The Hollow Regalia
「──Waooon! Good Morning, Iroha Waon here」
「Thanks for coming to see me today, too. As always, the weather continues to be good, doesn’t it? However, the temperature of my house is, believe it or not, 33 degrees! Iyaaー No wonder I thought it was hot today. Everyone too, please be careful to not get a heatstroke.」
「……That said, if it’s this hot then of course singing and dancing are impossible, so today, I’d like to try indoor cooking, yes, the thing known as Japanese food.」
「Even if it looks like this, waon, I’m actually rather good at cooking. No, no, really. I’m not lying! So without any further ado, let’s get ready to prepare Nikujaga.[1]」
†
That store stood quietly in the gap between abandoned buildings on the eastern coast of Edo River.
It was a suspicious looking store that handled strange imported goods.
At the back of the store, an old man with a small stature was sitting. He was a Mexican wearing a shirt with gaudy patterns. He was flipping through a faded Japanese manga magazine while smoking a cigar that had turned small.
“I’ve returned, Ed”
Yahiro, who casually entered the store, threw the baggage he was carrying into the counter where the shopkeeper sits. It was a long, narrow box made of white paulownia wood, almost around Yahiro’s height.
“Are you alone, Yahiro. What happened to the escorts the client sent?”
The storekeeper Ed──Eduardo Valenzuela, glanced at Yahiro’s face with a bothersome look, while still reading the manga magazine.
“Escorts? Don’t you mean the guys sent to keep a watch on me?”
While giving a curt reply, Yahiro took out a few silver pieces of metal from his pocket. Stainless-steel dog tags. They were retrieved from the necks of the mercenaries sent to monitor Yahiro.
“Fumu, so they died.”
Ed said in a tone devoid of any emotions.
It was not rare for humans, who set foot in the 23 wards designated as danger zones, to lose their lives. That was all the more for mercenaries coming from the outside. Rather, Yahiro is the strange one for being alive even after frequenting the 23 wards for many years.
“We were attacked by a Beast. It was something like a giant black dog. The place was around the Senju police station.”
“I see.”
After carefully writing down Yahiro’s explanation, Ed stuck that memo to the map on the wall.
Reliable information on Beasts can sell at a high price, and above everything else, survival rate can greatly increase depending on whether you know it or not. Instead of the details about the mercenaries, information of the Beasts that appear in the 23 wards was more valuable for Ed.
“So, what happened to the requested item?”
“It’s this, right? I had to go through troubles to find it since it wasn’t in an easy-to-understand place like a museum.”
“Yahiro pointed at the baggage he brought.
Ed casually opened the box made of paulownia wood. Inside it was a single Japanese sword, stored in a sword bag.
What came out of the sword bag, was an Uchigatana-goshirae[2] Japanese sword. It was a museum-quality, amazingly old article.
“The national treasure 『KuyouNavagraha MasakaneTrue Steel』 huh……Fumu, seems like the real thing.”
After glancing at the note written below the paulownia box, Ed loosened his cheeks, satisfied. For Yahiro, that calligraphy written with a brush seemed to be nothing more than a strange symbol.
“You sure can read those letters well. Even the Japanese me has no idea what’s written.”
“That’s natural. Otherwise, I wouldn’t work as an art dealer.”
“An art dealer huh”
Yahiro couldn’t help but laugh, listening to Ed’s boastful statement.
Transporting valuable artworks out of Tokyo, that is now ruined and uninhabited, and selling them to dilettantes of other countries. That was Ed’s occupation. You couldn’t call it such a high job like an art dealer. At best, calling him a scavenger or looter[3] would be correct.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No. I won’t have any complaints as long as you pay me.”
Yahiro shook his head while laughing in self-derision. Being the one to actually enter the 23 wards, and retrieving the art pieces at Ed’s requests, was Yahiro’s job. In short, he was the subcontractor of a looter.
He didn’t have any feelings of guilt in selling off his own country’s art pieces to foreign countries. It would be ridiculous if only the treasures remained behind in a ruined country.
“The reward huh. Of course I’ll pay that.”
Ed took out a roll of banknotes from the drawer and casually threw them in front of Yahiro. They were slightly dirty, US dollar bills, bounded by a rubber band. The amount wasn’t small, but it was not as much as he was expecting either. One could tell at a glance they were less than ten thousand dollars without needing to count.
“Wasn’t that a fifty thousand dollar job?”
“It’s what you call a brokerage fee.”
Ed declared indifferently to the question Yahiro asked looking dissatisfied.
“Negotiations with the client. Appraising the art works. Everything will cost money. Even the information doesn’t come for free.”
“Even if that’s the case, why is your share bigger? You were just reading a worthless manga inside a comfortable store.”
“It’s regretful you’re calling it worthless. If you sell Japanese manga magazines at the right place, they can go for a really high price. Look, here’s a valuable pre-serialization one-shot of 「Solomon’s Roar」”.
“I’m not talking about that. In the first place, that manga magazine too is something I picked up by risking my life entering the 23 wards.”
Yahiro lowered his voice as if irritated.
Ed intentionally took his time exhaling the cigar smoke, and meaningfully smiled.
“If you have any complaints, then accept requests from a different storedealer next time onwards. That is, if there’s someone other than me interested in hiring a Japanese like you.”
A sound came from Yahiro’s hands. It was the sound of the stainless-steel dog tags breaking, not being able to withstand Yahiro’s grip strength. He slammed those twisted dog tags into the counter.
Ed shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, as if saying “Oh that’s scary”.
“If you need money that much, then why don’t you take on jobs as a soldier or bodyguard for the underground society? A carteldrug syndicate from Chiba is looking for a capable person to work as a bodyguard. Knowing your strength, you can earn some good money that way.”
“I have no intention of accepting requests that involve killing people. I’ll consider it if you were the target.”
Yahiro declared with a displeased voice. Hearing that, Ed sighed with a ‘yare yare’ and said,
“It seems the Japanese do not know what gratitude is.”
“You’ve been thoroughly ripping me off so far, so I don’t owe you shit.”
Yahiro harshly said that and grabbed the dollar notes from the counter. He then threw them uncovered into his leg bag.
“……A private military company from the Kanto Region is gathering its forces. That’s the reason why the carteldrug syndicate guys are getting so nervous. Seems like there is going to be a big movement in the 23 wards soon.”
Ed suddenly called out to Yahiro, who was about to silently leave the store.
Yahiro stopped and looked back.
“A big movement?”
“I don’t know the specific details. If you leave that money as information fee, then I won’t mind checking it out for you.”
“Who’s gonna leave it behind? That thing doesn’t have anything to do with me, right?”
“It would be nice if that’s the case. According to rumors, it seems like there are people sniffing around for information on a retriever frequenting the 23 wards. So you take care of yourself as much as possible.”
Ed once again started going through the manga magazine after saying that with an indifferent tone.
A private military company is investigating about a retriever──Ed’s words were a warning for Yahiro. That’s definitely an info he was curious about.
Nonetheless, that didn’t make him feel any gratitude for Ed. When he thought about why his reward was strangely not enough, it seemed like Ed had already deducted the exact compensation for that information. Although one could say that it’s better that he’s willing to make a proper deal with a Japanese like Yahiro, but──
Drop dead, you geezer, spat Yahiro in his mind while leaving the store behind.
It is said that it all started with just a one meteorite.
It was just a small mass of rock with a diameter less than four hundred meters. That asteroid, named 『VritraEvil Dragon』, repeatedly underwent irregular trajectory changes as if ridiculing the predictions of the optimistic astronomers, and smashed into the Earth’s atmosphere. It rained down on the Japanese archipelago while breaking into countless pieces.
The impact caused by the meteor fall rivaled a huge earthquake of magnitude 9.1. With its falling point as the center, it formed a huge crater several kilometers in diameter, causing catastrophic damage throughout Japan.
However, the tragedy did not end there.
The meteorite crash made the earth’s crust unstable, triggering an increase in volcanic activity. Numerous mountains, including Mt. Fuji, erupted simultaneously in a massive-scale.
Due to the volcanic cinders, pyroclastic flow, and the large amount of volcanic ash, the transportation network of Japan collapsed completely.
What immediately followed was the large-scale outbreak of fierce, mysterious creatures that defied the existing biological knowledge all over the place.
Atypical life-forms, that possessed an appearance like that of mythical creatures, and would later be known as Beasts──
They indiscriminately attacked people, ate them, and destroyed the cities.
With Beasts, who could easily withstand hunting shells and rifle bullets as opponents, not only the police, but the JSDF was powerless as well. The Japanese government, which was already in the state of confusion regarding the meteor fall, completely stopped functioning at that point. It is said that half of the Japanese overall population was lost within one week from the appearance of the Beasts.
Naturally, it wasn’t as if the international community sat idle while watching that disastrous scene unfold.
Countries from all around the world arranged donations and relief supplies, and the preparation to dispatch the international disaster relief team, was underway.
That information encouraged many Japanese who were overwhelmed by the tragedies. They thought just as the nation called Japan experienced many times in the past, we’ll recover from this unprecedented disaster even if it takes time, and regain the peaceful everyday lifestyle. Everyone had such unfounded expectations.
It wasn’t long after that an unusual event occurred.
Without any warning, dignitaries, heads of states and religious leaders ordered their people in unison, as if prepared beforehand.
Kill the Japanese. Annihilate them.
J-nocideGreat Massacre──The 『Japanese Hunt』had begun.
The chain of massacre spread throughout the world in the blink of an eye, and each country promptly began invading Japan with their armies.
The cause and pretext for the J-nocideGreat Massacre varied.
The UN announced that it was an emergency countermeasure to prevent a pandemic caused by a virus that came with the meteorite, while a few countries claimed that the Japanese, cornered by the critical situation, were planning a large-scale terrorist attack.
There were also many religious leaders who preached that Japan was Babylon the GreatThe Great Whore mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and that it was a nest of unclean spirits.
But the explanation that particularly had an overwhelming influence──was that the Beasts were actually biological weapons created by the Japanese government in secret.
It wasn’t as if there weren’t people who doubted those claims, but their voices weren’t taken seriously. As a result, people feverishly hated the Japanese, feared and killed them.
The nation known as Japan disappeared in the middle of that madness. The few Japanese who were still abroad too lost their lives one by one, being exposed to the merciless violence.
Eventually, the natural disasters caused by the influence of the meteor fall abated, and at the same time, the J-nocideGreat Massacre also ended.
That was approximately 6 months after the fall of the asteroid Vritra.
The amount of casualties during that period was over 126 million──
And then the Japanese ceased to exist.
「──Waooon! Good Afternoon, Iroha Waon here!」
「Thanks for coming to see me today, too. I know this is sudden, but everyone, have you realized something? Believe it or not, my outfit has changed from today onwards. Yes, it’s a new outfit! Woo-hoo!」
「You see, this outfit is a bit more revealing than the previous one, so it’s a little embarrassing. I’m feeling quite shy right now. Well, it’s summer, after all! 」
「Actually, the previous outfit became quite tight around the chest part, and it felt like it would burst open if I let my guard down……that’s, that’s wrong! I haven’t gained weight! I’m just growing!」
†
Crossing the Edo River on foot using the Joban line railroad bridge, he trespassed into the sealed Isolation Zone.
An abandoned building of a private college close to the site of the former Kanamachi Station. That was Yahiro’s roost.
The countries that dispatched their armies into Japan for the J-nocideGreat Massacre numbered more than thirty. Presently, 8 of those countries still continue to station their troops, dividing and ruling the whole nation of Japan.
However, the population density is extremely low since the Japanese who should have been ruled over were annihilated.
