Cradle
After walking down the slope, the wretched aspects were even more on open display.
An artificial pool that had dried up without a droplet of water left, an unmanned ticket counter, and a dirty letter-blemished guidebook??it was undoubtedly no less an inferior stage to that of a horror movie.
On the other hand, Kurumi thought the location looked appropriate for the end of the world.
In the past it must have looked like??a pure and innocent playground.
What existed now was??a place where innocent dreams would end.
“……Kurumi-san.”
Hibiki pulled on Kurumi’s sleeves as she silently pointed to a bench. The wooden benches, which were once white, were now battered and decayed.
A single girl was sitting there. An empty girl who was unknown to Kurumi, Hibiki and Rinemu.
She was staring at the sky in vain, doing nothing to respond their footsteps.
“What are you doing in this place?”
“????”
The only reply was silence??making Kurumi grow a little impatient.
“I asked what you are doing??I’m still waiting.”
As Kurumi was in the middle of speaking, the empty girl didn’t even glance at her as she kept mumbling while looking up at the sky.
“……What are you waiting for?”
“I will melt. My body will melt and disappear. But it’s not scary. I will merge with here, so it’s not scary at all. Because here is a happy amusement park. The merry-go-round, the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, around, around, everything goes around as it melts away.”
Rather than reassuring herself, it sounded more like a certain declaration that she held to be true.
Those words struck Hibiki’s chest like a spear. So much so that it incited the idea of wanting to disappear that she would usually keep hidden within the bottom of her heart.
“……Is that so? Then, you must have nothing else to say to me.”
Kurumi spoke in a calm manner.
It strange tenderness given to an existence that was about to die.
The girl was silent, breathing in one more sigh of relief……before disappearing into thin air.
“……Disappeared, she disappeared.”
Rinemu was overcome by surprise as she muttered repeatedly. Hibiki was also in shock from seeing after witnessing a scene she hadn’t seen for a long time.
Only Kurumi was nodding with an understanding look.
“Calling this the Cradle certainly seems appropriate. That is to say, even if this ruined amusement park looks like a gorgeous playground, we must remain alert.”
Hibiki nodded in agreement to what Kurumi had said. Only Rinemu was slanting her head to express her doubts.
“What do you mean?”
“In the eyes of an Empty, it looks like a happy amusement park, dazzling as if everything is new as ever.”
“These ruins!? But……everything here is in ruins!”
Rinemu raised both of her hands as if finding this incomprehensible.
“So that’s why it’s called a cradle……”
For a girl that was supposed to die, it must be a paradise. For a girl that didn’t want to die yet, it was a place closest to hell.
“I already feel my spirits crushed because of her sudden disappearance. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared without a trace. How are you two able to move on so nonchalantly?”
“Because I’m used to it (ah).”
The replies from those two were exceedingly straightforward and clear.
“Alright, thinking about how that girl just disappeared won’t help the current situation at all.
Focus on finding ‘The Voice of the Moon’, a crystal which is said to grant people the ability to sing.”
“E-even if you say that……where is ‘The Voice of the Moon’?”
Although Rinemu still felt frightened, she still recalled their primary goal here. Hibiki picked up the guidebook and quickly flipped through the map.
“Everyone, let’s examine each area one by one.”
“Isn’t it more efficient for the three of us to search separately?”
Hibiki shook her head to refute what Kurumi had said.
“It’s more efficient, but also easier to be neglectful. The two of us should be fine, but I imagine Rinemu-san would miss a lot of details because of her fear.”
“Ah……ah……”
“Kurumi-chan, why are you nodding several times in agreement to that? Well, it’s not like I would deny that myself!”
“So, the discovery of ‘The Voice of the Moon’ is on us! Let’s do our best!”
“Yes. I would like to see ‘The Voice of the Moon’ as well since we’ve come all this way.”
“S-sorry. Being ignored, my mood has become very depressed. Can I leave this to you?”
Kurumi and Hibiki pulled both of Rinemu’s demoralized arms as they continued the search for
‘The Voice of the Moon’.
In terms of conclusion, nothing could be discovered.
“Can’t find it……”
“We’ve looked from above and behind every building. We can’t find it; it’s bad enough that we don’t even know where to search. We’ve turned each building inside and out……could it be possibly hidden underground?”
“If that’s the case, then there wouldn’t be any rumors. Assuming that the rumor itself is true, if
‘The Voice of the Moon’ was hidden underground, it would have already been discovered at the same time.”
“That’s also true. At the very least, there would be some traces of excavation.”
“To re-bury something once discovered……no, it would be too out place to think that way.”
“I wonder if I’ve been deceived……I wonder if I’m being teased. Not that I am an idol that can no longer sing, my only worth is being a pretty girl worth being teased……”
Kurumi and Hibiki paid no attention to Rinemu feeling disheartened as they continued their deductions.
“……Thinking it over carefully, isn’t the rumor itself strange. Usually discovering this would be the same as obtaining it. But why are there only rumors with no one having obtained it yet?”
“Could it be a trap?”
“Impossible……I’m not a woman that deserves to be scammed by others.”
“……What Rinemu-san says is also reasonable. It seemed that Momozono Mayuka and her assistant Empty were worried on the off chance that Rinemu-san actually found ‘The Voice of the Moon’. Rinemu-san, did Mayuka give the impression that she was lying?”
