Epilogue / 22 : 30 / Retroscena

Now that the power over Shangri-La’s core tower had been delegated to its neighbors, the question was now who among the five countries would really hold the (figurative) keys—presently, the five neighboring countries were holding a heated conference to sort that out.

To begin with, this city was a treasure mine, if one could only access it.

Slush funds, smuggled goods, advanced illegal technology, talented professionals, valuable experimental data, information on top-secret coverups—the city was full of things that shady enterprises, crime syndicates, politicians, and intelligence bureaus would all kill to get their hands on.

On the surface, the goal of the conference was to decide how Shangri-La would be governed, but in reality, it was a battle for the rights to its pot of gold.

“Well, I can’t imagine that this political bickering will last long though,” Halter said.

Walking beside him, Vermouth nodded. “I’d say that before long, the bigshots are gonna manipulate IGMO to intervene and force the neighboring countries to commission IGMO to govern Shangri-La, after which they’ll begin destroying the evidence, or ‘cleaning house,’ if you will.”

They’ll quickly distribute out the slush funds, keep the technology and experimental data under wraps under the pretext of corporate privacy, and bury the top-secret info even deeper.

—In other words, nothing would change.

“And so, God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world, I suppose—eh?” Vermouth said, summing things up with a sneer.

He was no longer in the body of the golden-haired beauty that the troupe had gotten used to seeing him in, but back to his old look of a muscular and bold-looking young man.

“Only by piling lies upon lies on it does the truth become acceptable,” Halter muttered with a shrug.

“That’s how you keep the cogs of this world turning. Just let ’em be.”

“Well, guess we can’t say much, given that we’re going to capitalize on this chaos to escape and all.”

The necessary arrangements for their escape had already been made.

They were going to use a distribution route used for smuggling to escape all the way to India, then continue on to France while continuing to live as terrorists on the run, but—

In the dead of night, just a few hours before their scheduled departure.

The two of them were walking inside a small estate on the outskirts of Shangri-La Grid.

While the building was old, there wasn’t a single speck of dust in the hallways. In addition, the greenery on the outside was trimmed neatly and the furniture inside was refined and unassuming. It was dead silent right now, without a sign of anyone being home.

Walking through this place, one would get the inkling that the family who lived here was probably a fastidious bunch.

“By the way I haven’t asked yet, but what business do you have here, Boss?”

“...That’s a good question. Frankly, I don’t know either,” Halter muttered with a sigh as he came to a stop.

Before him was a thick and heavy door.

Judging by the layout of the house, what lay ahead should be something like a study room.

“I’ll go finish my business. You wait outside.”

“Oy o~y, c’mon now, Bossss, don’t leave a guy hangin’ after all this way.”

“It probably isn’t gonna be the kind of fun thing you’re imagining. Besides—”

He paused for a breath.

“It won’t take very long,” Halter finished in a chilling voice.

Vermouth erased the flippant smile he had on his face and gazed at Halter, but Halter had already moved on mentally. Without turning to acknowledge Vermouth, he opened the door and entered the room.

Right by the door was an enormous partition screen, and there were no lights inside. Because of that, he couldn’t see the inner part of the room.

Just as Halter started walking to get around the screen from the right, he quickly stopped.

—There was the corpse of a dead girl lying on the floor to the right of the screen.

The girl was dressed in the garb of a nun for some reason, and there was a smoking pipe next to her.

She had a gunshot wound right in the middle of her forehead, which seemed to be the cause of death. And as far as Halter could tell at a glance, it didn’t look like it’d been that long since she was killed.

“Oh, please, don’t concern yourself with that thing. It isn’t a very interesting story to tell anywayyy...”

Hearing a voice, Halter looked up.

It turned out to be a spacious room past the partition screen. There was a large window in the center, through which pale moonlight was shining into the dark room. As befitting of a study, heavy bookshelves lined both side walls, and leather-bound books clearly chosen for style decorated their shelves.

In front of the window was a large office desk. It looked like the room doubled as a reception room as well, as there was a splendid table in between two classy-looking sofas set facing each other in front of the desk.

On one of the sofas sat a man—Kiu Tai Yu.

He was kicking back on the sofa while drinking wine from a glass.

“Hey there, I’ve been waiting, you know—why don’t you take a seat?”

“...You knew that I’d come?” Halter asked as he sat down on the opposite sofa.

Kiu shook his head, replying, “No? I just had a feeling somehow that it’d be fun if you diddd. After all, I’ve had quite a bit of time freed up because of you.”

“Is that right?” Halter said as he turned his eyes towards the corpse of the girl.

Kiu shrugged. “Don’t misunderstand, would you please? —That woman was Restaurant’s head. The looks are from surgery; she’s really an old hag.”

“But why is she dead in your house?”

“Like I said, it’s a boring story. I think she must have gotten confused about something, because she started going on about something like how if we join up now we could dismantle Market and take over their businesses...? It bored me, so I ended up shooting her without thinking.”

