Hello, ITalkToSky here,
Here is another chapter to this long story. I tried hard to write this chapter, but I kept stuck on writing Reimu's personality. For me, I have the hardest time trying to grasp her interaction with the other. Consulting all the print works only made her more confusing. So, I decided to reduce her role to the minimum.
There won't be too much plot progression in the chapter. It is simply to wrap up the event before the original arc coming up next chapter.
00000
Chino City, Nagano Prefecture
No, Sumireko thought.
She refused such an ending for her life.
She was extraordinary. Not because of the praise people used to shower on her, but because her hands wielded power incomprehensible by the paradigm constructed by those pedantic magicians.
Instead of magic constrained by their fancy theories, her power felt more fundamental, more primal. With her mere thought, she could accomplish so much more than any modern magicians could with all their fancy toys. With just that, she could paint an image of being exceptionally gifted until she started spitting on the face of every researcher on the planet by teleporting nonchalantly.
As someone who defied common sense, Sumireko never felt she truly belonged to this mundane reality. Since something as incomprehensible as her power existed, then other mysteries must exist somewhere. To find a place worthy of an existence like her was her calling.
Just when she finally found it, just when she had everything almost in her grasp, her life would come to a miserable end. After investing so much time and effort, literally going to the ends of the Earth, she refused to accept such an unfair ending.
While kneeling, Sumireko bit her lips hard that she tasted metal. She raised her face up and glared at the winged girl in defiance, fire in her eyes.
A tragic monologue would be most fitting here, Sumireko thought, but her mind had gone completely numb. Even if she were to say something, she doubted it would register in their mind anyway.
Rising to her feet, Sumireko extended her power across her body. Her blood sang as she felt her power answering her call. In the next instant, Sumireko felt like her body was dropped in a vat of syrup. Her power wrapped protectively around her skin, preparing to blunt any damage she sustained. At the end of the day, her flesh was hardly different from other mortal.
At such an obvious display, Sakuya did not stay her hand. Sumireko psychic barrier barely stabilized before a golden bolt slammed straight into her face. The impact sent her reeling back, but it hurt much less than she expected from a metallic object moving that fast. But it was only the beginning of her woes.
Disoriented, Sumireko did not catch an ominous light, rippling out from the pocket watch that struck her. Then, the world seemingly shifted to monochrome, as if a piece on the canvas called reality was suddenly bleached. Not to Sumireko because her consciousness had already been frozen in time, but to the assailants outside the area of effect.
The infamous Watch, Lunar Dial spell card froze time in the vicinity that Sakuya's pocket watch touched. Apart from it requiring a physical contact with the watch for the spell to anchor its effect properly, it was quite efficient at locking down foes.
Even before the watch's impact, Sakuya charged toward Sumireko confidently. When Lunar Dial activated, it caught her within its effect. However, the maid closed in unhindered, retaining her color in stark contrast with her surroundings. A flourish of her hand and a fan of knives materialized, glowing dimly in the night. Yet, they did not travel far from her hands when she swung, frozen unnaturally in the air.
"Flash of Spring," Patchouli mumbled. She fiddled with the compression slightly, dulling its impact. In the case that the protective shell around the girl broke, Patchouli did not want to accidentally skewer Sumireko before they got to the interrogation. Aiming center mass, she loosened a bolt of white haze.
Sumireko was standing still, completely incapable to react against any attacks. It was dishonorable to attack a foe that could not fight back, but Patchouli was not concerned with such triviality. She was not willing to let such chance slip away and from the light shows from her friends, they were not either.
Light bolts, beams, bullets and stars frozen in midair lit up the rooftop like Christmas lights. It was quite a beautiful if chaotic display with no uniformity in the pattern or color. Aya raised her camera, trying to snap a picture. Her camera no longer could cancel Danmaku, so it was perfectly safe to do. Lunar Dial's effect collapsed right after she snapped a shot.
When the world regained its color, so did Sumireko her consciousness. To her, it seemed as if the night became day and then the pain assaulted her from all directions. Along with the sensation of being beaten violently that she wondered whether she had fractured bones, Sumireko lost her sense of direction. She only knew that whatever hit her flung her into the air. Barely able to hold in her bile, she tried to counteract the spinning to no avail.
Then, Sumireko heard a loud thump of her body roughly impacted a hard surface. She did what she could, wrapping her arms around her head, a wise decision because her momentum caused her to roll miserably a few times.
Her body protested loudly with flashes of pain coursing through her nerves, but Sumireko knew she could not rest. Whatever that light was, she must not be struck again. Lying face up, she commanded her power to launch her upward. She gritted her teeth from the brief onset of G-forces.
Strong gust of wind cleared her mind up enough for Sumireko to notice an incoming object. Strands of her ability reached out, grabbing onto anything it could, and tugged. Although taxing on her reserve, it was the best she could offer at that moment.
The girls heard violent creaking on the rooftop. Various fixtures were strained by the mysterious force pulling from above. The resistance lasted briefly before something gave. The shiny solar cells lining the rooftop and the water tank broke free from their fixtures, tumbling up in the air toward Sumireko.
Meiling closing in for a follow-up strike suddenly met a storm of metal and glass fragments, threatening to rip her apart from behind. But, reacting in a way befitting of a Gensokyo denizen, the martial artist did not falter and accelerated. The debris field caught up with her but could only graze the frills of her dress.
Before Meiling could reach Sumireko however, the later swung her hand sideway. Such an innocuous gesture was anything but. Like a giant club, particularly large chunk of piping twirled at Meiling. The abrupt attack left little time to maneuver, so Meiling promptly raised her guard and rousing her Qi to receive the blow head-on. The impact swatted Meiling to the side with its momentum, but her circulated Qi wrapping around her like a thick mattress negated most of the damage.
If Sumireko thought a successful strike to ward of Meiling could earn her a moment of respite, she was dead wrong. Meiling dropped her defense immediately after the impact. She swiped her hand in a cutting motion. A layer of qi flared up violently and congealed into a fan of multicolored crystals.
The languid pace that the crystal traveled allowed for ample time to react. Without a doubt, Meiling fully expected Sumireko to block then and she did not disappoint. Unfortunately, in doing so, Sumireko neglected the flicker in the corner of her eyes. If she took a bit more time before turning to face the crystal, she would have seen the winged girl, grinning maliciously at her exposed back.
"Hehe," Remilia giggled as she drew her dainty hand back overhead.
A much wiser move would be to strike without making any noise, since she clearly got the drop on Sumireko. However, that would not be as much fun. Sumireko clearly heard the chilling giggle over the howling wind. Her brow eyes widened as she turned around in panic, but it was sorely too late.
