CH 43

“Beep beep…”

“Hmm?”

“What’s that noise?”

“It’s coming from the sidecar.”

[It’s better to find out where it’s coming from.]

While attracting attention from the people around us on the East Town, we are having a slightly late lunch (pasta, a rare dish in Japoterasu) at a restaurant called Umitsuki Shop[i] near the carriage stop, when suddenly an unfamiliar sound catches our ears.

“Let me go take a look around.”

“Thanks, Toki-san.:

“We will be counting on you, Toki nee-chan.”

Toki-san, who has determined that the sound is originating from somewhere in the sidecar, hurries to it to probe the source of the sound.

Within a few moments, Toki-san pulls out a rectangular object from inside the passenger seat and puts it to her ear, and at the same time the unknown sound stops.

“ーーーーー. ーーーーー？”

Before long, Toki-san begins to speak something into the rectangular object.

Hmm? What’s going on? I suppose I should check it out too.

“Owner. The bill, please.”

“Of courseー”

“Oh, wait, Akira onee-samaー”

I approach Toki-san, who is still muttering something, after handing the owner, whose hair has been colored a light blue, the money for my lunch.

“Yes… yes… In short, the sounds of the headquarters of the Security Organization can be heard over here, right?”

[Right. Well, it’s my bad. I accidentally slipped up on explaining it to you.]

From the mysterious rectangle comes a voice that seems to belong to Matsunami-san.

Huh? What in the world is going on? Is this…? Is it possible that Matsunami-san’s voice, who is supposed to be at the headquarters of the Security Organization, is reaching us?

“And Akira-san seems to be here, so please give her a brief explanation and she’ll take over.”

[I understand.]

“Hmm? What’s this?”

Toki-san then offers me something rectangular and black that, upon closer inspection, appears to be connected to the sidecar by a thin line.

“It is apparently a radio, which can deliver the sound of the Security Organization to us, and vice versa. I heard there is something from headquarters that they want to tell us about.”

“Wow… this is amazing.”

I hold one end of the rectangle close to my ear and the other close to my mouth, exactly like Toki-san did when she hands me the radio.

Now, assuming what Toki-san has said is accurate, it’s possible to hear the Security Headquarters’ sound through this.

“Oh… is this connected?”

[Yeah. It’s transmitting.]

“Whoa!?”

With Matsunami-san’s voice suddenly burst in my ear, I involuntarily almost let go of the radio.

Nevertheless, I am able to maintain control and remain composed while firmly grasping the radio to ensure that I don’t drop it.

[Hello, can you hear me? Sorry about earlier.]

“No problem… so what’s there to be said?”

In spite of the fact that Matsunami-san’s voice sounds strange to me in a way that is different from how Ys speaks to me, I assume that since he has gone to the bother of using such an uncommon gadget, he must have some business to do with us and I encourage him to continue the narrative.

[I also wanted to show off the radio but… Director Nihyo told me that he has a mission for you and the other members of the Special Operations Squad.]

“Mission?”

[Oh, I heard that the Special Operations Squad is in East Town. Do you know what’s beyond the East Town gate?]

“Not at all. I have never been to East Town.”

[I understand. Since this is a prototype, there isn’t much time for discussion, but from this point on, I’ll give you a quick description.]

Director Nihyo has given us an additional mission, which Matsunami-san begins to explain over the radio along with what lies outside the East Town’s ramparts.

[The first thing is a cluster of mirror stones may be found just outside the east gate. It’s getting closer to Japoterasu every year.]

“!?”

[From the looks of it, I assume I won’t have to explain to you about the mirror stones.]

“Of course, I know what they are.”

Mirror stone… is an ore that, when crushed, becomes smooth and reflects light like a mirror in its cross-section. It has been processed and utilized in many ways as a ceremonial instrument because of the ease with which its divine power may be contained, as well as because of its tendency to emerge abruptly out of the ground from time to time for unexplained causes.

Well, but being processed huh.

To say that the cross-section is like a mirror is likewise saying that it can serve as the entrance to a “Maze”.

Therefore, only a few craftsmen are authorized to handle mirror stones at present.

So, a cluster of mirror stones is a land where the mirror stones frequently rise, and they have the property of moving slowly and incrementally every year, or so I heard.

[The mirror stones that can be retrieved by specialized units are now collected as materials, while those that cannot be taken are either destroyed or contaminated to prevent them from operating as entrances to the ‘Maze’.]

“I see. So you are saying that something has gone awry with that unit.”

That’s probably the case based on how the dialogue has been going.

If not, there is no way we, the Special Operations Squad, would have been contacted.

[You’re right. It seems that rain has been falling for some time and the mirror stones have been soiled, and one of them has served as an entrance to the ‘Maze,’ and the mirror stone unit has been swallowed up by the ‘Maze’. Therefore, Director Nihyo’s assignment is to immediately move from the east gate to the outside of Japoterasu to capture and destroy the ‘Maze’ that has been created. Well, at the very least, rescue the unit and conduct a reconnaissance of the ‘Maze’.]

“Understood. If so, I’ll be on my way right now. Oh, and will the eradication team be present?”

[I’m sure they’ll show up as soon as they have the equipment and information. But in such an event, the mirror stone unit will practically be abandoned.]

“I see.”

[Then, good luck.]

“Oh.”

The radio no longer produces any sound, suggesting that the communication seems to have been terminated.

I look at the faces of Toki-san and Sora-san, who have somehow come close to me.

Judging from their expressions, both of them seem to have grasped the general situation from the conversation between me and Matsunami-san that they had overheard.

“The two of you. Is your equipment and state of mind ready?”

“No problem.”

“I am all set.”

“Then, let’s go.”

[[Yes!]]

The three of us then climb aboard the “Frozen Cloud” and begin to accelerate it towards the direction of the east gate, which leads to the outside of Japoterasu, at a considerably higher rate than before.