Yes, it's me! I just came back from our Diet friend's place!
Mifune
Where is Hoshiguma?
Mifune
The venue?!
Mifune
What about Mio? Has she dealt with them?
Mifune
No?! She left?
Mifune
That traitor!
Mifune
What about the network? Did you record what's going on inside? What about Hoshiguma?
Mifune
Dammit! Get the editors on it NOW and make the footage of her fight with Mio look like she's completely lost control—
Mifune
What do you mean there's no time?! Hacking? Hijacked network?! Can't deal with it?
Mifune
What good are you?! Cut the signal if you can't deal with it! The power supply too! The only thing left to air tonight is the apology! Who cares if the signal goes out?
Mifune
We can't have someone babbling on MY channel—
Mifune
Hello? Hello?!
Mifune
Chikusho! Lost the signal?
Mifune
You idiot! You demand I come and give a personal explanation, that just gives my enemies a chance to strike!
Mifune
Everything's gone to hell while I was humoring that bastard... even Hannya is gone...
Mifune
......
Mifune
(Takes a deep breath)
Mifune
Calm down.
Mifune
Clean up the mess and start over. It'll be alright. It's not the first time.
Mifune
First, go to the venue and stop those insects. The diet has given the nod on Hoshiguma. All that's left is to clean up public opinion...
Tetsuya
......
Mifune
Came to cause trouble with your dear Hoshiguma-aneki, have you?
Tetsuya
Hoshiguma?
Mifune
Oh my goodness. Should I compliment you for your bravery, or your adorable stupidity?
Mifune
Look at how beat-up you are. Seems like my men were still playing with you, not knowing that you no longer had any use.
Mifune
Who did you grab this real sword from? Tell me, and I'll return it to him before he gets angry.
Tetsuya
Kinbee... you...
Mifune
Me?
Mifune
I don't have time to play with you, Tetsuya.
Mifune
Your father may have taught you the basics of swordsmanship when you were little, but you have a long, long way to go before you're ready to use it in a real fight.
Mifune
A father and son who got turned against each other by a mask. How much do you think you actually understood about the swordplay that he taught you?
Tetsuya
Turned against?!
Tetsuya
Yes... turned against each other...
Mifune
I've said all I needed to say. Now get lost before I change my mind and reunite you with Tessai.
Tetsuya
You're the one who should be reunited with my father!
What if I told you that, with the exception of a handful of kaidan associated with the kami, all the shows that I've been on, all the kaidan that I experienced... all of them were fabricated?
Momoka
I'm not talking about hypotheticals. I'm talking about true lies.
Momoka
Kinseki Station and the Kinseki Talent Agency deceived you, and I unknowingly became their accomplice.
Momoka
I'm sorry.
Momoka
I won't make any excuses for deceiving you. I'll accept any criticism.
For example, the original kaidan, the family home of the Ao-Oni of the Kinsekikai in Kajimachi that killed its residents.
Momoka
It was no paranormal activity, just actual murder.
Momoka
I now accuse Kouhei Mifune, president of Kinseki Channel and the Kinseki Talent Agency, and the de facto leader of the Kinsekikai yakuza syndicate, of being the mastermind behind all this.
Momoka
Without any evidence, he suspected me of being in league with his political opponent, Tessai, and plotted to infect me with Oripathy, when I knew nothing of any of it.
Momoka
The 'Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai' was exiled from Mitsukue after taking the fall for his crimes, many years ago. She was framed for my kidnapping, when in fact, she had saved my life.
Momoka
When I accidentally stumbled upon the truth behind the kaidan, he wanted to silence me, spreading rumors that I was retiring...
I was one of the lucky ones. I came to Mitsukue, to be bathed in people's attention, be it adoring, judging, or scornful.
Momoka
My fear was no longer about pain, illness and death; it was about viewer ratings, losing fans, pressure from the agency, and fabricated kaidan.
Momoka
It seems such a luxury to fear those things, now that my life is once again under threat.
Momoka
Isn't it a sort of happiness, to be afraid of kaidan?
Momoka
We don't need to face true danger. We lie in our beds, screaming at stories we don't know if they're true, and satisfy ourselves with the sensation of our nerves tightening and relaxing again.
Momoka
But... I'm afraid I can never enjoy it the same way again.
Momoka
This luxury was lost to me forever when I learned that the kaidan that used to scare me were lies, manifestations of greed, murders, and cover-ups.