The occupying forces are only stationed in major ports and large cities. More than half of the Japanese archipelago had been left in a state of anarchy, and has become a lawless zone overrun by international terrorists or criminals.
But there are places where even those criminals rarely set foot into.
Those are the 23 wards──The area once known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Region.
It was the economic and political center of Japan. The reason why the former capital was designated as an Isolation Zone was simple. The appearance rate of Beasts was exceptionally high compared to other places.
Moreover, most of them were fierce and dangerous, and that percentage increased the more close you were to the city center.
That’s the reason why even now, when 4 years have passed since the J-nocideGreat Massacre, the buildings had been left intact and a lot of valuable artworks or traditional handicrafts were left untouched.
It became the dwelling area for beasts, which the control of humans still couldn’t reach to.
That’s why Yahiro stayed at that place. As long as he was inside the 23 wards, there was no risk of being assaulted by a robber, or his house being targeted by burglars.
If a Beast attacks him, he can just kill him. But it’s not so simple if the opponent is a human.
The country that forbade killing had perished. There’s also no one left to reproach Yahiro’s crimes. In spite of that, he felt that if he ever crossed the line of killing someone, he would lose the final support that made him a Japanese.
Of course, that’s just a sentiment. He knows that it’s only for self-satisfaction.
However, he also thinks that it’s not fair for him to take the lives of others, when he himself cannot die.
That’s why, Yahiro can’t kill a person.
It’s to not forget that he is a Japanese, and also that he was once a human.
“Well, technically speaking, trespassing and theft too should be included in that”
Cut me some slack for that much, at least──muttered Yahiro to no one in particular while casually entering the abandoned college building.
Since he couldn’t regain his piece of mind in a spacious, empty classroom, Yahiro made use of a laboratory specially made for college graduates. He threw his luggage onto the sofa he was using in place of a bed, and started preparing a simple dinner consisting of canned food, chocolate and mineral water.
If he asked Ed, then ordering meat, fish, and even freshly baked bread was possible. However, he didn’t feel like trying out such an absurd thing. He had no idea how much he would be ripped off.
The reason why Yahiro made the college campus as his base was because of the solar power generation system set up in the building. Most of the solar panels were damaged, and it lowered the efficiency, even so, Yahiro obtained more than enough electricity for a single person to use.
Starting up the modified smartphone which had finished charging during daytime, Yahiro broke into the military’s communication network. In the past, Yahiro didn’t know how to hack, but after being left alone in this city, there was plenty of time to study. He used special tools to trespass into the network. And through the Canadian army server, which was stationed in Northern Kanto, he established a connection with a foreign video streaming site.
It didn’t take him long to find his intended channel.
The thing displayed on the screen of his modified smartphone, was the face of a beautiful girl, wearing a wig that had animal ears.
「──Waooon! Good Evening, Iroha Waon here!」
「Thanks for coming to see me tonight, too. It finally cooled down a bit when night arrived, didn’t itー……or rather, these cicadas are too annoying! Is there any problem? Can you hear Waon’s voice? Hello?」
Hearing the usual excessively high-tension greeting, Yahiro’s expression loosened.
Silver hair and green eyes. A strange outfit that would remind someone of an idol or anime character. The girl, who introduced herself as Iroha Waon, was a lone amateur streamer that uploaded self-made videos on the internet.
The contents of her videos focused on trifling idle talk.
In addition to that, she also did live cooking, and occasionally played musical instruments or performed a dance.
Most of her videos weren’t that interesting.
There weren’t any points worthy of mentioning except her really pretty face.
The contents of her conversations were that of an average person, and her cooking skills too were normal. Her dancing was skillful, probably due to her good motor nerves, however her singing skills were devastating.
Naturally, the views her videos got never increased. Most of them got viewed only a few dozen times, while the better ones reached three digits.
In spite of that, her videos were unique and special to Yahiro.
That’s because her streams were all in Japanese.
Iroha Waon was a Japanese, or someone closely related to Japan.
For the sake of the Japanese that died out, she uses the language of a destroyed country.
Of course, such a thing could just be someone playing a character. It is highly possible that Iroha Waon doesn’t actually exist, and it’s just someone holding ill will pretending to be Japanese. Even so, Yahiro thought that didn’t matter.
Because it is a true fact that her nostalgic words, and the illusion that a Japanese other than Yahiro still survived, saved him.
「Well then, tonight, Waon is thinking of answering your questions that reached her. The first message is by this person! Yahiron-san from Tokyo! Thank you as always! 」
“─!”
Yahiro made a small guts pose, hearing the name she said. Yahiron was his handle name.[4]
「Yahiron-san, is it true that you live in Tokyo? Waon is also a Tokyo resident, so that makes us neighbors, right? I would be happy if we ever meet……So, the first question of the day is──」
Bringing his face closer to the modified smartphone’s screen, Yahiro stared at the streamer girl.
However, Yahiro wasn’t able to hear Waon’s next words. Since her voice, coming out of the speaker, was drowned by a sudden echo of a gunshot.
“……huh?”
At first, he raised his head as if taken aback, and in the next instant, he reflexively grabbed his knife and rushed out of the room. He could still hear gunshots from the direction of the courtyard.
“Why are there humans in a place like this……!?”
It was obvious, but Beasts cannot use small weapons. Humans had entered the college grounds. He naturally thought that someone carelessly entered the 23 wards, and was being attacked by a Beast.
Of course, the intruder was just getting their just deserts for entering the sealed off Isolation Zone, and Yahiro had no reason to save them. However, he couldn’t let someone die so close to the place he made his resting place, after all.
Yahiro kicked open the door that had a broken lock and rushed into the courtyard. Immediately after, he stopped his feet in surprise.
“Wooah!?”
A person was blown off right in front of Yahiro’s eyes and crashed into the wall. It was the body of a man with a large build, wearing a bulletproof vest. Together with the flashy display of the broken fragments of the glass window, the man rolled into the ground, covered in blood.
“Hey, it’s Narusawa Yahiro!”
Someone called out Yahiro’s name, who was still standing in a daze.
The one calling out to him was a female of oriental descent. She was a girl of a small build wearing a sleeveless Chinese shirt. Her asymmetrical black hair had showy orange highlights.
She looked to be around Yahiro’s age, probably in her mid-teens. She was very lightly dressed, unthinkable from someone who moves around in the 23 wards, and didn’t even have a weapon that actually looked like one. But she was definitely the one who used some martial arts similar to aikido and flung the man wearing the bulletproof vest.
“Sh……it……!”
The man with the bulletproof vest turned the SMGsubmachine gun he was holding towards the girl.
The orange-haired girl didn’t even flinch at gun point. And then, faster than the man could pull the trigger, gunshots were heard from a different place. The man whose right wrist got blown off let out an inarticulate scream.
The one who shot the man was another girl with a face identical to the orange-haired girl.
Large eyes that would remind someone of a whimsical cat. Otherworldly graceful looks. Even as sisters, their faces were unbelievably identical.
The asymmetrical hairstyle, where one side is longer than the other one, was also the same, except that the side it grew longer was opposite for both of them.
Only their hair color was different. The second girl had her hair highlighted in blue.
The Chinese shirt the girls were wearing, too, matched the respective color of their hairs.
The blue-haired girl fired the handguns she was holding in both of her hands, once each.
Although she didn’t have the time to adjust her aim, it was precise. Two men holding guns fell down and went silent, after being shot directly in the middle of their foreheads.
“Ro-chan, there he is. Narusawa Yahiro.
The orange-haired girl waved her hands at the other girl with the identical face.
The blue-haired girl called Ro-chan came closer to Yahiro, while returning the handguns to the holster on her thighs.
“Narusawa Yahiro. You’re Narusawa Yahiro, right? Is that right? Hmm, you’re quite young……although the look in your eyes is bad, I guess the face is pretty cute. And also you smell a little funny.”
The orange-haired girl looked directly at Yahiro and sniffed him.
While holding the knife in a way ready to pull it out anytime, he stared back at her in silence.
He was desperately thinking in his head. Why are the girls here? Why do they know his name? What is their objective? And also are these girls enemy? Or ally──
“I apologize for suddenly barging in, Narusawa Yahiro.”
The blue-haired girl said calmly.
The two girls looked identical, however, the impression their eyes gave was exactly the opposite. As opposed to the orange-haired girl filled with curiosity like a kitten, the blue-haired girl’s eyes showed no emotion at all.
“Barging in you say……first of all, what’s the deal with these guys?”
“They are probably the hired operatorscombatants of some private military company. It seems like they tailed us. They were mostly likely preventing us from getting in contact with you.”
“Why would, a private military company……”
Yahiro asked back while frowning. The warning Ed gave during the day crossed his mind.
A private military company is investigating about a retriever──his words coming true on the same day can’t be just a mere coincidence. Yahiro couldn’t help but doubt that the man knew this would happen from the start.
“That’s……”
The blue-haired girl, who was about to answer Yahiro, suddenly narrowed her eyes and pulled out her handguns.
And then she aimed the muzzle towards the collapsed man. It was the one who got blown away by the orange-haired girl in the beginning.
“Narusawa……Yahirooooo……!”
The man roared while glaring at Yahiro with bloodshot eyes. His muscles strangely bulged out, and sent the bulletproof vest flying.
“So he was still conscious.”
The blue-haired girl mercilessly shot at the man’s forehead. It was a precise aim, like that of a machine. The 9 mm bullet, that has an excellent penetrating strength, pierced the man’s forehead and dealt fatal damage to his brain──or was supposed to.
“Oooooooooooooo!”
However, the man’s movement didn’t stop. With his entire body dyed in his own blood, the man roared with a delightful expression. He glared at Yahiro with a pair of fiery eyes.
“What the hell……is he……”
Yahiro pulled out his knife, feeling an instinctive fear. He could feel a physiological disgust that was the same as Beasts──or even more, from the man’s current appearance
“The F med──!”
The blue-haired girl looked at the nape of the man’s neck. A cylinder similar to a syringe, around 5 cm in diameter, was stabbed near his left carotid artery.
A deep crimson liquid, just like wine, was inside that cylinder. Most of it had already entered the man’s body.
“Ro-chan, get back! That’s a Fafnir soldier!”
The orange-haired girl kicked the ground and leaped. Using her small body skillfully, she grabbed the man’s hand and, with her full weight, twisted it in an impossible direction.
The man’s left hand broke, making an unpleasant sound.
However, that man flung the orange-haired girl away with his broken hand, not paying attention to the pain.
“Giulie──!?”
The blue-haired girl screamed.
“That surprised me……!”
The orange-haired girl rotated midair like a cat and landed on a wall. She then got back on the ground as if nothing had happened, and took distance from the man covered in blood.
Without looking at the girl, the man thrust his broken left arm overhead. The sound of breaking bones resounded multiple times, and his left arm transformed into a distorted shape. That figure, which was covered in hard scales and spiked like a knife, looked like the forelimb of a reptile.
“This is……this is some amazing strength……! I can even kill the Beasts with this power……!”
The man clenched his fists, that had now grown claws, and smiled while baring his teeth. And then, he suddenly turned a gaze filled with killing intent towards Yahiro.
“You, what’s with……that smell……!”
Growling in a deep, hoarse and inaudible voice, the man leapt towards Yahiro.
The left claw thrust out by the man sliced Yahiro’s left chest. However, after being covered in Yahiro’s blood that gushed out, it was the man who raised an anguished voice.
“I see, so you’re Lazarus……Lazaruuuuuuuuuuus──……”
“guh─!?”
The man’s claws attacked Yahiro again.
Yahiro stopped that with his bare hands. Securing the claw piercing his arms in place using his muscles, he sealed the man’s further movements. And then he stabbed the knife wet with his own blood into the man’s shoulders.
