[X] Wait a bit longer to see if Koyomi can actually handles this / blames it all on RUNE (ScribePrincess write-in)
Koyomi's glare intensified as she examined every inch of this blade. "This has to be…" she began, only to stop and sigh. "No, for all the reason there are to suspect RUNE, especially with them oh so nicely inviting me here, we don't have the evidence yet to link our little phantom sword back to them. A whole bunch of other factions could be behind this.
Not that I won't be taking hold of this sword, Cultivar, whatever for now, we don't need RUNE taking it for themselves either," she said, then tried to sheathe it in one of her pockets, "At least till we track down its real wielder."
Miyako could only blink at first, but then said, "Wow, I genuinely did not expect that answer from Arisugawa-sama."
"Wait, RUNE? You mean 'the UN magical military' RUNE?" Sora asked, his mouth hanging open. "You, er, made it sound like your Arisugawa-sama has a real problem with them."
A smirk came over Miyako as she said, "Ooh boy, you don't even know the half of it. She's a Witch, all independent, so she really doesn't get along with them. But on the bright side, at least all the trouble RUNE have given us mean I've got this big report on them."
With each word, Sora's face grew paler and paler. "Miyako… you do know this isn't a rival baseball team you're talking about? This is an international military, the international military post-Frost Decade! Are you sure you really wanna get on their bad side?" he asked, eye contact firm.
"Well, er," Miyako feebly began. Her instinct was that her old friend Sora was about to end up like Asahi, try to pull her away from Koyomi too.
C'mon, it won't get that bad. Arisugawa-sama wasn't intimidated by Higashi-sama, no way she'll be by Sora, she thought. "It's not all bad between us and RUNE, Ogami-sama's still nice to us; he's the guy who invited us here. And Arisugawa-sama and I have been through heaps, Heart Leeches, cults, corporations, a trigger-happy cosmonaut," she had to restrain herself from bringing up Blue Lotus, "and we've always come out fine!" She also didn't bring up how present she really was for most of those.
If she thought that would actually get Sora to loosen up, well… "Miyako," he said as he stepped back, "What's gotten into you? I mean, I get why you ran away from home, but with everything else you've told me, and now there's these two guys fighting over you-"
"Er, Reiji-kun and Ryoichi-kun were fighting over Kazuya-kun, their friend and brother," Miyako said. Not that she didn't blush to hear Sora thought that.
"My point is," Sora said, but then stumbled, "my point is- you were my friend, but now I've got no idea what's gotten to you. You're not a Hanazakari, and even if you were, you could wind up in serious danger! Maybe if it wasn't for college, I could've kept an eye on you," before he muttered, "
or maybe if you'd studied harder you could've come to college, and all this would've never been an issue."
"Yeah well," Miyako said as her brightness faded, her clenched, and a tear started to fall, "you're no Hanazakari either. Is that it, you know I'll always like more than- more than-"
More than you was what she couldn't bring herself to say.
"No, that's not it at all," Sora gasped at that accusation. As all this tension started to weigh on him, he then asked instead, "Er, so what's the deal with that swan? Guess there's something to them if they came right for that sword."
"That's Tobi-san," Miyako said and puffed herself up, "She's
also a Hanazakari. Yeah, she's another one I know, on top of Arisugawa-sama and Daimon-sama!"
"I don't appreciate hearing you treat us like a scoreboard," Koyomi then said, having caught that last line. Miyako then shuddered to think how much else Koyomi could've overheard.
"A Hanazakari? B-but they're a swan," Sora said, having to look back and forth. "I mean, some animals could be smart enough to have been anointed, like ravens or octopi.
No, would they still be alive decades later? Er, she's transformed then, right?"
Before Miyako could say anything, Koyomi stepped in, looked down at Sora and said, "Yes she is, in a sense. And that's all you're entitled to know."
