Chapter Two: The Crybaby Cries, and…

Apologies for the long delay – school, new semester, all that jazz. Speaking of which, I think I have a midterm soon…

Union Station, Chicago

Interior

Standing proudly in the middle of Chicago, Union Station was an important stop on the transcontinental railway.

Just completed in 1925, the station still had an air of novelty, and its visitors often felt the same sensations they would upon entering a newly-erected opera house.

As a result of stately pillars reminiscent of the Temple of Greece, the station had the same harmonious atmosphere as a museum. Even the crowds bustling about gave the station a solemn air.

In following years, this station would become known to the American people as the set for The Untouchables.

Right now, however, no sounds of a shootout filled the station – only cowardly, dispirited words.

–

“O-oh no, w-what are we going to do? We-we’ve lost them…”

Within the less than normally crowded station, walked a crestfallen young man.

Although a sword-shaped tattoo covered most of his face, the youth’s impression of carrying the weight of the world’s sufferings on his shoulders gave passersby a jarring impression.

In front of this dejected-looking youth was a group of at least twenty or so unruly youths.

Within these group, several men looked as though they had experience killing, and several others were playing with daggers in broad daylight. In particular, one man who seemed to be Mexican was especially conspicuous, and his formidable presence created an indescribably oppressive atmosphere.

Looking at this group, it was easy to worry if these hardened delinquents were planning on killing the tattooed youth – but those fears, it turned out, were groundless.

“Jacuzzi! Are you alright?”

A girl, her appearance notable for the eye patch under her glasses and the scars covering her body, ran up to the youth, her face worried.

“Oh, th-that guy…he, he just disappeared and, and I don’t know where he is…”

“Alright, calm down, Jacuzzi. It’s alright, it’s okay.”

Wearing a helpless expression, the girl – Nice – tried to comfort the tattooed youth, but Jacuzzi Splot’s gloomy expression showed no signs of lifting.

“N-Nice, what are we going to do? Maybe he’s already seen us and he’s just hiding from us…ha, ah, wouldn’t that be something? Just when we get here, Isaac and Miria have ran away!”

“Jacuzzi, it’s just like you said – Isaac’s coming tomorrow.”

Holding Jacuzzi’s hand as if trying to calm a child, Nice didn’t even notice when several of the unruly youths craned their necks towards Jacuzzi’s tear-streaked face.

“Hey, whaddya think you’re doing, rushing into that train like that?”

“For a second there, I actually thought you’d run away!” “Same here!” “I was a hundred percent sure of it – what are you doing back here? Gimme back the money!”

“W-what? What about money?”

“Okay, okay, if ya really don’t remember it, I’ll lend you some for now.” “Hey, lend me some too, alright?” “Me too!” “You’ve got ten days to pay me back five times.”

“W-w-what? W-wait, I can’t take this money!”

His companions’ mindless chatter, however, only made Jacuzzi feel increasingly helpless. Watching them, he felt like he was floating away from them all.

“H-hey, now’s not the time for jokes. Who was that guy?”

“What do you mean “who was that guy”? He’s a member of the Russo family, o’ course!”

Hearing a hesitant inquiry from one of the less rowdy members, the tattooed youth’s eyes filled with tears as he addressed his dangerous companions.

“I…I also realized that, b-but only after Nice reminded me…she, she only had to say it, and I could tell. From the scar on his face…he does seem to be a part of the Russo family.”

The Russo family.

A Chicago-based mafia family, it had a not insignificant history with Jacuzzi’s gang. With people dead on both sides, their relationship had long since surpassed animosity – and not only was there no chance of a reconciliation or an alliance, the Russos also seemed determined for the bloodshed to continue.

For this reason, Jacuzzi had always been opposed to this trip to Chicago, afraid of harm to him or his companions.

But his companions, acting as if this crisis was mere exaggeration, rushed to answer.

“What? The Russos?”

“Hey, we’re in luck.” “Let’s kill ’em all!” “Hyahahahahahahahaha!”

“Anyways, what were ya thinkin’, chasing after him?”

“You’re shit at fighting, so don’t try anything!”

“Jacuzzi shouldn’t be deciding what we feel about the Russos, but how far we’re gonna go against them!”

As the conversation degenerated into warlike squabbling, Jacuzzi sat down, feeling increasing lost at what was going on before him.

“H-hey, you guys are going overboard.”

“Hey, what’re you saying? I just want ya to look at your abilities again.”

“Look, you ain’t the fighting type, but you make a great leader, okay?”