“Gwooooooooooooo─!”
The man let out a bestial scream. He forcibly swung his enlarged left arm to extract the claw that was still piercing Yahiro’s arms.
However, the end result was something Yahiro didn’t expect. Leaving behind a dry sound similar to that of a withered tree breaking, the man’s left hand came off from his shoulder.
“Wha-……!?”
Both Yahiro and the man let out a surprised voice simultaneously.
The recoil from pulling it from both the ends caused both of them to fall backwards. Yahiro fixed his posture in a fluster while rolling on the ground, and readied his knife in reflex. He then gasped in surprise.
“Not……like this……like thiiiiiiiiiiiis─!”
The man’s body was melting. His already large body had swelled up to more than three times its original size, and turned darkish as if it had festered.
He no longer retained his human form after being unable to control the cells of his body disorderly multiplying. Just like a balloon bursting after crossing its limit, the man’s body burst open, spilling rotten liquid.
‘Annihilated’ was more suitable than ‘death’, to describe the man’s grand end.
Yahiro stared at it dumbfounded, unable to move.
Once again, silence returned to the ruined college campus.
Sensing the presence of people behind him, Yahiro exhaled slowly. He then returned the chipped knife back into the sheath.
His eyes met with the two girls when he turned around. They really dd look alike, even if you compared them side by side.
“You’ll explain all this, right?”
Yahiro asked in a tone which concealed his irritation.
“Yes, of course. That’s why we came here after all.”
Saying that, the blue-haired girl made a beautiful smile.
“Wait, Giulie. We have to check first if it’s a trap or not”
“It’s all right. See, even the door is unlocked. Sorry for the intrusion. I’ll be entering, ok?”
The orange-haired girl stepped into the laboratory without giving Yahiro, who guided them here, any time to stop her.
Looking around the room, which was dyed in the smell of someone living, the girl exclaimed in amazement.
“Hey hey, Narusawa Yahiro. Can I take this? It looks so tasty!”
The orange-haired girl looked into the canned food which Yahiro prepared as his dinner, with deep interest. It was a tare flavored yakitori can[5]. It made sense that it would be an unusual food for people other than Japanese.
“Do as you like.”
Yahiro said that in an uninterested tone and passed her an outdoor-use fork.
“Is that so? Then, you can call me Giulie too. While Ro-chan is Ro-chan.”
“……at least use Rose.”
The blue-haired girl corrected in a somewhat reluctant voice, letting out a sigh. Giulie and Rose. The relationship between these two sisters could be somewhat guessed with that short exchange.
“We are from Galerie Berith──merchants.”
Rose introduced herself while facing the still-cautious Yahiro.
Yahiro slightly frowned. Galerie meant art gallery in French.
“Galerieー……so art dealers, huh.”
“That’s right. Or to the public at least.”
“To the public……you say.”
How straightforward, thought Yahiro while unintentionally snickering. To put it simply, these girls were the same as Ed. They were probably doing a shady work like selling the antiques or artworks remaining in Japan to other countries.
If that was the case, he now understood why these girls entered the 23 wards and came to meet Yahiro.
“I’m Rosetta Berith. That beautiful and cute girl over there is my elder twin, Giulietta. We came to you to request the retrieval of an artwork, since you are the retriever who knows a lot about the 23 wards.”
“Well, calling her beautiful and cute……”
Don’t you have the same face too, thought Yahiro while holding back his urge to tsukkomi[6], and exhaled.
“Retrieval of an artwork?”
“Yes.”
“Why are you requesting that from me? Aren’t there a lot of other retrievers too?”
“One of the reasons is that you are a survivor of the Japanese. We reached the conclusion that it is necessary to borrow the power of a Japanese in order to obtain the artwork we want.”
“So, do I have to solve a riddle in Japanese?”
Yahiro stared at the blue-haired girl──Rosetta with a suspicious look.
At the point in time when most of its citizens had died, the nation known as Japan vanished. Language and traditional culture had become extinct, and the remaining crafts and cultural assets were being shipped out to other countries. The existence known as Japanese right now had no more value than that of an endangered species.
That being the situation, the only case he could think of requiring his cooperation was that they needed him for a unique code that only a Japanese could solve.
“Hmmー……so you’re good at riddles. How amazing!”
The orange-haired girl──Giulietta, stared at Yahiro with sparkling eyes.
Her unexpected reaction put Yahiro in an awkward mood, and he said,
“It’s not like I’m particularly good at them. I was just saying.”
“Eehー……really? How boring.”
Giulie puffed up her cheeks like a pouting child.
Ignoring that, Yahiro turned towards Rose.
“And what’s the other reason for requesting it from me?”
Fuh, Rose gave a nasty smile.
Her eyes were quietly fixed on the rip in the chest of Yahiro’s shirt. It was the place where he was slashed by the man who turned into a monster after using the F med. The wound that was supposed to be below it had vanished without leaving a trace.
“It’s because you are an immortal being──『Lazarusimmortal』 Narusawa Yahiro.
“─!?”
Yahiro reflexively gasped at her words which caught him off guard.
He then immediately tried to feign ignorance, but it was obvious that it was too late.
For Yahiro who didn’t have any companions or someone that would watch his back, his immortal body was his sole weapon.
His opponents let their guards down the moment they thought Yahiro was dead. And that moment becomes the greatest chance for him to counterattack. That’s how Yahiro defeated strong opponents that outranked him and managed to survive so far. And that didn’t change whether the enemy was a Beast or human.
However, if that secret is out, its effect as a weapon will be reduced by half.
That’s why Yahiro continued to hide his true nature all this time.
Not even Ed, whom he has known for long, know about that secret. Even if a rumor about a cursed immortal Japanese spread, there should be no one who would actually believe it.
However, Rose’s tone of voice sounded like she was sure that Yahiro was an immortal.
“Laza……rus……?”
Yahiro repeated the word she said.
It was something he had never heard before. But it strangely sounded like something he was curious about.
“The hero Siegfried, from the Germanic legends, killed a dragon and supposedly got an immortal body by bathing in its blood……I wonder how did you become Lazarusimmortal.”
Rose slightly tilted her head.
Yahiro’s expression stiffened from the anecdote of the dragon slayer she casually mentioned.
Rose narrowed her eyes, looking at such a Yahiro in amazement.
“I’d love to hear about it, Yahiro.”
“This is pretty tasty. It will go well with alcohol. Do you have some wine?”
It was Giulie who broke the tense atmosphere. With her mouth full of yakitori, she turned towards Yahiro and asked, going along at her own pace.
“I don’t have such a thing. In the first place, you are underage, right? Just drink water with it.”
Yahiro handed a mineral water bottle to Giulie. It came from the drinking water reserves from the college, stored for emergency use. Even now, the quantity was so large that Yahiro could not drink it all by himself.
Giulie accepted it without any complaints and puffed up her chest in pride for some reason.
“Buh-booー, too bad. The legal age of drinking in my country is 16.”
“Which country are you from, anyway?”
“Which was it, Ro-chan?”
“It’s Belgium. Although, we just hold that citizenship for convenience’s sake.”
Rose explained indifferently. She’s normally expressionless, but her gaze when looking at her elder sister was kind.
“So, what did you mean by Lazarusimmortal?”
Yahiro asked Rose again with his face devoid of tension.
“It’s a metaphor we use for the sake of convenience to call people who revive after dying. It doesn’t have any special meaning. Have you read the Gospel according to John──the New Testament?”
“Nope.”
“I haven’t read it either.”
Both Yahiro and Giulie shook their heads after being asked by Rose.
Hearing her sister’s unexpected statement, for an instant Rose showed an expression as if she had bitten something sour. Then she let out an amusing sigh.
“So you won’t deny being an immortal, huh.”
“You came here knowing that, didn’t you?”
Yahiro replied with a sullen face. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, Rose was certain that Yahiro is an immortal. He decided that it would be pointless hiding it now.
“That’s too badー. If you still denied, I would’ve slit your throat right there to confirm if you still didn’t die.”
While enjoying her yakitori, Giulie suddenly pointed the fork she was holding towards Yahiro. At that moment, a chill went down Yahiro’s spine.
He couldn’t even react by the time Giulie stopped her movements.
Yahiro would’ve already died once if she was being serious. But that made him realize that Giulie didn’t hold any hostility towards him, at least for now.
Reaching that interpretation on his own accord, Yahiro continued asking Rose questions.
“From whom did you hear about my condition?”
“The mercenaries monitoring you during the 『KuyouNavagraha MasakaneTrue Steel』 retrieval mission──they were our subordinates.”
Rose said in a monotonous voice.
Yahiro slightly groaned, unable to hide his agitation.
The two mercenaries who went to keep a watch on him on their own accord, were unsavory people who looked down on the Japanese, however, Yahiro still felt slightly guilty for letting them die.
“So you guys were the client of today’s request……”
“The drone they had was capturing the situation of the fight between the Beast and you. And also the figure of your body repairing an instant-death level injury in a really short time.”
Rose was watching Yahiro’s reactions with deep interest.
On the other hand, while reluctantly parting with the yakitori can she had finished eating, Giulie said,
“I was really looking forward to meeting Yahiro ever since I heard the rumors about a cursed Japanese retriever who could come back from any dangerous situation.”
“So, what do you want that cursed Japanese to retrieve?”
Yahiro bluntly asked, to which Rose gave a short reply.
“Kushinada.”
“……Kushinada?”
“Have you ever read Kojiki[7]?”
“Don’t expect high-level knowledge from someone whose country got destroyed in the middle of his compulsory education.”
Yahiro looked away in a displeased mood. It would’ve been a different thing if it was about the bible, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly humiliated for losing to a foreigner in Japanese literature.
The J-nocideGreat Massacre began four years ago. It was the time when Yahiro was still in his first-year of middle school.
Since then, he has been living alone. Naturally, he couldn’t hope for proper education. There were a lot of self-study materials and books that survived, but since he prioritized acquiring practical skills like foreign languages and electrical skills, he didn’t have the leeway to read history books too.
“However, I’ve heard of that word. It’s the name of a goddess that appears in Japanese myths, right?”
“That’s right. It’s the shrine maiden that was chosen to be a sacrifice for Yamata no Orochi──the Eight-Headed Dragon.
“Sacrifice for the dragon……huh……”
Yahiro’s cheeks stiffened unconsciously.
Rose’s diagonally-cut bangs shook as she meaningfully nodded.
“You know the reason why the 23 wards were designated as Isolation Zones, right?”
“Isn’t it because Beasts wander around there?”
“That’s correct. The appearance rate of Beasts inside the 23 wards is ninety time more than that of the other areas. Even if compared to Kyoto and Nara that also have high rates, it’s still ten times more.”
“On top of that, there are also a lot of dangerous individuals. In the past, there were a lot of stories about armored corps of the army being annihilated by just a single Beast.”
Giulie pointed out the disturbing truth while smiling.
In the past──although she said that, it happened merely 3-4 years ago. To gain control over Tokyo, which was formerly the capital city, the main forces of various countries rushed into the capital, which resulted in numerous casualties.
As a result, the boundaries of the 23 wards were sealed, and they were designated as Isolation Zones, not in the control of any power.
“You guys came here23 wards knowing that, huh. You’ve got some guts.”
Yahiro sighed in exasperation. It was crazy for two small girls to set foot into the 23 wards, where the Beasts gather, without bringing any guards.
However, for some reason, Giulie’s voice bounced with happiness, and she said,
“We did it Ro-chan! We got praised!”
“I wasn’t praising you!”
“It’s true that even if we talk about this place, which is near the edge of the 23 wards, it is still dangerous enough. But we came to a conclusion that Giulie and I could get through it without any problem.”
