“Are you saying... you do not remember my unworthy self?!” The wolf pressed closer to her.
Aiko drew back. “No, I do not remember you. I have no idea who you are, and I’m afraid you might have the wrong person.”
“Impossible! I would recognize the princess’s smell anywhere!”
“Smell?” Aiko only grew more embarrassed at the thought of having a distinctive smell.
“So, I’m not following everything here, but is it safe to assume you’re on our side?” Mutsuko asked the werewolf.
“Yes. If you stand with the princess, then I stand with you, as well.”
“If we stand here talking, someone else is probably going to come along sooner or later. Maybe we should get moving?” Mutsuko asked.
The werewolf looked at Aiko again, as if asking permission to stand.
Wait a minute... is he going to keep doing this?!
“U-Um... This woman is our club’s president. She’s higher ranked than I am. So if you could defer to her...” Aiko said.
“I understand. If Your Highness does not give me an order, and I see nothing wrong with it, I shall obey ‘Clubs President.’”
Aiko had her doubts that he really did understand.
✽✽✽✽✽
Yuichi and Natsuki went through the luggage at the harbor, took everything that might be useful, and loaded it onto the mini-truck. Then they checked the map, then headed out to the festival site. It was on the other side of the mountain from Kukurizaka’s mansion, so they went around the coastline from the harbor to the far side of the island.
This part of the island was usually off-limits, and there was even a fence partitioning it off. But Yuichi used his lock-picking skill, and they got through without issue.
Fortunately, Natsuki wasn’t as bad a driver as he had feared. It was just that she ignored all road signs, few of them as there were.
“Takeuchi, where did you learn how to drive?” Yuichi asked.
“I didn’t have to ‘learn.’ It isn’t that hard, you know.”
Once they were on the other side of the island, they could see the back side of the mountain. This side was a sheer cliff, with a few brown rocks jutting out here and there.
There was also something so unbelievable that Yuichi couldn’t immediately believe his eyes.
“That’s... a spaceship, right?”
“Is it? I’ve never seen a spaceship before, so I couldn’t say,” Natsuki said.
“I’ve never seen one either, but...” It seemed to Yuichi very much like there was a spaceship sticking out of the mountain’s face.
It was a shining silver object with an aerodynamic shape, and it was jutting out from the cliffside about halfway up. Yuichi checked the map. The festival site label corresponded with the location of the “spaceship.”
Once they reached the exact opposite side of the island from the harbor, they changed course to head for the mountain.
The roads here weren’t paved, so the truck jostled and rattled as they drove along.
The closer they came, the more the thing sticking out of the mountain looked like a ship.
It was sticking out at just the right angle to have fallen from the sky and crashed there. Yuichi was growing more and more convinced that it was a spaceship.
“If they want to call it a festival site, okay, but...” he murmured.
“Why does it bother you? What does it matter what anyone calls it?” Natsuki asked.
“I guess it doesn’t... but when I get home, I’m checking Google Maps.”
Before long, the car arrived at the base of the cliff. They got out and examined the cliff face.
It was looking like a nearly vertical climb. It wasn’t a very tall mountain — only about 400 meters to the peak — and the spaceship was stuck in about halfway up. In other words, about 200 meters.
“I thought there might be a road to the site or something, but...” He had never imagined the festival site would be a spaceship sticking out of a cliff.
Yuichi checked the map one more time. He was getting the feeling that the entrance to the ship must be inside the mountain.
“I bet the spaceship was here originally, and the mansion was built later to act as... like, a passage or a gateway to get to it,” he said. But just knowing that wouldn’t help them get inside.
“It would take too long to go back around. Should we climb it? That seems faster.” Yuichi took out the spider silk rope he had packed in the luggage and put it over his shoulders.
He looked up at the cliff, determined the shortest route, then jumped to get a grip on the rock face.
“What will you do, Takeuchi?” he asked. He tied the rope off, then looked back down to see if she was following.
