Translator: Ranzan

「…what are you doing?」

「Nothing worth intro-ducing myself for . 」

「I haven’t asked that anyway, it’s pretty obvious from how you talk . 」

With the girl’s unique speaking while pausing, there was no doubt who it was .

「You’re wr-ong . 」

She cleared her throat .

「I’m not intro-ducing myself…I have no…name . 」

「I’m starting to feel deja vu talking to you like this . 」

He was half shouting at her . He remembered that he had the exact same conversation the first time he met her .

「Let me just ask though, did someone teach you to look like that?」

「Of…course . 」

「…heh!」

What do you mean, the girl twitched her head aside as if to say .

Taiyou spit out a laugh at her without thinking . Like a girl…way too much like a girl .

s.h.i.+rokiyami, the strongest swordsman, the beautiful girl who had attacked the seven wives of Taiyou .

While Taiyou was conversing with the girl, Leticia’s men were moving forward and eventually tied up all the beaten women of Saegusa Tsuk.u.mo .

Looking back, he asked the girl more .

「I mean, what is that? That colorful mask of yours that may or may not match your code name . You should have picked white (s.h.i.+ro) and black (yami) . 」

「My name…isn’t s.h.i.+rokiyami…」

「What?」

「My name…my name…」

「You said at first you don’t have one . Don’t worry, you don’t have to think one up . 」

「…Mask…the Third . 」(a play off Lupin the Third)

「The famous thief?!」

「Let me just tell you…this cute girl is scry…」

「You’re getting it mixed up . 」

「I’ll cut…you!」

「Run! The cutest girl in the world is here! Run!」

What a gratifying conversation these two were having .

He knew why this girl had come out with a mask on, and after talking to her he seemed more at ease .

It was a short moment, but so much already hadn’t gone right…nothing was different…so this casual talk with this girl had the calmness of being at home again .

He wanted it too feel even calmer, but he had to check something first .

「I see…I could care less about your name . But could you tell me the reason that you’ve come here?」

「Your wife…I have…her . 」

「I knew it . 」

「What is she talkin’ about?!」

Leticia stuck her head out the window .

「So ya know who this girl is?」

「Don’t you know her?」

「Sure! s.h.i.+rokiyami, White-snow death G.o.ddess . The strongest swordsman, pretty famous as a human weapon for her tactics . 」

「Tactics? Don’t you mean technique?」

「Yeah . 」

「Huh…I guess I get it . 」

Someone like Taiyou that thinks of purpose and means as different things means that he thinks of strategy and technique also as different .

A strategic human weapon . It would be too much of an exaggeration for some to say that about one person, especially about a young beautiful maiden, which Taiyou thought was strange .

He thought it was strange because he had actually fought her before .

「Well, this seems like fate . But, the wife you’re holding, is it Aoba?」

Mask the Third nodded slightly .

「That idiot! Youran Juunis.h.i.+ma?!」

「She’s in my hands as of the last…new moon . 」

「Now that’s a cool way of saying it!」

「Ya had a mysterious strength…right? What’s yer purpose? The reason ya carried her off?」

Leticia had the tone of demanding an answer . Taiyou and this girl had an unknown incident before he came to this island, and she was worried at how familiar they were .

「…」

「Answer me!」

Leticia shouted, but Taiyou raised a hand to quiet her .

「What the?」

「If it’s Youran you’re worried about, she’s okay . I can a.s.sure you . 」

「…what does that mean?」

Leticia toned down, but began staring now at Taiyou .

Leticia toned down, but began staring now at Taiyou .

Taiyou ignored her and asked s.h.i.+ra…no, Mask the Third .

「I have a thought for you . 」

「Gul-p . 」

「Don’t say you’re gulping . 」

「I can a.s.sure her life and fi-delity . 」

「Thanks . 」

He already knew that she was okay, but he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t his enemy .

No, if she was there to fight him, there’s no reason she would have arrived wearing a mask . Even though it was obvious who she was, because she was concealing who she was it was proof she was not hostile to Taiyou and the others . If you thought about the reason why she didn’t fight before, it was clear .

She was the one that stole Youran and Aoba from Saegusa Tsuk.u.mo .

With this is mind, Taiyou could finally relax . He lifted his head up, and breathed out all the air in his lungs in relief .

「Well . 」

Once that was over he faced Leticia and looked straight at her .

「Why ya doin’ that?」

「I want to borrow something from you . 」

「Borrow somethin’?」

「Yeah, just any of the cars you have . 」

「You gonna kill her?」

「Yeah, I will . 」

「Okay, take whatever ya like . 」

「Thanks . 」

Taiyou said that and walked toward one car parked among many there . Leticia’s soldiers looked at him strangely, but after a wink from Leticia, all the soldiers moved away from the car he was standing near .

