2022-12-15 22:19:44“Not here. Bear with me for a moment.”
Tsumugi ducks from the prying eyes of the soldiers still milling about and sets off into the forest. She’s careful to avoid dragging Haru along the ground. They must have gone a full minute deep into the forest before Tsumugi finally sets her down on a small bed of grass. A sound like a shiver of a bell toll rings out as she taps her staff hilt against the ground. Soft blue light begins to emanate from the crystal like smoke from a censer.
“Geburah.”
The sound of a sword being drawn. A black scythe blade manifests from the center of the crystal, as though an invisible cloth was just pulled off of it and it was there all along. With a single strike, she reaps the links holding Haru’s arms and legs together. Along with a piece of her skirt’s hem but she doesn’t care. The refreshing feeling of her suddenly free wrists is reward enough.
“Thank fuck.”
Well, she knows what she would have done. She would have burned the shit out of as many sons-of-bitches as possible before her body fills to the brim with lead. Haru massages her wrists while Tsumugi brushes the grass down, creating a little padding to cushion herself with as she sits down. Tsumugi gently rests her hand on Haru shoulder, trying to give her some semblance of comfort.
“Are you feeling alright?
“I’m fine. I’m fine.”
“I’m really sorry about… that. About everything. About Kagami the most.”
“Kagami…”
Her lifeless eyes flash in her mind. She tries to shake them off but they stay glued there.
“She’s really… gone?”
“Yeah...”
“You checked?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?”
Tsumugi looks down on the ground. She isn’t sure if it’s to avoid the pain in Haru’s eyes or to hide her own pain.
“Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt.”
Silence reigns for a moment.
“I never even got to know her.”
Haru’s voice is vacant. Like all the pomp, pretense, and sing-song energy just suddenly vanished.
“Ah well. It’s a waste but it can’t be helped.”
Then they’re back again. Haru springs back up onto her feet.
“Aight. I’m done grieving.”
“Wh– that fast?”
“I knew her for like, eight hours. Of course I’m over it.”
“I see…”
Tsumugi lifts up her glasses and wipes a tear from her cheek. For an instant, Haru thinks she catches a tiny whisper of her eye.
“You seem… sad. I thought that you and Kagami weren’t on good terms?”
“We aren’t… weren’t. We weren’t. She was an idiot who loved danger and hated thinking things through. But she was my friend. Even Gleam she got along with. I… I never thought it would come to– to– to this!”
“Gleam…”
Something clicks inside of Haru’s head.
“Do you think… that girl you mentioned, Gleam, might have something to do with this?”
“Gleam? No… No! It’s impossible! They were friends! Gleam wouldn’t–”
She stops. ‘Gleam wouldn’t kill one of her friends’ is what she wants to say but the words don’t come out. Would she? If it meant seizing the throne for herself, would she?
“From what you told me, Gleam’s poised to take the throne now that her main rival is out of the way. No matter how you look at it, she’s definitely the one who benefits the most from this–”
“Enough. Please.”
Tsumugi’s voice suddenly takes on a whimper.
“I cannot bear to listen to you speak ill about my friend any longer. ”
“...oh.”
Haru falls silent.
“Were you guys… like… close?”
“There’s no one I trusted more.”
“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Tsumugi shakes her head.
“Once upon a time, we saw eye-to-eye. She rose up in the world. Then we stopped seeing eye-to-eye. That’s all there is to that story.”
Haru nods to herself as she lies back on the ground. She can’t see the stars from behind the thick canopy. The sound of rustling grass reaches her ears as Tsumugi sits by her side, cross-legged.
“I’m sorry. This is unsightly to watch.”
“It’s okay. Your friend just died, so yeah.”
“Yes, and I enjoy being reminded of that fact.”
“Sorry.”
“No, no, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for snapping. I’m not myself right now. I’m just…not doing so well. My friend just died, and my best friend might be the one who killed her. I… what do I even do? What am I supposed to do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?”
She pinches the bridge of her nose and falls silent for a long, long, time.
“So… what are you going to do?”
“I… I think… I’d like to go home.”
“What’ll you do once you get back to the Neo Magical Academy?”
“I dunno. I’ll talk to Gleam. She’ll know what to do.”
“Gleam?! But she–”
“Yes, I get it, I get it. But I just… I just don’t know, alright? I don’t know what to do next. Plus, it’s not like we can definitively prove that she did it, right? I’m sure everything will go smoothly if I just… just act like nothing happened. Yeah… everything can go back to normal if I just put this all behind me–”
Haru nearly smacks herself before actually smacking Tsumugi.
