“C’mon, don’t be shy. Show me how much you’ve missed me after a thousand years by jumping into my arms and—” “Why would you show this awful movie, of all things, you idiot?!” “That’s all you have to saAAAARGH?!” As the moon-shark crashed into the Earth and destroyed humanity, Maya’s furious dropkick struck Nono Hoshizaki square in the abdomen. The girl called Nono Hoshizaki crouched on the floor, clutching her stomach in pain from Maya’s flawlessly executed attack. Even a kick from a powerless child was bound to hurt if it caught someone in the stomach while their guard was down. “Wh-why would you do that in the middle of our emotional reunion?!” After recovering, the girl stared indignantly at Maya, her star-pupiled eyes filled with tears. “I don’t remember you being such a violent girl, Maya! What about a hug for your old friend, huh? I was the motherly figure, you know! Household violence is a crime!” “Could you not just say whatever pops into your head, please?! I have a mother, thank you very much!” Maya roared like a tiny monster at the baseless declaration. “My only family was my wonderful mother and my slightly weird little sister!! There were no freaks like you, Nono!” “Huh? You were raised by a single mother?” “What about it?! Besides, I told you not to say stuff without thinking! Don’t you remember?!” “W-well, you told me that a lot, so of course I remember…” Nono shifted her gaze awkwardly. Evidently, she was aware of her habit of getting carried away when she spoke. “A-anyway, what’s wrong with a shark movie, Maya?! This is one of the highest-budget shark flicks in history, you know?! I thought you loved masterpieces like this!” “Everything’s wrong with it! A bad movie is bad, no matter how high the budget! Change it to some big blockbuster for these movie beginners. Right now!” “Not a chance! I love shark movies! The creators were human, yet there’s virtually no human characteristics to be found throughout the entire franchise! That sacrilegious contradiction is what makes it fantastic! The script that completely looks down on the audience, the way you can sometimes see the actors wondering what the hell they’re doing! When the production costs are high, you can tell they were just throwing money away for fun, and when they’re low, you can see where the filmmakers got creative and where they hit their limits! You catch glimpses of the behind-the-scenes circumstances through the cracks, so it’s like you’re getting two stories for the price of one. That’s what makes shark films so fun!” “Just shut up and enjoy movies normally!” Maya, who’d dabbled in show business as a child actor, firmly entrenched herself in the reasonable camp. To Maya, movies were entertainment and an art form. Her devotion to the medium turned into rage when people found strange, ironic ways to enjoy movies. Meanwhile, Menou and Sahara were left in utter confusion as the pair ranted at each other. “And by the way, we could’ve avoided what happened a thousand years ago if you had your act together, Nono! And now it turns out you were alive this whole time?! I’m actually more disappointed than anything! How are you going to make this right?!” “Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Maya,” Sahara said. “Agreed,” Menou added. “We haven’t the slightest idea what’s going on here.” Before the little girl could follow up her kick with a flurry of punches, Sahara pinned her in a nelson hold, hoping to get her to calm down. As far as Menou and Sahara were concerned, Nono was a total stranger. They’d gathered from the conversation that Maya knew her from a thousand years ago, like Hakua and Michele, but the reason for Maya’s indignation remained a mystery. “That’s her! She’s the Pure Concept of Star! Nono Hoshizaki!” “Oh yeah?” Sahara cocked her head while Maya pointed furiously at Nono. The information didn’t seem to mean much to her. Menou, who knew the backgrounds of the Four Major Human Errors from Maya’s previous explanations, held back her surprise as she tried to reason with Maya. “We still don’t know if it’s really her. It could be an imposter acting as your old friend, right?” “Oh… Yeah, you’re right.” Maya took a deep breath, then glared at the self-proclaimed Nono. “Can you prove that you’re the real Nono? I thought she died, and in a pretty emotional way, after Hakua betrayed us. How do I know you’re not just a conjured soldier pretending to be Nono? If that’s true, then there’s still hope that the Nono I knew wasn’t a ridiculous weirdo. I’d actually prefer it if you were an imposter…” “O, mistrustful Maya. These eyes are the proof, are they not?! But I suppose your point is fair. I’ll tell you something only you and I would know.” The girl in the lab coat staggered to her feet, apparently still injured by the