Rose calmly stated that to Yahiro, who was frowning at his sarcasm being turned aside.
“Even so, we don’t have any intention to invade any further than this by ourselves. The appearance rate of dangerous Beasts will increase the closer you move towards the central part of the 23 wards. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
Yahiro nodded coldly.
Even within the 23 wards, the former Suginami and Nerima wards, which are close to the Tama district, or the former Setagaya and Ota wards, which face the Kanagawa prefecture, have a slightly lower appearance rate of Beasts. It’s around 15-16 times more than the southern part of Saitama prefecture and the western part of Chiba prefecture, which are called Buffer Zones.[8]
On the other hand, the closer you go towards the city center, the appearance rate of Beasts can jump up to around 100 times more.
Even retrievers like Yahiro seldom trespass into the interior of the Yamanote line, no matter how well-paying the request is. The saying that no one saw the Tokyo Station and came back alive, is exceedingly closer to the truth than an exaggerated rumor. Yahiro knew that very well.
“That’s the reason why we came to meet you, Narusawa Yahiro.”
“Ha?”
“In the former Bunkyou ward, we’ve confirmed a systematic and organized group of Beasts near the site of Tokyo Dome. They’ve formed a swarm of varying species and seem to be increasing their area of control.”
“Beasts forming……a swarm? You mean to say that different types of Beasts are living together?”
That’s impossible, thought Yahiro, shaking his head, dumbfounded.
Beasts are unclassifiable monsters, each of them deviating from the laws of nature.
Excluding a portion of the type which operates as colonies, even Beasts of the same species appearing at the same time rarely happens. He has never heard about Beasts forming a large-scale swarm, all the more if the species also differ.
However, Rose continued without hesitation.
“That group has a leader that commands them.”
“Is Kushinada that leader’s name?……”
“That’s correct.”
The blue-haired girl affirmed Yahiro’s words. I see, said Yahiro, pursing his lips.
If Rose’s story is to be believed, then the individual known as Kushinada has an immense value without fail. No wonder these self-proclaimed merchants were showing interest in it.
“We don’t know how Kushinada is making the Beasts obey her. However, if we analyze that method, there is a possibility that we might get hands on the skills to control Beasts.”
“You mean making it possible for humanity to control the Beasts, huh. That sounds like it’ll make some good money.”
Yahiro stated that in a sarcastic tone. However, Rose didn’t deny his words.
“On the contrary, if we leave the situation as it is, then eventually the swarm of Beasts Kushinada is leading may become a threat to humanity.”
“A threat to humanity……huh.”
Yahiro slightly snorted. He didn’t think of Rose’s thoughts as needless worry.
Beasts are dangerous monsters. In spite of that, the reason why they still aren’t an overall threat to humanity is largely due to their nature of normally appearing alone. As long as one doesn’t set foot in their turfs, Beasts usually never proactively attack humans. That’s the reason why the UN became satisfied with only sealing off the 23 wards.
But the story changes if the Beasts are forming a swarm.
Naturally, if the Beasts won’t fight among themselves, then their overall number will increase.
It hasn’t been confirmed if the Beasts also need to eat like other existing living creatures. However, there’s no guarantee that a situation won’t arise where they run out of food.
If there was a shortage of food in the 23 wards, then it was clear as day that they would seek new prey from the outside.
The possibility that they would then cross the seas and threaten other countries too was also not zero.
Kushinada must be captured before that happens. That’s not a strange reasoning. If they knew that Kushinada’s abilities would be worth money, then all the more, it would suffice as a motive.
“You’re not gonna ask me to go retrieve that Kushinada or something, are you?”
“Can you do it?”
Hearing Yahiro’s question, which laid his wariness bare, Giulie looked at him with an expression filled with expectations.
“Of course I can’t do that. The interior of the Yamanote line is already crawling with dangerous Beasts. You can’t expect me to confront them all at once.”
“Thought so.”
The elder twin shrugged her shoulders as if disappointed.
“We also don’t have the intention to leave the retrieval of Kushinada to you alone.”
The younger twin replied in an overly serious tone.
“Two days later, a major military company 『Raimat』 will lead the Kushinada capture mission. We Galerie Berith also plan on joining that mission. That’s why──”
“We want to request Yahiro to guide us, right?”
Interrupting Rose’s explanation in the middle, Giulie continued it while smiling impishly.
“Guide?”
Yahiro frowned. Guiding was not a retriever’s job. He didn’t think that it would be needed for the girls, who could use GPS or drones as they pleased.
As if seeing through Yahiro’s doubts, Rose slightly shook her head and said,
“Kushinada’s capture is a joint operation that will be carried out by the four private military companies hired by Raimat. The premise is that all four would cooperate with each other, however, the chain of command is independent, and the troops of each company will act by their own judgment.”
“In short, the capture of Kushinada is first come, first served.”
A belligerent light flashed in Giulie’s large, cat-like eyes.
Although it’s called a joint operation, the only ones participating are members of the private military companies and contractors. Since their top priority is the interest of their company and employer, they will not hesitate to outsmart the alliance for that purpose.
“Since you have a large experience in infiltrating the 23 wards, you must know a safer route that has a low rate of encountering Beasts. You must also be familiar with the nature and weak points of the Beasts. So please use that knowledge and guide our squad to Kushinada’s turf, faster than any other squad.
Rose finally revealed the actual objective.
In addition to his achievements as a retriever, Yahiro was also familiar with the geography of Tokyo before the J-nocideGreat Massacre. He could also fully use the information written in marks and signboards that the people of other countries might overlook. There was probably no one other than Yahiro who was perfectly suited for the role of a guide.
He now understood the reason why these girls who came to meet Yahiro, were attacked by the operatorscombatants of other private military companies. Those rival companies didn’t want Galerie Berith to get their hands on a talented guide.
Conversely, there’s also a possibility that if these girls didn’t come to visit Yahiro tonight, he might have been killed by those people without knowing anything. However──
“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I can’t bear the burden of the lives of other people.”
Yahiro flatly refused Rose’s request.
“Since you guys were the client of today’s request, then you should know. My constitution coincidently makes it hard for me to die, but I’m not strong enough to protect other people from Beasts. I can’t make an irresponsible promise of bringing you all safely to the center of the 23 wards.”
“If you’re talking about those two dead people, then no need to mind them. It’s their own fault for ignoring your instructions and underestimating the Beasts.”
Rose said in a flat tone. It was a cold and heartless statement, even if it was said to make Yahiro feel better.
As if trying to follow up for her little sister, Giulie made a wry smile while resting her cheeks on her hands.
“Even though we told them there was no need to stick with Yahiroー……Since they would get greedy after finding the treasures left behind in the 23 wards.”
“You don’t have to feel responsible for our life or death too. It’s also fine to run alone if you feel that it’s dangerous. But it’s the truth that if you don’t accept being the guide, our survival rate will go down.”
Rose said that indifferently as if it was someone else’s problem.
Yahiro lost his words as if overpowered.
The blue-haired girl’s words were true. Yahiro was not strong enough to protect the girls from the Beasts, however, he could teach them a safer route. It won’t be much but their survival rate would increase.
Even so, it didn’t change the fact that their plan was reckless. He thought that there was no point in doubling or tripling a one-in-ten thousand survival rate.
“It won’t change no matter what you say. I don’t feel like accepting such a dangerous job.”
Yahiro declared in a strong tone. He secretly thought if he refused them like this, it would be good if they gave up capturing Kushinada.
However, Rose’s reply was beyond his expectations.
“You mean, even if your reward is the information related to Narusawa Sui?”
“What did……you say?”
Yahiro felt as if the blood of his entire body was flowing backwards.
His throat tightened, and he forgot to breathe. What Rose casually mentioned was the name of his blood relative that he had not once forgotten ever since that day four years ago.
“We’ve heard the reason why you aren’t leaving the 23 wards is to find your little sister. And also that the majority of the money you earn from your retriever job is spent to gather information about her──”
“Do you know where Sui is……？”
Yahiro drew closer to Rose, while she ambiguously shook her head.
“Well, who knows?”
“Answer me──!”
Yahiro violently tried to grab the collar of Rose, who was giving a cold smile.
However, in the next instant, his field of vision rotated, and a tremendous pain assaulted his shoulders.
“──!?”
“It’s useless, Yahiro. Since the answer to that question is the reward for you guiding us.”
Giulie’s cheerful voice came from above Yahiro, who was slammed onto the floor.
Yahiro didn’t know what had happened. What he barely understood was that Giulie had easily flung him, and was now pinning him down.
“Let……go!”
Yahiro tried to resist in order to free himself from her, but that only made the joints of his right shoulder creak more. Giulie was holding him down with a strength that was unbelievable from her small body. He felt like the more he would struggle, the more her strength would increase.
“So it’s exactly as Ro-chan said, huh. Lazarusimmortal’s regeneration ability would kick in only with wounds. Since it’s not as if a body part is missing when a joint is detached, the dislocation won’t heal on its own.”
“Y……ou……!”
“Ah……wait a sec, they’re hitting! What should I do, Ro-chan? Yahiro can feel my breasts as much as he wants……!”
“Aren’t you the one pushing them onto me!”
Yahiro desperately tried to refute that unexpected accusation.
Since Giulie was holding Yahiro in a joint-locking technique from behind, his right arm was firmly pushed up against her chest. Even with the pain in his shoulder, Yahiro could clearly feel that soft elasticity, and he couldn’t make any more careless movements.
“You have to let at least this much pass, Giulie. Since he was never fortunate enough to feel a girl’s breast in his life──”
Rose said with a somewhat displeased voice. They both were identical in height and looks, but the only obvious difference between them was the volume of their chests.
Although Giulie was small, she had quite a big bulge. On the other hand, Rose was splendidly slender and flat. Probably due to that, Yahiro could feel her thorny, cold gaze ever since the topic of breasts came up. It’s really unreasonable to be on the receiving end of that gaze, he thought.
“You understand with this, right? That there is no need to worry about our safety.”
Rose sighed heavily while signaling her elder sister to release Yahiro.
The pressure on his back suddenly vanished, and Yahiro regained his freedom. When he stood up, clutching his right shoulder, his eyes met with a smiling Giulie, who was sitting on the sofa without feeling guilty.
He had no choice but to admit it. At the very least, Giulie’s true strength was way above Yahiro in hand-to-hand combat skills. He wouldn’t have to protect the girls, and they too didn’t expect that from him.
“So, will you accept the request to guide us till Kushinada’s turf?”
Rose asked once again. Yahiro stared at her and asked in a silent voice.
“You really have……the information on Sui, right?”
“Yes.”
“If that turns out to be a lie, I’ll become your enemy till the day I die.”
“That threat is really effective coming out from a Lazarusimmortal like you.”
Rose smiled without being slightly scared. She took out a photo from her chest and threw it towards Yahiro.
“What’s this?”
Yahiro caught the photo right before it fell on the floor. It looked like it was printed from the data taken by something like a secret camera.
“This is the advance payment. Although the image is not really clear.”
Rose gave a subtle, unclear answer. It seemed as if she didn’t feel like explaining any further.
Yahiro turned the photo he caught and looked at the printed side.
The image quality was rough, probably due to the place it was taken in being dark.
It was a photograph of a stretcher used to transport patients, placed in a basement without any windows.
There was a girl bound by silver chains and connected to numerous tubes on the stretcher, which had an ominous design like that of a coffin. The girl of oriental descent continued to sleep like a doll──or perhaps a corpse.
Yahiro knew the name of that girl.
“Sui……”
A murmur left his mouth.
He stared fixedly at the photo, with his eyes wide open. The date it was taken on was not written anywhere. Even so, Yahiro could tell. That photo was taken relatively recently, probably within a year.
