LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 81
I sat in the empty lot of the apartment, listening to Ichika talk about the fierce defense battles that had taken place in China and the aftermath that followed.
“…So after the battle, Lina and Meirin cried all night, and then finally managed to hold a joint funeral. Those who had evacuated from Beijing returned to their places.”
“I see. Everyone must have had a tough time, and here I am, just collapsed.”
“Well, if the leader couldn’t stop a nuclear weapon, you wouldn’t even have the leisure to talk like this!”
Hahaha!
Ichika laughed heartily, then handed me the Glass Star left behind by the [Sword] Magical Girl, briefly gazing silently at the clear winter sky.
The sky was a dazzling blue, devoid of any clouds.
Under the quiet sky, Ichika suddenly asked me a question.
“Leader.”
“What?”
“Is this world about to face destruction?”
“…”
“Somehow, ever since I gained my strength, I’ve felt that ‘if things go on like this, humanity is in big trouble!’”
“…Yeah.”
“Then, everything you’ve done so far was to prevent that? For example, starting with Fujimoto.”
“Yeah.”
“I see. So nothing has changed.”
“Huh?”
Ichika smiled gently, raising her subtly green-colored eyes.
Like a sunflower blooming on a summer day.
She was smiling like a warm summer flower under the cold sky.
“I believe in you, the leader. And you trust and rely on me.”
“…”
Seeing that smile, I cautiously uttered words I had yet to say to Ichika.
“Didn’t you find it odd all this time?”
“What’s odd?”
“That I can see through the traps of [Magical Girl HAZARD] and the Magical Girls that no one else knows about. If you were curious, I could’ve told you.”
Yet both Ichika and Kyoko never once questioned me suspiciously about how I knew. Not even once did they ask what I was preparing.
They just did their best to help from their respective places.
“Faith.”
“Huh?”
Ichika mumbled something in Chinese and then spoke to me again in Japanese.
“There’s faith between us, me and the leader.”
“Faith?”
“The leader never once asked me, ‘Why are you so good at fighting?’, ‘How do you know that?’ or ‘What have you been doing?’ while helping Kyoko and me.”
“…”
“Because of that, I didn’t ask the leader anything either, and I trusted you. At least, what I’ve seen from the leader has been full of righteousness.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Ichika smiled and brought her fist up to me, and I smiled back, touching fists with her.
Thud!
The girl I met on a summer’s day at the coastal warehouse had hands rough like stone, but they were filled with warm faith.
“Let’s keep this up, friend.”
“Yeah. Thanks… friend.”
We stayed there for a moment, our fists touching, lost in romance before being dragged back into the cold reality.
“Oh, but what now? I can’t just look for new rent at this point.”
“Utilities?”
“Yeah. Kyoko seems to be struggling a lot.”
“What’s she doing?”
“She’s probably going to stay in the cafe master’s guest room for a while.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
Even after realizing the unease I had in this apartment during the Christmas party, the rent envelopes never stopped coming. Simultaneously, something about the system that constituted this apartment seemed to be slowly crumbling into an abandoned building.
“I think it’s about time to move.”
“Haha. Having another housewarming party six months later would be funny.”
Various candidate locations for a new residence popped up in my mind.
Since we had a warp gate, we could easily move between each local office and lodging. Maybe it’d be fine to live in the cheerleading building where the Freedom Magical Girl Alliance resides. The confusion from changing addresses and everything else would probably make it all meaningless.
Wherever I went, I’d inevitably have to reveal my face, but… it seemed my identity could no longer be hidden.
‘Honestly, is there even a point in hiding that I’m Shirogane Hikari anymore?’
Unlike last summer when I was anxious just keeping an eye on the garden and its surroundings, I now wanted to save many more people with the help of the broader world.
‘To win against the [War] that desires chaos, I’ll have to step forward in front of everyone.’
Now that my presence had grown enough to raise my voice in this world, it felt like the time had come.
The fate of this world.
The mission of the Magical Girls.
And what I wanted to do.