“All the dirty work – just give it to us.” “Jacuzzi might not be too smart, but he’s still loads better than us!”

“Hyaha!” “Being a crybaby ain’t bad, but you still suck at fighting.”

Though words of praise for him once again rose up, Jacuzzi – hands over his ears as he clutched his head in his hands – heard none of them.

In this kind of environment, Jacuzzi’s mind once again drifted back to the events that had led up to situation.

Ahaha, how did things turn out like this?

Just yesterday afternoon, we were still all in New York…

 –              

One day prior.

In their base at Millionaire’s Row, Jacuzzi and his gang had received a piece of news.

From the radio, they had learned of a series of explosions in Chicago, which had covered over three hundred square miles.

Police analysis revealed that the explosions were man-made, and though the motive was yet unknown, it was suspected that the culprit was the head of the Russo family – Placido Russo.

At the same time, nearly two hundred people had disappeared, wrapping Chicago in an unsure atmosphere.

At that time, he had been worried about his friends in Chicago, especially Graham Spencer – but just as the report had finished, two visitors had come to pay a call.

That’s right, Tim and Adele told me Graham seemed to have been involved in a dangerous incident…which really made me worried about him…

Jacuzzi and his gang had been shaken by this piece of news, but the largest surprise had come from another source – a call to the villa from the other side of the continent.

The man calling had been a friend who was recently incarcerated for theft – Isaac Dent.

With the news that Isaac’s sentence had ended and he had safely left jail, Jacuzzi and his gang rejoiced, their former worries forgotten.

And, smiling in front of them as she talked with him, was the woman Isaac loved – Miria Harvent.

And it was the middle of their conversation that things first began to take an unexpected turn.

“Ah – ah, ah, that’s great, Isacc! I’m going to head for Chicago right now to meet you!”

 No doubt, that was how it’d happened…at that time, I couldn’t understand what Miria was saying – only after asking, I learned that Isaac didn’t have enough money for a train ticket to New York. At most, he could get to Chicago –

And so, he had asked Miria to come to Chicago with his wallet.

At first, Jacuzzi had desperately tried to dissuade Miria’s mind, but with Isaac the only thing in her thoughts, his words had proven useless.

Even worse, Nice – clearly crazy – had taken an interest in the bombings, and then the rest of his companions had started up…

–

And now we’re here…

Lost in a daze as he trailed after his companions, Jacuzzi suddenly realized something – and like a puppet brought to life, he sprang up clapped his hands together.

“That’s right! W-we have to go to San Francisco to pick Isaac up! In – in any case, we should leave Chicago right away…”

Face shining, Jacuzzi thought he had come up with a brilliant idea to leave Chicago, but Nice’s uncomprehending face stopped him –

“If we leave to go for San Francisco now, isn’t there a higher chance we’ll just miss Isaac?”

“Yeah!”

“And also…if we boarded the train now, then wouldn’t we be on the same train as the member of the Russo family?”

“Yeah yeah!”

As even children began to agree against him, Jacuzzi’s answer caught in his throat and tears began to flow down his face.

“Plus, what about Graham?” “Uh uh um y-eah – that’s right, what about him? Is…is there any w-way we could find him in five minutes? I-if we could find Graham, I don’t think we’d have to worry about the Russos anymore..it’s just, but…no no no, this is our problem ,w-we can’t drag Graham into it too!”

Jacuzzi’s teary words, however, were cut short by a torrent of words from his companions.

“Ya know, I kept on expecting someone else to tell ya off, and now you’re giving up already? Well, huh.”

“It had to be said, so quit crying!” “Ya wanted us to take five minutes to find him? Quit kidding!” “Hyaha!”

“B-but you guys…it’d only be five minutes…w-when it comes to Graham, h-he’s very important to me!”

“Let me think, what’s Graham done for us? Oh, right, there was that time at that hill when he got into that huge fight with us!”

“Uh-huh, and I haven’t even seen Graham before.”

“Just don’t think about it anymore, okay?” “Hey, if we’re going to make fun of Jacuzzi’s plan, aren’t we just setting it up to fail?” “Donny, you’re an idiot!”

“Yeah, well, sorry.”

“Anyway, getting back to topic, even if you find Graham in five minutes, what are you going to do, just drag him out of Chicago…?” “Yeah, and what were ya going to say to him, anyways?” “Getting back on topic, Jacuzzi’s going to cry soon!”

“Getting back on topic, who wants to help me look for my little sister?”

“Getting back on topic, since when have you had a little sister?”

“Well, then who wants to help me look for the girl who can be my new sister…”

“Getting back on topic, shut up.” “Shut up.” “Shut up.” “Hyaha!”

