***
The Emperor lay on his bed, and Minister Marx and the head maid heard the sound of swords clashing from outside the door.
Due to the intense earthquake, the furniture and other items had fallen to the ground in a mess. However, now was not the time to worry about that. In order to ward off Death, who waited just outside the door, the knights' heroic battle had decided the fate of these people.
Finally, with a sonorous crash, the door swung open.
The people who entered were a man and woman, both getting on in years.
The man did not close the door behind him. Though they eyed the items on the ground suspiciously, they still shrunk the gap between themselves and the Emperor one step at a time.
Aurea stepped up to intercept them. However, she approached them carelessly and the Givorgeoni woman lopped off her head while saying, "what a pest."
"Aurea!"
Myui shouted. The decapitated body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
She could see Shandy's body slumped on the ground. The head maid called out to the head of House Formal, whose eyes were closed.
"Myui-sama. Over here."
Myui grabbed her dolls and hid behind the head maid.
"Who goes there? This is the Emperor's bedroom. At least state your name lest you be rebuked for your rudeness."
And so, the man said, "My apologies," and bent his knee, while he and the woman bowed their heads decorously.
"Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Haryo warriors and we have business with your Majesty."
"I have heard of the Haryo before. What business do you have with me?"
The Emperor propped himself up into a sitting position and asked a tired-sounding question.
"Zorzal-sama has given us several orders. The first is to take your Majesty to Zorzal-sama's side."
"I cannot do that. Even getting out of bed is difficult for me."
"Then we are bound to complete our second order."
"And what would that be?"
"That would be to take your Majesty's life."
And so, Count Marx stepped between the Emperor and the Haryo man, his dagger ready.
"Impudence! Depart at once."
"We cannot. We Haryo have made many sacrifices to come here. If we do not complete our mission, we will be disgracing our fallen comrades."
"Hmph. As I recall, the Haryo are a race with the blood of many tribes. But they are nothing more than a ragtag bunch of misfits."
"My, but you are well-informed."
Saying so, the Haryo warrior tossed his glove at Count Marx.
Marx tilted his head and evaded it.
"What's the meaning of this? Are you requesting a duel at this stage?"
"Of course not. How could we request a duel after barging our way into his Majesty's bedchamber by force? We are the Haryo. Ultimately, we use underhanded, yet effective tactics. Fortunately, none of you here are skilled in battle. That will surely allow us to complete our task with a minimum of effort."
At this point, Marx's forehead began to glisten with sweat. He rubbed his eyes several times, as though he was dizzy. The way he wobbled suggested that he was having trouble standing up.
"It would seem the drug is about to take effect.
"A… drug?"
The Haryo lightly waved his other glove. A white powder lingered in the air.
"This is not dust. It is a special drug. Inhaling large quantities of it will retard the activities of the brain. When the composition is altered, it makes people more suggestible. A high dose will result in hallucinations and paralysis."
The man's explanation indicated that this drug was made from wheat mold.
(TL Note: Most likely ergot or the local equivalent)
By this time, Count Marx had collapsed to one knee.
"Alright… that leaves an old man, a maid, a foreign emissary, and a young girl. I hope you will not make me go to unnecessary effort. If you do not resist, we will not kill the girl as well."
After warning the head maid, he raised his chin and ordered the woman: "Nora, go."
However, before Nora could take a step, she collapsed after the sound of a gunshot rang out.
"What…"
Sugawara, standing by the wall, was holding a pistol.
Perhaps the man was shocked by the sudden development, but his attention was focused on the gun that now pointed at him. In this moment, a scarlet lump fell from the ceiling, covering the man's head.
"What!?"
It was a Medusa's head. The man frantically worked his arms to peel off the thing clinging to his head, but Aurea's hair-tentacles had already wrapped around his limbs.
"What's this!?"
The man's body began to swiftly shrivel up.
Using his essence as nutrients, the Medusa grew a body from her head.
As pleasure filled his body, the man had an ecstatic look on his face as he cried out.
Upon seeing him, the Emperor shook his head with a disappointed look on his face.
"I cannot abide the moans of a man in ecstasy. How disgusting."
And so, the Medusa stopped feeding.
"Please do not stop!"
Looking somewhat deflated, Aurea asked, "What should I do now?" and the head maid replied:
"Aurea, finish him off quickly."
"Yes."
In the end, the mummified man collapsed. In his place stood Aurea, who now had the body of a 13 to 14 year old.
"...I grew up."
Myui mumbled, "that's not fair" as she looked at Aurea. She had been almost the same as herself just now, but after seeing her suddenly grow up, Myui could not help but be envious.
"Aurea, put something on."
After noticing where the Emperor was looking, the head maid advised her to get dressed.
Aurea did not have a nudity taboo in the usual sense, partially due to racial reasons. There had been cases where she had gone around completely naked if people around her did not tell her not to. She dressed in her maid's outfit because people had told her that she had to.
"There's nothing to wear."
Her previous clothes no longer fit her present size. Looking around, she could not see any clothes to wear. Aurea had a resigned look on her face as she reached toward Nora's corpse to relieve it of its clothing.
However, the Emperor stopped her.