Remilia clenched her fist. A tiny fist looked hardly impressive, not shrouded by her usual crimson aura. The vampire swung down like a hammer, a very inefficient attack. Most martial art style would not recommend hammering their enemy in the manner like hitting a table. There was simply not enough leverage to generate and transfer the force. Yet, it certainly did not matter much when the attack blurred from the sheer speed. The arm and fist that looked so fragile struck Sumireko like a sledgehammer. The sole reason Remilia did not use her prided claws as it would have severely maimed Sumireko without the spellcard restrictions.
Sumireko's body plummeted back onto the rooftop like a comet. At that speed, she would be severely injured from the fall if she could not recover. While Remilia had no qualm at making good her word of splattering the troublemaker, they wanted her alive. The vampire was about to intervene when the schoolgirl recovered just in time to neutralize her movement.
"Oh," Remilia voiced disinterestedly and then shrugged. "But I guess that is about it."
Credit where it was due, Sumireko recovered remarkably quickly from such a stunning blow. Normal humans of the Outside World would be knocked out cold or at least incapacitated by the pain when struck that hard on the midriff. It would be all for naught however as Sakuya was upon her.
Apart from knife mastery, her maid possessed quite the vicious kick. Mere moments later, Meiling joined in on the fun and it was a checkmate.
"Ah, take away all her occult orbs," Remilia warned.
Her warning came too late. Briefly gaining a foothold after being rag dolled for so long, Sumireko stamped her foot on the ground. A meaningless gesture but it roused her spirit from the brink of despair. Her expression settled between a snarl and a sneer. An orb was produced from her robe and she grinned challengingly.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Rather than a defeated cry, it was the one of defiance. Sumireko had one chance to leave a lasting blow with these vicious Youkai. Their precious barrier would fall.
Sumireko did not fully comprehend how the orb worked, but she did what her instincts told her and poured in her power. The object grasped in her hand glowed dimly, all the while devouring her power insatiably like a black hole. Her chocolate brown eyes dimmed slightly, but then the crack came.
The orb shattered, but not in a literal sense. The rest hidden in her cloak promptly followed suit.
The occult orbs were enigmas. Like strongboxes, they locked their secret away tightly. She drew power from them on many occasions to power her attacks, but that could not be the limit of their capability. At that moment, Sumireko felt that she had finally pried it open. Cackle of purplish thunder danced around the girl as she rose to the air.
"Stop…Back off!" Remilia bellowed her order and followed the other as they shuffled to safe distance.
A sphere of darkness materialized and swallowed the girl. It pulsated and expanded slowly as the lightning intensified. Like a solar eclipse, a purplish corona surrounded the sphere and grew in strength.
Then, it burst. In an energetic release, the corona rippled and exploded outward. The outburst showered them all in purplish light before the world faded to darkness. All the shining skyscrapers disappeared and even the natural starlight could not be seen. The party saw Sumireko's silhouette briefly before she too faded into formless shadow.
A bead of sweat trailed down Patchouli's brow. Whatever that was, it almost ripped through her concealment barrier. She grimaced, feeling the power of the occult orbs battering against her barrier. Maneuvering herself away from the action, she focused more on maintaining the containment, lest their effort for the past year be undone in a single night.
Before the rest could understood what had happened, a wave of projectiles flung out from the shadowy silhouette. Each packed enough mana that even they would not be unscathed if it connected. Unnoticed by any of the crews, their lips raised up slightly in to bemusing grins. Rather than growing unnerved at the prospect of facing something that could truly wound them, they had to restrain themselves from charging forward.
The only proper way to treat a new danmaku pattern was to brave through it. Unfortunately, that was neither the time nor place for an epic danmaku showdown.
"Interesting," Remilia said with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Marisa…blast it!"
"That's what I am waiting for, ze." Marisa yelled excitedly.
Locking her gaze at the origin of the danmaku, the witch withdrew her iconic tool. The Hakkero cackled with thunder as its owner pointed it straight at the offending shadow. In the darkened surroundings, Marisa glowed like a newborn star. Waves of light converged on her elemental furnace. As if to compete with that radiance, a mass of scarlet light gathered into a form of shining spear.
Patchouli paled slightly at the display. She had never expected that she would see two of the most infamous ranged spells fired simultaneously. Not that such action was unwarranted. With only a glance she understood the immensity of the magic shells enveloping Sumireko.
Powered by seven occult orbs surrounding Sumireko, the mana shells fluctuation was unstable, but its sheer magnitude provided ample defensive power. She doubted that even the combined might of Master Spark and Spear the Gungnir could overcome it in one burst, harming Sumireko directly. Instead of overkilling, Patchouli worried that her concealment barrier would buckle before such an onslaught ended.
Reinforcing the power of existing spell could be done in two major ways. One was through spell matrix improvement. Spells were tools for magicians. If a regular saw blade would not cut it, switch to a diamond saw blade. However, Marisa was about charged up any second now.
With the limited time, Patchouli could only cram more juice into the circuit, a simpler yet terribly inefficient option. Not that she did not have enough, but she preferred having reserves than not.
With no other choice, Patchouli retrieved a vial from her dress and downed it. The blue liquid tasted as disgusting as ever, but she quickly felt a cooling sensation welling up in her chest. Quickly redirecting it into her spell work, she prayed for the best just as two streaks of red and rainbow pieced through the darkness.
Alas, even the artifacts from the mystery spots around the world would yield against the onslaught of truly unknowable beings. A mere minute under their withering fire and a handful of spell cards was enough to dissipate the swirling mana vortex around Sumireko.
Whether it was from one of them overkilling or the exhaustion from harboring such unstable power, Sumireko fainted. Her eyes rolled back before her body plummet down. Only because of Sakuya's intervention that they avoided witnessing a gory splat.
"Stop! All of you stop! Stop!" A charming and youthful voice brought all movement to a pause.
Trapped within the power of the occult orbs, the darkness blinded the seven from the two familiar presences approaching. Apart from Sakuya who busied herself tying up Sumireko, they turned to the new arrival. Beside Kasen, who seemed strangely out of breath, was a girl in red and white. And was she a sight to behold for them.
Her waist-length chocolate brown hair, tied back by a large red-white bow, billowed in the wind. She wore a heavily modified Miko outfit. A simple bright red one piece with detached white sleeve. Apparently, the girl found a small blue tie from somewhere to mix up the color scheme a little. The style departed so radically from the normal crimson Hakama and white shirt that her Miko status could only be confirmed by her Gohei.
