by Shouji Gatou
“Moffu.”
They arrived at a corner of the garden that looked out over the park, before Seiya turned back to see Latifah, Obiza, and Isuzu entering her room together.
“You think it’ll work?” he asked.
“I honestly don’t know, fumo,” Moffle whispered gloomily. “But I think the old man was on the right track with what he pointed out. Even if he can’t solve our current predicament, we might learn something new.”
“You’re very calm about this,” Seiya observed.
“Of course I am,” Moffle agreed. “I see Latifah go through this every year, fumo. It hurts, but I’m used to it. I can’t get depressed about it every time, fumo.”
“......” Seiya had no reply to that statement.
“Anyway, what’s going on with Mackey, fumo?” Moffle asked, looking to change the subject. “Isuzu told me he sent his list of unreasonable demands.”
“Ah, that...” Seiya hesitated. “It’s about what you guessed it would be. But we might need to consider it if we want to get to three million people.”
“I see.” Moffle’s calm surprised him.
“You’re not mad?”
“Moffu. I’ve been thinking since the last time, and... well, it’s such an absurd goal, there’s likely no way to accomplish it without some degree of sacrifice.”
“I thought you’d chew me out,” Seiya admitted.
“Offering a dissenting opinion isn’t chewing you out, fumo. I wish more people understood that, fumo.”
“Hmm.”
“I wager Latifah’d go along with it if she knew, too. She’s more worried about... ah, never mind, fumo.”
“What?” Seiya demanded. “What is she worried about?”
“I’m just overthinking it, fumo. ...At any rate, I’ll respect whatever decision you come to, Seiya. Just know that, fumo.” Moffle seemed to have steeled himself for any outcome. After all, this park was supposed to have closed last spring. Not only had they gotten a new lease on life, they were pulling in more guests than ever before. No matter what happened from now on, it would feel like ingratitude to ask for more.
“Things are going to be tough,” Seiya sighed.
“I know that, fumo. I’m prepared to be fired, too.”
“That’s why, before I make my decision...” Seiya took out his smartphone and checked the time. “...there’s one last thing I have to take care of tonight. I’ll leave Latifah to you and Sento.”
“Moffu?”
“There’s a man I need to see,” he answered evasively, although Seiya wasn’t actually sure if he could be called a man or not. Still, it was time to have this out.
The Tama River, on the north side of Amagi City, was spanned by a bridge. It was called, appropriately enough, Amagi Bridge. Perhaps due to being off of a toll road, it didn’t get much traffic outside of rush hours— It had a walkway for pedestrians, but that, too, was rarely used. Even at 7:00 at night, it was practically deserted, an unusual thing in late July.
Seiya himself rarely came here. The light from the nearby street lights was so bright that it was almost blinding. He downshifted his bike as he neared the middle of the bridge and started looking around for the person he’d come to meet.
He didn’t have to look for long. There was a man leaning against the guard rail, playing with his smartphone, dressed in a full business suit despite the heat. He turned to face Seiya as he heard the bike braking. As expected, it was Kurisu Takaya, formerly of Amagi Development.
He looked exactly the same, right down to his hairstyle; he was identical in every way to the man he’d met before. Why, then, did Hojo refer to this man as Kurayama? Seiya felt sure there was some kind of magic involved. He might not even have to change his face; perhaps he could force others to perceive him differently, using a principle similar to that of the Lalapatch Charm. Seiya couldn’t say. But he was sure that this was the man he knew at Kurisu.
“Hey,” the man said leisurely.
Seiya got off his bike, not returning the greeting.
“I’m so sorry about yesterday,” the man went on. “The call was just so sudden, I had to resort to... emergency measures? Well, measures that were less than beautiful, you could say.”
“Are you the one who put the impossible attendance figure into Hojo’s head?” Seiya asked. “Why did you do it?” Then, he used his magic. He’d never used it on Kurisu before; if Latifah and the others were telling the truth, this man was a powerful magician—the magician behind a curse that had left even the royals of Maple Land scratching their heads.
