2022-12-17 22:00:44“Species?”
“What?”
“Species. Human or Papilio.”
“Oh, uh, human.”
“First name?”
“Haru.”
“Last name?”
“Hamamoto.”
“Middle name?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Pick one.”
“What, like, right now?”
“Your middle name is ‘Right Now’?”
“Uh… no?”
“We’re going to have to start over.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m just doing my job, ma’am.”
The faceplated border guard shakes her head and rips up the paper she was filling out in her hand. “Deathless” Tsumugi called them, they’re Gleam's personal army. Every student councilor commands a fighting force with the expectation that they’re going to use them to rescue more Papilio. Doesn’t matter how minor the office, they always have at least fifty armed and trained people at their beck and call. In Gleam’s case, she has about two hundred. Each one armed with weaponry, salvaged and restored from only the finest junkyards. And faceplates salvaged from Monarchian corpses– trophies of their first kills. If Haru looks closely, she can even see a smidge of dried blood still on the edge of the girl’s mask. They’re even more ill-equipped and tribalistic than Girls’ Won’t Cry. She respects that, almost.
To both her left and right are these titanic metal walls the size of skyscrapers. A last line of defense against the Monarchs should the worst come to pass. The only way in or out is through this heavily guarded gated checkpoint to keep out potential spies, and immense bureaucracy to waste as much time as humanly possible. The guard nods to one of the girls in her squad and she promptly hands her another piece of paper.
“Species?”
“Human.”
“First name?”
“Haru.”
“Last name?”
“Hamamoto.”
“Middle name?”
“I can pick any I want?”
“Yes.”
“Marshall.”
“Your middle name is Marshall?”
“You said I could pick any I want.”
“Age?”
“Seventeen.”
“In numerics.”
“17.”
“Date of Birth?”
“October fifth.”
The girl shakes her head and rips up the paper.
“We’re going to have to start over.”
“Wh– what was that for?”
“We use the Day/Month/Year format.”
“Tsk.”
Haru rolls her eyes.
“Species?”
“Human.”
“First name?”
“Haru.”
“Last name?”
“Hamamoto.”
“Middle name?”
“Marshall.”
“Your middle name is Marshall?”
“You asked this already.”
“Age?”
“17.”
“Date of Birth?”
“Fifth of October, 20XX.”
“20XX?”
“Just write it down.”
The girl shrugs and just writes it down.
“Civil Status?”
“Single– I mean Married.”
“We’re going–”
“Please–”
“–to have–”
“Please don’t do this I’m so tired–”
“–to start over.”
“FUCK–!”
“Species?”
“...”
“Species?”
“...Give me a second I’m wallowing.”
“Species?”
“Human.”
“First name?”
“Haru.”
“Last name?”
“Hamamoto.”
“Middle name?”
“Marshall.”
“Age?”
“17.”
“Date of Birth?”
“Fifth of October, 20XX.”
“Civil Status?”
“Married.”
“Spouse’s first name?”
“Tsumugi.”
“Spouse’s last name?”
“Tsubame.”
“...”
“Are… huff… are we done?”
“...yes, everything seems to be in order.”
“YES. Finally, Goddamn.”
Haru pats the guard on the shoulder as she passes her by.
“Thank fuck, I thought I was going to be here foreve– what’s with the handcuffs.”
“Arrest her.”
Before she can react, one of the deathless, who she assumes is the most touch-starved of the pack, promptly tackles her to the ground.
“HeyheyHEY–“
“Haru Marshall Hamamoto, you are under suspicion for being complicit in the murder of Kagami Kentomi.”
“Where’s the evidence?! I demand to see the evidence?! Right–Right, Tsumugi?!”
“Hmmm… as I thought, we can’t set foot in academy territory.”
“Tsumugi?!”
Tsumugi looks on at the situation with a cold calculation on her face. Though, if Haru squints, she can make out the slightest twinge of amusement. One that seems to be shared by the Elites beside her.
“Y-you’re not going to just let them take me, are you?! I can’t go back to prison!”
“No, of course not.”
“Stop resisting.”
“Help! Police brutality! Police brutality!”
“Alright, alright. That’s enough of that, officers.”