“Ack–! That hurt!”
“Did it now?”
“Yes!”
“Well good. Remember that pain.”
“What? Why?”
Haru takes a deep, deep, deep exasperated sigh.
“Are you hearing yourself right now? Your friend just died. And you’re suggesting making buddy-buddy with the person who probably just killed her. What kind of bullshit is that?”
She’s on the verge of stamping her foot in a tantrum.
“Well. When you put it like that…”
“I’m not putting it any way, that’s what it is, that’s what you’re doing.”
“Then what do you propose I do?”
“Fight, dammit! Your friend just died! And your home is in danger of being taken over by Gleam! Do something about it! Now’s the time to get mad! Get really mad! Get pissed the fuck off! LIKE THIS!”
Haru brings her ax around in a wicked arc. There’s the sound of harsh creaking closely followed by a snapping sound as KANNIBAL breaks a tree in half. It doesn’t cut, no, it’s not sharp enough for that. All that propels it is Haru’s brute strength.
“RAAAAGH! NOTHING’S GOING MY FUCKING WAY!”
Haru clears her throat and smooths the wrinkles out of her blouse.
“Yes, sorry. I have a bad habit of getting spirited away but yes, I find that yelling has therapeutic properties.”
“O-okay? Like… this?”
Tsumugi takes her conjured scythe blade and raps it against the side of the fallen tree trunk. She does it a few more times for good measure.
“I feel a little bit better now… I guess…”
“Good, good. You’ll need that brave face back on. The others can’t see you being all weak and what not.”
“Yeah… you’re right, you’re right. Was it that obvious?”
“Nah, not really, I’ve just got an eye for these sorts of things. I’m not supposed to tell you this but mercenary work is partially bodyguarding for the elite. Either way, it was only a matter of time until I got an idea of what a brave face looks like.”
“I see… you seem more storied a veteran than I thought.”
“Nah. I’m like top 70th percentile at best, though I do have a few stories under my belt.”
“You’ll have to tell me more about those stories sometime. For now, it’s about time we start heading back.”
“Can do, chief.”
“I hope Kikimi and the others aren’t in too bad of a mood.”
The two return to a scene and a half at the camp. All the recently turned widows are gathered around the flame. Their shadows grow longer and longer while the firelight dances on their faces. Different shades of anger and sorrow smear their brows, but their eyes are untouched. Their eyes are crystal clear. Haru feels a miasma envelop her as she walks into the almost mystic beauty of the scene. She wonders if Tsumugi feels the same.
“Report.”
Gone is any trace of the vulnerability Tsumugi showed Haru earlier. It’s like she’s suddenly been replaced by the Muse of the Student Council. One of the widows, a tall one with thin shoulders stands up to greet them. She has this expression on her face like someone just died. Oh right, Haru almost forgot. The widow reminds Haru a little of Kuroko. 2/10 just for that and minus extra points for the smell. Pass.
“Sniper missing, ma’am. Investigation yielded minor traces of suspect activity.”
She raises her hand and points to a nearby grove.
“The shot originated from around that area. We also found this.”
The girl reaches into her pocket and takes out a silken red handkerchief. It seems to be of particularly expensive make. It has no pattern on it save for a single black stripe running down its side. Haru looks it up and down for maybe a pair of initials like you see in the movies but nothing.
“Do you know anyone who might own this?”
“Not a clue, ma’am.”A chill travels up and down Haru’s spine. She gets the feeling that whatever she’s gotten into, there’s no way out now.
