Chapter 23
Subashiri Police Koban, Subashiri, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka
May 13, 2013
12:46 P.M.
Ikeda Kurumi
"Pardon me, just passing through," were the first words to be said in the silence after what my daughter said.
Everyone looked at the source of such out of place words, and found a bob cut haired policewoman standing at the doorway, in a uniform composed of a blue jacket, black necktie, white shirt and blue slacks. The same person who informed me Major Suzumoto wanted to talk with me, Ichigo and Ao yesterday and went off to parts unknown.
“And you are?” Colonel Kanda commanded the policewoman, which prompted her to stand straight and give him a salute.
“Police Officer Wakaba Shiori, Shizuoka Prefectural Police Department! I am assigned to this particular Police Koban of the Gotemba Police Department, sir!”
“And why were you not here earlier? We’ve been here since 11 in the morning and you only showed up now,” Colonel Kanda inquired, in the same manner as Father does when encountered with disobedient subordinates.
“Me and my colleagues at this police koban were ordered via cellphone to return back to the Gotemba Police Station sir and give a report on what I witnessed here yesterday! Shortly after I was ordered to assist the Gotemba Municipal Civil Protection Council with civil protection measures in accordance with the duties of the police laid out in the Armed Attack Situations Law, sir!”
“What’s the latest news you heard while in Gotemba?” Major Suzumoto asked.
Police Officer Wakaba turned towards Major Suzumoto, still in a salute, and answered his question.
“Sir, the Gotemba Civil Protection Council had received orders via courier from the southeast, in Shizuoka City! A certain Koryos Welos Bulat ordered them to surrender Gotemba to him upon the arrival of his warriors. If the city council does not do so when they arrive, they will kill every resident of Gotemba in retaliation!”
The report she delivered brought about a more...serious, and far longer moment of silence than the one she interrupted.
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Subashiri Police Koban, Subashiri, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka
May 13, 2013
12:48 P.M.
Ohta Ichigo
No one said anything. Not after hearing something like that brought out of nowhere, and not after thinking over the implications.
Any place that does not voluntarily drive the Self Defense Forces out of their territory will have all its residents killed. Any place whose elected officials didn't renounce their and their constituents allegiance to Japan will have all its residents killed...
"Anyplace that surrenders this way can't become a base for any guerillas," someone spoke out.
A moment later I noticed everyone looking at me, and realized the speaker was me.
"Astute observation," Colonel Kanda commented immediately. "Police Officer Wakaba, when did this order come in?"
"Earlier this day, sir!” Wakaba replied.
“And why are you here now?”
“I had been ordered to relay information about the demand to the mayor of Oyama and the Commanding Officer of the present Self Defense Forces units in Oyama’s environs!”
“So you came straight to the Police Koban instead of the Mayor’s office?”
“I…I was planning to change my uniform before I present myself to the Mayor and the Self Defense Forces, sir!”
Everyone looked at her uniform after hearing that.
Her uniform was not only rumpled, if it was looked at closely one could see the huge sweat stains at the armpits and from her chest down to her belly.
Add that observation to the fact she kept standing in the doorway, and it becomes obvious she is keeping her distance from us because of body odor.
Colonel Kanda observed her for few more moments before he rose out of his chair.
“Major Suzumoto,” he said while looking at the said man. “I leave the Special Skills Support Group in your hands as of this moment. Give me information as soon as possible. And you Police Officer Wakaba, come with me to the mayor’s office of Oyama. Akiyama, continue manning the radio! Kawada, with me!”
“But sir - “
“Bah! So what if you stink?! It’s not my problem so move it!”
Colonel Kanda walked past Police Officer Wakaba and out the doors of the Koban, quickly followed by the glum faced policewoman and the subordinate who brought the stack of blank papers here.
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Subashiri Police Koban, Subashiri, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka
May 13, 2013
12:49 P.M.
Ikeda Kurumi
Several moments after the poor policewoman was dragged off by Colonel Kanda to what promises to be the most embarrassing meeting of her professional life, Major Suzumoto sat down in the chair Colonel Kanda had just vacated with pen and a blank paper in hand while ordering Akiyama to call Defense Minister Onodera by radio and ask him to let the Prime Minister know we need a direct order to help the Self Defense Forces in any capacity immediately.
After doing that he faced Ao, who was sitting in my lap, and started talking.
“Alright. This is an emergency, so I’ll ask questions now without a direct order from the Prime Minister. I trust there’s no problem with that, Mrs. Taro?”
“No problem with me,” Mrs. Taro agreed.
“Alright. Ao, according to your powers who exactly is going to attack us? How many are they? Where will they come from?”
