Chapter 157

Chapter 5 Someone Who’s Gentle, Free-Spirited, At Times Strict and Baffling. Such a Person Can Be a Weapon Sometimes. They threw everything they had into their first song and dance. Their first performance. When they were done, the three mom idols collapsed on the stage. “Whew… Seems like we managed to pull it off somehow, huh?” “Yes,” agreed Mamako. “It was certainly amateurish, but I’m satisfied with our performance. I believe we’ve even accomplished our goal.” “That’s right… I’m sure we have.” They closed their eyes, feeling the power of the restored Mother Earth and Mother Ocean. If you listened closely, you could almost hear the cries of children and parents reunited the world over. “Mamako, Kazuno, Medhimama, excellent work. That was a magnificent performance.” Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap! “Okay, that’s enough clapping.” “It’s just spiteful at this point.” “I can info-P you that I am moved to the point of tears.” “Hee-hee-hee. That’s just like you, Shirase-P!” Shirase-P ceased her applause and approached the mom idols. “Then let me be more sincere. Thank you, everyone. Your first concert was a success. Which means…” “Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” Mamako leaped to her feet, humming happily. Full of energy once more. Kazuno and Medhimama glanced up at her, then grinned and scrambled to their feet as well. “Yes. We’ve come so far and done so much.” “Can’t exactly go home without dropping in on our kids. Well, Shirase-P? Any way to make that work? We’ll take a ‘probably.’” “Very well, then Shirase-P will boldly make up a way for you to meet your—oh?” Even as Shirase-P was proudly making no sense… The crystals rose up from the mom idols’ chests, glowing. The light of the three Parental Bonds sketched out a door. “Before I even had a chance to prattle any nonsense, your emotions caused a miracle! …Let’s go in.” The idols nodded at one another and placed their palms on the door. With a gentle push, it swung open…and a strong, frigid wind blew out. “So cold— Urgh…!” “Hey! What the hell?! What’s going on here?! Shirase-P just died instantly!” “It’s like it’s rejecting us…but…” “Ma-kun and the girls are inside… I can feel them! We have to go!” With the snow slapping their cheeks, the mothers dragged Shirase-P’s coffin after them, taking a strong step inside. When the door closed, they found themselves in a white-out, unable to tell if they were outdoors or in. All they could see was driving snow. They pressed onward and, in time, made out the faint outline of a castle in front of them. “Oh? There’s someone standing at the gate. That’s…” “Uh, Mamako? No…” “Hahako, I believe. Exactly as she appeared in my daughter’s progress reports. She really is exactly like you, Mamako.” They moved closer, their view clearing. Hahako stood before the snow-crusted castle, looking uncomfortable. When the idols drew even closer, Hahako spoke. “Thank you for that wonderful performance,” she said. “As a token of my gratitude, I offer some information. Mothers are unable to proceed past this point. I’m afraid you’ll have to turn back.” “Oh dear! That is a problem. There’s no way in?” “Inside this castle your children are desperately trying to accomplish something themselves, with their own power. I believe it is best to leave this matter to them. Sometimes parental interference just gets in the way. Do you agree?” Hahako’s argument made sense, but she seemed unsure of herself. She scanned their faces, awaiting their reaction. The three mothers exchanged glances and smiled. “Yes, you’re right. That’s why we’re just here to watch. After all, we’ve come all this way! It can’t hurt to look.” “…Huh?” With a smile, Mamako had gone right past Hahako to the castle gate. “Oh?” And found an invisible wall. She pushed at it, but it didn’t budge. “Hahako, what’s going on here?” “Er, well…it’s a sort of barrier. But…I’m not talking about whether it’s okay to sneak a peek here. My point is that children grow even without parents…” “I agree with that! But still…” “That doesn’t mean we should have no contact with them.” Kazuno and Medhimama joined Mamako at the invisible wall, feeling around it. “If magic would break this, I