Chapter 9: Search
News Anchor: "That's right. Police and investigators are still not quite sure what could be causing these recent strings of deaths in these past 5 days. So far all they really have confirmed is that whoever or whatever is behind this cannot be one of the enlarged given the precision of the damages done… wait. Am I reading this right?"
News Anchor 2: "No, I have it too. It says that with the exception of 35 deaths, all the others did not result in property damage. It's just that with those 35 killed, it's suspected that the only reason why there was property damage involved with them was because they were hiding."
News Anchor: "Ah. So like whatever's been killing all these people must've noticed these witnesses inside the buildings and decided to gun them down as well."
News Anchor 2: "Could be. In any case, in lieu of these details, experts are urging citizens to not lock themselves up indoors."
The 2nd news anchor blinks her eyes for a few seconds before continuing.
News Anchor 2: "What?! No. That can't be right. That would-"
News Anchor: "Experts have surmised that if indeed these are serial killings, then in order to minimalize future casualties to death, we should switch up our approach. In other news, the Head of the nonprofit, charity educational institution for the chemically and mechanically inclined, or the Glittering Compass for short has announced plans to purchase the Roppongi District. With the purchase of the Roppongi District, the Head of the Glittering Compass says she plans to open up metal working and chemical engineering shops to assist Japan's resource management efforts and in addition, the money gained from the activities in the purchased district will be used towards the funding of various orphanages."
As the news reporters continued to do their jobs, Tania sipped her coffee. Satisfied with the report, she goes by looking through the stacks of paper she had filed away. In the background the news continue to play on a Samsung Galaxy S5 tablet.
Tania: "If I'm not mistaken, then as long as the people keep eating this up, I'll have them march out to my hands. Now the issue here is what to do with Kanon…"
Indeed. She's too much of a loose canon. If it were anyone else at the Advanced Sciences Society, I would feel a little bit more confident. So how can I make the most of this situation?
…
Tania: "Right. I didn't gain the position of the leader by simply waiting things out."
Tania pulls out a pen from her shirt pocket and smiles.
Tania: "I think I have just the thing to give her the push she needs."
Opening up her drawer, Tania takes out a spiral notebook and begins writing in it with the pen she took from her shirt pocket.
Recipient: Kosui Kanon
Address to; 721544328
Subject:
At the subject line, Tania draws a picture of a dandelion that has the likeness of Joan Rivers with red lipstick and shades. As soon as she finishes drawing the picture, she then jots down 3 notes.
Doesn't photosynthesize
Eats words
Weak to assurity
Return? Y
With this, Tania rips out the page in the notebook, places it in an envelope and sends it to the recipient.
Yosuzume's POV
Analyzing existing trends…
…
Trends analyzed.
So. My expectations have been confirmed. While in my Miraculous form, I gain supernatural accuracy. Unless the target is hiding behind a barrier, my bullets will not miss. I will not waste a single one. Next, my Miraculous form enhances the destructive firepower of all my currently existing weaponry. More data is still needed to determine the extent of this increase. 3rd, this Miraculous form does not alter the charge, reload and buffer times for any of my weaponry. While I won't waste bullets unless the target is hiding behind a barrier, I do not fire any faster than when I'm transformed. Moreover my high-bore laser emitter has dealt the most amount of property damage these past 5 days as the result of my buffer time not being enhanced. Last. as far as I have been able to confirm, these leg jet packs do not run out of energy and nor does this form.
…
Yosuzume: "My search. It remains. Where are my Memory fragments?"
I must find them… where are they?
…
Tuning in to the news…
News Anchor: "Just last night at 7:19 pm, police have finally finished gauging the extent of these serials of mass deaths these past 5 days starting from Tuesday December 23 up til now. Approximately 165,000 have been found to have been killed by the unknown assailant."
News Anchor 2: "And the police still haven't come up with a plausible explanation for all those deaths?"
News Anchor: "That's right. Police and investigators are still not quite sure what could be causing these recent strings of deaths in these past 5 days. So far all they really have confirmed is that whoever or whatever is behind this cannot be one of the enlarged given the precision of the damages done… wait. Am I reading this right?"
News Anchor 2: "No, I have it too. It says that with the exception of 35 deaths, all the others did not result in property damage. It's just that with those 35 killed, it's suspected that the only reason why there was property damage involved with them was because they were hiding."
News Anchor: "Ah. So like whatever's been killing all these people must've noticed these witnesses inside the buildings and decided to gun them down as well."
News Anchor 2: "Could be. In any case, in lieu of these details, experts are urging citizens to not lock themselves up indoors."
