Editing Cute Kunoichis:Volume2 Chapter4 (section)

===6: The Two Teachers===

[[Image:Kunoichis_v02_BW07.jpg|thumb]]
Sugiyado found a large, vast space.

But more than that, it was a bizarre space kept so clean not even a speck of dust or single germ was allowed inside.

This was a location that could never exist in the natural world.

Perhaps that was why the master of this tiny world was also something one would never find in the natural world.

Was it a metronome?

The machine was less than 30cm in all. Its color was peeling away and its corners had chipped off. But it had to be more than a metronome. It had a few buttons and an LCD screen.

“Is that…?”

Princess Karin looked puzzled.

But not because she didn’t know what this was.

She had more to say.

“Lignum Vitae? The AI speaker used to manage training materials?”

“Who does it belong to?” plainly asked Sugiyado.

The name she had used was Latin, but he was pretty sure it referred to a wood known for being heavy and hard. It was heavy enough to sink in water and it was industrially used to make the bearings for ship propeller shafts.

He himself had instructed Ouka and the others over the internet. He was used to using electronics as a teaching tool.

“I don’t know,” groaned Princess Karin. “It is a Stonewalls device, but some of the details look different.”

“That suggests it was supplied by or borrowed from New Sapporo Domain,” said Sugiyado.

If Princess Karin didn’t know, the decision must have been made by a more powerful domain lord. Oniyuri had said the Abashiri ninjas who had built the foundation of the Brown Bears had continued to train themselves so they did not lose sight of who they were while living in disguise for so long. They ultimately hadn’t sent any personnel, but they may have provided some equipment as support.

“So is this the teacher supporting the Brown Bears’ training?” asked Murakami Michihiko.

He was a ninja, but he was also an inspector sent from Edo. He had been taught elsewhere, so he would have no connection to this.

It was only a metronome.

But it was the only thing that had listened to those ninjas when they found themselves in a dead end.

No.

It was a charismatic leader in the shape of an object.

That was Lignum Vitae.

For security guards and truckers who worked alone late into the night, an ordinary radio could be the greatest friend that helped them feel less lonely.

This did answer one question. For whom or what had this massive sky fortress been created? It was too over-the-top to simply hide the ninjas.

“Hey, insolent fool. Does this mean someone was using this Lignum Vitae to instruct the Brown Bears over the internet?”

“If this was functioning, it would be a possibility to consider. But its sensors are too worn down. It must have reached the end of its lifespan.”

“Then…?” asked the young man.

Sugiyado had only one answer to give him.

This was beyond logic.

“There’s nothing more to it. This is the end of the line. The Brown Bears are reliant on the broken machine itself.”

As soon as Sugiyado said that…

''Clack, clack.

The metronome’s pendulum began to move even though no one had touched it.

It was like a cheap attempt at hypnotism.

“We were waiting for you, Atropos. You are the grim reaper who will cut down the fools who refuse to obey the path indicated by the thread.”

Lignum Vitae.

The voice sounded a lot like a young woman.

It spoke in an old-fashioned way, but had it been programed that way or had it decided for itself what the Brown Bears most wanted in a trainer?

And Sugiyado’s group could not forget they had been invited here. Someone wanted to show them something here for some reason. They could not simply accept all of the information presented to them here.

“Are you the boss here?”

“I am.” The faceless metronome answered Sugiyado’s short question with the same slow rhythm as before. “If, by that, you mean the top of the command structure built into the group known as the Brown Bears. However, that does not mean I have any real influence. As you can plainly see, my physical terminal is no longer fully functioning. I can no longer stop them with my words.”

Students who adored their teacher and a partially broken instructor.

That sounded unpleasantly familiar.

Sugiyado worded his next question more carefully.

“What is the Brown Bears’ objective?”

“I am no more than an item lent to them from New Sapporo Domain. Once I was returned, I was to be disposed of due to wear-and-tear and to make way for an updated version. They refused to allow that, so they chose to protect me. And to exact vengeance upon New Sapporo Domain for their decision, they are retaliating against the entire Hokkaido Area.”

“They want revenge for a machine?” Princess Karin sounded skeptical. “You mean all of this happened because of some old piece of junk!? Do you have any idea how much blood was spilled reaching this point!?”

“Princess.”

Sugiyado himself had lost a friend back in the Abashiri special prison. He was here now to fulfill his promise with that old man.

But.

Did Princess Karin really not understand what this was about? She had learned all of her ninja techniques within the Stonewalls organization and now she ran that organization while passing down those skills, but the master-apprentice relationship did not come in just one form.

Sugiyado understood.

But unlike the Brown Bears looking up from below, he knew it from the position of the adored. He knew what it was like to have your own students enraged by their master’s unfair treatment and to have that light the fuse.

Ouka, Bara, Hoozuki, and Asagao. They each had a high aptitude for being a kunoichi, but when something had stirred up their sense of justice, they had strayed from the kunoichi path. And that had led to the series of incidents starting with the theft of the modular nuclear reactor. That incident was one of his worst memories.