“Hm? Well, Mayuka has a bad personality that is wily, treacherous, and willing to throw things into mayhem without hesitation, but that means she’ll be easily exposed when lying. In order to preserve her idol image, she tries to conceal those thoughts. It seems that she self-aware of having no other choice but to do that. I think that’s a little cute though.”
Rinemu’s analysis was relentless as it was accurate.
“So, what that person said couldn’t have been a lie. At the very least……even if that girl was lying, I would have been able to see through it. That’s my strength.”
“I still have doubts on another matter. Memories of rain……what is that?”
“……It hasn’t fallen at all, rain.”
Kurumi reached out her hand, but there were no signs of it raining anytime soon.
“In the Ninth Region Yesod, there’s almost no rain. There is deliberate rain used to enliven the audience during a performance, but even that’s limited to the local areas.”
“So it’s true that rain won’t occur as a natural phenomenon?”
“Yes.”
“……Rain……rain, rain, rain……a place where it rains……”
Hibiki noticed something after re-checking the guidebook.
“We haven’t checked here yet, right?”
Hearing this, both Kurumi and Hibiki turned to the guidebook??shouting out a subsequent
“Aah!”
A roller coaster called Storm Mountain passed through a huge mountain-like object along the way. The interior of the building had been explored, but they hadn’t examined that object in the middle of the roller coaster tracks.
“Let’s go check it out.”
If it wasn’t there, defeat would be forced into their hands……but somehow the three of them couldn’t help but give a convinced nod when looking at each other. Despite being completely unfounded it was just pure intuition.
“Can you fly?”
Confronted by Hibiki’s question, Rinemu straightened her chest and replied back with ‘naturally!”
“If I couldn’t fly, then I wouldn’t be able to descend down from the sky for a concert.”
“Descend from the sky……”
“Yeah, the concept is based on a living God swopping down from the sky as the embodiment of an absolute God.”
“I want more Gods.”
Hibiki whispered in amazement as Rinemu ignored this as she began to float up into the sky.
The three of them traveled along the path of the roller coaster tracks and to the huge mountain-like object.
“Wow!” ‘Wow!” ‘Oh my.”
The three of them expressed their surprised due to three different reasons. One of them was furious because of the sudden downpour; another understood the meaning behind this rain, and the last one sensed the huge reiryoku deeper inside.
“……Do you know what to say at a time like this?”
“Bingo?”
“Well said.”
The three of them stood at the entrance. Droplets of rain continued to fall; it was obvious from the color that it wasn’t ordinary rain. It may have been dark, but this liquid was clearly black.
“What happens if you bathe in this rain?”
“Since it’s a rain of memories……it should be some sort of recollection.”
“……Memory.”
Rinemu’s complexion turned gloomy as her face looked as if she was about to cry. She stepped back to avoid the splashing water droplets.
“I’ll go in to check the situation.”
“Will you be okay?”
“Well, if anything happens??I still have this.”
Kurumi lightly tapped . Whatever mental damage inflicted could be theoretically suppressed by ‘rewinding time’.
“Now then, I’m off.”
Kurumi took a deep breath as she jumped a step forward. The heavy rain immediately drenched her entire body.
In that moment, Kurumi sighed as if giving up.
This was unbearable.
Kurumi marched forward into the darkness inside the mountain, unafraid of the downpour of rain as she walked towards ‘The Voice of the Moon’.
“……No problem?”
Hearing Hibiki whisper, Kurumi turned towards her and smiled.
“How about you?”
For some reason, hearing that provocation, Hibiki felt a sense of dissatisfaction turning her heart inside out.
“Then I’ll take a look too. If anything goes wrong, Kurumi-san can use her Angel to eliminate the memory.”
As Hibiki finished speaking, she set foot to accept the memory baptism. Exchanging glances with Kurumi, there was a serious look of deep sorrow and grief. Turning to look over at Rinemu??it was pity.
“……Rinemu-san may not be able to withstand this.”
The look of pity from those two appeared to be intentional as Rinemu tried to ignore it while also stepping forward.
The memory immediately poured down, penetrating her skin, hair, flesh, nerves and then crawling into her brain.
Alright, let’s detail a malicious story.
As the saying goes, three is a crowd. Regardless of being a man or woman, nothing could surpass a crowd speaking slanderous gossip about another person behind the scenes.
This was especially true if the target was an idol rising in fame.
Fanaticism turned into disappointment, disappointment into hatred, hatred flowing like a muddy stream. If legitimacy was easily added to this slander, it would stir up people to speak ill of the target.
What she was suffering was this situation??
“Oh, so it turned out to be this.”
And so, Rinemu sighed. This was the hell she experienced when touching that black pillar that appeared during the Compile.
Wrong! I didn’t do that!
No matter how much shouting, there was not a single person understanding or sympathizing with her, no one raised their voice to speak up for her.
To tear apart those malicious lies (How have you not dropped dead) Something absurd that couldn’t be refuted. (You’re sleeping around to get promoted) Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong (It’s all slander, libel, smear, and nonsense)!
Her shouts, cries, screams of anger, they pick apart to find fault in everything, turning it all into an object of ridicule and mockery.
You’re selling your body to stand on this stage.
I have never done that??
You’ve been treating your fans like fools behind their backs How could everyone think that??
