"I never thought the Daimyo of this town had it in him to get rough with women..", mumbled Aya after receiving a punch to her face, making her bleed. She was bound to a chair in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the outskirts of Shizuoka. "Tourism here does have some interestingly unique perks.. I think I should visit more often."
The three unknown men in hooded robes who subdued and kidnapped Aya were still there with the Daimyo of Shizuoka. It was dark inside the warehouse, and it seemed to be located quite a distance from the town center judging by the muffled sounds of the festivities' events. Only a single suspended roof lamp was on, which was primarily focused on the one they interrogated.
"We all know you're not here just for sight seeing, Nishida Aya..", said a man in his fifties wearing a formal kimono, Shizuoka's landlord, Daimyo Atarashi. "Tell me.. what's a renowned government saboteur doing in my land? I thought you retired and went to school."
"I am still just a student..", Aya snickered. "I'm spending my summer vacation here to enjoy the beaches and watch fireworks, Atarashi Daimyo-sama.. is there something wrong with a student enjoying her break?"
"Your presence alone is alarming, Nishida-san..", replied Atarashi coldly. "It is most especially so that you've been here for quite awhile. What are you snooping around for?"
After snorting as a reaction to the Daimyo's question, Aya let out a laugh which she could not hold any longer. "You being unnerved by me being here and my reputation means you just blew your cover."
Atarashi punched Aya again, but she just kept laughing. Agitated as well, the other three men began hitting her. She just simply screamed in ecstatic pleasure. "More! More! Punish me! Yes! Oh, you are definitely hiding something, Daimyo-sama! Hit me more!"
For a few more moments, the three minions continued to be violent with the captured assassin. However, Atarashi stopped to rearrange his kimono and took a deep breath. He then ordered his men to stop. "You are one shameful and insane young woman, Nishida-san."
Snickering in between her coughing up blood, Aya flashed an adorably devious smile. "Oh, you have no idea.. but I do know something about what you did to your predecessor."
Atarashi closed his eyes and sighed to keep his cool. "Fortunately for me, that is irrelevant information since you are at our mercy.. we just have to dispose of you."
Aya simply pouted and looked away in discontent. "What a disappointing reaction.. I thought I was going to be punished again."
Suddenly, Atarashi's "console command" rang loudly, breaking the silence and also making everyone realize the strange noiselessness from the middle of town. The Daimyo turned around to take a few paces away and took the call.
"Where are you?..", asked a deep husky voice from the other end of the line. "The preparations for the ritual had been set."
"I was just getting rid of a few distractions, great leader..", answered Atarashi nervously. "I'll be on my way then."
"Make haste..", replied the voice before Atarashi cut the call.
Shizuoka's landlord shot one more glance at Aya before gesturing towards his minions. "Do whatever you want with her.. but make sure you do a short ritual before killing her. Every soul counts for the Shinigami."
As the hooded men nodded in agreement towards their boss, Aya was coming close to a realization. All those investigations she had been conducting throughout town were coming to a conclusion. "Shinigami again, huh? So, these cultists are gathering souls from different places. Is it really to recruit more? But what ritual? And how?"
A few seconds after Atarashi left, the three hooded men approached Aya while snickering as if they were about to do something foul. However, Aya only greeted them with a big smile full of excitement and lustful pleasure. "Come at me, boys! Let's play."
The sounds of blissful agony coming out of the decrepit old warehouse seemed like a bizarre anomaly in a quiet town, only that it was not supposed to be silent. Noises coming from the large crowd in the middle of town were hushed all of a sudden for some unknown reason. Thousands of spectators waiting for the opening act of the famous idol group, 3K, stood still like lifeless statues in one massive sculpture factory. However, as if it was a black speck in the midst of a white sand shoreline, one served as a peculiarity of not being affected by the unknown magic.
"Kinjou! Sensei! Wake up!..", a distressed Seijurou scrambled like a spinning top to find a way to dispel something unknown to him. "Please.. help me! What the hell is happening?"