“Forgive me, Lady Tsumugi, but you are currently under suspicion for the murder of Lady Kentomi. Lady Gleam has specifically requested for us to investigate your involvement in the incident. To that end, we will be taking this girl into custody.”
“Hmmm. That is a serious accusation. Has this been mandated by the council?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Very well. Then you may now unhand my wife.”
“...”
The Deathless holding her down looks towards the one manning the checkpoint, who gives her a slow but purposeful nod.
“At once, Lady Tsumugi.”
The girls bow as they unlock the handcuffs off of Haru.
“What… just happened?”
“Spousal privilege. It protects spouses from testifying against each other.”
Tsumugi has that sing-song know-it-all timbre in her voice again. Haru can’t help but roll her eyes.
“In English.”
“The mandate was only to investigate me, Tsumugi Tsubame. They have no grounds for taking away someone who can’t tell them a thing.”
“Forgive me, my lady. We were not aware you were wed to Lady Tsumugi.”
“Yeah, I bet you weren’t aware of this either.”
Haru cocks her fist like she’s about to punch the Deathless in the face but pulls back at the last minute. The Deathless does not flinch.
“Sike.”
She spits on the ground as she walks away from the checkpoint and back towards Tsumugi, Kikimi, and all the other Elites.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, peachy.”
“Sorry about that. You were the only one who could pull off that stunt without getting arrested.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just tell me when you’re going to do shit like that next time, aight?”
“My apologies. I will keep your feelings in mind next time.”
“Okay good. I’m glad that’s settled.”
Haru places her hands on her hips and takes a deep breath.
“Maybe we should have waited till we were inside Takakumo before we broke the news to them?”
“Not reporting the death of such an important person would only make us out to be more suspicious.”
“Good point.”
“My guess right now is that the student council’s shaken up. It’s the only way they would agree to Gleam.”
“What? They got some beef with Gleam or something?”
“Sort of, it’s less of that and more that it’s just so obvious that Gleam’s trying to shift the blame to someone else. It makes sense that she would pick me… but to reveal her hand to me before I even step foot in the city… well, it’s just plain and simple stupid.”There’s a vicious sheen in Tsumugi’s eyes as she dissects the situation. Just looking at her sends shivers up Haru’s spine. Haru has to admit, even though she’s not exactly her type, she jumps up to a 5/10 when she’s like this. Still dresses like a nerd, though.
“Yowch.”
Tsumugi shrugs.“Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. She’s my mother’s disciple, a legendary fighter, and a wonderful friend, but politics was never her strong suit. She’s just… stupid like that.”
“Noted. That sounds like bad news but noted. Any other weak points–”
Haru stops. Electricity courses through the air as a kind of miasma leaks from the gem on Tsumugi’s staff. All is silent in the face of barely contained fury.
“Tsumugi… are you alright?”
“It’s just… so stupid. So so stupid.”
She’s clenching her fist. There’s blood dripping from her palm.
“I thought that we were friends but I guess not, huh?”
There’s frenzy in Tsumugi’s pupils, though her mouth remains stiff. She smiles a spite-filled smile and shrugs. Haru claps her on the shoulder. The whole time, it feels like her hand’s moving through molasses. Haru gives her a wry smile and a nod, like she’s about to bite her fingers off.
“Listen, Tsumugi. I know you’re going through it right now but you need to remember that I can’t say for sure why Gleam’s doing the things she’s doing and neither can you. But I–... we do know that we can’t let her get away with killing Kagami.”
Haru clamps her hand on Tsumugi’s other shoulder.
“Look. If it’s any comfort, right now, we just have to get to Gleam. We can decide what to do after that, okay?”
“...okay... okayokayokay…”
Tsumugi takes a deep breath. Haru feels her shoulders begin to relax. Slowly, surely, Haru takes her hands off of her shoulder.
“Better?”
“Yeah. Better.”
“Aight. Cool. So… what’s the plan?”
“Well… first thing’s first, I think that Gleam’s little gambit is turning out to be a bigger problem than I thought. Politics aside, there’s the problem of actually getting into the academy.”
“Hmmm. I know there’s probably no point asking, but I assume just letting ourselves get questioned is a no-go?”
