Corpse March

Chapter 49 Sheer Heart Attack III

Minutes earlier. 

Step. Pause. Step. Pause. Turn. Step. Pause. So on and so on. The guards move about their patrols in perfect lock step. They keep their eyes peeled, not daring to blink, fearing both what they might miss should they avert their gaze and the retribution that they might incur. If there’s one thing they’ve learned working underneath Haru, it’s that if there’s a mistake, she’ll erase it herself. No exceptions. 

One of the guards, one with a red handkerchief sticking out of her breast pocket, breaks away from the pack and heads to the second floor bathroom. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one bats an eye. Perfect. 

She locks the bathroom door behind her and checks every single stall for any sign of anyone inside. Once she’s sure that she’s alone, she takes out her handkerchief before unfolding it onto the ground. 

A moment passes before her master pushes open the door to the bathroom himself and locks the door behind him. 

“Sir Florence, sir.” 

“At ease.” 

Florence kneels down next to the unfolded handkerchief before plunging his hand into it. As though the handkerchief were the surface of a pond. He fishes around for a moment before pulling his hand back. In his clutch is a large bundle of dynamite.

“Here.” The guard passes Florence a small bundle of electronic parts that she managed to smuggle into the gala. “Is that everything?”

“Yes. Thank you for your service.” Florence takes out a silenced pistol from his cloak and puts two bullets into the guard’s head. She crumples to the floor with a ‘thump’. 

“Long live Takakumo.”

Downstairs, the party rages on. 

“MY NAME’S HARU HAMAMOTO, ADVENTURER MUSICIAN, ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR EVENING, TAKAKUMO!” 

Haru Hamamoto… how does she factor into all this, he wonders. 

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“MY NAME’S HARU HAMAMOTO, ADVENTURER MUSICIAN, ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR EVENING, TAKAKUMO!” With that, Haru does that kick-step thing that she loves to do so much all the way off-stage, where Tsumugi waits to greet her. 

“You, um…” Tsumugi takes out a small sheaf of papers from her pocket. “You forgot your speech.” 

“Well, I didn’t need it, thankfully.” 

“That was certainly… something.”

“Did you not like my playing?”

“No, no, that was excellent. It just wasn’t what I expected. So bonus points there.” Tsumugi smiles gently as she nods at Haru. 

“Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all night.” She can’t help but return the smile. “Anywho, I gotta go check on something. Probably nothing.” 

“Are you sure it’s nothing?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.” Haru has that look on her face. She’s hiding something, but judging from her expression, Tsumugi gets the impression that it’s probably best not to pry. “I will be right back.” 

As she leaves, she snags one of the guards by the shoulder and whispers something into her ear. Whatever it was that Haru said, it earns her a wide eyed look. 

“I wonder what that was about...” Tsumugi’s eyes follow Haru as she squirms through the crowd and slips into the bathroom.

“Lady Tsumugi?” A stagehand’s voice shakes her out of her thoughts. “You’re on.” 

“Ah, right, right. Wish me luck.” 

Tsumugi walks out onto the stage, brilliant white spotlights immediately colonize her retinas. It’s a miracle that they can pierce through her thick glasses. Squinting her eyes, she finally manages to find her way onto the podium. 

“Hey everyone! Are you enjoying your evening?” 

A small number of “yeah’s” sound out. Not quite the standing ovation she was hoping for. 

Start with the basics.

“For those new here, my name is Tsumugi Tsubame, daughter of Hoshi Tsubame. I’m currently serving as the muse of the Takakumo Student Council.” 

Now rope them in. 

“And yes, before anyone asks, I’m familiar with my reputation. To that, I say yes.”

Let it sink.

“Yes, I am the one wasting all of your tax money on charity drives and boring things like land distribution. But–” 

A few ‘boo’s. Which is a few more than she thought she would get. It gets under her skin and nips at her chest. Okay, maybe owning up to her rep wasn’t the best move. Fine. The bottom-feeding elite that plague this city will be bottom-feeders. Just stick to the script. 

“...but I’m thrilled to announce a project that I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a little girl. A non-profit organization dedicated to underdeveloped Papilio who are too young to work the fields. Yes, you heard me right, Takakumo city’s very first orphanage!” 

She raises her arms, expecting a cascade of applause but finds only silence. Tsumugi swallows. 

“A-anyway, this very wing of the Curia you’re currently in will be completely renovated for that exact purpose. That’s right, everything you see here will one day become a home but… we need funding.”

There’s a cascade of ‘boo’s. That’s their patience worn through.

“GET THIS MONARCH OFF THE STAGE!”

There’s that word again. ‘Monarch’. It jabs into her brain like a knife. She feels her hand clench into a fist. Though, there is no anger in her heart, only hurt. But she can’t give up now. Not when she’s so close. 

“Please, just give me a chance–”

Someone throws a champagne flute at her. Instinctively, Tsumugi recoils. There’s the sound of glass shattering. At first, she thinks that she’s been hit but she feels nothing. Not the impact nor the broken glass falling onto her skin. Slowly, her eyes adapt to the brilliance of the spotlights.

“That’s enough. This speech is over.” Standing in front of her, sword still drawn in midair, is Gleam. The audience is silent, eyes frozen in a mix of fear and respect. More fear and more respect than Tsumugi has ever commanded. She feels… safe. Even though she’s her enemy right now, she feels that there’s nowhere else that she would be more protected. 

The crowd’s been silenced. There’s nothing left for Tsumugi to do but retreat. Hanging her head, she quickly walks offstage, Gleam following quickly behind her. 

“You okay?” There’s a softness in Gleam’s voice that doesn’t show itself often.

“I’m fine.” Tsumugi doesn’t stop walking. 

“Hey–” Gleam places her hand on Tsumugi’s shoulder. 

“I didn’t ask for your help, you know. I had everything under control.” Tsumugi massages her temples. Who is she kidding? That whole thing was a disaster from start to finish. Still, to think that the person who’s supposed to be her enemy is the one helping her… it’s shameful, to say the least. 

“Ah… sorry.” Gleam averts her gaze. “I just couldn’t stand seeing all… that.” 

“I suppose that I should thank you.” Tsumugi sighs. “So… thanks.”

Gleam only nods in return. They both languish in the silence. Words form at the edge of their mind before being discarded, fading back into nothingness. 

“I–”

“We–”

“Oh, sorry, go on.” 

“No, no, you go first.” 

“No, it’s fine, I didn’t have anything important to say.” 

“Me neither.” 

“It’s fine, just go.” 

“Um.” Tsumugi scratches the back of her head. “How… have you been?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You know, just… what have you been up to?”

“Stuff, I guess.” 

“I see.” 

“And you?”

“Just the usual.”

“Oh, okay.”

“...”

“...”

“Hey–” 

A thunderous rumbling cuts Gleam off mid-sentence. Even though it sounded like it came from a distance, the force still knocks them both onto the ground. 

Slowly, Gleam rises to her feet and stumbles out from backstage. Based on how everyone else is still either on the ground or slowly getting back onto their feet, everyone else seems to be just as confused as to what is happening. But out of the corner of her eye, she spots it. Like a gigantic black stain on this otherwise pristine place. Scorch marks and sheer destruction emanating from the second floor bathroom.