Smoking, drinking, living a life of debauchery each night.
I am an idol, I can’t do that??
Like this.
If that was the case.
Why
Why were such words being weighed on me?
You sold your body to sing, sold your body for the sake of comfort, sold your body in order to become filthy, sold it fall to an all-time low, cheaply selling dignity for love, becoming a machine selling your songs loudly for the fans you treated as fools, your pleasant to hear songs have been polluted because of your selling your body for the support of the staff, you worthless, worthless, good-for nothing!
“Gu…...ah.”
She knew this well.
The world on the other side was not trivially cheerful; Rinemu once again was made aware of that. But still, she didn’t want to be aware of this. It was the feeling of the world spinning around herself, yet with everyone sneering and ridiculing her.
Becoming the target of an internet mob was no longer adequate to describe this.
Rather, the malice had reached a critical point, feeling as if a blazing iron pipe had pierced her heart.
Just standing on stage caused shudders to spread through her entire body. It felt nauseous just trying to speak. As soon as my mouth was open, my throat felt crushed.
And so, Rinemu was even more ridiculously mocked.
Hey, why is it? Why are you so desperate to sing when idols are a dime a dozen here?
If the abuse felt before was like being roasted on a stake, then those words felt like every bit of blood had drained from her arteries.
She didn’t expect everyone to be her fan, just wanting for them to listen to her songs……only requesting that luxury for herself from everyone. She wanted them to wait. The idols that sang, danced, and laughed worse than her, and most of all those foolish fans that ridiculed her.
But why?
Why did the fans choose her and not me?
It was as if declaring her songs as irrelevant, having no impact on the world and unable to change the values of others. No, it was the attitude of picking up whatever is at hand when hungry.
The memories mixed together, trampling on the ideals she’s always believed in.
So she was unable to sing, unable to trust the wild enthusiasm she saw before in the fans’ eyes.
Because the wild enthusiasm of those girls wasn’t directed at her.
It was because that wild enthusiasm was needed to stave off death for those girls.
That was all. They just stood there, indifferent to whom their target of affection was. Even if you see yourself trying to delay death, no one else would notice it. Even if it was noticed, they’ll just laugh it off as a futile act.
She could no longer sing.
Because singing no longer made sense.
Just like that girl who realized this in the real world.
“Ah……ugh.”
To keep being struck by this rain of memories meant being contact with ‘her’ memories. That’s right, this rain was exactly from the Ninth Spirit??the source of this hell was a girl that had never visited the Neighboring World before.
At the same time as becoming a Spirit, that girl’s scars were engraved onto the Neighboring World.
Rinemu thought.
Absolutely no one could sing after being forced to watch those circumstances.
She could no longer advance or retreat.
Like a meteorite of malice, it could only come down to crush someone with savage criticism.
“……Don’t……want…..”
“??If you don’t want to continue bearing this, then go on ahead.”
In a flash, a voice responding to her rejection had echoed through into her ear.
“??????Ah.”
That’s right, putting myself in this position, why did I want to step forward? The reason was simple, the two people up front were easily forging ahead in this rain.
So, she had begun to think she could do the same herself.
“Why?”
Why could these guys be drenched in this malicious rain and still stand calmly?
It was Higoromo Hibiki who replied.
“Well…… for a Quasi-Spirit living in the Tenth Region Malkuth, this sort of malicious thing is commonplace. Moreover, trifling circumstances have caused me to confront this malice head on.”
Tokisaki Kurumi informed her next.
“……The world is cruel and human beings are incarnations of malicious. There is no redemption in this world. Idols are nothing more than entertainment seen by fans that only derive pleasure from the surface level.”
While saying so, Kurumi pointed her pistol at the damp artificial sky.
“But what about that?”
The trigger was pulled.
The meaningless bullet disappeared into the air. The faint sound of an impact landing on the ceiling was heard intermingled with the heavy downpour.
“Singing is a skill and technical ability crafted by humans. As for you, rather than the embarrassment of an idol without the qualifications to sing, you are under a curse that prevents you from singing.”
“……Curse……”
“Yes, it’s a curse. The determination to sing and the vow to become an idol, even for a brief moment, you vowed to please the fans at least once. Even if you are forgotten or insulted, you cannot stop singing. And even now there are two fools who want to be your fans.”
“……A fan……means……”
In front of her eyes were two people??the soaking wet Higoromo Hibiki and Tokisaki Kurumi.
“Did you notice yet? You are already moving forward.”
“What?”
Rinemu became confused as she turned to look back. She thought that she had lost consciousness the moment she passed through the entrance, but it didn’t occur to herself that half the distance was already traversed unknowingly.
While groaning.
While weeping.
She endured the ill-intent malice and moved forward step by step.
“Like I may have said, I am no interested in idols. But I want to see this through??I consider that you’ve endured and endured being immersed in that memory that was painful enough to die to advance forward to that powerful song.”
“……What are you saying……idiot……ah.”
Rinemu turned to go forward.
Step by step, she kept moving onward.
She was amazed at her pace not stopping.
The whirlpool of torrent memories still agitated and tormented Kirari Rinemu’s head.
She mustered her remaining strength to respond to what Kurumi had said.
“My……my……song is……an orthodox……idol……pop song……not yet existing……strong……that key factor……”
“Stylish to sing, glistening to dance, and exceedingly amazing ahhhh!”
