That would effectively mean the leftovers of the Gifted Communion getting the jump on them. They couldn’t afford the enemy to forestall them.
Even Arata couldn’t help but let out an anxious sigh.
“For now, the only option is to comb exhaustively through Usui’s bases and deal with them as necessary. As long as this is our most efficient option, it will be faster for me to keep plugging away instead of getting bogged down over the particulars of how we can speed up the process.”
“Can I leave it in your hands?”
“Yes, of course. I hesitate to say you can wholly rely on me, but I’ll do whatever I can.”
They hit a lull in the conversation. Kiyoka figured this meant Arata’s business with him was finished, but after a short while, the man suddenly spoke up again.
“Speaking of your trip to the old capital with Miyo, how are things on the Earth Spider front?”
“Still mid-investigation there, too… I’ll be traveling tomorrow to where it was sealed away.”
“I’m practically useless against Grotesqueries, so I’ll have to cheer you on from the shadows.”
“Save it.”
Kiyoka was frustrated he still couldn’t fully hand off his responsibilities despite his decision to leave the military. But these issues required special attention—or to be more precise, they were too heavy a burden to place on the reborn Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit and their new commander.
It wouldn’t sit right with Kiyoka to say good-bye with his work unfinished.
Not to mention how cruel it would be of him to drop the whole Earth Spider affair in Godou’s lap. If things went the wrong way, the brand-new commander would be taken out in no time.
“The Earth Spider has existed since ancient times, and it has the storied history to match. The old capital might be just the place to gain information on it,” said Arata.
“Right,” said Kiyoka.
“Umm.”
The next moment, the two heard a slightly hesitant voice.
“Are you two done talking?”
Kiyoka’s mood brightened when he saw Miyo timidly peeking into the living room, and with a smile, he motioned for her to come in.
The morning after Arata’s visit, Kiyoka came to the station while there were still only a few people inside.
The day prior, Kiyoka had immediately kicked Arata out after the man had the gall to stay for lunch with Miyo. Being in Arata’s presence was a recipe for irritation.
Kiyoka popped into the room where the on-duty members were stationed, and everyone stood at attention to greet him.
After greeting them back, Kiyoka headed to his office, but on the way, he sensed that someone was in the archives and came to a stop.
The archives contained documents pertaining to Grotesqueries from throughout history, along with records of the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit and all Gift-users up to the present day. The room saw a great deal of use during times of need, such as when the unit was confronting a particular Grotesquerie. Normally, however, it had very few visitors.
Who’s in there?
Finding it suspicious, Kiyoka opened the door to the archives. The inside was dry and dusty, with the characteristic smell of old paper assailing his nose.
“Godou…”
The man was so engrossed in his reading that he appeared not to have noticed Kiyoka, not turning to look when his superior opened the door. Kiyoka didn’t have to look to know what Godou was poring over.
Sighing, he stepped into the archives and shut the door behind him.
“Godou.”
Kiyoka raised his voice slightly this time, making Godou’s shoulders jump.
“Oh, Commander. Good morning.”
“What’re you doing in here first thing in the morning?”
Godou turned around, and Kiyoka felt secretly relieved his subordinate’s expression and tone were a lot calmer than he had expected.
Today was a special day, so Kiyoka was worried Godou might have a tortured, brooding look on his face.
“I’m sorry… I just wanted to look it over beforehand.”
Godou was holding the records of a specific day in the unit’s history—one that neither he nor Kiyoka would ever be able to forget.
Though it wasn’t a particularly old document, it had been read over and over again, so the paper was more discolored and worn down than many other files in the archives.
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Kiyoka took the document out of Godou’s hands and returned it to its original place on the shelf. Godou didn’t put up any resistance, simply letting Kiyoka do as he pleased.
Stop reading this thing over and over again. Enough.
Kiyoka almost blurted this out, before he swallowed his words. To Godou, the file was more than just a piece of paper. It was the only record he had access to of what had transpired that day.
Truthfully, Kiyoka wanted to tell Godou to let go of the past, but given the many years Kiyoka had dwelled on his own past, he was in no position to say that.
“…Planning on getting your revenge?”
