Bullet 9: Kinji Toyama Part 2

JULY 31, 2022 ~ FROZZENDETH

　(… I have been told about the Fuuma’s because of my situation at home.)

“The Fuuma are the shinobi of… Sagami, aren’t they? What do you want?”

　In the distant past, Fuuma was the surname of a ninja who had a hostile relationship with Akari’s family, the Mamiya’s.

　It is said that the Fuuma clan was once a powerful family with its roots in the mountains and forests of what is now called Kanagawa Prefecture.

　Akari’s ancestors had a lot of trouble dealing with the Fuuma ninjas.

　These stories had alarmed Akari, but…

“…”

　… Fuuma has not answered the question.

“…”

“…”

　And after a while of just staring at Fuuma…

　Akari became curious about a specific point.

(… her skirt, why doesn’t it fall down…?)

　Hina Fuuma was upside down, and her ponytail and scarf were drooping downwards, but her miniskirt maintained its normal shape, defying gravity.

　She was also wearing spats, which made her appear to be a defensive and girlish.

　While Akari was thinking all this, Fuuma was…

“Master Toyama hates girls. Do not pursue him any further.”

　Fuuma said that , breaking the silence.

“I must return to escorting my master. Sorry!”

　She took a small, ball-like object wrapped in Japanese paper from her chest and threw it onto the ground.

　And then… boofun! A cloud of white smoke rose up from the impact site…

“…!”

　The white smoke obscurred everything for a moment, but that was quickly dispelled by today’s particularly strong winds.

　When Akari looked up, Fuuma was gone. But…

　Across the alley, the back of the retreating Fuuma was easy to spot.

(Sh-, she showed me her back…)

　(In the first place, it was a blunder to use a smoke bomb on such a windy day…)

　(Raika was alarmed earlier about Fuuma, but I am sure she is just a third rate ninja…)

　As if to confirm Akari’s thoughts, Fuuma got scared when a dog barked at her in the shadows of a T-junction.

(… that girl is not scary!)

　Fuuma had declared that she was escorting Kinji Toyama.

　(I have lost sight of Kinji and I am now stranded, but if I follow Fuuma, I will be able to find Kinji again.)

　With that thought in mind, Akari resumes her tail, now chasing Fuuma who was returning to Kinji.

　Akari was now in the T-junction and chasing after Fuuma…

(Nobody is here…!)

　(I lost sight of not only Kinji but also Fuuma.)

　It was then that Akari suddenly noticed.

　Fuuma did not mess up her retreat.

　… she did it on purpose.

(She was stalling for time by making me chase her… she pretended to be going back to Kinji Toyama, but she was running in the wrong direction to draw me away from him…!)

　(Which means that Toyama Kinji is going in the opposite direction…!)

　Akari noticed this and hurriedly turned around.

(I will find him, I swear I will find Kinji Toyama… he must be around here!)

　Fuelled by her obsession, Akari ran from east to west, north to south, searching all corners to crush Kinji…

　Akari reached the park.

　(I thought looking for him would be the right answer…)

“Fuuma wasn’t making any sense, but… who are you?”

　– from behind a tree in the park, Akari’s target, Kinji Toyama, appeared behind Akari.

　When he approached, Akari turned around and,

“senpai… To-, Toyama!”

　–Akari was faced with Toyama Kinji.

　Akari was so focused on Aria that she nearly called her out, thankfully though she just referred to her as senpai. Kinji Toyama on the other hand, simply looked her up and down.

　And then…

“… thankfully, you are the type that is okay.”

　He seemed a little relieved.

　(What does he mean by “okay”?)

　(I don’t know what he means but it is ticking me off for some reason.)

“Why are you following me?”

　Kinji asked Akari with a troubled look on his face.

　When asked, Akari’s mind flashes back to Aria’s happy face from earlier.

　That sent Akari into a rage all at once.

“It’s… it’s not fair!”

　Akari shouted at Kinji with all her emotions.

“I fought so hard to get close to her! And yet, I can’t believe that Aria-senpai is chasing after you! What kind of relationship do you two have?!”

　It lacked an explanation, but still, Akari blurts out her angry lines…

“I don’t know what you are talking about… are you a fan of Arias?”

　It seems that, despite an explanation, Kinji somehow got a vibe of the situation.

　But Kinji said neither an apology nor something that could appease Akari,

“… I am just being chased by Aria, and she is honestly just a nuisance.”

　(such an unforgivable statement.)

(Aria-senpai is… is a… nuisance!? This… this rude…!)

　Akari felt like a volcano was about to erupt out the top of her head.

　Kinji, on the other hand, seemed to only add more fuel to the fire.

“How was that? Are you satisfied now? Then don’t tail me anymore. I might be just an E-rank, but I am still a butei. I have been a butei for a year more than you and can both tail and detect a tail better than you.”

　He said these as if he was hoping to just throw away Akari.

(Eh? He used to be an S-rank… and now he is just an E-rank!?)

