Hello! This is my birthday gift for Darkblaw! This year your gift is actually on time haha. Thank you for being a great beta and an even better friend!

As a follow-up of sorts to your present last year, I thought it would be fun to do a oneshot for Shiba this time. This is set during the final version of the final day in NEO.

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own TWEWY NEO. I would have to be a therapist to so many people otherwise.

ShoGun・Void

"He was alone with his thoughts. They were extremely unpleasant thoughts and he would rather have had a chaperon." — Douglas Adams

Shiba stood in the crossing on the final day, a single dutiful candle, observing it all. The silvery sky shimmering overhead. The lethargic people aimlessly standing around. The frantic fraction of remaining Players desperate not to sizzle away in this slow, slow burn of a Game.

Perfect. Just as planned. Soon Shibuya would be ash, just like Shinjuku. A grim fate, but Shiba had a grim role as the Executor. To cleanse all districts needing purification…Even his own beloved Shinjuku…But a wildfire of reckoning was not allowed to pick and choose what it consumed.

The other Shinjuku Reapers wouldn't understand, of course. Just as they probably didn't understand why Shibuya had to fall under the fever of the Plague Noise as well. But they followed his orders anyway, because they believed in Shiba, their shining leader.

Just as they believed in Shiba when he swore a crusade against the Conductor of Shinjuku, claiming that the Conductor was the one who brought Shinjuku to ruin. Even though the man had nothing to do with any of it. It was a shame really, a waste of a perfectly good Conductor.

So many Shinjuku Reapers fell in that crusade, and against the Plague Noise that rose from it. So many that Shiba used to talk with personally, both in and out of missions. Now he had no idea who was still left. And even more would wither away under the Plague Noise's resurgence.

Ayano had believed in Shiba when he had told her to willingly take a Plague Noise within her, because that was guaranteed to guilt-trip Shoka back to their side. Because Shiba had full faith that Shoka would never let Ayano succumb to the sickness, and would return like the loyal girl she was at her core. Then he would simply remove the Plague Noise from Ayano, and all would be well again.

Only Shoka had not willingly gone back to her family's side. And soon Ayano lost all reason from the stress and the Plague Noise infesting her, which soon blazed into a battle.

A battle that Ayano did not survive.

…

The first serious loss in this entire Game, which he had played so carefully, so patiently, in order to keep everyone valuable safe...

Susukichi and Tsugumi believed in Shiba, when he told him and Tsugumi to pretend to be Players in order to prolong the next Shibuya Game for as long as possible.

Susukichi, whose eager grin alone brought such warmth to a room, and so much heat to a match, whether that match was a duel against Players or a duel of Reversi. Shiba had only beaten Susukichi a couple times at Reversi, but that was a couple more times than most people, and it was more than enough to impress Susukichi.

Susukichi was nothing but Soul particles and static now.

And Tsugumi, when she wasn't giving him horrible visions of the future, was always helpful and kind. Too kind to be a Reaper, some might say, but those people clearly hadn't seen her erasing rounds and rounds of Players.

But she had gone missing after the end of the previous week. Not even Susukichi could find her. And for someone so obedient and loyal as Tsugumi to suddenly vanish…Well, if she hadn't returned by now, then she wasn't going to return at all. Likely mortally wounded by the Wicked Twisters, who had been strong enough to eventually erase Susukichi as well, even when he used his full Noise form.

For so many close allies to be turned to smoke in the last couple of weeks of this infernal Game…But perhaps this was inevitable, as Shibuya thrashed in its final moments, trying to stave off its unavoidable demise. Just as it was inevitable that Hishima left his side during the crusade of Shinjuku, and…

Hishima…

…Hishima hadn't believed in Shiba for years, and would continue to do nothing useful just to spite him, no doubt. Pointless, infuriating, but harmless. Let him rot in the icy prison that he made for himself.

But ultimately, despite everything, Shiba had won this Long Game! He may have lost many pieces, but what was a good strong fire without fuel? A challenging Game that left a few scorch marks on his side of the board was far more fun, wasn't it?

Heh. He sounded a little like Susukichi there.

…

So, there was nothing left to do but watch the consuming fires he had stoked so high finally swallow the city whole. Then he could take his rightful promotion to Angel. And then…

What would he do then? Burn down as many cities as commanded, he supposed. But how was that so different from what he was doing now as a Reaper? More power meant more efficiency, he supposed. Perhaps it would only take him days instead of years to do his job. Maybe he wouldn't have to rely on anyone else at all. Wouldn't that be glorious?

…

And certainly within the Higher Planes he would encounter even greater allies! Far better than those he once had! Or at the very least more durable ones.

…

Why did he start this? Why did he start any of this? Because someone told him that he could? Because someone said that he had to be the Executor?

…

No, it was too late for any doubts! Ashes would remain ashes no matter how much he thought about what those ashes once were! He would keep shooting toward the sun to become the sun himself! Anything or anyone who couldn't survive the heat alongside him was simply unworthy! Even if he himself would end up burning up from his own velocity, he would never stop! Better to be a blazing comet than to simply be nestled among pebbles on the ground, forever gazing at the stars together.

Speaking of stargazers, were those the Wicked Twisters approaching him? Well then. Perhaps this last day would be slightly interesting after all.

"Well, look who it is: my favorite sheeple."

Shiba is an interesting character to write. His arrogance seems to hide a lot of insecurities. Or maybe more accurately, he uses his pride to blind himself to his own flaws and fears, because he can't handle taking them on directly.

I hoped you liked it!