The night of the 22nd, Marina came to see me.
Could I say that I did? After all this time, I still hadn't come to that answer. It was true that after all this time, I'd begun to feel a sort of disconnect from those memories, as though I had someone else's memories in my head—but at the same time, if I said that, it felt to me as though... as though that act would kill Raven Hillshead. Could I really let him go so easily? Could I let him vanish into the ether like that?
But if I thought about it—really thought about it—Sumie was much more like what Raven could've been. A person out of time with the legacy of a far-off world brought into the modern era... challenged with the need to be both herself, and the image of the legacy she was carrying on. Sumie and SATSUKI—weren't they more like what 'Raven and Chisa' were supposed to be? But I was something else. I was the 7th True Dragon, a girl born into this world with the fury of a dragon burning within her.
So were those memories, this image of Raven Hillshead... did they not belong to me? Could I give her a 'yes' or 'no'?
Taichi was my brother. That was a certainty. My life was my life. And yet, the purpose of that life, the reason I possessed it, always felt just out of reach. But... I knew I needed to protect the people I loved.
'Saturner' was the codename we'd settled on for the nascent Imperial, seeing as it hadn't yet found its own name.
A thought came to my throat, nearly exited, and was then clamped down on by my conscious mind before I could process I'd had it.
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September 23rd came and went. We were hesitant to make the first move against the Imperial at Shuto—who knew what its abilities were, what sort of nightmare it would inflict upon the populace? And yet, it was silent. Time was not our ally here, so on the 24th, we moved forward into the semifinal battle of our war with Fomalhaut.
Part 91: Seagull Flies
Lisa: The drinks I mixed during the quake were actually a hit. I thought I'd screwed up the mixing, but...
Lively Bartender: If only I were so lucky.
Breadline Maid: Thank you ever so much! You have no idea what it means to have a proper Mess Hall at last. Now more and more people get to enjoy lovely meals here.
Charlotte: Even after becoming a celebrity, you remember me, Mio? I'm so flattered! You're so kind to take notice of a humble servant like myself.
Charlotte: Only in passing, ma'am.
Charlotte: In this brave new era, maids aren't simply specialists in housework. We also do first aid! And I've been practicing my right hook, too.
Charlotte: To your point, I would impertinently counter that in this brave new era, words can be redefined through hard work and guts.
Charlotte: The aesthetics of a maid are important, too! I've worked long and hard on mastering them. My effete, feminine mannerisms are central to ensuring the good reputation of my profession!
Charlotte: Thank you ever so much, ma'am. I love hearing it. But don't let me take up too much of your time—
A few neurons tickled in my brain, minor details from the 22nd connecting.
Charlotte: I am at your service.
Charlotte: I cast aside my previous given name for the aesthetic of my true self as a maid, naturally. With no disrespect to my dearly departed parents, of course.
Charlotte: Are you okay?
Charlotte: Eh? Mine, ma'am? Haishima.
Charlotte: ??? Er, good luck out there, okay~?
ABC Manager: You look like you could use one of our hottest products, a Pop Candy! Only 5000 Az.
ABC Manager: It's also our only product right now, but hey.
On-break Murakumo: You see those two eating over there, the soldier and the nurse? They're the cafeteria's odd couple. Togetsu from Unit 10 likes spying on them. It's weird. Can you tell him to knock it off?
Akino: All kinds of people show up at the Mess. Ordinary folks, SDF, Murakumo, SKY... I think I like it here.
Miyoshi: This floor rules! And the food's good, too. What a relief!
Spicoholic Soldier: Ah, nothing like tabasco sauce on pancakes! And some jalapenos on the side. ...What, is that weird?
Sweetheart Soldier: The guy sitting next to me is drizzling all sorts of weird stuff over his pancakes! That's what maple syrup is for, right? Plus whipped cream on the edges, honey, jam, molasses, and powdered sugar on top.
As it turned out, Shichiro was one of the three members of the ghost coalition.
Off-duty Murakumo: We're all Murakumo members with a shared interest in the paranormal. On our off days, we get together and chat about extraordinary phenomena.
Shichiro: Two days ago, amidst the chaos in the Metro Ruins, I saw an image, clear as day... a girl, crying her eyes out. But as I approached the site, she vanished into nothingness. It was as if an occult hand had draped over my vision! Ah, Buddha have mercy...
Skeptical Researcher: We can only conclude that this was mental interference, an optical illusion. Or plasma!