She reached out her hand.
The two people in front also reached out to her.
“Yes, in that case, I……”
“Then, I……”
Will become a fan of Kirari Rinemu.
With her grabbed hands being pulled, Rinemu leaped into the spot the two of them were at.
Because there was something glimmering in the only area where there wasn’t raining, shrouded by a dim light.
Rinemu thought it was just like a spotlight.
“This is……a microphone……?”
There was a single microphone on the floor.
“Maybe this is what we were looking for??‘The Voice of the Moon’?”
Was this it? If it was, then Rinemu thought as much. But could she sing? As usual, just trying to open her mouth to sing caused no sound to be heard. She felt scared to even speak on account of just traversing through the rain of memories.
“Although I don’t know if this could really make a person sing, this object is indeed filled with reiryoku.”
Kurumi nodded in agreement to that remark.
“Yes, even if you simply absorb this reiryoku, you should feel stronger.”
In the Neighboring World, reiryoku was physical strength, energy, currency, and power. If they broke the microphone, then they would certainly be able to taken in its reiryoku.
“……Can I really accept this?”
“Hurry up and take it or I’m afraid that I will change my mind.”
Rinemu trembled while listening to what Kurumi had said. It was because what she said was sincere.
Rinemu took in a deep breath.
While praying and wishing, she picked up the old microphone.
Pitch black.
No, this was different. There was a ray of light shining. It appeared to look like the sea of fluorescent light sticks seen on TV.
A single girl exhaled out a sigh. Even her nervous tension was being transmitted to Rinemu.
(Aah, right. This is??)
In an instant everything became clear. She was once an idol in the real world and her memories were being seen by Rinemu.
Embarking while firmly believing it to be the correct path, yet that girl declined and suffered from grave slander.
So that was the reason why that girl could only shudder in fear in the waiting room.
(……Oh, isn’t that strange?)
She noticed an immediate sense of discomfort. Why was this beaten girl trying to control the shudders and still staying in the waiting room?
If it meant retiring, she could understand that. If that girl didn’t want to leave home, that was understandable as well. Even if meant no longer singing and relegating only to work related to her past dreams??she could even understand that a little.
However, the clothing she was wearing now was undoubtedly the stage costume for an idol.
Even when afraid to sing, she was still waiting for her name to be called onto the stage.
(Why? You shouldn’t be able to sing.)
She had experienced that memory herself, even if she wasn’t the actual person who underwent such circumstances. So, she knew the great difficulty it would be to just barely open her mouth
to speak. If it was Rinemu, she would definitely refuse to speak or come in contact with others again.
No, her memories revealed that she had indeed fallen into that state.
Unable to make a sound.
Thoughts of seeking death.
Every day was difficult to live, just like hell.
She was holding a deep darkness within herself, so how did she arrive at this present scene? A mystery since whatever memory that sparked this change couldn’t be seen. Anyhow, there must have been some spiritual catalyst that led to this turn of events.
But that something was enough to make her want to stand on the stage again.
“??chan. You’re up on stage!”
Hearing the call from the assistant, the girl energetically stood up.
The trembling instantly disappeared as she switched to an expression befitting for an idol. But having seen through that girl’s memories, Rinemu could tell that the tremors shaking her heart had not disappeared yet.
There was the fear of being insulted, despised, and laughed at.
However, her footsteps didn’t stop for a moment while approaching the stage.
(Hey, why? Why did you find the means to accomplish this?) This girl shouldn’t be able to sing.
Unable to speak.
Even seeking death wasn’t too surprising.
However??
Why was she standing on this stage?
A sea of overflowing glow sticks, cheers and the spotlight.
If was her, Rinemu wouldn’t have been able to do anything.
However, that girl began to sing.
The song was clear and pleasing to the ear??her expression was dignified, her smile lovely, and at times the corner of her eyes were moist as if from weeping. Her posture was perfect, with the only flaw being that it appeared as if she was whispering to audience.
Just like loving someone, it was like magic that made people fall in love.
The purpose of an idol was to believe in this magic, to believe in the song, to believe in love.
Still trying to believe even after being shown the ugly world.
As those memories rose to the surface, Rinemu unconsciously reached her hand out??it was the words that were there.
The words that were desperately conveyed from the bottom of one’s heart.
(??Yes, you believed in that.)
What allowed this girl to break free from that distrust was no mere scheme, it was those courageous words.
Even if the world turned against and condemn her, she would keep believing in herself.
However, it wasn’t just that. One day she noticed, she recognized the faces of those watching.
Just as there were spiteful things in this world, there was an equal amount of loving things in return.
Just today she saw the manager that was running about everywhere for this day, the designer making the best costume with that tight budget, and the assistant traveling back and forth now.
And also, the idols working just as hard as herself.
So finally at last Kirari noticed.
Who was the one casting the spotlight to where she was singing?
Who was the one who choreographed the dance together?
Who was the one that wrote the song given to me?
There was always someone who believed in her and was pursuing the same dream together.
There was an unknown girl who was also desperately singing.
If not for this, she would have wanted to run away from this anxiety. It was clear for Rinemu that she was bottling up such emotions.
What suppressed these feelings wasn’t herself, but rather the people who believed in her.
