Hanabusa Sumireko couldn't say that she was particularly satisfied with how the situation went. Since she was a child, she had always been obsessed with being the strongest, the true queen. When she heard about a girl with a similar past as hers, another queen, Sumireko became obsessed with the idea of fighting her and defeating her, to prove to everyone that she was the strongest queen. She was even invited to attend Class Black by the chairwoman of Myojo Academy to have a chance of meeting this girl and beating her. In order to be able to fight with her, Sumireko had redoubled her efforts to survive the multiple assassination attempts against her, she even went as far as to modify her own body after sever injuries in order to becomes stronger for their fight.
But this other queen, Ichinose Haru, she had refused to attend Class Black. According to the chairwoman, it means that Sumireko won by default. But the lady couldn't consider this as a real victory. It was so unsightly for a queen to run away without even fighting, Sumireko almost felt insulted. All this training to be the strongest, what was the point now if she couldn't prove that she was indeed the strongest queen? Sure, she was strong enough to protect herself from the assassins who tried to kill her. It's been a while since she had undergone an assassination attempts, probably because she killed all the last assassins that tried to attack her. The information must have spread, about the fact that Hanabusa wasn't an easy target and that death was waiting for you if you dare try to kill her.
Walking in the street, Sumireko was carrying an umbrella. It wasn't raining, she was using it to block the sunlight. It wasn't because the sun was bad for her, it was to keep her "frail girl" acted. She didn't care if assassins knew about her true self, but in front of other people, she needed to look like a regular rich young lady.
Sumireko wondered what she should do. Tracing this Ichinose girl and kill her? She sure would want to, but what would be the point? By running away from the fight, Ichinose wasn't worthy of the queen's title anymore. What would be the point of defeating a fallen queen? The lady knew that the only reason she had to kill her would be to ease her frustration, and it would be unsightly for a queen to let her emotions controlled her.
She suddenly noticed a person that was acting strangely. In the depths of a backstreet, there was a girl. Sumireko couldn't see well at this distance, but the girl seemed to have long silver hair tied in a ponytail. The silver haired girl was crouching on the ground while hiding her face in her hands. Usually Sumireko would just have ignored such an individual, but this girl was acting so oddly, she couldn't just walk away. So, the lady decided to go see her, more by curiosity than genuine benevolence.
"Are you alright?" Sumireko asked politely.
The silver haired girl suddenly blenched and raised her head. Sumireko could see her face. A pair of purple eyes was gazing at her with fear. She seemed to around her age. A scar was marking the left side of her face. Tears were coming from her eyes, flowing on her cheeks.
"You're crying…Is something bad happened?" the lady asked.
But when Sumireko tried to approach even more, the scar faced girl recoiled with a panic look. The lady wondered why she seemed so frightened by her. It's not like she was showing her cybernetic limbs, there was nothing threatening with her current appearance.
"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know why you're crying."
The silver haired girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, before she calmed herself a little bit.
"It's…the sun. It's…too bright…" she mumbled shyly.
Sumireko wasn't sure to understand. Was she only hypersensitive to sunlight? She didn't have the impression that it was only that. The other girl seemed too panicked to be only a reaction about the sun. On a whim, Sumireko used her umbrella to hide the silver haired girl from the sunlight.
"Is it better like this?" the lady asked.
The scar faced girl looked at her with confusion. But, being in the shade seemed to have appeased her somehow.
"Y-Yes. T-Thank…you…"
"You're welcome." Sumireko replied with a kind smile, before stretching her hand. "Can you stand up?"
With some hesitation, the silver haired girl took her hand and rose up. She looked a little bit surprise when she touched her hand, but Sumireko doubted that it was because she figured out that her hand was artificial. After all, her fake skin was quite realistic.
"You should wipe your tears. Here, take this." Sumireko said while offering her handkerchief.
"A-Are you…sure? It looks…expensive."
"Don't worry. Just take it."
Shyly, the other girl accepted her offer and took the handkerchief to wipe her tears. It was indeed a fancy one, but for someone as rich as Sumireko, it was nothing for her to give it.
"So, can you tell me what happened exactly?"
"I…was trying to go back where I lived, but…the sun suddenly became brighter, and it…scared me."
Sumireko found it strange that someone was that scared of the sunlight. She couldn't help herself from feeling some pity for this girl, which wasn't in her habits.