Perhaps wearing the crown they desire was something I couldn’t avoid due to my own journey and karma.
To step forth into a grander path.
To be a man who wouldn’t be ashamed before my mother.
To be a girl who is more noble than anyone else.
Maybe the only path left was to overcome all destruction magnificently and return proudly.
[I hope you find happiness.]
Knowing that there are those who send me boundless love and trust, I felt no fear after realizing that once more overnight.
“Ichika, I want to create a kingdom of Magical Girls. Can you help?”
“Hmm? So, who do we start with? If it’s Eiji Fujimoto, I was thinking of giving him a slap regardless!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ichika’s response made me burst into laughter. Then, seeing that, Ichika laughed too, saying she would go check on Kyoko and left the apartment.
‘Oh right, my phone.’
Before solving my housing issue, I felt I needed to contact the people around me, so I went back into the apartment room and turned on my phone.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
‘Yuki…’
As soon as I turned on my phone, the message notification sound pounded in.
457 messages.
All from Yuki.
Seeing the messages I received just before visiting Yuki’s house made me smirk. While I pondered how to reply, suddenly my Glass Star began to ring too.
‘Huh? The council?’
It was Sumire calling.
――――――――!!!
And at the same time, a presence that felt like the air was trembling knocked against my skin, warning me.
A colossal force had invaded my domain.
A massive resonance.
The resonance contained a force greater than Thousand Bloom 3-Star.
The being with that power was calling for me.
*
“W-What is this…?”
“An island…?”
Hundreds of coast guard members aboard ships and giant cargo vessels stopped in their tracks, staring straight ahead.
Despite only the infinite Pacific Ocean being visible, a massive island that hadn’t existed until yesterday appeared off the coast of Chiba Prefecture.
[This is the coast near Chiba Prefecture!]
[Once again, I emphasize this is a live broadcast of an unedited actual situation!]
[As you can see, a gigantic island has appeared off the coast of Chiba Prefecture!]
[The size of this island is confirmed to be comparable to that of a regional city in Japan!]
Reporters aboard helicopters dispatched from the broadcasting station were frantically reporting the sudden emergence of the island.
[There are people on the island! Girls… girls in white clothes are on the island!!]
The rectangular rock island looked as if it had been carved from a giant white stone. The island was full of various flowers and plants, and in a corner of the island stood a village built in an ancient architectural style.
Dozens of buildings carved from white rock were haphazardly gathered in a village.
In the massive open space in front of the village, dozens of girls in white clothes stood.
In the very center of the village stood a dazzling white lighthouse that proudly showcased its massive size, which seemed unbelievable for something made by girls.
[The appearance of this island is like… like the garden of gods from myth.]
No one scolded the reporter for the incredible scene that left everyone dumbfounded.
And atop the enormous white lighthouse.
A girl stood on a white disc that recorded the movement of the stars, wrapped in white cloth over her slender body, deeply pressing a hood that obscured her appearance.
The girl slowly removed her hood.
Her silvery hair danced in the sea breeze.
Skin whiter than any jewel.
And red eyes that seemed to suck you in.
She spoke.
“According to the command of the First Goddess, I have come to hand over the Goddess’s Garden to the ‘Connector of Lies.’”
Her soft voice had a tone that was strange yet reminiscent of Japanese.
“Face the one who glimpsed the future. Heir destined to save humanity.”
A beautiful and rhythmic voice that felt mechanical and eerie.
“Accept the final arrangement prepared by the goddess before the destruction.”
From an era when humankind spoke only one language, the language of a mythic period.
“Follow the will of the First Goddess.”
Clearly, the voice speaking from atop the lighthouse should have been lost in the seaside wind. Yet it was intelligibly heard by the thousands gathered and millions of witnesses who had come to see the island.
“First… goddess?”
“First goddess.”
“First goddess.”
All present there murmured that phrase.
An era now forgotten by humanity, when gods and humans coexisted.
The first teachings, older than any record.
This was the moment when the remnants of the Goddess religion, a legacy of that teaching, re-emerged after millennia.