by Takehaya
Kiriha nodded and pointed over her shoulder.
“Something else totally out of character, I see.”
“You think so?”
Kiriha cheerfully smiled.
She had led Koutarou to a roller coaster. Like the ferris wheel at the park, this roller coaster was the largest in the prefecture when it was built. While it had since lost that title, it was still staggeringly high. The intertwined rails, boasting a height of seventy meters with a sixty-five meter drop, spread out before Koutarou and Kiriha.
“...No, actually, I take it back. This might be just like you.”
This weekend had given Koutarou the opportunity to get to know Kiriha much better. While she was usually cool and collected, her inner child was a force to be reckoned with. Knowing that much about her, of course she’d pick the roller coaster.
“It sounds like you’re calling me a tomboy. I don’t like it.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”
“That’s mean, Koutarou.”
Laughing, Kiriha approached the gate to the ride.
“So do you have a special memory of the roller coaster too?”
Koutarou followed after her. Kiriha then stopped in front of the sign next to the entrance.
“Yes and no. Ten years ago, I wasn’t able to ride it.”
Kiriha smiled wryly as she turned around.
“You couldn’t ride it? Was there too long of a line?”
Past the gate was an orderly line up to the platform. Seeing that, Koutarou assumed she meant the line must have been too long that day. In fact, when it was the largest roller coaster in the prefecture, it had an equal reputation for long lines.
“No, that wasn’t it. Look here, Koutarou.”
“Let’s see... ‘You must be at least 140 centimeters to ride this attraction’?”
On the sign was an illustration of a child measuring heights. The number 140 on the ruler was in big, bold font. For safety reasons, children under a certain height weren’t allowed on the ride.
“This tomboy was too short ten years ago, you see. I wasn’t allowed to ride it.”
“Ah, so part memory and part regret, huh?”
Koutarou imagined a much smaller, younger Kiriha selfishly demanding to ride the roller coaster as the boy and the ride attendant tried to soothe her.
“Heh, that’s too bad...”
The mental image was too funny, and Koutarou couldn’t help laughing at the thought.
“I don’t like the way you said it, but yes, that’s right.”
“You’re surprisingly persistent.”
“Of course. I’m a woman who’s still in love with a man she met ten years ago, remember?”
“That’s true.”
Koutarou and Kiriha had another good laugh together before going to get in line. It wasn’t too long, so it looked like they’d only have to wait about ten minutes.
“The roller coaster...” Kiriha muttered as they joined the end of the line.
Hearing her soft voice, Koutarou looked her way, but Kiriha was pensively taking in the sights. To Koutarou, it looked like she was reminiscing about the past.
But why...
There was something in Kiriha’s expression that seemed lonely. It bothered Koutarou. She didn’t look like someone who was about to conquer one of her life’s greatest regrets.
Could it be that...
As he stared at Kiriha’s profile, Koutarou was intensely contemplating what might be going on with her. Just as he was on the verge of a conclusion, the ground started shaking intensely.
Kurano Kiriha
Sunday, December 20th
At first, Koutarou assumed the shaking he felt was from the roller coaster passing by. But it was far too intense for that, and it didn’t die down after a moment or two. He also felt like the shaking was coming from beneath him. Surely that would have been strange for a roller coaster.
“What is this?”
As Koutarou’s puzzlement increased, so did the shaking. What had started as just a small shake now felt like tiny bombs going off underneath his feet. And Koutarou wasn’t the only one confused. The other guests in line around him had the same reaction. The sudden earthquake alarmed everyone, especially since they were about to get on a roller coaster.
“Could this be...?!”
However, Kiriha looked more alarmed than anyone. The moment she felt the shake, her eyes lost their youthful glow and regained their usual sharpness. She had a hunch as to what was causing the vibrations.
“Karama, Korama!”
Kiriha quickly called for her two haniwas, both of which appeared at her side instantly. Without even hearing her order, they had already taken action.
“Yes, ho, Nee-san! We can detect it from our side too, ho!”
“Analyzing the vibration patterns... A spiritual power generator has been detected. Analysis complete. There’s a 97 percent certainty that it’s a subterranean submarine, ho!”
In their hurry, the haniwas skipped their usual greetings and went straight to reporting the information they had. Hearing that, however, Kiriha’s expression turned even more severe.
“I thought so! What’s the situation?”
“It’s at a depth of twenty meters and rising!”
“They’re planning on coming up to the surface, ho! Their predicted surface point is fifty meters to the south-southwest!”
“Preposterous! In a place like this?!”
Kiriha jumped the fence around the line for the roller coaster and ran towards the predicted surface point. If the haniwas’ information was correct, the shaking was coming from a specialized vehicle the People of the Earth used to travel through the underground, the subterranean submarine. What’s more, it was headed to the surface in the middle of the crowded amusement park.
“Kiriha-san! What’s wrong?”
Koutarou ran after Kiriha, calling out to her repeatedly.
“This is bad... If it was just a scouting party, they wouldn’t be coming to a populated area like this!”