She wasn’t there.
“Trying to run off on your own?” Natsuki’s voice said from right beside him.
She was supporting herself from a scalpel stuck into the rock face.
“You can use those like that?” Yuichi stared in shock as Natsuki continued using the scalpels to smoothly climb the rock face.
“Don’t take too long, or I’ll leave you behind,” Natsuki said.
Yuichi quickly moved to follow her.
The rock face was sturdy, with plenty of handholds, allowing Yuichi to climb the whole 200 meters without much trouble.
From afar, the spaceship had looked smooth, but up close, it was quite weathered, with lots of places to grab on to. The two of them climbed around the outside of the spaceship to make it to the top.
“So, is there an entrance or anything here?” he asked.
They looked around on top of the spaceship. From this vantage point, they could see that it was really quite large. It was about 100 meters wide, and the visible part of the length, alone, was about 200 meters. But there was no entrance as far as they could see.
“Sakaki, what about that?” Natsuki pointed to his feet.
He looked, and realized that there were cracks in the chassis here and there.
Yuichi crouched next to one of the cracks, and Natsuki walked up beside him to look, as well. The walls and floor inside were all illuminated, making it easy to see what was there.
“Huh?” Yuichi gaped as he saw an unexpected sight.
Yuri Konishi was inside the ship, and she was furious.
The spaceship interior visible through the fissure was a round hall. It was about 50 meters in diameter, and 50 meters to the ceiling. No one was looking their way, but they could probably be seen if they weren’t careful.
Across from the entrance to the room was something that looked like an altar. A golden-colored mass was curled on top of it.
Its label was “God.”
Yuichi wasn’t exactly sure which part of it was the head, but he had to assume it was the part under the label.
“...Wow. I finally get to see God...” he whispered in a dumbfounded voice.
If Soul Reader was to be trusted, this was the ritual site, and the golden mass was The Head of All.
Yuichi tried to estimate its size. Its exact silhouette was hard to ascertain due to the way it was curled up, but it seemed about the size of an African elephant. Six meters long, three meters tall.
The altar was surrounded with screens to keep it from being seen from eye level, and in front of the altar were a small group of people who seemed to be in the middle of an argument.
“What is the meaning of this?” one of them demanded. This was Yuri Konishi, wearing a flashy summer dress. Above her head hung the label “Anthromorph (Cat),” and she was clearly in a fury about something.
Behind her stood a boy dressed in a kimono. His label was “Anthromorph (Wolf),” and he looked vaguely familiar. Yuichi realized it was the boy who had tried to ask Natsuki out.
“I believe his name was Takashi Jonouchi,” Natsuki said. She had claimed to have forgotten it before, but it seemed she remembered it now. Maybe explaining things to Aiko had been too much of a bother at the time, or perhaps she just had wanted to act di
sinterested in front of Yuichi.
The target of Yuri Konishi’s ire was a small old man in Japanese-style clothing with the label “Anthromorph (Baboon).”
This must be Dogen Kukurizaka, the island’s chief.
Judging from his comportment and the fierce atmosphere around him, he was the strongest person in that room. According to Rion, the pecking order among anthromorphs was decided based on strength, which meant he must be the supreme authority on the island. That authority was further asserted by the group of men standing behind him.
“What do you mean?” Dogen asked Yuri, seeming unimpressed by her disrespectful attitude.
“Aiko Noro, the girl I captured! She’s escaped, hasn’t she?” Yuri snapped. “This wasn’t what you promised!”
“Ah, she escaped, yes. So I’d heard.”
She escaped? That was good news for Yuichi. It meant he wouldn’t have to rush in there half-cocked.
“You heard? How can you be so calm about this? You need her for your sacrifice, don’t you?” Yuri snapped.
Yuichi wondered about that, too. Dogen seemed extremely calm; it was as if he didn’t even care that his sacrifices were loose.