"Well, well, well, look who we…" Remilia started, but was interrupted.
"Reimu!"
Before further words could be said, a blond witch bolted into the girl in red, shouting happily and incoherently. Reimu froze stiff, hovering in the air and braced for impact. It was a correct choice as Marisa leapt from her broom and wrapped her up in a tight bear hug. The entire weight of the witch transferred over, knocking the shrine maiden back.
"Reimu, is that really you?"
"Marisa, who else could it be if not me." The shrine maiden glanced behind her. "It's not as if I have a raccoon tail or anything."
Marisa peered behind the Miko and remarked. "Yeah, you sure don't. Great!"
Reimu did not know how she should react to Marisa who was currently clinging to her like a koala. In her confusion, she naturally wrapped her arm around the witch and squeezed gently. "Welcome back."
"Yeah, I am back!" Marisa hugged Reimu even tighter. No one knew when they started laughing, only that they did, very loudly.
For all intents and purposes, their battle lust evaporated into thin air. Apart from some beads of sweat, no trace existed on their countenances to suggest any exhausting activity of any kind. Sumireko temporarily became only a footnote in their minds. The rest only watched on warmly as the two finally met after three years.
Reisen was not very close to Reimu nor were the servants of Scarlet Devil Mansion who mostly kept to themselves. Only the mistress of the mansion actively pursued a strange form of friendship with the Miko. Yet, gentle nostalgic smiles tugged at their lips. All of them were moved to see another denizen of Gensokyo, especially the one so iconic.
On top, Reimu also reminded them of various gathering organized around Hakurei Shrine. Not that anyone would dare admit it to her face. She hated the fact that her shrine became a frequent gathering point for all sort of Youkai. Normal people usually would not come by for obvious reasons, meaning less donations for her.
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Nagano Prefecture
Scarlet Devil Mansion garden was a place of tranquility at night. Without the fairies buzzing outside their walls like in Gensokyo, one could hear the forest rustling form the wind. Rarely in these past three years did they organize any merriment and even then, it was never this loud.
Small magical light orbs hovered just over the canopy of the tallest tree, casting a gentle glow over the colorful crowd below. Some were purely magical, appearing like a disembodied brightness floating about. Some were lanterns, either floating by itself or held aloft by childlike fairies.
In addition to the original residents of the mansion, the new additions and their little militia joined in on the special occasion at Marisa's insistence. The more the merrier, she said. Hopefully, leaving their patrol unmanned for a single night should not be too problematic.
The recruits knew they would be worked to the bone to pick up the slack in their next shift, but they weren't complaining. Sakuya's A-game cooking played a big part. Another part would be their chance for many recruits to drink for the first time. Lunaire could never understand how these youth thought to join a terrorist organization, of all things, and remained shy of underage drinking. Their reservation crumbled rather quickly however, when they saw the girls burning through bottles and barrel of Sake. Either because of peer pressure or having something to prove or the overabundance of liquor, it went downhill from there when the first succumbed to the temptation.
Standing on the fountain, Marisa cried and thrusted her cup to the air, "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Reimu followed suit, slightly red in the face.
The glass window shook from their thunderous chorus. "Cheers!"
The one on the other side of the garden probably did not know who proposed a toast and to whom, but they joined in the fanfare anyway.
Now, this kind of party was something Lunaire could get behind.
The Nine School Competition closing banquet felt closer to an obligation than entertainment. Lunaire and Alice had their fun here and there, but the need to keep up appearances tired them. When both heard of the merriment at the mansion, they understandably took off like the wind with Mizuki in tow.
Lunaire downed his third cup of Sake and he had not even started. Just when he looked around for a group to join, he heard a voice behind him.
"You must be the Lunaire that people mentioned."
"You have me at a disadvantage. Hopefully they only said good things," Lunaire said with a slight giddy tone, no doubt from the alcohol. He smiled at the woman, taking in the giant stiped tail behind her. A Bake-tanuki, he concluded. Her appearance rang no bells in his mind. "And you are?"
"This one is called Futatsuiwa Mamizou, pleasure to meet you." Her elderly style stood out to him, but quickly faded from his mind. A Youkai could have much worse idiosyncrasies. "I have heard mostly good things. You have done a lot these past few years."
"Mostly?"
"Yes, mostly."
Both shared a brief laugher.
"Thank you for your kind words. Hearing that makes all the effort worth it." Lunaire smiled. "You did quite well too. I heard from Kasen that you easily tricked Sumireko across the barrier."
Mamizou giggled, "Tricking a naive human like that is mere child play for me."
Alcohol easily brought people together. They took turns pouring drinks as they chatted about the interesting happenings. Mamizou filled him in about the incidents that transpired in Gensokyo, while Lunaire updated her on noteworthy developments outside. She seemed quite keen on the news of the outside world. Without needed extra context, she easily followed anything he said.
"Take your time and enjoy the party," Lunaire said as he stood up. "If you can keep it down, you might want to enjoy some time in the outside word before returning. It will be another few days before the passage is sealed."
"Hmm, I am not returning." Mamizou tilted his head.
Hearing that, Lunaire mimicked her gesture. "Hm? How so?"
"I am originally from this side, but was summoned in."
Lunaire sat back down on the mat. "I have never heard anything like that. Since when?"
"I believe it was around the time you left, three years ago. That's why both of us missed each other."
"Truly!"
Apparently, Nue summoned Mamizou into Gensokyo right before the mansion was phased out. In an ironic twist of fate, she and some of her subordinate Tanukis ended up in the same situation as Lunaire but in reverse, trapped within the barrier. Both shared a laugh at the twist of fate.
When Mamizou heard about the hole in the barrier, she was ecstatic. After three years, she could finally return to her people in Sado. She missed her hometown and most importantly her subordinates. They should be quite restless after her disappearance.
The only downside was that Mamizou could no longer return to Gensokyo after the gateway was closed. She loved the carefree paradise, but her people and her hometown won out in the end.
"So, you are planning to return to Sado?"
"Yes…I hope that my underlings did not run amok during my 3-year-absence. I delegated quite a few small companies to them. I wonder what became of them." She giggled softly.
"If there is anything we can help with, do not hesitate to ask."
"I wish to say the same. After I settle my business in Sado, we will lend you any help we can afford." Mamizou raised her sake cup. "Gensokyo is a wonderful place to live. I will pay back the hospitality I received."
"That's just great! Glad to have you on board. And here I am, thinking of a way to convince you." Lunaire laughed brightly and downed his cup. "Though…"
"Yes…Is there a problem?"