"I do not mind you remaining in that state. The skin of a beautiful maiden does my eyes a power of good, That said, it is something of a shame to have you show your lovely body to others. Therefore, I permit you to use my dressing gown. Consider it an award for your good work."
The Emperor personally handed his satin gown to Aurea.
In the manor house, whose ceiling and walls had collapsed due to the earthquake, the Haryo warrior Uxi swung his bastard sword like a madman.
However, the battle maid Persia's defense was rock solid, and he could not bring her down.
After going several rounds with her, he finally managed to trip Persia, but he failed to mount her and chop her head off.
She evaded his stabs, and she deflected his swings with her tanto.
That was not all; when they connected edge on edge, sparks flew, but it was Uxi's bastard sword that was damaged.
"Dammit! That's one hell of a blade!"
Even though Persia's face, shoulders and head were covered in grazes, she had avoided his blade by the narrowest of margins, or blocked them with the tanto.
"Yeeart!"
In that case, he would make this a contest of strength.
Annoyed by the fact that she had deflected all the attacks he had made so far, Uxi gripped his sword in both hands and added his body weight on top of it.
He wanted to crush his way through Persia's guard from head-on and finish her off with his blade.
Persia seemed to sense Uxi's intentions, because she grunted through her gritted teeth and held out against the weight of the man attacking her.
Metal ground against metal, emitting a sound that hurt the teeth to hear.
"Just give up!"
"Like hell I will ~nya!"
Persia frantically pushed back with her arms, but she could no longer support Uxi's bodyweight. The bastard sword slowly neared Persia's throat.
"Die and be done with it! Put an end to it! Die so we can finish this!"
"No way ~nya! Ggggghhhhhhhhhh!"
Persia struggled against him as her sweat and tears flowed freely. The her from not long ago might have given up. But as she was now, Persia had a reason she could not die.
However, Uxi's blade finally touched Persia's throat.
"Damn youuuuuu!"
Persia gathered her strength and tried to force him back. But Uxi bounced with the blow and pushed back down on her.
"Aieeee!"
"!"
Uxi's blade finally cut into Persia's neck. The warm, wet sensation of her skin being sliced through filled Persia with despair, and Uxi with a sensation of impending victory.
"Alright, now die!"
He wanted to force the blade further into Persia's throat.
"Noooooo!"
Persia wailed.
In that moment, there was a very satisfying gunshot, and Uxi's head exploded like a smashed melon.
His brains oozed from a skull that was cracked open like an eggshell. Uxi's empty cranium gushed a reddish-white paste all over Persia and he collapsed.
Shocked and frightened by the pinkish substance that covered her face, Persia wiped her face with trembling hands.
"Persia! Are you alright!?"
Kurata ran over. He was trailed by several other JSDF servicemen.
Kurata pushed aside the corpse lying on top of Persia and scooped her up into a hug.
"It's me! Remember me? Are you alright!?"
"I, I'm alive ~nya… I'm fine ~nya!"
"That's wonderful!"
After ensuring that Persia was safe, Kurata hugged Persia tightly.
***
The iron dragonflies dancing overhead disgorged enemies one after the other.
He had to take control of the entire army and withdraw in good order. After returning to his lines, Helm castigated his panicking men and ordered them to immediately take charge of the shaken men and calm them down.
"We're going to retreat. We'll fall back to Padbarcalei and regroup there."
However, Karasta shook his head, a defeated expression on his face.
"Helm! Forget it. We've lost."
"Not yet. As long as our army is fine, we can rise from the ashes! If I accept a defeat like this, how can I face Pina-denka?"
"Pina-denka? Not Zorzal-denka?"
"Oh, yes, Zorzal-denka. Is his Highness alright? Has he retreated safely?"
However, nobody could answer that question. The staff officers and his runners had vanished from the command post, and even the standard-bearers had thrown down their banners and ran away.
"Is, is anyone there? Where's his Highness!?"
Nobody answered. At some point, the men around Helm had also vanished.
"Your Highness! Zorzal-denka!"
He frantically opened Zorzal's tent, but there was no sign of the Crown Prince. The chair and military orders there had been cast to the ground. This tragic state of affairs could hardly be considered the orderly retreat that Helm was hoping for. It did not even have the organization one would expect from a military organization.
"W-why, why, your Highness! We need to withdraw in good order in order to rebuild our forces! What do you plan to do without an army!?"
The flames of the napalm bombs were gone by now, and the sound of boots marching in order came from the other side of the billowing smoke. Encouraged by the sound, a look of joy came over Helm's face.
"Are there friendlies who remained in drill? Good, we'll retreat right away! Who's your commander?"
However, the people who emerged from the other side of the smoke were the demihuman soldiers. Beside the Hobbits marched Dark Elves, Six Arms, Dragonmen, Dwarves… it was a unit of many races.
Behind those soldiers was a red rose flag, the color of fresh blood.
He turned back, and saw King Duran of the Elbe Kingdom leading a unit over to him.
Helm shouted at the demihuman soldiers.
"What's this!? You dare challenge me, a general of the Empire!?"
