1 — You Reap What You Sow (01)

She had straight brown hair that reached all the way down to her waist. She wore an office pencil skirt and a white shirt so tight I honestly thought it was about to explode… not that I meant that literally.

But you know how it is: alcohol makes you do stupid things.

I blinked.

…And before I realized it, I had already dragged myself to the other side of the bar.

"Uh… good evening."

Regret hit instantly.

Why did I suddenly decide to walk up to a complete stranger?

No, this wasn't the time for that. Since I was already here, I had to make a decent impression (if that was even possible.)

"It's so crowded tonight, isn't it?"

"…"

Cold.

Not a single nuance in her expression.

…And I couldn't blame her.

Aside from a somewhat decent face, everything about me was painfully average. Even so, after the day I'd had, I didn't really have anything left to lose.

"Do you come here often? I get the feeling I've seen you somewhere."

Once again, she didn't answer.

I know it was cliché, but I didn't expect that much indifference.

"Hic! Can I sit here next to you?"

She crossed her legs and followed me with the corner of her eye as I took a seat.

(Honestly, I have no idea where that courage came from.)

"…"

The moment I sat down, her gaze darkened, and at the same time, every danger sensor in my body started blaring. I wasn't sure if she was a mage or not, but she looked like she was about to fire lasers straight into my skull.

"S-sorry for showing up out of nowhere like that. I swear I'm not some suspicious guy! It's just… You know how it is, right? After a battle you end up with low mana, and then you kinda need to sit down somewhere, haha~"

"And this spot had to be right next to me?"

"!"

Hearing her voice was a shock.

Her voice was pretty (though her tone was a bit sharp).

On the bright side, at least I'd gotten her attention.

"Eh, well, it's just really packed tonight, and this was the first open seat I saw."

"Sure."

...Short and to the point.

"Don't get me wrong! I'm not hitting on you or anything!"

"Oh, you're not?"

"N-no! Of course not… I just thought that… eh… you know…"

While I was desperately looking for an excuse, I noticed that she was wearing a crystal ring on her left hand. There was a very peculiar transparent lotus engraved on it.

For some reason, I had this odd feeling I'd seen it somewhere before.

"What's with that look at my hands? Don't tell me you're that kind of pervert. Should I call the police?"

"Huh? W-what are you talking about?"

Okay, that was a little offensive.

"I was just looking at your nails— I mean, not in a weird way! It's just that orange is my favorite color, haha!"

Obviously a lie.

Until that moment I hadn't even noticed she was wearing such flashy nail polish, but it was the only thing I could think of.

"Hehe~"

Her laugh was… strange.

Strange enough that even drunk, my whole body shivered.

It was the second time my danger sensors warned me to get out of there.

Why did I have such a bad feeling about this?

Either way, I wasn't sticking around to find out, so I stealthily slid off my chair.

At least I tried.

Suddenly, I felt a strong tug on my arm.

"Running away already? You give up easily, huh?"

"What?!"

Before I knew it, my butt was glued to the seat again.

"What happened to that courage you had a second ago?"

"I-I was just going to the bathroom."

"Hicc! Noooope! You were totally running. I don't think you've had enough to drink yet."

Had enough? What was she talking about?

Then I noticed: the table was full of empty bottles.

I thought they were from the previous customer, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Just… how much did you drink?"

"Does it matter? Here, this'll help you loosen up."

She filled my glass to the brim.

"Haha… th-thanks."

Coming here was definitely not a good idea.

◈ ━━━━━━━ ◆ ━━━━━━━ ◈

We'd been drinking for about an hour when Ichika-san asked:

"So, Haruki-kun. You're telling me… you're a mage?"

"Oh? You're good! You can tell just by looking?"

I emptied my beer before raising my hand and shouting:

"Hey! waiter, can you bring us another one?"

(I hate to admit it, but I've always been weak with alcohol.)

"Pwahaha! You're hilarious, Haruki-kun. 'Just by looking'? You were the one who told me."

"I did? Hic! I mean, of course I did, hehe. Yep, that's right, I'm a mage!"

She crossed her arms on the table and tilted her head.