"Erida-kun!..", a voice inside Seijurou's head suddenly froze him in place, though he was perfectly conscious unlike the thousands around him.
"Yanagi-senpai! Although I'm going to say this twice today, I sure am glad to hear from you..", answered Seijurou in great relief. "What's going on with everyone?"
"Something has overwritten my thought projection wards..", replied Shinsuke in worry. "I can't reach anyone save for you and Yoshiki-taichou."
"Yoshiki-taichou?"
"I am here..", appeared out of the blue by a leather clad silver haired woman, Yoshiki Mizuki. "What's the situation, Erida Seijurou?"
Seijurou stared at the general with both surprise and relief. "They all simply stopped moving, sensei. I'm still trying to figure out what caused it."
"That I know already as my girls remain petrified in the backstage..", said Yoshiki with a little disappointment in her tone. "What I want to know is how you're not affected.. knowing that can possibly reverse this predicament, boy."
"And how are you not affected, Yoshiki-taichou..", projected Shinsuke in their thoughts. "Your case could probably help as well."
"You think such a lame illusion spell can get the better of me?!..", exclaimed Yoshiki while flustering in fury. "You look down on me, Yanagi Shinsuke."
An image of Shinsuke awkwardly breaking a droplet of sweat has been projected in their thoughts. "I don't mean any disrespect, taichou.. but if you say it's an illusion spell, then we've almost figured out how they recruit more cultists."
"That is correct..", responded Yoshiki. "It shows that most of the good citizens of Shizuoka are not recruited.. they were all simply under a spell."
As his two senior officers continued to look for ways to handle the circumstances, Seijurou glanced at his petrified sensei. Looking at his homeroom teacher made him remember something from their assessment before the quest. "Magic resistance blocks all potentially harmful magic.. that's right. Yoshiki-sensei must've developed it enough too with her vast amount of experience."
"Sensei!..", Seijurou called after he figured something out. "This magic can harm everyone!"
"Your babbling isn't helping the cause, boy!..", Yoshiki impatiently yelled, causing Seijurou to let a droplet of sweat roll. "Don't tell me things I already know.. just figure out what's causing all this!"
Shocked at first with the way the renowned general ordered him, Seijurou calmed himself down by rearranging his glasses with the tip of his fingers. He put his hand over his chin and began to think it out. The first thing that came into mind was Yanagi Shinsuke's thought projection. "But the perpetrator should've touched every single one present here.. that would be an even more powerful wizard than senpai!"
"I said quit your babbling and get to work!..", said Yoshiki, who doesn't even realize that they were connected through Shinsuke's thought projection, startling Seijurou.
"My apologies, Yoshiki-taichou.. I was.. literally thinking out loud..", said Seijurou as he prostrated in front of the short fused general. He proceeded to find a solution in his thoughts once more. "No.. that's impossible.. Yanagi-senpai is the most powerful mage in the land, and no one could've pulled something off like that alone."
"You still give me too much credit, Erida-kun..", said Yanagi in Seijurou's thoughts, startling him again.
"Can you disconnect me for a while, senpai? It's really breaking my train of thought..", said Seijurou slightly irritatingly, but Shinsuke just chuckled awkwardly. He continued. "Unless.. it's a collective effort from numerous mages.. that explains the enormous magic!"
"We already know that..", said Shinsuke plainly but politely. "But keep going.. I think you're onto something."
"But it's virtually impossible to reach every single person here..", answered Seijurou with his usual deductive tone. "We would've suspected something immediately if they did that.. wait.. reaching everyone without blowing their cover.. the wards!"
"No one has touched any of our wards..", Yoshiki joined in the telepathic conversation as something must have interested her. "I should know.. I've personally surveyed all of it.. but I think you're close to figuring it out, boy."
"So, how did the cultists reach thousands of people in a single day without being noticed? What was given to all of us?..", Seijurou said in frustration. However, almost as quick as he figured it all out, he took something out of his pocket. "Sensei.. it's the tickets. No one's allowed entry without this."