"Sado…wait…"
Lunaire mumbled between the sip of liquor. Then suddenly, he coughed.
"Are you alright?"
Lunaire's coughing, promptly stopped. The surprise caught him off guard for a moment. "I am alright. It's just…just to make sure, is Sado you talked about the Sado Island, part of Niigata Prefecture?"
"Yes, where else?"
"…"
"You are making me a little nervous," Mamizou laughed, but a trace of concern could not be concealed. Could something bad happen, she dreaded the thought.
Lunaire sighed. "I should not bring up a dour topic on occasion like this…but I doubt you will accept anything other than the whole answer."
Mamizou nodded strongly.
"If I recall correctly," Lunaire said as he pulled up his portable terminal. "Back in 2092, the New Soviet Union invaded Sado, right around the same time as Okinawa. I don't remember much about it because we were busy handling our own issues."
Lunaire pulled up the history entry about the Invasion of Sado. Exploiting the chaos from Okinawa or perhaps a completely independent plan, a sizable force showed up out of blue and stormed the island. These "renegade militants,' as the New Soviet Union claimed, focused their attacks at the magic research institute on Sado.
The defenders dug in and put up a valiant defense, but that ended up with the devastation of Sado. Pressed for time, the Russians brought in their armored battalion and naval artillery into the mix and everything went to hell. Sado city encompassed the whole island, so it quickly devolved into a brutal close quarter, a brief and ironic vignette of Stalingrad.
Mamizou drank in every detail the page had to offer. When she handed the terminal back to him, she blinked her eyes repeatedly as if she could not believe the words. Lunaire sympathized with her. He probably would rage if he learned that the Lunarians struck Gensokyo mere months after he left too.
"I need to return…"
"I…I am sorry we did not do much to help them. We did not know about the Tanuki's population in Sado."
"That is…" Mamizou wanted to say fine but could not. Her mind understood that he could not have helped, yet her mind needed some more time.
Mamizou fell silent briefly. Glancing at the cup in her hand, she downed its content. Lunaire dutifully refilled her cup in case she needed more to recompose herself.
"About that offer, is it still valid?"
Lunaire caught on that she referred to the help he offered earlier. "Of course, we will do anything within our power to help. After you check on them, contact us if you need anything at all."
Mamizou could not help but pick up on the troubled expression from the magician. He seemed reluctant to speak those words so decisively, hinting that his side was also barely trudging along. Yet, her gut felt that it was not merely a lips service. Even if her requests seem slightly outrageous, Lunaire would follow through with it. Mamizou appreciated the sincerity.
"I got it," Mamizou said before gulping down her drink. She stood up, betraying no sign of intoxication. "Then, I guess I shall take my leave here. Tis a great party."
"Your compliments should go to the others," Lunaire rose up from his seat. "It is a shame that I cut your entertainment short."
"Think nothing of it. In fact, you do me service to inform me about my hometown."
"I will see you off."
"Thank you."
When Lunaire returned to the party, he thought he would lose his enjoyment in his drink. But on the contrary, the merriment pushed the heavy topic from his mind. He needed to stop thinking for a moment and just drink.
"Um," Lunaire groaned softly and curled himself up. His movement pulled whatever he had in his arm tighter against his head. The soft give of the object caused him to nuzzle into it like a warm pillow. He rubbed his cheek against it and sighed contently. The gentle embrace of sleep tugged at him insistently.
In the end, the morning sunlight won out and Lunaire gradually open his eyes. Purple color registered in his mind. He frowned in wonder. His beddings were primarily deep blue, periwinkle and white. His pillow could never be this deep violet shade, he thought. Lunaire relaxed his arms and wiggled out for a better view.
Purple, black, and whitish pink like Sakura…gold?
"Huh!" Before long, his thought regained its clarity. He backed away slowly and sat up. His headache bit back angrily, causing him to wince softly. He finally had a full view of what he had an inkling was a woman, the one he knew well in fact.
"Took you long enough."
"Oh," Lunaire repressed his voice. "Yukari…"
At this point, Lunaire thoughts began to lag out a little, so he stared blankly into the pair of golden orbs. Yukari laid down sideway, looking up at him, the two stilled.
In the end, it was Lunaire who glanced away to his own clothes. Crumpled in places, his First High uniform appeared presentable with no part missing. Black necktie hung loosely around his collar and his blazer was unbuttoned, but that was it. On Yukari's part, her Bagua patterned dressed remained perfectly intact, causing Lunaire to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sorry about that, I don't really remember much of what happened last night." Lunaire clutched his temple with a force smile.
"That's what you get for challenging me," Yukari said haughtily.
"Don't tell me you got off scot-free. Unless you did some gap shenanigans when I was not watching, there is no way you are sober after all that!"
"Hehe."
"Urgh," Lunaire rolled his eyes and stood up wobbly. Before his eyes laid a scene of carnage.
Littered throughout the garden were mountains of barrels, bottles and bodies. Most passed out with the most disgraceful posture, lying belly up like a dead fish or draped over another partygoer in a mound. Some more determined fools even held a Sake bottle in dead grip. Only the stark minority managed to retain any semblance of modesty, nested together and sleeping peacefully.
Evidently, the alcohol still hadn't left their system completely as the morning sun managed to rouse only two out of all of them. It worked to his benefit. No one was around to see his embarrassing moment, nuzzling into Yukari.
His eyes scanned around until he found a diminutive child resting against a tall hedge. Remilia would be safe there from the sunlight until a little afternoon. Beside the vampire was a maid lending her shoulder for her mistress to rest on. Focusing his eyes, Lunaire froze when he saw the grey eyes looking back at him. He blinked and turned around, pretending not to notice.
Nobody had seen him nuzzling against Yukari. That was the story he ran with.
Lunaire began walking toward the mansion, careful not to step on anyone. Waking up to a crippling hangover and a stomp to the gut would not be a pleasant start to a day. He took care not to fly, lest he woke some with a keener magical sense.
Entering the mansion through the side door connecting the wing with the garden, Lunaire quickly arrived at the kitchen and got to work. He found the largest pot, a painless endeavor thanks to Sakuya's strict organization, filled it with the water and gently warmed it up.
Sprinkling in some sugar, salt, and some roughly cut lemon slices, Lunaire watched the mixture absentmindedly. When the last of the grainy powder dissolved, he retrieved a glass vial from his pocket and emptied it. The clear greenish liquid disappeared readily into the mixture.
Said liquid was a concentrated Clear Mind Solution, the bane of hangovers. Although it could not compare to the freshness of a good night sleep, the solution would melt away the throbbing headache. That was all that mattered. This vial was from a fresh batch he asked Reisen to brew up. His old stock had long expired, unused.