dropkick. She put a hand over her heart as she began describing her memories. “I do believe it was the very night that Hakua rescued you and introduced you to us. You were an adorable little cherub, still terrified of this world. Now, even though you were given your own room, you started crying that you were too scared to sleep alone and clung to Hakua until she let you sleep in her—” “How do you even know about that?!” “Sahara, can you hold Maya down, please?” “Yeah, sure.” As Nono described a story that didn’t even include her presence as proof, Maya started thrashing around again in Sahara’s arms. Menou had Sahara keep her restrained, since they wouldn’t get anywhere if she kept interrupting. “Heh-heh-heh. Do you truly think you can hide anything from the magical girl genius Nono? I know lots of other stories, too. You see, Maya…it just so happens that I enjoy knowing other people’s embarrassing secrets so I can bask in a sense of superiority!” “Let me go, Saharaaa! I’m going to use an Original Sin conjuring to turn her into a blob of flesh who can’t say another word!” “Calm down. It’s not that embarrassing. I’ll let you sleep with me sometime, okay?” Sahara attempted to pacify Maya, who looked so violently furious that she threatened to use her Pure Concept of Evil. Given the level of Maya’s rage, it was likely that the story Nono told was true. Meanwhile, Menou’s mind raced at top speed. Nono Hoshizaki. The Pure Concept of Star. One of the Four Major Human Errors, the Starhusk. The Elder Astrologer, who was supposed to serve Hakua. How were they all connected? Before Menou could piece it together, Nono shook her head wanly. “Please, don’t even joke about using Concepts of Original Sin. Wouldn’t you agree, Menou?” “…So you really are her.” Menou gazed sharply at this newly discovered surviving witness from a thousand years ago. Sahara regarded Nono like she was an unusual animal. Perhaps seeing Maya’s dropkick had deflated some of the surprise for her. Menou, however, was more mistrustful of Nono than she had been before. She still lacked key pieces to this puzzle. Why had Nono waited for them in this theater? “Does that mean you know about our current situation as well, Miss Pure Concept of Star?” “But of course. I, the magical girl genius Nono, can foresee any situation.” Nono grinned broadly in the face of the pointed question. What was she saying? Menou tried to order the confused feelings in her head. Despite Nono’s jocular attitude, she held the Pure Concept of Star. This was the Pure Concept connected to the Star Memory, the heart of the holy land that Hakua used as her base, and was linked to the Major Human Error the Starhusk as well. On top of that, she’d also acknowledged that she was the Astrologer. That meant that she’d somehow survived for a thousand years, putting her in the same category as Hakua. Whether she recognized Menou’s tension or not, Nono pointed at the ceiling with a satisfied smirk. “You must be exhausted from walking all this way, no? As it happens, I’ve prepared a soft, fluffy bed and a working shower upstairs, just for you all, so get some rest and relaxation, thanks to yours truly! It’d be best to prepare yourselves for tomorrow.” “R-right…” Nono’s response was unexpected, but certainly welcome. Menou, Sahara, and Maya had planned to curl up in their cloaks and sleep on the floor somewhere. Resting on the floor offered a very different quality of rest than did resting in a soft bed. The magnanimous Nono led the way out of the theater room, and the others followed her to the floor above. As they climbed the stairs, Nono cast occasional glances at Menou’s face. “You really do look exactly like Hakua.” “That doesn’t make me happy in the least. Besides, I’m essentially a clone of hers, so it’s only natural that there would be a resemblance.” “Is that right?” For some reason, Menou’s grimace only made Nono smile more broadly as she leaned her face closer. Between this and her earlier exchange with Maya, her personality obviously had some unpleasant inclinations. “More importantly, why were you waiting for us in there?” Menou questioned at last. “Why?” Nono repeated. “Surely you know about my future sight?” Before too long, they arrived at the room Nono had prepared. There really was a king-size bed waiting for them, one large enough for all of them to sleep in with room to spare. Nono sat on the mattress and crossed her legs. “I’ve been waiting to lend you my aid, of course. With my knowledge of the future on your side, your victory is all but guaranteed! A bright future is waiting for you all!” “Just so you know, Nono lies as easily as she breathes, so take everything she says with a grain of salt,” Maya cut in. Menou nodded, tapping her chin. Taking Maya’s warning into