The Next Destination (before battle)
Ah, welcome back.
... Question.
What exactly was the point of verifying every Backdoor within the House of Spiders?
Oh, Hohenheim didn't fill you in?
Any information regarding these doors holds an enormous value for us. Not to mention the higher-ups requesting us to reorganize the House of Spiders into a base of operations as soon as possible, even if we had to rush our work a little.
Only speculating here, but I'm quite convinced that they're preparing for a conflict of sorts. These little pockets of absolute safety are extremely valuable during these "operations," as you already know -
... Wait, stop right there. What? What conflict? What operation? Are you saying that your bosses are preparing for a war or something?
I just feel like there isn't enough alarm in his voice, considering the... considering what he's saying. Preparing for what...?
Not even trying to hide it anymore, huh.
Hm? Did I say something wrong?
... Must you ask to know?
Aha... I thought everyone already knew. I mean, it's an open secret, at this point.
L Corp. has already fallen. W Corp. is teetering on the brink of collapse.
You call us the "aspirant W Corp." We call Limbus Company the "aspirant L Corp." Meaning, we have a shared goal.
.......
But unlike the dead-and-gone L Corp., the current W Corp.'s still kicking, despite its rapid decline in recent years.
And as we all know, companies in the City aren't worth much unless they've got the military force to back them, right?
It's only natural that a business conflict would lead to a physical one as well.
This is just a mere team leader speaking, though. Who knows what the higher-ups in our companies are thinking?
Either way, much fruitful collaboration was had today. This'll reflect pretty well in our performance metrics, and we didn't even suffer that many losses.
I can safely say that you should expect a positive review from us regarding this collaboration.
After saying our farewells to Alan, we returned to the forward base...
... and shared with Hohenheim everything that's happened so far.
Hohenheim and Faust both did not seem willing to discuss the subject of the looming "conflict"...
So we instead decided to have Ryōshū's memory and sword re-examined.
... Oi, Hohenheim. Results out yet?
Not yet, Assistant. I clearly remember telling you 3 minutes ago that it would take about 20 more minutes. Have you forgotten already?
He talks too much.
Ryōshū sounded irritated as she scolded Heathcliff, but I could sense a definite undercurrent of anxiety from the way she kept puffing her cigarettes to a stub at increasingly shorter intervals.
*cough* This room might be more smoke than oxygen at this point... Mind slowing down a tad? You're practically fumigating the room with cigarette smoke.
Then speed up, Glasses. Gonna bounce as soon as I hear the results.
... Both of you need to learn to respect that things take time. Yes, "time" is indeed relative, but the fact that I have managed to complete an in-depth analysis of an item of such mystery in a single day is an incredibly fast turnaround and therefore deserves your appreciation.
I have been attempting to rein in the more self-indulgent part of myself as of late, but I believe this achievement deserves to be elaborated upon; it is an evident truth that such a result could not have been replicable had it not been for my genius brain. Go out to the hallways and grab any passing researcher and tell them about my incredible turnaround time, and you will hear them say, "Whoa, done already?" And to that, I will answer -
S.T.F.U.
Evidently tired of the two Sinners alternating turns hounding him for results, Hohenheim seemed to speed up the analysis... and managed to hit the finish line much earlier than 20 minutes.
Whoa, done already?!
Yes, there are times when test results are extracted earlier than the predicted timeframe. Many of those instances are easily attributable to my genius at work.
... Then why aren't you saying anything? Gimme the T.R., now.
You did tell me to "shut the fuck up," so I am attempting to observe the exact merits of doing precisely that.
…….
Ha! Ya think Yoshihide would ever use known acronyms straight?
What if it's something like, uhm. "Sheesh, That's a Full-day. Unwind after work, though"?
... And your verdict on her interpretation?
*puff* ... That is exactly what I meant. She's better than M.T.L. in some ways.
<... How she lies as she breathes.>
At that moment, I might've caught a glimpse of the scabbard rattling slightly atop the examination device.
Almost as though it were giggling.
Very well, then I'll get right into it. First, the memory of the time she was complimented for her cooking has been erased.
Huh? That's it?!
Hardly.
Second... a name has been erased from her memory.
Do you recall the name of the man who works with Manager Saude?
... Effie?
I would have asked in the past tense, had it been him whom I was referring to.
Glad Miss Saude wasn't here for that...
... That kid. Right, I don't remember his name.
<She forgot... Pilot's name?>
Among other miscellaneously deleted memories are 172 hours of Don Quixote's tales of adventures and the types of food she fed to a seagull.
F-fie upon it! Dost thou say that the memories most precious to young Ryōshū and me... have been thrown into utter destruction...?
Look, Donqui, I'm not tryna be mean here, but...
... that seems pretty acceptable, doesn't it...? For the price of unsheathing a sword like that...
If we're going by sheer volume, I wouldn't quite say its mileage is "acceptable." It erased several days' worth of memories just for a single swing, didn't it?
I mean, yeah. But they kinda sound like inconsequential memories, don't they? Greg and Heath forget stuff all the time, how's this any different?
The seemingly "inconsequential" nature of these particular memories weren't achieved by sheer luck.
... In fact, it seems to have been impacted by the scabbard of the Arayashiki - or, to be more precise, the power of Araya's E.G.O.
... That so.