“You’re right.” Halter nodded. “It is a boring story.”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it? —Well, let’s start things off with a drink, shall we?” Kiu said, shaking the glass in his hand playfully.

He then dropped some ice into another glass and poured in wine from a bottle that must have cost an arm and a leg.

The beautiful amber liquid glistened in the moonlight while the melting ice clinked against the glass as Kiu shook it slightly.

After handing the glass over to Halter, he refilled his own, then said, “Now then, let’s toast, shall we?”

“To what?”

Kiu smiled, raising his glass up high, “To the new Shangri-La.”

As Halter also raised his glass in kind, he asked with a serious face, “You’re fine with letting go of the old Shangri-La?”

“Hm? But of course. I always keep my eyes on the future, you know!” Kiu nodded cheerily as he curled his lips. “But mannn, it sure is chaotic right now with the IGMO force invading and all, huh! Politicians and corporations are all in a frenzy, flinging shit everywhere. I pray to God this continues, as I couldn’t ask for more!”

“...You sure seem awfully chipper for someone who just lost everything.”

“Well yeah. I told you, didn’t I? That it’s actually better for me if you guys trample all over the city—and that’s what happened in the end. Isn’t that something to celebrate?”

That’s true, Halter thought.

—Letting Second Ypsilon screw things up here is actually better for him.

Kiu Tai Yu maintained that from beginning to end. Having Naoto modify the core tower was a compromise plan for him to begin with.

“Well, I guess you could say this, though?”

Kiu bent his back backwards in a sulky manner and took a sip from his glass.

“I didn’t expect that I’d have my control over the core tower snatched away after having my organization literally annihilated... I really have to hand it to you guys for doing such a perfect job on me. I’m not even mad, just amazed,” Kiu said laughingly. It truly looked as though the turn of events didn’t bother him at all.

Halter tilted his head. “I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why did you try to destroy your own organization?”

Kiu didn’t immediately answer. Halter took a gulp from his glass, then continued, “You’re a capable man. Both your mind and your instincts are sharp.”

“Aw, shuuucks.”

“Yet, why did you stuff Naoto inside the core tower? And without keeping a serious eye on him, either. You should have easily been able to tell that he isn’t the kind of person that would bend to the will of others from one cheap threat.”

—That’s the one thing I just can’t figure out.

For someone who set out to clean up the mess that was created himself by executing a plan that bore the risk of incurring the spite of Initial-Y automata, his response to the outcome is simply too casual.

Even if TemP hadn’t ignored orders, his plan would have quickly come apart.

Almost as if, he had considered the possibility that this— No.

As if to say that things went just as planned.

“...Let me ask you, then,” Kiu said, furrowing his brows, “do you think that bossing around a bunch of dumb punks and loose hoes is really all that fun? Do I really look like I’d be desperate to keep that position?”

“...”

“That’s basically it. I’d gotten tired of it. It was time for change.”

It suddenly clicked in Halter’s mind why it was that this man had been able to stay at the top of Arsenal up to now.

It was simple.

—Kiu Tia Yu wasn’t attached to anything.

Status, prestige, money, power—they all meant nothing to him. He wasn’t prideful enough to be arrogant, idealistic enough to be naive—or ambitious enough to bother trying to change the world.

Someone without the desire to take center stage wouldn’t ever perish from being letting his urges blind him.

I see.

...He’s the type that’s perfectly suited to run underworld businesses.

In short, for him—

“I’m fine so long as things are fun for me,” Kiu sneered. “That’s the same for everyone, isn’t it? I’m no different. That’s why I’m always looking for fun thingsss. Well, being the boss of a criminal syndicate was fun in its own right. But now’s the right time for something new. I’m going to start looking for the next game I want to play.”

“...So in the end, the entire city was thrown for a wild ride for the sake of your enjoyment, huh.”

“I guess? Well, if I concerned myself with every single dreg of society that might have died, then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything, right? So I don’t let it bother me.”

—He’s the ultimate hedonist. Everything’s fine so long as he’s enjoying himself.

Yet, he doesn’t overstep his boundaries, so it’s hard to lay one’s hands on him.

Halter said, “So? What do you plan to do now?”

“Well nowww? What should I do, indeeddd,” Kiu replied, reclining against the sofa and gazing into space. “Should I gather up some poor kids in South America and have them call me comandante? Diving into the quagmire that is the Middle East and instructing the totalitarian regimes on how to put on mass games doesn’t sound bad, either. Ahhhh, the possibilities are endless!”

As Kiu spoke joyously of his dreams, his eyes seemed to be sparkling, even in the dim moonlight.

It was like the eyes of a young dreamer imagining all the possibilities in the future, and the worlds yet to be discovered.

Halter looked at the ice in his glass.

“...So whatever the case, you don’t plan to do honest work, huh.”

“Hah? What in the world are you saying. That’s a terrible joke. I, for one, believe that I made all my money through honest work, you know?! —It’s simply that most of my methods aren’t accepted by the international community, with their whimsical standardsss... Seriously, the world is so unreasonableee. Though, that’s what makes it interesting,” Kiu sneered.