　(According to Raika, Kinji was a fierce fight who was rated S in the Assault department.)

　It is common for a butei’s rank to drop, but for it to drop from the highest level to the lowest rank in one year, that is not quite a ordinary occurrence. This can only happen to those who have lost all motivation, such as skipping all activities as a butei and not taking rank examinations.

(This is strange…! It is even weirder now that someone like Aria would chase after such a person!)

　Unconvinced, Akari turned away and said “see you later”, as if to stop Kinji, who was about to walk away.

“You are hiding something… aren’t you? Toyama-senpai…!”

　Akari pointed that out.

　Akari was just pointing out something she noticed, but it was a lined that seemed to not just reverse the flow of conversation but shook the very core of this… mysterious man.

　When Kinji Toyama heard this, he stopped, and…

“… there is a difference between being brave and being foolhardy, you year one.”

　He turned around as the trees rustled in the strong wind.

　His eyes finally showed the sharpness of the S-rank he was once rated as… “What could you possibly know about me?”, his eyes seemed to ask.

　(Depending on my answer, he might just kill me…)

(… killing-intent…!?)

　It was not only Kinji’s murderous intent that Akari detected at that moment.

　Akari looked up and, on a rustling tree branch, was Hina Fuuma, who is bent over holding a small blade in her hand.

　The dagger like blade in her hand is called a kunai.

　It is a ninja weapon that can be thrown like a shuriken.

(Fuuma…!)

　Akari hurriedly distanced herself from Fuuma and pulls out her micro UZI.

“…”

　Not missing this movement, Kinji also pulled out his pistol out of his holster.

　– Beretta 92F.

　It is a masterpiece gun, which was also officially adopted by the U.S. military, and was held in Kinjis right hand.

　(I don’t know how good he is with that gun, but I am sure he is used to it judging by its dull glow.)

　(Kinji… looks like he is really contemplating it.)

　Fuuma, as Kinji’s Amica, kept her eyes on Akari with her kunai at the ready at all times.

　The fight was two against one. Akari, following her training from her Assault training, started stepping back as she alternated who she was pointing her muzzle at every second or two.

　At Butei High, where butei are trained, gun fighting is considered part of their job, and so the rules regarding firing outside of a gun range is simply “don’t do it more than is necessary”. In other words, a butei can shoot their gun outside of a gun range.

　Gunfights between students are a common occurrence at the school. Of course, the teaching department does not stop it, although they do look down upon it.

　Here, where her competition is Kinji and Fuuma…

　Akari has no confidence in her ability to leave the fight unscathed.

　But, Kinji did not want to shoot Akari either…

“You. Where are you from?”

　Kinji spoke to Akari.

“I-, I am from a general secondary school. In the second semester of my junior year, I transferred to a school affiliated with Butei High.”

　If a conversation could postpone a firefight under these unfavourable conditions, Akari would be open to dialogue.

　Then,

“General school… Fuuma, it is okay. Let her go.”

　(No one in junior high school could know my secret.) (TL Note: This is Kinji’s inner thoughts.)

　And Kinji lowered his muzzle.

　Following the words of her War Brother, Kinji, Fuuma put the kunai away in a kneeling posture.

　But…

　Akari’s emotions had not subsided.

　The two of them refused to fight Akari for some unknown reason, and Akari felt like she was being left out to dry…

　(It is not just the Aria thing that is on my nerves now.)

　Akari, on the contrary, got my worked up as the killing intent was removed from the area…

　While thrusting her left and right arms straight down,

“–What’s the matter with going to a general public school!”

　And Akari exploded with her pent up emotions.

　Akari shouted out with a moment of energy, and right after that…

　–pyu–!

　And then, a strong wind blew through the area.

　And because of that.

　Fuasaa! Akari’s skirt was flipped up with force. The front of her skirt was almost entirely flipped up, and her panties easily visible.

　But for boys.

　And to the hateful Kinji Toyama…

“Pa-, panchu GAA!”

　Akari held down her skirt even though it meant dropping her gun, while biting her lip and holding back the urge to say “pantsu!”.

　And then… (what?).

　Just as Akari turned bright red and panicked, Kinji also turned bright red and panicked.

“–Wha-, what the hell are you doing!?”

　Kinji guards his eyes with the back of his right hand, as if he had been hit by a flashbang.

　Normally, a boy would move his hands from his eyes, but for Kinji…

　For some reason, he did not want to see a girls underwear.

　And he very much so did not want to see Akari’s underwear.

　Kinji, while mumbling something encouraging to himself to calm his mind, turns around and runs away from Akari…

“Ma-, master! Be careful!”

　Fuuma, who had slide down the tree like a koala, was also chasing after Kinji, looking panicked.

“…?”

　Akari was left behind in the park, holding her skirt down…

　She could only look at the back of mysterious and unusual Kinji, as he ran away.

　After the sun has set…

(What? What was that about? Does he have a fear of women or what! Freak! I mean, that is just rude!)