could do it…” “Would that work, though?” Perhaps it was better to exercise caution here. Or… “Um…” “Oh, that’s right, we’ve never met! I’m Mom Idol Number Two, Kazuno. Mother of that idiot Wise. This is Medhi’s mother, Memama. ’Sup?” “Could you not tell her your shortened version? My official name is Medhimama.” “Er, yes, I know who you both are…” “Then in lieu of further introductions, let me teach you something. Mothers are selfish creatures. We want our children to grow, but we also want them to be children forever. And we struggle in vain to make both wishes come true.” “If you don’t have that kind of nerve, you can never be a mother.” “You have to be honest with yourself. You want to see them! Nothing can stop you feeling that way. After all, they’re your precious children! …Oh, I know!” Mamako touched her hands to her chest, manifesting the Parental Bond within. “I see!” “It’s a distinct possibility.” Kazuno and Medhimama followed Mamako’s lead. Light shone out from the three crystals. The invisible wall blocking their progress melted like thin ice, a hole yawning open in it. The party could now enter Deathmother Castle! “You’re all…incredible mothers,” Hahako said, shaking her head. Yet there was a hint of relief in her smile. “I’ll put my faith in your words. And lend you a hand. I can tell you what your children know, what they’re trying to do, and where they are now.” “Oh, that would be such a help! Please do.” “My idiot daughter’s probably gonna get her magic sealed at least once…” “Let us hope this is the only wall that gets knocked down.” “I see you know your daughters very well. Hee-hee.” Hahako led the way inside Deathmother Castle. At that exact moment… “““Gasp… They’re coming?!””” A chill ran down three spines. Masato, Wise, and Medhi all froze in their tracks, their heads turning to look behind them. But there was only the hole in the throne room wall they’d entered through. Nothing else. No one was coming. “I could swear I felt something super dangerous headed our way…” “Y-yeah…I definitely got the same feeling… Guess it was my imagination?” “I suppose. Let’s hope so, at least.” “Then we press on!” “Yeah. It’ll be fine! Forward!” The party began walking once more. They had found themselves in a space filled with twinkling stars. A beautiful, desolate darkness. Were those really stars? Masato squinted up at them, but… “Hey, eyes forward. You’re gonna fall.” “Oh, right. Yeah… Now’s not the time.” They weren’t round, like stars, but…like some sort of shining cubes? Either way, they were too far off to make out. The only thing they could clearly see was the road in front of them, a narrow, winding path like the white line on a road. With Porta in the lead, they inched their way forward, like tightrope walkers. “What is this place?” asked Wise. “I dunno…but…there’s a strange warmth to it.” “It’s dark, but the darkness isn’t absolute,” said Medhi. “There’s some light here, too…” “Oh! There’s something up ahead! I’ll go check it out!” Porta suddenly darted off down the path and bounded out into an open area. The others made their way after her. The platform was about half the size of a soccer field, with a square stage at the center. “Is this…a combat arena?” “It kinda looks like one…which is weird.” At the four corners of the stage were statues of little girls and women, in pairs. Each little girl had her hands out as if begging the women for something, but the women had their backs turned. It was unsettling. “Masato, look at this!” Medhi called. “What’s up?” he said, running over. He noticed right away. “Yo, that’s…” The little girl had Porta’s face. And the woman’s face looked exactly like the photo of Porta’s mother from the wanted poster. They ran around the stage, checking the other statues. All were the same. “What does this mean? Why are there statues of Porta and her mom?” “I think…we might be inside my mommy’s heart,” Porta said, staring forlornly up at the statue of herself. “Those stars are all photos of me. They’re really far away, but my eyes can make them out. And these statues represent what my mommy and I are always like.” “…Oh.” “Whenever I try to talk to her, Mommy turns away and leaves, just like this. If I try to go