CHAPTER 3 SECOND TRIAL, PART 2
[Yurizono Hanabira]
-FLASHBACK-
'Mu-un, let's go.'
I asked her to come to my place as usual, though I expected that she would not come.
'…No, sorry Hanabira, but there's something else I should do.'
-FLASHBACK ENDS-
… I just had a dream of what happened several years ago.
Back then, we made our choice and we expected that this day would come. We said that we wouldn't regret making this decision.
So what is it that I'm hesitating about now?
[Narrator]
There is a saying (or is there?): Hesitation kills the bear. Just 2 days afterwards…
'Let's search evil!'
Votes are cast. 'No.5 = Shirayuri Miyuki, No.4 = Morinaga Kurumi, No.3 = Takemiya Shin, No.2 = Tsubaki Guren, No.1 "evil" = Yurizono Hanabira, votes = 89%'
'In fact she's not just an entity of evil, she's a bear!' Yamayuri Chinami says on the stand. 'This was a photo I took last time. It was her in bear form, along with another bear, whom I didn't recognise.'
As you have probably guessed, Hanabira is eavesdropping on her at this moment.
'The Invisible Storm's main duty is to exclude the evil and turn them "invisible". But this case is rather different- it's our duty to capture Yurizono Hanabira, or shoot her down if necessary. Everyone clear? …By the way, I've told the Nankyou Severance Jury this piece of information.' Kawashima Kaori continues.
Meanwhile, let's take a look at what is going on in the so-called 'reformation room', when In Chi-kaku, and of course Prof. Ryou, have known that Yurizono Hanabira is a bear.
[Riku Mu-un]
So now apparently, Prof. Ryou is trying his best to persuade me to reconsider my choice.
'Mu-un, you should really think carefully. True, this is not the old ages when girls would be blamed for going out alone at night if they happened to get raped. But society needs a boundary- a boundary to restrict everyone's behaviour.' Prof. Ryou says.
'Society needs a boundary…' Somehow this saying sounds familiar, but why so… Oh I get it! Back when I was in high school, our now deceased history teacher, Mr. Shu, told us this:
There once actually was one place in the world where girls would be accused by part of the society if they happened to get raped when walking on the streets alone in the evening, as people would consider them 'indecent'. Back then society needed a boundary- a boundary to restrict the girls' behaviour, so that they could become men's possessions.
Those days are no more, but now society requires a 'boundary' once more. And what purpose does this 'boundary' serve then?
'So, I'll leave you here for a minute so that you can think it over.' The professor, noticing that I have been pondering, says, and leaves.
I start to think about some certain matter. A few minutes later, I take out a piece of paper, write something on it, then fold it up and put it in my pocket.
After that, I stare at the wall for a long time.
'Hanabira… I trust you.'
[Narrator]
Late in the afternoon, a Yurizono Hanabira full of hatred sneaks onto Chinami, preparing to ambush her.
'The time is right.' Hanabira says to herself, and pounces onto Chinami…
'CLINK!' A steel trap suddenly rises from the ground, cutting into Hanabira's flesh.
'Heh, you think you can outsmart me? I went this way on purpose just to lure you into this trap.' Chinami says with a familiar sneer.
'If one doesn't have the instinct to possess the one she loves, she doesn't even know what love is. You have been making the wrong decisions all the while. At this rate, your precious Mu-un would have already given up on love. Adieu!'
Just as Chinami turns back she is struck by a bear paw.
'Take this, you bitch!'
Miyuki gives Chinami 3 good strikes, paralyzing her. As Miyuki is about to rescue Hanabira, 'wait, if Chinami is this cunning, there must be another bear trap somewhere.' She pushes Chinami forward to minesweep the area, and as expected, Chinami is caught in another trap she placed herself.
'Hanabira, you OK?' Miyuki quickly releases the trap trapping Hanabira.
'I'm… OK, I guess. I can still fight, in case something happens.'
'In fact, I'm URGING you to fight. Riku Mu-un could be tried by the Nankyou Severance Jury at any time now.'
'Indeed, I know that In Chi-kaku too well. Let's go now!' Hanabira, not even recovering, heads toward Nankyou, pulling Miyuki along.
[In Chi-kaku]
'I never thought evil was this close.' I say to myself. …What's this feel of déjà vu?