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Chapter 70 Epilogue
“Please, help yourself to some tea.” Nanashi gestures at the chair across from her for Haru to sit down. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last met but already, she’s made a little home for herself in Takakumo. It’s surprising how much laboratory apparatus she’s managed to cram into such a tiny space. Arcane sigils, test tubes, and strange machines clutter the room in an organizational system that Haru could never decipher even if she had a lifetime to try. And in the center, is a simple table and two stools set up. “No thank you, I have a temperature-sensitive tongue. It burns when I eat even slightly warm food.” “Ah well, that’s a pity.” Nanashi takes the teacup away. It looks comically tiny in her armored grasp. “So, what business do you have with me?” “I believe your terms with Tsumugi stipulated that only half of the Papilio in Takakumo return to their Think-Tanks, correct?” “Yes, that is true.” “By any chance, would you ever consider capturing Takakumo for yourself and
Chapter 69 Cask
“Long time no see, Tot.” “It’s literally been a single day.” Kazuko walks along the pristine battlefield and comes to a stop exactly ten paces away from where Haru’s standing. “What do you want?” Haru adjusts her stance, placing herself between Kazuko and the unconscious Tsumugi. “I’ve come to talk.”“That’s it?” “Yep. I realized that after all this time, we never got a chance to properly talk to each other.” “I suppose you’re right.” “I must thank you, Tot.” Kazuko plants her rapier on the ground. “I think you’ve helped me to realize something about myself.” “And what is that?” “That you and I are the same. We’re two sides of the same coin, you and I. We can claim to be soldiers or heroes or avenging angels all we want, but in the end, we both kill.” “You’ve come all this way just to tell me that?” “Not quite. I’ve decided that I won’t tolerate any more excuses. From you or from myself. Regardless of whether we chose our lives or our lives chose us, we’re both killers. Jud
Chapter 68 Stellar Stellar
A gargantuan scythe blade the size of a mountain manifests from the tip of Tsumugi’s staff while Gleam blazes pure white, light magic seeping out of her very being. With a ponderous sweep of her arm, Tsumugi brings the scythe down, its tip aimed right for the crowd. The Deathless start to disperse but there’s not enough time. Someone trips. She closes her eyes to brace for impact but the impact never comes. Instead, there’s a brutal grinding sound. Opening her eyes, instead of seeing the tip of the scythe bearing down on her, she sees Gleam’s back as she clashes against Tsumugi’s scythe. “RUN!” The girl scrambles to her feet and runs away. Now all Gleam has to worry about is the mountain of cursed energy bearing down on her. “GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!” Gleam lets out an unearthly cry as she wills herself to go faster, to break through Tsumugi’s attack, to turn the tides of this battle. “STELLAR!” The speed of light isn’t fast enough to move the scythe more than a few inches.
Chapter 67 Motteke! Sailor Fuku!
They come bursting out from the trees. Large metal transports with segmented armor that makes them resemble pillbugs. A far cry from the train-like things the Monarchs used all those years ago. They speed across the landscape, skimming across the flora of these lands. One transport in particular rushes ahead of the others, setting an example that the other transports follow. Atop its roof, stands a green-haired girl shredding her guitar. Heavy rock music, amplified by her sound sorcery, blasts outwards. It’s so loud that the ground almost seems to vibrate as they approach. But they find nothing. No patrols. No Deathless anywhere. It reeks of a trap. Tsumugi sticks her head out of the transport she’s in to yell at Haru.“Stick to the plan!” Haru nods and swaps tracks to the one corresponding to the signal for ‘Stick to the Plan’. The transition is nearly seamless. One by one, the transports climb the walls protecting Takakumo like it’s nothing. In the distance, they see it, Takakumo
Chapter 66 Aloha
“It seems we’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve been exiled.” Haru relays Gleam’s speech to Tsumugi. “What do we do?” Florence asks. “Nothing has changed. Let’s keep moving.” Haru waves her hand out the car window at the other Elites to follow close behind. They comply, mostly out of fear. They know that their duty is to Lady Kentomi first, Takakumo second, and Haru third, but the thought of going against Haru is just too much. The streets are empty, nearly everyone’s attending Gleam’s speech. What few people are left behind smile and wave at them as they pass, blissfully unaware of what Tsumugi’s become. They know not what she knows. “Where are we going exactly?” “To the forest on the edge of Takakumo’s borders. I’ve arranged for a meeting there.” Ah, to where it all began. The memories of a month or two ago come flooding back to Haru. It felt like a lifetime ago they were on that train and came crashing into Takakumo, completely unwelcome. “This is nostalgic.” Haru rests he
Chapter 65 Alter Ego Messiah
Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs fill pages, and pages fill up the tome. Number 3344 works dutifully, slowly but surely working through the book she’s been tasked to fill up. That is the purpose of the Papilio after all, to lend their minds as processors to the great Monarchian supercomputer complex, Nivosus. It is a purpose shared by the uncountable Papilio filling up this facility. They do not know better. None of them do. So they toil away, their minds working to the bone in the computational visual matrix.Every paragraph, every sentence, every letter is another crumb of data in the great compendium that the Monarchs seek to fill with all knowledge in existence. Years pass in the blink of an eye for the Papilio. Seasons pass them by without being noticed. They all keep their eyes downwards, scribing everything being fed to them. Number 3344 is no different. Just another drop in the ocean. Just another body being kept in a tube. Then
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