“I didn’t mention it earlier, but I’m still pretty worried about those clothes I left outside…hey!”

“Huh?”

“What you just said…it was obviously sunset when we were at that hill, but then you just said it was in the morning. Don’cha think that’s weird?”

“You’re sayin’ this just now?” “Shut up!” “Screw off!” “Go die!” “Shoo!” “Shoo?”

“These guys, how do I stand them…they’ve gone back to fighting like kids…”

Ignoring her rowdy companions, Nice instead calmly addressed Jacuzzi.

Temporarily ignoring her glasses, Nice’s eye patch and her scar gave her an intimidating appearance – but this impression was contradicted by her gentle expression. The effect of this contrast was to only make her seem even kinder than she already was.

“It’s okay, Jacuzzi, there’s no way he saw us.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. Besides, the way he looked, he seemed really panicked, like he was trying to hide from someone…”

As she recounting the situation, Nice simultaneously tried to comfort Jacuzzi.

Hearing Nice’s words, Jacuzzi momentarily felt relieved –

But as a thought hit him, Jacuzzi’s face once more filled with anxiety.

“B-but if he’s h-hiding…w-what’s he hiding from?”

“Ah?”

At Jacuzzi’s question, Nice couldn’t help but be stumped. However, with an awkward smile, she attempted to answer anyways.

“What he’s hiding from, hm…maybe the police, I guess? Ah, don’t people say they’re looking for the Russos?”

“B-but, didn’t they also say they were just looking for Placido Russo?”

“Hm, maybe…”

Nice’s answer seemed like an inevitable conclusion, but what happened next far exceeded what she had expected.

Already pale, the blood drained out of Jacuzzi’s face, making the colors of his tattoo even more vivid against his ashen skin.

“Oh, oh no! I-in that case, then we defi-definitely have to find Graham!”

“…? Um, why would we have to do that…?”

To Nice’s uncertainly, Jacuzzi responded with a baffled question of his own.

“Ah? Because…well, the reason Graham came here, it was to help the Russo, right?”

“….?”

“And so, the police might also be looking for Graham…so we have to find him quickly, and take him with us…”

“…have you always known about Graham’s connection with the Russo family?”

Jacuzzi’s next words deeply surprised Nice.

When Nice arrived at New York, she had investigated Graham and the other groups there, and had learned of the strong relationship between Graham and the Russo family. She had initially been wary of him, but his actions had eventually convinced him he wasn’t such a bad person.

Even though Jacuzzi was already wanted by the police, he had still helped them without a thought, and so Nice had trusted him a little. However, because she didn’t want to make Jacuzzi worry, she had thought it was better not to talk about his connection with the Russos.

But how could Jacuzzi have known about it anyway?

To Nice’s question, Jacuzzi response was puzzlement.

“Ah…well, I already knew about it then…um, yeah, oh right. I did think it was weird that no one was talking about it – was that because of you, Nice?”

“…”

Seeing Nice’s dumbfounded expression and her silence, Jacuzzi guessed that she wanted to say something, and gave her a perplexing smile.

“Actually, the Russos might be our enemies, but they also know that Graham’s a good person.”

“…and that’s all you care about?”

“Ah, um…ah, did I do something wrong…?”

As Jacuzzi’s face became worried again, Nice’s astonished expression relaxed into a smile.

“Jacuzzi, you can be really fearless sometimes…”

“Is…is that so…”

Feeling oddly like he was being praised, Jacuzzi shyly lowered his head. Yet other than the subtle change brought by their conversation, there was no other shift in the atmosphere.

At the sight of Jacuzzi’s lowered head, however, his companions became very rowdy, gleefully crowing as they crowded around him.

“Hey, Jacuzzi, are you blushing?”

“I dunno what happened, but I gotta give it to you!”

“I’m going to kick your ass for that!” “Yeah, so? I’ll just take your wallet!”

“In other words, go die, you romantic bastard!” “Hyaha!” “Damn! I’m so jealous…” “Hey, you think Jacuzzi’s tears might have some secret to attracting girls?” “Woah! Lend some of those, then…”

“W-what are you guys going on about? Eee –!”

As someone’s foot hit his knee, Jacuzzi’s screams spread throughout the station.

“Hey, I didn’t think you would actually start crying!” “Hey, who just kicked him right then?” “Don’t you know anything about controlling yourself?”

“Who was it?” “It was you!” “Me?” “No doubt!” “Oh. Shit!” “Hyaha!”