"What are you doing?"
Lunaire heard as he snapped off the magical furnace. Lifting the giant pot to the side without any difficulty, he turned to the lady he just saw mere moments ago.
"Something to help with the headache," he said as he conjured some ice into the pot. Unceremoniously, he dunked in two glasses into the put and offered one to the blonde.
Yukari eyed the glass strangely but accepted. "Cheers."
"Cheers."
Lunaire downed the content. The herbal and floral aroma flooded his senses, gently easing away the fatigue. He sighed contently and, in a jiffy, he was off with the giant pot. While considering how he should wake the rest up, he noticed Yukari falling in step with him.
"I am surprise you are still here."
"How cold," Yukari answered with a mock outrage.
"You usually buzz off the moment the party is over. I am surprised you are even here. I am even more surprised I managed to hug you like a pillow last night," he said with a smile.
"Oh, you were passionate last night."
He rolled his eyes and snorted. "I would have believed it if you said I called you mother when I am drunk."
"Aww, let mommy give you a big huggy."
All Lunaire's hair stood up like a spooked cat. Something about her tone made his skin crawl. The fact that it was not totally in a bad way horrified him. "You know what, I give up. Probably nothing too important happened anyway."
Lunaire lifted the collar of his jacket to emphasize that they did not share a steamy passionate night among a group of drunkards, especially not with Yukari.
"Though I have to admit. The drink hit the spot perfectly."
"Hmm, I am glad my better stashes had not gone to waste."
"Even after so many years, I am still impressed that you can find all the good liquor Gensokyo had to offer."
"…You haven't seen the least of it yet."
Lunaire chuckled softly but was cut short when he felt that the presence behind him stopped. He glanced back and saw Yukari watched him intently. Tilting his head in puzzlement, he was about to call out to her before she reached into her synonymous gap. Her pearly white hand retrieved an ancient looking pottery jar and two sake cups.
In that instant, a delicate flowery scent teased as his sense, followed by a distinctive alcoholic smell. The jar appeared properly sealed, but it could not stop the pleasant aroma from oozing out. The moment she pulled out the cloth cap, Lunaire gulped involuntarily.
Noticing his expression, Yukari grinned mischievously and took her sweet time pouring out the clear liquid. From how far she tilted up the jar, there was barely enough to fill their cups.
After what felt like eternity, she handed one cup to him. Lunaire felt giddy but restraining himself from starting. He looked at Yukari questioningly.
"It's our spoil of war…cheers."
Lunaire did not quite understand her meaning but followed suit and raised his cup. Where did she get this, he wanted to ask. However, seeing Yukari savoring her drink, he held his tongue.
Answering his previous question, the drink more than lived up to its scent. The first sip filled his tongue with cloying sweetness of nectar. It almost pained him to swallow. The after taste that followed did not disappoint, leaving a sense of longing for one more sip.
The cautious side of him warned not to take another sip as even one felt so addictive. Unfortunately, or fortunately, his bliss continued as the sight of Yukari knowing smirk pushed him over the edge. There was no way Yukari would drug him after all this.
"How does the treasured liquor of the moon taste?" Yukari chucked softly. Her word elicited a surprised pause from the magician. "Compared to the one we had last night, which is better?"
Lunaire opened his mouth slightly in realization and then chuckled softly. Yukari told him about this one. Out of all things Yuyuko could have stolen from Watatsuki's vault, she chose a bottle of liquor. Losing it no doubt caused quite some grief for the sisters. Yet, it was not important enough that they would race back down from the moon to retrieve it. He was not sure whether Yuyuko picked something least valuable because of her soft-heartedness or she truly understands the Yukari's art of "hurting someone in a way they could only suck it up."
Either way, he cocked his eyebrows after knowing that some remained. He reckoned Yukari and Yuyuko would have finished the jar in a night.
His bemusement quickly soured though, and he looked at Yukari somewhat crossly. How did she expect him to answer that, he wondered. If he said one from last night was better, the lady could sniff out his lie with hardly any effort. On the other hand, if he responded otherwise, he could not guess how she would react. His bluish eyes veered back to Yukari and narrowed into a slight scowl seeing her mischievous grin.
"My, my…did you think I will do something to you if your answer displeases me?"
Lunaire leveled a deadpan expression at her. Yukari never ate a loss without payback. Looking at her teasing countenance, he gave up. A simple silence was not an option when she showed this expression.
"Last night was quite good…but not…indescribably exquisite like this one."
The liquor Yukari brought was probably brewed by the top Youkai artisan in Gensokyo, using the most premium ingredients available. Though painful to admit, it could not hold a candle to true Lunarian liquor, carefully aged for untold millennia. Unlike the former that Lunaire might be able to afford, it was truly a heaven-sent grace for him to savor the latter. Said heaven-sent opportunity was none other than the lady beside him.
"See, how hard is it to say?"
He trained in on her every minute expression, divining every possible way she could get him.
"There is no need to be so guarded."
With her every word, his expression only grew more suspicious.
"Even I have to say that there is nothing sweeter than the fruit of your revenge."
Lunaire chuckled softly while shaking his head. Watatsuki sisters were her mortal enemies, so their precious liquor tasted especially sweet to Yukari. Even if it tasted like Eirin's experimental concoction, she would heartily drink and share it just to stick it to them.
"Good for you…and for me." He couldn't exactly deny that he enjoyed the liquor immensely. "Thank you."
"It's your overdue share. Don't think much of it." Yukari said before sipping the last drop. "Well, pleasant day to you."
"Oh," Lunaire glanced back and answered softly. A strange sensation of space ripping was felt behind him.
Then it would be a few years until they would see each other again, he thought. Not just Yukari, but Reimu as well. After the passageway collapse, the eastern paradise would become unreachable. It was a shame that he probably would not see any more familiar faces, like Eirin and Satori, before the gate closed.
Again, it would just be only them to bring forth change to this world. His expression wilted at such a lonely thought. Unlike most Youkai, a year to him still felt long. His sense of time persisted relatively unchanged even after weathering one hundred years of existence.
However, Yukari and Reimu, especially the latter, dissolved away his homesickness. He would not believe that he could be so happy to see the shrine maiden of paradise. They were not particularly close, but the Miko of Hakurei Shrine was probably the most iconic feature of Gensokyo, a living proof that their paradise still lived. After a period of no contact, seeing that Reimu was fine and dandy, albeit missing Marisa greatly, was a godsend. Nothing went terribly wrong in Gensokyo.