'I never thought that Yurizono Hanabira has been cheating me all the while. What kind of friends have I been making with? I've been close friends with the source of evil all the while and I haven't even noticed.'
'…Well, leave those things about Yurizono to Arashigaoka. Our first priority is to expel evil from our academy. Even when the subject is my cousin, justice must be served.' I head to the stand on the stage.
You may ask, do I feel guilty for putting Riku Mu-un on the trial?
The answer is no, because I'm doing the righteous thing. The fact is, Riku Mu-un has been uncooperative ever since she was taken to the reformation room. In Prof. Ryou's words, she is 'unbelievably stubborn'.
…By the way, as I've found earlier, the #yamibo300 channel is one online chatroom solely dedicated to yuri kuma. I never thought Riku Mu-un is this degenerated.
[Narrator]
Somewhere in the dark:
'You sure this is the way to the door to the stage, Miyuki?'
'I've been here before. Keep detecting bear traps.'
'...It appears they aren't experienced. No bear trap detected, and we've already reached the door.'
[In Chi-kaku]
'Now, we're facing a greater evil than last time.' The second trial's opening speech is still given by me. 'Source of evil must be excluded from us.'
'Source of great evil must be excluded!' Severance Jury members chorus the slogan.
'This is the second Severance Trial. Now, the subject is going to make her statement.'
'RIKU MU-UN!' Suddenly a figure, with blood on her body, appears from the left side of the stage.
'I LOVE YOU!'
It was the source of evil, Yurizono!
'Yurizono-sama, don't head any closer! There are bear traps on the stage!' Riku Mu-un shouts while running towards Yurizono.
Unlike Arashigaoka, Nankyou Academy bans students from bringing guns in the campus. If it was Arashigaoka, one bullet would make Yurizono history! …And now the auditorium is in chaos.
This is in fact my fault. I put bear traps on the stage and near the front door earlier, but I didn't put bear traps on the way to the back door.
'Yurizono-sama, I'm so glad you're back. And you give me the courage to finally say this. Holy Severance Jury saints, I am the person of type C you are looking for!' With these words, Yurizono and Riku Mu-un leave the stage.
In the ear-piercing alarms of the entire city, I, along with other Severance Jury members equipped with guns, chase Yurizono and Riku Mu-un down. When we finally reach that great wall separating the two worlds, Yurizono and Riku, along with another bear, have already got to the other side.
We go back in vain. Other members, looking angered, start discussing.
'Well, we've reached our aim anyway as she's now out of here.'
'We'll give her a type C verdict anyhow!'
'Hear hear!'
*Incoming mail* *Incoming mail*
My mobile phone rings. 'Hello?'
'You didn't listen to my advice, In Chi-kaku.' It's Yurizono's voice.
'Well, whose fault is it then?' I reply.
'Come to the Wall of Severance.'
'What? Why do I have to listen to the source of evil?'
'Do as you please then.' Yurizono hangs up the phone.
[Yurizono Hanabira]
'If you don't come, go figure.'
[In Chi-kaku]
In the end, I head to the Wall of Severance with a gun. 'So, what are you going to tell me?'
'I am going to tell you, about you.' Yurizono replies. 'I always wanted to help you, but I always ended up in vain. The fact is, you know nothing well. First, you don't know what love is, as you haven't experienced love. And second, you don't even know yourself well.'
'When Riku Mu-un's drawings were thrown into the fireplace, you started to consider hating bears the righteous thing to do.'
'Your ideas have always been extreme since then, and you get great satisfaction when your ideas are approved- you are always seeking the "right" things to do. If I'm not mistaken, you became the Student Council president by expressing hate towards bears to please the school teachers. As you were approved by the teachers, your morbid hatred towards bears grew even more. Such was the case with your speech about bears to the academy students too-by just one example of a bear guilty of attacking humans, you declared the entire bear race guilty.'
I can't stand anymore. 'Shut up! Morbid? The "yuri kuma" acts are the real morbid acts!'
'You say they're morbid, but do you really think so from the bottom of your heart?'
Before I have time to reply, Yurizono starts making noises like the sound of licking honey. 'I just got a pot of honey from Mu-un. This is nectar! Mu-un's nectar is so sweet!'
I cover my ears and run away from the Wall of Severance as quickly as possible.
After such an exhausting day, I am about to take a shower. I take off my clothes and look at myself in the mirror…
…What is this? Why is there honey on my body?
…
…This could not be…?!