Pushed to the front by his friends, the boy responsible for kicking Jacuzzi nervously apologized to his leader.

“Um…uh, sorry Jacuzzi. Uh, if you want, you can kick all of us back.”

“Hey, how come I have to be kicked too?”

“If you can’t even take responsibility, then just shut up!”

Paying no heed to his companions’ whispered argument, Jacuzzi turned to the boy, his eyes swimming with tears.

“Ah, well, um…really?”

“A little lighter, maybe, if you could..”

“Um, okay. But, um, I can’t really move right now. Donny, can you help me do it?”

Jacuzzi’s words, mixed amongst his tears, made his companions freeze.

“Hey, Jacuzzi, wait! No, wait, Jacuzzi, please! W-wait – Jacuzzi, mister –!”

At the same time, the man Jacuzzi mentioned spoke up.

“Well, I don’t really know what’s going on, but sure. Lightly, yeah?”

“Oh shit shit shit!”

Seeing Donny starting to approach, the group of unruly youths became a crowd of schoolchildren, scattering as one.

“D-damn you, Jacuzzi! Ya gotta start acting like a leader now?”

“This bastard is suddenly becoming mean!” “Hyahahahahahahahaha! Hyaha!”

–

As this commotion occurred, one member stood slightly apart from the group, her head lifted towards the sky.

The woman who was responsible for this expedition – Miria Harvent.

A young woman whose innocent expression could have caused her to be mistaken for a girl, she stood in the bright sunlight of the blue sky, her whole body radiant from the hope filling her heart.

In order to welcome back the man she loved, Miria had come to Chicago. And as her mind filled with thoughts of her missing love, Miria joyfully sang her hope to the blue sky above her –  a hope that revealed her endless affection for its subject.

“I hope I can see Isaac soon!”

Ah, but poor girl, once again your request shall be denied – 

That was what the blue sky seemed to mockingly tell her –

A sky which was suddenly shattered by a sharp explosion of sound.

“…? W-what was that noise?”

Caught in the chaotic crowds, Jacuzzi – his whole body shaking – sought the source of the ground’s trembling.

“…it looks like an explosion.”

As Nice calmly made her assessment, her companions glanced around. All around them, the other people in the station had reacted similarly, with those who had not flattened themselves against the ground frozen into place. However, there were no signs of smoke or flames.

With the realization that the bombings had finally spread to Chicago, panic spread throughout the crowd. If smoke had actually been seen, then it was all too possible a riot could have broken out.

“Oh no oh no oh no – ah, oh no oh no oh no, w-what are we going to do? E-everyone c-calm down please! I-if we have to, we can just leave – oh no, calm down, calm down – Graham! We have to find Graham – please don’t shout guys, calm down – oh no oh no, everyone’s going to die die die what are we going to do do do do do dooooo what are we going to do – everyone, just please calm down –!”

“You’re the one who needs to calm down!”

Kicked by Nick and Donny in succession, the air left Jacuzzi’s lungs as he let out a soft groan.

Despite what had just occurred, the group of delinquents seemed the unfazed by the situation – what was more, many of them actually seemed annoyed with the explosion. From their calm expressions, it seemed they had not yet grasped the magnitude of the situation.

There was, however, one exception – the bomb fanatic whose eyes shone behind her glasses.

“…this explosion…its blast radius must be around ten meters!”

Using senses honed from long experience, Nice had been able to determine the size of the current explosion.

“…and it’s about five hundred meters west?”

However, her deductions were abruptly cut off by the scent of fumes gusting past.

Fumes that were distinctly familiar –

As Nice identified the scent, her hands began to sweat, her remaining eye widening with stark surprise.

“This…what in the world…?”

–

Several minutes earlier, Chicago

When it comes down to it, I guess it’s just me.

Walking along the sidewalk by Union Station, Rail raised his head and gazed at the sky.

In the shadows, the striking scars that covered Rail’s face and body were mostly hidden.

Normally, Rail wouldn’t have cared about who saw his scars – however, given the situation he was in, it wouldn’t have been wise to flaunt this attribute and thus draw attention to himself.

Even after carrying out yesterday’s bombings, he had still been unable to find Frank.

No – it wasn’t just Frank that was bothering him. Sham, who had promised to help him in yesterday’s bombings, had – not long after bombing Elson Hill – completely disappeared.

And so Rail had been forced to act alone – but although he was a member of Lamia, Huey’s personal organization, he now had no power besides the bombs on his person.

This fact, however, didn’t seem to bother Rail too much. In his mind, the idea of escaping no longer existed.