Yoshiki Mizuki took hers out too. The moment she saw a familiar looking "Kanji text" burned through it like it was pierced into the small piece of paper, her eyes widened. "I never really understood why me and the girls were given this since we were at backstage anyway.. not to mention that they are the actual performers. Now we know."
"Mine looks the same as yours, sensei..", answered Seijurou with a hint of confidence coming out of him. He knew exactly what was happening. "The incantation was overwritten by regular text to hide it.. ours just burned off because we were resistant to it.. revealing its true nature.. these tickets are magical wards."
Yoshiki shook her head and smiled in amazement. "Well done, Erida Seijurou.. you know what comes next."
"Right, sensei.. let's wake my classmates up..", Seijurou concurred, but he focused on his thoughts first. "But first thing's first.. Yanagi-senpai!"
"Roger that, Erida-kun..", almost the same time as Shinsuke responded, magic particles surrounded Seijurou's body. Then, in one bright but nonviolent blast, the familiar looking Orcish armor covered the resident boy genius, fully equipping him even with the Shield of Athena and Himiko's potions.
After ordering his junior mages to "remote summon" their classmate's gear, Shinsuke focused his thoughts to another individual who was currently in an abandoned warehouse outside of town. "Nee-chan, we've deducted their illusion spell is projected from a different location. I'm assuming it's the cult's base and the core of all this. It's time to move."
"Aww.. really? Just when I'm finally having some fun..", answered Aya in her thoughts as one of the three hooded men ripped her yukata off.
"You are one kinky girl, aren't you?..", the cult minion snickered while groping at Aya's two piece black lingerie.
"That's right! Look at my bosom.. stare at my mature body..", said Aya deviously to the men and laughed out loud. "Rip it all off as you please.. and I would've gladly opened my legs for you if I weren't bound."
As soon as the hooded villain touched her, Aya quickly pivoted on her toes to suddenly tilt forward. The action caused the top of the chair to smash through the head of the man, instantly spilling blood and killing him. "Unfortunately for us, playtime's over.. I've been ordered to go, boys."
The two other hooded cult minions rushed to their friend's aid. However, it was too late. While the brains of their dead companion spilled all over Aya, she just smirked devilishly as if she had already tricked all of them.
"Ketsueki no Jutsu (Blood Art)..", Aya chanted as the two men raised their weapons at her. "Chimamire no Uni (Bloody Urchin)."
Instantaneously, the dead man's blood turned into massive spikes impaling the other two and effectively cutting the ropes that bound Aya. The entire warehouse became a bloodbath as she stood from the chair. And then, she turned the splattered blood on her body into a leather-like crimson suit with her unique art.
"Good. Looks like the Daimyo hasn't gone far yet..", said Aya as she licked the excess blood on her forearm. "I can still smell his blood coursing through his veins."
"It seems you've made quite a mess again, nee-chan..", said Shinsuke through his projection.
Aya giggled at her leader. "Why? Are you going to punish me for that, Kaichou?"
"Let's see..", replied Yanagi awkwardly as Aya quietly tailed Atarashi from afar. "Right now, tell us the location of the cult's base of operations."
"Impatient are we? I haven't pinpointed their base yet, but I'm currently on it..", said Aya as she maneuvered through the roofs of nearby houses.
"Sorry to put some pressure on you, but we're out of time..", answered Yanagi apologetically. "Everyone's in trouble.. even Kinjou-kun."
After Aya spotted the Daimyo entering a seemingly abandoned mansion near the border, she snickered to herself. "Don't worry.. I think I'm close, kaichou."
"Great.. I'm sending everyone at your location except for Kinjou-kun. They're close by..", said Shinsuke with a little more enthusiasm. "Should I tell everyone we're expecting a friendly welcome?"
Aya laughed at her kaichou's question while hiding behind a bush outside the said mansion. "Since when did they not have a grand entrance with all of them together?"
