Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Chapter 153

Disturbing Girls' Party

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

–Time goes back a bit.

Just as Tsugumi and Toono were goofing around and discussing the bath, two girls who had finished their supper meal entered their assigned room.

–The girls’ names were Nanase Chidori and Suzushiro Ran. Oddly enough, both of these girls were closely related to Tsugumi.

Incidentally, it was only by chance that these two girls ended up in the same room. If there had to be a reason, it was simply because it was a combination of a person who could fight and a person who could escape through transportation in case of emergency.

“I’m tired. I’ve never been to a foreign country before, but it feels so gloomy. People outside stare at me with cold eyes. You think so too, don’t you, Chidori-chan?”

Entering the room, one of the girls – Suzushiro – sat on the bed by the window.

‘Well, basically England is a rainy country. …But I don’t really like the way the locals look at me either.”

Chidori answered with a wry smile.

–It had already been five hours since they came to England from Japan. During that time, they drove around the cities in the vicinity of London in the name of inspection, but as Suzushiro said, it was not a very pleasant journey.

The strange and wary eyes that turned on them when they stopped at traffic lights or got out of the car. She didn’t say it at the time, but Chidori also felt uncomfortable.

–There were no Magical Girls in England. Therefore, the Japanese, who had undergone this peculiar evolution, might seem strange to them.

Chidori knew this in theory, but she couldn’t quite understand their feelings.

Just like the foreigners didn’t know about Magical Girls, Chidori also didn’t know about a world without Magical Girls – or a world without a God who lend them strength. It was only natural that they couldn’t understand each other.

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When Chidori answered that, Suzushiro nodded and said, “Right,” before opening her mouth.

“Well, the one who faces the real challenge is Sumire-chan who will fight tomorrow. I don’t think those two will lose, but if they destroy the town, it would be troublesome. I’m glad I wasn’t chosen. With my abilities, the damage to the city would be too great.”

Saying that, Suzushiro laughed cheerfully.

Chidori also smiled, but when she thought about it, Suzushiro’s words weren’t very funny.

Suzushiro’s main abilities were poison and water. If a poison that could harm a Demonic Beast were to fall on the city, London would surely become an uninhabitable danger zone for the next few decades.

If all they wanted to do was to show off their power, that might have been fine, but Japan had no intention of picking a fight with England. This time, they were here with the intention of helping to exterminate the Demonic Beasts.

In that aspect, Toono, who could designate the objects she burned without destroying the city, and Hagakure, who wouldn’t cause any environmental damage with her abilities, might be an ideal combination.

Wondering what the battle would be like tomorrow, Chidori shook her head in resignation …She didn’t have much experience in fighting big monsters, so her imagination didn’t work.

Chidori cleared her throat with a small cough and spoke to Suzushiro.

“I remember that tomorrow we are supposed to finish getting ready by 5:00 a.m. and meet in the hotel’s hall. I heard that half of the people are going back to Japan at that time, but we, the remainder of the group, are to stay there until the battle is over. …I wish there was something I can do to help.”

In the first place, in Chidori’s case, her objective – marking the spot for teleportation – was almost completed the moment she stepped onto British soil. To put it bluntly, there was nothing more to do.

When Chidori gloomily said so, Suzushiro tilted her head and muttered to herself.

“Our rear units will probably retreat immediately after the battle, so you might want to prepare for that, Chidori-chan. You see, as the superior said, there is a possibility that we will be attacked and told that we are no longer needed after the battle is over.”

“…But would anyone really do such an unfair thing?”

“I don’t know either. But since we were told to be careful, we have no choice but to be careful, right?”

Suzushiro shook her head in annoyance.

–It sounded harsh, but Suzushiro had a point. No matter what Chidori thought about this, in the end, things would turn out like that. In that case, it would be better to be careful so she could protect herself properly.

The reason why Chidori was supposed to stay until the end was so that when the time came, she could use the gate of transportation to let many people escape.

…If possible, she hoped such an opportunity never came, but as Suzushiro said, they should be vigilant.

As they talked like this, they took turns taking a bath and getting ready for bed.

Incidentally, the room where Chidori would stay this time was a very ordinary twin room.

