Editing City Series:Volume4a Chapter 8 (section)

===Part 3===

'''9:22 AM

A thick curtain covered the room’s large window, cutting off the outside world.

It was a twin room on the twentieth floor of the Osaka Hilton hotel.

Tokyo chancellor Nakamura Hisahide and 1st Special Duty Officer Ikemaru Takahiro were staying in the room.

The warm red cloth created a solid barrier that completely hid those two boys from the outside world.

The concepts of human presences, gazes, outside light, noise, and time did not exist in that room.

The room primarily contained darkness.

The one light destroying that darkness was a TV displaying a dark forest.

That slight light gave a vague view of the room’s structure.

The TV and table could be seen as shadows.

Hisahide and Ikemaru sat at sofas surrounding the short table.

They were both looking to the dark sky, earthen ground, and forest shown on the TV screen.

It was night.

The structure of that darkness suddenly changed.

After a great shaking of the footage, the heavens and earth tilted on their side.

The camera had fallen over.

The forest footage showed a hand which lay unmoving on the ground.

Then a giant humanoid figure passed by in front of the camera. It was tall enough to surpass the trees behind it. It was over five meters tall.

A roar left the TV.

It was a bestial roar, released as the great beast passed by the camera.

“I feel bad for the collapsed cameraman.”

Legs appeared on the screen.

They were mechanical legs not wearing any shoes.

“Nanba Souichirou took prosthetic limbs after the battle that occurred prior to this footage,” said Ikemaru. “Aren’t you going to watch? The battle is starting.”

Nanba Souichirou walked across the screen wearing white burial clothes.

He walked to the back of the screen, where the giant form stood.

It resembled a human and was colored with red and black tiger stripes.

“An ogre, huh?” said Hisahide when he looked to the screen. “Kyoto’s Nandaimon apparently has the arm that was cut off here.”

“You went to see it? I can’t believe you…”

“Don’t lecture me. I was turned down by a girl, so that’s better than going to the movie theater alone, isn’t it?

“A girl…? Oh, the Koto Chancellor.” Ikemaru glanced over at Hisahide. “I thought my cousin was the only girl you would talk about.”

“To me, Takada is the same as you and Aoi. She’s more than just a girl. But, I’d heard rumors that the Koto Chancellor is a decent girl…and she’s the Killing Holder, so that’s a plus.”

“How is that a plus?”

“She’s killed someone, so she sounds stronger than me.”

“Are you really planning to do what your master told you to?”

“If I’m going to call myself the strongest, I have to be better than everyone else.”

“I hear your sister said that a lot too.”

“I live by those words. Always have.”

Ikemaru nodded.

“Look at the screen. The ogre is starting to move.”

“Every time I see this I’m amazed by how much it moves. It’s like watching an anime with a budget in the hundreds of millions.”

A black form and a white form moved around on the screen.

Souichirou’s left arm was gone. He fought with his sword in his remaining right false arm.

Ikemaru crossed his arms.

“He really is intent on fighting. And after that ogre devoured the Lives of twelve people.”

“Don’t dodge the issue. It literally ate five people and not just their Lives.”

A large motion occurred onscreen.

The giant humanoid form swung its red right arm like a bear.

In that instant, Souichirou jumped in and severed the ogre’s right arm at the base.

“Here comes Kusanagi.”

Souichirou swung his sword in midair.

He released his Words: “Ah.”

A tearing blow struck the ogre.

It produced an explosion of wind.

The ogre as instantly knocked to the ground by the lightless and heatless explosion.

Destruction burst out, a gust of wind spread in every direction, and dust approached the camera.

After some static, there was a glimpse of the night sky and then nothing.

“Since he has Kusanagi, I doubt Osaka’s Chancellor will be the one using the strongest Rhythm,” said Hisahide as he watched the dusty screen.

“What do you mean?” asked Ikemaru.

“The Heavy Rhythm Flame High is neither a Wind Rhythm nor an Over Rhythm. Nanba Souichirou may be able to use any of the lower Wind or Over Rhythms, but there’s no chance he can use the Flame High.”

“You mean the skill needed to use Kusanagi isn’t enough to use the Flame High?”

“Even with his Modified Purple Electricity Style of Dance Combat, he only raises his power, not his skill. He’s only able to use Kusanagi.”

“He can ‘only’ use that incredible destructive power?”

“The Rhythms greater than Wind Rhythms are given names like Kusanagi, Yata, or Yakusa, but do you know what the Heavy Rhythm Flame High was called in the past?”

“?”

“Yamata.”

“…The great serpent of flames?”

“Yes. Kusanagi came from the body of Yamata…of the Kuzuryu after Susanoo defeated it.”

He smiled bitterly.

“In other words, Kusanagi was swallowed by a dragon once. It’s not that great a sword.”

Hisahide got up, grabbed the remote from the table, and turned off the TV.

Darkness filled their surroundings.

“I can’t defeat an ogre. My attack power is the same as that of a child who can’t use Rhythms.”

“But this conflict is only between people.”

“Exactly. And that makes me the strongest. When you know how it’s going to turn out, these battles are surprisingly boring.”

After that satisfied comment, Hisahide yawned.

“Takada hasn’t shown up, so I’m pretty bored. …And you’re not subordinate to me.”

“I am that girl’s servant.”

“How about you quit being her servant and be her butler? You and Aoi will be together eventually. Takada’s prophecy said so.”

A bitter laugh rang out, but it was impossible to tell which boy it came from in the darkness.

Ikemaru was the next to speak.

“You need to get to sleep. We can’t do anything if our leader is sleep deprived.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t stay up all night too. Just say you don’t want me interfering with your date.”

“It is not a date. We are shopping for a bra. A piece of the bike apparently cut the strap yesterday.”

“She doesn’t have any more with her?”

“She apparently forgot her clothes at Inuyama Station. I will be shopping for a bra and creating charms until time for today’s diversion.”

“I’m less important than a bra?”

“Not quite, no.”

Suddenly, an electronic tone came from the intercom.

“Takahiro? Are you there? How about some breakfast? Or do you want to sleep a little longer?”

Aoi’s somewhat scratchy voice came from the speaker.

“The bra is calling you, combat salaryman.”

“I prefer the term businessman. My Ikemaru family has served the emperor for generations.”

With that, Ikemaru stood up and left the room.

After the door opened and closed, only the darkness and Hisahide’s presence remained.

It did not take long for him to begin the deep breaths of sleep.