　Back at the First Girls Dormitory, Akari’s anger and frustration towards Kinji were still burning inside her.

　(Why did he react as if he had seen something he didn’t want to see and run away when my skirt was flipped up and my panties visible?) Akari, as a girl, was very much hurt by that too, but the real question is…

(It is strange that someone like Aria-senpai would chase such a… such a creep!)

　(Kinji is definitely a problem, but Aria need to be admonished too though for staying with such a freak willingly. Kinji, the main problem though, has escaped for now.)

　And Akari, still in a state of excitement, entered room 707 with an attitude of “I have more than a few words to say to you!”.

“Aria-senpai!”

　–Baban!　Akari violently opened the living room door.

　And there was Aria… kirakira…

　She was her usual divinely beautiful girl, hanging out on the sofa and holding a momoman in her hand.

　A momoman is a peach shaped manju.

　They are about the same size as the bean-jam buns sold at convenience stores, and the filling is the same as a bean-jam bun.

　Aria, who seems to prefer these over all else for some reason, eats it with a fluffy, pleased look on her face.

　Akari’s heart was filled with joy when she was greeted by such a happy face on Aria…

(…cu-, cute…!)

　–suu… Akari’s anger disappears, and on the contrary, she begins to smile.

　Looking at Akari, Aria reaches for one of the large quantity of momoman which are piled up in a pyramid shape on the table.

“Akari, welcome back. Do you want some too?”

　(Akari is smiling at me, gesturing as if she is going to share one with me.)

　Akari was buckling under the force of Aria’s charming face.

“Aria-senpai… that smile, it is not fair. I have to forgive you for everything…”

“?”

　Aria was cleaning her cheeks with her fingers and licking the peach-bun jam off of them… Akari decided to talk about the situation while sharing a peach bun with Aria, now that she had calmed down.

“So that is why you were so grumpy.”

　Aria said as she was chewing on a momoman to Akari, who was in a daze.

　After eating a unbelievable number of momoman, Aria wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and turned serious…

“I was just trying to see if he was a viable member to help me with my investigation. You don’t need to be worried about your senpai leaving you.”

“Aria-senpai…”

　(In other words, she is saying, that I don’t have to worry about shojo manga-like developments.)

“And Akari, don’t be nosy. Two butei’s should not have a relationship that is deeper than it needs to be. For example, if you can help me or your client, you must help your client, even if it meant abandoning me. Can you honestly tell me that you would select your client though?”

　Aria confronts Akari with such a harsh case study, as if to scold her for trying to get too deep into Aria’s personal affairs.

“… abandoning… Aria-senpai…”

　Akari, contemplating the question, imagined the worst case situation, in which she would have to abandon an injured Aria and go rescue her client. She was so shaken by her imagination alone that she became teary-eyed.

　Aria laughed at Akari’s rather imaginative state of mind, and…

“You are that kind of girl, huh. Then, in that case… be strong enough to help both.”

　Aria’s small finger touched Akari’s nose.

　(If you do such an adorable gesture…)

　(If you comfort me with such a gentle voice…)

　(I wont be able to contain all my emotions…)

(… While Aria-senpai is strict… she is actually really kind…)

　Aria had power over Akari. Not only was she Akari’s idol, she was charismatic as well.

　(If she says anything in her voice, that is all it takes to make all my inner bad feelings go away.)

　Akari, who was once again moved by the splendour of Aria…

“Aria-senpai-!”

　Gaba, and Akari hugged Aria from the side.

“!?”

　It was so sudden that Aria was pushed down on the couch with a thud, and then…

　The unexpected movement shook the table, causing the momoman that was still left piled up to go flying in all directions.

　Pofupofu! Some of the momoman ended up on top of Aria and Akari.

“Ah, ah, my momoman!”

　Akari hurriedly reached out to grab her momoman.

　Then, she began gathering up all of Aria’s favourite food, the rest of the momoman.

“My momoman! My momoman!”

　washi, washi, washi, Akari grabs all the momoman and puts them back on the table…

　wapi.

　Akari’s hand reached out and… grabbed a small peach bun.

“hu-, huh, that is an unusually small…!?”

　Akari was so absorbed in collecting all the peach buns that she didn’t notice what she was grabbing…

　(… Aria-senpai’s, bre-, breasts…)

　(sm-, sm-, small! They are bigger than mine, but not by much!)

“-where are you touching!? That is not peach bun!!”

　Basu-!

　An angry Aria suddenly shot her gun, gashan!, and the window shattered. Akari now was not sure if she was lucky or unlucky that she got such precious physical contact with Aria.

　But the Aria-senpai, who Akari thought earlier was very kind,

“You aren’t kind after all! Pl-, please don’t shoot me!”

　Aria, venting her embarrassment and shame in the same way that most butei girls do, by shooting, was shooting her colts all over the room, with Akari running for her life. Soon, Akari and Aria’s VIP room was filled with the clamour and excitement typical of butei students.