Awakening / Hitori's Secret ...

"One."

"Fire."

A powerful sense of weightlessness and violent shaking struck them as the shell carried the five people trapped in despair toward hope.

But when Shiko woke up, only Ichiri was beside her.

Chapter Fourteen: Awakening

"Hiss—" Shiko tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her head, forcing her to lie back down.

"What happened..." The surroundings were completely silent.

Fragments of memory flashed through her mind. The shaking as they passed through the diaphragm, the shell breaking apart, what she had tried to do, what everyone had tried to do, light, smoke...

(Where did everyone go...)

A rustling sound came from beside her. Shiko barely turned her head. It was Ichiri. She had regained some ability to move and was crawling toward Shiko. Her body seemed unharmed, though no one knew whether she had suffered internal injuries. It was practically a miracle. Shiko did not understand her own condition either. Her whole body was still numb, and she could not feel anything.

"I... chiri." She opened her mouth and tried to call the other girl's name.

"Here! Shiko, are you all right..." Ichiri instantly reached Shiko's side and knelt down. Disregarding her embarrassment, she tried to undo Shiko's clothes and examine her body.

Shiko's lips moved, but she held back the question that had already reached the tip of her tongue.

After thinking for a moment, she joked, "My butt... isn't in a tree, is it?" Ichiri's hands paused, and the corner of her eye twitched.

"No, everything's intact... and there aren't any trees here either..." Seeing no obvious external injuries on Shiko, Ichiri finally relaxed a little and hurriedly dressed her again.

Shiko's lips twitched weakly before she asked the question she cared about most. "What about the others?"

"They're not here... When I woke up, I only saw you."

That made sense. Given the nature of this place, even if the shell's explosion had blasted through several layers of the cavern wall, the damage would rapidly repair itself without leaving a trace. No one knew where the others had fallen.

"...It's all my fault." After saying that, Shiko fell silent.

Ichiri did not want her friend to blame herself, but she had no idea how to comfort her. Guilt was almost crushing Shiko. Because of her playful idea, the five of them had been scattered. If being scattered was all that had happened, that would be fine, but if...

She did not dare imagine what came next. The arched cavern ceiling hung high overhead. Normally, she might have unconsciously admired the patterns in the rock, but now she could only let herself drown in a flood of guilt. This was the punishment she deserved.

But after a while, warmth reached Shiko's cold left hand.

"Ichiri?" She saw Ichiri unexpectedly holding her left hand against her chest. Ichiri lowered her head, not daring to look at the hand she was holding, but her grip remained tight.

"At least they're... definitely still alive, and in good condition." Ichiri nervously tried to divert Shiko's attention.

"Huh?"

"Can't you feel it?" Ichiri instead looked puzzled. "Maybe because you received less of the enhancement... Try sensing carefully. You can still feel their condition."

Shiko hurriedly calmed her mind. After a long while, she finally sensed the others through her connection with CiRCLE. She did not know their exact locations, but they were all alive and well, just like Shiko, and none seemed injured.

Shiko temporarily put her mind at ease and continued resting on the ground. Throughout the process, Ichiri kept holding her hand tightly. The warmth from Ichiri's palm spread through Shiko's body, slowly restoring her strength.

"Thank you, Ichiri..." She pushed herself up with her right hand and crawled to her feet, only to see Ichiri still in the same position. Looking closely, she realized Ichiri had blended into the surrounding environment and turned into a stone statue.

...As expected, she was still the familiar Ichiri.

After breaking through the thin outer shell, Shiko found Ichiri inside the statue, her eyes tightly shut.

"Wake up. We have to go." Shiko tried tapping Ichiri's forehead with her right hand. Ichiri's eyelids twitched several times. Stone fragments fell from her body, and she slowly stood up. Perhaps because she was nervous, she was still gripping Shiko's left hand. Shiko's face suddenly grew hot. She waved her hand, and Ichiri finally realized what she was doing and reluctantly let go.

Shiko turned around, unconsciously shielding her left hand with her right. "Regardless, I'm the one who caused everyone to split up, so I have to bring everyone back together!" She strode ahead of Ichiri.

The two of them were in a spherical space with extremely thin walls. Even tapping on them with a hand produced echoes from other places. The floor was the same, and it was unbelievable that the space had not collapsed. There was only one exit: a deep passageway, with openings leading to other spaces appearing along the route from time to time.

"This should be inside the lungs. We were just in an alveolus." Shiko explained it to Ichiri, whose science grades were poor. She drew a mark on the stone wall with fluorescent powder, but it quickly merged into the wall and vanished completely.

