Shizuku and Cklares’s parents. Their neighbors. Their acquaintances.
All of them were illusions conjured by 《Unlaw》’s ability.
But. Shizuku had no intention of holding back. Neither she nor Cklares harbored any hesitation about attacking illusions—no matter how much they resembled family or friends.
The two raised their gun and cane respectively.
“……!?”
They didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
Shizuku tried to initiate motion. But at that moment, she was assaulted by a strange sensation.
Hesitation—or perhaps aversion. She needed to move, yet didn’t want to. That kind of feeling.
Glancing sideways at Cklares, she saw the girl had also frozen.
“Cklares-san? Since when were you so principled that you can’t attack your own flesh and blood?”
“Hahaha, life would’ve been easier if that were true. Troublesome—I can’t attack either. Since it’s affecting both of us, must be another one of their abilities.”
Shizuku had no mental bandwidth to dwell on Cklares’s words.
The phantoms approached from front and back with hollow eyes.
Though only moving at walking speed, remembering how Shizuku’s mother had embraced her from behind earlier suggested they had physical form and could inflict harm.
“Ah! That kitchen knife—it’s my mom’s favorite! The one she broke within a month after I moved out…!”
“Hmm, problematic. The one my dad’s holding is also displayed in our foyer.”
Cklares placed a hand on her hat.
“How about this?”
She tapped her cane.
“———!?”
The phantoms abruptly halted, though Shizuku couldn’t discern why.
“Hey. Explain. I can’t see what your ability’s doing.”
“How demanding. You’re equally vision-impaired here.”
“So what did you do?”
“Built a wall… Hmm, doubt they’ll break through. Just illusions anyway.”
Looking again, Shizuku saw the phantoms frozen as if blocked by pantomimed walls. But this wasn’t a permanent solution.
“Let’s relocate. This feels awful.”
“…Agreed.”
Unlike Shizuku’s mother earlier, these phantoms didn’t speak—just groaned like delirious mutterings.
Cklares headed straight for the adjacent classroom.
Crossing it, she flung open a window.
“We’re jumping.”
“This is the third floor.”
Instantly, Cklares tapped her cane.
“[Fairy Hand Spriggan – Sticky Label]”
“…Just saying the name explains nothing.”
“So critical. I’ve placed [Sticky Labels] outside as makeshift stairs. Follow my lead.”
“Okay…? But why not just say the names?”
“Lacks flair. The invisibility of my [Hands] is their advantage. I tap the cane for control or when reporting to Norman Sensei.”
“Ugh. So tedious.”
“Not as much as your personality.”
●
After brief aerial steps, they reached the school greenhouse.
By reinforcing exterior walls with Cklares’s [Sticky Labels], they’d created a temporary safe zone.
“………………Why’s there a tea party setup in a greenhouse?”
The 20-square-meter space bloomed with flowers, centered by an elegant table, chairs, shelves, and even a boiling kettle.
“My hideout for skipping class or student counseling. Basically my personal greenhouse—I maintain the flowers too.”
“My, what privilege.”
“Much obliged. Would offer tea, but no time. Have water and snacks though. Hungry?”
“Got chocolate?”
“Chocolate chip cookies?”
Cklares produced a basket of assorted baked goods.
As Shizuku sat, Cklares took the opposite chair.
While nibbling treats:
“…Come to think of it, first time seeing you eat anything.”
Shizuku observed Cklares delicately tearing into a sugar-dusted madeleine.
“Hm? Really?”
“Yes. I’ve seen you drink tea at the office, but—”
“Norman Sensei teaches me plenty, but he scolds if I snack indiscriminately.”
“Fair.”
Shizuku preferred chocolate sweets, though lately consumed milder versions—Norman’s selections tailored to her tastes.
“So?”
“Simple, really—I only want sweets. Hate veggies. Barely tolerate meat or fried food.”
“………………”
The childish admission stunned Shizuku.
So unfitting for a fairy’s image.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“Wait—you don’t gain weight?”
“Nope. Probably my constitution. Norman Sensei still says it’s unhealthy.”
She was still confused.
“Whatever. More importantly—thoughts on earlier?”
Cklares responded immediately.
“What’s your theory?”
“Similar to my ability, I’d say.”
Shizuku countered just as fast. Their mutual experience likely enabled predictions about each other’s powers—hence this exchange to align hypotheses.
“Initial hypothesis: Their ability interferes via sound as medium. Core function seems to manifest illusions from trauma or guilt.”
“With two derivatives—making illusions feel real, and implanting hesitation to attack. When I tried attacking, I just… couldn’t muster the will. Same for you?”