"Farewell," Yukari barely heard his remark when her gap sealed up completely.
When the resident magician finally arrived at the courtyard, the sun shined ever brighter, stirring some poor souls from their slumber. Most opted to simply lie down and stare blankly at whatever caught their fancy in hope of staving off their headache. Some braver souls decided to stand up with varying degree of success. Some stood up as if they did not have a sip last night while the other shambled about like newborn fawns learning to walk.
"Ahh, my head," Reimu whined, reminding the rest in the group of their own aching temple.
Last night they pulled out all the stops and drank till they dropped. Even after the clear mind solution, the mother of all headaches persisted. It truly could not be helped. The alcohol was not mind-blowingly good, but it was the presence of old friends that made everything better.
They all smelled faintly of soap. For what they were about to do, their credibility would be ruined if they all stank like drunkards.
Five of them spent a few minutes in relative peace, navigating the tortuous corridors of the dungeon. They finally came up to one of the cell blocks. No one had been imprisoned in the dungeon for ages, except for Flandre. Sumireko was probably the first in centuries to sit in a cell beneath Scarlet Devil Mansion like this. The fact that the girl in question probably would not appreciate too much.
Everyone wanted to celebrate first. Perhaps the fact that help had arrived never sat with any one of them until they saw Reimu. Also, Marisa's joy was also quite infectious.
Hence, Sumireko was thrown somewhere secure for the time being. Meiling and Reisen rotated watch on one of the, if not the most problematic human in the history of Gensokyo.
Arriving at Sumireko's cell, they all saw Meiling sporting an uncomfortable expression. She seemed conflicted, wanting to do something even though she should not. One could guess the reason from the soft, pained sobbing in the cell.
Huddled in her cell, Sumireko buried her face in her knees, trembling and sniffing. Hearing the footsteps outside, she looked up, revealing her red, swollen eyes. She then curled herself into a ball.
It was a sight that aroused pity. Listening to such weeping for hours on end, Meiling wanted to comfort the girl. She knew that the girl barely deserved any sympathy after all the problems she caused. The fact that she was still alive was merciful enough. Yet, the sobbing tugged at her heartstring somewhat.
Alice and Marisa felt pity in their heart, yet they needed to know.
How could Sumireko come into possession of Occult Orbs? How did she learn of their power? Why did she decide it was a great idea to mess with Hakurei's barrier?
It was these questions that would determine her fate. This circumstance was so special that it could only happen through the machination of other. A high schooler with extraordinary power happened to find an object that could not only bypass the Hakurei Barrier but also destroy it. Not only that, one of the artifacts in her hand also came straight from the moon.
Lunaire approached the bar. A smidge of sympathy struck his conscious, but he stomped it down and steeled his expression. Her shenanigans did not end up as catastrophically as it could. They received aid from Gensokyo and got in touch with some friends on the other side. But, it could not erase her sin. If anything went wrong at all, she would have the blood of his friends and million others on her hands. He could not bring himself to see her in good light.
"Sumireko Usami, 15 years old, a freshman at Higashifukami High, your two parents are famous archeologists…"
Lunaire recited details of her life and her family. After learning of her name from Kasen, they investigated her thoroughly. The fact that her family was rather unimportant made their endeavor quite easy and fruitful.
Sumireko did not respond, but her face darkened in despair with every word. She knew that she was doomed. Even if she miraculously slipped away, they could easily find her again. Not only that, her family might also suffer from her mistake. She sobbed uncontrollably.
Lunaire sighed in frustration. He doubted he would get anything out of her at this rate and glanced behind him for assistance.
"We are not going to kill you." Reimu stepped forward, annoyed. She muttered, "I am not about to let a human die senselessly if I can help it."
Everyone nodded if only barely. They decided to spirit her into Gensokyo to punish her. It would be a waste of effort if the lesson only stuck around for the last few hours of Sumireko's life after all.
As if the mountain was lifted from her chest, Sumireko sighed in relief. Yet, her sobbing could not stop at a moment notice.
Alice stepped forward, "I will need to ask some questions. Is that alright?"
Sumireko nodded once while trying to suppress her sniffing. When the questioning started, she obediently answered.
Sumireko acquired the first Occult Orb by accident, something that even Marisa found highly suspicious. It did not look like the girl lied to them, but it was very unlikely that no one who visited the power spot found them before her. According to her very own word, the orb was quite eye catching.
After holding on to it for a while, the orb led her to Hakurei Barrier. As an object that defied common sense, it warped its surrounding and disturbed the barrier enough for her to perceive the ripple. At that point, she only knew that something was being locked up and she was determined to find out.
One orb failed to penetrate the barrier. The most obvious solution was to collect more, and she did. Her parents were consummate archeologists. She leveraged that fact to collect more Orbs from various power spots around the world.
"When I finally have enough orbs, it works. I got in and found what I had been searching for all this time. Something exciting, extraordinary, unlike the world around me. It is like I found another world to me."
"Yet, the orbs only allow temporary access. How cruel is that. After showing me something interesting for once, I learned that I cannot fully enjoy it. Fine!"
"I can just spread these Orbs in Gensokyo and bring its denizen out to me. At least it will help stave off my boredom, seeing how the relics of old act." Everyone frowned as one, hearing that Sumireko once viewed them as nothing more than zoo exhibits.
"So…all you have done, it is simply because you are bored? Really?" Lunaire struggled to maintain his neutral tone.
"Yeah, I have been living my life stuck with uninteresting and dumb people. What do you expect?"
"You sound as if you don't care about these people." To Lunaire musing, Sumireko opened her mouth, but he cut her off decisively. "Then what if I told you, congratulation, the stunt you pull just put the lives of millions if not billions of people in jeopardy. You could not care less, yes?"
Sumireko turned mute. She stared at his purplish-blue eyes, terrified by the anger that boiled within. At the same time, she also felt her pent-up frustration lashing out.
"But who are you to say that? What right do you have to judge me? All I wanted was to explore and perhaps makes one of the largest contributions to humanity by proving Youkai's…"
Surprising even Reimu herself, Marisa barreled to the cell door and grasped the bar so tightly it creaked. "Oh, we are nobody. Nobody at all, just some blokes trying to prevent war from breaking out when the world becomes aware of Gensokyo. You have experienced the power of the beings on the other side, haven't you? Look at what happen when they discover something much less powerful like modern magic, just one little world war and another 6 billion lives lost. Let me tell you what will happen if you succeed in breaking the barrier. Millions of what you call ordinary and boring will die and this country will be ripped apart from all sides."