The 2nd news anchor blinks her eyes for a few seconds before continuing.
News Anchor 2: "What?! No. That can't be right. That would-"
News Anchor: "Experts have surmised that if indeed these are serial killings, then in order to minimalize future casualties to death, we should switch up our approach."
So my actions thus far have been observed. No matter. They have yet to document it was me and even then, I'll just turn them to paste. So long as I hold the Peacock Miraculous, I cannot be stopped.
Non POV
Yosuzume sat up. It had been a week since she had taken on this mantle and still she lacked another Memory fragment. Today is another day of searching. No matter how long it will take, she will find all the pieces of herself. Yosuzume takes a look at the bullets she has manufactured.
…
Yosuzume: "No need to go for a test run today. The data I've collected should be sufficient for now."
Indeed, it ought to be sufficient for now. 165K have been used for gathering data. 55K for the bullets, 55K for the rockets and 55K for the high bore laser emitter. During all of this Yosuzume had managed to gain a couple of level ups and with it, a handful of skill points. Yosuzume opens her menu screen to look at her stats.
Yosuzume -
Class Combat Humanoid
LV: 61
Hp: 1,117
BP: 110
Atk: 50
Def: 60
Agi: 35
Specialties? None
Skill Points left to use? 210
…
Yosuzume begins allotting her skill points.
…
Yosuzume -
Class Combat Humanoid
LV: 61
Hp: 1,292
BP: 110
Atk: 96
Def: 109
Agi: 51
Specialties? None
Skill Points left to use? 0
…
Yosuzume: "No. This is a waste of my resources."
Yosuzume begins reallocating her skill points.
Yosuzume -
Class Combat Humanoid
LV: 61
Hp: 1,194
BP: 238
Atk: 69
Def: 86
Agi: 51
Specialties? None
Skill Points left to use? 0
…
Yosuzume: "That's much better."
Yosuzume has confirmed the skill point allotment.
Yosuzume has learned how to make incendiary rounds!
Yosuzume has learned how to make cryo bullets!
Yosuzume has learned how to make shrapnel!
Yosuzume's Quasi-repair system is now 10% more effective!
…
Yosuzume closes her menu screen and begins her search for the day.
Elsewhere in the ward that is Mianto a professor has finished clocking in for the day. Just like how there is summer school, some schools and universities even in Japan have winter school, though due to the strings of events involving massive amounts of deaths starting from the Emperor's Birthday the school attendance rate had dropped significantly. All the better as with less students around, it meant there were less eyes to pry what Professor Kosui had planned for the evening. Well 2 things. If everything went right, today's investments were a guarantee. But of course she couldn't just go without her delighted fun, and that was why Professor Kosui was more relieved than most. The massive amounts of deaths piling up each day? She didn't care. If anything they only gave her more an opportunity to play with her shrunken victims, to extend their torture sections.
Kanon: "Ho? What's this? A letter to me?"
Laying on her desk was an envelope addressed to her and as soon as she had it in her hands, she literally disappeared along with the envelope.. Had someone passed by or trailed the professor, they would've noticed she had gone missing. Well, even if they did, the implanted Foundation personnel would make sure to cover up all possible tracks.
Kanon's POV
Drip
Drip
Drip
Drip
Kanon raised an eyebrow. Just where was she right now? Right before she had grasped the envelope she was in her office and now she was in some sort of dark and damp-
Sniff
Sniff
Ugh! What is that smell? Kanon gagged as her nostrils were bombarded with the typical foul stench that could only be from a-
Kanon: "So. Another one of your experiments, Doctor?"
?: "Psst!"
Hearing this, Kanon immediately pulled out her Walther PPK and fired it at the direction of the sound.
1…
2…
4 shots in total. Because she has use a gun so many times in the past, Kanon's marksmaship skills had increased significantly. Furthermore the flash from each shell as it was being fired illuminated the sewers bright enough that she could see who else was in the sewers with her. Or whatever this talking plant thing was supposed to be.
Kanon: "What the?"
Momentarily surprised, Kanon quickly regained her compuse and tossed a vask at the strange talking plant.
Bang!
A huge chemical fire erupted just bright enough for Kanon to not only see this strange plant entity but also for her to read the contents of the envelope she had grabbed. Kanon blinked twice. This plant wasn't reacting from the fire. Striding over she fired 5 shots at the talking plant which she now saw had blond hair. They did nothing.
Kanon: "How curious. Certainly anomalous."
Kanon opened the envelope and began reading its contents. As she did, the strange talking plant tried talking to her.