“Like knowing you must act but feeling zero motivation—multiplied tenfold. That ‘too much homework so why bother’ paralysis.”
“Coming from the shut-in. Regardless, skillful ability integration.”
“[Latent State – Category III]”
“Figured as much.”
Cklares shrugged, eating another madeleine.
“Main issue is the attack hesitation. For us Unlaw, emotional state directly impacts power. Having ‘don’t want to attack’ emotions amplified is problematic. I can attack family illusions, but half-heartedly.”
“I’ll counterbalance with my [Lingering Echoes – Tears of the Flowers]. Should neutralize it.”
“Confident?”
“If they’re using sound-mediated trauma triggers like me, then yes.”
“Hmm… Hope so.”
“You doubting me?”
“Not your ability. But remember our first phantom? Sisal Barker. Could you perform normally facing her illusion?”
“That’s…”
Shizuku faltered, lowering her face—
“———Wait.”
—then immediately raising it. The fairy smiled faintly.
Bathed in moonlight amidst flowers, her heterochromatic eyes gleamed as they had in the music room.
“You… know about Sisal?”
Cklares had never mentioned her, nor vice versa.
Shizuku assumed no connection existed, yet—
“Yeah. Never told you.”
“———Why?”
The question’s intent eluded even Shizuku herself.
Why did Cklares know? Why stay silent? Logically, they might’ve crossed paths as contemporaries at the academy. Yet her thoughts scattered. Before Shizuku could reorient, Cklares continued:
“I’ve wanted to ask you something since the music room.”
“What…?”
“Hey, Shizuku-chan. You came to clear Sisal’s name. Investigated by interviewing Rebecca and others about her past, right?”
Shizuku stood abruptly.
A dreadful premonition.
Unfazed, Cklares pressed on.
“———Why aren’t you using [Vision]?”
●
“That’s—”
Cklares observed Shizuku’s body sway unsteadily.
The premise was simple.
Shizuku the recluse didn’t come to stop the “Weeping Woman.”
She came to dispel rumors of Sisal Barker’s vengeful spirit that Rebecca and others believed.
“You could know past truths better than anyone. Any detective must deduce from residual clues—but you just need to touch related objects.”
Her [Vision] hears echoes of the past.
That Unlaw can’t perceive it wasn’t a handicap here.
Sisal Barker was merely human.
This, Cklares knew.
“So if you wanted to clear her name, [Vision] was the obvious tool. Honestly shocked you just observed classes and did conventional interviews earlier.”
Standard detective work.
But Shizuku wasn’t standard.
[Vision] could’ve revealed truths without interviews.
Yet she abstained.
“Fine by me if you wanted due process to honor your friend. But since the Weeping Woman interferes with traumatic memories, your refusal to use [Vision] becomes our vulnerability.”
Shizuku stood pale-lipped,
like a child caught hiding secrets.
“…Sigh, now I seem like a bully.”
Sighing, Cklares rose.
Her destination was one of the flower beds arranged around her.
What Cklares held in her hand was a pale orange flower blooming in the darkness of night.
“This here… is a pale orange ranunculus.”
“……And what is that supposed to be?”
Cklares dug into the flowerbed’s soil.
What she was searching for was quickly found—
Buried in the flower bed was a candy tin, slightly larger than the palm of a hand, buried in the dirt. Brushing off the soil, she opened the lid. Inside were several folded sheets of paper.
It was
“The sheet music… written by Sisel.”
“……!?”
As Shizuku stood frozen in shock, Cklares slowly approached her.
“Why… would you have that…?”
“Rather than asking me, wouldn’t it be faster to ask this? If anyone could, it’d be you.”
Cklares held out the sheet music to Shizuku.
“This will show you Sisel’s past—the truth you wanted to know. I can finally put to rest my suspicions about the [Weeping Woman]. Ah, what I mean is, if you seem up to it, I’ll leave it to your ability. If not, I’ll find another way.”
Shizuku stared at the sheet music for a long moment. Cklares waited silently.
Then—
“……Very well.”
She removed her gloves.
“This is awful. I haven’t even told Norman yet.”
“For the record, I didn’t directly mention Sisel, but if Sensei hears about this, he’ll probably go, ‘Ah, so that’s what this is about.’ if I gave him enough context.”
“Tch…”
Shizuku clicked her tongue, then placed her bare hand on the sheet music.
“────[Lingering Echoes – Tears of the Flowers , Phatntom Vision].”
The two of them listened to the echoes of the past.
●
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