"…"
"I dare you. I dare you to say that it is fine as nothing happened in the end," Marisa ended her sentence with finality.
"Fine! I deserve to die! Happy?! Just do it already then!"
Reimu raised her voice, barely shy of yelling. "Dying is a coward's way out. You caused this mess. Even unknowingly, you have the responsibility to fix it. Because of your stunt, we now have two years. Just scant two years. Yes, you messed up the Hakurei Barrier enough that it will break down in two years rather than the next decade. The only proper atonement is for you to exhaust every fiber of your being to ensure that the fallout from your impulsiveness is at a minimum."
"Think about what I said." Reimu turned around with a huff. "Let's go!"
From what they gathered, Sumireko was not as much colluding with the Lunarians as being manipulated by them. This would explain all the unlikely coincidences and the Lunar Capital Occult Orb in Sumireko's possession. It was certainly well within their capability to manipulate a naïve Earthling. This brought their investigation to a dead end. Sumireko was merely a pawn.
The question that they could not answer was the motive. What happened to their usual "you are not even worth my time" attitude?
Two days later
Sayaka loved her current life. Free from self-pity and defeatist mindset, her countenance regained its brilliance, fitting for a youthful girl. She walked with her head high and her shoulders unburdened, a welcome change for her parents.
Without the frustration to cloud her mind, Sayaka felt that she connected better with her father and mother. She could finally see the concern they had for her that she disregarded before. Sayaka hoped that they would forgive her for lying whenever the reason for her recovery came up.
Sayaka liked her job if she could call it that. She no longer second-guessed her own intention whether she wanted to continue, unlike when she served in Egalite. Sayaka could not state in full confidence that the goal of her current organization was righteous, yet she was oddly alright with that. She could sympathize with the ideal without feeling like she was lying to herself.
The pay was good as well, comparable to the upper bracket for magic industry and well beyond the means of most high schoolers. Her family was quite well-off, but there was something fulfilling about spending the money she earned.
Though, Sayaka had to say that her employers intended to make her earn every penny. The trainings were harsh, and the work hours could be long and late. However, she did not mind that too much. She got way more than money from this job anyway.
If Sayaka had to name one thing she gained, she would say it was her comrades. Enduring various suffering together, they felt like brothers and sisters to her. No matter what, she knew they had her back.
The fact that she could put Watanabe-senpai on the ground in ten seconds flat was just a cherry on top.
Humming her favorite tune, Sayaka was ready to start her day, fresh from the shower. It was her day off and she could not wait to spend it. Then suddenly, she felt an alarming chill up her spine. Her eyes sharpened and glared at her dresser. With a flick of her finger, she flung the doors open.
Hidden among the folded clothes, Sayaka saw a crystal orb, dyed scarlet red. She had never seen this color before, but she knew the meaning. Quoting Lunaire word for word, "come, even if you are having an audience with the Yama herself, you have to come now."
Dressing up in record time, all other thought left her mind. After she threw on the last of the protective paddings, she reached her hand at her work desk. From one of the drawers, a bracelet flew toward her hand. Sayaka loved doing that. It reminded her of a very old film from a century ago.
Without hesitation, she stepped inside the wardrobe and off she went.
A moment later, Sayaka heard a thump from her feet impacting the cobblestone. A while back, their arrival destination moved into the mansion's courtyard. Her footfall was followed by many others. Apparently, the others arrived around the same time. A slight pride welled up inside her chest, seeing her subordinates' readiness.
"What are you waiting for? Move it!" Sayaka spurred them to action.
Like orderly soldiers, they jogged in perfect double file toward the mansion, heading for the armory in the dungeon. Only Sayaka and Konoe remained in the area.
"Impressive…most impressive." Sayaka heard clapping and turned toward the silver-haired man. "Even though some of you are on break, you responded very quickly."
The two leaders bowed a little as a show of respect. Although flippant at times, Lunaire was almost seven times their senior.
"What is the situation?" Sayaka sensed more presence popping up from the teleportation array. She recognized them as the recruits not trained as combat personnel. "To require full mobilization like this?"
"Follow me inside," Lunaire turned around and urged them to fall in step with him. "Now, how well do you know about Chino city?"
"A city around 18 kilometers due west. Apart from being next to Suwa region, nothing of great importance in the area. Though recently, I heard we will host a conference with some remnants of supernatural organizations. We weren't told of the specifics." Konoe recited everything that came to his mind.
"How astute of you," Lunaire remarked enigmatically. "The meeting will be held tomorrow, but our guests arrived early…"
Sayaka nodded, thinking that they were called up as security detail. Although she had no experience handling important individuals in any official capacity, she banked on the practice she got from greeting her father's friend.
"…And in force."
Sayaka blinked owlishly. Konoe's reaction mirrored hers but more subdued.
"By that you mean?"
"Our two guests brought armies with them. The armies around two-thousand strong currently surrounding Chino, that is." Lunaire said with a singsong voice and watched as the other two blanched in horror.
"T-two thousands?" Sayaka shrill voice ripped through the air.
Lunaire shook his head and chided, "collect yourself, Mibu. You don't want to wake Remilia up, do you?"
Sayaka shook her head in a blur. Her voice lowered shy of squeaking. "S-sorry, I, the number is quite overwhelming."
Including the non-combat-oriented members with their fighting crews, they totaled up to around thirty. Adding in the core personnel of the organization and they had at maximum sixty. The number differed by an almost two orders of magnitude. Sayaka and Konoe wondered whether they would die that day.
"Do not be so disheartened. If push comes to shove, we can hold our own. At this point, it might be more fitting to call this place a fortress and all of you still have us." Lunaire chuckled in amusement. "There is also a chance that there won't be any fighting at all. The two armies are not attacking us or each other."
Konoe mumbled, "let's hope that is the case."
"I find your lack of faith disturbing." Lunaire shook his head. Before he could address that, they finally came up to their destination. He briskly pushed open the door, revealing a small room. A long table occupied almost the entire floor space. Detailed map of the surrounding lay upon its expansive surface.
Patchouli sat down on one corner, reading. But if one looked closely, her eyes hardly focused on the book. Sayaka and Konoe bowed to another senior magician, while Lunaire quickly move toward the map. He pointed to the area north of Chino marked in bold red.
"Here, Onmyouji Association are setting up a camp in Kitayama, complete with a magical boundary, just on the outskirt of the city. They brought with them around eight hundred monks, Onmyouji, Miko among others."
Lunaire pointed to another point marked in red.
"To the south, near mount Nyugasa, a horde belonging to the group of Youkai in Kyoto are pretty much doing the same thing."