It didn’t matter what form it took.

But after being worn down by the role forced upon them at the country’s largest special prison, the monsters known as the Brown Bears had found something to rely on. That something hadn’t been human. It lacked a face or body heat. But it had still supported their training.

It was something they could call their teacher.

An armed uprising.

Poisoning the domain lord.

The sky fortress.

Sugiyado didn’t think the scale would have grown to this extent if they had been acting logically. A standard negotiating tactic was to demand something beyond reason and then back down to a more realistic demand. No one was going to agree to this unreasonable situation. Even if the responders hoped to find a compromise.

This place was clearly decorative.

This was something beyond going through the logical process and clearing the hurdle as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Sugiyado sighed gently.

“Is that also why your base took the form of a sky fortress. The Raging Gale, was it?”

“That is only one of its throwaway names, but yes. I believe the Brown Bears intended it to leave their options open. This allows them to remain in the Hokkaido Area and make their influence known, but if that doesn’t work, they can swiftly defect elsewhere.”

“They seem pretty intent on one of those two options.”

“My students appear to have chosen a path after you discovered and entered the Raging Gale. They have chosen to flee. I assume they plan to depart as soon as you have been eliminated from the ship.”

He didn’t ask how she(?) could be so sure.

It would have been the Lignum Vitae herself who taught them that way. She would know exactly how the Brown Bears thought.

Which meant the full might of the Brown Bears would be moving to eliminate Sugiyado’s group.

Now that they had lost interest in taking indirect control of the Hokkaido Area and New Sapporo Domain, they would have also lost their interest in the life of Princess Karin as the temporary domain lord. And if they didn’t need the princess, they wouldn’t need to keep her around. Their Lignum Vitae teacher was their top priority. If there was any risk at all of her being destroyed, they would not hesitate to rush in and kill Princess Karin once she was discovered inside the ship.

However.

In a way, that was exactly what the boy wanted. Because this more or less ensured the safety of Ouka and the others on the surface.

“Now that they have determined there is no place for me in the Hokkaido Area, they will leave for their top defection candidate: the New Nagasaki Domain Dejima Float Trade District in the Kyushu Area. Or if that will not work, they plan to head to the continent.”

“That seems optimistic of them.”

“Yes. But exaggerating your chances is an effective means of commanding a large group. If you are too honest about the risks in the planning phase, it reminds them of the realistic problems they face and their morale withers. If anything, they have shown restraint in not making plans to escape to the moon.”

Meanwhile.

When comparing the broken metronome to Sugiyado himself, an unignorable problem arose.

Yes, what had he been thinking when he worked to resolve that incident started by Ouka and the others?

At the very least, he didn’t think they had wholeheartedly welcomed it.

“In that case…” he said.

“I am glad you understand,” said Lignum Vitae.

“I didn’t say I would grant your wish.”

“I do not want my Brown Bear children to die needlessly. But I cannot physically stop them with this body. I was very careful in who I chose for this task. Sending an army of inadequate fighters would only add to those children’s crimes as they create an even greater mountain of corpses.”

“Hey, hold on. Insolent fools, don’t leave me, the temporary domain lord, out of whatever it is you are discussing.”

“I invited you here.”

The metronome’s words never faltered, always keeping the same rhythm.

Was that because she was a mechanical program?

Or…

“I intentionally opened a hole in the Brown Bears’ defenses such that they would fail to notice it. All so those capable of destroying me could be guided here. They will prioritize my protection above all else. Thus, if they are freed from the burden of my existence, they will lose all purpose behind these needless actions and they will stop.”

“You have to be kidding, you piece of junk! Do you expect us to let those criminals go free if they stop now!?” shouted Princess Karin. “Not even Abashiri’s special prison is enough to hold them, which means they could escape any other prison with ease!! Killing them is the only way to protect the peace of our nation!!”

“I mean no disrespect, temporary domain lord, but I have constantly monitored their vital signs and mental state. The harsh environment of Abashiri and communication with those brutal criminals wore them down more than the documented numbers show. But it was the Domain Lords and the other rulers of the Hokkaido Area who demanded the ninjas be deployed just because the location had been lent to them. That is our sin. If we are to draw a clear line between victim and offender, I have no means of protecting you.”

“…!!”

“I am unwilling to compromise on this issue. Just like you have a life you must protect before all others.”

Princess Karin was speechless, but Sugiyado brought a hand to his forehead.

“So you want to stop the students by killing the teacher?”

“Correct.”

“Are you sure that will work? Let’s say a brother works through the night every single night to support his sick sister. Do you think the brother will thank you if you free him from that burden by killing his defenseless sister?”

“Wouldn’t he?”

Now he held his head in both hands.

The metronome’s pendulum was moving the same as ever.