Helm drew his sword to scare away the soldiers approaching him. But he was completely surrounded, and the noose around him grew tighter and tighter.
"Dammit, in that case, Pina-denka! Fight me! Please fight me!"
Helm swung his sword at the demihumans as he shouted.
He slashed with his blade, he kicked their shields, he rammed them with his body. But he was just one man against many, and soon Helm was relieved of his sword and all his limbs pinned down.
"Pina! I, I challenge―"
A Dwarf warrior smashed Helm in the face with his shield, and his vision went black.
And so, the Elbe Kingdom's troops faced down Pina's men. The tense atmosphere in the air did not seem like something that should exist between friends.
"Pina-denka. I'm glad we made it in time."
Duran greeted her, and Pina replied.
"Umu. We were saved thanks to your Majesty, King Duran."
The tension in the air immediately evaporated, and the soldiers clasped their arms and patted each other on the back in celebration.
A unit of Zorzal's army moved swiftly through the forest as they distanced themselves from the battlefield.
It was a small company of several dozen riders and another ten or so footsoldiers. Then there was the wagon, driven by Bouro.
"...Dammit! Why, why did things end up like this!?"
At the heart of his unit, Zorzal scratched at his head.
He ground his teeth on the back of his horse, cursing, "It's all Helm's fault" and "if only Pina weren't there" and so on. Then he went on to "It's because of those damn traitors. They bowed to the enemy and refused to fight fair", and then he went back to "Hm, so it ended up like this. How did things end up like this?" He was going around in circles.
The soldiers all eyed Zorzal. They did not intend to rebuke him. They simply watched Zorzal, wondering what he would do next and where he would take them.
Yet, their neutral looks were like a mirror held up to the heart of the man who was receiving them.
Zorzal's wounded pride made him feel inferior and dejected as the soldiers looked at him. He decided to press the matter.
"What are you looking at!? Do you take me for a fool!?"
"No, we aren't looking down on you."
"You're lying. You're despising me in your hearts, aren't you!?"
Zorzal threatened the soldiers around himself.
"Your Highness. We have nothing but the sincerest respect for you, your Highness!"
Upson, wearing his kobold-head helmet, approached Zorzal's horse and tried to calm the man down.
Since Tyuule was not around, Upson felt a certain obligation ― he felt that only he and his people could cheer Zorzal up.
However, Zorzal did not want words, but warmth. He wanted someone to forgive him, who would cunningly shunt the blame to someone else, who would encourage him and approve wholeheartedly of him. However, nobody could do that for him. Thus, Zorzal was incensed at his own sadness, and he revealed the ugly side of his anger to everyone around him.
The soldiers turned their backs on Zorzal, deliberately averting their gazes from him.
While this course of action was what Zorzal had sought, at the same time it was also a denial of Zorzal's existence.
There was an indescribable sense of ennui among the soldiers. It was not hatred or resentment, but if one were to put it in words, it would probably sound like, "give me a break".
Instead, everyone turned their eyes to the Primus Pilus Borhaus. He's no good ― after seeing Zorzal's true nature, Borhaus was the only one the men could rely on.
Borhaus ordered the men, "Everyone, let's go."
And so, this mass of broken men walked down the road which led them from the battlefield.
"Your Highness. What are you doing in a place like this? Did something happen?"
As he heard the sudden voice, a stunned Zorzal ordered a halt. The woman standing by the road surprised him, and he shouted:
"What, is that you, Tyuule!? Where did you go? I've been looking for you all this while!"
Tyuule had run away, so why was she here? Why had she shown herself at this time? Both Bouro and Upson were suspicious, and Borhaus stood in front of Tyuule and addressed her in a voice that nobody else could hear.
"Why did you come back? Didn't you flee with the chef?"
"Why do I need to flee with someone like a chef?"
"What did you say? What scheme do you have in mind!?"
However, Tyuule did not answer Borhaus' question. That was because Zorzal had already dismounted and run towards Tyuule, knocking Borhaus aside.
"Ahhh, Tyuule, are you alright?"
Zorzal seemed to have completely forgotten what he had done to Tyuule before as he embraced her.
"Where did you go? I was so worried when I couldn't find you."
"I've been looking for you all this while too, your Highness."
Tyuule's hands gently enfolded Zorzal's face, and he looked on the familiar Warrior Bunny with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong? While I don't know what's going on, aren't you being especially gentle? And you seem prettier than usual."
"You're so mean, your Highness. Does that mean I'm not usually pretty?"
"Er, sorry! You're pretty enough most of the time, but you're especially pretty today. They say women look prettier than usual because they're happy or because something good happened to them. Did something good happen?"
"Well, something good did happen, but that doesn't really have anything to do with your Highness."
"Cheh, I'm starting to get jealous. So what's making you glow today, hm?"
"It's a secret~ Speaking of which, your Highness. What happened? Why do you look so ragged?"
And so, Zorzal explained, with a resentful look on his face.
"That idiot Helm lost. I ordered him to attack right away and fight, but he tried for a surrender and wasted valuable time, and so things ended up like this."
"I'm certain your Highness was simply unfortunate."