The eerie silence coming from the town gave way to the sea breeze's constant howling. It was as if the ocean itself was warning all those conscious enough of an impending battle. An omen in itself, the winds blew through a place of rich history, only seemingly greeted by ghosts of the past. Another obstacle had been placed in front of Shizuoka by its oppressors from the shadows. The inevitable was about to unfold as five valiant protectors marched through the shrubbery of the outskirts to fight for everyone's sake.
"So, is Yanagi sitting this one out?..", asked a boy close to his twenties clad in a knight's armor. "And I hear Kinjou-chan's given a special mission too."
"I heard that, Natsuo..", reacted Shinsuke awkwardly through thought projection. "It's not like I'm not with you guys in mind in spirit."
"That 'it's the thought that counts' thing again, Shinsuke?..", asked the girl beside Wakaba Natsuo in a hooded black robe. "Natsuo was just saying you'll miss all the fun this time.. especially that this seems like the work of a 'Necromancer'."
"What do you have against about 'necromancy', anyway?..", asked the boy on Natsuo's other side, who was equipped with a bow over his hunter's gear. "Aren't you like one, Rika-chan?"
"This again, Harukaze-senpai?..", said a second year girl clad in white healer's robes beside Fuyunami Rika. "I can't believe someone who made it as a member of FSG's 'Round Table' couldn't distinguish a 'Necromancer' from a 'Conjurer'."
Harukaze Gorou almost popped a vein to his kouhai's response. "Oi Mariya-chan! You're out of line.. I'm still your senior even if you're one of the 'Seven' now."
"I did address you with 'senpai', senpai..", Nagano Mariya said plainly, which caused Gorou to almost flip backwards.
"Always fighting, you two..", Shinsuke projected an mage of him smiling awkwardly. "So.. how do we go about this?"
"Shouya went ahead of us to survey the place for our tactic..", answered Gouro. "But I haven't seen him yet.. where is he, by the way?"
"Oh, I was here the whole time..", said a young "Bard" with a collection of instruments on his back. His sudden appearance almost made everyone flip over.
Mariya held her chest as she breathed heavily. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Akiuta-senpai.. why do you always do this?"
"The art of knowing everything means one should be able to hide his or her presence to watch everything unfold..", sang Akiuta Shouya in front of his fellows as if he was on a stage. "But forgive me, Mariya ojou-san.. I only do this because I know you can heal yourself from cardiac arrest."
Natsuo sighed impatiently. "Okay, Shouya.. what's our tactic this time?"
Being the usual person to draw out the plan of action since he is used to knowing everything with his story writing as a "Bard", Akiuta Shouya is known to be the most prolific tactician in FSG. He thought about how to proceed in sabotaging the cult's ritual after Aya pointed out the location of the enemies' hideout.
"Since Shinsuke isn't here physically and Satsuki ojou-san has other things to handle, we're going to have to tackle this situation a little differently..", said Shouya as he showed them the way to the old mansion. "Fortunately for us.. Aya-neechan is here to assist us."
"Shouya.. please get to the point..", said Rika impatiently. "We're out of time."
"Well if you put it that way, Rika, the only entrance to the hideout is a trapdoor leading underground inside the mansion..", answered Shouya enthusiastically. "I guess we do it like for old times' sake."
"Old times' sake?..", asked Shinsuke nervously in their thoughts. "Don't tell me.. of all the tactics you've thought.."
"Let's just level the place and storm in..", said Shouya while breaking a drop of sweat. "Sorry Shinsuke.. there really is no other way, but this shall be fun times."
"Oh yeah! This is pumping me up..", said Natsuo as he drew his claymore. "Technically, it's just five of us now.. but let's show those cultist's how FSG's 'Seven' deal with things."
Translation Notes:
Daimyo – the landlord of a town or city in a feudal state of government.