Having given up on the idea of saving Frank, he had fallen into a state of purposelessness –

From an outsider’s perspective, it would not have been wrong to say he had become thoroughly disheartened.

Outwardly, however, his mood seemed normal. Indeed, he seemed in a state of complete carelessness – even when it came to his safety.

In Rail’s uneasy mind, rang the words Christopher had earlier spoken.

                   “Ah, how should I put it? Well, since I’m unnatural, I guess I can’t help you get any better – though if you wanted to be like me, it’d be easy enough to do help you there! But I think that right now, you’ve got a choice…and whatever happens next to you, it should be your decision.”

                “M-my decision? On what?”

                “On the type of person you want to become – though, ha, I guess we never had a choice in that, right?”

                “But…I don’t want to be unnatural. I want…I want to be someone who help you regain your original state.”

                “Yeah, well, what’s a natural person, anyways? Even if I wanted to be one, I don’t think they exist…

                “And since that’s how things are…I guess I’ll just have to be unnatural, then. Oh well. Anyways, how would you “regain” that? And anyways, what would I even gain if I returned to my “original state?”

                “But…but that way…you would be able to live as a human being.”

                “Ha! As if!”

                “C-Chris, why are you saying this?”

                “Because when it comes to humans, I have absolutely no interest in them.

                “Even if all of humanity were to consider me crazy, it would make no difference to me.”

                “But all I want…Chris…please, help me be like you.”

A thought passed through his mind as Rail took a step closer to the station, gazing at the landscape with a contemplative air.

All this time…I guess I’ve always wanted something like that.

Then why, why can’t I feel anything?

Because last night, I was too open in laughing and crying?

Right now, such sorrows and joys felt like nothing but a blur to Rail.

As he continued walking, a vision of his heart emerged in front of him, filled with irritability and depression.

Comprehending this, Rail’s recklessness only increased.

What is this? What’s wrong with me, really?

I feel so strange now, even if I saw someone…what would I do then?

Not everyone can achieve happiness, it’s true…and even if I do find Frank and Christopher, I could still be the same loathsome person I am now.

And so, if things are really this way…I…I guess I’ll just always be the same, forever a person without any connections.

When it came to his situation, Rail decided, God was truly cruel. Just as he reached this conclusion, however, a hand reached for his shoulder –

“Rail.”

“!”

Reflexively jumping a little, Rail tensed.

Turning his head, however, all he saw was a sea of unfamiliar faces. None of them seemed to belong to one of the white-coated researchers working under the female scientist, but he couldn’t be too careful – it would hardly be natural, after all, to wear a white lab coat in the middle of the street.

Seemingly sensing his alarm, the man who had called Rail smiled wearily, extended his hands out.

“It’s me, Sham. Good to see you’re not in too much trouble.”

“Sham! – what do you think you’re doing, looking for me now?”

Even though it was the first time he had seen him, Rail acted as if he knew the man, voice returning to its normal tone.

What was more, Rail’s demeanor had changed completely. Now trembling, it was as if the madness hidden in his heart was finally finding outward expression.

As Sham pulled Rail into an alley, it was hard to tell if he sensed Rail’s precarious situation, but his voice was similarly nervous when he spoke.

“Ah, well…my situation’s kind of worsened…”

“What situation?”

“The one between Hilton and me, that’s gotten a bit worse…oh, Huey has a message to pass on. Do you want to hear it?”

“No, I don’t. But you can tell him “go die” from me.”

Shaking his head at Rail’s unhesitating answer, Sham smiled sadly.

“I haven’t seen you react so strongly to something in a long time…alright, I’ll pass your message on. Anyways, the message is a bit old, but Huey says, ‘Rail, I will be passing by Chicago soon. I hope I will able to see you.'”

“….What? But – Huey’s in prison! What’s he talking about?”

The man responsible for making Rail and his kind immortal, Huey Laforet, was currently imprisoned in Alcatraz, and should not have been unable to doing anything.

As a result, Sham, Hilton, and Leeza had become his couriers, conveying messages for him.

Even if he was physically present, the words that came from his messengers were still official orders –

“That bastard – is he planning to break out, then?”

“Hang on a moment – Huey just got the message you sent him. He says to tell you, “since I am an immortal, I don’t believe I can die. Anyways, when it comes to the issue of breaking from

“…you really gave him my message…I’m impressed…”

Although Rail said these words in his usual tone of sarcasm, underneath raged the emotions released by Huey’s name – resentment, loathing, and terror that had only grown over the years.

Now these emotions swirled together, increasing his sense of restlessness.

Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Just what do you you’re feeling towards Huey…

So annoying…

He was getting more and more agitated.

Ah, that’s enough…nothing matters anyways…

More and more agitated –

“Ah, it doesn’t matter anymore…I’ll just blow it all up.”

“Wait, Rail – what are bringing that out for?”

The alarm in Sham’s voice forced Rail back to his senses.

Only when he glanced at the round weapon clutched in his right hand, did Rail realize what he had just intened to do.

“Hey, um – if I’ve made you angry, I can just apologize.”

“…ah, it’s not that. Sorry, I was just kidding around.”

Only after Rail had put his weapons away, did he realize that he was covered in sweat.

Ever since his body had been cut open and his sense of pain dulled, Rail rarely sweated. The researchers studying him had thought this would affect his ability to regulate his temperature , but so far, the consequences didn’t seemed too serious.

The cold sweat he was currently covered in was another matter.

Whenever he thought back to the experiments he had suffered, his palms and neck would always break out in a cold sweat.

However, he was now sweating from his startling actions of a moment ago. Seeing the cold droplets on his skin, Rail’s anxiety only continued mounting.

As Rail wondered in horror at the unhinged state of his mind, the tightness in his chest only increased. To turn from this troubling line of thought, he turned his attention back to Sham.

“…ah, sorry. Oh, Sham, what did you want to say a second ago? Also, when you left, how come I suddenly couldn’t contact you?”

“Ah, that’s because…”

Seemingly glad to return to the original topic, Sham nodded –

Only to be ultimately cut off.

“Hey, look! I found something.”

“W-what?”

A series of sudden sounds forced Sham to look up –

To see, crowding the alley where they stood, a group of men dressed in black, surrounding them.

“Shit –!”

Although he seemed to recognize these men in black, Sham’s face nonetheless filled with astonishment at seeing them. For a moment, he made as if to flee from the scene –

But his opponents were faster.

One man had already taken out a syringe, which he plunged into Sham’s neck.

“Umph…!”

As the needle went in, another man held Sham, who struggled for a few moments before his movements slowed under the influence of the drug.

“Huh?”

The sudden change in situation, which had occurred in a blink of an eye, left Rail stunned.

Removing the syringe from Sham’s neck, the man in black turned to Rail, his eyes suspicious as he regarded him.

“…hey, ain’t that the punk we let go, day ‘fore yesterday?”

Sham was still weakly struggling, but the man holding him seemed not to notice his presence as he responded.

“Well, if there are scars ‘neath that cap of his, it’ll be him for sure.”

“Hey, that’s right –!”

Nodding, the man with the needle slowly reached a hand towards Rail.

Realistically, what happened next took only a few seconds.

But in that span of time, countless thoughts ran through Rail’s head.

– who? Why did he, to Sham – and needles – men clothed in black – the Mafia? No, that’s not right –

He says he knows me…my scars, probably…the day before yesterday? Something that happened then…what? What happened? What happened what happened what happened what happened what –

Oh. The bombs.

Of course…the explosions – both times – the Russos – they wanted Frank…

Then…Frank…?

Ah!

With this thought, the images in Rail’s head of the white-coated group and the woman who led them shattered and vanished. The next moment – the bomb he had just put away was in his hand again, his finger already on its pin.

“Ah-ha! It is him!”

“W-wait! If you set up set that off here, then not only these guys, but also you yourself –”

Although the men in black were a distance away from Rail, he was still far closer to them than he was to the white-coated woman when he had blown her up.

In this situation, anyone would have seen that it would have been difficult for everyone to escape alive.

However –

Ah, what are those guys talking about?

It’s not use, I can’t hear anything at all.

It’s just so loud – so loud! So so so loud –

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Although this scream rang in his brain, Rail’s outward appearance was as calm as ever.

And without any hesitation, as if he was not right next to his enemies, Rail let go of the pin.

Mind still hazy from the drug injected into him, Sham and the man holding him simultaneously witnessed this.

And, as the egg-shaped object slowly arched through the air, both simultaneously gasped.

…and in the moments before the bomb exploded, Sham suddenly realized something.

That already, Rail no longer cared about the events in front of him.

Not about the life of his ally, Sham.

Not about the lives of his enemies, the men in black.

Not even, in the end, about his own life.

As the light from the roaring heat wave dazzled his vision, Sham – clinging to consciousness – was sure of one thing.

And that was –

That Rail had began to lose his mind.