Even after witnessing that filthy darkness and experiencing that ruin, she still wanted to sing about the beautiful colors of the world??still believing that to be more correct than anything else.
No, even after feeling that, she wanted to convey that belief.
Rinemu recalled the second stage she performed. She was confident due to raising the audience excitement during the live audition. But deep down, she was still worried about failure.
It was a common occurrence to perform it flawlessly in front of a live audition, only to have it flop after carrying out it again in front of an audience??
“It’s all right, Rinemu-san.”
That girl held onto her hands and spoke while looking closely at her.
“You’ll be absolutely fine.”
No excuse given for reasoning, unsophisticated words of encouragement.
(Ah, that’s right.)
Courage was something impossible to be born from Rinemu’s chest. She was always scared, always afraid. Just thinking about a fan being bored of her songs was enough to keep her up at night.
But always, someone else had given her courage.
It happened whenever someone other than herself would support her by saying it would be fine.
However, she would always forget that starting point, mistakenly believing herself to be the strongest and number 1 presence singing on the stage.
A fatal contradiction of a coward that had forgotten the courage once gained from others.
……The moment she could no longer sing, she panicked and didn’t even try to listen to those voices again.
Because of prioritizing no longer being the greatest, she felt like she was the weakest.
Undoubtedly being unable to sing meant no longer being able to receive the courage that others would grant her.
“But then, who should I receive from courage from?”
Just like this girl who had the courage to sing imposingly.
“What isn’t that quite simple?”
Unexpectedly, time stopped for this memory. The sound of the song stopped, even the raised hands of the frenzied fans were frozen in place.
The idol in this memory turned over to whisper to Rinemu.
“If you want courage, then say it in front of those two. Because they are your fans.”
“……Like that, I can sing?”
“Of course ?? even if there is only one person cheering, as long as there is someone believing in me, I can sing properly.”
That idol pressed her hand against her chest as if recalling a past memory.
“……Just like that, you can sing a song. If you say that, I’m sure there is no doubt.”
The idol spoke with a smile.
“Would you like to come to this world? You’ll be very welcomed??by the real me.”
“Unfortunately, there seems be someone supporting my song. It would be one thing to proceed together, but I can leave her behind.”
“Ehh, what a pity ? you look so lovely though ? ”
“Although I want to listen to your songs properly, being able to sing myself is my priority right now……anyway, can you stop touching my head, ears, and chin!”
The girl in the memory gave a hearty laugh as if not in the least concerned before her expression turned more serious.
“It’s a bit regretful, but this memory is only up to here. This is one of the most important and precious memories of everyone who has made me my current self. As long as there is this memory, I…..can sing at any time. But, I think that this must be a one-time utility that won’t work for you.”
“I think so too. It’ll be fine; I’ll just have to try something else.”
As Rinemu reached out her hand, the idol responded back with a smile,
“It must be unusual to shake hands with someone other than a fan ? .”
“Yeah…….Also, as an idol, I want to give you a piece of advice.”
“Yes?”
“Every time when you are shaking hands with a beautiful girl, it’s best not to show those beast-like eyes.”
“Opps ? I carelessly revealed my natural instincts ? ”
Hehe, that girl scratched the back of her head while seemingly reflecting on that point. Well, Rinemu let it pass as she smiled.
“Sorry for hindering the opening of this concert.”
“No, no, don’t say that. Cute girls are welcomed at any time.”
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. Rinemu realized that must represent the end of this memory.
Then, let me give one last piece of advice! Whether if it is a friend of lover, no matter which category, it’s best to attach importance and hug tightly those you value.
Finally, this explosive statement was dropped.
With no time to protest, Rinemu was thrown out of the memory.
She opened her eyelids. Higoromo Hibiki gave an anxious look, while even Tokisaki Kurumi gazed on at Kirari Rinemu with particular interest.
“How long have I been in a daze?”
Hearing those words, Hibiki raised a brow.
“Not long at all. It’s been less than five seconds since you took the microphone.”
“Oh, I see. It turned out to be just a moment.”
In that moment’s interval, that girl’s memory was read through the mic. The memory woven by this enormous reiryoku was likely the memory of a Spirit living in the world on the other side.
Considering that Yesod was the Ninth region, it should have been the memories of the Ninth Spirit.
She seemed to also be an idol on the other side. Or possibly because she was an idol, they had discovered the reason why our existences were linked to being idols here.
Rinemu stopped thinking here. Anyway, what was more important was that she was an idol now.
“So, do you think you can sing?”
As Kurumi asked that question, Rinemu slowly shook her head as she stood up.
“Things won’t go that smoothly. I think that I still shouldn’t be able to sing.”
“……Still?”
Rinemu clutched onto her chest.
“After all, it’s not so sweet in this world. This is just a crystal that came out during the Compile.”
“Oh, but didn’t those black pillars that appear during the Compile?”
“I have heard rumors that such unusual crystals can appear, but this my first time seeing this.”
“Well, anyway this is just a lump of reiryoku. Thinking from the perspective of the other world, this is a rich treasure. Even if you become an Empty, it’s possible to keep surviving by using this to prevent reiryoku from being exhausted.”
As if not particularly interested, Rinemu put down the mic from her chest.
“Aren’t you going to absorb the reiryoku?”
“If I absorb it now……I might still be unable to sing. Sorry, but I think it’s best for me to hold on until the last moment.”