Monogatari Concepts:
Shinigami – it was briefly discussed before that this is one of the god Hygyros' forms. To elaborate more on this, he is basically the Jihonian version of the messenger god as most of the locals believe he is the reaper of souls. Besides being the one tasked by his father to bring the Youkai to the Underworld at the conclusion of the Elders' War, he also leads the souls of the dead towards the afterlife.
Worshipping the Shinigami as the Jihonian's version of Hygyros is a valid religion. Common folk and criminals alike pray to him for good fortune and for a means of escaping the harsh realities of the world. Being the patron of shadows allows the faithful to be led outside of dark paths and towards a brighter road. However, worshipping him as the messenger of death alone is not recognized by the government and treated as a cult with it having radical and inhumane practices.
Character Description:
Shinazugawa Kasumi – 3K definitely has an abundance of personality with her completing the mix. If Kanae is the "big sister" and with Kaguya being the weird one, Kasumi is the outspoken "little sister" not only of their idol group, but of the whole class as well. She's very shy contrary to her idol image on stage, but even while performing, she's usually seen blushing in embarrassment. And it's actually her selling point. Most fanatics find this side of her really lovable. Being easily embarrassed with lewd concepts, getting easily surprised by any kind of sudden events, and almost always apologetic even against her enemies, she is safely considered as the epitome of innocence. Although extremely bashful, she is still very sociable as she is seen having no problems talking with anyone. It only takes greater effort for her to talk to people she admires though.
However, when it comes to actual confrontations and performing on stage, Kasumi takes the least effort in training compared to her teammates. It's primarily because she's the most talented one. As a soldier student, she doesn't come close to Kanae's combat prowess and is far behind Kaguya's academic proficiency, but her Holy Arts as a Priestess is considered as one of the most formidable abilities under the support class. I myself as the creator of this character is amazed on how useful a single technique from her could be (I'm referring to her Holy Aura of Protection, which Seijurou and Himiko couldn't copy at full power). Even her healing ability is a cut above the rest as shown during the time Chizuru borrowed her to keep healing Jax and Kazuma the whole day for training. Adding to all that, her singing and dancing skills come in naturally to her without much practice. Her high pitched voice comes with an angel's song, and her flexibly mobile body allows her to do difficult dance steps flawlessly. During performances, she's usually seen as the lead performer.
The way Kasumi chooses her appearance can be quite tricky because she's not usually seen in a common set of clothes save for her school uniform. But even her uniform is only worn during school hours since she immediately changes to her priestess robes before going to the temple to train and pray. Her battle outfit is also slightly different with the addition of a holy staff and blessed armor. When in casual clothes though, she's also seen in the latest fashion trends just like her teammates.
Kasumi is one of the most delicate looking ones in class being pretty slim and just athletic enough for dances and battle support. She stands at 155cm and weighs in at 41kg (this will probably turn her as red as a tomato). Her round gray eyes hide under her silver blonde bangs with the rest growing down to her waist. The rest of her facial features are small, and her skin has a rosy white kind of tinge. Her favorite thing is white chocolate, but she only eats it sparingly (it's sinful for a woman of faith to indulge into something). Oh and yes, it is fine for priests and priestesses to marry in this world I made. Indulging into lust is what's forbidden. So, Kasumi says, "Yay!", since she dreams of being a bride some day.
Author's Note:
As you can see, dear readers, that I'm running out of ideas for the "Honorifics Guide" section. I guess I've covered a lot already with regards to that. So, for this chapter, I'm putting an author's note instead.
Well, I only want to inform you that I've divided the story into arcs. It's because I want to give you readers sort of a main thought every few chapters, like where is this headed to, or what's the purpose of this arc. Plus, it sort of giving me kind of a manga or anime vibe. It's not that I divided them into volumes. I just put a small note at the end of chapters 7 and 16, indicating the ends of each arc. So, yeah, go check it out.
Thank you for picking this up to read. I put a lot of effort in thinking of this world. So, it equally means the world for me when someone reads it consistently. Much appreciated all of you!