Strange Talking Plant: "So. Have you hear-"
Kanon: "Not now, I'm…"
Kanon looks down at the strange talking plant. This plant. It's the same as the one in the letter addressed to her.
Kanon (whispering to herself): "Powered by words but weak to assurity. What does this mean?"
What a strange weakness, Kanon thought to herself. There was but one way to test out what it meant.
Kanon: "I have no interest in what you're talking about."
As Kanon said this she walked a few steps back, bent down and implanted a device into the ground.
Strange Talking Plant: "What are you doing?"
Kanon: "You'll see."
Turning 90 degrees, Kanon walked to the other side of the wall and placed another one of the device she installed into the ground earlier. 90 degrees again she walked a few steps past the still on going chemical fire and placed another and one last one at the adjacent wall. Walking back to the strange talking plant, Kanon reached into her pocket.
Kanon: "I don't know what you've been told but-"
Kanon pressed the switch in her pocket. As soon as she did, all 4 devices started stirring to life.
Strange Talking Plant: "Wha-?! I'm no longer connected?
Kanon: "Wouldn't it be a fucking shame if someone were to come down here and investigate?"
Hearing this the strange talking plant looked nervous. The whirling of the strange machines were very loud indeed. It wouldn't take long until someone decided to search the sewers.
Kanon: "You don't want people to know?"
Strange Talking Plant: "I… I…"
A cruel glint appears in Kanon's eyes.
Kanon: "I see now. So this is what he meant. You can't have people knowing or you will wither away."
Strange Talking Plant: "Uh…"
Kanon: "Powered by words that are not confirmed. I know what you feed off of now, so how about this, you bitch? I have a little story to tell you."
Strange Talking Plant: "A story?"
Kanon's lips twist into a mocking grin.
Kanon: "Yes. I have many stories to tell and unlike most fucktards, I don't care whether they involve me."
The strange talking plant looked confused.
Kanon: "They say I'm a source of many inspirations back at where I come from. Of what sorts? Who knows? All I can say if you ya wanna hear them, feed off them, you'll have to join me."
Strange Talking Plant: …
Kanon: "Or we could wait until we're both discovered."
…
The strange talking plant snarls and reaches out a leaf. Smirking, Kanon takes a hold of it and shakes.
Strange Talking Plant: "You have yourself a deal."
Vines started spreading out from the strange talking plant and they snaked their way up Kanon's arm, fusing and melting into hers. As they did they left behind a vine-like tattoo.
Strange Talking Plant: "Just remember-"
Kanon: "Yeah yeah. You don't have to tell me."
The fusion was complete. By now all that remained of the strange talking plant that had once been there was a mere mental voice.
Kanon: "Oh and one more thing?"
Strange Talking Plant: Yes?
Kanon: "You won't be separating from me."
Strange Talking Plant: Wha-
Before the strange talking plant could react to remove itself from its selected host, Kanon had already pressed the switch deactivating the strange machines and keeping the fusion complete.
Kanon: "Because soon they will be talking about me."
Non POV
Back at Minato, Tokyo, Yosuzume continued scouting around. There weren't many places left to search in this ward. All that remained were the Takanawa area along with a few districts in the Azabu area. Since Takanawa is closer, that will be the first in her priority list.
…
Ah, that's right. Wasn't there a warehouse she had passed over a few days ago? Back during the Emperor's Birthday? She had been in such a rush that she had just about forgotten about it.
…
Yosuzume raised an eyebrow. This sound. It was so loud that she could feel the air vibrate from where she was.
Yosuzume: "I'm being… affected? No. It's something else."
What is drawing me here? Yosuzume wondered as she landed. Yosuzume closes her eyes.
Yosuzume: "This… do I recognize this?"
…
Hmm. Only one way to find out. Taking my high bore laser emitter emitter I fire it at the garage door of the warehouse.
No effect
Yosuzume: "No effect? What could this possibly mean?"
Looking to the side I see there is a side door. If I can't melt a hole into this garage door, I'll just enter from this side entrance.
Striding over I turn the doorknob. It's unlocked.
…
Could this be a trap? But if so, then by whom? The Society? It would be within calculations if that were so. In any case I best tread carefully. I slowly open the metallic door and walked inside, but not before placing a nearby brick to serve as a door stopper.
One…
Two…
Bang!
I spun around in time to see the metallic door seal itself despite having been blocked by a brick earlier. Well so much for that ideal. Now back to the-
As I turned around my eyes did a double take.
Yosuzume: "D- Duusu?!"
Duusu: "Aoi?!"
Wha- What is going on? How can my kwami be outside of me while I'm still transformed? Thi- this doesn't make any sense!