Shichiro: A spiritual plasma attack?! My elder brother Saburo was victim to one of those, you know. On the same day my elder brother Jiro fell from the side of a speeding train and lived, Saburo experienced a mental blast of unknown origins—
Shichiro: I did! Off microphone. Asumu-san flicked me in the head and told me I was being stupid.
Off-duty Murakumo: I went yesterday to look for myself, and saw something similar, but this is starting to interfere with these two's work. Hope you can figure something out, ghost hunters!
Discerning Gourmet: *crunch, munch munch, gulp* Zounds! Is this... an Illusory Pancake?!
Cheery Girl: Um, Mr. Gourmet! Sensei! My donburi tastes marvelous as well!
Zealous Cook: That aroma... By Jove, is that a Steely Steak?! Is it alright if this goes to the Mess Hall?!
Zealous Cook: Alright! Time for you to see genius at work. Just a few minutes!
Zealous Cook: Alright, order up!
Zealous Cook: Yes, yes, a pleasure to hear it! Finest ingredients used by the finest chef? Such a combination cannot fail to delight! Though maybe I'm tooting my own horn there, gahahahaha! Please, savor every bite, my friends! I'll be rolling this out to the main menu without delay—thank you for your assistance! It's on the house.
Now that we were fed, we headed to Residential C.
Hiroe: It's terrible. We thought we'd cut their access off, but Alan Smithee has revived the suicide forum.
Hiroe: The number of posts and logins is down, but discussion's become more polarized, and the people there are deep in despair. There haven't been any pacts yet, but I'm sure they've got something planned. Please, hurry and check.
There were many new posts since the last time we'd looked.
"Where're the next instructions?! I don't wanna miss out this time, too!"
"Grace us with your presence again, Sir Smithee! The end is in sight! I can't wait any longer!"
"Grace us with your presence again, Sir Smithee! The end is in sight! I can't wait any longer!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Preparations are at last completed."
"Let us all depart together."
It was the quiet young man who had been present at both prior incidents. Utsurome was his name.
Utsurome: Welcome aboard our ark to Elysium! You'll be the first to board. Congratulations! It's such an honor to have you here.
Utsurome: What's wrong with me? That's funny, coming from you lot. I'd think you'd understand me better than anyone.
Utsurome: How many times have you witnessed the ends of human lives? I daresay I've witnessed more in my time.
Utsurome: The Dragon apocalypse was the best thing that ever happened to me!
Four people arrived to Utsurome's latest gathering.
Utsurome: Oh, look at that. My wayward flock has arrived. Well, how about it? What's it gonna be, Murakumo Unit 13?
Just then, Jeanne called in.
Utsurome held up the vaporizer and an empty vial of liquid.
Utsurome: Yup, that's right. When I flip the switch on this vaporizer, this rooftop will be flooded with a deadly nerve agent.
Yomiko: As long as I die, I'm fine with whatever. Do it... do it now!
Utsurome: So, are we clear? Can you cut off my head faster than I can react? Because if I see you take even a step towards me, I'll hit this switch. So you're going to quietly watch, and if you're lucky, you might even get to go home with your lives intact.
Utsurome: I'll take a pass on perishing with them. See, like yourselves, I have a slightly irregular constitution of my own.
Utsurome: So don't think I didn't consider the fact that you're psychic, miss. My clothes are currently contaminated. Burn me, and you might just release that toxin into the air. Alright, now, if you'll excuse me.
Utsurome sauntered past us, giving us a smug grin the entire time. My hand twitched on my sword, but I couldn't guarantee I could slice faster than he could see.
Unluckily for Utsurome, he hadn't considered one thing—
Even in a technically safe place, one is never safe from the Dragons.
Kusakabe: W-whaaaaaaat?! Dammit, get away, get away!
Yomiko: H-help! Why is a Dragon here? I didn't want this!
Utsurome: I-I didn't want this either! Damn it, where's the VX—?!
The dragon's colossal fangs took a chunk out of Utsurome's shoulder.
Utsurome: Aaaaaaaah!!
Utsurome: I-it hurts... I-I didn't want such a hideous end. Is this the agony of death? It must be...
The madman Alan Smithee perished at the teeth of a Dragon, his last plan remaining unfulfilled. It seemed VX didn't work on dragons—it certainly seemed to be enjoying the meal.
A quick call to Hiroe got the WRO's workers over.
Yomiko: Excellency... come back! Don't leave me behind!
Kusakabe: But we... we still...
Gouda: You blithering blockheads! What're you griping about?! Come back home on the double!
Hiroe: Unit 13, you can bring them back, and our WRO will take responsibility for them.
Hiroe: This... is the end, right?