Taiyou stood in front of the car and faced Mask the Third .

「It takes me back, having to fight you again . 」

「It’s nice…to m-eet you . 」

「Oh, that’s right, this is the first time we met . 」

He smirked and laughed . It made him snicker to see a little girl like this act so stubbornly .

「Okay, let me ask you one more thing . If I beat you, will the girl s.h.i.+rokiyami be mine?」

「I…guess?」

Though she tilted her head and inflected the answer as a question, Taiyou took the answer as the affirmative .

「Okay then . 」

Taiyou nodded, bent, and gripped the b.u.mper of the car . He put power into his stance, and picked up the car in the air .

「Whoa!」「That much power with wounds all over?!」「He’s a demon…a monster!!」

Leticia’s soldiers mumbled among themselves .

「Whoa!」「That much power with wounds all over?!」「He’s a demon…a monster!!」

Leticia’s soldiers mumbled among themselves .

「Waitwaitwaitwait!」

Leticia lifted out her hand to stop them . Taiyou quickly put down the car . The car landed with a thud on the asphalt and shook the earth .

「What is it?」

「What was all that ya said?」

「Now?」

「About her bein’ your girl?」

「Well, um, I just did I guess . 」

He had said it more as a comment, so hearing Leticia yell at him seemed to shut him up .

But saying nothing about it…well, that’s even more embarra.s.sing, so he spoke again .

「Because of her promise, I’m going to fight her…and if I win, she’ll become a bride of mine . 」

「Whaaaaa?」

Leticia was again lost for words .

Taiyou felt even more embarra.s.sed, and tried to explain himself further .

「I know it’s a bit brash, but, it seems there’s no other way . 」

「…」

「I mean I have to fight her, fight, and beat this girl sometime!」

He lifted his fist up and stuck it out, signalling his decision .

He looked back at the enemy he was to face . Even with the mask on, he knew it was her and his heart began to pound .

「Sooo…Leticia?」

Let me borrow the car, he motioned looking back at Leticia, who for some reason was now bent and shaking while holding her shoulders .

「What is it? Something wrong?」

「Yer wrong . 」

「Wha?」

「Ya…take something from me so ya can get at that girl . 」

「Wha? Well, yeah, to beat her . 」

「I mean, as a person . 」

「What?」

He asked again to hear what she meant by the second comment, while Leticia lifted her face again .

Her shoulders were still shaking, and her face was red in an expression that wasn’t shyness .

「Leticia?」

「Ya need to take a rest . 」

「Wha?」

Taiyou was surprised . Leticia’s beet-red face was covered with a strange smile .

「Ya need to take a rest . 」

「Wha?」

Taiyou was surprised . Leticia’s beet-red face was covered with a strange smile .

A strange, unnatural smile that for some reason, made him feel some kind of pressure .

「No, I’m not done yet . 」

「Yer injured, ya can’t push yerself too far . 」

「But…」

「Take – a – rest . 」

「Um…」

He couldn’t describe and had never felt that pressure before .

It was pressure from a different vector that s.h.i.+rokiyami’s murderous intent .

He wondered why, just like Leticia’s smile, that her sudden smile had appeared upon her beautiful face . He felt like a frog that was being stared down in a serpent’s smile .

「You…」

「Hmph!」

He tried to protest, then in the next instant .

「Gaaaahhhhgh!」

Taiyou was struck strongly in the stomach with a fist . It was a bodyblow that seemed to arc his stomach inwards .

His consciousness seemed to fade, and he tried to suppress this, but even so his mind seemed to be fading out into whiteness .

The bodyblow, in addition to the damage he had already taken, brought him to the edge of his awareness .

His mind spun, and he fell to the ground .

「Wha…t…the…」

「Relax and calm yer head . 」

「What…did you…」

「…hmph!」

「Hee…he-ee . 」

「Hey ya! With the laughin’ mouth! What’s with that face?!」

「I have a mas-k on…so you don’t…know . 」

「I can see it even with yer mask on!」

「Whoaaaaa, Iiiiii’ve seen something really crazy!」

「Did you see that?」「Yeah, that was a stronger punch than I could have done!」「Women are scaaaaary!」

The tumult finally started to settle .

Among his fading consciousness, he realized this was the first time he had pa.s.sed out because of her, as Taiyou remembered her sword attack on him the previous time .

(Her martial arts don’t match her soft lips…)

With most of Taiyou’s worries resolved, he still thought about those lips as he finally lost consciousness .