That offhand remark Tyuule had tossed off was nothing less than high praise for Zorzal, who was so depressed his face was buried in his own chest.
"Really? So it was just bad luck? So it wasn't my fault. I'm not to blame."
Tyuule answered Zorzal with a loving smile.
"Your Highness, a momentary setback is no failure at all, is it?"
"Even if I want to go back to the battlefield, I'll need an army. But I have so few men now that it might be impossible."
"Really? I don't think so."
"You do? Do you think I can rise again?"
"Oh yes. Although, you need to think about why you ended up like this. What else was wrong besides your luck going bad? That would be a problem in the people your Highness kept by your side. You need to remove the bad eggs and find new talents."
And so, Bouro stepped up to second Tyuule's words.
"Yes, your Highness. This defeat isn't certain yet. As long as you're around, gathering an army won't be a problem.
Following which, Upson added:
"We oprichniki have been assigned all over the Empire, and we can ensure the compliance of the regional authorities. If you wish it, we can raise an army for you. You can rise again as many times as you like."
However, Tyuule tilted her head and said, "Oh, really? Your Highness, do you think you can win while being advised by such people?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your Highness. Don't you feel that you were defeated because of them?"
"Are you saying I was beaten because of Upson and Bouro?"
"Yes. Your Highness always wins his battles. Why should the cause for this defeat lie with you? Yes, this battle was different from your usual ones in only one aspect."
"And what is that?"
Zorzal hugged Tyuule tightly, and as he gazed at her, Tyuule's eyes seemed to be full of will as she stared at Zorzal and said:
"That's because I wasn't by your Highness' side."
Zorzal nodded. "Yes, that's right. That was certainly true."
Bouro and Upson held their breath. They felt that even Zorzal would not believe something as illogical and baseless as that. Otherwise, all the effort they had put in towards victory would be meaningless.
However, Zorzal swallowed Tyuule's poisoned words like he was gulping down sweet wine to relieve his thirst.
"Yes, you're right."
"I was not by your Highness' side when you were fighting. Why was that? Who did this? Was it not Bouro and Upson here?"
That too was a lie. The main culprit was Zorzal. But of course, they could not tell him that. Bouro struggled to find a line of reasoning he could use to plead his case.
"Don't talk nonsense! You brought it on yourself! It's because you sold out to the enemy and tried to leak out plans…"
"Oh yes, the traitor. Do you still intend to say you're not to blame?"
Tyuule ignored Bouro and Upson and continued speaking.
"Your Highness, the two of them bullied me. Please help me."
Tyuule hugged Zorzal's head like she was cradling a baby.
Then, she gently patted his head.
She soothed him with sweet, gentle words, restoring his spirits. Zorzal closed his eyes as he soaked in this drug-like pleasure, and ignored every attempt to get him to return to reality.
"Your Highness, these people slandered me and called me a traitor. But if it was as they said, and if I had really betrayed your Highness, then wouldn't you have won without me? But sadly, that was not the case. The blame lies with the people who called me a traitor and bullied me. Isn't that so?"
"Hm, indeed. Tyuule, you're right."
Zorzal lifted his head and directed a razor-sharp gaze at Upson, as if to say, "where did you get this strength from?"
"All of you, apologize to Tyuule! And then, take responsibility for my defeat!"
But upon hearing this, Upson and Bouro reacted in a surprising way; they protested.
"Your, your Highness! You can't believe the words of that rabbit woman!"
"Yes. You need to face reality!"
"Your Highness. Those people are actually saying things like that."
"You pigdogs. Shut your disgusting mouths or I'll strangle you."
"Zor-Zor-Zor...Zal-sama…"
As their mouths gaped open and closed like goldfish, unable to say anything, Tyuule asked Zorzal:
"Your Highness. Why do you even keep these vile pigdogs by your side?"
Zorzal replied frankly. "I'm sorry. I was too young and headstrong. When I was young, I was obsessed with the brothels. I felt it was better to bed slaves and demihuman girls than arrogant nobles… so I often lied to others while I visited his brothels. But please believe me. Ever since you came to my side, I never once went to his brothels again."
"Really?"
"Er, well, I did visit… from time to time."
"And did you attack my hometown because they asked you to?"
"Um, yes. They tricked me and said Warrior Bunnies were special. So, ah, how shall I say this… I attacked your tribe."
Perhaps spiritually weak people had especially sharp senses, but Zorzal realized that Tyuule's body and attitude had stiffened slightly. It would seem he had angered her.
"Ah, forgive me, Tyuule! That was when I was young and foolish. I was too innocent and they tricked me, they deceived me with their flowery words. And I did meet you because of that. In that case, isn't that a good thing?"
"You mean it isn't a bad thing?"
"Ah. It became a war because I wanted a woman like you. But hasn't this sort of thing happened throughout history? And it's also because you were too beautiful."
"So you're saying that you wanted me so much that you attacked my tribe, then?"
It would seem that was what Zorzal actually believed.
"In the first place, it was all his fault. He didn't play on my desire for pure love, or the desire to make the bunnies slaves. There was a deeper plot. Not only could the bunnies not bear Haryo children, but their queens were the purest of their blood. The Haryo could not tolerate that. Their way of life was completely opposed to the Haryo. It would be best to remove such rebels before they actually became a threat… is what he told me."