Hiroe: Anyway, thanks for your timely assistance.
But as long as these conflicts continued, who knew? Time and time again, torches had been held aloft. Maybe some new lunatic would eventually take up the mantle of Alan Smithee, and carry on Utsurome's will, too.
...People always yearn for a savior. Even an evil one.
Sorry. I know that's kinda depressing. All we could do was make it so that that didn't have the chance to happen.
Anyway, next we headed to the Ruins.
A pair of ghosts appeared to harry a crying little girl.
When we turned to look, the child wasn't there anymore.
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Charlotte: Back already, milord and miladies?
Charlotte: Oh, my apologies.
Charlotte: Exciting!
Off-duty Murakumo: Sure, I saw it first, but... it's gotta be a ghost, right? An uncommonly beautiful one at that!
Off-duty Murakumo: You've seen my ghost, too?!
Off-duty Murakumo: Glad we could settle this peacefully! Here's a reward from me. Please put it to good use.
Shichiro: It must have been a month ago, in Roppongi... raining cats and dogs. I believe I had left my umbrella behind by mistake, so I thought I'd go look for it... but then, I heard a voice. I'm a kind man, and my older brother Rokuro always raised me to know that granting someone your umbrella is a great kindness, so I turned around to look, and... oh, Buddha have mercy!
Skeptical Researcher: It was definitely a form of plasma! And not 'spiritual plasma', whatever that is!
Masaki: Unit 13! Good to see you. I'm feeling much better now.
Masaki: Much thanks to your little friend for handling the debrief last time, Koron. She looking for a change in career? I could use her as my assistant.
Masaki: Anyway. Now, one might think I've reached my limit with the lot of you—that you've become as mighty as you will, and there's no further boundaries for me to break in skill development. But with my fresh eyes and fresh head, I've taken one last crack at developing theories based on your combat data.
Masaki: But hear me out here—what if you not only had EX Skills... but SEX Skills?
Masaki: SEX, friends! SEX! Super EX! You've yet to allow your whole beings to become SEX, even if your body can't handle that level of power! In other terms, top secret skills only you in Unit 13 could master!
Masaki: Yes, I know. My genius astounds even me.
Masaki: I don't believe you're quite tough enough just yet, but soon, soon!
Masaki: Of course, you, Captain Inomiko, are about as much a foreign influence as you are traditional. I'm sure if you could find some kind of pizzazz to throw into your blade, you'd naturally unlock a frighteningly powerful technique. Of course, I'll fully admit that with regards to you, other than stabbing you with at least five syringes as large as your arm I'm not sure what to do. You have the potential, I'm sure of it, but I'm the least sure about you.
Masaki: With the knowledge that you're a Lucier under my belt, I'm certain you could pull off some feats well past the bounds of humanity, Agent Kazuki. If you'd like any inspiration, I recommend looking for issues of a magazine called Executions Weekly!
Masaki: Discontinued after three issues. Real pity, enthusiasts found it delightful. My own inspiration senses sense them about the Diet, so if you've got a moment, look about for them! You might learn something.
Masaki: It is you, Miss Fudoji, so I know you're a proud martial artist—but if you could find a weapon that could make you stronger, hoo boy, that could really do some damage.
Masaki: Now, between you and me, Kirino used to be working on a way to 'surpass the power of bare fists', and if anyone could help him with his research there, it'd be you.
Masaki: Your powers' ability for kindness is quite something, Agent Nagataka! Even if you have a hard time admitting it.
Masaki: Now, the best thing for virtuosity is your stoic asceticism, your vows of poverty and all that, but we don't have time for that and you're not the type. So, second best thing to get spiritually rich quick would be to find a highly virtuous item! I'm sure the fates will chance upon your luck in the Res Wards at some point or another... even if you don't want it to.
Masaki: Now, over in the Laboratory, there's a computer nobody can access. Needs a passcode. I figure, if you can crack that one, it might lead you on a crazy journey of some sort to the highest peaks, eh, Richter?
Masaki: In olden times, top stars had managers who used the fabled "understudy" program to teach their talent to draw a crowd. Perhaps you, too, Mio, might benefit from learning from example. No shade on Miss Hatsune, of course, but she as a person lacks a certain je ne sais quoi.
Masaki: Momo-chan! The legendary superidol who retired ten years ago at the peak of her fame! Quite! Perhaps if you learned from her—
Masaki: Alright, that's it from me. If you achieve these lofty peaks, remember—it's your buddy Masaki who's been helping you all along the way! Happy hunting!
As we left the room, Izumi was in the way.
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