied.
’Ah, excuse me, actually, there’s something I need to ask that girl.’
’That is, you’re Tatsugami Himeka-san, right?’
Taken by surprise, hesitation flashed across Himeka’s face—
”Are Nee-san and Ai… safe?”
”What… are you here for?”
In response, the Headless Rider waved its hands anxiously, and from afar it showed them the screen.
It seemed to have expected this degree of distrust, and keeping the 2-metre distance between them, it continued to type in words in an especially large font.
”…?”
In this way, the Headless Rider declared its innocence.
”Oh? Haven’t seen that in a while…” A pa.s.sing cyclist, most likely a long-time denizen of Ikebukuro, mumbled this under their breath as they went past the Headless Rider.
“No…”
“That can’t be, my sisters, they…”
It was likely that instead of anger and fear alone, she was confused at the Headless Rider’s sudden appearance and friendly manner.
“Eh…?”
And then—the Headless Rider said something completely beyond them. ‘I want to help to find them, too.’
After a beat, Kuon, who had gone silent thus far, spoke up.
“Kuon-kun?”
“You’re the most agitated person here, Kuon-kun.”
“What’s going on here! We were supposed to look for the Headless Rider, right?! But now the Headless Rider’s the one looking for us and here already!”
“And then just as we’re thinking, ‘Uhyaa, it’s true that the Headless Rider kidnaps you if you go looking for it! We’re done for~!’, just as you’re thinking that, the Headless Rider starts chatting with you with a smartphone?! And that’s the latest model! Is this the real thing?!”
“Wow you’re really calm Yahiro?! You’re not angry?!”
Kuon shook his head bewilderedly, and watching this, Yahiro was silent for a moment.
–It’s, that thing… Kuon-kun feels fake.
In the end, unable to discern Kuon’s purpose, Yahiro could only let it be.
Conversely, the Headless Rider, seemingly oblivious to Kuon’s unnaturalness, bobbed its helmet in a miniature bow, and showed Yahiro this message.
“No, I’m…”
–What now.
Yahiro felt the collage of impressions he had acc.u.mulated about the Headless Rider up till now collapsing, but abruptly, he remembered:
–It feels in line with the Headless Rider Awakusu-san and Mairu-sempai talked about at the dojo before.
He felt the pain of his injuries that should have healed already, and recalled what Heiwajima Shizuo had said.
–Yeah, if Heiwajima-san was right, this situation makes sense.
Probably due to her natural personality she was not panicking, but although her face was usually blank as steel, now there was obvious discomfort in her eyes.
’It really wasn’t me. I don’t have any evidence, but please believe me.’
’I don’t have a driving license, so it’s hard to talk to the police. I don’t want to get arrested for something I didn’t do, either.’
’I want to help the victims so I can clear my name. And if there’s an imposter of me around, I have to get rid of them.’ The full-face helmet concealed the Headless Rider’s expression. Perhaps there was no expression to be seen in the first place, if the rumours were true.
Or perhaps it was that the trio were already thinking the same thought about the ‘urban legend’ before them.
–It’s… way friendlier than expected!
In the end it was Yahiro, the calmest one present, who asked this, and the helmet of the Headless Rider nodded as it began to type something.
However—
From afar there was the revving of motorcycles, and quickly the source grew closer towards them and came into sight.
Looking closely there were three motorcycles in a line, meandering forth bit by bit in a manner akin to the fluid motion of a dragon.
Kuon stepped towards the curb to avoid any trouble –
Then the three people alighted from their vehicles.
However, for an instant Yahiro thought all three were girls.
Because of his alert observation Yahiro had noticed the person was male from his hip structure and the faint protrusion of his Adam’s apple, but anyone else would probably have mistook him for a woman.
“…Geh.”
Their motorcycles shared the same decal.
“…Dragon Zombie.”
“Yep, that’s right.”
On closer inspection there was a dragon tattoo inked around his neck; despite his kindly face, he emanated the air of someone clearly on the wrong side of the law.
“?”
As he did so, the man turned to the two women behind him, and asked, casually,
“Yeah, that’s him, Li-pei.”
The women nodded and replied in succession, and the man they called Li-pei grinned and turned back to Yahiro.
“Huh… Ah, yeah, h.e.l.lo.”
“Nice to meet you. Ahh, it must be some kind of strange fate that the Headless Rider’s here to see our first meeting.”
“So. I heard you’re strong.” “Eh?”
“Strong enough to take on even Heiwajima Shizuo?”
****CHAPTER END****
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