As Rinemu finished speaking, she showed a sullen smile.
“To wait until the last moment, that somehow suits you……”
Hibiki lowered her shoulders. Rinemu thought of her as an understanding child. She felt that she finally had the strength to care for others now.
“……I can’t sing alone. But are the both of you my fans?”
I have a fan. There is someone who wants to hear me sing.
She would never forget that. It was just as important to sing for others as for herself, both matters were incomparably balanced on the scales.
“So, give me courage, give me your courage. I will surely sing for you.”
“Well, aren’t I obliged to support you for myself?”
“……No, that’s not it, Kurumi-san.”
Abruptly, Hibiki raised her voice.
Curiously, her voice was shaking while full of joy.
“What do you mean?”
“What are you going on about?”
Both of them let out a confused voice. But Hibiki didn’t seem to be listening as she kept muttering to herself.
“One more person, one more person……lovely, chaos, though someone as stylish as Banouin-san is impossible. But……wait a minute, rather than using a genre it is a color. Blue, blue, Tsuan……Tsuan-san!”
Unexpectedly hearing that disgusting name, Kurumi frowned.
“It’s really unpleasant to mention that girl’s name all of a sudden.”
“Ah, sorry, sorry! Anyway, plan A has been assembled! A breakthrough plan to give Rinemu-san courage!”
“What is it?”
“Anyway, let’s return to the Central District! It’s too exhausting to start here! No, it’s likely to be a big project!”
Confronted by Hibiki’s excitement, Kurumi felt an ominous premonition. In any case, they couldn’t go back the same way through that rainfall of memories again. Kurumi decided to shoot down the celling so they could leave.
Now.
Kurumi was the first one to emerge from the ruined hole, which is what decided their fate.
Despite having said that, this wasn’t a matter of life or death. The only difference was whether one of them would be defeated or not.
The Unsigned Angels possessed by Quasi-Spirits are weapons that can be used for self-defense.
For example, the Unsigned Angel owned by Kirari Rinemu has the ability to manipulate sound but it is not suitable for killing others??although at the very least the impact from the sound could be used to cause someone to faint.
However, one’s mental state is often more important than skill when operating an Unsigned Angel. The weapon cannot be used unless the body agrees with the simple and clear motive of killing the enemy. In that sense, it would be impossible for Rinemu to defeat an enemy.
For her, that Unsigned Angel was only a tool to increase the distance a song would echo.
On the other hand, Higoromo Hibiki has fought in the past under the name Tokisaki Kurumi and was familiar with the practice of Quasi-Spirits killing each other.
However, it would be difficult for her Unsigned Angel, the claw-shaped , to cope with this situation.
There might be the vulnerability to a counterattack if her first strike missed due to poor luck.
And with Tokisaki Kurumi.
A disaster known in the real world as the Worst Spirit of all time, she was a 100% pure Spirit with an extraordinary power.
……Again, it must be stressed that they were truly unfortunate.
When describing what went through Tokisaki Kurumi’s head as she emerged from the hole, it could only be described as the sound of a trigger being pulled. Floating through the exit, as Hibiki was idly chatting about with Rinemu, Kurumi had sensed their murderous intent with a degree of smoothness that she had almost unconsciously pulled out ’s short pistol.
The other party was quick to pull the trigger, but there was no point to that.
After noticing the killing intent and judging the circumstances of their first strike, she responded in kind.
Tokisaki Kurumi was able to subconsciously accomplish the aforementioned divine feat through her copious amount of accumulated battle experience.
Sure enough, bullets fired by the sniper were offset by the bullets from Kurumi’s short pistol.
“Both of you please stay here!”
As Kurumi shouted, she slammed on the edge of the hole to leap into the air.
Upon visual inspection??there were four people.
First person, a sniper. Her Unsigned Angel is a sniper rifle. Likely, she was not a considerable enemy due to the ease of offsetting her bullets. Priority order C.
Second person, also a sniper. Her Unsigned Angel is a so-called stone-throwing tool??a slingshot. Bur rather than stones being pelted, it was a mass of reiryoku. The destructive power was higher than the sniper rifle. Priority order B.
Third person, a guard. Her Unsigned Angel was a large Gatling gun. Likely she would deploy a barrage of bullets to prevent others from getting close. Priority order A.
The fourth person, her identity was a mystery.
She certainly existed until the moment she leaped into the air, but by now all traces of her had disappeared. Someone who understood her abilities and was afraid of showing up??in heavy contrast to the other three whom looked like in a daze.
Kurumi coughed a little.
So she called out to those girls that looked dumbfounded.
Of course they did not surrender. Since (the other side likely considered) the gap in combat power meant an absolute advantage, doing something like that would be meaningless.
“Who is the woman that just left?”
Instead of replying, they shoot an icy glare at Kurumi??her body trembled as a joyous feeling ran up her spine.
So, Kurumi decided to shoot herself first.
“??The First Bullet !”
The other party was speechless once more. The person they were trying to kill had actually shot herself in the head. The situation had changed drastically that it seemed foolish to even try to raise their weapons now.
However, the moment that girl, who had already committed suicide, gave a smile just like a crescent moon, they soon immediately realized their error.
“Body strengthening……!!”
“How repulsive!”