"Hah, you cheated, blackguard!" Reiji's voice suddenly called up from the arena, cutting their conversation off. He then groaned as he tried to stand up, with Miyako being closest and Sfira being fastest having to run over to lift him up. "Whatever that Ryoichi pulled, no way it could've been legal. Ergo, I… I win," he managed to say. With Miyako seeing him torn and bleeding not for the first time, it was clear that sword may not have killed him, but it barely held back that much either.
"<Humans' red sap,>" Sfira remarked, then corrected themselves with, "<Ah, sorry. 'Blood', yes, think that's the word.>" Reiji just groaned louder, though Miyako had to admit blood was like sap, er, in a way.
Needless to say Reiji needed medical attention, though hopefully he wouldn't have to stay in hospital as long as last time. Ryoichi meanwhile grabbed Kazuya's shoulder and said, "Well, come along now. As blunt as that writer-witch may be, she undeniably has a point about us needing to track down whatever's behind that sword. With how that Reiji seems put off by her, she must be doing something right."
"I'm staying with him," Kazuya told him right there. "It's what I feel I should do, that's the only way I can articulate it."
"W-what, him? But… Oh, suit yourself, you're old enough to make your own choices, aren't you?" Ryoichi, the younger, said, "And I suppose I am 'disqualified', aren't I?" he huffed.
Kazuya just nodded at that response, before he walked over to help Reiji.
"<You said you didn't have duels or tournament over people as possessions here on Earth? Well, not normally you said,>" Sfira then had to bring up, "<So I take it this was 'not normal'?" Reiji stared wide-eyed at Sfira for saying that, and even Kazuya had to blink.
"What? No! Nobody was fighting to own Kazuya or anything, they just wanted to settle some disagreements about him, that's all," Miyako quickly said, sweating a little. She wasn't sure if Kazuya even knew who Sfira really was yet, let alone about who Pathragada classed as 'possessions', so she just told him, "I'll explain later."
"
Nozawa, I know that cosmonaut who was a toy till she turned back said something about a tournament over Sfira," the limping Reiji whispered to her, "…
but you also haven't been showing Sfira any random anime or anything? Confusing their idea of fantasy and reality?" he all of people asked.
"Of course I haven't. Only some magical girl shows, since they're Pathragadan," Miyako said, but then admitted, "and ones with really pretty boys in them."
Reiji looked at the pretty boy form Miyako had Sfira take, which didn't fit them as well as mimicking Koyomi, and went, "Why am I not surprised?"
They soon got Reiji to an on-site infirmary, and along with Kazuya staying with him, Koyomi and Ryoichi off investigating that sword, Sfira then said they'd prefer to stick with Koyomi. They didn't specify why, but Miyako couldn't help thinking it was partly because Koyomi was far less likely to blab. Emi, far as she knew, was still off checking there were no earthly purified recruiters anywhere around, the first bit of initiative she'd taken in… ages, probably.
So, in the end that left Miyako once again with her friend Sora. Or did it?
"Hey, Miyako, it's been… fun, catching up with you after all this time," Sora said after Miyako ran to meet him again, "And I gotta admit, worse could've happened to you by now, what with RUNE and stuff. But I've got stuff to do, so I should be going- I mean," he then changed his tune, "See you around again, sometime?"
"You bet!" Miyako said on instinct, two thumbs up. She then had to wonder if that was the best idea as she recalled how heated things had gotten, but it's not like Sora was gonna tell on her or anything. "Oh, I live and work in this town called Hinodeharu, it's a real nice place. East of Nagoya, er, hope that's not too far?"
Sora shrugged and said, "Guess it's manageable. Heads up that college spares nobody, so time's probably a bigger issue for me than distance. But hey, when all else fails there's the internet, huh?"
Another reminder that Hinodeharu had far from the best service, but at least Miyako still had her trusty laptop. "Yeah, can barely remember my life before the Information Superhighway," Miyako chuckled.
"Oh, and Miyako," Sora said one last thing as he turned to leave, "Please, be careful."
And with her slowly nodding back at him, Miyako now really was by herself.