“I see...” Halter muttered before swallowing the rest of his glass in one gulp. Setting his empty glass on the table, he slowly stood up.

“—Thanks for the drink. It was pretty good wine.”

“Ohhh? You’re going already?” Kiu asked, looking perplexed.

Halter nodded.

I found out what I wanted to know.

Well, I more or less expected that it’d be worms inside the can, but still, it would have felt like I had something stuck in my teeth if I had left with this question unanswered.

“We’ve gotta run while the city’s still in chaos, you see. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late for the departure.”

“That’s a shame... but well, I enjoyed our time together. Thanks,” Kiu said with a picture-perfect smile.

It felt like he wasn’t just being polite, but that he genuinely meant it.

Halter thought— This man really didn’t lie a single time all the way through, huh.

“I don’t imagine we’ll ever meet again, but I’m looking forward to watching you guys continue to make splashes elsewhere in the world.”

“Well, thanks I guess.”

Halter smiled slightly before turning around and walking towards the door.

...........

Out of nowhere, Halter stopped and turned around.

“Can I just say one last thing?”

“What is it?”

“Well to be honest, I wasn’t sure myself up until this very moment, but—” Halter said as he pulled out his pistol from under his arm.

He pointed the gun at Kiu Tai Yu’s torso so naturally, as if he were simply seeking a parting handshake.

“—In short, it seems like I wanted to do this.”

Kiu Tai Yu’s smiling face stiffened.

After staring back and forth between the humble and mundane 9mm automatic pistol and Halter’s face for a while and realizing that he wasn’t just imagining things, Kiu’s jaws dropped.

He yelled, “I don’t get it?! Why are you going to kill me?!”

“—”

“I’m utterly confused! And scared. Super scared! Just look, I’m peeing myself! These pants and boxers are ones that I’m fond of, you know! Just hooooooooooow are you going to compensate for this?!”

Halter didn’t reply; he simply fired.

Bang—

With that, Kiu Tai Yu flinched and dropped the glass in his hand. A small red dot appeared near his abdomen and quickly grew in size.

“Ohhh...?” Kiu said, looking puzzled and tilting his head.

He first looked down at his gunshot wound, then slowly back up, before blinking his eyes several times.

“...Hmm? Huh. It turns out that being shot hurts quite a bit, surprisingly enough...”

Contrary to his words, he looked disappointed if anything, rather than surprised.

Halter lowered his gun in silence, upon which Kiu asked in a calm voice, “...Why did you do this?”

“Beats me,” Halter replied quietly,. “It wasn’t to settle things with you. If anything, we’re the ones who caused you trouble, so it’s not like I have a grudge against you. I’m not really mad at you for anything, either.”

“Then... were you asked to by somebody?”

“No, I decided by my own will to pull the trigger,” Halter replied.

To which Kiu frowned, looking a little disappointed. “Then... what, is it that you were really a scumbag who... kills people in the name of justice all along?”

“I’ve got no interest in your shenanigans,” Halter refuted flatly. “I couldn’t care less whether you’re a saint or a scoundrel. It’s got nothing to do with me. People like you are a dime a dozen in this world; you’re just one of them.”

“Mm...? I really can’t think of a reason, thennn... Did I do something that rubbed you the wrong way?”

Upon finishing, Kiu coughed up a small fit. Fresh blood spilled out from the ends of his lips.

—Why did I choose to kill Kiu Tai Yu? Halter asked himself. Was there a special reason that compelled you to go out of your way in the dead of night to visit and kill this small-time scoundrel, when there are far worse villains in the world?

No, there isn’t.

At the very least, there was no strategic gain in killing him. It wasn’t a question of emotion, or that I thought that his evil deeds were unforgivable, either. ...In the first place, is he really a villain? Leaving standard morality aside, were Kiu Tai Yu’s deeds really so unforgivable, if you think about it fairly?

Admit how you really feel, Vainney Halter.

To be honest, do you not, in fact, rather like this man?

Even if you were to split the world into good on one side and evil on the other, and Kiu Tai Yu was on the evil side, don’t your own values, in fact, lean the same way?

You work for your own enjoyment, and don’t hesitate to kill those who oppose you if you have to eliminate them from the picture.

And yet, you chose to kill this man. Just why?

...That’s—

“—Shirley,” Halter said.

“Hah...?”

“It’s the girl you killed. Did you forget? It’s the one you shot at that agent’s bar.”

Seeming to have lost too much blood at this point, Kiu stared into space with a ghastly expression as he struggled to recall whom Halter was talking about. Finally, he said, “Oh— You’re talking about that... girl?”

Haltern nodded, upon which Kiu looked at him goggle-eyed, astonished from the bottom of his heart.

“What, seriously? Wait, you’re telling me that I’m going to die because of some hoe...?”

“That’s not it, you idiot,” Halter scowled, looking fed-up.

And I mean that.

To be honest, I don’t care one bit that Shirley was killed.