Momoka
From this day forth, kaidan shall no longer be part of Momoka Hanyuu's life.
Momoka
I hereby announce that I am leaving the Kinseki Talent Agency, and disassociating myself from all Kinsekikai affiliates!
Tetsuya is lying on the ground next to Mifune, wounded but alive.
It is not that the Phidia intended to spare him.
Indeed, Mifune wanted to put an end to this quickly many times, only to be forced back by the suicidal attacks of the young Oni, who seemed to be intentionally aiming himself at the tip of Mifune's sword, just to find a chance to take Mifune down with him.
Momoka's speech coming through the screen beside him only served as a further distraction, and his trembling hands repeatedly missed their mark.
Even as Mifune changed his goal from killing to incapacitation, and then to simply shaking off this maniac in order to deal with the fallout, Tetsuya kept getting up from the ground, in spite of all his injuries.
She doesn't know that everything is built upon faith. She doesn't know that if panic spreads—
Momoka
But... this is our life. And it will continue, until the end arrives... if it arrives.
Momoka
Even if it is built upon lies... upon bubbles that might shatter tomorrow, it's still our life...
Momoka
A life that I have to learn to love.
Momoka
Besides, even if a life like this is destined to disappear someday... it's beautiful, isn't it?
Momoka
An instant of beauty will be the warmth that stays with us through the cold night, even after everything else falls apart... as long as we keep it in our hearts.
Momoka
That's all I want to say.
Momoka
This has been Momoka Hanyuu, and I apologize for taking up your valuable time.
Momoka
Perhaps... no, we WILL meet again.
There is no longer any possibility of turning the tables.
The Phidia stares blankly at the figure on the screen.
The bitch is done babbling. You can try to take revenge for your pop now, again.
The young Oni sets his unsteady feet. The Phidia has collected himself, and identifies an opening that will let him put his sword right through the ribs of the Oni when he makes his move.
But the Oni does not move.
Mifune
Are you scared?
Tetsuya
No.
Tetsuya
But even a fool like me can tell that you're finished.
Tetsuya turns around. Mifune's face is ghastly pale, but he does not make a move.
Tetsuya
I'm showing my back to you. Aren't you going to kill me?
Mifune
Not in the mood. There are plenty of other people I want to kill first.
Mifune
I'll come find you when they're all dead.
Mifune
Oh, and one more thing...
Mifune stares at Tetsuya's back. Suddenly, he blurts out a sentence that even he himself is unsure why he says it.
Mifune
The words that I said to your father... They were actually for you.
Tetsuya cannot tell if these words are meant to provoke, or to accomplish something else. He turns and casts one glare at Mifune with bloodshot eyes, before leaving with unsteady steps.
I... I got her! On my own! I-I might get promoted for this...
Novice Ninja
Good thing I had duct tape on me. She's a singer, who knows how loud she can get when she hollers?
Novice Ninja
I dreamed about 'ninjutsu items' before I became a ninja, but it's only the veterans who get to use the good stuff, while all I have is trash...
Novice Ninja
Gotta report this upstairs—
Novice Ninja
Gah, I forgot I discharged my terminal so I could enjoy an afternoon of peace and quiet in one of the coffee shops in the alleys.
Novice Ninja
Then this girl just falls into my hands like that! It's definitely my lucky day.
Novice Ninja
Where's my Originium Circuit Hyourougan?
The ninja takes out the Originium Circuit Hyourougan, a spherical Originium appliance with a long wire attached to it, which he connects to the depleted terminal.
Novice Ninja
It's charging so slowly.
Novice Ninja
Hey, how about I pull that tape off your mouth, and you sing a song or two for me?
Momoka
Mmph, mm, mmmh!
Novice Ninja
Well, it's not like I would do it, even if you nodded.
Novice Ninja
Did you know? We were looking for you everywhere after you ran away on that motorbike that night. I was the one who searched your house.
Momoka
Mmh!
Novice Ninja
Boy, was that a crappy place. Big idol like you, I thought you'd be living in a mansion or something, but you didn't have anything worth shit.
Novice Ninja
What's with the collection of garbage by your window, anyway? Some kind of weird obsession?
Momoka
Mmph—argh! *cough* *cough*!
Momoka
Say that again?!
Novice Ninja
The tape came loose? I thought I put it on right.
Novice Ninja
Hmph, who cares, just a frail little idol.
Novice Ninja
I tell you, not only did I have to check all that weird garbage you had by the window one by one, I also trimmed that dying plant for you.