"Do you want me to escort you to your house? I could block the sunlight for you." Sumireko proposed.
"I…don't want to bother you…"
"Don't worry, it don't bother me. I'm the one who proposed it after all."
The silver haired girl finally accepted her offer. They both went out the backstreet. Sumireko was making sure that the other girl stayed in the shade of her umbrella.
The scar faced girl was looking around nervously while walking. Sumireko wondered why she went that far to help a stranger. Sure, she was kind of cute, but still. The lady found that her scar somehow suited her. It gave her some unique charm. But what she preferred was her eyes. Those purple eyes were expressing a deep pain, she had the impression that she could see scars in her soul through them. It was obvious that the silver haired girl undergone something awful and had to survive, explaining her beautiful eyes and her scar. But, what she went through seemed to have made her weak, which prevented Sumireko to be really interested by her.
"It's…here." the other girl suddenly said.
They were in front of a motel. Sumireko was kind of surprised. It seemed that the silver haired girl lived in a motel room.
"You…you can have it back." she said while handing her the handkerchief.
"No, you can keep it. I gave it to you." Sumireko replied.
The silver haired girl smiled. She looked quite happy to be able to keep it. Sumireko wasn't sure to understand why. Maybe she wasn't used to receive gifts? She didn't seem to be wealthy, poor people are usually more appreciative when you gave them something. Well, it didn't really matter for Sumireko. She was happy to keep the handkerchief, so good for her.
"Well, I'll go now. Can I know your name before I leave?"
"Ah, huh…my name is…Banba Mahiru."
"So Banba-san. I'm Hanabusa Sumireko. Next time, you could wear a hat to go outside if it's too sunny. I have to go now, good bye."
"G-Good bye…and thanks again."
Sumireko turned back and began to walk away. She was still confused by her actions toward this girl. She suddenly remembered her smiling face and felt her heart racing. She couldn't deny that she found her smile really adorable.
Couple of days later, Sumireko had the impression that she followed. Thinking that it was maybe another assassin sent to kill her, she decided to go to a deserted place. She couldn't fight properly if there were people around.
It was the night, the sun wasn't in the sky anymore. She arrived in an empty park, only lighted by the weak light of the moon and a lonely floor lamp. She heard a loud noise approaching from her. It sounded like something heavy was drag on the ground.
Suddenly, she felt that she was about to get hit from behind. Sumireko dodged, and she saw a sledgehammer slammed again the ground. She knew that if she had been hit by this thing, it could have been a fatal blow. The lady recoiled a little bit, and turned back to face her assailant. She was terribly shocked when she discovered their identity.
"Banba…san?"
The silver haired girl was gazing at her, with a wide and malicious grin on her face. She was holding her sledgehammer like it had the weight of a feather.
"I found ya, Hanabusa. I thought that ya were just a pretty lady, but ya also got some skills. Dat's good, it'll be more fun for me."
Sumireko couldn't believe it was the same girl she met few days ago. Her way of speaking was different, as well as her posture and facial expression. She had nothing to do with the shy and scared girl she had met. But, her appearance was the same, even the scar was there.
"So you were just acting helplessly the other day? To fool me? So you're just an assassin. Who sent you to kill me? Another rival company of my father's?"
"Actin'? I never act. But ya're right about two things. I'm an assassin, and I was sent to kill ya by Mahiru. Dunno about the rival company ya're talkin' about."
"Huh? But, you're Banba-san, right? Banba Mahiru-san?"
"Nope, I ain't her. Ya're mistaken. I'm Shinya. Banba Shinya. Nice to meet ya!"
Sumireko was confused. So it wasn't the same girl? She had the same family name though. Could it be Mahiru's twin sister? It would explain the total different personality, but it's weird that both sisters had the exact same scar.
"Well, Shinya-san, why Mahiru-san wants me dead?"
"Because ya gave her a relic. Now she wants dat relic to become a holy relic. And it can only become holy when the one who gave it is dead. Holy relics are the only things dat can fill Mahiru's heart. And it's my duty to do as she pleases."
Relic? Could it be…the handkerchief she gave her? So it had nothing to do with her father's company. This assassin had been sent by a crazy girl. For some reason, Sumireko was glad. This time, someone wanted to kill for something she did, not because of her family. It made things more interesting to her.