She heard that the two members of Jukka who were going to fight in the main battle tomorrow were staying in a better room, but she didn’t envy them that much when she thought about how hard it would be for them after this.

Then, just as when Chidori thought it was time to go to sleep since she had to wake up early tomorrow, Suzushiro, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and adjusting her hair, suddenly began to speak as if an idea had just occurred to her.

“You know, Chidori-chan, you can speak to me casually, instead of using honorifics. We’re not strangers, and you’re his sister, so you’re already a friend.”

“No, I appreciate your concern, but I’m at work at the moment…”

Chidori answered politely, but inwardly, she felt complicated.

To be honest, Chidori was a little uncomfortable with the girl who spoke happily in front of her–Suzushiro Ran.

Although she and Suzushiro met once at an Amusement Park and exchanged contact information at the hospital, Chidori was soon assigned to the government’s Transportation Management Department, so due to the difference in their positions, Chidori rarely contacted her.

Besides, she originally didn’t have a good impression of Suzushiro due to the incident at the Amusement Park–Tsugumi who had worked with Suzushiro at the time was in danger.

…On the other hand, her younger brother, Tsugumi, had become friends with Suzushiro and Mibu without any qualms.

According to what she had heard from Tsugumi, he still sometimes hung out with Suzushiro and Mibu to have fun together. Recently, he told her that they all went to see penguins at the aquarium. It was a pretty cute outing.

Still, if they were satisfied with their relationship, it was fine, but as an older sister, she felt a little complicated.

…No, in the first place, even if it wasn’t because she was his older sister, she might have been somewhat dissatisfied when it came to girls who were getting along with Tsugumi without her knowledge.

–No matter who Tsugumi got along with, whoever he went out with, it was up to him. But it was probably naive of her to wish that he would prioritize his family member (Chidori) first.

…She knew it was an unbearable obsession, but she couldn’t do anything about this feeling anymore. With such complicated feelings, Chidori drew a line between her and Suzushiro.

However, Suzushiro, who knew nothing of Chidori’s confusion, continued to speak.

“Chidori-chan is so serious. All you have to do now is rest, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“… I am sorry. Besides, Suzushiro-san is a Magical Girl of Jukka. Even if I heard about your everyday life from Tsugumi, I’m still a little nervous.”

Chidori said apologetically, and Suzushiro looked a little dejected.

“I understand. I don’t really care about that kind of thing, but it’s not good to force people to do it. But I’d be happy if you can talk to me normally someday!”

Seeing Suzushiro smiling brightly as she said this, Chidori’s conscience hurt a little. …It was almost like she had said something mean.

Thinking that far, Chidori suddenly relaxed her shoulders.

After all, Suzushiro had done nothing wrong. Rather, the problem was with Chidori, who was stubbornly trying to keep her distance, even though the other side was showing a willingness to compromise.

–If this is school, I can behave more normally.

Thinking this, Chidori sighed inwardly. In any case, when it came to matters involving Tsugumi, her mind got distracted.

It was true that she felt uneasy about her relationship with Tsugumi, but causing trouble for people who weren’t involved would be a mistake. She had to reflect on this.

Chidori lowered her head and laughed self-mockingly, then quickly looked up and said to Suzushiro.

“I think I’ll get used to it gradually, so please give me a little more time. I also have a lot to talk about with Suzushiro-san. …I also wonder if Tsugumi is causing trouble for you.”

Saying this, Chidori smiled shyly.

Suzushiro made a blank face, but immediately smiled happily and nodded broadly, “Yes!” She nodded her head.

Although they were supposed to be the same age, she reminded her of her junior. Just a little bit, her dislike faded.

–Ah, I was just worrying too much.

Thinking of this, she made a small apology to Suzushiro in her mind. However, she felt as if her mind had finally been cleared.

“Can I ask you a few questions about Tsugumi before I go to bed? I don’t know much about him outside of the house.”

When Chidori said so, Suzushiro nodded in agreement.

“Since you’re an older sister, you’re worried about your younger brother, right? Well then, let’s talk about Tsugumi-kun until we get sleepy!”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course! In return, I’d like to hear about your everyday life, too.”

Saying this, Suzushiro smiled happily.