Editing City Series:Volume7 Layer 5 (section)

===Record 110: Shake It All Off===

'''02/15/1999

'''2:00

I held the apartment building’s automatic door open with my foot and waited for Snowy to arrive.

It was a winter night, so the wind was freezing. I heard that wind speaking from the sky.

“The moon is engaged in self-harm.”

I looked around but there was no on there. But I did hear a quiet whistle and some geta footsteps from the wind.

“I was too late to stop it, but I can keep a watchful eye to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The voice was gentle and carried the scent of bamboo grass.

Instead of searching for the voice’s owner, I looked to the sky. Sure enough, the moon was missing some of its roundness.

But the heavenly bodies changed their form by waxing and waning like that, so surely it could return to normal at any time. So why didn’t it?

“To avoid the trouble a full moon would bring.”

Hearing a voice, I looked down to find Snowy standing in front of me.

“I saw the note explaining the basics. And the Night Wind told me what you said to yourself. Where is she?”

“I put her in the bath. I left the water on, but don’t shut it off. Even if she reaches her half-life, she shouldn’t be able to move while in running water.”

“Understood. But I will cut her down if necessary. Is that fine?”

“Yeah. If I’m not back after 7 days and 7 nights, then go ahead and do it. If it comes that…”

“Yes?”

“Hesitate at least once. That should be enough.”

“Understood.”

Snowy nodded and some other instruments joined the whistling I heard in the wind.

They were a tenor xylophone, a fire bell, and…

“A violin. What a noisy night. The stars seem to have noticed something is up because they are all hanging around at the Torys Bar instead of heading out.”

“I see. Then the cheap shochu place is probably packed full of stars and winds tonight too. That would be the best place to gather some info.”

“Are you about to head out?”

“Yeah. I know more or less what’s going on already.”

Hearing that, Snowy walked past me and into the apartment building.

She sighed with her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped.

“I wonder what Lady, the Boss, and Little Boy will say when they see the letter I left in the living room.”

“Sorry about all this. I never thought I’d be giving you a middle management job.”

“You had no choice. As your aide, it is my job to clean up your messes. And as the Vice Chancellor it is your job to do the same for Senpai. Neither I nor the others could do that. Little Boy’s Mobilized Writing is similar to yours, but he is still too inexperienced.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say. He’s working really hard, so he’d cry if he heard that.”

I smiled a little and she smiled back before tapping me on the chest.

“Get going. There is no time to spare. Knowing Senpai, the evidence will still be there, but the corporations are good at spreading rumors. Get there before they get their hands on something.”

“Got it. I want to clean this up as much as possible.”

“Using your power?”

“That’s right,” I said as I took the first step outside. I needed to leave.

I heard the nighttime music playing in the distance.

'''Author Comment:

The protagonist heads out to fight.

This is the first time he and Snowy have worked together like this and they are acting with a mutual understanding of each other.

I think Snowy’s internal chart of the people around her tells her to let him make the decisions about You here.