Momoka
You cut Hasuke?!
Novice Ninja
'Hasuke'? Oh, that tree sprout was barely even a weed.
Novice Ninja
Yeah, I did it. What about it? How did you even take care of it? I have no idea, 'cause its leaves were all yellow and brittle. No way it was gonna live, so I put it out of its misery. It was a kindness.
Novice Ninja
I've grown flowers before, and it takes patience, and endless love and care, you understand? Someone like you—
Novice Ninja
Hey, hey, hey, how did you get up? What kind of crappy duct tape was that?
Novice Ninja
I see, you must know some sort of Arts... you're Ægir, so I guess it's about water? That's it, of course, no wonder the tape came loose.
Novice Ninja
But didn't the vets say that only the Infected could use Arts without a unit? That's weird. You couldn't have broken the tape with brute force, could you?
Novice Ninja
Nah, of course not. I doubt you've ever lifted anything heavier than an apple! Must be Arts, definitely.
Novice Ninja
So what? What are you gonna do, spray water in my face?
The novice ninja taunts Momoka, but he keeps his gaze fixed on her eyes.
A cornered beast will fight back, and the same is true for the girl in front of him. What kind of Arts will she use? Mist? A high-pressure jet? Acid spray, even?
He must not let his guard down just because he is facing an idol with no combat experience.
It is unlikely that her Arts would be particularly powerful, and there would be little movement from her microphone-shaped Arts unit when she casts. Better to stay focused on her eyes.
Her eyes will betray all that she is thinking.
For example... murderous intent.
Foolish girl, not knowing her place.
But that is all. Observe her eyes, and analyze her intent, be it the timing of casting, direction, or...
I've been waiting for you. No one can stop you, even after all these years.
Hoshiguma
Quit posturing. Your men have already scattered. I strolled right on in here.
Mifune
What business does the 'Ao-Oni of Kinsekikai' have with a man who's already finished?
Mifune
If you came to take revenge for yourself and Tessai, all you need to do is draw your sword.
Hoshiguma shakes her head.
Hoshiguma
Your crimes have been exposed on your own TV station. Your Diet member upstairs won't help you now, no matter how much bribe money he got from you.
Hoshiguma
How he may try to cover up his ill-gotten gains is none of my business.
Hoshiguma
It's enough for me that justice will be served for the people you actually killed.
Mifune
You almost sound like a cop.
Hoshiguma
Yeah, I've been working for the Lungmen police force.
Mifune
...Are you serious?
Hoshiguma
Yes, I am.
Mifune
I want to laugh, but I'm not quite in the mood tonight. And I thought the L.G.D. was just a gimmick.
Hoshiguma
......
Hoshiguma
I only came to do what I should have done when I took that step twenty years ago. I came to cut my last ties to Higashi.
Mifune
And how do you intend to do that? You can't cut yourself off from your past. Karma and fate will always follow you.
Mifune
You could put them in chains, lock them in boxes, but they will escape when you're least prepared, and tear everything into pieces.
Mifune
The only thing you can cut is my throat, and it would be nothing more than a formality if you did so. Nothing more than venting your anger.
Hoshiguma
Yeah, a formality.
Hoshiguma
There's nothing I want from you or Mitsukue. All I want is a formality.
Hoshiguma
A letter of excommunication. Tell all of Mitsukue that Hoshiguma no longer has anything to do with Mitsukue, the Kinsekikai, or the Ao-Oni kaidan.
The tall Phidia blinks, then begins laughing wryly.
Mifune
I see Lungmen has indeed turned you into a cop, through and through.
Mifune
But I refuse. We have a better way of disassociating someone.
Mifune
Cross swords with me. Rebel against the oyabun of the Kinsekikai, and there will be no room left for the Kinsekikai to treat you as one of us, no matter which one of us falls.
Hoshiguma
Do we really have to do this?
Mifune
This is the true meaning of finishing unfinished business from twenty years ago.
Mifune
It's just...
Mifune casts a glance around his office.
Mifune
I rather liked this place, and it would be a shame if a mess was made of it. Let's go somewhere else.
Hoshiguma
Where?
Mifune
Kajimachi.
Hoshiguma
You've razed it to the ground.
Mifune
Our memories remain, don't they?
Hoshiguma
You're one twisted bastard.
Mifune
Let's go. Maybe we'll even catch the end of the fireworks show.
