level_act44side_07_beg

Gazing down from the top of the TV tower, one can see fireworks rise in the night sky before falling gently and disappearing from sight.

The fireworks show has not begun yet. This is simply the warmup for the warmup.

The Phidia gazes at his own reflection in the window, and that of the reforged Hannya behind him.

...Hannya.

I finally have you, after twenty years... too late. Too late.

What could you possibly do for me, other than acting as witness to this ceremony in Tessai's place?

As the Phidia gazes upon the reforged Hannya, he realizes that there are remnants of what seemed to be straps of some sort on the handle on the back side.

The back side is untouched?

A good shield. But nothing more.

Mio!

How long until the start of the ceremony?

Around an hour.

I'm going downstairs for some fresh air.

Hoshiguma may crash the ceremony, Mifune-san.

So much the better.

What do you mean?

If she does, it would mean one of two things: either she's been driven to madness, or she has somehow managed to stay calm after Tessai's death.

On my turf, in front of my camera, and on television, however, she'll be nothing more than a crazed murderer.

Nothing more than a footnote in the accession ceremony. A failure driven to madness. Even if I'm not a match for her, the ones upstairs will take care of her.

About Momoka...

Getting soft-hearted?

Well, we could certainly keep her around for a while longer, extract every last bit of value from her. We have plenty of ways to persuade her—

But we'll have to leave that Kichisei alive, too, so that Momoka is not driven to despair. You haven't dealt with her yet, have you?

No.

Good.

What about Tetsuya?

Mio?

...He escaped.

He what?

Mifune's voice turns sinister in an instant.

The truth.

...I let him go.

Soft-hearted, again?

Yes.

Is that all?

That's all.

I'm disappointed in you.

I'm prepared to accept my punishment.

It can wait. But this necessitates a change in your responsibilities.

You will face Hoshiguma, if she does come.

It's my duty.

Don't be in such a hurry to say yes.

You know what awaits if she shows up before me still living and breathing.

...Yes.

Two ninjas will keep a constant eye on you. Don't try anything funny.

Now, I need to get that fresh air. Make sure everyone is ready for any unexpected situations.

The fireworks show won't start for a while. Let's walk around.

No, darling, we should go straight to the site of the fireworks show on the other side of the river. They're saying on the intercity net that this area's not safe now.

Rumor has it that the oyabun of the Kinsekikai is dead, killed by the Ao-Oni, the one in the kaidan.

Oh—that media mogul? What's his name... Kin...

No, that's Mifune. It was Tessai who died.

Huh, you know, I actually thought Mifune was the one who died, since he's always showing up in public.

There's been rumors coming from Kajimachi, plus the Northern Court spy that they're talking about... anyway, we should go over to the other side of the river.

Kaidan. Hot topics. Manipulation of public opinion.

It has become second nature to him.

Who would have thought that all the kaidan of Mitsukue originated from Shimasu's attempt to blackmail him over the Diet candidate affair, only to end up slain by his sword?

Shimasu's death needed to be covered up. The fledgling TV station needed relevance. The diet member whom he was trying to butter up was waiting to see him prove his quality.

So he linked Hoshiguma with 'Sawara the Silentious' of Shin-Aki, and reported on the Haunted House for a week. It was a smashing success.

The intensive reporting dispelled any suspicions that viewers had, and left behind plenty of room for him to clean up and misdirect.

Relevance from the kaidan became money. Money moved diet members and shackled the police, made the Kinsekikai grovel before him, and rendered Tessai powerless to intervene.

Everything snowballed from there. The Haunted House became the ideal place to dispose of people who got in the way.

But the trick could not continue forever. Interest would fade, and revenue would decline, while Tessai's suspicions and the pressure of public opinion grew.

When the last gangster who knew how the Diet candidate died was dealt with, he began to expand the scope and channels of the 'kaidan'.

It could involve the kami or accidents, even a fabricated story that was sufficiently interesting and frightening.

He, too, wondered why the people of Mitsukue were so obsessed with kaidan.

They feared any potential danger in life, but they could not control their own curiosity. The prospect of danger seemed to represent a fatal attraction.

The TV station provided the Kinsekikai with a constant source of income, funding the crystalline component industry, making him someone whom Tessai looked down on, but could not do without him.

Meanwhile, to him, Tessai was already nothing more than a...

Emergency...

Emergency, emergency.

This is not a drill. This is not a drill.

What's going on? Earthquake?!

Mitsukue is under attack by the Northern Court. Repeat, Mitsukue is under attack by the Northern Court.

For your own safety, please follow these instructions:

What? A Northern Court invasion?!

If you are inside, close all doors and windows and await further instructions.

If you are outside, go to the nearest shelter immediately.