“Come on, Commander. I promised I wouldn’t do anything like that. You didn’t forget, did you?”
“No, I didn’t forget. But your feelings might have changed with the reappearance of the Earth Spider.”
Godou scrunched his eyebrows, seemingly at a loss, before chuckling.
“There’s no question I hate that thing. I can’t just put aside those feelings. Still, I need to get past them if I’m going to take over as commander. I’m sort of drawing the line in the sand. Just like you’re quitting your position, Commander, I think I need to finally bring this to a close.” Godou returned his eyes to the record on the self. “But that doesn’t mean I want to get revenge or anything like that.”
Godou’s demeanor had been concerning lately. Still, Kiyoka believed his subordinate was telling the truth.
Bringing down the Earth Spider would serve as closure for Godou. While there was no telling if Kiyoka and his unit could actually defeat it, reaching some sort of conclusion with it was the only way for Godou to move forward. Kiyoka could understand his feelings very well.
“…If that’s what you’re prepared to do, then I have nothing to say to you.”
Godou’s eyes widened as he stared back at Kiyoka.
It was as if Godou was trying to say that he didn’t think Kiyoka would just leave it at that. It annoyed Kiyoka.
“What?”
Kiyoka grimaced, and Godou frantically tried to put on a cheery face.
“Uh, well, I was sure you’d start telling me off, is all.”
“Have I ever chewed you out over anything concerning this tragedy before?”
“Hmm… I guess not?”
Cocking his head and staring at the ceiling, Godou flashed a flippant smile and apologized.
“Sorry. Did it out of habit, I suppose.”
“Just get ready.”
Saying nothing else, Kiyoka turned toward the door.
The forests of the countryside were much more comfortable than the streets of the capital.
The leaves of the overgrown trees and brush blocked out the sun, and the refreshing breeze dried their sweat in an instant.
Today, the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit was trekking up a mountain in the area.
Slightly removed from the capital, the mountain jutted out from the surrounding fields and farmland. The Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit had waged a brutal battle here against the Earth Spider several years ago, and now the place served as the site where the creature was sealed.
The government had made it clear to the locals that venturing onto the mountain was off-limits, and there were few civilians who even knew what had transpired there. Conversely, there was not a single Gift-user in the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit who did not know the significance of the mountain.
The fierce battle against the Earth Spider. The commander’s death. Since a large number of unit members from those days were still serving, they had passed down this solemn moment in their history to the younger soldiers, etching it into their hearts.
As Kiyoka led the way, pushing through the thicket at his feet, he kept his attention on the men behind him.
There were several unit members following Kiyoka, including Godou. After entrusting the station to Mukadeyama, Kiyoka had handpicked the most skilled members of the unit to accompany him on this mission. Despite their talents, however, his men all wore the same pale looks on their faces.
Their trepidation was warranted; their opponent was an ancient Grotesquerie that had dealt a heavy blow to their forces. Facing it head-on would mean risking their very lives. The first unit members to comb the mountain for and confront the Earth Spider had been very strong, yet even they had been unable to put up a fight.
Kiyoka could see Godou was on edge, too. Yet his eyes also brimmed with fierce determination.
It’s been a long while since I came here.
He could count on his hands the number of times he had come up the mountain after sealing the Earth Spider. While he would have liked to visit more frequently, it was a fair distance from the capital, so getting here took quite a while.
There was another factor keeping him from the mountain, and it was to blame for why so much time had elapsed since their initial discovery of the Earth Spider’s leg last spring.
The wishes of the military upper brass.
The Earth Spider had killed Itsuto Godou and had permanently disabled Deputy Commander Zen Koumyouin. Simply put, the creature had laid waste to the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit.
The nation’s top fighting force, created to confront the most powerful domestic threat, had lost. It should have never happened. Therefore, the upper echelons of the military took the affair very seriously—by making every effort to conceal the truth.
Just remembering what had happened back then was enough to infuriate Kiyoka.
Ultimately, the military higher-ups concluded they were not culpable for the disastrous battle against the Earth Spider, determining the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit had acted under the sole discretion of Commander Itsuto, pinning all the blame on him.
The story the top brass came up with went as follows: