Lilith draws out Kanata’s troubles. It appears Kanata was troubled by his relationship with Hotaru.
\*This story continues from Hotaru’s perspective.\*
\*From the Author: The country corresponding to Japan in this world is Izuruha. In kanji, it is written as 出覇. The people of Izuruha are called 覇人, and the group of city-states on the Izuruha archipelago may be referred to as 覇国. Within 覇国, there is a city-state called Terukyo, equivalent to Kyoto. If you see a notation like Terukyo something, such as Terukyo Doll, it refers to Terukyo, not the real Kyoto.\*
Warrant Officer’s worry was indeed about Hotaru.
I wasn’t particularly surprised, as I had suspected it was either Natsume or Hotaru.
Warrant Officer closed his eyes and began to speak, as if organizing his own thoughts.
“First, I’ll tell you what I know about Hotaru. If there’s anything you want to ask, feel free to interrupt.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“First, regarding Hotaru’s personality and relationships.
1. She dislikes me, and probably dislikes Agito even more.
2. She is a neat freak, not to the point of being pathological, but she really likes things to be clean.
3. She is a kind-hearted woman who even sews up the corpses of enemy soldiers and is liked by children.
4. She thinks of everyone in the Hidden Village of Fire as family.
5. She is an extremely close childhood friend of Shuri, sharing the exact same birth date.
6. She seems to have feelings for Shuri that go beyond a childhood friendship.
7. She is very close to and respects Shigure-san, Marika-san’s best friend. That’s about it.”
“Like that. So, that’s the premise for now, right? Continue.”
“Shigure-san and Agito had a duel two years ago, and Agito won. Shigure-san’s facial scar is from that time. What I don’t understand is that the duel was initiated by Shigure-san towards Agito. I thought this matter was unrelated to Hotaru, but perhaps I was wrong.”
“Shigure initiated a duel? That Shigure, who is like a pillar of self-control? What was the reason?”
“Unknown. Shigure-san reportedly did not reveal the reason for the duel to her superior, Commander, nor to her best friend, Marika-san.”
“If Shigure clams up, she’ll never talk. She’ll take it to her grave.”
“That’s probably true. In that respect, Shigure is the best person to confide in.”
“That’s right. If you had to describe Shigure in two kanji characters, it would be ‘absolute sincerity’.”
“This is something Shuri told me. Shuri and Hotaru were childhood friends and had a good relationship for a long time. But starting two years ago, they stopped meeting each other’s gaze, and their relationship became somewhat distant. According to Shuri, a wall that wasn’t there before suddenly appeared. I wonder why such a wall suddenly appeared.”
“The duel between Shigure and Agito was also two years ago, wasn’t it? Perhaps there’s a connection.”
“Yes, Shigure-san’s duel with Agito, and the wall that formed between Hotaru and Shuri, both happened two years ago. When I realized the timing of these two events coincided, the hazy outline became clear. I felt like the story was starting to connect. I plan to investigate further with Commander and Shuri tomorrow, but I believe the duel between Shigure-san and Agito happened shortly after the wall formed between Hotaru and Shuri.”
“Warrant Officer, you take care of Shuri. I’ll talk to Commander. I have to help Iska with paperwork again tomorrow anyway.”
“Understood, I’ll leave that to you. And then, when I started training under Shigure-san, Hotaru picked a fight with me. At the time, I was really angry too, so I glared at Hotaru, but I think her eyes were fearful when I glared at her. But looking back now, perhaps she wasn’t afraid of me, but of this face, this face that resembles Agito so much.”
“Two years ago, something happened to Hotaru from Agito. Shigure, knowing this, was moved by righteous indignation and challenged Agito to a duel, is that it? Hmm, I don’t think that’s it. If Hotaru experienced something from Agito, she would have consulted Marika, Shuri, or her quasi-familial companions in the Hidden Village first. Even if Marika, who has a short temper, couldn’t say anything because she might turn it into a fight to the death with Agito, Shuri, Rasen, and Gen-san wouldn’t have had that problem.”