Mowing down everything with the Gatling gun, the reiryoku bullets poured down like heavy rain??but Kurumi dodged, dodged, and dodged.
“Huh?”
She disappeared without a trace while shooting down the girl with the Gatling gun. Just as the girl was thinking where she disappeared, she was subjected to a sudden shock and lost consciousness.
After disappearing, the idea that the girl came up with was that it was just inexplicable……but from the perspective of the two snipers, they had no idea what had happened to her.
Why was she standing still?
The answer was Tokisaki Kurumi’s bullet.
“The Seventh Bullet .”
Stopping the time of the object struck, it was a killer move without counter. As the person responsible for launching the barrage was defeated, the two snipers attempted to flee the scene.
One fled to the Ferris wheel in the amusement park and the other ran to the roller coaster.
“Ara, ara, ara, to set up a shooting battle is quite rare in my experience with Quasi-Spirits.
Before that at least, how about a self-introduction?”
Reticence.
Silence.
Refusal.
That attitude made it clear that they were first-class killers. Focusing on eliminating the target rather than seeking glory, perhaps these girls were from the Tenth Region Malkuth. According to Hibiki, Quasi-Spirits that left that region engaged in a life as mercenaries, bodyguards, killers, etc. It is said that their livelihood was related to combat for as much as one could think of.
The Quasi-Spirit with the sniper rifle was heard muttering something. Soon afterwards, the sniper rifle shrank in size as the barrel became slightly shorter??transforming into an assault rifle.
“……!”
Kurumi smacked her lips as she flew to higher altitude. As expected, countless bullets rushed forth from the rifle that had been single fire up until now.
The power of those bullets was weaker than before. Even if a few hits struck, it wouldn’t be a fatal injury……however; she would definitely be in danger if she kept shooting.
Additionally, the reiryoku projectile she had been vigilant towards since the very beginning was also finally being thrown.
“Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The Quasi-Spirit with the slingshot snarled as she launched the reiryoku projectile. The projectile was moving in a zigzag trajectory at improbable speed, dragging along as the barrage approached Kurumi.
Of course, Kurumi, having shot the First Bullet at herself, withdrew at high speed. The location she was just at??and the building next to it, were razed to the ground as if a meteorite had struck it down.
“A direct hit from that would mean my head being crushed.”
Kurumi sighed.
Even at this moment, she was completely lacking a fear of death.
Kurumi summoned the long rifle of as she clasped onto her guns with both hands.
The air battle had begun. Temporarily ignoring the assault rifle, Kurumi approached the one with the slingshot.
However, that girl calmly kept her distance as she prepared to fire again.
Kurumi evaded the second projectile, but now the attacks from the assault rifle were more precise than before.
The reiryoku bullet swept towards Kurumi as if reading her flight route.
It wasn’t fatal, but the pain caused her bones to creak. While she was distracted by the pain, the projectile from the slingshot flew instantly.
Complementing each other perfectly??simply the ideal partner.
This wasn’t through eye contact. Perhaps they were communicating to inform each other of the correct coordinates.
“Then, allow me to trample on the bonds between you two.”
Kurumi exposed a crescent moon–shaped smile that was unafraid of death.
“Loading????The Ninth Bullet .”
“B! At 3 o’clock, now is the time to deliver the final blow!”
“I know, A!”
The Quasi-Spirit with the assault rifle, as Kurumi expected, was a person from the Tenth Region Malkuth that understood best that fighting can be used as a method for survival.
Don’t ask for anything extra and complete task regardless of the reason for being hired.
Mercenary, seems like this sort of job would be called that in the other world. Somehow, she always liked that word.
There was a long association with the owner of the Gatling gun that had just been defeated. ……Despite never asking for the other’s name, it was enough to call herself A, the slingshot owner B, and the Gatling gun user C. The initial barrage would be set by C while B and herself would finish the target.
If C was unable to start the barrage because of circumstances, she would take over that role. And then, with B’s slingshot, the target would be struck down without fail through a single blow.
By polishing their teamwork, the three were as infamous in the Ninth Region Yesod as much as they were useful. Even if the Ninth region singed about peace, as long as capable Quasi-Spirits gather, resentment for whatever reason would be sparked and followed by overflowing outrageous anger.
Scraping by and taking advantage of those grudges were their job.
When hired for 50 pieces of Sephira Crystal, she first thought that person was messing around. A usual job meant three to five people. This large sum was already worth around ten people.
The girl who timidly offered the reward had informed them to completely clean up the target.
Inevitably, that meant that no third party could learn that the party had been assassinated.
Although hesitating at first due to the difficulty of achieving this in the Ninth Region Yesod, it wasn’t a huge issue. Since their target had already left town and headed for the Cradle.
In this manner, their task became so much easier. Merely they needed to aim at and kill with their Unsinged Angel.
It was supposed to have been like that, so why?
“??!”
A bullet had struck. It hurt a little, but there was nothing wrong. It was only a single shot landed at the end of the day. This was proof as though she was attacking while trying to route the enemy.
“She ran to 2 o’clock now!”
It was B’s voice as usual. She quickly chased after the target at the direction of 2 o’clock, pushing the target into a more desperate corner step by step. She could see that the target was beginning to become exhausted. She had barely dodged the last projectile, so she won’t be so lucky next time. A judged that from her years of experience.