I mean, I barely even remember her face, and I almost forgot her name just now.

On that day, she simply happened to be there when I met the agent. She was just somebody whom I made some small talk with over a cocktail that she had made. She wasn’t even someone I had a casual fuck with, nor was she my type. If we’d parted uneventfully, I probably would have forgotten her before five minutes were up and never thought about her again.

However.

“I told you, didn’t I? That girl was a skilled bartender who knew how to make the kind of drink I like.”

—“Fairy Lady.”

The one thing I do clearly remember is the intense flavor of that sweet, scorching drink.

“The cocktail she served me was delicious, but now I’ll never get to drink it again, because of you.”

“Ahah... I seeee...” Kiu said, closing his eyes. “...Yes... I can understand, then...”

Looking satisfied with that answer, he died with a peaceful smile on his face.

...After a short while.

Upon confirming that Kiu Tai Yu was in fact dead, Halter exited the study and met Vermouth at the door.

He told him that it was time to go, and so the two of them left the estate.

They remained silent until they got inside the car that had been parked nearby, but at that point, it seemed that Vermouth couldn’t hold his curiosity back anymore. He asked, “Hey, Boss? —Was that really why you killed him?”

“...You’re gonna ask me the same thoughtless question too, huh?” Halter scowled in disgust.

Vermouth persisted, however. “C’mon, just tell me. What’ve ya got to lose?”

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it,” Halter replied, shaking his head to the side in annoyance. “I did it because I wanted to. I ain’t got no reason for it. —That’s just how we humans are, dumbass.”

●

Naoto and Marie were visiting Giovanni’s workshop again.

To make the final adjustments of AnchoR’s main frame—and also to show him the work that Marie had done.

Just like the first time they met, the old man was leaning forward, working on something in his work chair, when they came in. As soon as he saw AnchoR, he said, “Hooh... Well, I guess I’d give you a C.”

“A C, you say?” Marie replied discontentedly.

She folded her arms and raised her chin defiantly as if she wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but at the same time, she also looked nervous as she ran through what she might have overlooked in her mind.

The honest truth of it was that Marie couldn’t decide what kind of attitude she should take with this old man.

He was a senior clocksmith who had outstanding technical skill, so she should talk to him with respect—but couldn’t bring herself to do so due to her poor experience with him during their first meeting.

She also didn’t like how the usually audacious Naoto seemed to be uncharacteristically meek in the presence of this old man.

She didn’t understand exactly why this bothered her herself, but bother her it certainly did.

—Did Giovanni notice Marie’s internal conflict? Perhaps...

Giovanni said with a nonchalant face, “Oh? Maybe I should add that I thought you could do better. Or is this the limit of what you’re capable of, Miss? Are you satisfied with this level of work?”

“O—Of course not! Keep in mind that, unlike some sarcastic and twisted old geezer, I’m still young. I’m going to continue to get even better, just you watch!” Marie replied indignantly, throwing out her chest.

To which Giovanni smiled and said, “Good. Then that means you could have done a better job on her repairs. The repairs you made are neither complete nor perfect. That’s why you get a C—do you see what I’m saying now?”

“~~ngh! Fine, I’ll take it! Hmph!” Marie replied, puffing her cheeks and turning to the side.

At which point Naoto, who had been standing next to her, stepped forward and bowed. “Master, thank you for everything.”

“Oh, please. I haven’t really done much.”

“That’s not true. AnchoR was saved thanks to you, and I also feel like... I was able to take another step forward myself because of you.”

“Now that, I really did have nothing to do with. That’s a road you had already chosen for yourself.”

“Still, I’m grateful to you.”

“Is that so? ...In that case, hmm. I guess I have something a little preachy to say, as a senior clocksmith, to the both of you. Do you mind?”

“...? Please,” Naoto replied, straightening his posture. Meanwhile, Marie looked back at Giovanni with a perplexed face.

Giovanni smiled and said, “I have neither superpowers like the two of you, nor technical ability that’s worth any acclaim. But I do have one thing I can teach you as your senior.”

“......”

“You two are still too young. Living life on the edge is fine and all, but—you’re too sure of yourselves.”

Naoto and Marie both gulped.

Eyeing them both with his amber eyes, Giovanni continued, “The two of you are talented. Talented enough to reshape this world, even—but so long as you let that go to your head, you’ll always just be children.”

“...Right.”

“If you just rely on your talents to continue to maintain this planet of ours that ‘Y’ has left behind, you won’t create anything yourselves. Above all, if you don’t even understand, then you’re really just letting your divine gifts do the work for you. Your achievements wouldn’t count as the work of humans.”

“—”

He’s right, Marie thought.

Both Naoto and I have simply been chasing after “Y” on the road that he had paved.

People may hail us as geniuses or superhumans, but in reality, we’re nowhere close to omnipotence, and have yet to catch up with “Y” as well.

—Not yet, at least.

Giovanni said, “What you two need is to create a brand for yourselves.”

“...A brand?”