Was this what you got with a processor that thought in terms of simple addition and subtraction? Lignum Vitae apparently would never consider the possibility of a single addition or subtraction leading to the destruction of the world. Was she also unaware there were things in the world which could not be added or subtracted?

But.

In that case.

“What do we do now?”

Murakami Michihiko’s question proved useful.

Sugiyado had needed that simple question to help sort his thoughts.

He slowly raised his head.

“My objective is to fulfill a promise with a friend. The Brown Bears are no more than a problem that cropped up in the middle of that. With that in mind, I have a question for you.”

“Ask,” said Lignum Vitae.

He breathed in and out.

If there was one thing that set this all in motion…

“Why did you attack that old man?”

“The attack on Abashiri’s special prison was part of an assault plan meant to retrieve me before I was disposed of and place me safely aboard this sky fortress. I am a target of adoration for the Brown Bears and the Murakami old man was the most skilled ninja in the prison when it came to the construction and maintenance of tools. He noticed what was happening before anyone else and he intended to destroy me to stop it all in advance. I speculate he made a show of being a model prisoner both to create a more comfortable living environment for himself and to contact me in the area the ordinary prisoners were not allowed. My calculations suggest he also knew how to destroy devices such that they are irreparable. If he had not hesitated for emotional reasons, none of this would have happened.”

“…”

“He was the greatest threat to their plan. That is likely the reason the Brown Bears took his life. The entire group feared that one old man more than New Sapporo Domain or the strategic antiair laser beam cannons. He made them tremble in terror.”

Did those words carry any real meaning?

That fear was nothing but a nuisance for the old man now that he was already dead. It did nothing to change what had happened.

But.

However.

(I see…)

That man had been something special.

His name would never go down in history and he hadn’t left behind any actual knowledge or skills. He had ultimately failed to prevent all of this.

But Sugiyado Souha reached a quiet understanding that none of the others noticed.

(I see.)

“Princess Karin.”

“What now, insolent fool?”

“I have mostly achieved my objective, but there is one thing left: completing the job that old man left undone. I can do that by ending this Brown Bears incident and preventing any further victims.”

“I don’t need you telling me what to do. You mean we need to destroy this piece of junk that makes people lose their minds, correct?”

“Princess,” cautioned Murakami Michihiko while Sugiyado sighed in exasperation.

“I know you want to punish them somehow, but if the Brown Bears lose Lignum Vitae now, there will be no stopping their indiscriminate rampage. I can tell because I was once in the center of a similar incident. Students will never compromise when something like that happens. I don’t know what power source keeps the Raging Gale airborne, but how much damage do you think they could do if they dropped the entire sky fortress on the city center?”

“This central ship is equipped with a total of 30 sealed contactless antihydrogen collision reactors,” explained Lignum Vitae. “The reactors harness the power of antimatter reactions and they are built to spacecraft standards.”

“…”

Princess Karin would have shaken on her feet if not for the young man gently supporting her shoulder from the side.

If something like that crashed, it wouldn’t just destroy the city below – most of the Hokkaido Area could be blown away.

“There you have it,” said Sugiyado. “And in an all-out conflict, it won’t end with that one attack. If you’re willing to set the entire Hokkaido Area ablaze to end this, fine. But if not, you need to find another way. Our goal isn’t to annihilate of the Brown Bears – it’s to eliminate them as a threat. Using ninjalike underhanded methods.”

“You expect me to slice off a portion of the land my father left with me and grant them extraterritoriality? Or just sit here and watch them escape overseas? Unacceptable! If word got out, every criminal and terrorist in the world see my domain as the perfect target and attack!! Because they would know they could get as much ransom money out of me as they wanted!!”

“I’m not asking you to do that.” Sugiyado turned toward the Lignum Vitae metronome which continued to keep perfect rhythm. “I will grant your wish, but I’m not saying it won’t hurt. There will be a hefty price. To show everyone, both here and elsewhere, that the ending wasn’t worth the cost.”

“That is fine. My primary objective is to stop the Brown Bears who have left my control and to eliminate the direct risk to the Hokkaido Area. This is all for naughtif the lingering influence of this incident normalizes terrorist attacks involving the bombing and abduction of the area’s citizens.”

“What are you planning?” asked Murakami Michihiko.

There were two sides to the Brown Bears.

First, as victims. They had been sent to Abashiri for the Shogunate’s convenience and forced to carry out harsh missions that crossed the boundaries of legality. Princess Karin had no way of defending herself there. They had a right to their freedom.

But.

Stopping there ignored their other side. As offenders. What happened at the special prison was a tragedy, but it did not excuse all of their actions. If their victim side was to be dealt with, their offender side had to be dealt with as well.

Meaning…

“There was always only one option here. The Brown Bears must be taught a lesson. A painful enough lesson that death would be preferable. One that shows everyone else that following in their footsteps would be suicide. It will be a lesson to them and anyone watching. It will only work if it makes every last Brown Bear regret what they have done until the day they die.”