“Your little sister──Narusawa Sui is alive. At least, for now.”
Rose declared in an emotionless tone.
Without replying, Yahiro continued to stare at the figure of his little sister displayed in the photo.
[1] Nikujaga is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce and mirin, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables.
[2] More info here.
[3] The kanji was 火事場泥棒, which literally means ‘thief at the scene of a fire’. So you can say it means ‘someone who takes advantage of a crisis to commit a crime’.
[4] Another word for username.
[5] Yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered chicken. Tare is traditionally made by mixing and heating soy sauce, sake and/or mirin, and sugar and/or honey.
[6] Basically means a retort/playing the straight man. Although you should already know about this and if you don’t, read more here.
[7] The Kojiki (‘Record of Ancient Things’) is the oldest book of Japanese history and the oldest text of any kind from Japan.
[8] Refer to this image for a better understanding. (The 4 wards mentioned are on the right of the green line.)
Chapter 3: Volume 1 - CH 1
「Thanks for coming to see me today, too. As always, the weather continues to be good, doesn’t it? However, the temperature of my house is, believe it or not, 33 degrees! Iyaaー No wonder I thought it was hot today. Everyone too, please be careful to not get a heatstroke.」
「……That said, if it’s this hot then of course singing and dancing are impossible, so today, I’d like to try indoor cooking, yes, the thing known as Japanese food.」
「Even if it looks like this, waon, I’m actually rather good at cooking. No, no, really. I’m not lying! So without any further ado, let’s get ready to prepare Nikujaga.[1]」
†
That store stood quietly in the gap between abandoned buildings on the eastern coast of Edo River.
It was a suspicious looking store that handled strange imported goods.
At the back of the store, an old man with a small stature was sitting. He was a Mexican wearing a shirt with gaudy patterns. He was flipping through a faded Japanese manga magazine while smoking a cigar that had turned small.
“I’ve returned, Ed”
Yahiro, who casually entered the store, threw the baggage he was carrying into the counter where the shopkeeper sits. It was a long, narrow box made of white paulownia wood, almost around Yahiro’s height.
“Are you alone, Yahiro. What happened to the escorts the client sent?”
The storekeeper Ed──Eduardo Valenzuela, glanced at Yahiro’s face with a bothersome look, while still reading the manga magazine.
“Escorts? Don’t you mean the guys sent to keep a watch on me?”
While giving a curt reply, Yahiro took out a few silver pieces of metal from his pocket. Stainless-steel dog tags. They were retrieved from the necks of the mercenaries sent to monitor Yahiro.
“Fumu, so they died.”
Ed said in a tone devoid of any emotions.
It was not rare for humans, who set foot in the 23 wards designated as danger zones, to lose their lives. That was all the more for mercenaries coming from the outside. Rather, Yahiro is the strange one for being alive even after frequenting the 23 wards for many years.
“We were attacked by a Beast. It was something like a giant black dog. The place was around the Senju police station.”
“I see.”
After carefully writing down Yahiro’s explanation, Ed stuck that memo to the map on the wall.
“So, what happened to the requested item?”
“It’s this, right? I had to go through troubles to find it since it wasn’t in an easy-to-understand place like a museum.”
“Yahiro pointed at the baggage he brought.
Ed casually opened the box made of paulownia wood. Inside it was a single Japanese sword, stored in a sword bag.
What came out of the sword bag, was an Uchigatana-goshirae[2] Japanese sword. It was a museum-quality, amazingly old article.
“The national treasure 『KuyouNavagraha MasakaneTrue Steel』 huh……Fumu, seems like the real thing.”
After glancing at the note written below the paulownia box, Ed loosened his cheeks, satisfied. For Yahiro, that calligraphy written with a brush seemed to be nothing more than a strange symbol.
“You sure can read those letters well. Even the Japanese me has no idea what’s written.”
“That’s natural. Otherwise, I wouldn’t work as an art dealer.”
“An art dealer huh”
Yahiro couldn’t help but laugh, listening to Ed’s boastful statement.
Transporting valuable artworks out of Tokyo, that is now ruined and uninhabited, and selling them to dilettantes of other countries. That was Ed’s occupation. You couldn’t call it such a high job like an art dealer. At best, calling him a scavenger or looter[3] would be correct.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No. I won’t have any complaints as long as you pay me.”
Yahiro shook his head while laughing in self-derision. Being the one to actually enter the 23 wards, and retrieving the art pieces at Ed’s requests, was Yahiro’s job. In short, he was the subcontractor of a looter.
He didn’t have any feelings of guilt in selling off his own country’s art pieces to foreign countries. It would be ridiculous if only the treasures remained behind in a ruined country.
“The reward huh. Of course I’ll pay that.”
Ed took out a roll of banknotes from the drawer and casually threw them in front of Yahiro. They were slightly dirty, US dollar bills, bounded by a rubber band. The amount wasn’t small, but it was not as much as he was expecting either. One could tell at a glance they were less than ten thousand dollars without needing to count.
“Wasn’t that a fifty thousand dollar job?”
Ed declared indifferently to the question Yahiro asked looking dissatisfied.
“Negotiations with the client. Appraising the art works. Everything will cost money. Even the information doesn’t come for free.”
“Even if that’s the case, why is your share bigger? You were just reading a worthless manga inside a comfortable store.”
“It’s regretful you’re calling it worthless. If you sell Japanese manga magazines at the right place, they can go for a really high price. Look, here’s a valuable pre-serialization one-shot of 「Solomon’s Roar」”.
“I’m not talking about that. In the first place, that manga magazine too is something I picked up by risking my life entering the 23 wards.”
Yahiro lowered his voice as if irritated.
Ed intentionally took his time exhaling the cigar smoke, and meaningfully smiled.
“If you have any complaints, then accept requests from a different storedealer next time onwards. That is, if there’s someone other than me interested in hiring a Japanese like you.”
A sound came from Yahiro’s hands. It was the sound of the stainless-steel dog tags breaking, not being able to withstand Yahiro’s grip strength. He slammed those twisted dog tags into the counter.
Ed shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, as if saying “Oh that’s scary”.
“If you need money that much, then why don’t you take on jobs as a soldier or bodyguard for the underground society? A carteldrug syndicate from Chiba is looking for a capable person to work as a bodyguard. Knowing your strength, you can earn some good money that way.”
“I have no intention of accepting requests that involve killing people. I’ll consider it if you were the target.”
Yahiro declared with a displeased voice. Hearing that, Ed sighed with a ‘yare yare’ and said,
“It seems the Japanese do not know what gratitude is.”
“You’ve been thoroughly ripping me off so far, so I don’t owe you shit.”
Yahiro harshly said that and grabbed the dollar notes from the counter. He then threw them uncovered into his leg bag.
“……A private military company from the Kanto Region is gathering its forces. That’s the reason why the carteldrug syndicate guys are getting so nervous. Seems like there is going to be a big movement in the 23 wards soon.”
Ed suddenly called out to Yahiro, who was about to silently leave the store.
Yahiro stopped and looked back.
“I don’t know the specific details. If you leave that money as information fee, then I won’t mind checking it out for you.”
“Who’s gonna leave it behind? That thing doesn’t have anything to do with me, right?”
“It would be nice if that’s the case. According to rumors, it seems like there are people sniffing around for information on a retriever frequenting the 23 wards. So you take care of yourself as much as possible.”
Ed once again started going through the manga magazine after saying that with an indifferent tone.
A private military company is investigating about a retriever──Ed’s words were a warning for Yahiro. That’s definitely an info he was curious about.
Nonetheless, that didn’t make him feel any gratitude for Ed. When he thought about why his reward was strangely not enough, it seemed like Ed had already deducted the exact compensation for that information. Although one could say that it’s better that he’s willing to make a proper deal with a Japanese like Yahiro, but──
Drop dead, you geezer, spat Yahiro in his mind while leaving the store behind.
It is said that it all started with just a one meteorite.
It was just a small mass of rock with a diameter less than four hundred meters. That asteroid, named 『VritraEvil Dragon』, repeatedly underwent irregular trajectory changes as if ridiculing the predictions of the optimistic astronomers, and smashed into the Earth’s atmosphere. It rained down on the Japanese archipelago while breaking into countless pieces.
The impact caused by the meteor fall rivaled a huge earthquake of magnitude 9.1. With its falling point as the center, it formed a huge crater several kilometers in diameter, causing catastrophic damage throughout Japan.
However, the tragedy did not end there.
The meteorite crash made the earth’s crust unstable, triggering an increase in volcanic activity. Numerous mountains, including Mt. Fuji, erupted simultaneously in a massive-scale.
Due to the volcanic cinders, pyroclastic flow, and the large amount of volcanic ash, the transportation network of Japan collapsed completely.
What immediately followed was the large-scale outbreak of fierce, mysterious creatures that defied the existing biological knowledge all over the place.
Atypical life-forms, that possessed an appearance like that of mythical creatures, and would later be known as Beasts──
They indiscriminately attacked people, ate them, and destroyed the cities.
With Beasts, who could easily withstand hunting shells and rifle bullets as opponents, not only the police, but the JSDF was powerless as well. The Japanese government, which was already in the state of confusion regarding the meteor fall, completely stopped functioning at that point. It is said that half of the Japanese overall population was lost within one week from the appearance of the Beasts.
Naturally, it wasn’t as if the international community sat idle while watching that disastrous scene unfold.
Countries from all around the world arranged donations and relief supplies, and the preparation to dispatch the international disaster relief team, was underway.
It wasn’t long after that an unusual event occurred.
Without any warning, dignitaries, heads of states and religious leaders ordered their people in unison, as if prepared beforehand.
Kill the Japanese. Annihilate them.
J-nocideGreat Massacre──The 『Japanese Hunt』had begun.
The chain of massacre spread throughout the world in the blink of an eye, and each country promptly began invading Japan with their armies.
The cause and pretext for the J-nocideGreat Massacre varied.
The UN announced that it was an emergency countermeasure to prevent a pandemic caused by a virus that came with the meteorite, while a few countries claimed that the Japanese, cornered by the critical situation, were planning a large-scale terrorist attack.
There were also many religious leaders who preached that Japan was Babylon the GreatThe Great Whore mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and that it was a nest of unclean spirits.
But the explanation that particularly had an overwhelming influence──was that the Beasts were actually biological weapons created by the Japanese government in secret.
It wasn’t as if there weren’t people who doubted those claims, but their voices weren’t taken seriously. As a result, people feverishly hated the Japanese, feared and killed them.
The nation known as Japan disappeared in the middle of that madness. The few Japanese who were still abroad too lost their lives one by one, being exposed to the merciless violence.
Eventually, the natural disasters caused by the influence of the meteor fall abated, and at the same time, the J-nocideGreat Massacre also ended.
That was approximately 6 months after the fall of the asteroid Vritra.
The amount of casualties during that period was over 126 million──
And then the Japanese ceased to exist.
「──Waooon! Good Afternoon, Iroha Waon here!」
「Thanks for coming to see me today, too. I know this is sudden, but everyone, have you realized something? Believe it or not, my outfit has changed from today onwards. Yes, it’s a new outfit! Woo-hoo!」
「You see, this outfit is a bit more revealing than the previous one, so it’s a little embarrassing. I’m feeling quite shy right now. Well, it’s summer, after all! 」
「Actually, the previous outfit became quite tight around the chest part, and it felt like it would burst open if I let my guard down……that’s, that’s wrong! I haven’t gained weight! I’m just growing!」
Crossing the Edo River on foot using the Joban line railroad bridge, he trespassed into the sealed Isolation Zone.