“It’s the original story, the legend that’s born from all the impossibles that you’ve made possible, and your mission statement. This is something that’s absolutely necessary if you’re going to earn yourselves a reputation as independent clocksmiths who are a cut above the rest.”

“...”

“If you can’t do that, no matter how much you hone your skills, you’ll simply die as humble artisans,” Giovanni said solemnly. “Modern humanity will finally catch up to ‘Y’. Whether or not that fact will be treated as divine intervention, or as a human feat—all depends on the two of you.”

Marie straightened her posture. Beside her, Naoto did the same.

Marie thought, We were just taught something very important—

The two of them found themselves naturally bowing and saying the same words in unison: “Yes. Thank you very much for your pearls of wisdom, Master—”

After politely bowing and bidding farewell, they left Giovanni’s workshop.

The three of them walked side by side, holding hands with AnchoR in the middle.

“Looks like we’ve found what we have to improve on,” Marie said.

Naoto nodded lightly. “Yeah. —We haven’t created anything ourselves. We aren’t able to yet.”

“Yes, indeed... for now, at least.”

Marie stopped and looked Naoto’s way, upon which she found Naoto doing likewise.

The pair of ashen eyes and the pair of emerald eyes met.

Upon finding a powerful will and burning passion in each other’s eyes, the two of them laughed together.

Then, Naoto said, “I’m going to do what I want, how I want, no matter what comes my way.”

To which Marie responded, “I’m going to make all impossibles possible.”

“If ‘Y’ recreated the planet—then shall we recreate this universe?”

“I like the sound of that. Overhauling this clockwork planet? I have to say, that was an awfully humble ambition for the two of us. We’ve got to create another clockwork planet from this one at the very least, or I won’t be satisfied!”

The two of them took off on the hype train.

AnchoR tilted her head, muttering, “I don’t get it. —Haven’t you two been shooting for the stars the whole time?”

However, the latter half of her muttering didn’t reach the two’s ears, as they were off into their own world.

●

The sky was still covered in black and filled with stars.

There was a ship docked at a secret harbor of Shangri-La Grid—which, until yesterday, had been active as a base for smuggling.

Aboard the rocking ship, RyuZU was giving Halter a chilling stare.

The air of hostility was such that it felt like at any moment she might just pull out her black scythes.

Beside her, AnchoR was also staring at Halter with murderous eyes, the adorable expression she typically had on currently replaced by a thoroughly dour one.

Christ, this is more unnerving than all the bloodbaths I’ve made it through, Halter thought as a shiver ran down his spine. Despite that, he worked to keep his face expressionless as he bowed deeply to them and said, “I’m sorry.”

He received no response.

With his head bowed, he continued, “I’m well aware that I can’t complain even if you choose to kill me. I’m not going to give any excuses. If there’s anything I can do to repent, I intend to do so.”

“......”

There was still no answer from either of them.

Halter remained still with his head down as he continued to wait for a response. Naoto and Marie, who were both in the vicinity, also kept their mouths shut. Vermouth also watched on nervously, gulping as he waited for the two automata to show a reaction.

...Eventually,

“Mister,” AnchoR said dispassionately. She trotted forward briskly until she was right in front of Halter, upon which she turned her head up to peer at his face, asking, “Are you really, genuinely reflecting on your actions?”

Meeting her eyes, Halter replied solemnly, “...Yeah, of course.”

To which AnchoR asked to double-check, “Do you promise never to do something like this again?”

“I promise.”

“Okay. I forgive you, then.”

“...”

Taken aback, Halter lifted his head up without thinking. He hadn’t expected to be forgiven so readily.

“I definitely won’t forgive you next time, alright Mister?” AnchoR said to drive the point home, but despite her words, she was smiling kindly.

Halter hurriedly nodded. He then looked towards RyuZU with his head still down—

“...We’ll put this on hold for now,” RyuZU said, her gaze still chilling. “If you had remained the worthless junkbot that you were, I would be dismantling you for being a defective product right now, no buts about it. But for humans who show some hope for growth, as little as it may be, despite having brains smaller than that of fleas, there is no need for immediate disposal. However,” she paused, glaring at him, “should you make the same mistake again, I shall be so merciless in my revenge that you will wish that you had died by my hand right now instead, so do not ever forget this.”

“Y... Yeah, I know. I won’t ever do something like this again.”

“Good.”

And with that, RyuZU turned around and began to walk away, and AnchoR followed.

After they had left, Halter puffed out a grand sigh as he stroked his bald head,

...If my body was still human, I’m sure I’d be drenched in sweat right now.

“‘Mister,’ huh...” he muttered. “Does that mean she sees me as at least somewhat human now...?”

“Well that’s good,” Marie called out. She made her way in front of him, then looked up at his stiff face teasingly and laughed, “If RyuZU had seriously snapped, you would be mince-screw by now, you know?”

“I’m aware of that. I ain’t ever crossing such a dangerous bridge again.”

“I sure hope so. —Ah yes, I’ve also reconsidered things because of what you said, by the way.”