But hey, this is Tokyo Summerland, if I can't keep myself entertained here, where can I? she thought.
If looking at a map told her anything though, there may have been too many places here to keep herself entertained, where to choose? But she soon settled on a Frost Decade history exhibit, even if she expected a Hanazakari expert like her already knew most of it. Still, reminders wouldn't hurt.
This being Tokyo Summerland, they really went all out with the exterior design. It looked just like photos of Frost Fair ships, which could easily be mistaken for a comet in what was no doubt a tactical advantage. Though to Miyako, they always looked a little like giant mirror shards. While Miyako didn't stop to think of it till later, she did wonder whether a building in the style of the Frost Fair was really the best fit for a theme park once devastated by them. She could certainly see Reiji raise a fuss about that, since she thought a Hanazakari stage show was 'too soon'.
Or you could look at it more positively, say they designed it this way as a show of triumph, really saying they're back, Miyako thought. This all conveniently ignoring there was one Frostfarer still very much alive.
The inside looked much more like your standard museum, though lit in a fitting eerie cerulean shade. Given no photos of a Frost Fair ship's interior had been publicised, they'd made the best with what they had. And the best included holographic displays that surrounded entire rooms, showing girls first meeting their Dandelionhearts, the Frost Fair Rooks, Knights, and Bishops all scheming to steal emotions, the formation of RUNE, the battle of Shin Sekigahara, and a proclamation of Hanazakari as defenders of Love and Purity!
Except… were they? That was how Miyako always saw them, always been told to see them, but it wasn't like Koyomi brought up those words much at all.
I mean, I know Arisugawa-sama, she certainly won't stand for hate, corruption, and injustice, that's for sure. But still, it was the Hanazakari who said that, right?
The deaths of all Dandelionhearts were mentioned, but were very brushed over, not something you'd stick on a big hologram. No mention of Idol Hanazakari being forced to side with the Frost Fair, that was a given, and Miyako still didn't want to think about that. There was also only so much mention of anywhere outside Japan, again expected, though the US, the UK due to Tudor Rose, and Brazil did get some mention (and Nepal/India, because you couldn't not mention Padma). Oh, and the 3D approximations of what Pathragada and Cocytus were theorised to look like.
Two girls who definitely did get mentioned were Cherry and Chrysanthemum in Full Bloom, the most famous Hanazakari to ever come out of Japan. The latter a Wand clad in gold with powers of command and control, the latter a pink Sword whose blade could kill in one slice. Miyako remembered being told as a child that Cherry could 'defeat' anyone with a cut, but no, she since learned it really was 'kill'.
She couldn't help but remember that Cherry and Chrysanthemum were the first two Hanazakari she'd ever tried to contact. It had naturally been a disaster, given how private Cherry had become and how busy Chrysanthemum was. Credit to Sora for being polite with her about it, unlike the rest of her school. Still, that had been her start till she eventually contacted Koyomi.
Speaking of which, the sole mention Miyako could find of 'Black Rose in Full Bloom' was on a list of Shin Sekigahara veterans, and the name Kuramazov didn't pop up anywhere. Knowing Koyomi, that was probably how she would've wanted it, though she'd be less fond of Yumemi getting several more mentions, though at least no hologram.
Fact-checking with Koyomi about this place might be a good idea, who better to do so than with one who'd been right there in the trenches? She'd certainly have opinions about what Miyako had seen [multiple votes possible if they don't contradict].
[ ] Ask her how much Hanazakari really had talked about love and justice.
[ ] Ask her if Cherry and Chrysanthemum really were that amazing in their prime.
[ ] Ask her if Yumemi really should have more credit than her.
[ ] Ask her if she thinks the Frost Fair ship design is a good idea.
[ ] Ask Sfira how right they got Pathragada.
[ ] Ask Emi about her Frost Decade experience in comparison, if she was comfortable with answering.
[ ] Don't ask Koyomi, she's busy finding out what's with that sword.
[ ] Write-in