"And naming me as a traitor to my tribe was because…?"
"Ah yes, Tyuule. He came up with that scheme so the bunnies wouldn't unite around you."
As Zorzal spilled his guts, Bouro broke out in a cold sweat as he stumbled back.
He moved back too much, and fell from the wagon-driver's seat. He landed on his butt, waving his arms around and backing up as much as he could.
"Your Highness… what should we do with such wicked people?"
Zorzal immediately surmised the meaning behind Tyuule's smile.
Tyuule glancing at Zorzal and Zorzal speaking her will through his mouth and treating it like his own idea was a very common thing.
"I've decided. We ought to rid ourselves of these villains. This is a time-honoured practice."
As he heard this, Upson and Bouro blanched.
"Please, please wait, your Highness. How will you rise again without us!?"
However, Zorzal addressed the soldiers.
"Gentlemen, the responsibility for this defeat lies with these people. Of course, that implies it was my mistake for once taking their side. For that I must apologize. Therefore, I seek everyone's help in rectifying this mistake!"
Centurion Borhaus silently drew his sword, and he surrounded Upson and Bouro with the rest of the men before awaiting orders.
"Tyuule. Do what you want with them."
"In that case, please chop them to pieces."
The soldiers immediately carried out the order.
"Your Highness! Please wait! Save me!"
Bouro reached out for mercy, but he was surrounded and stabbed repeatedly by swords. He collapsed to the ground, his arm still outstretched.
Borhaus looked at Zorzal and replied:
"Your Highness. The order has been carried out. What shall we do next?"
"Do as you wish. Thank you for your hard work…"
Thus, Borhaus immediately removed his helmet and cast it aside. His brusque attitude seemed to say, "I've discharged my duty, it's no longer my problem." Yet, nobody moved to stop him.
The soldiers following him cast aside their banners and helmets. They looked like they were done with being soldiers. They glanced one last time at Zorzal, who was clinging to Zorzal's chest, and then left.
"...Is everyone gone?"
Zorzal, the only one remaining, pressed his ear to her chest as though he was listening for her heartbeat. It looked like he was calming himself down.
"Yes, they're gone," Zorzal muttered in a quiet voice. "Surely… surely your revenge… isn't complete yet, right? There ought to be other villains to get rid of, right?"
"Oh yes. There's one more person."
"I, I have a request. No, I know I have no right to ask anything of you. But if that smile of yours is in the slightest way sincere, then please. Let me rest in your bosom… please."
And so Tyuule said, "alright," and kissed Zorzal.
Zorzal hungrily embraced Tyuule. But then he suddenly went "ooog!", a gurgle coming from below his belly, and his mouth separated from Tyuule's. Delilah's knife was buried in Zorzal's belly to the hilt.
"Guwaaargh!"
There was no telling if the blood he was currently coughing up came from inside his mouth, or internal bleeding caused by being stabbed in the gut. Zorzal clung tightly to Tyuule with a pained look on his face.
"Tyuule…"
His mouth was stained red as he embraced Tyuule's head in his arms.
"Come, come die with me. You, you truly were the only…"
"No! I'll never do it! I don't want to die with you like this! I don't want to die!"
"No... we…"
Tyuule could not possibly beat Zorzal's strength. Knowing she could not resist him, Tyuule slowly closed her eyes to reject the reality before her. And then, in her heart, she imagined the future she had obtained.
In the end, there was a snapping sound from her slender neck as it broke. In that moment, the world was filled with brilliant white light, and a hand extended to Tyuule from within the light.
"I'm here for you, Tyuule-san."
"Fu-Furuta-san?"
"Please, come help me in my shop. Let's start with picking the color of the wallpaper. What color would be best?"
"Light pink is good."
"Thank you very much. It was really hard to decide."
Furuta took orders in the kitchen and made food for the customers. Tyuule's job was to receive customers, show them to their seats, and then bid them farewell. Then she would clear the bowls and plates and prepare to welcome the next customer.
They were busy days. They were also happy days. Tyuule's joyous days gradually blurred together into a haze of white, and finally vanished.
And then, the eternal silence came. Tyuule's smiled blissfully. It was beautiful.
"Don't you love me, Tyuule!? Don't you love me!?"
Zorzal threw Tyuule's body aside, and then collapsed on his back.
"Dammit! What, what am I dying for…"
***
"General Hazama! A report from Colonel Kengun: we have exterminated Zorzal's army, over."
After hearing the report from his staff officer, Hazama and the servicemen around him cheered loudly.
"Excellent news."
"Now, everything is finally over."
"Umu. Indeed, it's over. But frankly speaking, there's a long way to go."
Hazama looked back.
He saw the dome, so badly damaged that it had collapsed, as well as the wounded being carried away. At the foot of the hill, Arnus Town was completely destroyed.
The residents of Arnus stood dumbly before the rubble-strewn ruins of their town.