“Sacrifice?” he asked. “Ah, yes. It’s true, the sacrifices are important.”
“Is that all you have to say?!”
“Just because they’ve escaped the mansion doesn’t mean they’ll escape the island. We’ll catch them sooner or later.”
“I’ve had enough! I left the job to you, and you let her slip through your fingers! The minute you catch her, I’ll finish her myself! Do you understand me?”
“Hmm. Unacceptable. We can’t afford to lose any more sacrifices.”
Yuri had turned around and prepared to go, but a group of men blocked her way.
“The virgin sacrifices are to be used after The Head of All’s revival,” Dogen said. “They add flavor to the festival of rebirth, but they’re not necessary for it. To heal The Head’s injury requires something else...”
“What are you talking—”
Dogen’s subordinates surrounded Yuri.
“It requires anthromorph sacrifices,” he said. “We have served The Head of All since ancient times, and while I’m ready and willing to offer myself up to him... it’s human nature to want to use as many outsiders as possible, don’t you think?”
The golden mass on the altar moved. It lifted its head and poked its face over the screen.
As Yuichi watched, he felt a shock run through him.
Its face was human.
The Head’s tongue snapped out and wrapped it around Takashi. In an instant, Takashi was in the thing’s mouth.
“Warrrrgh!” Takashi screamed as he was seized, and instantly transformed into a beast — a werewolf.
But the transformation was futile at this point. Takashi’s body had already begun to fuse with the mouth area of The Head.
He wasn’t swallowed down or chewed up — he was being absorbed directly into it. His body gradually grew smaller and more featureless.
Yuri watched it all, speechless. It wasn’t until Takashi was over half absorbed that she snapped back to her right mind.
“You tricked us!” she screamed, and took her own beast form. This wasn’t the half-beast form that Yuichi had seen before, but a true cat anthromorph, body covered in golden fur.
Was the transformation meant to flee, or to fight? Whichever it was, Yuri never had a chance to try it, as she was immediately pushed to the floor by anthromorphs who appeared behind her.
“You’re a lucky one. It seems you’ll be a sacrifice for after his revival.” Dogen walked up to Yuri and smiled down at her.
“Lock her away until the appointed time,” he commanded, and Yuri was dragged away.
The Head apparently had no interest in Yuri. Once it finished absorbing Takashi, it huddled back down, with an air of satisfaction. Then it turned its face up toward the ceiling.
It looked at Yuichi, and it smiled. Its enormous face contorted, smiling a smile broader than any human face ever could.
That was when Yuichi started thinking about ways to kill it.
✽✽✽✽✽
The werewolf led the way down the mountain, followed by Aiko, Yoriko, and Mutsuko. Fortunately, no one was following them at the moment, and they didn’t run into any villagers on the way, either.
“My name is Aiko Noro. These are Yoriko and Mutsuko Sakaki,” Aiko said, introducing him to the sisters. She had found the werewolf a little frightening at first, but she was gradually starting to get used to his presence.
“Lady Aikonoro... so that is your name?” The werewolf did speak their language fluently, but occasionally, his intonation was a bit off.
“What’s your name?” Aiko asked.
“You truly do not remember, then...” The werewolf lowered his face sadly.
“I’m sorry. I really don’t...” Aiko was certain she had no memory of the werewolf, but she still felt bad about how sad that made him.
“You need not apologize!” he declared. “It is natural to forget the name of a nothing such as I. Your Highness is not at fault!”
“But not knowing your name is going to get very inconvenient, so could you just tell it to us already?” Yoriko interrupted, annoyed by the stalled conversation.
“My name is Nero,” he said. “It is the name that Your Highness gave me.”
“Okay, Nero,” Mutsuko butted in. “What brought you here all of a sudden? You saved us, but we’re pretty much in the dark as to why!”
“I had been traveling the world searching for the princess, when the other day, abruptly, I sensed her power,” he explained.
“Ah! I bet that’s when Noro transformed!” Mutsuko cried.
