Chapter Six: The Ancient Greek Goddess Who Ruled Pretty Moe (Happy Birthday, Hatsuka!) / Chapter Seven: A Socially Anxious Client Is Still a Client

"But!" Ichiri raised her voice. "After spending more and more time together, after Kita-san asked me to teach her guitar, after Kita-san performed onstage for the first time, and after I saw her practicing alone again and again so she could sing the lyrics I wrote... I understood!"

"Kita-san works incredibly hard! Whenever she's alone, she's basically always practicing!"

"So do I!" Ichiri declared without the slightest humility. "When I'm alone, I practice too! I practice for six hours every day! I work just as hard as Kita-san! Since we're the same, I feel that one day I can shine like Kita-san too!"

"Stars are signposts. Kita-san... no, Little Kita has become my star!"

After shouting all that, Ichiri began gasping for breath. In her palms, Kita's hands trembled uncontrollably.

What is this? Saying that I've already become her star... Saying something like that... Kita clenched her teeth.

Is she trying to comfort me?!

An inexplicable anger rose from within Kita.

[Erosion Level...97%]

"I told you I'd already moved on!" She shoved Ichiri away. Flames surged from beneath her feet and wrapped around her. "Why do you keep reminding me over and over again!" she screamed at the two of them. "If you want to enjoy your little world for two, then go ahead! If you're so capable, kill me! Is it fun trying to hold on to a loser?!"

[Erosion Level...99%]

[Erosion Level...100%]

Violence filled her body. She couldn't hold it back anymore... She had to release it... Release all of it!

Flames gathered in Kita's hands and gradually took the shape of a guitar. Gold and white, covered in crimson cracks, it looked as if boiling emotions were about to burst out of it! On a hidden panel, the value labeled [Erosion Level] began plummeting from 100%: 90%... 80%... 70%...

[Erosion Level...0%]

At that moment, the flame-forged guitar revealed its complete form.

[Erosion Armament · What Cannot Be Obtained]: Corruption Resistance +10, Electric Guitar Technique +Lv1

"Let's fight!" She flung a string of tears into the air and issued a declaration of war to Ichiri.

A black-and-gold guitar appeared in Ichiri's hands. Cold spread from her body. She answered Kita with musical notes!

Naturally, the melody of If We Could Become Constellations rang out from the two guitars! The notes collided again and again, arguing as passionate emotions burst forth! Their wills battled fiercely through their guitars, like the eternal struggle between ice and fire!

But this wasn't enough! Kita thought. The melody of If We Could Become Constellations was too gentle. It couldn't convey the flood of emotion pouring out of her now. What else...

Shiko took a shoulder keyboard from Nijika. Its sound immediately joined the two guitars, guiding them higher! The gentle melody completely collapsed at that moment, torn apart. From the ruins of the song, a new monster was born, as if it intended to devour the entire world! Ichiri immediately joined in. Their notes merged into one, forming a magnificent tide that surged toward Kita from all directions. Kita's guitar grew more and more intense. This was no longer If We Could Become Constellations. This was a new song, one she had never played before. Within the unfamiliar melody, Kita released her feelings completely and faced the two of them head-on!

The notes collided and vanished in an instant.

It was as if something had ended completely. And something else had begun.

This was the echo of time. Countless ordinary days they had spent together.

No one knew when the music ended. Shiko lowered her hands, her soul seemingly still immersed in the performance. She looked at the two people before her. Kita and Ichiri were both crying their eyes out. She wiped her own face and discovered that it was wet with tears too.

"Wh... what happened..." Kita said through her tears. "Even though it was so twisted... I still..."

"Even if it's twisted, we have to stay together." Ichiri looked straight into Kita's eyes.

"Are you saying we have to keep this kind of relationship for our whole lives?" Kita asked.

"A whole lifetime, then. What's wrong with that?" Shiko answered without hesitation.

"Waaah... waaahhhhh..." Kita burst into tears and threw herself into Ichiri's arms. The two guitars collided, each scattering into ice and flame before annihilating each other and vanishing. Shiko couldn't help embracing them as well. The three of them simply held one another and vented everything they had. At some point, the others had gathered around them, all wearing relieved smiles. Some were even secretly wiping away tears.

All the luggage had been loaded onto the airship, and everyone had chosen their rooms on the second floor. However, no one was in their own room now. Everyone had gathered in the control room. Shiko had returned to her original appearance. Looking out at the scenery that had accompanied them for several days and nights, she placed her hands on the useless control levers.

"I just remembered—the airship still doesn't have a name." She was about to push the lever down when the thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Anything is fine," Yukina said. "We can decide after takeoff."

"Oh..." Shiko looked a little disappointed, but quickly perked up. "Then, prepare for... Kyuushuu-go, full speed ahead!" She pushed the lever all the way down and issued the command in her mind at the same time.

Without the slightest tremor, the airship slowly left the ground. The grass, earth, treetops—everything below began to recede, gradually shrinking and blurring in everyone's eyes.

Then, scenery they had never yet seen came into view in the distance.

Chapter Six: The Ancient Greek Goddess Who Ruled Pretty Moe (Happy Birthday, Hatsuka!)

The airship gradually steadied in the sky.

"Whoa—so dark. I'll light a fire." Kita's energetic voice came through the darkness. A second later, a flame appeared in the air, and Kita and Ichiri's faces emerged behind it.

"Thank you, Little Kita," Ichiri said. The two of them groped their way toward the control room.

"If possible, I really don't want to walk by feeling my way along these things on the wall." Kita carefully avoided a realistic spider leg protruding from the wall.

Ichiri seemed perfectly accustomed to this sort of environment, moving through it like a fish in water. Kita, on the other hand, looked somewhat uneasy.

They followed their memories through the dark corridors, turning this way and that. Aside from the flame floating in the air, the oil lamps occasionally visible on the walls were the only sources of light. In the darkness, their footsteps sounded particularly clear. The sounds echoed through the space, gradually blending with their heartbeats.

"It feels like we've gone back to the old [Xingtian]," Kita said, shrinking into herself. "Ah, we're finally here." She spotted the doorknob on the wall.

Faint arguing came from inside. Kita turned the knob and pushed the door open. The voices became clear. "Think about it, Ako. How can you not understand? 'Kyuushuu-go'! What a magnificent name! So grand! It inspires awe across the land!"

"But, but Ako worked so hard to give this place the style of Demon Lord's Castle..."

"Hello!" Kita's greeting interrupted their argument. She and Ichiri walked in, and the light from outside dazzled their eyes. The two hurriedly covered them.

Ichiri wilted instantly, while Kita quickly recovered her energy.

"Sorry, the lighting system isn't working." Shiko spread her hands. "That circuitry... I did my best. Just like physics and mathematics, if you don't know it, you don't know it."

After the airship took off, the wind-powered electrical system had failed to work as Shiko had expected. As for where the problem lay... Shiko had given up investigating from the start. She simply shut herself in the control room, which was filled with natural light, and stayed there all day.

"Have you been here the whole time?" Ichiri noticed the dark circles under Shiko's eyes. It was obvious she had stayed up all night.

"Yeah. I have to control the airship, after all. If it can't travel day and night, then building this aerial fortress would be pointless." Shiko picked up a cookie from the plate beside her and ate it. The darkness around her eyes seemed to fade a little. "It's possible to use various methods to keep myself from needing sleep. Right now, I'm testing my limits."

Beside Shiko, Ako held her hand over Shiko's head. A faint purple light emanated from it. She hadn't come merely to chat with Shiko; she was also checking on her condition.

"Hmm... You should be fine for another two or three days like this." Ako lowered her hand and said goodbye to the three of them. "But you won't be able to fight if anything happens. I'm leaving~"

Kita followed her. "Do you need some light? Ah, she's already gone."

"She can see in the dark. It's fine," Shiko said. As she spoke, she yawned again.

Kita turned back, her tone considerably flatter. "Driving while fatigued?"

"I'm not really doing much driving," Shiko explained. "I just have to make sure we don't hit anything. This airship is pretty smart."

"?" Ichiri looked outside. They were at a tremendous altitude. Although they were still far below the clouds, they were already much higher than the tallest nearby mountain. A monster with half a wing flew over and crashed into the shield. A flash of fire appeared, and nothing happened. What could possibly crash into them?

As if understanding Ichiri's thoughts, Shiko said, "Sigh... I also feel like nothing much is going to happen. Maybe I can go back now. I haven't slept in my own room yet." Ever since choosing her room, Shiko had only dropped off her luggage before coming here.

"Then why not go back now?" Kita asked casually. "I've already made your bed."

"Thanks... I'll stay a little longer. I still want to see how long I can hold out. Besides..." Shiko grinned and conjured a military cap in her hand, placing it crookedly on her head. "I feel cool here. Like a commander."

Ichiri was about to say something, but Kita had already sat down in the corner. "Suit yourself. I'll practice guitar here for a while." Flames gathered in her hands, and a platinum-white guitar covered in red cracks appeared. "You've missed band practice for the past two days. Remember to make up for it yourself later."

Kita began playing on her own. It was easy to hear that her skill had improved considerably compared with before.

"Whoa." Since the day before yesterday, this was the first time Shiko had seen Kita take out this guitar. "That is..."

"[Erosion Armament · Unobtainable]." Kita casually played a short melody. Although it wasn't connected to an amplifier, the guitar genuinely produced an electric sound. Its tone constantly changed as she played, creating a strange auditory experience.

In this respect, the effects of Kita's guitar were the same as those of Ichiri's.

"It doesn't sound like part of an ability."

"Yeah. On the panel, this guitar is classified under [Additional]." Kita opened the panel and showed it to Shiko. The words that naturally caught Shiko's attention first were "Impurity Resistance."

That sounds familiar. Where have I seen something like that before? Miss Marina seemed to have mentioned something like it in the past. Inside [Xingtian], they had apparently suffered from some sort of "impurity contamination." Come to think of it, what exactly were "impurities"? Dirty stuff? She glanced over Kita's body. It was clean from head to toe, and she even smelled nice up close. That was probably because she had showered before coming here...

"Wait. What are you doing?" Kita pushed Shiko away in disgust.

Shiko sat down in front of Kita with a thump, crossing her arms and looking displeased. "I've been feeling this for a while, but isn't your attitude toward me a little harsh, Kita?"

Kita turned her head away. "I hope certain people can show a little self-awareness about that~"

"Th-that... Don't fight..." Ichiri stood nervously between the two of them, looking back and forth without knowing what to say.

"Mm..." Shiko curled up like a wounded little animal, with even a hint of tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.

Seeing her like that, Kita sighed and reached out to pat Shiko's head. "All right, all right~ I'll try to speak nicely. Don't do that."

Shiko suddenly changed expressions, replacing it with a sly grin. "Ki~ta~chan~, do you want to enter Pretty Moe? With how you are now, making the top four wouldn't be a problem."

Kita clearly clicked her tongue and immediately withdrew her hand. "Don't say things that other people can't understand."

Ichiri timidly joined in. "I can understand a little, because Shiko explained Pretty Moe and things like that to me..."

Kita immediately changed expressions. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ichiri. "I see. If it's convenient, could you tell me about it?"

"Candidate for the next Moe King!"

Kita ignored her and listened as Ichiri slowly explained. Simply put, Pretty Moe was a moe competition comparing the gravity, distortion, and tragic qualities of girls. As she listened, Kita's expression gradually became strange, and contempt entered her gaze as she looked at Shiko. "Using a girl's pain and tears as nourishment... That's awful!"

Shiko looked as though she had just heard a compliment.

(Rikki in her extrovert version... Kita, I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly broke into a 'Yukina Scarlet Storm'.) Her mind automatically filtered out every trace of hostility in Kita's words.

Ichiri hurriedly said, "If Shiko likes it, I can kind of understand..."

"Hey! Gotou-san, don't let this person corrupt you!"

The control room was filled with noisy bickering. At the doorway, Nijika clung to the crack in the door and peeked inside with Ryo.

"It's good that they can get along."

"It was more exciting before."

"You might have a lot in common with Little Shiko in this area, Ryo."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"...That wasn't a compliment."

Chapter Seven: A Socially Anxious Client Is Still a Client

The conversation in the room continued.

"Speaking of 'Unobtainable,' that's one of the Eight Sufferings of Buddhism—probably the fifth one," Shiko said.

"Which eight?" Ichiri sat down and asked Shiko.

"Birth, aging, illness, death, Unobtainable, Hatred and Association, Love and Separation, and the Five Aggregates Blazing." Shiko's eyes lit up. "Kita, since you've already made 'Unobtainable,' why not put in a little effort and complete all eight? Maybe there'll even be a set bonus! Look, one guitar raised your technique by Lv1. If the other equipment can do the same, then according to me, that's much faster than practicing normally..."

Please, completing a legendary equipment set based on the Eight Sufferings sounds incredibly cool, okay?!

Hearing this made Kita furious. "Yes, yes, I can't compare with some genius. Even with nearly seven years of downtime, your technique is already Lv7, right?"

Shiko proudly made a V sign with her fingers. "By the way, [Music Production] has risen to Lv8. That happened the day before yesterday."

Seeing that the two seemed about to start arguing again, Ichiri broke into a sweat and racked her brains for another topic. "Th-that!" Both of them turned to look at her. Under the pressure, inspiration suddenly struck. "Th-the song from the day before yesterday... Could we arrange it into our new song?"

Their attention was indeed diverted. Kita nodded and tried playing it on her guitar. "That one... I think I've already forgotten it..."

Ichiri tried hard to recall the melody from then, but in truth, she didn't remember it very clearly either.

Shiko simply took out a score. "This one."

"Huh?" The two stared at her blankly. Shiko scratched her head. "Well, another me commissioned this before falling asleep. Since it wasn't finished, I didn't mention it. I just happened to play it the day before yesterday... The guitar and keyboard parts are complete. I handed the bass and drums to Ryo. In that case... Ichiri, will you handle the lyrics?"

Elsewhere, Ryo sat in her room, biting the end of her pen as she pondered the unfinished score before her. The room was spacious and filled with the atmosphere of subculture, but it was a complete mess at that moment. Clothes she had designed were scattered everywhere, mixed together with a pile of crumpled drafts. The only tidy things were the instruments hanging on the wall. Some were part of CiRCLE's collection, while others were merely models that couldn't be played. Several CDs brought all the way from CiRCLE were also stored on the shelves, though there was no longer any device that could play them. Her laptop had been destroyed in the original disaster.

At some point, Nijika would come over and help tidy the room. Until then, Ryo wouldn't consider "cleaning" at all. That was simply how Ryo had always lived.

A light knock sounded from outside the door. Ryo didn't move. She simply released the pen from her teeth and let it drop. "Come in."

The door was pushed open carefully, making almost no sound. None of the doors on the airship were locked. One reason was that Shiko had been too lazy to design locks. The other was that she didn't want to. "There's no way I'd make something that violates personal privacy!" she had said.

The footsteps were very light, and their owner seemed slightly nervous. From those footsteps, Ryo identified the person. "What is it? Rinko."

Rinko didn't answer. She was slightly startled when she saw the messy room, but she still walked quietly behind Ryo and saw the score on the desk. "This is...?"

"Ah." Ryo lowered her head and looked at the score. "Commissioned by Shiko." She recalled what Shiko had said when handing it over: "Whenever I look at this score now, I think of what happened before. Then I have trouble adding the bass and drums... So I'm counting on you. I'll make Ichiri work hard on the lyrics!"

She makes it sound so easy... Once she knew where the score had come from, even Ryo couldn't treat it casually. If things went badly, this song would be another Shiko's posthumous work. So although she already had another song to work on, she could only prioritize this one.

Rinko, however, didn't know how important the song was. She asked carefully, "In that case, our song..."

Ryo turned her head in shock and stared at Rinko's face. Although she didn't say a word, Rinko seemed to read the message in her eyes: I finally found a socially anxious client and thought things would be easier, but this person actually has the nerve to come and ask about the progress?

Faced with that expression, Rinko jerked backward like a frightened rabbit. "If you're busy... I'm not in a hurry... I'll be going..." Unlike when she had arrived, her steps as she left were somewhat hurried.

The door closed. Ryo shook her head. "Maybe... I should think about that song during my break too."