But Kiriha was in such a panic that Koutarou calling to her didn’t even register. She could only think of one reason the People of the Earth would bring a subterranean submarine to a place like this.
Kiriha’s direct subordinates didn’t use subterranean submarines to come to the surface. Since they came in peace, there was absolutely no reason to use one. And if they did, they wouldn’t want it to stand out. They certainly wouldn’t surface it in an amusement park on the weekend. The only time she could imagine something like that happening would be in the event of an emergency, but she would have been contacted ahead of time about something like that. That only left one other possibility.
“How reckless can they be?!”
Kiriha gritted her teeth. The only reason for a subterranean submarine to appear here and now wasn’t a good one. The radical faction, or at least part of it, must have decided to preemptively invade the surface. Since they would be aiming for a show of force, they wouldn’t care if they surfaced in a crowded area. If anything, they may have even planned it on purpose. The submarine was surfacing to attack the people here.
“What’s up, Kiriha-san?!”
“Ho! They’re attacking, ho!”
The two haniwas, floating next to Koutarou and chasing after Kiriha with him, were the ones to answer his question.
“Attacking?! Who is?!”
“The people that don’t approve of Nee-san’s way of doing things are coming to the surface to attack people, ho!”
“So it’s that radical faction Kiriha-san mentioned!”
This radical faction was why Kiriha couldn’t seize room 106, but they were also the reason she couldn’t fail at seizing it. Koutarou recalled Kiriha’s words from earlier after Karama explained what was happening.
“That’s right, ho! So Nee-san is planning on stopping them, ho!”
“So that’s what’s going on!”
Now with a firm grasp on the situation, Koutarou did his b
est to chase down Kiriha. This pacifistic, romantic girl couldn’t overlook such a reckless display of force. She was hurrying to their predicted surface point in an attempt to stop their attack.
“But this is dangerous, ho! At this rate, Nee-san will be killed, ho!”
“The radical faction only thinks of Nee-san as a nuisance, ho!”
“Then hurry up and contact your allies! Get them to do something about this!”
“Understood, ho!”
The radical faction despised Kiriha for scorning the use of military force. The chance they would reason with her was low. Given the current circumstances, they might even try to kill her and make it look like an accident.
“I won’t forgive them! I definitely won’t forgive them for attacking the surface!”
Even though she knew that, Kiriha still had to go. She had to try and stop them. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to protect what was precious to her.
But as Koutarou ran after her, the asphalt in front of Kiriha suddenly split. From the crack emerged a black, cylindrical structure. It was several meters long and made out of metal. Rising out of the ground vertically, it looked something like a chimney.
Shizuka and Yurika carried the unconscious Ruth together, each one lending a shoulder for support. They were heading towards medical office inside the amusement park. They were going to lay her down on a bed and let her rest until she woke up on her own.
“Nijino-san, keep it together.”
“But she’s heavyyy!”
However, Shizuka sharing the burden with feeble Yurika had slowed them down considerably. Caving under Ruth’s weight, her body began crumpling.
“That’s pathetic...”
“Yurika, you can do it! Show us your cosplay spirit!”
“Easier said than done!”
In reality, Theia was stronger than Yurika, but her short stature made it impossible for her to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shizuka.
“Do you want me to help you?”
“Absolutely not! Anything but that!”
Sanae was genuinely offering to help, but Yurika’s fear of ghosts prevented her from accepting. She didn’t want to be possessed even if it made her stronger. That meant all Sanae could really do was use her Poltergeist powers, but they weren’t intended to be used for long periods of time, so it didn’t amount to much help in the end after all.
“Then show some guts, will you?”
“I feel like that’s asking a little much of Yurika.”
“Satomi-saaan, save meee!”
Yurika often managed to get herself into trouble. And when she found herself in difficult situations like this, she usually turned to someone else for help.
But as Yurika called for Koutarou, the group of girls suddenly heard a booming sound off to the left side of where they were headed. It was something like an explosion followed by the noise of various things breaking.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Calm down, Nijino-san! We’re going to drop Ruth-san!”
“What... What just happened?!”
“Theia, over there!”
Surprised by the loud sound, each of the girls looked in the direction it had come from. They saw what looked like a pillar appearing from behind some buildings. The black, menacing structure stood out like a sore thumb among the other fairytale-like architecture of the park.
“What is that?! Ruth... is still unconscious! Damn it!”
Sensing that something bad was happening, Theia used her own bracelet to send the unmanned craft towards the pillar to gather information. In the meantime, she used the telescopic camera aboard Blue Knight in orbit to zoom in on the scene.
“Is that Koutarou and Kiriha? And who are those other guys?”
In the hologram projected from her bracelet, Theia could see Koutarou and Kiriha, as well a man facing them. Several men and women carrying weapons exited the pillar and moved to protectively surround the mysterious man.
“Is that some kind of event?”
“What kind of park would have an event that trashed the place?”
“Well, that’s true...”
The men and women facing Koutarou and Kiriha had come from the pillar that was sticking up through the hole in the ground. But it was hard to imagine damaging park property like that for the sake of an event. It seemed pretty safe to assume something more sinister was afoot at this point.
