act44side

Hoshiguma! Hoshiguma! Can you hear me?

Can you hear—

Quit yappin'!

Hoshi—

You know what, yap all you want, we'll give that <i>aho</i> a warm welcome!

What does Kinbee want with me?

Kinbee? Who's that?

I mean, Mifune.

How am I supposed to know? You're an idol, so maybe the oyabun has some use for you. Or maybe he just plans to do you in.

Should've buttered him up more with that pretty face of yours. I don't know what you're thinking.

<i>Bakayaro</i>, who the heck's texting me? Everyone knows I got assigned last-minute guard duty—

What? Some other unlucky sod's taking over the shift?

Ya—hoo!

He's gone.

What happened? Why did I feel like I was hearing voices... even talking to Hoshiguma?

Am I going crazy?

Behind—you—

Eek!

Pfft!

So you weren't acting in those shows. I didn't believe it when Kichisei told me.

You know Kichisei? Is she alright?

Locked up, like you, but probably safe for now.

Wh-Who are you?

You can call me Sarasa. I'm a fan of yours, and I guess you could say I'm Mifune's employee, but my true identity is an undercover <i>cyber ninja!</i>

Cyber... ninja? How's that different from a regular ninja?

Look, ninja are nothing more than hired killers. But the cyber kind? We're wanderers of the intercity net!

But I thought cyber ninja were pretty much the same, hired by corporations to attack each other, just specializing in intercity net operations?

Fine, I'm a cyber <i>ronin</i> ninja!

But I don't know where you came from, or why you're helping me—

That video that you saw at home, the one where Mifune and Mio plot to infect you with Oripathy? I was the one who leaked it to warn you! Do you trust me now?

You were the one who gave me that fright in the middle of the night?!

Well, it was the first time I worked on a Mitsukue—I mean, the Kinseki Channel signal system. It was a mistake. I didn't do it on purpose, I promise!

A-Alright... well, I guess I do owe you my life...

Honestly, I only applied to Kinseki Channel because I heard it was the biggest TV station in Mitsukue, and I needed a job.

But the longer I worked, the more things began to stink. But at least they had you as their poster girl... but they wouldn't even keep their hands off you!

Especially that Mifune. I would've just kept my head down and did the work I was paid for, if he wasn't so <i>yabai.</i>

But I'd rather jump into the sea than work another day for that piece of shit.

...Hehe.

I located Hoshiguma using Mifune's monitoring network, so I patched you in briefly.

You can do that? I remember how the technical director spent a long time fumbling with a pre-set connection the last time I was live on air...

That just means he sucks at his job.

Now, listen to me. I'll patch you in with Hoshiguma again, and have her wait outside.

We'll take Kichisei. Listen to me, and I'll make sure those stupid yakuza never even catch a glimpse of your shadow.

No, I can't go.

Are you crazy? Do you WANT Mifune to cut you up into burdenbeast feed?

Where can I go, if I leave?

The Southern Court's a big place. Plenty of places you can go.

Lay low the rest of my life, always looking over my shoulder? No way.

I didn't give myself the name Momoka Hanyuu, but if you tell me I have to give it up now...

How's that any different from being dead?

Are you serious? Aren't you afraid to die? Do you have a death wish or something?

I don't know. All I know is that it's the only path I have left.

Fine. You know what, that sounded really cool, like a line straight out of a movie. You're a star for a reason!

How do you plan on continuing to be a star, then? What if Kinbee won't let you?

Whoever stands in my way... they're gonna find out that even I can bite when backed into a corner.

Didn't Kinbee make up all those kaidan stories? I'll tell all Mitsukue that they've been lied to.

Interesting.

Can you connect me to every TV set in Mitsukue? I'm going to expose Kinbee to the entire city.

How long do you think it's gonna take, hacking all those TVs, one at a time?

But they're doing that accession ceremony and broadcasting it to the whole city. All we need to do is take a ride on it.

You still have that broken sword? It'll come in useful.

The first thing that Kinbee's people did when they captured us was take it from me...

But I'll say it, with or without the evidence.

Good.

I'll get that Kichisei girl, and Ao-Oni on the other side of the TV, and then we can talk about how we'll teach Mifune a lesson!

Where are you?

Where are... you...?

Did I doze off?

Wait, did the kami-sama...?!

I'm not in that much of a hurry.

It's you?!

Moriuchi sits straight with a start.

He wants to turn around, but dares not, afraid that he will learn that it is all a dream, and there is nothing there at all.

The kami seems satisfied with this reaction.

Kami-sama...

It... it's been a long time.

You're finally willing to show yourself to me.

I'm very grateful that you pulled my family out of poverty.

Did you spend all these years looking for me, just to say thank you?

I wanted to thank you, of course, but there was also something I wanted to ask.

Why... why did you leave us? Why was it that we lost our happy life, little by little, until it was all gone?

Did we offend you? Or was it fate that not even you could avert... and that was why you chose to avoid us?

What does any of that have to do with me?

I-I understand, of course it couldn't be...

What I mean is, did you spend all these years looking for me just to learn the reason?

Were you not looking for me because you wanted to seize happiness again?

I've said this many times, but I guess you were too young to remember, so I'll be patient and tell you once more.

I never give anyone anything.

Think of it this way: there's something I like, and I appear in front of people when I see it.

Something... do you mean, happiness?

Yes.

I didn't avoid you because I was angry at you, or ashamed to see you. I simply chose not to see you because happiness had left you.

But now, I have a reason to see you again.

Choose the right path, and you shall know happiness beyond your wildest dreams.

The kami's voice is exactly as he remembers, but for some reason it makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Is it because he has lost the innocence of childhood?

Is it because he has heard too many lies in his time?

Yes. He has heard too many lies, and he has learned to treat all beautiful promises as deception.

But this is different.

Please... tell me.

You stand in the eye of the storm.