It seemed they could only rely on luck to find their way. Shiko supported herself against the wall and quickly reached a conclusion.

"We're probably at the ends of the bronchioles. If we head toward the wider branches, we should reach the main bronchus. If the others are in a situation similar to ours, they'll head there too, and we can reunite." Shiko compared the two sides and chose their direction. After a short rest, they started moving. This time, Ryo was not ahead scouting, and dark openings leading to alveoli appeared frequently, so the two of them proceeded much more carefully.

There were not many twists and turns inside the bronchi, but there were many branches. Most led to alveoli, while a few led to other bronchi. The openings connecting the alveoli and bronchi were not necessarily on the left or right; they could even be beneath their feet or above their heads. The two had to be extremely careful lest they fall into an alveolus and be unable to climb out.

Every time they passed an alveolus they could enter, they had to investigate it. Everywhere was an empty cavern, exactly like the place where they had awakened. They would see an opening, enter, find it empty, return to the bronchus, and encounter another opening. Ichiri gradually felt as though she had entered a maze. If this continued, she might not even be able to tell which way they had come from or where they were going, while they wasted a great deal of time.

Ichiri walked behind Shiko with her head lowered. Shiko's legs swayed back and forth in front of her, leaving her slightly dazed. It had been a long time since she had had such an extended period alone with Shiko in this world. Usually, everyone stayed together. It was noisy, but happy. Before joining the band, things had been different whenever she and Shiko were together. Both were better at ending conversations than finding topics, so they had been relatively quiet, and their few topics had mostly concerned music. Shiko was Ichiri's only listener and her producer. At first, Ichiri had been nervous and played poorly, while Shiko's music had also been rather immature. Gradually, Ichiri adapted, and Shiko's music improved with every song... Remembering those ordinary days, Ichiri became lost in thought, and one foot had already stepped into the opening.

Chapter Fifteen: Ichiri's Secret

"Careful!" Shiko hurriedly pulled Ichiri back. "Didn't I tell you to be careful? Were you thinking about something?" Ichiri looked up and saw Shiko's helpless expression.

"Y-yes... I'm sorry."

Shiko did not dwell on it and continued forward, but this time she grabbed Ichiri by the wrist. Ichiri immediately stiffened, then was dragged along in trembling silence.

My head feels so dizzy... Am I short of oxygen?

Where Ichiri could not see, Shiko's face was also burning. The last time Shiko had held someone's hand had been during her childhood in her previous life. Taking someone's hand voluntarily was more frightening to her than fighting a monster. But since Nijika was not there, caring for Ichiri naturally fell to her... Shiko kept hypnotizing herself with lofty words like "responsibility" and "duty."

Fortunately, this did not last long. While Ichiri was still dazed, Shiko had stopped walking without her noticing.

"There seems to be something inside this one." Shiko stopped, gestured for Ichiri to be quiet, and slowly approached the opening beside them. Before she could get close, a surging yellowish-brown stream of filth erupted from the opening. Countless tentacles made of bones grew from it and reached for Shiko. Ichiri reacted instantly, grabbed her, and ran backward. They turned and dashed into another alveolus. Shiko reacted in time and sealed the opening before the flood of mucus arrived. The filthy current constantly corroded her barrier, but under Shiko's continuous efforts, it ultimately failed and slowly retreated to its original location.

Shiko dismissed her ability and looked worriedly in that direction. To proceed, they had to pass through that opening. But the monster had completely blocked it. Its true form was liquid, normally a weak little monster, but alone, Shiko had no way to attack such a creature, while Ichiri's ability to control water was useless as well. It was a shame that Ryo and Kita were not here. One could control it, while the other could simply bake it dry.

Shiko turned around and saw Ichiri's condition. During their escape, some of the filthy water had splashed onto Ichiri's jacket and was corroding it.

Once she noticed, Ichiri quickly took off the jacket. Beneath it was an ordinary black T-shirt, which was fine. But Shiko's gaze was gradually drawn to the jacket in Ichiri's hands. Sewn into its lining were the two group photos they had taken earlier, along with every piece of sheet music Shiko had given Ichiri since they first met.

Silence.

Shiko knew this was not the time to discuss such a thing...

But now she understood why Ichiri had refused to change clothes no matter what. She had thought Ichiri was merely shy.

Ichiri instantly hid the jacket behind her and forced out a fake smile, her face covered in cold sweat. "L-let's hurry and go!"

How were they supposed to leave now? Shiko did not understand what she meant.

"Actually, I can deal with that monster..." Ichiri picked up her guitar.

Shiko's face was full of distrust. Was Ichiri just changing the subject?

"Really..." Ichiri began to explain. During their first day of hunting, she had successfully assimilated the acid sprayed by the flesh-mountain monster. That had inspired her. She could turn an enemy's bodily fluids to her own use. The filthy current monster before them was the same. She could continuously infuse it with her own water until she assimilated it.

Since it was genuinely feasible, Shiko naturally had no objections.

But she glanced at the sheet music in her pocket and began to worry. She had recently written Ichiri a suitable solo. It would have been perfect to give it to her at a time like this, but after seeing that jacket...

"H-here. For you."

"Huh?" Ichiri saw the sheet music Shiko held out. It was a new song.

"Why... are you still willing... to give me this..."

My heart is beating so fast.

"...At least don't sew the sheet music into your clothes... I'll write lots more songs for you... There'll be too many to sew..." Shiko's face nearly twisted around to hide itself.

Ichiri looked at her profile, then at the sheet music crumpled in Shiko's hand. She reached out and accepted it. Their fingertips touched, and a soft sensation spread through her entire body. Ichiri immediately pulled her hand back. She suppressed the flutter in her heart and shifted her attention to the sheet music. After a long while, the sound of a trickling stream and guitar notes emerged from the alveolus where they were hiding. The current flowed toward the monster, into the darkness, and mingled with its true body. The monster noticed nothing.

Naturally, Shiko could not properly appreciate the music now.

Once the monster officially dissipated, the two walked side by side into its room. Ichiri could not bear to throw away the jacket, so at Shiko's insistence, she stuffed it into her backpack and promised never to take it out again.

There was no orb in the room. But there was another, more important remnant, causing Shiko and Ichiri, who entered moments later, to instantly forget that disappointment: a skeleton, a human skeleton.

At the center of the room lay a skeleton with its head bowed. After seeing so many monsters, an ordinary skeleton like this was not frightening at all. Shiko touched it lightly, and it fell backward. The skull rolled away with a "clatter," but because the skeleton lay at the lowest point of the room, it rolled back and struck the bones, making a dry sound.

"Shiko, look. There are words written here." Shiko looked over. Characters had been carved into the ground where the skeleton had been sitting. They were ancient and difficult to make out, but Shiko could confirm that they were Chinese characters!

Chinese characters! Shiko had never expected to see them here. Judging from the legible portions, it was even classical Chinese, a form she was familiar with!

Suppressing her shock, Shiko read the words while trying to translate them for Ichiri.

"I... person, mistakenly entered... defeated... leave this for later generations... all one hundred people."

"So what does it mean?" Ichiri understood nothing.

"I can recognize the words, but not the overall meaning. Who knows how many years have passed? Only a few characters remain. I don't know why they could survive in this place for so long." Shiko temporarily set aside her doubts, took out some paper, and began making a rubbing.

The work ended quickly. Shiko looked at the skeleton beside her. "As for my fellow countryman, take him with us. We'll find somewhere to bury him later."

By the time they left, Shiko was carrying a large canvas bag. The atmosphere had clearly grown heavier. They had fought for so long, but this was the first time they had seen a dead predecessor.

Shiko took one last look at the alveolus. This was the tomb of an unknown predecessor who had lain there for centuries. From the ceiling to the floor, from the deepest point to the entrance, Shiko tried to memorize the entire place as best she could. It was a form of respect for the deceased.

That one glance made Shiko notice something out of place on the wall. She turned and walked back.

"What is it?" Ichiri followed and saw Shiko standing two meters from the wall. She took out the steel fork and poked a certain spot.

The stone wall split open before them. A flight of stone steps appeared behind it.

Weak sunlight shone into the darkness beneath the earth.

Under the stimulation of the sunlight, Kita slowly woke up.

Chapter Sixteen: Reunion

Ryo and Nijika were already in grave danger.

Since waking up, they had been trapped in a natural prison cell and spent countless springs, summers, autumns, and winters there. In that narrow spherical space, the only exit hung high above their heads. Though the distance was short, it was a heavenly chasm they could never cross in a lifetime. The two relied on each other and gradually developed feelings beyond friendship... Though Shiko, hearing them recount it later, very much wanted to imagine things that way, in reality they quickly found a way to escape and resolutely put it into practice.

"Ryo! What should we do, Ryo?! Are we never getting out?!" Nijika, who had just woken up, shook Ryo by the shoulders. Ryo calmly carved something into the stone wall with a piece of metal. It was the last remnant of Shiko's pitiful shell. Since it had landed on Ryo, it had survived without being devoured by the stone wall.

Ryo finished the final stroke, tucked the metal into her chest, silently stepped back, lowered her head, and clasped her hands together.

"Namu." Her voice held rare sorrow.

Nijika froze and looked at the wall: "The Place of Ikuyo Kita," "The Place of Hitori Goto," and "The Place of Shiko." The words were neat and painfully mournful.

"What is this?!" Furious, Nijika pulled out her drumsticks and chased Ryo. Ryo instead grabbed Nijika by the shoulders, her eyes full of sympathy. "Accept reality, Nijika."

"They're not dead!!!" Nijika slapped her hand away and lectured her unreliable friend as the writing on the wall gradually vanished.

Hearing this, Ryo was surprised. She sensed carefully and finally realized, "So that's how it is?"

"You really didn't know?!" Nijika's eyes narrowed into cat eyes. She looked at Ryo's innocent face and decided to change the subject. "Let's think about how to get out of here..."

The spherical space was empty, and the exit was high overhead, completely unreachable. It was similar to their previous situation, except Shiko, the queen of bizarre ideas, was not there. Whether that counted as good fortune was unclear.

Ryo tried to find a place to climb on the stone wall but failed. The power of sound waves was also insufficient to launch them to the ceiling. There were no cracks in the walls, and they could not see outside. The two searched every inch of the room but found no useful clues. After exhausting every conventional method, they still could not get even a little closer to the exit overhead.

No one knew how much time and energy had passed. Eventually, the two sat cross-legged on the ground, closed their eyes, and held their chins as they wondered whether there was another way. Nijika's ahoge swayed violently. Before it could finish swinging, Ryo pinched it between two fingers. Nijika opened her eyes and saw Ryo expressionlessly holding a bass in one hand.

Ryo picked up the bass. "I noticed earlier that these walls are very thin. If I can use sound waves to shake them apart..."

"Wait!" Even if they were sound waves, Nijika had never seen Ryo use them to destroy a physical object. It was clearly extremely difficult. Besides, Nijika had examined the wall herself. Though thin, it was only thin by comparison. Destroying a wall like this with sound waves, which were so difficult to control, could easily collapse the entire cavern. Nijika stopped Ryo and stood in the center of the stone chamber, directly beneath the exit.

During this time, Shiko was not the only one working hard to develop gunpowder. As the only member of the five-person team without offensive abilities, Nijika had also been working hard to make up for that weakness.

Nijika crouched down, picked up a stone knife, and took a deep breath.

Nijika's only ability was healing. Therefore, she had started with healing, considering how to convert it into offensive power. No matter how unbearable the method was... If she did not do this, she would never be able to keep up with everyone.

The hand holding the knife trembled slightly. Nijika closed her eyes and aimed the tip at her left palm. But once she had finally made up her mind, she opened her eyes wide and stabbed into her palm. With a piercing pain, blood trickled out. Nijika tried not to look and pressed her left palm against the ground. Dazzling starlight burst forth!

Nijika Ijichi

Skills: Jazz Drum Technique Lv6, Baking Technique Lv7, [Stardust] Lv1

This was the skill Nijika had discovered. The healing power of the starlight was so strong that it could even let Nijika "turn the environment into her own body." Now, a small area beside Nijika could be considered part of her. She could perform limited self-healing there, such as making stone pillars grow from the ground and reach the exit!

The stone pillar slowly rose from the ground. Without Nijika needing to say anything, Ryo crouched behind her and silently supported her body to keep her from falling. The pillar rose bit by bit, carrying the two of them toward the only exit. They were getting closer.

Now that hope existed, Nijika worked even harder. The pressure this state placed on her mind was immense. Cold sweat continually appeared on her face, dripping onto the ground and mixing with the blood to spread into gorgeous crimson flowers. In contrast, the results were remarkable. Ryo kept watching their height, since Nijika no longer had the strength to spare any attention.

Ryo suddenly spoke. "We're there." Nijika could no longer hold on and toppled forward. Ryo caught her. Nijika's body followed the momentum and fell into Ryo's arms.

Looking at their achievement and the unconscious girl in her arms, even Ryo's expressionless face showed surprise. "You really overdid it."

Ryo picked up Nijika and stepped out of the opening.

When Nijika woke up, her head was resting on Ryo's thigh. She sat up and discovered that she was already inside a long passageway.