2022-12-06 22:27:51“Help me to m-marry. I know that the students of the Neo Magical Academy typically marry around the age of seventeen to nineteen so… I figured that someone like you would be knowledgeable.”
“Hm? You truly risked your life for marriage advice?”
“N-No, not exactly. I was hoping for… more direct help.”
“Then perhaps you would like me to arrange one for you?”
YES! Yes! Yes! Yes! YESSSSSS!!!
“Why, yes. That would be ideal indeed. She would have to be a noble woman, one of great beauty. Yes… that person would be ideal.”
“Very well, then, Tsumugi, would you mind marrying Hamamoto?”
NO! No! No! No! NOOOOOO!!!
“You read my mind perfectly, Lady Kentomi. A political marriage to strengthen the bond between our factions is ideal for both of us.”
“Hey, hold on, I just said–”
“A noblewoman of great beauty?”
“Well, yes, but–”
“But…?”
Tsumugi raises an eyebrow at her. Haru suddenly gets the feeling that she’s walking on a very thin tightrope. If the options are between her potentially poking the hornet’s nest and upsetting a member of the Neo Magical Academy’s student council or getting hitched, then she supposes that there’s little else to do other than bite the bullet.
“It’s nothing. I’m perfectly fine with this.”
FUCK!
“Well, I suppose that’s settled."
Kagami lightly claps them both on the back. Haru feels like she might fall over from that tiny amount of force alone.
"All we need now are some witnesses… I don't suppose you brought your forces with you, Tsumugi?"
"No, when I heard about what happened to your consort, I was beside myself. I knew that you would throw yourself into the line of fire so I simply had to rush to your aid. There was no time to gather anyone else."
“Ah, is that so?”
Both Tsumugi and Kagami stare at each other. A shiver travels up Haru’s spine. For a reason she can’t explain, she senses the quietest of cold wars being waged between the two girls.
“LADY KENTOMI!”
Then the hostility vanishes. Putting on the biggest smiles they can muster, they turn to greet the third party, fourth party, fifth party, sixth party… all the way to 99th Parties calling out from somewhere in the forest. She rechecks it. Yes, 99 different voices all calling out for ‘Lady Kentomi'. Haru turns all around but sees only trees. Squirming trees. Like gigantic rodents moving in the underbrush.
“I suppose here come your forces, then?"
“Just my honor guard.”
The sounds of rustling come from everywhere and yet, no matter how hard Haru looks, she can’t find anyone or anything. Then, almost cartoonishly, she spots it. No- not it, them. All of them. All 99 of them. She recounts. Yes, 99 of them. All of them dressed in various levels of camouflage gear. From green face paint to full on ghillie suits. Many of them have guns that seem too big for their bodies, the rest have serrated knives. How she missed so many people all at once is a mystery to her.
“We were so worried!”
A particularly eager beaver jumps up to wrap her arms around Kagami. She returns the favor, lifting the girl high up into the air. A gentle innocence graces her face in the form of a toothy smile , one that Haru hasn’t seen before. Understandably so, it’s not as though there’s much room for gentleness in Monarchian Territory. Not even for their allies.
“Lady Kentomi!”
Someone in the crowd calls out all of a sudden. Her voice is harsh and strict amidst all the celebration. The crowd parts to reveal a tall girl in commando gear. Bandana around her forehead, short ginger ponytail, green combat fatigues from the waist down, white tank top from the waist up. Overall, 7/10, semi-smash from Haru.
“That girl reeks of the outside world. We should be rid of her immediately.”
The person points at Haru with all the distaste of a person pointing at a cockroach.
“Huh?! I’m the one who reeks? I’ll have you know I shower twice a day, lady!
“It’s a metaphor, idiot! It means that we can’t trust you."
“I saved Kentomi's life!”
“It’s Lady Kentomi, to you. And besides, you merely beat us to the punch. We would have rescued her regardless.”
“Gh–!”
Haru searches her mind for some kind of comeback but comes back empty-handed. Stressing about her arranged marriage can wait, she needs to think about whether she can get away with punching this bitch in the face or not.
“Peace, Kikimi.”
Kikimi. What an unsightly name.
“This girl made an enemy out of the Monarchs for my sake. I trust her more than some people from inside Takakumo.”
Based on her scowl alone, the girl named Kikimi seems thoroughly unconvinced.
“If nothing else, should the worst come to pass, she will make a fine ally against Gleam.”
“Gleam…”
Ah, there it is. Her scowl deepens but Haru gets the impression that it’s directed somewhere else. Whoever this Gleam person is, Kikimi’s hatred for her far eclipses the hatred she has for the outside world.
“Does that mean we’re taking her with us?”
“This girl has nowhere else to go. The Monarchs will tear her to shreds within the hour for her treason. It wouldn’t do for us to leave her here for dead.”
