Chapter 79

Epilogue “Bye-bye, Ayaho. Good luck at work.” “Thanks. See you tomorrow.” Ayaho Sashou got off the train as her friend, wearing a matching uniform, said good-bye. Yuurakuchou Station from the Yamanote Line was curiously right by where the Ploutonion used to be and the last stop of the armored train Yáo Guāng Xīng. It had been almost three years since the Ploutonion disappeared. The Moujuu disappeared, and a percentage of the Japanese who had died returned with a four-year gap in their memories, but that was the only change. The wrecked roads and buildings weren’t restored, nor did the people who died come back to life. Naturally, conflict among humans didn’t disappear. Terrible wars still happened, and people lost their lives around the world. Rumors that everyone in this world was already dead remained unconfirmed. But even so, the world did not end. That much was certain. Yahiro and Iroha did not return to this world after entering the Ploutonion that day. Ayaho knew that would be the case. Saving the world meant Yahiro would turn into the new Ouroboros, and Iroha would become his sacrificial medium and stay to offer her prayers. Even if they could stop the world from ending, they would never be able to come back. They headed into the Ploutonion well aware of this. If their wish was truly granted, no new dragon mediums would appear. Yahiro would become the last Ouroboros, and a world without end would be created. It would take centuries to find out if they succeeded. Ayaho would no longer be there to confirm it. That was a little regrettable. “I’m here.” Ayaho unlocked the back door and entered the shop. She worked at a small gallery on a back street in Ginza called Galerie Berith. It was a relatively decent business, selling art pieces, antiques, and some swords. The gallery had a café, and that was really the main source of profit. Ayaho worked at the café. She was one of the first employees they hired after opening, and lately, she had been looking out after the newer hires. It was a pretty stressful spot for timid Ayaho. She entered the locker room and locked the door before taking off her high school uniform. She barely attended middle school due to the four years lost to the J-nocide. Enrolling in high school was no problem after the Japanese returned, but she’d struggled with her studies at first. She only got through it thanks to the help of the friendly PMC operators she had spent a short but eventful time with. Ayaho got the gist of studying thanks to their teachings, and her grades went way up. Now she was one of the top students. The café uniform was pretty showy for a gallery café. It had a short skirt and lots of frills and ribbons. It also felt like it accentuated her chest a lot. All to the tastes of the twins, the owners. Iroha would have probably loved it and asked to wear it, too. A smile escaped Ayaho as she pictured Iroha saying that. The mirror showed Ayaho at seventeen years old now—the same age Iroha and Yahiro were when they said good-bye. Following Iroha’s influence, she let her hair grow out, and now she was used to it. Her sister, Rinka, insisted she dye it a lighter color, but the school rules did not allow it, and she didn’t feel brave enough to try it yet. Besides, Ayaho didn’t want to become Iroha, she only wanted to preserve a bond to her beloved sister, and this much was enough. Ayaho opened the window and saw the cityscape of Tokyo in recovery. Things weren’t all back to normal just because Japanese people returned. The standards of living and economy were a mess. Japan had to redo its nation from zero. Most international armies were still stationed in the main cities, and negotiations to get them to leave were not going well. Still, Ayaho felt like things were going in a good direction. There were plenty of organizations that supported Japan, such as the Salas Foundation, Noah Transtech, and the PMC Guild. Ayaho’s school was run through their cooperation, too. “Sorry I’m late. I’ll enter the hall right away.” Ayaho finished changing and entered the café. “Thanks.” Shen and the rest of the kitchen staff smiled at her. The relatively small place was full of regulars. The chatty madams by the window came here for Wei. A man was over by the gallery to see Paola. Josh was eloquently selling antiques. After the Ploutonion disappeared, Ganzheit gradually disbanded and most of the armed forces surrounding the warmonger faction dissolved. It was only natural, as they had lost their dragon mediums. Giuli and Rosé returned to the European HQ and inherited the entirety of Galerie Berith. They purged most of the old management and turned it into a regular arms dealer. As war continued incessantly around the world, they had even greater earnings than when they were with Ganzheit. Meanwhile, the Far East Branch dissolved after having delivered their revenge, and most operators left. They turned a new leaf, away from violence. The small gallery in Ginza became a place to rehire such operators. Rosetta Berith said it was not for charity, but Ayaho wondered. She knew how nice Rosetta was at her core, which only made Ayaho doubt her all the more. “Ayaho, could you come here, please?” A short regular sitting at the terrace called her. It was a white-haired old man wearing a gaudy shirt—the owner of a shady store in the neighborhood. A girl around ten years old sat next to him, and a white doglike creature was by her feet. Runa and Nuemaru. The old man, Eduardo Valenzuela, became the siblings’ legal guardian. “Welcome, Mr. Ed. You don’t want the usual?” Ayaho asked with the familiarity one would use with a relative. “No, I do want the café de olla. With the tasty, yummy chant as always.” “No, we don’t do that kind of service here.” Ayaho chuckled, then looked at the table, where she found the latest model smartphone. It was the first time she had seen the old man walking around with an electronic device. “I wanted you to take a look at this.” He grabbed the phone and opened a video app. The playlist showed the thumbnail of a streamer Ayaho recognized: a pretty girl wearing a flashy miko outfit and a wig with furry ears. “No…way…” Ayaho covered her mouth. She was frozen in shock, unaware that she had dropped the menu she had been holding to her side. Iroha Waon videos were not unusual. Heaps of them appeared using clips from her videos after that day three years back. But this video was different. In it, Iroha was wearing an outfit Ayaho hadn’t seen before. Ayaho had made all of Iroha Waon’s outfits, from the first to the last, by hand. There was no fit she hadn’t seen. If there was, it had to be recorded after they said good-bye. Which meant this video was taken after she returned from the Ploutonion. “Waooon! Hi everywaon, Iroha Waon here! It’s me! It’s been so long!” Iroha on the screen spoke with the same energy from three years ago. She looked a little more mature, but Ayaho couldn’t be sure she’d changed much. “Ayaho! Rinka! Ren! Honoka, Kyouta, Kiri! Runa and Nuemaru! How’s everyone in the Galerie doing?” The person in charge of the camera and lighting hurried to stop her after she yelled the names of her siblings for the whole world to hear. Ayaho teared up at the sound of his voice yelling, “Idiot!” “It took us a while to come back, but we’re here!” Where?! Ayaho reacted internally while wiping away the tears. By then, the Galerie’s staff had gathered around her and were clapping or pumping their fists. Ayaho had no idea how they had come back from the Afterlife. But she was sure that they would come to see her soon enough. Even if this world was only a hollow illusion. Her beloved family was right here. Ayaho looked up at the sky. The clear, blue sky; no dragon in sight.