“Say what?” Halter asked looking perplexed.

To which Marie said with her eyes half-closed, “I do believe you said something along the lines of not remembering ever signing a contract with or receiving a salary from me, yes?”

“Ah, well... that’s, you know—”

“I did some reflection on that, you know? As you said, it isn’t right to expect a mature man to work himself to the bone for you purely out of the goodness of his heart. Everyone should receive fair compensation for their work, which is why—” Marie paused as she took out a small item from her shoulder bag, “I’ve decided to give you a salary from now on.”

She tossed the object over to him.

Halter quickly caught it so that it wouldn’t fall before he even recognized what it was, but once he saw what he had caught, he dropped his shoulders wearily.

It was a can of beer—something that was worth a mere two hundred yen, give or take.

“.........Oy, princess,” Halter moaned.

However, Marie continued unsympathetically, “So, that’s your salary. Now that I’ve officially employed you, I won’t let you off scot-free the next time you act on your own.”

“You serious? ...At least pay me enough pocket money to go drinking, will you?!”

“Haah? You’ve got some nerve to try to negotiate a raise, when you haven’t even done anything of value for me yet. You might want to act more respectfully towards your employer, just saying.”

“...That’s messed up,” Vermouth piped up. “Paying Boss a beer for his services goes far beyond price-slashing, you know.”

“You shut your mouth.”

Marie pricked up her nose and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Halter.

“You understand? By taking that beer, you’ve agreed to work for me. I’m your boss now. You are to obey my commands absolutely! I’m going to work you dry every day, so prepare yourself. —Now, if you get it, then say yes.”

“......Yes.”

“That’s more like it,” Marie said with a broad smile. With that, she walked away looking satisfied, leaving Halter standing with his head hung down.

Vermouth gazed piteously at the back of the legendary mercenary for a while, but then a question popped into his mind.

“...But really, have you seriously not been paid all along? It seems hard to believe.”

“Of course that’s a lie,” Halter replied with a sigh as he fiddled with the can of beer in his hand. “I was formally employed as her bodyguard and private secretary back when the princess was working for Meister Guild, and to tell the truth, I received a secret bonus after the chain of events in Kyoto, and a big one at that.”

“Okay, thank God! Man, I feel relieved. What hope is there for people like me, if a first-rate mercenary like you works for free,” Vermouth replied, leaning against the rails in relief. He then turned to look at Halter again with a curious expression and asked, “By the way, how much does it take to keep a talent like you so loyal? Mind telling me, for the sake of reference?”

“You’re gonna get yourself in trouble trying to dig up other people’s finances, you know? Especially in our world.”

“Are you really one to talk, considering that you exposed all my finances, even my hidden bank accounts?” Vermouth jabbed back flippantly.

Halter smiled at him, then naturally closed his eyes.

In his mind he saw the image of a blond-haired girl.

The memory was from a few months back, when they were at Kyoto’s core tower.

When the girl had told him that she was going, he had asked her if she was really sure.

Upon which, the girl had looked at him without a shred of hesitation in her face.

She had stamped her foot firmly onto the staircase with her legs apart, threw out her chest boldly, placed both hands on her hips, and straightened her back as straight as it could get as she gazed up at him.

In that moment, her emerald eyes had displayed nothing but hope and confidence.

That was because she had a dream.

One that only children are allowed to believe; a foolishly noble ideal that felt nostalgic to him.

The unwavering luster in her eyes went back even further than that.

He had witnessed the same radiance in her eyes when he had first met her, at the research facility on the Breguet Corporation’s main campus.

Back then, she was much, much younger; but even now, she still had the same roaring flame in her emerald eyes.

...Yes, nothing’s changed at all.

Neither her determination nor my decision to follow her has changed since that time—

Halter answered, “Well... how should I put it.”

“Hm?”

“I guess I’ll just say that I’m getting paid with something that money can’t buy.”

“—”

For a moment, Vermouth goggled a bit, looking puzzled.

However, he quickly caught on, or so he thought anyway, and broke into obnoxious laughter. “Gahahah! You’re a real killer, Boss! No wonder, then! After all, that’s a top-class prize that those in our line of work could never hope to buy!”

“Er, right... In any case, that compensation has been ongoing, so for now, I’m in an exclusive contract with the princess,” Halter muttered as he pulled back the tab on his can of beer, making it let out a whoosh sound.

Looking up, he saw a sky full of stars.

In the unfathomably distant past, those stars had simply popped up from the void one day for no apparent reason, and had continued dashing about, lighting up this universe ever since..

Putting the rim of the can to his lips, he gulped down the entire can in one go. Then he laughed and said, “—Ahh, delicious. It’s been a while since I had such a good drink.”

●

Naoto was gazing at the sea from the railing when Marie got back up on the deck. He turned around and said, “So we’re finally about to depart, huh. Did we actually finish all the preparations in time, or?”

“Quite some time ago, in fact. Halter’s starting the engine right now.”

“I see... Come to think of it, I never asked; where are we headed?”