He had been aware of Seiya’s magic the last time they had met. Seiya wasn’t even sure if it would work on him. And yet it did— He was able to hear exactly what was on the man’s mind.
《To see you all suffer more, obviously... oh? You used your magic already? What a surprise! And a close call...》 The voice trailed off there. It was Seiya’s first time using the magic on this particular subject, so he didn’t lose any memories as a result.
“This is very unexpected,” the man remarked. “I thought you were more cautious than that...”
Seiya snorted.
“But now you’ve gone and used your magic on me... Was that really the best idea?”
“Spare me your concern,” Seiya told him dryly. “Now, tell me this: why are you tormenting Latifah? She hasn’t done anything to you, has she?” He used his magic a second time. He had no interest at all in posturing and wordplay with this man; the bell for the round had rung, and he was going to come out swinging.
《What would I get out of tormenting that king? He’s simply reaping what he sowed. The far more outrageous torment is... wait, are you using it again?! You used your magic multiple times?!》 Kurisu’s eyes opened wide in shock.
Seiya couldn’t remember the name of the company the man was currently working with. Whatever, he decided, I can just look it up later. After yesterday’s events, he’d written down everything he knew about Kurisu Takaya— every single detail.
“The questions will keep coming,” Seiya told him coldly. “We’ll see how long you can maintain that confidence of yours... Shouldn’t you run away like you did before?”
“...Listen to the mouth on you,” the man taunted, “But, it seems I made a mistake; I was just intending to toy with you a bit, but...”
Seiya used his magic a third time. 《That’s royal magic for you. I always wondered why it would be limited to a single use. Actually, this is... magnificent! I really do want that girl for my own. Wait... did you use it again? And I can’t... even resist it...》 Seiya realized that something was different in the thoughts he was hearing this time. No... He’d been vaguely aware of it before, and now he was certain of it. His magic gave him the ability to force a response.
In past applications of his magic, Seiya would ask a leading question, then see what answer he could draw out that way. He’d had to choose and time the questions carefully; one miscalculation, and he’d lose his chance.
But now, Seiya had succeeded multiple times in gaining information that, based solely on the questions he’d asked, he shouldn’t have been able to. Yesterday, in particular, against that old man named Hojo... He’d gotten far more than he ever did out of his day-to-day surveys of his guests. Perhaps the difference was the malice and antagonism he felt towards them? He saw Hojo as his enemy; Kurisu, of course, was the same. He couldn’t think of anyone else to whom he’d felt such a deep antipathy.
Kurisu took a staggering step. “This is... hah. Incredible. To drive me to this...”
“I’m not about to let up, Kurisu,” Seiya said. “...Or, it’s Idina, isn’t it?” The third use of his magic caused Seiya to forget the day he met Kurisu, and what they’d talked about at the bus stop. No great loss; it was probably all unpleasant, anyway. “How much do you know about my magic?” he pushed again.
“I—”
“Talk!” Seiya used his magic a fourth time.
《I don’t know... much. You can read a mind multi
ple times and force answers. That’s all I know. Now I see... The magic of the royal line is powerful. It all adds up now...》 The voice trailed off. Kurisu fell to his knees, struggling for breath.
This time, Seiya forgot the nature of the agreement Kurisu had made with the king of Maple Land. That seemed important, but it was gone now. Fortunately, the knowledge that he had cursed Latifah remained.
A severe exhaustion was beginning to come over Seiya now. His head was pounding. “This is about when you’d run away, isn’t it?” Seiya remarked idly. “But I’m going to make you tell me this!”
“Wai—”
“The way to remove Latifah’s curse! Tell me, this instant!” He used his magic a fifth time. He could feel Kurisu’s terror, his desire to run away. He had illusions and teleportation that he used to escape—but Seiya was able to forbid even his use of those.
You must answer, his power demanded, and its force was uncompromising. This realization of the extent of his power sent a chill down even Seiya’s spine. The power to read minds, once per person, and only for a short time... That’s what he’d thought it was. But it was much more.