"The person in charge of the attack is...Korjos Welos Bulat, which means...Army Commander Bulat. He leads...how can he lead two thousand armies...oh. Korjos is nine men, eight followers and a leader. The leader of a Korjos is called a Wedhos. So...two thousand times nine is...uh..."
My daughter's voice trailed off, and she looked up at the ceiling in an absentminded manner, trying to visualize how to calculate things. At the same time as she was doing this Major Suzumoto was diligently writing down what she had just said to him.
"You can do it Ao. Remember your math exercises," Mother cheered in support from behind me.
"Remember, step one is ignore the zeroes and concentrate on the non-zeroes," my boyfriend reminded from beside me.
"Nine times two is Eighteen. Add the zeroes...Eighteen thousand?"
"Correct," Major Suzumoto commented as he finished writing. "From what direction is he coming at us?"
"He will...march his Korjos across Suruga Bay to...Nishiizu, then from there they will go north to us here in Oyama."
"March across the bay...is that by walking on the top of the water? Like Naruto?" Major Suzumoto asked my daughter with a raised eyebrow on his face.
"Correct Major Suzumoto," Ran suddenly answered, reminding us that she is also a source of magical knowledge. "I could demonstrate it by walking on top of any nearby swimming pool right now. Do you want to see?"
Major Suzumoto stared at Ran for a few seconds before telling her he will ask her to demonstrate her water crossing magic to the command staff later. He then turned back to Ao and restarted his questioning.
"Now, are there more people coming at us other than the men of this Korjos Welos?" He asked at the same time as he started to write again.
"Uhm...no. Shizuoka Prefecture is apparently his...land to rule? No one will go to his assistance until he asks for it from his...king, which is called a Regs by the Skinchangers."
'We so, so very much thank you, guardian divinities and the guardian spirits. Thank you for something bad not being as bad.'
I then decided that I should start praying now in my mind, because if gods and inari are real then prayers are real too, and maybe my prayer can do something.
"Land to rule? Are those the exact terms you are seeing in your mental encyclopedia of the future?" Major Suzumoto looked up from the paper he was writing with and asked with a skeptical tone.
'May Peace prevail on Earth.'
"Uh...do you mean I should say everything word for word?"
"Just give me a short, factual description of the Korjos Welos."
"...The full name of Korjos Welos Bulat is Oktowos Trityos Bulat, Eight Third Bulat. He is the Third of his brothers of the Eight generation of the Bulat Family, one of the more important servants of the Lighteater King among the Skinchangers. As he was not the eldest son he can't inherit any land on his planet so...he is given a land to conquer and rule as long as he does it only with the warriors he has...convinced."
'May peace be in our home and countries.'
"Well isn't that arrogant of them," Mama commented from behind me. "How long did these aliens think it will take to conquer Earth?"
'May our missions be accomplished.'
"Mrs. Ikeda, please don't interrupt my intelligence gathering," Major Suzumoto politely asked Mama without taking his eyes off Ao. He then suddenly turned around and asked Akiyama the radio operator on what happened with Defense Minister Onodera.
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Subashiri Police Koban, Subashiri, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka
May 13, 2013
12:50 P.M.
Ohta Ichigo
"I had been informed that they are in the process of rerouting communications with Prime Minister Abe through proxies to hide his location. We have to just wait sir," Private Akiyama replied.
With his question answered, Major Suzumoto turned back towards my daughter, and was taken aback as he finally noticed that Kentaro, Magdalena, Mrs. Taro and Mom were leaning together to hear Ao better, just behind Kurumi.
"Mrs. Ohta, Mrs. Ikeda, Kentaro please step back and stop being distracting."
"Not me too?" Mrs. Taro asked with a curious tone.
"You're the observer. You can be as visually obnoxious as you like," Major Suzumoto replied with a brief smirk before looking back at Ao and ignoring the scowl Mrs. Taro sent back at him.
"Uhm, for Lola's question, it was supposed to take thirty minutes."
"Pardon?" Major Suzumoto asked.
"It says here...the Lighteaters and Skinchangers who are ruled by the Lighteaters thought the whole Earth would be conquered in thirty minutes."
'Of all the...really? Planet Earth conquered in thirty minutes? The arrogance.'
"No joke?" Suzumoto asked in a skeptical manner.
"Yes Mister – "
"Major," I corrected Ao.
"Major Suzumoto."
"Why?"
"Uh...many reasons. Do you want to hear them?"
"Put that off for later, let's concentrate on Korjos Welos Bulat. What is he doing right now?"
"He is...uh...the words are changing. Wait...ok. I'll read this word for word. 'In the house meadow of playing of Nihondaira, Korjos Welos Bulat is hysterically ordering his Wedhom to follow the instructions of their Koweis...Koweis is wise, oracle or seer? What's an...the Koweis of Bulat is shouting that a human Koweis is looking at them right this moment, what?"