“This is where I want to ask Lilith, what do you think Hotaru’s views on chastity are?”
“Wouldn’t they be the same as those of a traditional Izuruha woman, fitting her Terukyo Doll-like appearance?”
“I think so too. For such a traditional woman, what would premarital sex be like?”
“Hmm… wouldn’t it basically be a no? Of course, whether it’s completely denied or not varies from person to person, but in Hotaru’s case, I think she’s the type to maintain her purity until marriage. Poor Shuri will be a virgin for a while, how unfortunate. Oh, don’t worry, if it’s with Warrant Officer, I’m okay with premarital sex.”
“…I wasn’t worried about that. …That’s right, Hotaru is serious, traditional, and a clean freak. That’s the problem.”
…Ah! A situation where the victim cannot speak out about what happened to them. A secret they would die before wanting their family or lover to know!!!
“Warrant Officer! Don’t tell me Hotaru was… by Agito!!”
“That’s right. If you think about it that way, it all fits. The reason Hotaru dislikes me… it brings back unpleasant memories… it’s this face!”
“………!! No, no way!! You mean Hotaru was raped by Agito!!!”
I understood why Warrant Officer hesitated to consult me. It’s true that as a girl, even though I was a child, he probably didn’t want to talk about it with me.
“……… Hotaru was raped by Agito two years ago. For a serious, traditional, and clean-freak like Hotaru, it’s impossible to just forget it like being bitten by a dog. She must have suffered immensely, thinking her body was defiled. She might have even considered death. What thoughts must have crossed her mind every time she looked at Shuri, whom she cared for.”
“That’s why the wall formed between her and Shuri. And Hotaru, exhausted from suffering and hiding it from her companions, confided in Shigure, whom she respected and who was known for her discretion.”
“Ah, and Shigure, who possessed a strong sense of justice, couldn’t forgive Agito. Didn’t she challenge Agito to a duel to make him atone? I imagine she said something like, ‘If I win, apologize to Hotaru with all your heart, leave the Garden, and never show your face before Hotaru again!’?”
“That makes sense. Shigure is a model of self-control, but she’s also a samurai who lives by justice. For the sake of Hotaru’s honor and dignity, whom she cares about, I think she would challenge the perfect match (Gammon Agito), even knowing the odds were against her. But she was outmatched, lost to Agito, and was left with the Crescent Moon Scar on her face.”
“I also understand why she didn’t tell her best friend Marika-san the reason for the duel. She couldn’t possibly tell her, could she? Hotaru confided in Shigure-san precisely because she didn’t want her companions in the Hidden Village to know. But the duel must have hurt Hotaru even more. She might have felt she had caused trouble for Shigure-san just by confiding in her. However, Commander, without knowing the circumstances of the duel, trusted Shigure-san and banished Agito. That was a truly correct decision.”
“Yes. I don’t want to speak ill of Warrant Officer’s uncle, but he was, at best, a piece of human garbage.”
“I don’t think of him as an uncle at all, so don’t worry about it. I heard from Sanpin-san that Agito is a sadist who enjoys hurting people intentionally, and he was jealous that Marika-san was called Ace and had such influence. His cruel treatment of Hotaru was also out of jealousy towards Marika-san. He must have been grinning, hurting Marika-san’s precious comrade! What kind of Ice Wolf is he? He’s just a beast! It’s a shame he’s already dead. If I could, I’d kill him with my own hands!”
Warrant Officer’s anger is quite intense. I feel disgusted too. I don’t hate villains, but I detest the utterly depraved.
“Agito, who was banished from the Garden, soon met his end and died in battle, receiving divine retribution. It seems even Milk God works sometimes.”
“Ah, the perpetrator Agito is dead. Shigure-san won’t reveal the secret. And Hotaru has found some peace.”