An abandoned building of a private college close to the site of the former Kanamachi Station. That was Yahiro’s roost.
The countries that dispatched their armies into Japan for the J-nocideGreat Massacre numbered more than thirty. Presently, 8 of those countries still continue to station their troops, dividing and ruling the whole nation of Japan.
However, the population density is extremely low since the Japanese who should have been ruled over were annihilated.
The occupying forces are only stationed in major ports and large cities. More than half of the Japanese archipelago had been left in a state of anarchy, and has become a lawless zone overrun by international terrorists or criminals.
But there are places where even those criminals rarely set foot into.
Those are the 23 wards──The area once known as the Tokyo Metropolitan Region.
It was the economic and political center of Japan. The reason why the former capital was designated as an Isolation Zone was simple. The appearance rate of Beasts was exceptionally high compared to other places.
Moreover, most of them were fierce and dangerous, and that percentage increased the more close you were to the city center.
That’s the reason why even now, when 4 years have passed since the J-nocideGreat Massacre, the buildings had been left intact and a lot of valuable artworks or traditional handicrafts were left untouched.
It became the dwelling area for beasts, which the control of humans still couldn’t reach to.
That’s why Yahiro stayed at that place. As long as he was inside the 23 wards, there was no risk of being assaulted by a robber, or his house being targeted by burglars.
If a Beast attacks him, he can just kill him. But it’s not so simple if the opponent is a human.
The country that forbade killing had perished. There’s also no one left to reproach Yahiro’s crimes. In spite of that, he felt that if he ever crossed the line of killing someone, he would lose the final support that made him a Japanese.
Of course, that’s just a sentiment. He knows that it’s only for self-satisfaction.
However, he also thinks that it’s not fair for him to take the lives of others, when he himself cannot die.
That’s why, Yahiro can’t kill a person.
It’s to not forget that he is a Japanese, and also that he was once a human.
“Well, technically speaking, trespassing and theft too should be included in that”
Since he couldn’t regain his piece of mind in a spacious, empty classroom, Yahiro made use of a laboratory specially made for college graduates. He threw his luggage onto the sofa he was using in place of a bed, and started preparing a simple dinner consisting of canned food, chocolate and mineral water.
If he asked Ed, then ordering meat, fish, and even freshly baked bread was possible. However, he didn’t feel like trying out such an absurd thing. He had no idea how much he would be ripped off.
The reason why Yahiro made the college campus as his base was because of the solar power generation system set up in the building. Most of the solar panels were damaged, and it lowered the efficiency, even so, Yahiro obtained more than enough electricity for a single person to use.
Starting up the modified smartphone which had finished charging during daytime, Yahiro broke into the military’s communication network. In the past, Yahiro didn’t know how to hack, but after being left alone in this city, there was plenty of time to study. He used special tools to trespass into the network. And through the Canadian army server, which was stationed in Northern Kanto, he established a connection with a foreign video streaming site.
It didn’t take him long to find his intended channel.
The thing displayed on the screen of his modified smartphone, was the face of a beautiful girl, wearing a wig that had animal ears.
「──Waooon! Good Evening, Iroha Waon here!」
「Thanks for coming to see me tonight, too. It finally cooled down a bit when night arrived, didn’t itー……or rather, these cicadas are too annoying! Is there any problem? Can you hear Waon’s voice? Hello?」
Hearing the usual excessively high-tension greeting, Yahiro’s expression loosened.
Silver hair and green eyes. A strange outfit that would remind someone of an idol or anime character. The girl, who introduced herself as Iroha Waon, was a lone amateur streamer that uploaded self-made videos on the internet.
The contents of her videos focused on trifling idle talk.
In addition to that, she also did live cooking, and occasionally played musical instruments or performed a dance.
Most of her videos weren’t that interesting.
There weren’t any points worthy of mentioning except her really pretty face.
The contents of her conversations were that of an average person, and her cooking skills too were normal. Her dancing was skillful, probably due to her good motor nerves, however her singing skills were devastating.
Naturally, the views her videos got never increased. Most of them got viewed only a few dozen times, while the better ones reached three digits.
In spite of that, her videos were unique and special to Yahiro.
That’s because her streams were all in Japanese.
Iroha Waon was a Japanese, or someone closely related to Japan.
Of course, such a thing could just be someone playing a character. It is highly possible that Iroha Waon doesn’t actually exist, and it’s just someone holding ill will pretending to be Japanese. Even so, Yahiro thought that didn’t matter.
Because it is a true fact that her nostalgic words, and the illusion that a Japanese other than Yahiro still survived, saved him.
「Well then, tonight, Waon is thinking of answering your questions that reached her. The first message is by this person! Yahiron-san from Tokyo! Thank you as always! 」
“─!”
Yahiro made a small guts pose, hearing the name she said. Yahiron was his handle name.[4]
「Yahiron-san, is it true that you live in Tokyo? Waon is also a Tokyo resident, so that makes us neighbors, right? I would be happy if we ever meet……So, the first question of the day is──」
Bringing his face closer to the modified smartphone’s screen, Yahiro stared at the streamer girl.
However, Yahiro wasn’t able to hear Waon’s next words. Since her voice, coming out of the speaker, was drowned by a sudden echo of a gunshot.
“……huh?”
At first, he raised his head as if taken aback, and in the next instant, he reflexively grabbed his knife and rushed out of the room. He could still hear gunshots from the direction of the courtyard.
“Why are there humans in a place like this……!?”
It was obvious, but Beasts cannot use small weapons. Humans had entered the college grounds. He naturally thought that someone carelessly entered the 23 wards, and was being attacked by a Beast.
Of course, the intruder was just getting their just deserts for entering the sealed off Isolation Zone, and Yahiro had no reason to save them. However, he couldn’t let someone die so close to the place he made his resting place, after all.
Yahiro kicked open the door that had a broken lock and rushed into the courtyard. Immediately after, he stopped his feet in surprise.
“Wooah!?”
A person was blown off right in front of Yahiro’s eyes and crashed into the wall. It was the body of a man with a large build, wearing a bulletproof vest. Together with the flashy display of the broken fragments of the glass window, the man rolled into the ground, covered in blood.
“Hey, it’s Narusawa Yahiro!”
Someone called out Yahiro’s name, who was still standing in a daze.
The one calling out to him was a female of oriental descent. She was a girl of a small build wearing a sleeveless Chinese shirt. Her asymmetrical black hair had showy orange highlights.
“Sh……it……!”
The man with the bulletproof vest turned the SMGsubmachine gun he was holding towards the girl.
The orange-haired girl didn’t even flinch at gun point. And then, faster than the man could pull the trigger, gunshots were heard from a different place. The man whose right wrist got blown off let out an inarticulate scream.
The one who shot the man was another girl with a face identical to the orange-haired girl.
Large eyes that would remind someone of a whimsical cat. Otherworldly graceful looks. Even as sisters, their faces were unbelievably identical.
The asymmetrical hairstyle, where one side is longer than the other one, was also the same, except that the side it grew longer was opposite for both of them.
Only their hair color was different. The second girl had her hair highlighted in blue.
The Chinese shirt the girls were wearing, too, matched the respective color of their hairs.
The blue-haired girl fired the handguns she was holding in both of her hands, once each.
Although she didn’t have the time to adjust her aim, it was precise. Two men holding guns fell down and went silent, after being shot directly in the middle of their foreheads.
“Ro-chan, there he is. Narusawa Yahiro.
The orange-haired girl waved her hands at the other girl with the identical face.
The blue-haired girl called Ro-chan came closer to Yahiro, while returning the handguns to the holster on her thighs.
“Narusawa Yahiro. You’re Narusawa Yahiro, right? Is that right? Hmm, you’re quite young……although the look in your eyes is bad, I guess the face is pretty cute. And also you smell a little funny.”
The orange-haired girl looked directly at Yahiro and sniffed him.
While holding the knife in a way ready to pull it out anytime, he stared back at her in silence.
He was desperately thinking in his head. Why are the girls here? Why do they know his name? What is their objective? And also are these girls enemy? Or ally──
“I apologize for suddenly barging in, Narusawa Yahiro.”
The two girls looked identical, however, the impression their eyes gave was exactly the opposite. As opposed to the orange-haired girl filled with curiosity like a kitten, the blue-haired girl’s eyes showed no emotion at all.
“Barging in you say……first of all, what’s the deal with these guys?”
“They are probably the hired operatorscombatants of some private military company. It seems like they tailed us. They were mostly likely preventing us from getting in contact with you.”
“Why would, a private military company……”
Yahiro asked back while frowning. The warning Ed gave during the day crossed his mind.
A private military company is investigating about a retriever──his words coming true on the same day can’t be just a mere coincidence. Yahiro couldn’t help but doubt that the man knew this would happen from the start.
“That’s……”
The blue-haired girl, who was about to answer Yahiro, suddenly narrowed her eyes and pulled out her handguns.
And then she aimed the muzzle towards the collapsed man. It was the one who got blown away by the orange-haired girl in the beginning.
“Narusawa……Yahirooooo……!”
The man roared while glaring at Yahiro with bloodshot eyes. His muscles strangely bulged out, and sent the bulletproof vest flying.
“So he was still conscious.”
The blue-haired girl mercilessly shot at the man’s forehead. It was a precise aim, like that of a machine. The 9 mm bullet, that has an excellent penetrating strength, pierced the man’s forehead and dealt fatal damage to his brain──or was supposed to.
“Oooooooooooooo!”
However, the man’s movement didn’t stop. With his entire body dyed in his own blood, the man roared with a delightful expression. He glared at Yahiro with a pair of fiery eyes.
“What the hell……is he……”
Yahiro pulled out his knife, feeling an instinctive fear. He could feel a physiological disgust that was the same as Beasts──or even more, from the man’s current appearance
“The F med──!”
The blue-haired girl looked at the nape of the man’s neck. A cylinder similar to a syringe, around 5 cm in diameter, was stabbed near his left carotid artery.
“Ro-chan, get back! That’s a Fafnir soldier!”
The orange-haired girl kicked the ground and leaped. Using her small body skillfully, she grabbed the man’s hand and, with her full weight, twisted it in an impossible direction.
The man’s left hand broke, making an unpleasant sound.
However, that man flung the orange-haired girl away with his broken hand, not paying attention to the pain.
“Giulie──!?”
The blue-haired girl screamed.
“That surprised me……!”
The orange-haired girl rotated midair like a cat and landed on a wall. She then got back on the ground as if nothing had happened, and took distance from the man covered in blood.
Without looking at the girl, the man thrust his broken left arm overhead. The sound of breaking bones resounded multiple times, and his left arm transformed into a distorted shape. That figure, which was covered in hard scales and spiked like a knife, looked like the forelimb of a reptile.
“This is……this is some amazing strength……! I can even kill the Beasts with this power……!”
The man clenched his fists, that had now grown claws, and smiled while baring his teeth. And then, he suddenly turned a gaze filled with killing intent towards Yahiro.
“You, what’s with……that smell……!”
Growling in a deep, hoarse and inaudible voice, the man leapt towards Yahiro.
The left claw thrust out by the man sliced Yahiro’s left chest. However, after being covered in Yahiro’s blood that gushed out, it was the man who raised an anguished voice.
“I see, so you’re Lazarus……Lazaruuuuuuuuuuus──……”
“guh─!?”
The man’s claws attacked Yahiro again.
Yahiro stopped that with his bare hands. Securing the claw piercing his arms in place using his muscles, he sealed the man’s further movements. And then he stabbed the knife wet with his own blood into the man’s shoulders.
“Gwooooooooooooo─!”
However, the end result was something Yahiro didn’t expect. Leaving behind a dry sound similar to that of a withered tree breaking, the man’s left hand came off from his shoulder.