"Ya're not sayin' anything? I'll let ya some chances, ya can run away. I like playin' hide and seek with my targets."
"Me, running away? Who do you think I am? It would be so undignified for a queen like me to run away from a fight. Come and try to defeat me if you can, I'll show who's the strongest." Sumireko replied with a smirk.
"Huh, a queen? Interestin'. Let's see if you bleed blue when I'll smash your skull open!"
Shinya rushed toward her while raising her sledgehammer, ready to make her threat a reality. Sumireko dodged the attack and recoiled. She teared off her fake skins, revealing her cybernetic limbs to her opponent. The silver haired girl seemed surprise at first, before grinning even more.
"Wow, dat's fucking awesome, a cyborg! Ya're definitely not borin' to fight. I can't wait to break those robot's limbs, maybe I'll take them." Shinya exclaimed.
Sumireko grinned too. She didn't remember the last time she was this exciting to fight someone. She then realised that it never happened. It was the first time that a fight really interested her. After all, it was the first that someone wanted kill her for another reason than her status as the daughter of a successful and powerful business man.
"I look forward this fight too. I hope that you won't bore me, Shinya-san.
Shinya fell on her knees, out of puff. Sumireko was also panting, but she was still able to fight. Her opponent on the other hand didn't seem like she could continue. The silver haired girl's body was shaking, like her muscles couldn't take it anymore. The fight was over.
Sumireko noticed a slight light rising in the sky. It was the dawn. The sunrise was truly a beautiful sight. She then realised that they were fighting all night. It had been quite an enjoyable fight. The lady felt that all her training had worth it finally. Fighting with Shinya proved how strong she had become. She was proud of herself to have fight for her behalf rather than her father's.
But it was time to end her fun. To officially win this fight, she needed to kill her opponent. After all, she had the reputation of being a merciless queen to preserve.
Sumireko approached from Shinya and stopped in front of her. When she was about to grab her neck, the sunlight inundated them. The silver haired girl raised her head and their gazes met. The lady recognised that frightened expression. It wasn't Shinya…
"Mahiru-san?"
Banba blenched and began to recoil with a panicked expression.
"I-I…Hana..busa-san, I…it wasn't…me."
Sumireko remained confused for a moment. It seemed that Mahiru and Shinya was the same person, but at the same time, they weren't. Could it be…a split personality? Was the sun somehow responsible for this? This situation really intrigued her.
"I see. So you sent your evil personality to kill me."
"Shinya…isn't evil. She's only doing…what I told her."
"So you're the evil one? Like I thought, you're crazy. Not that I'm complaining…"
Sumireko suddenly grabbed Mahiru by the collar and forced her to stand up. The silver haired girl looked so terrified and helpless, it was hard to believe that she was the same person as the sledgehammer maniac. She looked once again in her purple eyes. Even if Mahiru and Shinya were completely different, there was something similar in their eyes. It was madness. A beautiful madness that Sumireko couldn't help herself to find attractive.
She then realised that she had been wrong. Mahiru wasn't weak like she thought she was. The scar in her face and her split personality proved that she had suffered, and the existence of Shinya was the proof that she became strong in her own way. The lady really liked this.
Slowly, she released Banba's collar. She then slipped her hand in the silver haired girl's pocket and smiled when she found what she was searching. She took it out and showed it to Mahiru.
"So, this handkerchief is a relic to you? And my death will make it holy?"
"Ah, g-give it back! It's…mine. You…gave it…to me."
"And I take it back. If you want it back, you're free to try taking it by force." Sumireko replied with a smirk.
She turned back and began to walk away from Mahiru. Sumireko didn't like acting like a bully, but she had no choice. This girl was able to bring her some enjoyment in her life, something that she barely felt, and she really wanted to fight Shinya again. The lady didn't want to let this girl go, but she couldn't force her to stay by her side against her will. She needed to make her stay with her from her own will. And also, she couldn't deny that Mahiru was to her liking.
Sumireko briefly glanced behind her and smiled when she realised that the silver haired girl was following her. She then wondered how she was going to explain this to the people at her home.
"I could say that I decided to hire her as a domestic…I'm sure that a maid uniform would suit her."
But before, there had something she had to do with Mahiru first: a tea party.
Nothing's better to start a romance than an assassination attempt.