Kurisu’s thoughts came through again. 《I don’t know how to remove the curse.》
What? Seiya was shocked.
《I erased my own memory, in case Kanie Seiya’s power proved greater than I thought. I eliminated any way to restore it, too... which was no great loss to me, as I never intended to remove Latifah Fleuranza’s curse, anyway...》 The voice trailed off.
Another wave of exhaustion hit Seiya, yet he grabbed Kurisu by the lapels and screamed. “Damn you!”
“Ah-ha... Looks like my insurance paid off,” Kurisu said, a smile appearing on his pale lips. His forehead was soaked in sweat; he must be reaching the end of his rope. Then again, so was Seiya...
The price for the fifth use of his magic: At last, Seiya forgot who it was that the man had cursed. Even though he had just been asking how the curse could be removed...
Who was he doing this for? Seiya couldn’t remember. He could feel his anger towards the man receding. He had lost the drive that was powering this use of his magic.
“Damn...” He released Kurisu to look at his smartphone. According to notes he’d taken before, it was Latifah whom this man had cursed. Latifah? Seiya knew her, of course... He could still remember the first day they met, what had happened since then, their date yesterday—everything. He also remembered how she’d lost her memory yesterday, how they’d called up Obiza, and the conversation they had had before he left. And yet, the fact that this man had been the one to curse her had completely fallen out of his mind.
His ideas about reality felt jumbled. It was a disorienting feeling; he wanted to vomit.
“...You seem to be... suffering,” Kurisu panted. “Maybe you should take a break...”
“Shut the hell up!” Seiya shouted with his last faint streak of rebellion that remained. He was running on fumes now, on the memories of malice he still felt towards him. One more time. That would likely be his limit.
The magic he’d been given truly was powerful, but it wasn’t infinite. It occurred to him now, yes: power came with a price. Everybody knew that.
No, that’s all right, he told himself. Give up on lifting the curse for now. What’s the next thing I need to learn? He looked at his smartphone screen again, skimming through his enemy’s profile. There was a lot of information, there; too much. What was the most important? What would give him a new foothold for investigation?
“...Three million people,” Seiya whispered. “That’s right... why did you set the requirement at three million people?”
“What...?” Kurisu was confused by this change in direction.
It occurred to Seiya that Kurisu hadn’t asked for something absurd like ten million, nor an achievable figure like 1.5 million. Three million was at the threshold of “just barely impossible.” That’s why Seiya had never given it deeper thought. But what if that number served a purpose? If it turned out to be arbitrary, he’d be wasting his shot— He could only use his magic one more time. And if he let Kurisu get away now, then even if they met again, he’d probably come back even better prepared. It was now or never. Something about that number nagged at Seiya’s mind.
“Don’t—”
“Answer me!” Seiya demanded. He used his magic a sixth time. He felt like his head was splitting in two.
《I don’t know, because it’s related to the curse. Still, I don’t want you reaching 3 million. I really don’t know why I don’t. Which means that it is a significant number...》 That ended his answer. Kurisu fell prone to the ground, shoulders heaving in agony. Seiya had also gone weak in the knees; he collapsed onto his backside, coughing violently.
The price for the sixth use of his magic was forgetting part of their earlier conversation. Tracing back what he could and couldn’t remember from recent events, it was probably the information he’d extracted from the second use of his magic. What did I ask him? It might have been important, and I forgot it! A powerful sense of unease began to pick at Seiya’s chest. “Damn...” he muttered.
But at least he had achieved something. He wanted to ask more, of course— like about what had happened to Latifah today— but since the man had erased his own memory about the curse, it seemed unlikely that he’d get anything useful. Besides, he really was at his limit. Any further uses of his magic and he might forget the information he’d just learned.
“Hahh... hahh...” Kurisu panted. A flatbed truck passed by them over Amagi Bridge. To the driver, they probably just looked like two drunks splayed out on the roadside.
“All right. The questions are... over.” Seiya mustered up what strength he had left and stood up.