“Keep up the pressure at 6 o’clock; it’s time to deliver the finishing blow.”
She heard that voice. For a split second, she thought something was odd, but didn’t take it seriously. She didn’t hesitate to continue shooting at the direction of 6 o’clock??but then she saw an unbelievable sight.
“Why?”
A was stunned while B was overcome with surprise.
B’s projectile was thrown towards A, while A’s assault rifle had struck down B. Although B was not killed immediately, she was shot several times from being caught off guard. Because all of B’s reiryoku was gathered towards the slingshot, there was little defense in her Astral Dress. It was A and C’s task to cover for that.
The slingshot projectile B released was quickly approaching. It could no longer be avoided.
Despite the speed of her thinking, her body couldn’t keep up.
However, as A stared at B’s projectile, her thoughts shifted from the situation and to how beautiful this attack was. Suddenly, she wanted to know more about B.
There were regrets of things she wanted to know. Even for a pro, they ought to have chatted about things they liked or disliked.
Ah, at least she should have learned her name??
“……It appears that I am the villain.”
Kurumi sighed after confirming the disappearance of B. A hired solider should be prepared for death sooner or later. Moreover, since the other party was intending to kill her, she mustn’t be merciful.
Still, she used the Ninth Bullet to leave a message to both of their heads through a future timeline and caused them to kill each other. Was that too much in poor taste? Kurumi sighed once again.
“Is it over?”
“It’s over.”
“What is this all about? Why were you trying to kill each other? Why did you shoot? Why did you kill them?”
Rinemu’s entire body was constantly trembling. The common scene of killing in the Tenth Region Malkuth seemed to be too rough for Quasi-Spirits in the Ninth Region Yesod to handle.
On this battlefield, a different type of courage was necessary compared to what was just displayed moments ago.
“It’s a common occurrence.”
While saying that with a leisurely voice, Kurumi pointed towards the Central District of the Ninth Region Yesod.
“Likely, it was the work of the Quasi-Spirit that passed this information to you.”
“Eh, Mauri……how come……”
Rinemu collapsed onto her knees from shock.
“I want to remind you, its Mayuka not Mauri.”
Hibiki pointed out calmly.
“I don’t think……that little citizen would have the courage to hire this sort of Quasi-Spirit……at most I thought it would be putting a thumbtack in ballet shoes or sending a razor letter full of spite……”
“What sort of era have you been living?”
“But if she could dare to do something like that, why do you think she wouldn’t hire mercenaries?”
Confronted by Kurumi and Hibiki playing the role of tsukkomi, Rinemu slanted her head.
“Well, it’s because it’s not her style.”
“So??”
Kurumi wanted to say something but immediately decided to hold back her words.
“What did you want to say?”
“Nothing, let’s head back to the Central District. If you have no idea what the other side has in mind, it’s best to be careful and not use that accommodation facility.”
“So we have to sleep outdoors!?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, but I don’t want to! I have already decided to need to take a shower every day!”
Hibiki grabbed Rinemu through a rear naked chock, causing her faint.
“Okay, let’s head out with no delays. And then at the Central District, I will announce my breakthrough plan!”
“……You, occasionally your attitude is tough and unscrupulous.”
“Yes, it’s thanks to Kurumi-san’s influence! Sasukuru!” (Shorten version of Sasuga Kurumi, or roughly translated as expected of Kurumi)
“Sasukuru? What is that supposed to mean?”
“Sorry, it’s an abbreviation for Tokisaki Kurumi-san.”
In order for this abbreviation to never again appear in the future, Kurumi included physical attacks while inflicting her instructions onto Hibiki.
The return trip was going well. After deciding on sleeping outdoors, a Nitro Dress was chosen to destroy the lodging house. Rinemu, remarking that it was just like a Hollywood movie,
cheerfully approached the flaming combustion. Soon after, a subsequent explosion sent her flying with bruises covering her entire body.
“Do you have any thoughts for survival going on in your head?”
“Rinemu-san, is your brain stuffed with tofu? Or is it completely empty?”
“Sorry, I have deeply reflected on my life as if dying……”
As Hibiki was carrying Rinemu, Kurumi was still cautiously holding onto .
However, in the end there was no further incident of another surprise attack and they soon reached an area where many Quasi-Spirits could be seen.
“N ? o ? w”
Hibiki gave a cheerful smile as Rinemu and Kurumi expressed doubts about her expression.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Right, it appears like you are giving the odor of scheming something.”
“Yes! This idea is terrific! I have a great idea for the both of you!”
Hibiki was waving her hands as she brought her face closer to both of them.
“Listen well; here there are two top idols of the Ninth Region Yesod, Rinemu-san and Kurumi-san.”
“Un, well of course!”
“So, what about that?”
“At first, I thought it would be fine to form a two-person combination??”
“Eh ? I’m not good at coordinating with others.”
“Me too.”
“Don’t worry. That’s why I’m planning on adding one more person. It’s not a duo, but a trio. In other words……an idol group!”
“P-Please hold on a second, you want to add one more person?”
“Yes, adding one more person! It is someone Kurumi-san is very familiar with!”
Kurumi, have been made aware of the situation after listening to Hibiki, exposed an expression of disgust from the very depths of her heart.
“……If we were Americans, would this be the time to shout OMG?”
“That’s right……”
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