account, she began to formulate a hypothesis that was rather different from Nono’s claims. “You…predicted that Genom would take over the environment control tower, but you weren’t strong enough to fight him off alone, so you evacuated in advance. And since you knew we were coming, you decided to wait here and try to get us to help you take back the tower, which is your home. Am I right?” “Ah-ha-ha!” Nono laughed at Menou’s guess, then quickly averted her eyes. “Whatever do you mean? State the basis for your theory, Menou! Formulating a conclusion without evidence is a recipe for disaster, you know!” “See what I mean?” Maya said. “And her future sight has a narrow range, so don’t take that too seriously, either. She always overlooks really important stuff.” “Nwha! How could you say such a thing?!” Nono’s eyebrows shot up, and her voice quaked indignantly. “How dare you doubt me, the magical girl genius Nono? You’re threatening my very identity! Allow me to prove my intellect by deducing your current predicament, then! Firstly, there’s the Primary Triad conjured soldier who could very well be described as the child of Kaa and me, dear little Abbie… Hmm? Wait, where is she? I thought she was with you?” “Trust me, you’re better off this way.” Maya rolled her eyes. “She hates anyone older than her. If she were here, you’d be dead by now, Nono… I never thought I’d regret her not being around.” “Huh? How do you figure? Did I do something wrong?” For a supposed genius who knew the future, Nono sounded pathetically bewildered. Noticing that Menou and Sahara were eyeing her with suspicion equal to Maya’s, she rallied quickly, puffing out her chest. “W-well, no matter. I’m only here to prevent the worst possible outcomes, so you must forgive me if I happen to miss a few minor details. Now, get a good night’s rest to restore your strength. I’ll need you to work so hard tomorrow that you’ll put packhorses to shame.” That sounded ominous. Nono went on before Menou and the others could interject. “Besides, it seems like you’ve misunderstood the Starhusk to be some weapon of mass destruction, though I suppose I can’t blame you if Maya told you what she saw when it activated before.” “Misunderstood…?” Menou had assumed that the Starhusk was a powerful weapon, based on its history of carving a huge hole in the northern continent. She believed it to be a weapon from the ancient civilization, one more powerful than the satellite cannon Master Flare used in the land of salt. “What is the Starhusk doing up there, then?” she asked. “It’s an otherworld repatriation circle.” The answer was unbelievably direct. Nono stated it so casually that the gravity of it didn’t sink in immediately. Menou slowly tilted her head. “Come again?” “I said, it’s a repatriation circle. A massive conjuring circle to send Japanese people who’ve come to this world back to Earth. Since it’s connected to the heavenly vein, a channel of enormous power that runs through the sky, it’s able to float in the air with its seven transit points orbiting in circles. See, it’s called the Starhusk because it was built on recollections of a planet that doesn’t exist in this world—the husk of a heavenly body. What do you think? Cool, righ—bwuh?!” Menou grabbed the Otherworlder by the collar midsentence. She stared into her eyes evenly, too intense to mask her expression. “You’re not lying, are you?” “Whoa. A super close-up with a mega hottie…” “Answer the question.” Menou had no time to be distracted by Nono’s joking around. The otherworld repatriation circle. Menou had heard of it before. Pandæmonium and Master Flare had hinted at it in the past. While she’d heard it was somewhere in the north, Menou had never learned more and pessimistically assumed it was long lost. This sudden revelation was of immense importance to her. “Is it true that the Starhusk is the otherworld repatriation circle?” she pressed. “Why would I lie? We ran all over this world trying to get back to our own, remember? It’d be silly if it didn’t exist.” The Four Major Human Errors. Although known as terrible disasters today, they were originally just Otherworlders who wanted to go home. It had never occurred to Menou that one of them, the Starhusk, might be the otherworld repatriation circle. Since they were known as Human Errors, she assumed they were each the result of a Pure Concept going out of control. However, the Sword of Salt in the west hadn’t formed from a raging Pure Concept, either. It was one of Hakua’s abilities. This unexpected new information lifted Menou’s hopes. She pressed her face closer to Nono’s. “How do we activate the Starhusk? There’s got to be a condition, right?” “No. It’s already been activated.” Another unbelievable bit of information fell from Nono’s lips. “It’s…activated? The