Kurisu didn’t try to stand. “I’m... glad to... hear it... haha...”
“You can’t fool me by acting human. I know the depths of your depravity far too well.” Seiya wasn’t deceived for a minute. He might look and talk like a man, but he was a devil. He couldn’t allow him any sympathy. “But right now, I need your help.”
“What?” Kurisu hadn’t expected this.
Seiya produced a multi-page document from the bag hanging from his bicycle and threw it down in front of Kurisu.
“What is this?” the man asked, feeling bewildered.
“A proposed alliance between AmaBri and Digimaland,” Seiya explained shortly. It was the document describing the deal. Of course, he’d omitted the details of the contract, but one look at the offer, and Kurisu should realize that it would put the three million requirement within their grasp.
“You’re “Kurayama” right now, aren’t you?” Seiya asked. “You seem to have gotten pretty deep in Cosmic Studios... So I think you know what you need to do.”
“......!” Kurisu glared up at Seiya. His face registered shock, humiliation, anger— but most of all, shock. “You dare pit me against that buffoonish rat?!” He must be forgetting to maintain his human-like way of speaking; this was no longer Kurisu, but the evil magician Idina.
“If that’s how you want to put it,” Seiya told him with a shrug. “I think I can get a pretty good deal out of it.” He limped his way to his bike, got on, and pedaled off.
On the way home, he continued to ask himself: did I do the right thing? To make a proposal to Kurisu Takaya, of all people... The very man who started all of this. The man behind all of Latifah’s suffering.
But given their current situation, it felt like their only choice. It was the only way to keep the park in business—the only way to keep Latifah alive. No... He couldn’t say that for certain. He’d always assumed AmaBri’s future was tied to Latifah’s, but was it possible that they weren’t?
If it wasn’t, then which should he choose? Her smile. The smiles of the cast. The smiles of the guests. Seiya couldn’t see a clean solution. He felt like he was still groping around in the dark, with no easy answer in sight.
But if he could get a slightly better deal for AmaBri by making Digimaland and C
osmic Studios compete... No. That was just an excuse, to defer responsibility.
“Dammit...” Suddenly seized by a sense of self-loathing, Seiya stopped in the middle of the residential district, leaned up against a telephone pole and coughed a few times. If only he could think of something better... He racked his brain over and over, but nothing new came to mind. Just then, his smartphone gave a short vibration; it was an email from Isuzu.
“......” Seiya sluggishly opened it and checked her message. 《We have the results of Obiza’s examination. Please reply soon.》 He’d intended to go right home and rest, but it seemed they wouldn’t let him off that easily.
It was close to 11:00 at night when he finally made it to the park. Isuzu met him at the bike rack. The first thing she said was: “Are you all right? You look pale.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seiya said as he chained up his bike. “What did he find?”
Isuzu still looked worried, but he was in no condition to reassure her; he’d just been through a knock-down drag-out magical battle. “...It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?” Seiya asked wearily.
“You should allow Dr. Obiza to tell you the rest.”
“...? Fine...”
They walked together to Maple Castle. Obiza and Moffle were waiting in the rooftop garden; they said Latifah was already resting in her room.
“So?” Seiya asked.
Moffle’s response was an echo of Isuzu’s: “It’s complicated, fumo.”
“So explain it already,” he said with open annoyance.
Obiza stepped forward, then. “It’s not all clear to me yet,” the old oni began. “but I don’t believe it’s the curse that’s caused the princess’s memory loss.”
“What?” Seiya was caught off-guard.
“I’ll be more precise: the curse is part of it. But the direct cause of the memory loss is a major animus deficiency.”
“An animus deficiency?” Seiya questioned, feeling bewildered. “But...” That couldn’t be true. AmaBri had gone through a rebirth. Guest attendance had skyrocketed, and everyone was enjoying themselves. He’d been told that the guests’ joy produced animus, which provided nourishment to residents of magical realms... Then, shouldn’t Latifah have more animus than ever before?