The fact that nobody had been hurt by the collapsing buildings was the only silver lining in a very dark cloud. Thanks to the monsters' rampage, everyone had taken shelter in the garrison. But as they looked upon their wrecked town, they were at a loss for what to do next. Where would they sleep tonight? What about their food? Their jobs? They had lost them all in an instant.
"...It's all gone."
"What should we do next?"
"Right, right now, we ought to take stock of the damage. We need information. In any case, we'll need to check the collapsed buildings, inspect the scene of the damage, budget for rebuilding… we need to meet to discuss things, but what can we discuss…"
As Diabo counted off the tasks which needed to be done on his fingers, he gave everyone instructions.
But by the time he reached his third finger, everyone had turned their backs on Diabo. That was because they did not need his words.
What they really wanted was hope. It was true that Diabo was being very realistic and systematic about the whole situation. However, that list of critical tasks made them seem so much more difficult when they listened to him count them off. As they looked at the great task before them, the wounded people could only sit and watch in silence.
How are we going to overcome this?
It was impossible. Nobody could do it. Those feelings left everyone dumbfounded.
"Oh, so you're all here? Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"
Itami and Tomita showed up, waving to everybody.
Everyone silently turned their eyes to Itami.
"What, what's that for? What happened?"
"There's no future ahead for all of them."
Rory had a wicked smile on her face.
Tuka clung to Itami's arm, as if on purpose, and asked:
"Hey, Father, what should we do? Everyone's in trouble, how can we help them?"
Lelei rose shakily to her feet, and hugged Itami wordlessly and tightly.
"Huh, are you alright?"
"Not alright. I'm tired.:
Itami gently patted Lelei's head. Then he considered that she was only 16, and then looked around to everyone.
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine. We'll get through this somehow. You'll get your previous lives back in no time. Ah, but it'll be hard if you don't pitch in and help, though. After all, I can't do anything by myself. So please, help me out!"
Those words finally eased the worried looks on everyone's faces.
"In any case, let's start by clearing the debris and building places to live, even if they're just little shacks. And we'll dig out the food and other stuff that got buried."
And so, the townsfolk began to work, as though they had suddenly remembered what they ought to be doing.
Itami sighed in relief as he watched them go, and then he looked back to Rory, Tuka and Lelei.
"Speaking of which, I noticed something… when it's time to open the Gate again, you need to make a mark on the other world to find it among all the countless others, right? When did you finish that?"
"Eh?"
Rory and Tuka tilted their heads. They did not remember making such preparations.
Naturally, everyone's eyes went to Lelei. But Lelei buried her face in Itami's chest, and she showed no sign of wanting to raise her head. Or rather, she had her face in Itami's chest and was using strength to plaster herself there so she would not have to look up.
"Hey, Lelei. What's wrong?"
Lelei did not answer. But the very large sweatdrop on the back of her head showed her inner panic.
Four Years Later
"Good evening, this is the 09PM news. During his trip to America, Prime Minister Nagakura began talks early this morning with the President at the White House. The talks concerned the Okinawa base. Prime Minister Nagakura cited the need for cooperation between the two nations and to reduce the strain on the residents of Okinawa in order to maintain the stability of East Asia as he asked to shift the location of the base there. Here we have the relevant data…"
Kuribayashi Nanami was a newscaster for the newly-established online news channel, and in the split second after she finished delivering the financial news and before they went to commercials, her tense expression softened a little.
Whether there was a problem with the recording, or if Sunagawa the cameraman had deliberately captured that moment, that instant of relaxation ended up being aired. However, her natural expression was more charming by far ― at least, that was what the audience comments flowing below her image said.
However, Nanami paid it no heed whatsoever and immediately bit her seductive lip, sitting ramrod straight as she looked straight into the camera and coolly delivered the next piece of news.
She reported all the information she received without editing it in any way. It was the audience who would decide whether it was good or bad. This was why she reported the news ― it permeated Nanami's style of journalism, and the audience trusted her highly.
Perhaps she could do this because she was broadcasting online. Nanami had released all the news she had collected in an anonymous format. Anyone could question, discuss and refute it. When the information was biased, she would swiftly correct it ― Nanami was very quick to respond to the contents of her reports.
"And today's hot topic is a discussion of the aftermath of the Ginza Incident, which has been heavily discussed on message boards. It has been four years since the Ginza Incident, and regarding expectations for the reopening of the Gate, there have been no signs that it has been opened thus far. A section of public opinion has expressed grave misgivings over the possibility of the reopening of the Gate."
As Nanami read that part of her script, the news ticker underneath her displayed the address of the website and said, "Tokyo University Professors postulate that linking two worlds requires a crystal on both sides to serve as a marker. However, the closing of the Gate was apparently very rushed and there was no time to install it" as it scrolled across the screen.
"Indeed. Therefore, tonight we will be presenting testimonies from witnesses at the Ginza Incident and the Ginza Disturbance to verify the possibilities for the future. For that reason, we have Professor Emeritus Urushibata from Tokyo University to join us, as well as Professors Youmei and Hakui."
In front of Nanami were the three men who had been invited as guest speakers for tonight's show.
Teasing comments like, "Long time no see prof" and "Time for another brawl" scrolled across the screen.
"We also have Mochizuki Noriko-san, and our special guest Countess Sherry from the Imperial Embassy in Japan."
This was followed by Sherry ― who had become even more beautiful after growing up ― hurriedly bowing her head.
The screen immediately filled with a blizzard of comments from what seemed to be Sherry fans, completely obscuring the screen. It was soon followed by comments like, "Your love for her is blocking her out."
As Tozu watched the OLED screen, he said:
"Kuribayashi's sister is as fierce as always."
The small establishment was packed full of people.
Although there were several empty seats at the tables, they had "Reserved" signs on them tonight, so the place was already full.
"Katsumoto! I heard your confession crashed and burned!"
As Kuwabara mentioned something that ought to have been hidden, Katsumoto had nothing to say in his defense, only "Where did you hear that from?"
Furuta, who was serving food in small bowls, answered on his behalf.
"I heard it was from Lieutenant Yanagida."
Katsumoto stared daggers at Yanagida, then shrugged. His eyes seemed to be saying, "Hey, I told you to keep it a secret."
"Well, it's a shame he failed, but I heard he worked really hard."
Delilah was dressed in a beautiful kimono, as she spoke up to try and ease the tension.
The technique with which she put a steaming bowl of tea down in front of Katsumoto was very well-honed. Having worked at Arnus, it was second nature for Delilah. She blended in quickly after working at Furuta's place.
"Well, maybe it was courageous for Katsumoto, but I doubt that helps with bringing in the star newscasters and assistant professors now, does it?"
"Speaking of which, what's with you, Tozu? You're living with your lover, so shouldn't you be getting married about now?
The Kuwabara who was saying that had retired from the JSDF and now worked for a security firm while taking care of his grandkids every day. Yanagida handed Kuwabara a cup and said, "Here, have one."
"Good evening."
Everyone's eyes went to the door that had suddenly opened. Nishina stood there in his uniform.
"Oh, Nishina, you're here, and just in time."
As Kuwabara said so, he hoisted a mug of beer.
"A souvenir from Hokkaido."
As he said that, Nishina handed a Furuta a styrofoam box that had to be held in both hands. He probably meant that it should be shared with everyone, being food. The smell of the beach wafted out from it; perhaps it had been taken from the sea. Nishina took off his coat and handed it to Delilah, who hung it up on a hanger before carefully smoothing out the creases and then hug it on a wall. Everyone's uniforms were on the wall.
"Welcome. Nishina-san, where are you stationed now?"
"Kutchan, in Hokkaido."
"Hokkaido's a cold place, right?"
"Yes, a very cold place. Furuta… it seems Delilah's fitting in."
"Well, it has been three years, after all."
Saying so, Furuta laughed.
"Hey, Nishina, is it true Sergeant Azuma went to officer school?"
"Yeah, he's currently in Kurumi. Everyone's schedules clash, so maybe we won't be able to gather everyone at once.
"Sasagawa retired and moved to Kanazawa, right?"
"His dad's a craftsman, he said he wanted to help his dad out."
"And Kurokawa's working in the JSDF Central Hospital. They say she's the head nurse now."
"I wonder how the el-tee and the others are doing?" Kuwabara said as he poured the beer.
In order to lighten the mood, Furuta said, "this is what Sergeant Major Nishina brought, and then he placed a big gunkan tray of sashimi in front of everybody. This lavish spread was met by cheers of "ohhhh" from everyone.
***
"Your security's pretty heavy, is there a hitman after you?"
The first thing Kanou ― who had retired from politics ― did when he got onto Natsume's car was not to greet him, but poke fun at the amount of guards he had around him. Natsume had become the leader of the conservative party.
"This is quite normal already. After all, Prime Minister Nagakura's approval rates are dropping fast. The dissolution of parliament is coming soon, and security's starting to go mental. That's why it feels so tight."
"So, what is it today?"
"I want to to fulfil our part of the agreement."
"That could refer to a lot of things Where will you be going?"
"First, to Ginza."
In the moment that the Gate joining the Special Region to Ginza had disappeared, it had also triggered an intensity 5 earthquake on Japan's side.
An intensity 5 earthquake did not affect Japan much. However, it had a grave impact outside Japan.
After all, there were places in the world where earthquakes had never happened before, and while it varied from country to country, there were even some nations which did not even understand the concept of shockproofing. They lived in buildings built of rocks or dried peat blocks, or used bamboo poles to substitute for steel rebar in concrete structures. Those suffered tremendously under an intensity 5 earthquake.
The international community realized something.
The Gate was very dangerous.
Even opening the Gate just once had caused this much energy… distortion to accumulate. In that case, what would happen if it were not closed properly?
"At the time, the whole world was suspicious of Japan for hardly being damaged at all.
"So that's why things are like this… I heard our ambassador to the United Nations is having a hard time. Apparently, China and Russia are all saying that the Gate is to be jointly managed if it's opened again."
They could see the familiar dome in the middle of the Ginza streets.
"We doubled the thickness of the concrete dome to protect against dangerous bugs."
"Huh, that's pretty impressive."
Their car entered the Ginza Garrison, and then the interior of the dome.
The iron doors closed, and the internal lights came on.