“Wha-……!?”
Both Yahiro and the man let out a surprised voice simultaneously.
The recoil from pulling it from both the ends caused both of them to fall backwards. Yahiro fixed his posture in a fluster while rolling on the ground, and readied his knife in reflex. He then gasped in surprise.
“Not……like this……like thiiiiiiiiiiiis─!”
The man’s body was melting. His already large body had swelled up to more than three times its original size, and turned darkish as if it had festered.
He no longer retained his human form after being unable to control the cells of his body disorderly multiplying. Just like a balloon bursting after crossing its limit, the man’s body burst open, spilling rotten liquid.
‘Annihilated’ was more suitable than ‘death’, to describe the man’s grand end.
Yahiro stared at it dumbfounded, unable to move.
Once again, silence returned to the ruined college campus.
Sensing the presence of people behind him, Yahiro exhaled slowly. He then returned the chipped knife back into the sheath.
His eyes met with the two girls when he turned around. They really dd look alike, even if you compared them side by side.
“You’ll explain all this, right?”
Yahiro asked in a tone which concealed his irritation.
“Yes, of course. That’s why we came here after all.”
Saying that, the blue-haired girl made a beautiful smile.
“Wait, Giulie. We have to check first if it’s a trap or not”
“It’s all right. See, even the door is unlocked. Sorry for the intrusion. I’ll be entering, ok?”
The orange-haired girl stepped into the laboratory without giving Yahiro, who guided them here, any time to stop her.
“Hey hey, Narusawa Yahiro. Can I take this? It looks so tasty!”
The orange-haired girl looked into the canned food which Yahiro prepared as his dinner, with deep interest. It was a tare flavored yakitori can[5]. It made sense that it would be an unusual food for people other than Japanese.
“Do as you like.”
Yahiro said that in an uninterested tone and passed her an outdoor-use fork.
You are reading story The Hollow Regalia at novel35.com
“Also, call me Yahiro. No need to use my family name.”“Is that so? Then, you can call me Giulie too. While Ro-chan is Ro-chan.”
“……at least use Rose.”
The blue-haired girl corrected in a somewhat reluctant voice, letting out a sigh. Giulie and Rose. The relationship between these two sisters could be somewhat guessed with that short exchange.
“We are from Galerie Berith──merchants.”
Rose introduced herself while facing the still-cautious Yahiro.
Yahiro slightly frowned. Galerie meant art gallery in French.
“Galerieー……so art dealers, huh.”
“That’s right. Or to the public at least.”
“To the public……you say.”
How straightforward, thought Yahiro while unintentionally snickering. To put it simply, these girls were the same as Ed. They were probably doing a shady work like selling the antiques or artworks remaining in Japan to other countries.
If that was the case, he now understood why these girls entered the 23 wards and came to meet Yahiro.
“I’m Rosetta Berith. That beautiful and cute girl over there is my elder twin, Giulietta. We came to you to request the retrieval of an artwork, since you are the retriever who knows a lot about the 23 wards.”
“Well, calling her beautiful and cute……”
Don’t you have the same face too, thought Yahiro while holding back his urge to tsukkomi[6], and exhaled.
“Yes.”
“Why are you requesting that from me? Aren’t there a lot of other retrievers too?”
“One of the reasons is that you are a survivor of the Japanese. We reached the conclusion that it is necessary to borrow the power of a Japanese in order to obtain the artwork we want.”
“So, do I have to solve a riddle in Japanese?”
Yahiro stared at the blue-haired girl──Rosetta with a suspicious look.
At the point in time when most of its citizens had died, the nation known as Japan vanished. Language and traditional culture had become extinct, and the remaining crafts and cultural assets were being shipped out to other countries. The existence known as Japanese right now had no more value than that of an endangered species.
That being the situation, the only case he could think of requiring his cooperation was that they needed him for a unique code that only a Japanese could solve.
“Hmmー……so you’re good at riddles. How amazing!”
The orange-haired girl──Giulietta, stared at Yahiro with sparkling eyes.
Her unexpected reaction put Yahiro in an awkward mood, and he said,
“It’s not like I’m particularly good at them. I was just saying.”
“Eehー……really? How boring.”
Giulie puffed up her cheeks like a pouting child.
Ignoring that, Yahiro turned towards Rose.
“And what’s the other reason for requesting it from me?”
Fuh, Rose gave a nasty smile.
Her eyes were quietly fixed on the rip in the chest of Yahiro’s shirt. It was the place where he was slashed by the man who turned into a monster after using the F med. The wound that was supposed to be below it had vanished without leaving a trace.
“It’s because you are an immortal being──『Lazarusimmortal』 Narusawa Yahiro.
“─!?”
He then immediately tried to feign ignorance, but it was obvious that it was too late.
For Yahiro who didn’t have any companions or someone that would watch his back, his immortal body was his sole weapon.
His opponents let their guards down the moment they thought Yahiro was dead. And that moment becomes the greatest chance for him to counterattack. That’s how Yahiro defeated strong opponents that outranked him and managed to survive so far. And that didn’t change whether the enemy was a Beast or human.
However, if that secret is out, its effect as a weapon will be reduced by half.
That’s why Yahiro continued to hide his true nature all this time.
Not even Ed, whom he has known for long, know about that secret. Even if a rumor about a cursed immortal Japanese spread, there should be no one who would actually believe it.
However, Rose’s tone of voice sounded like she was sure that Yahiro was an immortal.
“Laza……rus……?”
Yahiro repeated the word she said.
It was something he had never heard before. But it strangely sounded like something he was curious about.
“The hero Siegfried, from the Germanic legends, killed a dragon and supposedly got an immortal body by bathing in its blood……I wonder how did you become Lazarusimmortal.”
Rose slightly tilted her head.
Yahiro’s expression stiffened from the anecdote of the dragon slayer she casually mentioned.
Rose narrowed her eyes, looking at such a Yahiro in amazement.
“I’d love to hear about it, Yahiro.”
“This is pretty tasty. It will go well with alcohol. Do you have some wine?”
It was Giulie who broke the tense atmosphere. With her mouth full of yakitori, she turned towards Yahiro and asked, going along at her own pace.
“I don’t have such a thing. In the first place, you are underage, right? Just drink water with it.”
Yahiro handed a mineral water bottle to Giulie. It came from the drinking water reserves from the college, stored for emergency use. Even now, the quantity was so large that Yahiro could not drink it all by himself.
“Buh-booー, too bad. The legal age of drinking in my country is 16.”
“Which country are you from, anyway?”
“Which was it, Ro-chan?”
“It’s Belgium. Although, we just hold that citizenship for convenience’s sake.”
Rose explained indifferently. She’s normally expressionless, but her gaze when looking at her elder sister was kind.
“So, what did you mean by Lazarusimmortal?”
Yahiro asked Rose again with his face devoid of tension.
“It’s a metaphor we use for the sake of convenience to call people who revive after dying. It doesn’t have any special meaning. Have you read the Gospel according to John──the New Testament?”
“Nope.”
“I haven’t read it either.”
Both Yahiro and Giulie shook their heads after being asked by Rose.
Hearing her sister’s unexpected statement, for an instant Rose showed an expression as if she had bitten something sour. Then she let out an amusing sigh.
“So you won’t deny being an immortal, huh.”
“You came here knowing that, didn’t you?”
Yahiro replied with a sullen face. He didn’t know why, but for some reason, Rose was certain that Yahiro is an immortal. He decided that it would be pointless hiding it now.
“That’s too badー. If you still denied, I would’ve slit your throat right there to confirm if you still didn’t die.”
While enjoying her yakitori, Giulie suddenly pointed the fork she was holding towards Yahiro. At that moment, a chill went down Yahiro’s spine.
He couldn’t even react by the time Giulie stopped her movements.
Yahiro would’ve already died once if she was being serious. But that made him realize that Giulie didn’t hold any hostility towards him, at least for now.
“From whom did you hear about my condition?”
“The mercenaries monitoring you during the 『KuyouNavagraha MasakaneTrue Steel』 retrieval mission──they were our subordinates.”
Rose said in a monotonous voice.
Yahiro slightly groaned, unable to hide his agitation.
The two mercenaries who went to keep a watch on him on their own accord, were unsavory people who looked down on the Japanese, however, Yahiro still felt slightly guilty for letting them die.
“So you guys were the client of today’s request……”
“The drone they had was capturing the situation of the fight between the Beast and you. And also the figure of your body repairing an instant-death level injury in a really short time.”
Rose was watching Yahiro’s reactions with deep interest.
On the other hand, while reluctantly parting with the yakitori can she had finished eating, Giulie said,
“I was really looking forward to meeting Yahiro ever since I heard the rumors about a cursed Japanese retriever who could come back from any dangerous situation.”
“So, what do you want that cursed Japanese to retrieve?”
Yahiro bluntly asked, to which Rose gave a short reply.
“Kushinada.”
“……Kushinada?”
“Have you ever read Kojiki[7]?”
“Don’t expect high-level knowledge from someone whose country got destroyed in the middle of his compulsory education.”
Yahiro looked away in a displeased mood. It would’ve been a different thing if it was about the bible, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly humiliated for losing to a foreigner in Japanese literature.
The J-nocideGreat Massacre began four years ago. It was the time when Yahiro was still in his first-year of middle school.
Since then, he has been living alone. Naturally, he couldn’t hope for proper education. There were a lot of self-study materials and books that survived, but since he prioritized acquiring practical skills like foreign languages and electrical skills, he didn’t have the leeway to read history books too.
“That’s right. It’s the shrine maiden that was chosen to be a sacrifice for Yamata no Orochi──the Eight-Headed Dragon.
“Sacrifice for the dragon……huh……”
Yahiro’s cheeks stiffened unconsciously.
Rose’s diagonally-cut bangs shook as she meaningfully nodded.
“You know the reason why the 23 wards were designated as Isolation Zones, right?”
“Isn’t it because Beasts wander around there?”
“That’s correct. The appearance rate of Beasts inside the 23 wards is ninety time more than that of the other areas. Even if compared to Kyoto and Nara that also have high rates, it’s still ten times more.”
“On top of that, there are also a lot of dangerous individuals. In the past, there were a lot of stories about armored corps of the army being annihilated by just a single Beast.”
Giulie pointed out the disturbing truth while smiling.
In the past──although she said that, it happened merely 3-4 years ago. To gain control over Tokyo, which was formerly the capital city, the main forces of various countries rushed into the capital, which resulted in numerous casualties.
As a result, the boundaries of the 23 wards were sealed, and they were designated as Isolation Zones, not in the control of any power.
“You guys came here23 wards knowing that, huh. You’ve got some guts.”
Yahiro sighed in exasperation. It was crazy for two small girls to set foot into the 23 wards, where the Beasts gather, without bringing any guards.
However, for some reason, Giulie’s voice bounced with happiness, and she said,
“We did it Ro-chan! We got praised!”
“I wasn’t praising you!”
“It’s true that even if we talk about this place, which is near the edge of the 23 wards, it is still dangerous enough. But we came to a conclusion that Giulie and I could get through it without any problem.”
Rose calmly stated that to Yahiro, who was frowning at his sarcasm being turned aside.
“Even so, we don’t have any intention to invade any further than this by ourselves. The appearance rate of dangerous Beasts will increase the closer you move towards the central part of the 23 wards. Isn’t that right?”
Yahiro nodded coldly.
Even within the 23 wards, the former Suginami and Nerima wards, which are close to the Tama district, or the former Setagaya and Ota wards, which face the Kanagawa prefecture, have a slightly lower appearance rate of Beasts. It’s around 15-16 times more than the southern part of Saitama prefecture and the western part of Chiba prefecture, which are called Buffer Zones.[8]
On the other hand, the closer you go towards the city center, the appearance rate of Beasts can jump up to around 100 times more.