“Of course not. Even though it’s just questioning for now, there’s no telling what Gleam’s going to pull or who she’s going to pay once we’re under Disciplinary Committee custody. At the very least, we’re going to get held up for weeks while Gleam passes what legislature she wants without our say in it, and at worst, we’re looking at life sentences for a crime we didn't commit. And… Well, I’m not proud to admit it, it’s not like Takakumo’s police force is the cleanest.”
“What do you mean?”
“My mother was a firm believer in guilty until proven innocent. There’s been no progress towards fixing the corruption problem.”
“So don’t get arrested. Got it.”
“Hmmmm… we’re in kind of a bind.”
Tsumugi sighs.
“I suppose we don’t have a choice. Haru, you’ll have to legally represent me in front of the council.”
“Wha– me?!”
“I don’t like it either, but I don’t think we have a choice. I… can’t trust my forces to handle something this sensitive.”
“You can’t trust them?”
“Nope. Not with something like this. They’re just not… cut out… for this. Agh, it’s hard to explain. Plus, they’re still out on an exercise mission in the mountains. I don’t want to disturb them.”
“And the rest?”
“We recently decentralized the duty of guarding Takakumo’s borders. In plain terms, I have a few former Deathless under my command. They’re reliable, but I don’t know if I can trust them with something this sensitive. I can probably call up a favor with them, though, make sure you have a guide so you’re not completely lost.”“Cool. I, an outsider, am going to have to go meet with the leaders of the Neo Magical Academy, a place I know nothing about.”
“Listen, don’t panic. I just need someone to convince the council that we’re a non-threat and they should have Gleam stop the investigation as soon as possible. Simple as that.”
“Uh-huh. And how do I do that?”
“You’re a girl with reasonable charisma. I’m sure you can figure something out.”
“...”
Haru gives Tsumugi a long, hard stare. The type she gives a friend right before they talk her into doing something stupid.
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Chapter 70 Epilogue
“Please, help yourself to some tea.” Nanashi gestures at the chair across from her for Haru to sit down. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last met but already, she’s made a little home for herself in Takakumo. It’s surprising how much laboratory apparatus she’s managed to cram into such a tiny space. Arcane sigils, test tubes, and strange machines clutter the room in an organizational system that Haru could never decipher even if she had a lifetime to try. And in the center, is a simple table and two stools set up. “No thank you, I have a temperature-sensitive tongue. It burns when I eat even slightly warm food.” “Ah well, that’s a pity.” Nanashi takes the teacup away. It looks comically tiny in her armored grasp. “So, what business do you have with me?” “I believe your terms with Tsumugi stipulated that only half of the Papilio in Takakumo return to their Think-Tanks, correct?” “Yes, that is true.” “By any chance, would you ever consider capturing Takakumo for yourself and
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“Long time no see, Tot.” “It’s literally been a single day.” Kazuko walks along the pristine battlefield and comes to a stop exactly ten paces away from where Haru’s standing. “What do you want?” Haru adjusts her stance, placing herself between Kazuko and the unconscious Tsumugi. “I’ve come to talk.”“That’s it?” “Yep. I realized that after all this time, we never got a chance to properly talk to each other.” “I suppose you’re right.” “I must thank you, Tot.” Kazuko plants her rapier on the ground. “I think you’ve helped me to realize something about myself.” “And what is that?” “That you and I are the same. We’re two sides of the same coin, you and I. We can claim to be soldiers or heroes or avenging angels all we want, but in the end, we both kill.” “You’ve come all this way just to tell me that?” “Not quite. I’ve decided that I won’t tolerate any more excuses. From you or from myself. Regardless of whether we chose our lives or our lives chose us, we’re both killers. Jud
Chapter 68 Stellar Stellar
A gargantuan scythe blade the size of a mountain manifests from the tip of Tsumugi’s staff while Gleam blazes pure white, light magic seeping out of her very being. With a ponderous sweep of her arm, Tsumugi brings the scythe down, its tip aimed right for the crowd. The Deathless start to disperse but there’s not enough time. Someone trips. She closes her eyes to brace for impact but the impact never comes. Instead, there’s a brutal grinding sound. Opening her eyes, instead of seeing the tip of the scythe bearing down on her, she sees Gleam’s back as she clashes against Tsumugi’s scythe. “RUN!” The girl scrambles to her feet and runs away. Now all Gleam has to worry about is the mountain of cursed energy bearing down on her. “GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!” Gleam lets out an unearthly cry as she wills herself to go faster, to break through Tsumugi’s attack, to turn the tides of this battle. “STELLAR!” The speed of light isn’t fast enough to move the scythe more than a few inches.