–

Several minutes later

Within the heavy smoke and the screams of the din, a familiar scream reverberated through Union Station –

“A-ah! T-there’s so much smoke, a-and it E-everyone, y-you should all just leave! Oh no no no – it’s too dangerous, Nice! D-don’t go closer –”

“Sorry Jacuzzi, but there’s something I have to find out!”

Jacuzzi and the men who had just arrived

By the time Jacuzzi and the others arrived, the scene was already covered in smoke, and a group of bystanders had already gathered around the alley where the explosion was suspected to have occurred.

The police and the firefighters had not yet arrived at the scene, and in the chance of a second explosion, there was no one was willing to enter the alley.

In the midst of this situation –

Nice, shoving through the crowd of onlookers, rushed into the alley without a second thought.

Following after came Jacuzzi, still crying about the danger of it all –  and after that, the group of unruly youths eyed warily by passersby – all crowded into the alleyway.

Those watching stared in shock at their movement, but no one thought of following. As a result, the first to enter the site of the explosion were these newly returned delinquents – an event that only caused the current situation to become even more confusing.

“It’s really true…the smell of this smoke…there’s no mistaking it…”

“R-right, Nice! Y-you’re right, it’s too dangerous here! S-so we should just go back!”

Standing in the alley, Nice began muttering to herself, completely ignoring the panicked Jacuzzi by her side.

Although the smoke made it hard to see, the monocle-wearing girl still attentively

But where…where was the trail…even a few shards would do…

Trying to find the source of the explosion, Nice scanned the area around her –

And suddenly saw, within the alley, a small, shadowy shape.

“Ah..huh? Someone…someone’s inside there?!”

To Jacuzzi, it also seemed like there was someone in the alley – and with terrified eyes, he watched the figure walk out of the smoke.

The steps this figure took were faltering, as if about to fall at any moment.

“A…a boy?”

As if to confirm the words Nice had just said, a young boy in grey clothes came staggering out of the smoke.

His face seemed to be composed of a mass of scars – but even more alarming than these scars was the bright red liquid covering his face.

“O-oh no! He – he’s hurt!”

Without a second’s hesitation, Jacuzzi – so terrified a moment before – charged forward.

Hurrying over, he helped support the boy, still coughing from the lingering smoke, and asked in a trembling voice: “Are – are you alright?”

Dull eyes gleaming dimly in his blood-stained face, the boy made no answer.

As the boy gazed dully at Jacuzzi, Nice, and the delinquents behind them, it was uncertain if he had even heard Jacuzzi’s words.

“…I have to…I have to go.”

“O-of course! We’ll take you to a hospital right now!”

Jacuzzi struggled to smile, trying to reassure the boy in front of him. The trembling in his face, however, could only make his nearby companions feel worried.

“I have to go…blow it up.”

“W-what? Why would…w-what happened?”

Still supporting the boy, Jacuzzi was unable to hear his quiet words, and made a mental note to ask him later.

But just as Jacuzzi had decided to take him to a doctor, the boy seemed to finally notice Jacuzzi and the others.

“Mister…who are you?”

“Ah – um –uh, uh, um…it’s okay! D-don’t worry, it’s going to be okay!”

Unnoticed by Jacuzzi in the noise and confusion, the other delinquents began dividing up the work, checking that the path to leave was free and making sure that no one else was injured.

To the relief of Jacuzzi and his gang, it was only a few moments before policemen and firefighters began streaming into alley.

But in the moments –

As he blankly stared at the approaching policemen, the boy suddenly gave a surprising declaration.

“Don’t…try to stop me.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t…just don’t try to stop me!”

To Jacuzzi and the other delinquents, these seemed like the words of someone still in shock –

Only Nice noticed “that thing.”

Of its own accord, the boy’s hand had moving to his pocket and taken out a small, round object.

And without any hesitation, his fingers moved towards the silver pin at its top.

“….?”

In the end, was it fate that Nice would notice this object? Or was it because her senses, after so much time spent with explosives, were so heightened that she would be able to notice it? The answer, perhaps, will never be clear.

What was clear, however, was that if it had not been Nice who had noticed it, then what happened next could have been deadly.

On instinct honed by long years of experience, Nice’s senses were instantly on high alert.

…oh no.

The boy’s movements, the shape and color of the objects in his hands, the smoky air around them – all these things gave Nice information about what had occurred. And from this information, Nice became sure of something.

That this scarred young boy was had caused the explosions earlier that day.

That the objects in his hand were what had caused it.

And that at that moment, the exhausted boy was slowly undoing the pin at the top of the bomb.

At lightning speed, Nice darted forward and snatched the bombs from the boy.

