kirara

I could, no issue, but the L.G.D. wouldn't let him walk on a single person's testimony.

Still better than watching everyone fry right now! Go!

Understood!

Maybe they'll change up their gameplan once they find out. Fingers crossed.

Let's get outta here for now, Kirara. I mean, you can tell, but we're just counting on other people at this point.

Final warning! Drop your weapons!

If you still refuse to comply with the law, we will authorize the use of force!

Damn you all to hell! I get it, you just wanted me here all along so you could take my life!

I'll count to ten! If you won't give yourself up before then, we WILL use force!

One...

Shoot, I don't think she's gonna make it. Hey, Kirara, you might wanna prep mentally to...

Kirara? What are you doing?

Kirara has her handheld up, and her finger is dancing all across the screen.

That's... not the console's interface, that's, like, beyond it. You made that? You're sending instructions from your <i>own interface?</i>

Two...

Three...

Four...

Are you trying to dial yourself from your console? You wanna get talking with him?

It's just... a wake-up call.

Please, please...

Nine...

Ten!

We are authorizing the use of force, all positions—

Target sighted, no weapons on person!

Target is stripped of all arms...

Your hospitalization procedures are all in order, Miss Kirara.

(Taps on phone screen)

'thanks'?

No problem!

Kirara, come on, didn't I tell you? It's so rude to type when you're literally, like, face to face!

So... rry.

Eh, no big. I know it was more than a day or two that got you like this.

C'mon, lemme show you where you're living!

Seriously, that night? Everything hanging in the balance? I thought he was gonna die.

Honestly, after all that and the shock you went through, you're incredible. I can't believe you testified for him anyway.

So, did they pass his verdict yet?

Doesn't happen that fast, girl.

But I heard Akafuyu say the L.G.D. finished their investigation and figured out it wasn't actually him who held up the jewelry store. Now he's got charges for obstructing public duty and... something, whatever it was? I don't remember.

Considering he also kinda got baited into the mafia too, he'll probably get a year and a half and then deported out.

Which, like, it only panned out this way thanks to you.

All I did was make him notice my phone, and that was it.

He saw what was on there and realized I wasn't lying to him while I was in the car. Wasn't more than that.

Seriously? Sooo what kinda spell did you put in your phone to make a hard-boiled guy like that give himself up?

It wasn't a spell or anything, just some super normal stuff.

You sure?

Of course I'm sure!

So normal, you won't even let me see?

You seriously don't need to, I'm not kidding!

Hmm...

Not gonna push you, then.

Bye-bye, Kirara. Get some sleep if you're worn out, okay?

It's not a spell or incantation or anything, it's just...

Just some stuff I need to copy and mail out.

Kirara fishes out her phone, and scrolls the whole way down her drafts, until she hits the day she set out.

Since leaving that nomadic city she called home, her phone's mail service has been out of commission.

But leaving home for the first time, the girl still records everything she sees, hears, feels and thinks, no matter how big or small, in her drafts folder.

Kirara pulls a sheet of letter paper from her drawer, and copies from her drafts, going character by character, by word, by sentence.

A folder filled both with great chunks of text, and messy fragments of phrases.

<i>'day 2. completely out of nomadic city signal range today, no more using phone to stay in touch anymore. dont worry though, once im at rhodes island like utage says, ill send you all a million letters.'</i>

<i>'day 5. sat in a car the whole day. insanely bumpy over the wasteland, couldnt even play my handheld the whole way or else id throw up.'</i>

<i>'day 11. in yan now, road suddenly got way better! plants look kind of like home here but also kind of not, could only vaguely tell, i dont know plants much anyway. driver switched to someone yanese too, looks really tough but actually kind of chill, gave me some snacks apparently specialty of yan. wonder if theres a lot of yanese people at rhodes island?'</i>

Kirara devotedly copies, filling page after letter page, until she reaches the draft dated latest.

<i>'day 34. finally in lungmen! agreed to meet utage in the city tonight, but she said something came up and she couldnt make it and someone else would meet up with me. she likes joking a lot though so maybe shell actually show up.</i>

<i>'waited on an empty stomach the whole day until the guy whos meeting me finally showed up. seems kind of unapproachable. hope its not all guys like him at rhodes island or else im never gonna be able to say a word.</i>

<i>'i think i got in the wrong car. drivers not rhodes island, hes siracusan mafia. he says hes going to go back to siracusa what do i do</i>

<i>'he got framed from the start, he just wants to go home.</i>

<i>'i want to go home too.</i>

<i>'i miss home.</i>

<i>'ive been missing home the whole time actually, i just held it in and never wrote about it before. everythings really nice in yan, but the food keeps being different everywhere and i cant get used to it, i always get stomach aches, i cant use my phone i cant send mail i cant chat with my friends i dont even have the guts to talk to anyone its horrible, the wind is really harsh in the wastes and sand got in my eyes nobody even helped me i just had to get it out with a napkin myself</i>

<i>'mom dad i miss you</i>

<i>'if i make it out of here alive and if my oripathy gets stable when rhodes island is in higashi i promise ill come back to see you i promise ill be a cheerful happy person i wont worry you anymore i promise'</i>

The draft abruptly ends there.

Kirara tears up the sheet that contains this draft, crumples it into a ball, and throws it on the floor.

She locks her phone screen, and on a fresh sheet of paper writes anew, 'day 34'.

<i>'day 34. finally in lungmen! me and utage met up in the city, utage took me to rhodes island. no twists along the way at all, it all went smooth.</i>

<i>'i love you.'</i>

How are they?

That leader girl got slashed from behind by the bandits. Still out for the moment.

That many, all sneaking up on one woman at once. Cowards!

S—So what now?

What do you mean what now? Those thieves were after our medicine, so they want us dead!

I'll take them on if it comes to that, my life against theirs! I can use Arts myself...

They live by getting one over! We couldn't even light a flame if we wanted. Taking them on would never get anywhere...

Even if it wouldn't, we've got to! You saying you want those bloodthirsty cutthroats to make off with our medicine, after we barely managed to buy it?

All our efforts just to buy this one cheap measly lot of suppressants! And I want you to imagine, if it wasn't for them, then you, me, the village at large, how long we'll still be alive for all these damn stones in us!

Not to mention, there's Rhodes Islanders with us...

But Rhodes is only here to deliver the drugs!

You get it straight. Once they put the drugs in our hands, they could go at any time. They wouldn't help us!

And even if they did stay... You've seen how badly the leader got hurt, after how easily she dealt with the beasts. Now it's just those girls left—what do you think they're going to be able to do?

The bandits aren't going to just forgive and forget after failing to steal our drugs. They might attack again at any moment!

Better we give them whatever they want. Better than dooming us all. We—We can always figure out something else!

Think carefully about this Rhodes Island or whatever. With how cheap they're selling it, who knows if the drugs are real or fake...

Enough! You can shut up any day!

Erk.

I didn't hear this lousy tune from you when those girls helped us fend off the beasts AFTER dropping off the medicine, or when that doctor girl gave you an examination!

You think the measly amount we forked over was worth them delivering it all the way out here, and bringing a doctor to do checkups free of charge?

If that's the lengths Rhodes Island will go to, then whether or not the medicine works, I'm still believing in them!

Tell me, then... You think we can actually protect these drugs?

We can only try.

Now, enough. I'm going to help the Rhodes Islanders. You find something to busy yourself with.