Sh-Shelter? Do we have those in Mitsukue?

There used to be announcements, but now... we'll have to look for the signs...

On Nita Street and beyond, all of Mitsukue is suddenly filled with red lights, with the exception of the oblivious fireworks.

A fear that was once forgotten has been reawakened.

Conflict between North and South has only increased since the Bloodpeak Campaign, but rapid economic growth caused the attention of the people to drift away from the gunfire on the border.

Mizukue and Kusarigawa continued to treat each other as potential adversaries, even after the '90s, but the average folk have long since forgotten the possibility.

This fear, which has lain forgotten for many years but never truly left, seized the hearts of Mitsukue's people more powerfully than any kaidan.

Mifune-san!

What the blazes is going on?!

Someone hacked into Kinseki Channel's broadcasting network! They tampered with the backup emergency footage provided by the government and are broadcasting it all over the city!

We're not sure how, but they even managed to take over the networks of some of the other stations. Even our partners are affected.

They're spamming our phone lines, thinking that we approved it!

<i>Moshimoshi?</i> What's going on—

It's the Diet?!

How's the infiltration going?

Couldn't be better. Total chaos right now. Had no difficulty breaching.

Don't go too far, Sarasa. There might be unintended consequences to spreading fake news.

Don't worry, I avoided crowded places like the fireworks show, and places like hospitals, schools, and old folks' homes, where people tend to have weak hearts.

I also set a retraction video to play after the warning's looped a few times, telling people that it was a mistake.

I'll go to the ceremony now with Momoka and Kichisei.

Time for you to create more chaos, Hoshiguma.

On it.

Hoshiguma walks in the opposite direction of the panicking crowd, towards the TV station.

As Sarasa said, the broadcasts are now changing to play the retraction video, and the crowd gradually begins to calm down.

As Hoshiguma walks, she wonders if she might see the reaction she hoped for from the crowd.

It need not be an awakening or an awareness of vigilance, nothing so heavy.

She just wants to see them shiver and remember what fear truly is, not just a little punctuation to spice up a happy life.

But all she hears is people excitedly repeating a single word...

'Kaidan.'

Here we are.

So little security? Looks like the station really has its hands full.

The one-horned Oni walks inside without hesitation, passing by one, two, and three station staff without being noticed.

Until the fourth...

The Ao-Oni?!

It's the Ao-Oni! Call the Kinsekikai!

I suggest you make way while I'm still asking politely.

No?

They have her surrounded. They outnumber her many to one. Yet, for some reason, there is a thought in all their minds that they cannot shake...

She outmatches them—one against many.

This is for your own good. Maybe some of you have heard about what the 'Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai' did twenty years ago, right here in Mitsukue.

Even if we're no longer clan-family, even if your oyabun... killed Uncle Tessai, I don't want to fight you, if I don't have to.

Make way. I want to see Kinbee. Don't make me do this.

Y-You won't get away!

The Kinsekikai never issued a notice of 'expulsion' or 'no-contact' to you! You're still part of the Kinsekikai, and to attack us is to attack your own family!

Do you really believe that?

No one answers.

Hoshiguma continues walking, almost nonchalantly.

There is no sound of footsteps behind her, only a slight whoosh of something flying through the air.

She does not even cast a glance at it. Be it knife or flash drive, shuriken or just a handful of beans, none of that matters anymore.

When you're throwing a knife, you really should throw it like you mean it. You might as well have been throwing roasted soybeans.

<i>Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi,</i> that's the old saying? Oni out, fortune in?

Surrender, and we can keep it at that. There's no bad blood between us.

No bad blood? Maybe you're right. But back in my day, we had a different slogan when we threw beans in Kajimachi.

We said, 'Fortune out...

'Oni in.'

She draws her sword.

The yakuza who have heard of the Ao-Oni instinctively take a step backwards. Only one of the younger members steps forward, seemingly oblivious to what he is risking for a chance at glory.

Alright then.

No one saw what the one-horned Oni did. All they saw was a blue flash, and the young yakuza fell to the ground, a bloody gash on his thigh.

Th-There's only one of her! Get her!

We're the Kinsekikai! We're the strongest! Get her! We must not disappoint the Kinsekikai or Chairman Mifune!

That's more like it.

They rush toward the striding Oni like the tide.

The Oni takes step after step forward, until the distance between her and the figure ahead closes to a hair's breadth—

Once again, the blue light, but this time, everyone sees the true nature of the Oni, no longer attempting to suppress her fury.

Hoshiguma's blade moves through the air.

Before long, there is no longer anyone standing in her way. The injuries are not fatal, but no one has the strength, or the stomach, to oppose her anymore. Only the one-horned Oni still stands tall.

Sad.