“H-hey! N-Nice, what are you –”

Paying no attention to attention to Jacuzzi’s exclamations, Nice quickly glanced about, then tossed the bombs into the alley with all her strength.

Oh please, don’t let there be any people over there –

As she mentally issued this prayer, Nice simultaneously shouted at her companions:

“Get down!”

Those were the orders she gave.

Hearing these words, the confused policemen wandering into the alley halted – but made no move to obey.

And amongst them, one member recognized Nice’s distinctive appearance –

“Oh, so then – Nice, that was you?”

That was the question he asked.

…damn.

Already preparing to crouch down, Nice’s heart suddenly froze.

When she had been a child, Nice had been taken to the police many times for causing explosions in the city. Because she had only been a girl and because there had been no injuries or damage, the police could do nothing but let her go – but because of these incidents, Nice’s face was instantly recognizable to the men.

Whether or not she had ever killed anyone, that was the type of person the police thought of her as.

“So then, what happened yesterday, that was you –”

As the man reached what seemed the obvious conclusion, Nice could only bite her lip and shout:

“No! Just – everyone, get down!”

As if running out of time to talk, Nice had already flattened herself against the ground.

And, as if controlled by a sudden force, the group of delinquents did as well.

To them, the situation was extremely simple – it was because Nice wanted them to get down.

From the mouth of Nice – completely, fearlessly crazy Nice – had come the words: “Get down!”

This could only mean one thing, one thing that long experience had taught them –

They had to listen.

Acting not on thought, but rather on instincts ingrained into their body, the delinquents flattened themselves the ground and braced themselves for what would occur next.

“W-w-w-w-what? A-a-ah!”

A moment later, Jacuzzi – still wailing – threw himself over the boy’s body –

Just as, for the second time that day, an explosion rocked the small alley.

–

Several moments later

Arriving at the scene several moments after Jacuzzi and his gang, Miria hovered nervously in the crowd, eyes darting nervously towards the alley.

“I hope everyone’s alright…”

Initially, she had been prepared to follow them into the alley, but when the police had arrived, the crowds had become impossible to find a way in. Plus, Miria had assumed that now that the police were here, they would force Jacuzzi and the others to leave –

But not long after, the roar of explosion had rocked the alley.

Momentarily distracted by the din, Miria suddenly snapped back to the present as she realized that Jacuzzi and his gang had not come out of the alley.

“Oh – oh no!”

She began to run in the opposite direction of all the onlookers – towards the alley from which the explosion had sounded.

There, the thick smoke that had just come from the alleyway had thrown the newly-arrived police and firemen into disarray.

Just as Miria was preparing to rush into the alleyway –

Within the thick smoke, a familiar, hulking shape came rushing out of it.

“Donny!”

As Miria cried this, she realized that the Mexican man she was referring to had two people on his shoulders. From their clothing, one of them was Jacuzzi and the other a child.

Because there were several children in the gang, Miria had earlier began to worry that one of them or Jacuzzi had been hurt…

Sprinting at Donny’s side was also Nice. As her gaze found Miria – and without another word, Nice had grabbed her by the hand and was racing forward with her in tow.

“Huh?”

One hand grabbing an uncomprehending Miria, Nice flew out of the smoky scene –

“Oh, this is good! I was worried we might not run into you – anyways, to make things clear, we have to get out of here!”

Catching onto Nice’s agitation, Miria followed without another word.1

As they raced together, Nice took a cylindrical object out of her pocket. Tearing it open with her teeth, she let go of Miria for a moment to fling it behind them.

Separated for a moment from Nice, Miria heard the sounds of explosions and spurting gas – and glancing back for a moment, all she could see was a rapidly spreading wall of smoke.

At a closer glance, however, she saw the other unruly youths emerging from the smoke and mingling with the crowds, causing small disruptions as they did.

The scene was exactly like one that had occurred a year ago, in Millionaire’s Row. Looking slightly embarrassed, the cause of the current explosions now turned to Miria with an apologetic air.

“Sorry that things turned out like this, Miria…”

Assured that no one was following them, Nice relaxed her furious pace and released Miria’s hand.

Miria, realizing that they were hiding from something, asked –

“What happened? And what are we all running from?”

At Miria’s startled questions, Nice smiled wearily as she reluctantly answered –

“Ah, well…we’re running from the police.”

“H-huh?”

Seeing Miria tilt her head in confusion, Nice once again gave her a weary smile.

“It’s a bit of a long story, but…

“The way things are going, they probably think I caused these bombings.”

Interlude Two