Sayaka leveled an incredulous look. "They are just camping about, not attacking each other?"
"Apart from looking at each other very menacingly, no, not at the moment."
"So, two armies of Onmyouji and Youkai, each around a thousand strong are glaring daggers across the town of Chino?" Konoe muttered while nibbling on his nail. "Isn't that just lovely? Are you sure they are here for the conference and not to take Chino?"
"They better be, or else I will start questioning their intelligence. It takes a special kind of stupidity to start something here."
Chino, like most decently size city, was equipped with psion detector to deter illegal use of magic. While tailored for modern magic, it somehow managed to detect the use of mana as well. The sensors were weakly sensitive at best and could be fooled quite easily with conscious effort. Case in point, Patchouli barrier worked quite well to keep their spectacular fight under the radar. A weaker and carefully control spells also slipped through. Still, such level of meticulous preparation could hardly be expected from an all-out clash between two armies.
Furthermore, Chino was a city in Nagono, which happened to be within the influence of Yotsuba clan. All Ten Master Clans, except Mitsuya, had territories under their influence. They did not derive income from the territory like fiefdom, but more in the line of being assigned as peacekeeper in the area. Any magical incident there fell under their purview. And the Yotsuba took this to a whole new level.
While the two leaders mulled over the map, the heavy wooden door swung open again. This time revealed two figures, sporting completely different expression.
To the left, Reisen looked about ready to tear out her hair. Her ears stood straight and her cheeks puffed up as she stomped into the room. She blinked repeatedly, almost suppressing her tirade from spilling from her lips.
Aya alternated between snickering and grinning, barely able to contain her amusement. Both the situation they found themselves in and the rabbit entertained her greatly. Another absurdity to add to their tale on the outside world.
Lunaire chuckled. "Ah, Reisen, from your expression, I don't even need to hear what you have to say."
"Huh," the rabbit sighed exasperatingly.
Since Aya and Reisen were the emissaries to Kyoto Youkai and Onmyouji Association, respectively, it fell to them to confirm the intention of the two parties. Lunaire had an inkling to the reason both showed up with an army, which was confirmed in that moment.
"We don't know who started it but…" Reisen started.
Apparently, one of them got the bright idea to bring an army to escort their delegation, citing the possibility of ambush. If their representatives got killed in transit to Chino, they missed the juicy pie. Kyoto Youkai and Onmyouji Association pointed finger at each other for starting this, but it ended up with both bringing their armies as security detail.
"So, you are saying that both went, 'you are bringing an army, so I will bring mine too." Sayaka facepalmed so hard she heard a clap. She wondered whether she was dealing with prestigious longstanding organizations or a bunch of street gangs.
Reisen sighed for the umpteenth time, "it makes me glad to see that someone shares my frustration."
"The next question is whether they will agree to withdraw their troops."
"They won't until…"
"The other side agrees to withdraw too. Blah blah blah," Lunaire completed the sentence for the rabbit. "How predictable…whatever, just let them be. The real meeting will start before they reach an agreement. But I hope they understand the consequence."
Aya answered dismissively. "Yes, I made it crystal clear to them that if anything happened because of their actions, they will be banned from the conference in perpetuity."
"I am not sure if they are brave or foolish," Reisen mumbled. "They are willing to risk it when it will essentially be a death sentence for their organization if they mess up."
Being banned from the conference forever meant forgoing the boon and earning the ire of the organization. Moreover, their mortal enemy would get to monopolize the mana wellspring and get stronger enough to overcome them.
"Stubbornness and pride no doubt," Lunaire rolled his eyes. "As you have heard, this is the absurd situation we found ourselves in."
"…" Both Sayaka and Konoe deadpanned.
"Your teams will be deployed in Chino city to patrol around and ensure that the place is spotless. It is part of the agreement that only their representatives will set foot in the city, no more, no less. And only when the auction starts."
The moment Sayaka and Konoe heard a concrete order, their eyes sharpened immediately, just like hunting hounds that smelled blood. Their minds churned, considering the objectives, the plans and contingencies. Unlike many months ago, they approached the situation with a professional mindset. The trainings and field experiences tempered them well.
"We will assign people from academic track to help with the manpower. You have a lot of ground to cover. Do take note that their combat ability pale in comparison to your teammates."
"What happen if we find someone who does not belong?" Sayaka met Lunaire's eyes.
"Try to keep watch if you can, but the main priority is to relay the information to our heavy hitters. You are to be our eyes down there. We can't overuse our active mana scan in the city after all."
It was Konoe's turn to ask question. "So, we should not engage them?"
"Unless explicitly told to do so, combat should be the final option. Though when you find yourself having to fight…do prepare yourself." Lunaire muttered grimly.
The silver-haired magician glanced at the two and nodded appreciatively. Lunaire was sure the meaning of his words was not lost with them. Being forced to fight meant unable to flee and most likely on their own, so their survival was highly dependent on chance. Yet, Sayaka and Konoe did not flinch. Nay, they did not even bat an eyelid.
With a flick of Lunaire's hand, a rectangular object flew toward the two. They caught them reflexively and quickly inspecting the item in their hand. A wooden pattern lined the side of the article, almost like a grip of a pistol. Running down the long side of the grip was an indent that could open the object. On one end, a few protrusions radiated out to the side, almost like a handguard.
"To make your lives even more miserable, you can only count on your silenced pistol and that to protect yourselves."
"…"
"We are going in the city after all. Don't worry, we will try to be close by." Reisen tried in vain to reassure them.
"…So, what is this?" Konoe asked.
"Rejoice, boy. Your wish came true at last." Lunaire flourished his hand and two halves of the box opened.
Accompanied the metallic tune, a flash of gleaming metal shot out from one end, revealing the blade. A single, razor-sharp straight edge ended with a graceful curved tip. The blade was comparable to Lunaire's arm length and considerably shorter than a standard Katana. Overall, the profile appeared summed up to be a wide and short saber, though there was an edge on the back closer to the tip.
"You guys have been complaining that you need a blade that can be drawn even with a rifle in the way. The Kappa answered your wish." Lunaire continued with a shrug. "You won't get to use it in that context. But hey, it is better than having only your pistol and fist, isn't it?"
00000
And there it is.
I am nervous about the next arc, because it will be completely original with some original story added in. However, I believe that it is necessary to set the foundation for the organization to expand their political and military might. For a bunch of no-names to transform into a political entity capable of influencing the course of a nation is not small feat, especially in two years.
If you have any comment or suggestion, please leave a review. Even if you don't, please leave me some words of encouragement as that really keep me going.