“Even then… I don’t like that we’re bringing an outsider into Takakumo.”
“Then very well, I was hoping to do this in a more comfortable environment but everyone please gather around.”
She conducts the crowd into a large circle composed of girls of all shapes and sizes. Some are smaller than Haru, some are larger than Kagami, some sport heavy armor, and some hardly wear anything at all beyond their camouflage. They hold their hands together and even bow their heads in pseudo-reverence.
“Um, excuse me.”
Haru leans in close to Kagami’s ear and whispers.
“What in the hell is happening?”
“Ah that’s right, where are my manners? Haru, this is my personal honor guard, the Ninety-Nine Bridal Elites. They’re also my wives.”
“Ahhh, I see. That makes sense–”
What did she just say? Wives? Ninety-nine wives? Aren’t you supposed to stop at one? Something in her chest shatters into ninety-nine pieces.
“So… you’re married… to everyone here?”
“Except for Tsumugi.”
“Of course.”
She crouches down and covers her face in her hands.
“Hmmm… you seem upset.”
“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
She stands up, dusts herself off and puts on the blankest expression she can muster. Haru looks around at the crowd of people that are now surrounding her, Kagami and Tsumugi.
“Let’s get this over with. Whatever this is.”
“This is your wedding. My honor guard will be your witnesses.”
“Oh right.”
She crouches down and covers her face in her hands. Again.
“Hmmm… you seem upset.”
“No, I’m fine, let’s just get this over with.”
“We are gathered here today, in holy matrimony… err… something something something. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Tsumugi leans in, Haru doesn’t. Thankfully, she merely kisses her on the cheek. It stings. She kisses her twice, because fangs come in pairs. A shotgun marriage in the middle of an enchanting forest. It’s a fairytale moment that she always dreamed would happen to her. And yet, now that she’s here, she can’t help but wish that she was anywhere else. She can’t help but laugh at how upset she is at the whole thing. Though, there is one saving grace about this whole thing. That is, the look on Kikimi’s face.
“HA?!”
“There. By virtue of marrying a citizen, this girl is now a citizen of Takakumo City.”
“B-But Lady Tsumugi is the Muse of the student council!”
“What of it?”
“Oh that’s just a silly little honorary title. I don’t hold much actual authority so you don’t have to worry about this.”
Tsumugi waves her hand dismissively.
“Well, there you have it, Kikimi. Two consenting parties. Everything seems to be in order.”
Kagami places her hands on her hips and smiles, self-satisfied. Kikimi looks like she’s about to say something but bites her tongue.
“Very well. I have no more qualms. Your will is so, Lady Kentomi.”
“Good.”
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Corpse March Chapter 8
“Good.”Kagami takes a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Tsumugi earnestly follows suit like a little sister copying her big sister. Well, she supposes that this arrangement could be worse. Tsumugi seems like a sweet and gentle enough girl. Maybe she won’t mind getting such a quick divorce. Hm, no, she’s definitely going to take offense to that if Haru even suggests it. She might even have her beheaded. Do they still do beheadings in the Neo Magical Academy? She isn’t sure. Though, she did say that Muse was just an honorary title. Well, honorary title or no, she’d hate to break her heart that callously. Hmmm… what to do? Maybe she’ll eventually just get bored of Haru? She can hope. But only time will tell. “By the way, is someone missing?”Kagami’s voice cuts through the din inside of Haru’s head. “I only count ninety nine–”The joy of the occasion is suddenly soured. A wave of vanished smiles spread out from the center of the circle all the way to the edge. The din of joyful m
Corpse March Chapter 9
“My last name’s Tsubame. As in, Tsumugi Tsubame.”Tsubame… why is that name so familiar? Then it hits her, like the meteor hit the dinosaurs. “You’re shitting me.”“She was my mother, yes.”“Holy shit.”Tsubame… as in, Hoshi Tsubame, the god-queen? So does that mean she just married a princess or Jesus? Both? Either way, that’s a hell of a score. Holy shit indeed. That’s some bona fide fairytale stuff right there. A girl is accidentally married to someone else but that someone else turns out to be a princess. This is beyond luck, this has to be fate or something. “Should I like, bow?”“No, no, that won’t be necessary.”Tsumugi giggles a little bit. Haru must be even shallower than she herself thought because her heart is fluttering to the beat of her laugh. Suddenly, she feels like the luckiest girl on Earth. “So, does that make me a princess?”“What?”“You know, a princess, like you?”“Oh no, I’m not a princess.”“But your mother’s the god-queen?”“Oh we’re not a Monarchy.”“But…
Corpse March Chapter 10