Marie raised an eyebrow in annoyance. “Are you serious... I already told you our plans once. Weren’t you listening?”

“...You did? I might have forgotten, then,” Naoto muttered.

Marie sighed as she sat down on a bench. She pointed at the sea while taking out a can of juice from the cooler box by the bench.

“First, we’re going to sail along the coast until we reach Myanmar, remember? We’re then going to get on a cylinder train there, and cross into India through Bangladesh.”

“Geh, that again? ...Then what?”

“We’ll head northwest until we reach Europe by crossing through the territory of uninhabited grids without stopping. From there... hmm, well, I guess we should stop by France first. Even though AnchoR has been fully repaired already, there are still some spare parts I want to stock up on and tools that I want to switch out.”

“I see. In that case— Huh?” Naoto said, sounding perplexed as he looked up at the sky.

Seeing that, Marie did the same.

Immediately after,

—A ball of light came crashing down.

“Haaah—?!” Naoto and Marie cried in unison.

At the same time, the ball of light smashed into the bow of the ship, causing it to rock violently. The force wasn’t enough to puncture the deck, but it definitely felt like something heavy had just jumped on board. The air was crackling.

Was that a lightning strike just now? —No way! Marie thought.

Naturally occurring lightning would typically be impossible in the modern day, as weather was controlled by gears, but she felt like the shocking phenomenon she just witnessed was similar to the footage of the past she had seen before in school of lightning—

However, it turned out that it wasn’t lightning.

The crackles gradually died down; so too did the ship’s swaying. However, the light at the bow of the ship continued to grow in intensity while pulsing like a living creature’s heartbeat.

“—Kekeke.”

The sound of a laugh came from the light.

No, actually it wasn’t just pure light. Beyond the glittering veil was what looked like the face of a—

The instant he recognized who it was, Naoto yelled, “—TemP-chan?!”

“Wait, an enemy Initial-Y is here?!” Marie turned to face straight ahead as her level of vigilance instantly jumped.

The light burst away.

The aura of light faded—upon which an automaton girl wearing a punk lolita dress appeared, as if she had just cast off a glittering jacket that she had been wearing until now.

“That’s... TemP?”

It was the Third of the Initial-Y Series—whom Marie had yet to meet personally until now, though she had given her friends quite some trouble this time around.

“Master Naoto, are you alright?!”

“Father?!”

RyuZU and AnchoR shouted as they came flying out onto the deck from their cabins. A few moments later, Halter and Vermouth also came running out onto the deck.

The moment she saw TemP standing at the bow of the ship, RyuZU said in a guttural voice, “TemP...! I thought that you would be back to your master by now, having run away with your tail tucked like a rat after our fight—yet, what are you trying to pull now? Do you not realize that the conflict in this city has already been settled?”

“Haah? You seem to have the wrong idea, Elder Sister. The affairs of this city do not concern me one bit,” TemP replied as she shot RyuZU a chilling gaze.

“Is that so,” RyuZU replied, the temperature of her voice at absolute zero. “Then your business here is done, yes? In that case, might I suggest that you head on back now? I am busy here taking care of Master Naoto, so I have not the time to waste on entertaining a foolish little sister of mine.”

TemP covered her mouth gracefully, answering, “Oh, well that’s cold of you.”

Seeing RyuZU posture herself to fight, she fluttered both hands in the air to show that she was unarmed with a smirk on her face.

“Rest assured. I have not come for a fight. Well, it might be short work to plow through you, El. der. Sis. ter... but with AnchoR here as well, I’d be at a teensy bit of a disadvantage, after all.”

“Big Sis...?”

“But—I did say, didn’t I? That I’d repay the humiliation I suffered back by a thousand-fold.”

Immediately after.

TemP vanished.

“gh—?!”

She had completely vanished without a sound, or any emission of heat or light.

The sudden stillness contrasted by her bombastic entrance earlier took them all off guard.

The next moment, TemP reappeared—behind Naoto.

“Wha—” Naoto uttered as TemP locked him in with her arms.

“Naoto?!” Marie, who was standing nearby, yelled, her eyes widened.

!?

No way! she thought, Is she saying that since she can’t beat RyuZU and AnchoR in a fight, she’ll take revenge on their master instead—?!

TemP then grabbed hold of Naoto’s wrist and forcefully pulled him towards her.

That caused him to lose his balance. As he fell towards her, TemP smiled sadistically, like a cat reveling in the chance to torment a mouse struggling futilely to escape from its claws— That moment...

Smooch.

—Time froze.

Well, actually it didn’t, but it felt like it did to Marie, at least.

Hmm, how should I put it, TemP’s leaning forward with her body all tense, and in that awkward position, she’s pressing her own lips down on Naoto’s.

This, this act is, right... it’s that.

It’s a kiss.

It looks as though TemP is kissing Naoto.

And both of them are frozen like a rock in that position.