There were diamond fragments in the middle of the dome; half of a large diamond which had been broken up. Kanou brought his face near the white objects in the glass case."
"Itami gave it to his mother's legal representative."
"Oh yes. For a moment I was wondering what it was. This is a pure crystal formed of a single element… it ought to be able to serve as a marker. However, the treasurers only think of profit and the rent is expensive."
"Really now. In that case, all we need to do is wait for them to return."
"Mm, all we have to do is wait. Then let's go to the next place."
Natsume and Kanou took the car to Akihabara next.
"Don't tell me… it's in this place?"
"Yes. After all, tomorrow's the opening day, so if we want to scout it out, we need to come today, otherwise we won't be able to look in peace."
Kanou and Natsume entered the back door of this new building in Akihabara. The overnight campers were waiting out in the front for tomorrow's opening.
"Overnight queuing's supposed to be banned… well, that's those guys for you."
"The media poked fun at the idea of a national manga cafe, but we finished it in the end."
It was a library of every single doujin that had ever been released. It was treated as an annex of a national library, but it was also a manga and anime culture museum which contained all sorts of anime recordings, anime cels, scripts and many other such articles.
Also, the three days from tomorrow onward would be the anniversary of its foundation, and there would be a comics market held inside the building. The people lining up outside were queuing for that.
"Thank yous. At least he won't call me a liar when he comes back."
Kanou smiled to himself as he saw the tightly-packed stalls in the sprawling event hall.
The circles and participants had already moved their wares in and were busy decorating and setting up their stalls in preparation for tomorrow's opening. After their work was done, they greeted their peers from other circles, read the news, and the overall atmosphere was quite lively.
"Oho… they all seem quite busy."
"This is my first time seeing this, but they all seem quite energetic."
Natsume picked up a book in front of him, and opened it.
"Ah, this is…"
Kanou tried to stop him after he noticed, but he was a fraction too late. Natsume froze in place. He had opened a book of steamy man-love drawn for a female audience.
"It's quite something, right?"
"Well, how shall I put this… I don't really think I want to understand it."
"Eh, I guess."
"Now, Itami would probably like the stuff over on that wall."
The nearby circle member did not miss Kanou and Natsume's exchange.
"Ah, are you friends of Itami?"
"Mm, yes. Speaking of which, are you a friend of Itami too?"
"Oh, yes. Wait, are you Taro-kakka? And would that make you Natsume-kakka!?"
"You know us?"
"I've heard of you. Although, that would make things difficult…"
"Why do you say that?"
"You've come all this way, but we can't give things out today. I wanted to give you something, though. What should we do?"
"Thank you, but it's fine. I'll come again tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, huh. That'll be hard on both your Excellencies. After all, the competition will be fierce. Still, I'll hand it to Itami first."
"Did you say hand it to Itami!?"
Kanou had no idea how the conversation had developed, and he began to wonder if the Itami being mentioned was the same Itami he knew.
"You mean Itami's ex-wife, Risa, right?"
"Oh, right. Itami Youji… well, I haven't seen him in a long time, but I don't think I'd mistake him for someone else. That said, apparently Risa-san was really mad. When I told her, "we saw Itami," she shouted about, 'why didn't you contact me after coming back!? Where are you, get out here right now!' and then she ran off."
"What!? That is to say, Itami Youji is right here?"
He was talking like Itami Youji was present in this very place.
"Of course. It's not like there are other Youjis around… ah, he's over there. Look ― hey, Youji~!"
The vendor waved ahead of him.
Of course, even his shout failed to reach its target amidst the hubbub. But thanks to the vendor's cry, Kanou managed to spot Itami.
Yes, Itami was right there.
And he had with him a black goth lolita, an Elf, a Dark Elf, a silver-haired girl holding a staff and a red-headed princess.
"Ah…"
After that, Itami spotted Kanou.
"Oh, wait, you're―!?"
What are you doing there ― in response to Kanou's question, Itami fumbled around for an excuse like a boy caught playing a prank.
"Ah, er, you see, we made a lot of mistakes while we tried to find this world, and then we realized that my memories ― or rather, my obsession, or my passion ― could be put to use. And then, I don't know why, but the Gate opened here. It must be because ah, er, I wanted to go to Akihabara and the Comiket, I guess? I'm so glad that both the conditions were met… although, this might have just been another world that was very similar to the original one, so we just came to scout it out first."
Natsume grabbed his head and groaned, "Ahhh, we spent four years of preparation and budget…"
After seeing Itami had not changed despite his long absence, Kanou relaxed.
"Is that so? So after trial and error, this place opened up… I see, so that's how it is. This is the only place and the only time when both conditions would be fulfilled. And you call this a reconnaissance. Does faffing about in this event hall count as reconnaissance…"
How much do you like this sort of thing, anyway ― Kanou muttered.
***
And so, the story of their battles in the Special Region has come to an end.
Of course, their struggles have not yet ended. Just like in the history textbooks, peace is merely the brief period of stability until the next war.
Therefore, they are still preparing for the storms to come, even now. That said, the record of their activities in the Special Region comes to an end with this story.
"Thus, the JSDF fought here."