“Transformed?” Yoriko tilted her head in confusion.
Aiko realized that Yoriko didn’t know much about what had happened the other day. She might not even have known that Aiko was a vampire.
“I-I’ll explain another time!” Aiko said, trying to deflect it. It was too much to go into right now.
“It was clear that the princess was in Japan,” the werewolf said, “and when I arrived there, I met a strange woman. She told me that I would find you here.”
“I wonder who that woman could be,” Mutsuko said. “Hardly anybody knew that we were scheduled to come to this island during our training camp... And why are you a princess, anyway, Noro?”
“Nero!” Aiko suddenly interrupted. “Um, I really have no clue as to why I’m your princess, and I don’t think I want to know, either. So um, could you just...”
Aiko felt anxious. She didn’t know what to do about being called a princess in some context she knew nothing about. No matter what this man said, she couldn’t believe it had anything to do with her.
“I understand,” the werewolf said. “Your Highness... Lady Aiko, you have your own life now, and I have no intention to threaten that. From this moment forth, I swear my loyalty and service to Lady Aikonoro.”
“You ‘swear your loyalty’?” Aiko was relieved that he seemed to understand that much, at least. She felt embarrassed about the oath of loyalty, but she had a feeling that arguing about it wouldn’t do any good, so she decided to leave it alone.
“Well, if that’s all settled for now, let’s think about what we’re gonna do next!” Mutsuko broke in.
“But what should we do? Just get off the island?” Aiko asked.
They had originally come to the island for their training camp, but they were definitely in no condition to do that now.
“Good question,” Mutsuko said. “The best way to get out of here would be to call Akiko back...”
“But how do we get in contact with her?” Aiko asked. “They took our cell phones.”
They hadn’t had time to get their cell phones back during the escape.
“Let’s break into one of the houses and use their landline!” Mutsuko declared. “I memorized her phone number, so it’s all good!”
Maybe it was pointless
to worry about breaking and entering on an island where everyone was out to kill them, but Aiko still felt a little guilty about the idea.
“Anyway, where’s Yu at a time like this?” Mutsuko wondered.
“What if... he really didn’t make it to the island?” Aiko asked worriedly. They still had no confirmation that Yuichi had made it to the island, after all.
“Yu, you say? Another of your allies?” Nero asked.
“My little brother,” Mutsuko said. “I pushed him into the ocean, so I knew he’d be a little late, but...”
“...Was he, by chance, with a woman?” the werewolf asked.
“Did you run into him somewhere?” Mutsuko asked.
“On my way to this island, I spotted a young man carrying a woman in the water,” he responded. “This island appeared to be his destination.”
“I see!” Mutsuko cried. “Which means he’s already on the island, I bet! We’ve gotta meet up with him!”
They decided to head for the harbor first. If Yuichi really had come, there would probably be some sign of him there.
✽✽✽✽✽
Natsuki was trembling.
Yuichi held her in his arms.
“I’m sorry. Let me stay this way a little while longer,” she said.
He’d never seen her like this. That “Head” thing must have really scared her. Which was only natural, Yuichi thought.
Still, they couldn’t stay like this forever. If it hadn’t "revived” yet, they still had a chance. They had to meet up with Mutsuko and the others and get off the island while they still could.
“You want to go back, Takeuchi?” he asked.
“Ah?” Natsuki looked up at him, her eyes like those of a frightened child.
“From what they said down there, it sounded like our friends made it out,” he said. “Which means they’ll probably be heading for the harbor. So...”
“What will you do, then, Sakaki?” she asked.
“Konishi’s been captured,” he said. “I need to save her.”
“Why?”
Natsuki’s confusion was only natural. Yuichi had barely even spoken to Yuri Konishi in the past, and she had ambushed him once already. He had no obligation to save her, and doing so might even open him up to future attack.
Humanity’s Extinction Happens During Summer Vacation?! Page 13