“Haru, wait!”She bursts from the tent and slips. The grass is wet, but not with water. A curse looses from Haru’s lips as her forehead hits the ground. But when she lifts her head back up, she’s silent. Red clouds her eyes. It stains the ground. It pools and flows onto Haru’s hands. Blood. No matter how many times she sees it, it always scares her. But she barely even notices. Her eyes are instead locked onto Kagami.“Kagami… hey, Kagami.”She’s sleeping on the ground like she just fainted all of a sudden. There’s a broken teacup in her hands. How clumsy of her. “Wake up, Kagami. We need to get out of here.”“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”A voice like a crashing wave slams into her side. It takes her a moment to grasp that it’s Kikimi's. Slowly and painstakingly, Haru turns her head away from Kagami’s still body, waiting for her is the soldier girl’s gaze. It strikes her like a lightning bolt strikes the ground. It’s no wonder, then, that the punch that comes after feels like being struck b
Corpse March Chapter 11
“Not here. Bear with me for a moment.” Tsumugi ducks from the prying eyes of the soldiers still milling about and sets off into the forest. She’s careful to avoid dragging Haru along the ground. They must have gone a full minute deep into the forest before Tsumugi finally sets her down on a small bed of grass. A sound like a shiver of a bell toll rings out as she taps her staff hilt against the ground. Soft blue light begins to emanate from the crystal like smoke from a censer. “Geburah.” The sound of a sword being drawn. A black scythe blade manifests from the center of the crystal, as though an invisible cloth was just pulled off of it and it was there all along. With a single strike, she reaps the links holding Haru’s arms and legs together. Along with a piece of her skirt’s hem but she doesn’t care. The refreshing feeling of her suddenly free wrists is reward enough. “Thank fuck.” Well, she knows what she would have done. She would have burned the shit out of as many sons-of-
Corpse March Chapter 12
“I hired you to do one simple thing. ONE. SIMPLE. THING.”“You may be entitled to full financial compensation for your troubles.”“My troubles?! MY TROUBLES?! My troubles only exist because of your failures!”Kuroko doesn’t so much as wince at the scientist’s fury. At some point, her tirade ended up as pointless static at the back of her mind. Whatever. No matter what happens now, whether the Monarchs execute her or if they simply throw her out in disdain, she couldn’t care less. It’s not that she’s making an effort to block out the noise, rather, it simply rolls off of her back like falling rain. Eventually, the downpour lightens into a drizzle, then from a drizzle to a drought. Tsumugi sinks into her throne, exhausted, defeated, deflated. “Go. I have to think about what to tell my adviser.”“Thank you for your patronage, ma’am.”“Just get out of my sight.”Kuroko picks her briefcase off the ground with her mouth, her arms are still broken from this morning. They sway lifelessly at
Corpse March Chapter 13
The chief passes Kuroko the needle and wipes her hands on the cloth. Silently, Kuroko continues suturing the incision shut using her mouth. Is it sterile? Probably not, but she places her trust in the purification. All the while, the chief chats away on the phone. She has that peppy, upbeat, but still reliable saleswoman voice she puts on for all customers. “Girls Won’t Cry. Security, deliveries, and bodies for cheap. What’ll it be?”The chief jerks the receiver away from her ear as a shrill voice erupts from the speaker. It’s audible but still incomprehensible from where Kuroko’s sitting.“...”“Uh-huh…”“...”“Yes, we have a courier department.”“...”“Cash up front? This I like. The water needs turning on and toilets need flush–”“...”“...yes, sorry.”“...”“Immediately?”She looks over at Kuroko who gives her a nod. “Yes, we can handle a rush job.”“...”“Perfect. An associate will be with you within the day. Thank you very much for your patronage.”She plants the receiver back
Corpse March Chapter 14
It’s been three days since Haru got involved with the Neo Magical Academy, three days since she got married, three days since Kagami was killed. That’s more or less seventy two hours for all of it to sink in and yet, none of it feels real. Haru stares blankly at the ground as she walks, trying to absorb everything. The roots of trees, grass, and pebbles dominate her vision. If she breathes, she smells the fresh scent of the earth beneath her feet. Three days of the exact same sight, this trek had long started boring her. At some point, Tsumugi’s endless questions started to become entertaining again. “Is it really true that the survivors of the Original Magical Academy were promptly hunted down?”“I don’t know but that… that sounds about right.”“Are you surprised?”“No, not really. But it’s a lot messier than the civilized breakup that our history textbooks made it sound like.”“Originally, Takakumo city was founded by my mom, Hoshi Tsubame, to shelter the survivors of the Original
Corpse March Chapter 15
“Species?”“What?”“Species. Human or Papilio.”“Oh, uh, human.”“First name?”“Haru.”“Last name?”“Hamamoto.”“Middle name?”“I don’t have one.”“Pick one.”“W
Latest Chapter
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
Chapter 69 Cask
“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
