March 1st, 2014.
Saturday.
Sunny, turning to cloudy.
A light level 2-3 north wind.
A good day for an outing.
Chiaki shared his plan and ideas with the others.
Upon learning that it might be possible to enter her own mental world and kill Koschei, Talulah became exceptionally excited.
She immediately woke the others, eager to venture into the TV World right away.
Koschei!
I’ve brought my team to kill you!
Where the hell are you?!
And Raiden Mei, after discovering that she, like Kiana, had hidden powers that could be unlocked by defeating or reconciling with her other self, excitedly packed her equipment, ready to depart.
She carried two enormous suitcases, one in each hand, stuffed with all sorts of weapons: katanas, dual blades, pots, pans, and so on.
Their combined weight was nearly equal to her own.
On her arm was a cheaply made pot lid shield, and she had even brought a gas canister, intending to use it as a bomb.
Seeing the fully-armed Raiden Mei, Chiaki was taken aback.
“What are you doing?”
“Reporting, Captain!
I am ready for the subjugation of the Herrscher of Thunder!” Raiden Mei said with a smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
“…Have you seen Naruto?”
“I have!
Are you saying I’m like Naruto Uzumaki, Captain, with the hidden power of the Nine-Tails (Herrscher) inside me?” Raiden Mei stared at Chiaki, her eyes shimmering with excitement, filled with an indescribable joy.
She couldn’t wait to crush the Herrscher of Thunder and transform into Raiden Mei: Herrscher of Thunder Honkai Energy Mode, just like Naruto’s Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!
Chiaki fell silent.
What he really wanted to say was that her actions reminded him of Danzo trying to stab a Susanoo with a kunai.
If anyone ever felt stupid, they could just look at Raiden Mei, who actually thought she could blow up the Herrscher of Thunder with a gas canister.
But seeing Raiden Mei waiting for his reply with a happy, Don Quixote-like, blissfully ignorant smile, he couldn’t bring himself to say such cruel words.
“Yes, Mei.
I believe you can change the world just like Naruto.
However, your situation is a bit special.
Compared to violence, it might be better to communicate more with the Herrscher inside you.”
“Truth is established on the edge of a sword!” Raiden Mei said with a solemn expression.
“If I don’t beat my other self up first, how will she obediently submit?
If I don’t have the power to suppress her, why would she listen to my talk therapy?”
“That’s also true.”
“Besides, Captain, don’t you think a duel with your other self to decide who is the mount and who is the king is just the coolest thing ever?”
“Very trendy.
That’s a good attitude, keep it up.
By the way, where are the others?” Chiaki glanced around the living room and found that only Raiden Mei and Talulah were up.
The others were still in their rooms.
Can we even assemble by nine o’clock?
Chiaki was skeptical.
His skepticism was justified.
After Talulah’s notice, Utena, Artoria, and Sakiko got up, but one of them was clearly in a very bad state.
“Hah…
hah…”
Toyokawa Sakiko was gasping for breath, and the fine beads of sweat on her forehead glistened with exhaustion.
She managed to raise a hand to wipe her temple, only to let it fall limply to her side.
Then, she practically crawled to the sofa, finally collapsing into it like a boneless puppet.
Her face was etched with despair, radiating an aura of “I have never once felt happy participating in the Dimensional Chat Group’s activities.”
“Sakiko, you don’t look so good.
Did something happen?” Chiaki filled a glass with water and handed it to her.
Sakiko gripped Chiaki’s wrist, her expression weary but serious.
“I got up today because I have something very important to say.
I—want to end the Dimensional Chat Group.”
“Why?
Did something happen?
Or is there a special reason?
Is it because of us?” Chiaki asked.
“No, it’s my own problem,” Sakiko said in a low voice.
If disbanding CRYCHIC was something she had been forced to do, then disbanding the Dimensional Chat Group was perhaps a thought that came from the bottom of her heart.
Because her teammates were truly on another level.
Children, I used to be a keyboardist, not a Gundam pilot!
Nor am I a core member of the Justice League!
“Is that so?
I understand.” Chiaki nodded.
“What about the others?”
“Sakiko’s skills might not be a good fit for this,” Talulah said, understanding Sakiko’s plight.
“I…
I think being in the chat group is fun, so I don’t want to disband,” Artoria mumbled from a corner.
Seele, passing by, had no idea what was happening and was just single-mindedly devouring cherries from Mei’s fridge.
“Sakiko, you should quit,” Hiiragi Utena said, looking at her gently.
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing.
No one was angry or annoyed by Sakiko’s sudden, selfish declaration.
There was only comfort and support.
Sakiko looked around.
There wasn’t a trace of blame in her teammates’ eyes; instead, they were filled with gentleness.
It was clear they couldn’t bear to see her continue to suffer under such immense pressure.
What’s with that look…
Am I…
that pitiful?
Sakiko froze.
Her teammates’ gazes felt familiar.
In an instant, her thoughts were pulled back to a rainy night.
Through a water-beaded glass window, Sakiko’s driver opened a large black umbrella over her head.
Sakiko took off her sandals, and the driver knelt to help her into rain boots.
She followed him, splashing through puddles toward the car in the rain—a pure black sedan with two ‘M’s overlapping to form a mountain shape within a triangle on the hood.
A Maybach.
Her mother was waiting for her in the car.
On the street, office workers held their briefcases over their heads, splashing through the rain without a care for their soaked trouser cuffs, all rushing to cross the road and blocking the car’s path.
She subconsciously frowned, feeling uncomfortable.
Noticing her expression, her mother stroked her head.
“Saki-chan, why the long face?”
“They look so…
dirty.”
“That’s because for them, just staying alive already takes all their strength.
Their lives are crushed by endless pressure and hardship, and they struggle every day just to get by.
Where would they find the energy to maintain so-called decency and dignity?
That’s why Mama hopes you will have a compassionate heart…”
She still remembered her mother’s words and the looks from the people on the street.
The weary-faced people stared intently at her through the car window, yearning to fly like birds, yearning to one day live a life like hers.
What kind of look did she and her mother have in their eyes back then?
She didn’t know.
But right now, her teammates’ gazes and tone were exactly the same as her mother’s.
Except, the object of that pitying gaze was now her.
So this is the pity and grace of the upper class?
In the eyes of those who were already giving their all just to live, the sympathy and aid bestowed from high society did not fill them with gratitude.
Instead, it was a deep, stinging pain.
That pity was more like merciless shackles, a constant reminder of how fragile and powerless she was.
Do I…
really have to quit?