Even retrievers like Yahiro seldom trespass into the interior of the Yamanote line, no matter how well-paying the request is. The saying that no one saw the Tokyo Station and came back alive, is exceedingly closer to the truth than an exaggerated rumor. Yahiro knew that very well.
“That’s the reason why we came to meet you, Narusawa Yahiro.”
“Ha?”
“In the former Bunkyou ward, we’ve confirmed a systematic and organized group of Beasts near the site of Tokyo Dome. They’ve formed a swarm of varying species and seem to be increasing their area of control.”
“Beasts forming……a swarm? You mean to say that different types of Beasts are living together?”
That’s impossible, thought Yahiro, shaking his head, dumbfounded.
Beasts are unclassifiable monsters, each of them deviating from the laws of nature.
Excluding a portion of the type which operates as colonies, even Beasts of the same species appearing at the same time rarely happens. He has never heard about Beasts forming a large-scale swarm, all the more if the species also differ.
However, Rose continued without hesitation.
“That group has a leader that commands them.”
“Is Kushinada that leader’s name?……”
“That’s correct.”
The blue-haired girl affirmed Yahiro’s words. I see, said Yahiro, pursing his lips.
If Rose’s story is to be believed, then the individual known as Kushinada has an immense value without fail. No wonder these self-proclaimed merchants were showing interest in it.
“We don’t know how Kushinada is making the Beasts obey her. However, if we analyze that method, there is a possibility that we might get hands on the skills to control Beasts.”
“You mean making it possible for humanity to control the Beasts, huh. That sounds like it’ll make some good money.”
“On the contrary, if we leave the situation as it is, then eventually the swarm of Beasts Kushinada is leading may become a threat to humanity.”
“A threat to humanity……huh.”
Yahiro slightly snorted. He didn’t think of Rose’s thoughts as needless worry.
Beasts are dangerous monsters. In spite of that, the reason why they still aren’t an overall threat to humanity is largely due to their nature of normally appearing alone. As long as one doesn’t set foot in their turfs, Beasts usually never proactively attack humans. That’s the reason why the UN became satisfied with only sealing off the 23 wards.
But the story changes if the Beasts are forming a swarm.
Naturally, if the Beasts won’t fight among themselves, then their overall number will increase.
It hasn’t been confirmed if the Beasts also need to eat like other existing living creatures. However, there’s no guarantee that a situation won’t arise where they run out of food.
If there was a shortage of food in the 23 wards, then it was clear as day that they would seek new prey from the outside.
The possibility that they would then cross the seas and threaten other countries too was also not zero.
Kushinada must be captured before that happens. That’s not a strange reasoning. If they knew that Kushinada’s abilities would be worth money, then all the more, it would suffice as a motive.
“You’re not gonna ask me to go retrieve that Kushinada or something, are you?”
“Can you do it?”
Hearing Yahiro’s question, which laid his wariness bare, Giulie looked at him with an expression filled with expectations.
“Of course I can’t do that. The interior of the Yamanote line is already crawling with dangerous Beasts. You can’t expect me to confront them all at once.”
“Thought so.”
The elder twin shrugged her shoulders as if disappointed.
“We also don’t have the intention to leave the retrieval of Kushinada to you alone.”
The younger twin replied in an overly serious tone.
“Two days later, a major military company 『Raimat』 will lead the Kushinada capture mission. We Galerie Berith also plan on joining that mission. That’s why──”
Interrupting Rose’s explanation in the middle, Giulie continued it while smiling impishly.
“Guide?”
Yahiro frowned. Guiding was not a retriever’s job. He didn’t think that it would be needed for the girls, who could use GPS or drones as they pleased.
As if seeing through Yahiro’s doubts, Rose slightly shook her head and said,
“Kushinada’s capture is a joint operation that will be carried out by the four private military companies hired by Raimat. The premise is that all four would cooperate with each other, however, the chain of command is independent, and the troops of each company will act by their own judgment.”
“In short, the capture of Kushinada is first come, first served.”
A belligerent light flashed in Giulie’s large, cat-like eyes.
Although it’s called a joint operation, the only ones participating are members of the private military companies and contractors. Since their top priority is the interest of their company and employer, they will not hesitate to outsmart the alliance for that purpose.
“Since you have a large experience in infiltrating the 23 wards, you must know a safer route that has a low rate of encountering Beasts. You must also be familiar with the nature and weak points of the Beasts. So please use that knowledge and guide our squad to Kushinada’s turf, faster than any other squad.
Rose finally revealed the actual objective.
In addition to his achievements as a retriever, Yahiro was also familiar with the geography of Tokyo before the J-nocideGreat Massacre. He could also fully use the information written in marks and signboards that the people of other countries might overlook. There was probably no one other than Yahiro who was perfectly suited for the role of a guide.
He now understood the reason why these girls who came to meet Yahiro, were attacked by the operatorscombatants of other private military companies. Those rival companies didn’t want Galerie Berith to get their hands on a talented guide.
Conversely, there’s also a possibility that if these girls didn’t come to visit Yahiro tonight, he might have been killed by those people without knowing anything. However──
“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline. I can’t bear the burden of the lives of other people.”
Yahiro flatly refused Rose’s request.
“Since you guys were the client of today’s request, then you should know. My constitution coincidently makes it hard for me to die, but I’m not strong enough to protect other people from Beasts. I can’t make an irresponsible promise of bringing you all safely to the center of the 23 wards.”
“If you’re talking about those two dead people, then no need to mind them. It’s their own fault for ignoring your instructions and underestimating the Beasts.”
Rose said in a flat tone. It was a cold and heartless statement, even if it was said to make Yahiro feel better.
As if trying to follow up for her little sister, Giulie made a wry smile while resting her cheeks on her hands.
“You don’t have to feel responsible for our life or death too. It’s also fine to run alone if you feel that it’s dangerous. But it’s the truth that if you don’t accept being the guide, our survival rate will go down.”
Rose said that indifferently as if it was someone else’s problem.
Yahiro lost his words as if overpowered.
The blue-haired girl’s words were true. Yahiro was not strong enough to protect the girls from the Beasts, however, he could teach them a safer route. It won’t be much but their survival rate would increase.
Even so, it didn’t change the fact that their plan was reckless. He thought that there was no point in doubling or tripling a one-in-ten thousand survival rate.
“It won’t change no matter what you say. I don’t feel like accepting such a dangerous job.”
Yahiro declared in a strong tone. He secretly thought if he refused them like this, it would be good if they gave up capturing Kushinada.
However, Rose’s reply was beyond his expectations.
“You mean, even if your reward is the information related to Narusawa Sui?”
“What did……you say?”
Yahiro felt as if the blood of his entire body was flowing backwards.
His throat tightened, and he forgot to breathe. What Rose casually mentioned was the name of his blood relative that he had not once forgotten ever since that day four years ago.
“We’ve heard the reason why you aren’t leaving the 23 wards is to find your little sister. And also that the majority of the money you earn from your retriever job is spent to gather information about her──”
“Do you know where Sui is……？”
Yahiro drew closer to Rose, while she ambiguously shook her head.
“Well, who knows?”
“Answer me──!”
Yahiro violently tried to grab the collar of Rose, who was giving a cold smile.
However, in the next instant, his field of vision rotated, and a tremendous pain assaulted his shoulders.
“It’s useless, Yahiro. Since the answer to that question is the reward for you guiding us.”
Giulie’s cheerful voice came from above Yahiro, who was slammed onto the floor.
Yahiro didn’t know what had happened. What he barely understood was that Giulie had easily flung him, and was now pinning him down.
“Let……go!”
Yahiro tried to resist in order to free himself from her, but that only made the joints of his right shoulder creak more. Giulie was holding him down with a strength that was unbelievable from her small body. He felt like the more he would struggle, the more her strength would increase.
“So it’s exactly as Ro-chan said, huh. Lazarusimmortal’s regeneration ability would kick in only with wounds. Since it’s not as if a body part is missing when a joint is detached, the dislocation won’t heal on its own.”
“Y……ou……!”
“Ah……wait a sec, they’re hitting! What should I do, Ro-chan? Yahiro can feel my breasts as much as he wants……!”
“Aren’t you the one pushing them onto me!”
Yahiro desperately tried to refute that unexpected accusation.
Since Giulie was holding Yahiro in a joint-locking technique from behind, his right arm was firmly pushed up against her chest. Even with the pain in his shoulder, Yahiro could clearly feel that soft elasticity, and he couldn’t make any more careless movements.
“You have to let at least this much pass, Giulie. Since he was never fortunate enough to feel a girl’s breast in his life──”
Rose said with a somewhat displeased voice. They both were identical in height and looks, but the only obvious difference between them was the volume of their chests.
Although Giulie was small, she had quite a big bulge. On the other hand, Rose was splendidly slender and flat. Probably due to that, Yahiro could feel her thorny, cold gaze ever since the topic of breasts came up. It’s really unreasonable to be on the receiving end of that gaze, he thought.
“You understand with this, right? That there is no need to worry about our safety.”
Rose sighed heavily while signaling her elder sister to release Yahiro.
The pressure on his back suddenly vanished, and Yahiro regained his freedom. When he stood up, clutching his right shoulder, his eyes met with a smiling Giulie, who was sitting on the sofa without feeling guilty.
He had no choice but to admit it. At the very least, Giulie’s true strength was way above Yahiro in hand-to-hand combat skills. He wouldn’t have to protect the girls, and they too didn’t expect that from him.
“So, will you accept the request to guide us till Kushinada’s turf?”
“You really have……the information on Sui, right?”
“Yes.”
“If that turns out to be a lie, I’ll become your enemy till the day I die.”
“That threat is really effective coming out from a Lazarusimmortal like you.”
Rose smiled without being slightly scared. She took out a photo from her chest and threw it towards Yahiro.
“What’s this?”
Yahiro caught the photo right before it fell on the floor. It looked like it was printed from the data taken by something like a secret camera.
“This is the advance payment. Although the image is not really clear.”
Rose gave a subtle, unclear answer. It seemed as if she didn’t feel like explaining any further.
Yahiro turned the photo he caught and looked at the printed side.
The image quality was rough, probably due to the place it was taken in being dark.
It was a photograph of a stretcher used to transport patients, placed in a basement without any windows.
There was a girl bound by silver chains and connected to numerous tubes on the stretcher, which had an ominous design like that of a coffin. The girl of oriental descent continued to sleep like a doll──or perhaps a corpse.
Yahiro knew the name of that girl.
“Sui……”
A murmur left his mouth.
He stared fixedly at the photo, with his eyes wide open. The date it was taken on was not written anywhere. Even so, Yahiro could tell. That photo was taken relatively recently, probably within a year.
“Your little sister──Narusawa Sui is alive. At least, for now.”
Rose declared in an emotionless tone.
[1] Nikujaga is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce and mirin, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables.
[2] More info here.
[3] The kanji was 火事場泥棒, which literally means ‘thief at the scene of a fire’. So you can say it means ‘someone who takes advantage of a crisis to commit a crime’.
[4] Another word for username.
[5] Yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered chicken. Tare is traditionally made by mixing and heating soy sauce, sake and/or mirin, and sugar and/or honey.
[6] Basically means a retort/playing the straight man. Although you should already know about this and if you don’t, read more here.
[7] The Kojiki (‘Record of Ancient Things’) is the oldest book of Japanese history and the oldest text of any kind from Japan.
[8] Refer to this image for a better understanding. (The 4 wards mentioned are on the right of the green line.)
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