after her, she runs…and gets farther and…sniff…farther away…” “We get it. You don’t need to say the rest.” Masato put his arms around Porta’s head, pulling her close. He felt her nod against his chest and gave her head a good rub. “But if that’s the case, I have an idea. Just you wait.” Wise and Medhi had come running over, and he handed Porta off to them. Masato went over to one of the mom statues, grabbed hold of the base…and turned! “Hngggg!” It spun 180 degrees until it was facing Porta’s statue. “How’s that, Porta? Much better, yeah?” “Y-yes! I like it that way! I’m very happy!” “Right? Cool! Three more… Mm?” But before he could head for the next target… A strange object appeared between the two statues. Something roundish, made of yarn all balled up. “What the… Porta, can you appraise it?” “Yes! …Hnggg…this…this, um, is part of something!” “Part of what, though? Hmm…” Masato decided to put the other three statue pairs the way they should be. Every time he turned the mother statue, an item appeared. Each item was something made out of yarn. Something roundish. Something roundish with a vaguely earlike shape growing out of it. Two things like skinny arms. Two things like long legs. “All the same kind of yarn, too,” said Wise. “It’s like someone’s trying to knit a stuffed animal or something?” “You’re right. That’s certainly a possibility,” said Medhi. “…In a way, it’s almost like someone was trying to make Piita.” “Oh, maybe they are! It’s bigger than Piita, but the exact same color!” “Hmm…” Parts knitted together in imitation of the doll that hung from Porta’s shoulder bag. And they’d appeared the moment the parent-child statues faced each other, like they’d been waiting for that to happen. Is this…a present for Porta? Masato glanced up at the stars twinkling far above. Those stars were all photographs of Porta. Were they really inside Porta’s mother’s heart? It’s certainly all about Porta, huh? This definitely…doesn’t seem like hate. For a moment, he felt hope. But then… “Whoa! M-Masato! The mommy statues!” “Huh? …Hey! What the heck?!” The four mothers were all turning on their own, back to their original positions. And as they did, storm clouds swirled overhead. A huge, person-shaped thing appeared, headfirst, upside-down. A demonic female form, covered in thorns from head to toe, screaming like a banshee. “Eeeek?! Sh-she seems really mad! …Is this because we took those items?” “Maybe! But that ain’t a reason to return them! Porta, you keep those pieces safe, and get to safety! We’ll handle this!” “Okay! Got it!” Porta darted off to hide behind a statue. The thorn demon’s eyes followed her. “Nope, not her! Eyes over here!” Masato yelled, drawing his sword. He was about to attack… No, wait. Is she… Ack! That moment of hesitation made him switch targets, and his shockwave struck the thorn demon’s arm. This was enough to turn her attention back to the center of the stage. “Damn! That barely did anything!” “I thought flying enemies were all yours?! Do your job!” “You’d better not brag about being the hero chosen by the heavens now.” “No, that’s not… I just wondered if this thing is Porta’s mom, that’s all! So I didn’t use my full strength!” Masato was starting to wonder if Wise and Medhi really had his back here. But thorns were raining down on them too fast to ponder long. “Argh, she’s fast!” Masato held out his left arm, deploying his shield wall. It only took a few hits before collapsing, but that got them through this volley. And Wise took that opportunity to pull out her magic tome. “Okay, this is my chance…!” “You’re going for it? Fine, go ahead! Don’t blame me if it goes wrong!” “You’re seriously doing this with Porta watching?” said Medhi. “You’re sure that’s what you want?” “Erk… If you put it that way…Medhi, she’s all yours! You’re good at this sort of thing!” “Oh, I feel faint… I’m afraid I’ll have to retire.” “Don’t you dare run!” “Right—Wise! Grab Medhi… No, crap, everybody ruuuuun!” As they argued, a thorny hand descended toward them. Masato tried to warn them, but there was no way they’d make it in time. He had only one option. “Both of you, duck!” ““Eep?!”” Masato grabbed Wise and Medhi, pushing them to the ground. Trying to at least