“That’s bad! That means Satomi-kun and Kurano-san are facing off against people with real weapons, doesn’t it?”
By the time Shizuka had finished shouting, Theia had already taken off in a sprint. She had left the others behind and ran as fast as she could.
“Koutarou!”
I had a bad feeling about this!
Theia could see in the hologram that Kiriha was in over her head and that Koutarou was getting involved. Once she saw the mysterious man, she realized the danger Koutarou and Kiriha were in faster than anyone else.
Please be safe, Koutarou!
The princess was rushing to her vassal’s aid. It wasn’t exactly befitting of royalty, but Theia couldn’t help herself. The only thing on her mind right now was Koutarou.
“I’m coming too!”
Though she wasn’t sure what was going on, Sanae could sense it wasn’t anything good and took off after Theia.
To Sanae, Koutarou wasn’t just a roommate. The “family safety” charm still hanging from her neck was her real reason for wanting to save him.
“Ah, wait up, you two!”
Shizuka’s voice didn’t reach Theia. Sanae heard her, but she was planning on catching up to Theia so they could help Koutarou. Seeing that, Shizuka decided it would be best for her to follow after them too.
“Nijino-san, let’s take Ruth-san to that bench over there!”
“R-Right!”
Urging Yurika on, Shizuka took Ruth to a nearby bench and laid her down. She was planning to leave her there until she got back.
“Nijino-san, please take care of Ruth-san! I’m worried about those two going alone, so I’m going too!”
“I-I understand!”
“I’m counting on you!”
Shizuka ran after the other girls as she shouted back to Yurika. She needed her to take care of Ruth so she could go take care of Theia and Sanae.
“...U-Um...”
Yurika looked back and forth between the sleeping Ruth and the three girls running off into the distance.
If I just leave them be, I feel like there’s going to be a huge commotion...
Yurika began growing more and more anxious. Unlike normal, there were lots of people gathered in the amusement park. If Theia or Kiriha were to use their weapons, there would be serious consequences. People could end up hurt. At the very least, it would make an already messy situation even messier.
“I really should go too.”
Once she made up her mind, Yurika pulled herself together with a resolute nod. As a precautionary measure before battle, she would raise a ward to keep innocent bystanders away while keeping those involved from being seen. It was a job only Yurika could do.
“If Satomi-san gets arrested, that would just make things harder for me.”
For the sake of the innocent people who had come to the amusement part to have a good time, for the sake of Harumi, and for the sake of graduating together with Koutarou, Yurika was determined to go to battle herself.
“Come, Angel Halo!”
Her very first job was to cast a protective barrier on the still unconscious Ruth.
“I’m sorry, Ruth-san. Please wait here for a while.”
Whispering those words into Ruth’s ear, Yurika held her staff above her head and started chanting.
Shijima Tayuma was an extreme man, even within the radical faction. He was extraordinarily proud of being part of the People of the Earth, and he had always scorned the thought of his people being driven underground. It infuriated him. In recent years, the flames of that anger had been fanned by the People of the Earth gro
wing enamored with surface culture, and worse, leaving the underground and their heritage behind.
But this angry, loose cannon of a man was happy enough to breakdance the day the leader of the People of the Earth, Kurano Daiha, decided it was time to invade the surface. Tayuma was certain the time had finally come for him to regain his people’s former glory. But Tayuma was a man of extremes, and his extreme excitement was followed by extreme disappointment. The commander of the surface invasion, Kurano Kiriha, put forward an invasion plan that was the complete opposite of what he had hoped.
To Tayuma, Kiriha’s peaceful invasion felt like sacrificing their nation’s pride. He believed that using force to regain what had been stolen was justice, pure and simple. Kiriha was always afraid of what would come of their ideas of justice clashing, but Tayuma was so self-assured in his beliefs that he didn’t bother listening to Kiriha’s. He wrote them off as the naive ideals of a weakling with no courage.
What further fueled their difference of opinions was Tayuma’s family heritage. The Shijima clan was a warrior clan that had earned their reputation through bravery. Even if a war no one could win awaited them, Tayuma didn’t mind one bit. It would still be a chance to put his mettle and his convictions on full display for all to see.
His pride as part of the People of the Earth, his pride as a member of a warrior clan, his ambition to make a name for himself in a war, his blind faith in what he believed to be justice, and the anger he felt when his hopes for a military invasion were betrayed all worked together like a pressure cooker. Roughly a year had passed since Daiha had decided to invade the surface, and Tayuma’s patience had finally snapped.
Acting recklessly on his own, Tayuma led his followers to the surface. Their goal was to show the world that the People of the Earth existed with a display of military might. By doing that, the surface dwellers would declare them enemies, and the People of the Earth would have no choice but to take the surface by force after all. That was Tayuma’s plan.
But Kiriha wasn’t about to let that happen. If she did, it would be the same as pulling the trigger on an unwinnable conflict that would last for several decades. The People of the Earth would be ruined before they could even move up to the surface. That’s why Kiriha now stood in Tayuma’s way with absolute resolve.