Chapter 67 Motteke! Sailor Fuku!
They come bursting out from the trees. Large metal transports with segmented armor that makes them resemble pillbugs. A far cry from the train-like things the Monarchs used all those years ago. They speed across the landscape, skimming across the flora of these lands. One transport in particular rushes ahead of the others, setting an example that the other transports follow. Atop its roof, stands a green-haired girl shredding her guitar. Heavy rock music, amplified by her sound sorcery, blasts outwards. It’s so loud that the ground almost seems to vibrate as they approach. But they find nothing. No patrols. No Deathless anywhere. It reeks of a trap. Tsumugi sticks her head out of the transport she’s in to yell at Haru.“Stick to the plan!” Haru nods and swaps tracks to the one corresponding to the signal for ‘Stick to the Plan’. The transition is nearly seamless. One by one, the transports climb the walls protecting Takakumo like it’s nothing. In the distance, they see it, Takakumo
Chapter 66 Aloha
“It seems we’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve been exiled.” Haru relays Gleam’s speech to Tsumugi. “What do we do?” Florence asks. “Nothing has changed. Let’s keep moving.” Haru waves her hand out the car window at the other Elites to follow close behind. They comply, mostly out of fear. They know that their duty is to Lady Kentomi first, Takakumo second, and Haru third, but the thought of going against Haru is just too much. The streets are empty, nearly everyone’s attending Gleam’s speech. What few people are left behind smile and wave at them as they pass, blissfully unaware of what Tsumugi’s become. They know not what she knows. “Where are we going exactly?” “To the forest on the edge of Takakumo’s borders. I’ve arranged for a meeting there.” Ah, to where it all began. The memories of a month or two ago come flooding back to Haru. It felt like a lifetime ago they were on that train and came crashing into Takakumo, completely unwelcome. “This is nostalgic.” Haru rests he
Chapter 65 Alter Ego Messiah
Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs fill pages, and pages fill up the tome. Number 3344 works dutifully, slowly but surely working through the book she’s been tasked to fill up. That is the purpose of the Papilio after all, to lend their minds as processors to the great Monarchian supercomputer complex, Nivosus. It is a purpose shared by the uncountable Papilio filling up this facility. They do not know better. None of them do. So they toil away, their minds working to the bone in the computational visual matrix.Every paragraph, every sentence, every letter is another crumb of data in the great compendium that the Monarchs seek to fill with all knowledge in existence. Years pass in the blink of an eye for the Papilio. Seasons pass them by without being noticed. They all keep their eyes downwards, scribing everything being fed to them. Number 3344 is no different. Just another drop in the ocean. Just another body being kept in a tube. Then
Chapter 64 Preparations
As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
Chapter 63 Preparations
As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
Chapter 62 Bad to Worse
“Kikimi faltered.” Kazuko takes a deep breath just to check if her lung is still punctured. Surprisingly enough, it seems that the damage Tsuki dealt her just a few hours ago has already healed. Usually, it takes a few more hours.“That’s fine. She’s more useful to us dead.” Florence stares out the window at the full moon hanging in the sky. “Now that she’s out of the picture, Gleam’s a legitimate threat to both Tsumugi and Tomoe. But now that they’ve already severed their alliance, it’s going to be that much more difficult to stop her.” “Yeah, whatever. I don’t care about any of that stuff.” Kazuko slowly lifts herself off the chair she was sitting in. “You’re on your own from now on.” “Wait, hold on, what happened to owing me your life?” “A life for a life. My debt has been paid in full.” Florence saved her, and she killed Kikimi. Fair’s fair.“How do I know you won’t just rat me out?” “You don’t. But you don’t have any other choice.” Florence looks on as Kazuko slings her cape