Ryōshū looked down at the scabbard with an uncertain, hollow look in her eyes.
All that remains of Araya in Ryōshū's recollection is a blank space where the fragments of her existence used to be, severed and removed again...
While it takes a rather significant amount of time, the scabbard seems to be... yes, capable of selecting which of Sinner Ryōshū's memories are to be erased as a cost of using Arayashiki.
Sounds like... I should be grateful, then.
... but Ryōshū regards the scabbard with a conflicted look,
as though to approximate the outlines of the void she left behind.
Ooh, so it's got like, a cooldown timer? She can use it whenevs as long as she gives it time to select the trivial memories?
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them as "trivial." The memory of the time when you were complimented for your cooking - it was quite a precious memory, wasn't it?
... You've performed an inverse calculation of the Relic's cost.
Yes. According to our measurements, the sword seems to factor in the "weight" of each memory when calculating the cost of wielding it.
It's become rather clear that it takes more than "light" memories to properly wield it.
So, have her memories been restored?
As presumed, attempts to recall the erased being's existence have resulted in... failure.
That is... quite discouraging.
<... But not all is lost.>
<Simply by knowing that something used to be in that negative space...>
<... many things can still be reminisced upon.>
<Like Ryōshū said. Forgotten but not lost.>
…….
... Clock.
You've just stepped foot into the world of S.A.N.G.R.I.A.
She flashes the briefest of smiles, then scatters it away with a plume of cigarette smoke.
... Collecting the G.B. will restore it.
What used to be here, in the pockets of void in my heart. My one and only...
Ryōshū's gaze traced the invisible, the unperceivable.
A few more days passed us by.
We didn't spend those days idling - we visited Saude and Pilot in recovery, did a few odd jobs here and there like helping suppress a Distortion containment breach caused by a new LCE hire...
But with all the loose threads tied up, we managed to finally, after so long...
<Kinda feels like... we're home again.>
... return to the bus.
Hah~! Bus sweet bus! The chair could use a little more cushioning, but there isn't anything like it out there! Hnh!
Damn, this is your ride? Hella badass...
…….
Heh.
Between the two individuals, who were looking rather pleased at Kira's astonishment, Hohenheim squeezed through to warn us about some things to watch out for.
I asked Team Leader Alan to set the coordinates somewhere as close as possible to the Nest. Keep driving through the door, and it will bring you right to an empty spot on a highway.
Don't hesitate or hit the brakes, because if by any chance there is a car driving behind you, it will crash into the bus.
Nods.
So what're you two doin' here on the bus? Decided to join the better team, did ya?
I must admit to a certain degree of interest in hearing of your exploits, but to accompany you through them is an entirely different matter, isn't it? I'm only here to adjust your coordinates.
... Speaking of which, just how did you manage to escape your confinement?
I told 'em I had some stuff to help ya with, and they let me out after making me scribble over some docs.
Solitary confinement's hella boring, so I thought I might get some air. Might as well say goodbye too while I'm out and about, right?
... I see. You exploited the fact that the new hires don't have any grudges against you.
I thought I'd told them to impress upon the new hires that prisoners are to be treated as exceptions to the - ah, right. The person in charge of that training is currently checked into the long-term recovery ward. More problems stemming from the shortage of manpower - I'd best include this in the report.
<Sounds like they're both here to see us go.>
Well, then... time for a valediction, I suppose.
Hm. Perhaps I've grown far too used to seeing your faces - saying goodbye doesn't come out as easily as I expected it to.
Another day of reunion must await in the future.
I would appreciate it if such a reunion had a low probability of occurring.
While I am not very partial to mathematical statistics like the probability theory, I hope your prediction is dead right.
Well, then.
... Hey, Yoshihide.
What?
We're... I wouldn't say we're "family" exactly, but...
... Listen, there's a lot of stuff I wanna say to you, and a lot of stuff I wanna hear from you. Okay? So...
S.Y.L.
Did I do that right?
*puff*
Acronymize it into "L."
And call me Ryōshū, not Yoshihide.
Prefer the echoes of that name.
After a round of goodbyes, the two disembarked from the bus, and...
... no sooner had the machinery clicked into place than the bus's wheels finally began to turn,
bringing us closer and closer toward a blindingly radiant portal massive enough to engulf the bus whole.
Well, off to our next destination, I guess...
<... Oh, right. Where are we headed next?>
Dante inquires about the next destination, Vergilius.
Hah! Now that's more like it. Been too bloody long since I heard that question.
Yeah, don't get too excited. When has an answer to that question ever led us to anywhere that's not downright bizarre?
Vergilius gave me a faint, knowing smile as though to confirm Ishmael's pessimistic remark, then delivered a comment that sounded too light-hearted for its gravity.
Hm. "Downright bizarre," is it? ... Well, let me just say that it's high time we faced such a sight.
Our next destination is District 14.
In other words, Manager Dante, we are now en route to N Corp.
.......
So we are going there, after all. N Corp.
... Plenty of faces there I'd rather not see.
As the rest of the Sinners voiced their various gripes and discontent with N Corp.,
Meursault, who probably had the most amount of history with the Wing, simply flipped open his newspaper like usual and began reading it with the same, unchanging expression.
.......
As though for him, none of this changed anything.
Now departing. Vroom-vroom.
With that, the bus resumed its journey to a yet another tale.