For Naoto’s part... well, I can understand. He probably doesn’t even comprehend what is being done to him right now, with how sudden it was. But what about TemP? She pulled him in so that their lips are touching, then just froze in that position. Just what is her game here?

......Seriously, what is she even doing?

Marie and everyone else was either so dumbfounded or shocked that they couldn’t move.

Eventually— Mshch. TemP pulled her lips away with a light sucking noise.

“Fu—fufufuh! Ahh—hahahaha!!”

Upon pulling back from Naoto, TemP broke into shrill, loud laughter, her shoulders rocking up and down.

She then turned towards RyuZU and shouted with a smug face, “Did you see that?!”

...Oh, she saw it.

She saw it alright.

“You might finally have your first boyfriend now, but I’ll bet that you haven’t even kissed him yet! You may like to talk big, but I know how awkward you are when it comes to these things! Weeeeeell?!”

“—”

“Elllder Sister’s first boyfriends’ f, f, f, first kiss isn’t with her! It’s with n-n-n, none other than meee———-!!”

What she had intended to be the ultimate provocation ended up sounding somewhat pitiful as she fumbled her words magnificently right at the climax.

Her face turned beet red. It was clear that she was embarrassed to death, so much so that the others almost felt like they should look away out of pity. But then she threw her hand out sharply to point at RyuZU, whose face was completely bereft of emotion, and shouted in an even louder voice, “Hey! Hey! Elder Sister! Tell me, how do you feel?! How does it feel to have your first boyfriend’s first kiss stolen by me?!”

She provoked her—she mercilessly provoked her.

RyuZU didn’t say a single word in response.

That silence of hers was so absolutely terrifying that Marie retreated backwards reflexively.

Well, to be precise—it wasn’t so much her silence that made Marie retreat as what it implied.

If I stay around here... I’ll get caught in the crossfire... gh!

The alarm bells in Marie’s mind rang the loudest they’d ever rung in her life. Trusting her instinct, Marie sprinted away as fast as she could while still keeping RyuZU in her peripheral vision.

Her hunch immediately became reality.

“—Master Naoto,” RyuZU said in a guttural voice.

Immediately after, Naoto unfroze with a “Holy!” Upon regaining his wits, he quickly fumbled out, “M, Miss RyuZU?! Wait, no, you see—”

Whether he was going to try to come up with an excuse—or beg for his life, we’ll never know, as RyuZU wasn’t listening anymore.

“Definition Proclamation—”

RyuZU’s voice was stone-cold.

At the same time, the timepiece of imaginary time on her chest began transforming with a louder clank than usual.

It was an assertion of rebellion.

She was expressing that, starting from this very moment—she would let the jealousy in her explode in full force—

“Wait, what? Stop, stop, stop! What the heck are you doing?! Why are you trying to activate Mute Scream?!” Naoto yelled in a hurry.

“That I did not eradicate this foolish little sister of mine two hundred years ago is my greatest mistake... and sin!” RyuZU answered, her shoulders trembling. “Ahh, TemP... I had hoped that I could reform you before you ended up committing an irredeemable crime one day—but even so, I never thought that you would commit a mortal sin like this. Very well. As your elder sister... the least I could to do to atone is to destroy you, after which I shall kill Master Naoto, then follow him to the grave myself—!!”

RyuZU had a stoic expression on her face as she announced her intent to commit a lovers’ suicide with Naoto.

...God help us. I’ve never seen her this dead-serious before.

Naoto screamed with a desperate, pained look, “AnchoR! Stop RyuZuuuUUUu!”

“E, Ehhhh?!” AnchoR cried in a dither.

“Ahhhhahahah! I like the sorry look on your face, Elder Sister! I’ll excuse myself for today now, but when you’re near Switzerland, I’ll gladly take you on again!”

“Hey, stop provoking her, would you TemP-chan?!”

“‘TemP-chan’?”

The cold rage on RyuZU’s face intensified further, the air around her rumbling.

Meanwhile, TemP turned her head to the side, her face still beet red.

“D—Don’t act so chummy with me! Could I ask you not to get in over your head over a m, mere k-k-k-k-kiss?!”

—The soap opera roared on.

Off to the side, Marie averted her eyes from the hellacious scene before her and muttered, “Oh? ...So Omega’s base is in Switzerland, huh...”

“Earth to Ms. Genius Slut... That’s probably important information, but is now really the time to think about it? Go do something about that mess already.”

“Don’t be absurd!! If you’re going to complain, do something about it yourself!”

“Now that’s absurd! Unlike you bunch, I’m just an ordinary bloke! Like I can stick my tiny nose in a galactic war like that!”

Like so—Marie and Vermouth began their own petty argument off to the side.

As Halter gazed at the wretched state of affairs around him with his eyes half-closed, he sighed deeply. “Why can’t things just end nice and neatly for once...?”

—Well, I guess that’s just how it is. There’s no real reason to anything in this world—in the end, everything’s pretty much a joke.

In which case, I might as well enjoy the ride, eh?

With a pained smile and a stroke of his bald head, Halter began to walk over to stop the multiple fights going on.