otherworld repatriation circle is…active?” “Why do you think it made a huge hole in ground? It carved out and consumed the materials needed to function.” After a moment of shock, Menou returned to her senses. “Wait… I can’t imagine that was enough to trigger it. The otherworld repatriation circle is supposed to require massive sacrifices.” Guiding Force, materials, and sacrifices. Master Flare had stated that the cost of sending someone back to Japan was so high that to fulfill it would mean wiping out this world’s population. A piece of the continent couldn’t have been enough. “The current population is roughly equivalent to that of the north during the time of the ancient civilization. Back then, this was the site of the greatest metropolis ever seen. You can’t compare that to a culture that’s barely on par with the early modern civilization of Earth. Besides, in your current era, aren’t the southern islands and the western continent completely gone? You have to realize that the current aggregate amounts can’t even compare to a thousand years ago.” “I…see…” Menou released her hold on Nono’s lab coat. The girl brushed out the creases. “Our intention was to send the Starhusk over to the Alliance of Southern Islands and consume all the assets those bastards were hoarding there. Alas, we weren’t able to do that. One of my many strengths is that I don’t dwell on my failures.” As Nono ranted spiritedly, Maya stared at her, eyes half-lidded with distrust. “Nono. I didn’t know any of that.” “Well, you’re just a kid, Maya. I planned to tell you after it succeeded so I wouldn’t get your hopes up beforehand.” Maya only narrowed her eyes further in response to being treated like a child. Her expression conveyed deep dissatisfaction. “…Then why did you activate the Starhusk here, of all places?” “I figured I’d at least use my death to knock Hakua back into our old world. It seemed too dangerous to leave her alive in this one.” Instead of defeating Hakua, Nono had tried to send her back to her original world. Given Hakua’s immense strength, it was one of very few valid tactics. Maya shook her head slowly. “So you mean Hakua could’ve gone back if she wanted to?” She could’ve returned to her world. All those dragged to this land without any warning wished to go home, and Hakua had been given the opportunity. “But she didn’t,” Nono responded. Because of Akari Tokitou. Hakua had been warned that even if she returned to Japan, her best friend would be spirited away here without any way to prevent it. “That was the most unnecessary prediction I’ve ever made.” So Hakua waited for a thousand years. She survived, and went on waiting. “…Is that really the only reason Hakua betrayed us?” Maya asked weakly. “I’m not sure. I’m not Hakua, so all I know is what happened, not why.” Nono smiled dimly. It was a very different expression from the excited grin she’d worn for most of their discussion. “At any rate, Hakua still can’t risk getting near the Starhusk, as far as I know. She’s still its target. She’s sealed the thing, but if she gets close enough, it’ll activate.” “I see…,” Menou replied. That was surely one reason why Hakua remained in the holy land. While she based herself there for the Star Memory, she also needed to keep out of the north to prevent herself from being forcibly sent back to Japan. Hitting upon an idea, Menou asked, “Can’t you move the Starhusk somehow? You said you intended to send it to the south before, didn’t you?” “I’m afraid not. When Hakua locked it with her power, it lost several of its functions. I’ve already investigated and considered all the easiest options, so don’t bother. As soon as this city was made, I devised a plan to prevent Otherworlder summonings. It’s the entire reason I first made the Starhusk.” Something clicked in Menou’s mind. There was no getting around it. They absolutely couldn’t afford to lose Nono. “Sahara. Maya. We’re going to do whatever it takes to help this girl. Understand?” The two nodded in answer. If nothing else, it was worth leaving Grisarika and coming here just to learn the truth about the Starhusk. This meeting was almost too convenient. “I’m glad to hear you’ll help me. Now we’ve got all the pieces to avert the worst possible future. You see, we’re currently headed toward an outcome so bad that even Hakua doesn’t want it.” Nono’s voice turned grave. “We stand on the precipice of seeing two Major Human Errors combine… The Starhusk and Pandæmonium.” Stars glittered in her eyes, but she was unquestionably serious. “I need all of your help to prevent that from happening. I hope you’ll cooperate.” The self-proclaimed genius’s proclamation meant that Menou, Sahara, and Maya would be unable to sleep despite the comfortable bed prepared for them.
Chapter 125
17 min read