keep the two of them unharmed. Then he braced himself, ready to get skewered, his back exposed… “Sheesh. What are you playing at?” A shadow swept in too fast for the eye to see, unleashed a flurry of stabs, and deflected the trajectory of the thorn demon’s hand. As the giant hand stabbed the stage nearby, Amante made a beautiful landing. “Why…are you…?” “We said we’d show up at the perfect moment, right? Do me a favor and try to remember these things. I shouldn’t have to explain everything.” “Besides, stopping to explain is just daaaangerous… Spara la magia per mirare… Alto Forte! Ventoooo!” “Keep y’all’s guard up! Mah!” The thorns aimed at Amante were swept aside by a gust of wind, then punched away by a tiny fist. With an athletic bound, Fratello landed next to Masato. Sorella drifted languidly by, riding her giant magic tome. “Don’t thank me, kid. You give us cookies, we bail y’all out. Simple.” “Cookies…?” “Theeeese. You forgot them… Heeere!” Sorella tossed a single box of cookies down to him—the ones Mamako had made as a greeting gift for Porta’s mom, and that they’d carried through the first part of the castle. “Oh, these! I left them behind? I didn’t even notice!” “Only one box? Weren’t there two?” asked Wise. “…Oh, no, never mind. They ate one.” “Who eats a gift meant for someone else? No manners. Just raw gluttony,” said Medhi. “Sh-shut up! We got stuck rolling dice so long, we all got hungry! But those cookies fully restored us…so thanks! But don’t expect to hear me thank you for it!” Mamako had chosen them at the store, so the cookies were clearly pretty good. “Porta, quick, over here.” “Coming!” While the thorn hand was still stuck on the stage, Porta dashed over to them and put the precious box of cookies safely in her shoulder bag. Then… “Right, you owe us for bringing that to you, and you’re gonna pay that debt by leaving this fight to us!” “Huh? What do you…?” “By the looks of it, this monster’s not our Master herself, but clearly it has some connection to her. An expression of her heart? An upside-down demon…with thorny hands that can never hold what she really wants…whatever! It obviously has something to do with her.” “And that makes it ours,” Fratello growled. “Sooooo, you’re in our waaaay. Piss oooooff. Spara la magia per mirare… Alto Forte! Ventoooo!” “Uh, wait…?!” The violent winds of Sorella’s spell caught Masato’s entire party. “Hey?!” “Eek!” “Whoaaa?!” They were sent flying off the stage, then off the platform it rested on… Masato’s party had been blown to the far end of this zone, completely out of sight. “You knoooow, it just occurred to meeee…what if that coincidentally blows them right where they need to beee, and I accidentally really helped them oooout? That can’t happen, riiiight?” Or could it? The three Heavenly Kings looked at each other, thought it over, and then snorted. “Hell no! We wouldn’t accidentally invite our enemies into the base and on top of that help them get right to their destination! That would be far too dumb!” “Yeah, we ain’t that stupid. Not a chance.” “Good, goooood. I meaaaan, we did take the mid-boss away from them, so I just woooondered…but naaah. Ah-ha-haahhh.” “Enough idiocy! Brace for combat!” The thorn demon had finally freed its hand from the stage and was on the move again. “We may have had our special skills stolen, leaving our combat abilities weakened…but we’re gonna beat this thing anyway! Here goes!” Amante put the full force of her physical skills into action, carrying Sorella on her shoulders and Fratello under one arm, darting about through the hail of thorns. And she didn’t miss the gap in the hail when it arrived. “Fratello, now!” “Mm.” Amante threw Fratello underhanded. Fratello swung. Her bleary eyes locked on the face of the demon hanging out of the clouds above, and she rocketed forward, her fist slamming home. Splat! 1 damage! “Mm. Without my skill, I ain’t doing much damage! And that’s just bad news.” “Hurry back here! I’ll grab you again… Sorella, you’re next! Bring in some undead!” “Weeeell…this zone isn’t really undead friendlyyy…” “Use magic, then!” “Sure, suuuure. Spara la magia per mirare… Fusione Nebbiaaaa!” The magic tome opened above her head, and the spell activated. A powerful acid mist wrapped around the thorn demon’s body, and the thorns visibly began to melt away. A horrible smell filled the air… For a moment, the thorn demon’s skin was smooth…but then the thorns began to regenerate. “Those thorns make it hard to attack, but they heal so fast! What a pain in the ass! Still…” “Go for it, Amanteeee!” “Get ’em, Amante.” “I’m going as hard as I can!” The thorn fire rate was very fast. Even with Amante’s fast footwork, it was all she could do to dodge. Mages like Sorella and Fighters like Fratello didn’t have the speed to even try, so she was forced to carry them both. Still she found openings to attack. “Go, Fratello!” “Mm.” She threw Fratello at the thorn demon and caught her as she fell back. Time to dodge some more. Then came Sorella’s magic… “I’m neeext…what should I tr—yeaghh?!” “Sorella?! Argh, crap!” A thorn in Amante’s blind spot had pierced the magic tome above them. And the tip of that thorn had reached Sorella’s back, where she rested on Amante’s shoulders. “Th-that really huuuurts… This is your fault, Dumbanteeee!” “Grin and bear it! Cast a healing spell or… Oh, right, you’re offensive magic only so I’ll do it! I’m a Magic Fencer! I can use basic healing—” “This ain’t no time to explain things, nitwit!” “Er…augh…?!” Distracted by Sorella’s injury, Amante found herself about to be smacked by a thorny hand. Just before it hit… Fratello kicked Amante to one side. “Fratello?” “Humph.” Amante was flung clear of danger, but the thorny hand scored a direct hit on Fratello right in front of her. Fratello was flung away, rolled to the edge of the stage…and did not get up. “Now you’ve done it…not like we care about each other or anything…we don’t…but I’m still mad!” “Yeaaah…Amanteeee…go kick her aaaass!” Sorella slid herself off Amante’s shoulders, gave her a slap on the back like the rest was up to her, then collapsed onto the stage. Gripping her rapier tight, fueled by the warmth on her back, Amante flew forward. “This is totally not my thing, but I am gonna make you pay!” She had to get a hit in. That was all she cared about—she made only the minimum necessary evasions, letting the hail of thorns glance off her sides, plunging headfirst toward the demon’s face. And Amante struck home, putting her full force into a blow directly between the demon’s brows. “How’s that for… Augh?!” A moment too late. Just before the rapier struck, a thorn shot out of the demon’s brow, piercing Amante’s shoulder. All she could feel was pain. Amante lost her balance, and thorn-covered hands rushed toward her from both sides. In a moment, she’d be swatted like a mosquito, and then it would all be over. …Ugh, this sucks… As she somersaulted through the air, her eyes focused on Fratello and Sorella, sprawled on the stage. She had no intention of crying, but her vision blurred. …Help… But who would? Masato’s party? Or… “If you’re gonna just show up whenever…then now would be a great time…Hahako…” “So you want my help?! Then you’ve got it! Hyah!” “……Huh?” As Amante was about to crash-land, something big and soft, like marshmallows, broke her fall. Layer after layer of sprightly flowing water appeared around the thorn demon. A volley of water bullets began firing from all directions, and in no time the thorns and demon were riddled with holes—the demon had been vanquished. “This space is filled with mom power! I was able to attack with all my might. Hee-hee-hee.” Hahako was standing in midair, a navy blue sword in her right hand, and Amante cradled in her left. She smiled. “…Hahako?” “Yes, that’s right. At first I was just going to hide and watch. I didn’t want to get in your way. But I just couldn’t stand by any longer. I was so happy when you asked for my help! …Oh, but we shouldn’t be talking! I have to treat everyone’s injuries!” “R-right…” “Medhimama! Can you cast a healing…? Oh, you already are!” “……Uh, who the…?!” Amante looked toward the stage, and saw a woman crouched next to Fratello, holding a staff over her. She’d never seen this woman nor the one next to her (who had her arms folded arrogantly) but she recognized the woman who was holding Sorella’s hand and looking very worried. That, and the coffin lying behind her.