"And can I ask what kind of mage you are? Just curious."

This was my chance to tell the truth. But how could I waste such a perfect opportunity to impress her?

"Can you keep a secret?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she brushed her hair behind her ear and leaned in.

"Gulp!"

I could clearly see the skin of her neck exposed.

This girl…

She seriously wants me to do this?

I didn't have a choice, so I leaned closer and whispered into her ear.

The smell of alcohol and perfume hit me hard.

"What?! A sound mage?! Are you serious?!"

"Oi! Keep it down, Ichika-san! It's a secret! Do you want everyone to hear?"

Nobody in the bar seemed remotely interested in us, but still, I had to sound convincing.

"Sorry," she hiccuped, "I didn't mean to. I was just surprised. I mean, sound mages are rare. The last one seen around was before I was even born. And to think there'd be one right in front of me. Wow!"

"Haha, I know."

Okay, maybe I embellished things a little.

"Anyway, Ichika-san, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? I know the Okiyama Bar is popular, but you don't seem like the type who goes to places like this."

"Why not? Just because it's in front of Tokyo University? Do I not look smart enough to study there? Or do you think I'm too old for that?"

"No, no! That's not what I meant!"

"Well, whatever. Either way, my life's pretty boring. Why don't we focus on what you just told me? I'm actually really curious."

"Ah… sure. Why not?"

Looks like my strategy to dodge the topic didn't work.

"Here are your drinks."

The waiter walked up and set a few bottles on the table. Along with them, there was a glass full of pink liquid.

I pulled on his sleeve. "Excuse me. I think this one was a mistake."

"Oh, that? Don't worry. It's on the house. It's tonight's special drink."

That was a bit unusual, but since it was free, I didn't refuse.

"Anything else for you two?"

"No, no, that's all. Thanks."

"In that case, enjoy."

This waiter must've been new. If I'd seen such a friendly guy here before, I'd remember.

I grabbed the glass and drank it down. The liquid was a little bitter, but easy enough to swallow.

"Waaah! Alright!"

Now that I was fueled up, it was showtime.

Ichika-san propped her chin on her hands and listened closely without even blinking.

"How should I put it…"

To hook her right away, I started with the times I helped the fire department back in school.

I told her about the day I got my first honorary medal and how I single-handedly saved dozens of civilians from a runaway train.

Somehow, I managed to sound extremely eloquent, and even half-drunk, I didn't stutter.

Still, despite all my storytelling skills, from the look in her eyes, my heroic deeds weren't impressing her at all.

Why, though?

For a second, I wondered if something was wrong with me, but after thinking a bit, I figured out where I messed up:

Ichika-san wasn't the type of girl who gets impressed by superheroes.

She was the villainous type…

…The kind that likes bad boys.

(Probably.)

"But that was back when I was young, when I still had a good heart, you know? These days I'm different."

Her eyes widened.

"Sometimes, having too much power makes you selective. It makes you think about which causes actually deserve to be protected."

Her expression changed completely.

"I wouldn't say this to just anyone… but since fate seems to have brought us together tonight, I'll tell you this: it doesn't matter if you fight for justice or not, as long as you have a strong cause. Laws matter, but they're not always on our side."

"Haruki-kun…!"

"So let me ask you, Ichika-san: in this world full of inequality, who will fight for us if we stay silent? Who will defend our causes? The answer is simple. We, the strong, have to do it… even if we have to break the rules… even if we need to become acti—"

"A terrorist?!"

"?"

What did she just say?

Terrorist?

"Uh… that's not exactly what I meant, Ichika-san, but well… if you want to take it that way, then—"

"No! Behind you! Terrorists!!!"

"What?!"

Ichika-san's scream made everyone jump to their feet.

A deafening noise burst from our right, followed by a red aura erupting at the bar's entrance.

Bam!

A bluish explosion tore open a huge hole in the wall. Smoke and dust flew everywhere.

In the middle of the chaos, a muffled yell came from outside:

"Oi, you idiot! Why'd you blow up the wall if I was already melting the door?!"

Three people in black bodysuits and horse masks walked into the bar.