Corpse March

Chapter 19

“Well, now that that’s over with and it’s starting to get late. Why don’t we all introduce ourselves to Hamamoto before we begin with the meeting?”

“My name is Tomoe Kuroihoshi. I’m the Teacher Facilitator for the Takakumo student council. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well but… what do you mean by ‘Teacher Facilitator’ exactly?”

“Well, this originally was and still is an academy, you know. I act as a power counterbalance so that no one gets any ideas that are too extreme while also giving out useful advice.”

There are a few hushed snickers around the table. 

“Uh-huh… right. That’s pretty neat.”

She gestures with her hand at Florence, signaling for him to go next. 

“Florence D’aubigny.”

Fancy

“Disciplinary Committee Head. I manage the Disciplinary Committee… obviously… which makes me sort of like a police chief. I’m in charge of maintaining order within the borders of Takakumo.”

He turns his gaze from Haru to Tsuki. 

“To the best of my ability, I mean.”

And with that, he sits back down and gestures for the girl with the cigar to take her turn. 

“Jessica Wilson. Treasurer. I manage the economy. Keep inflation where it should be, make sure everyone’s employed, adjust taxes, keep the money circulating, stuff like that. I also handle the student council’s expenditure, sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

She takes a long drag from her cigar. 

“Well, it’s normally the President’s job to decide how the budget is allocated. But since we haven’t had a President in two years, I’ve been handling that instead.”

“Huh, I see.”

Jessica sits back down and gestures at the priestess. 

“My name is Nui. I am the Public Morals Committee head. I handle religious affairs. Deciding holidays, keeping the faith, arranging sermons, and overseeing festivals all fall under my jurisdiction.”

Nui dusts off her robe, gestures to Tsuki and sits back down. Interestingly, she looks no taller standing up than she does sitting down. 

“First name Tsuki, Last name Tsubame… technically.”

“Technically?”

“The circumstances of my birth are a little complicated. In essence, I’m a former Papilio formed from the DNA of Lady Tsumugi which makes us… we’ve settled on sisters so let’s just say sisters.”

Haru didn’t notice it before but now that she mentions it, they do look somewhat alike. They have the same kilter on their nose bridge, same sharp chin, same tone of voice. But when she smiles, all resemblance suddenly vanishes. There is no gentleness in this girl’s smile. No matter how wide or how many teeth there are in her grin, it’s all cruelty. 

“Anywho, I’m the icon of sin.”

“...the what?”

“Icon of sin. I carry the sins of all of Takakumo with me. Sorta like your friendly neighborhood dirty sponge… or you can just think of me as the devil if you prefer. A bad person who punishes other bad people.”

Once she’s finished, Tsuki tries to gesture at someone, but quickly realizes that everyone’s already introduced themselves. 

“I guess that’s all of us done.”

“Wonderful.”

Tomoe clasps her hands together and extends an open hand to the empty seat closest to the door.

“Now that that’s out of the way, Miss Hamamoto, would you like to join us? We’re going to discuss a number of pressing issues over dinner, and it would be a shame if Tsumugi’s interests weren’t represented properly.”

“S-sure. Can do, ma’am.”

Haru pulls out the chair and takes a seat. She feels stares skipping over the banquet, forming a spotlight of gazes on her. Haru feels them driving themselves into her skin.

“May I?”

“Of course. Help yourself.”

Haru cautiously takes up a knife and fork before taking a steak from a platter. Blood spills out as she cuts into it. It’s rare. Blue rare. The inside is still almost completely raw. Haru slices herself a piece before gingerly placing it inside her mouth. The taste of beef, salt, pepper, and iron floods her taste buds as she chews. It’s good. Compared to the hashed together stews she’d gotten used to eating at camp, this feels almost like a gift from above. She takes another bite. And another. And another. Save for the sound of clinking silverware, the room is silent. It is peaceful. Then, both the silence and tranquility are shattered by the sound of double doors opening. Haru turns around to greet the newcomer but she beats her to the punch. Someone places their hand on the back of Haru’s chair. 

“Good evening, everyone.”

Haru closes her eyes, takes a deep, deep breath, and turns around to greet the all-too familiar voice. 

“Heyyyyy, Kuroko.”

Sure as the sun sets, there she is. Back from whatever hole she crawled out of.  Courier number six, the suit-wearing, stone-faced son-of-a-bitch otherwise known as Shindou Kuroko. She walks towards the table with a stiff gait, her briefcase swinging along behind her. Tomoe’s eye glints. 

“We weren’t expecting another guest.”

Of course not. Haru takes a second to remember what Tsumugi told her. If Tsumugi is prime suspect for having killed Kagami, then it makes sense that Gleam would be suspicious as well simply by virtue of being outside the city at the time the murder occurred. Even though Gleam’s soldiers are the ones manning the checkpoints, it’d still look suspicious if Gleam didn’t let herself be taken in by the Disciplinary Committee. And if she gets taken into Disciplinary Committee custody, well, she’s in a bad spot because then Tsumugi can just puppet the folks keeping her locked up by keeping them on her payroll. Since Gleam can’t enter Takakumo, it makes sense for her to send a representative instead, the same as Tsumugi.

“Shindou Kuroko. I work as a courier for a mercenary club. I have come to represent my employer, Lady Gleam, in the proceedings today.”

“Oh. Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Though, I’m sure that we’re all a little confused. Where’s Lady Gleam?”

“There was an issue in Lady Gleam’s transport that caused a delay. In the meantime, I’ve been granted special permission to enter Takakumo City unhindered.”

“Ah, I see. We’re very sorry to hear that.”

That’s bullshit. Haru’s thoughts threaten to burst from her lips but she keeps them under control. 

“Anyway, please, please, take a seat and help yourself to the food. We can begin the meeting as soon as we introduce ourselves.”

“There’s no need, Lady Kuroihoshi. Gleam has provided ample instruction on all of her fellow councilors.”

“Very well. That simplifies things greatly, then.”

Kuroko walks over to the very head of the table and takes her seat. Sunset rays filtered through stained glass windows shine down on the entire table casting multicolored shadows on the walls. Between the fine assortment of dishes presented to her, Kuroko reaches for the humble bowl of miso soup and takes a sip. Amidst forkfuls of food, and mouthfuls of wine, everyone turns their attention to Tomoe. Common sense demands that Haru do the same. 

“Now that everyone’s ready, shall we begin?”

Tomoe speaks loudly, but without shouting. Her diction is unparalleled.

“Let’s put it to a vote.”

One by one, all the councilors and Kuroko put up their hands. Common sense demands Haru does the same. Nice and simple, she likes this kind of votation. 

“Excellent. Now, Nui, I suppose you can start us off.”

“Gladly, Lady Kuroihoshi.”