Ao stopped talking and looked to her right, past me and Dad to Ran, who had been silent all this time and was currently looking back at my daughter with an enlightened look.
"Ms. Ran, what is an oracle or seer?"
"You are a seer Ao. Someone who can see into the future with their own power. An oracle is a priest or priestess whose job is to be the cell phone between the god or goddess who is looking into the future and the worshipper who wants to know the future."
"Thank you. Major Suzumoto..."
Ao trailed off upon seeing the horrified look Major Suzumoto was giving her. The same horrified look that Private Akiyama was also sending her way, as well as Kurumi, Mrs. Taro and me...probably. I didn't have a mirror I could use right this moment.
The radio that Private Akiyama was on started squawking right that moment, Prime Minister Abe's voice coming through and giving his verbal order that the Special Skills Support Group is activated immediately and is to assist the Self Defense Forces in every way possible.
Major Suzumoto jumped out of his chair and grabbed the handset of the radio that Akiyama is operating.
"Prime Minister Abe this is Major Suzumoto, Military Intelligence Command and Self Defense Forces Liaison to the Special Skills Support Group. Be advised that the Special Skills Support Group has unconfirmed evidence of at least one seer among the enemy forces, located somewhere in Shizuoka City called Nihondaira that is associated with a meadow and playing. Again, be advised of unconfirmed evidence of at least one seer just like ours in Shizuoka City at a place called Nihondaira that is associated with a meadow and playing. Over."
"W– "
Prime Minister Abe's voice was suddenly cut off mid-word by explosions, gunfire and yelling coming through the radio.
Suzumoto and Akiyama stared at the radio for a few moments, speechless from shock. And so was I.
That was the reason I didn't notice Magdalena move until everyone heard her ask my daughter what the gunfire was about.
"Uh...the Lighteaters…teleported a hundred High Magic Lighteater warriors and… ‘contract soldiers’ into the bunker where Prime Minister Abe is, in the...Mt. Mikagura? Where is that?"
"Never mind that. What's happening there now?" Suzumoto asked, in the manner of someone who was on the verge of screaming.
"Uhm...when the Lighteaters teleported into his bunker, they tripped a magical spell laid around Mt. Mikagura around five days ago by...the adult members of the supernatural communities in...the city of Sanjo and the towns of…Aga, Nishiaizu, Kaneyama and Tadami."
‘I wonder how many people that is. The more of them in Japan there are, the better Japan can kick these aliens out of our country.’
"And what does that magical spell do?"
"It would teleport the best High Magic and Low Magic fighters from these places into the bunker to fight the Lighteaters. All of them volunteers. At the same time the Lighteaters and their contract soldiers would be trapped in the bunker by…being unable to teleport out and…all magical ways of communicating will be jammed."
“What about Prime Minister Abe and the normal humans inside the bunker?” Ran instantly asked the moment Ao finished talking. “What measures did they take to protect them from a no holds barred fight between High Magic people?”
“Uh…it says ‘Their plan was to simply outnumber the assassins that would be sent after Prime Minister Abe’”
“And how many volunteers are there fighting against the company sized unit that teleported into Prime Minister Abe’s bunker?” Major Suzumoto asked.
“...Ninety Four.’
‘Fuck.’
The despairing moan that Ran let out set off Major Suzumoto.
"What?! What’s the problem with that?!" Major Suzumoto asked while facing in her direction, at the same moment that the sound of gunfire from the radio somewhat lessened in intensity. “Those are almost equal numbers!”
"Have you ever seen how bad a destructive an unrestricted fight between members of the supernatural community can be?"
'Oh fuck. Is she saying Abe is dead?'
"You and the Ohta family ancestors against those armored Skinchangers two days ago? Or your mother's last battle in Matsumoto?"
"No. Mommy, Lady Shizuka and the others were fighting under the restriction of keeping as many of the sleeping civilians alive. Me and the Ohta family ancestors fought under the restrictions to magic that Ms. Kurumi's ring was giving to every magical being inside however big its area of effect is," Ran answered, at the same time as the connection with radio at Prime Minister Abe's bunker cut off.
Major Suzumoto looked from Ran to the silent radio and back to Ran in silence before asking if she is saying that Prime Minister Abe is now dead as collateral damage in a fight between two groups of magical beings.
"If there is no magical object doing the same thing as Ms. Kurumi's ring around, and if the numbers aren’t heavily in our favor, then... probably dead?"
Major Suzumoto looked at Ao.
"Uh...still – oh. The bunker is now a big cave in the middle of Mt. Mikagura thanks to a very big magical beam. Mr. Abe was in the way while on the floor. And…none of the Lighteaters nor the volunteers are dead at this point, but everyone else…"
"Abe’s definitely dead," Ran muttered, starting another long period of silence in the room.