Kh!?"
The sound where a breath was taken away. It wasn't known who let that out. One in the head and one in the heart. The bullets which accurately shot made Shimizu's body jumped for a moment, and they awarded him with death.
Inside the lingering gunshot, no one let out a word, and they could only watch Hajime silently looking at the corpse with a gun in one hand that raised white smoke, in blank surprise. Silence ruled their vicinity, within those who could not move, a mutter was leaked.
"... Why?"
It was Aiko. In a blank surprise, she watched the remains of Shimizu who had began his travel to the death, and she raised that question. Hajime looked away from Shimizu and he looked at Aiko. At the same time, Aiko matched Hajime's gaze again. Inside her eyes, anger, sadness, distrust and others feelings were raised and disappeared, then they raised and disappeared once again.
"He is an enemy after all."
Hajime's answer towards Aiko's question was truly simple.
"That! Shimizu-kun is-..."
"Reforming? Sorry to burst your bubble, I am not so good natured to believe that, above all my eyes aren't clouded at all."
When he asked the last question, Shimizu's eyes was telling him that he had "fall." Before death, his mind still moved towards killing Aiko, Hajime thought Shimizu could slightly change his way of life because just like the time when Hajime almost fell, there's Yue's existence that was capable of holding and retaining him, so... he questioned Shimizu with that thought in mind. If that was so, he had consider to give Shimizu a chance by putting into him a collar and letting Aiko take custody of him. However, even before death, Shimizu's eyes didn't even show such sign.
Aiko should also feel that. However, Aiko was the "teacher," by no means could she abandon him. She just couldn't do that.
"Therefore, rather than killing him-! If he is kept inside the royal palace, and returned together with us to Japan, possibly... there's the possibility-!"
"... Even if I tried to give you a reason, I know sensei won't agree to it at all. I have killed sensei's important student. It's okay for sensei to decide whatever you want to do about me."
"... Such a thing is-"
"'A lonely way of life.' I've thought of various things because of sensei's words. However, in this world where a person's life is cruelly light, I thought of not showing any mercy towards my enemy... and I won't change that. I don't think I want to change that. I have no time for that."
"Nagumo-kun..."
"I'll do the same thing from now on. At the times I think it is necessary... I'll pull the trigger no matter how many times it'll be. If you thought I was mistaken... sensei only has to do what you want... however, I want you to remember one thing. Even if it's sensei or the other classmates... I'll pull the trigger if you become my enemy..."
Aiko looked down as she bit her lip. It was no one but Aiko who said, "Having heard my talk, I won't refute whatever your decision is." No more word coming out. Hajime looked at such Aiko and he turned his feet because the things needed to be done here had finished. Yue and Shia quietly nestled close to him. Accompanied with Pressure, Hajime looked at Will, Aiko, and the other's appearances, and because there's also the matter of post treatment, they silently followed Hajime in painful reluctance.