“Yes, until Warrant Officer appeared in the Garden. Warrant Officer’s face, so similar to Agito’s, brought back terrible memories. Moreover, he quickly became familiar with the members of the Hidden Village of Fire and the No. 0 Unit. He was favored by Marika, and became best friends with his childhood friend Shuri. Rasen and Gen-san also have high hopes for him, and Yuki-chan is fond of him. Vodka, Rimse, Axel, Tatiana – the people who trust Warrant Officer are also important comrades to Hotaru at the same time. She must feel like her place is being eroded by Agito’s ghost.”
“I think so. Isn’t that why I, a rookie soldier with no prior contact with the Crystal Spider before coming to the Garden, arouse such hostility in her?”
Warrant Officer fell silent, saying so. By actually putting his worries into words, he was calming the turmoil in his heart.
I’ll think for a moment too.
…What if the same thing happened to me?
If a man who is the nephew and spitting image of your sworn enemy—the one you’d send to hell without a second thought—is introduced as a comrade you’ll fight alongside for the rest of your life.
I don’t think I could accept it. Even if I knew the nephew was blameless.
…Humans are creatures that forget. It’s because we forget that we can live.
Time wears away even the most painful experiences and memories.
Even if we fall to our knees and curl up in pain, time heals us, and eventually, we can stand up and walk towards the future.
Perhaps forgetting is a gift from Milk God to humanity, though I am an atheist.
There will be times when we look back at the past, recall the pain, and clench our teeth. But that, too, is a part of life’s sustenance.
…But when it’s not just occasional, but every day, that’s a different story.
To have pasts you want to forget, memories you want to seal, evoked by Warrant Officer’s Agito-like face, and to have those seals broken.
Warrant Officer’s enlistment was the gong that signaled the beginning of Hotaru’s battle with her past.
…If there’s one difference between Hotaru and me, it’s that I can’t look away like Hotaru can.
Hotaru can no longer meet Shuri’s gaze directly.
She is consumed by the thought that her secret might be discovered, that Shuri might reject her for having been defiled.
If Hotaru thinks she’s been defiled, that’s her own misconception. Does the state of one’s virginity really change a person’s worth!
I am different from Hotaru. No matter what happens, I can look Warrant Officer directly in the eyes.
Because I believe—no, I know—that he will accept my sadness and my pain.
With my standards, your affection, Hotaru, is too shallow.
Shuri isn’t that kind of small-minded man; he’s Warrant Officer’s best friend!
Why can’t you believe in him! Shuri is also hurt by the wall that has formed between you!
Why don’t you just give up everything and surrender to it? Even if Shuri rejects you and leaves, so what?
Don’t you think it’s just a matter of saying, ‘Good riddance to such a petty man!’?
Besides, Hotaru, you’re not really looking at Shuri!
He’s a kind, meddlesome, and clumsy bespectacled man who will try to shoulder any burden!
Wouldn’t he gladly try to share the heavy burden you carry!
Even though it’s not my business, I’m getting angry!
…No, me saying things about Hotaru like this is childish talk.
It’s easy to say you can do something if a calamity occurs, but it’s difficult to act when a calamity has actually occurred.
Therefore, it’s unfair to conclude that I am different from Hotaru.
What I need to consider is… my position. That’s what’s important.
No need to think about it. My position has been decided from the start.
My position is always by Warrant Officer’s side. I will always stand by his side.
Hotaru, I understand and can sympathize with the reason for your hostility towards Warrant Officer.
But if you act on that hostility, I won’t stay silent! I’ll drive you out of the Garden.
I know Warrant Officer doesn’t want me to do that.
But Warrant Officer likes the No. 0 Unit and wishes to stay in the Garden.
…Even if it goes against my master’s intentions, a demon fulfills wishes; I can become a demon for Warrant Officer’s sake.
Because I am “the child of a demon.”
This is a disturbing story this time around. Readers might run away. But this series does have these dark episodes.
