Vol. 5 Ch. 2 Ep. 24: The Cry of Relief

Nyahaha! Now that's what they call a "close call."

I played it cool as a cucumber, so they wouldn't expect anything, but what would I have done if you actually didn't show up? Nyahaha!

How could we fail to respond?

It is our tradition, after all. A single white firework launched from the Tenshukaku is the Yin-Yang Club's signal for aid.

It was perfect timing!

Tch... Those Nature's Beauty guys sure are quick on their feet, though. Every time I think I've got them by the tail, they slip away like the snakes they are.

...What're you looking at, huh?

Oh? Now this is unexpected.

An unusual menagerie, to be sure. You all must have had quite the adventure.

Yes, yes. I'm hardier than I look, you know.

And thanks to your trusty guards, the Waraku Festival wasn't shut down.

Your assistance was invaluable, as a matter of fact.

On the other hand, I can only achieve so much with my power.

What an absurdity...the Hundred Ghost Stories... It rendered me useless.

Perhaps the time has come for me to step down from the Yin-Yang Club presidency...

N-Nyaaah?!

Please stay still! You're getting in the way of disinfecting the wound!

Th-This little scrape can wait until later...

If we don't treat it now, it might leave a big scar on your face.

Whether it's something big or small, if you miss the right moment, you can't take it back.

...Nagusa.

"...but I would be nothing without each of you."

...As you say, Sensei.

You're right. This is no time for despair and complaints.

To begin, I would like to welcome each of you back to the safety of our district, Sensei, Hyakkaryouran.

...As well as the little bard from Nature's Beauty.

Who are you calling little?!

Let's get on the same page. I'll begin with what information the Yin-Yang Club has gathered so far.

We can't form a plan until we have a thorough understanding of the situation. Separate fact from fiction, reality from illusion.

Yes. Rumors and whispers will be our undoing.

I see. That's where Ayame's path took her...

I'd sensed, but always overlooked, her internal fragility. She seemed to fortify it with that perfectly curated image of hers, after all.

That was negligence on my part. The pressure of the Hyakkaryouran presidency had been crushing her all along.

I... I didn't even see it. Of all people, I should've understood her suffering.

...We cannot lay the blame upon one person.

How many times must I repeat myself, Nagusa? Your proclivity for shouldering all the world's burdens on your own is a terrible habit.

Exactly! Each and every one of us feel Ayame's pain deep within our souls!

And next time, we're gonna grab her and hold her so tight that she never feels this way again!

...Yes. We all, collectively, are fervently wishing for her safe return.

May I pose a question, President Niya?

Will this festival truly be enough to suppress President Ayame's Phantom Fable, Hitotsume's power?

Not at all. As that ghost artist said, it's a temporary fix.

The cheer and fervor of a festival amongst chaos did help temper the Phantom Fable's power...

...but emotions are a fickle thing.

Let the novelty and excitement fade, and it won't be long before Hitotsume's gaze will grip Hyakkiyako again.

But the biggest obstacle is Ayame...

Is there more which ails President Ayame?

More so that she, herself, is the problem.

Who can possibly take her on? Ayame has always reigned as the strongest of the Hyakkaryouran.

Th-That is undeniably true...

Even I have never bested Ayame in a spar, not a single time.

And as long as President Ayame remains, so does the Hitotsume. It will use the people's fear to regenerate again and again.

Damn... She was our most reliable ally...which makes her our most threatening enemy.

We're not completely out of options, though.

Your legendary gun, the Hundred Lotus, can pierce through their tomes and monsters. And we have all you lovely members of the Hyakkaryouran as well.

Dispel the Artifact Spirits littering the streets one by one, and we'll find our opportunity to destroy the tome.

There's one of the Hundred Lotus, and about a million monsters out there, though. How are we supposed to fight all of them?

Well, we could also...counter them with the power of another tome.

As they say, fight fire with fire.

The best strategy to fight an unbeatable power is to use the same power against it.

You possess a tome of your own?

Well...

Huh? What is this you're blathering about?

Fight tome with tome? You think I'd be twiddling my thumbs here if a tome was that easy to come by?

Even I, the Nature's Beauty's bard, took a really long time to learn how to control Inou's Phantom Records! Even if you somehow got your hands on one...

Yes. That's the one. Inou's Phantom Records.

What...?

Here, take it.

This is the Phantom Records...?

N-No way. It can't be. You guys messed it up and burned it last time, didn't you...?

You're exactly right. All we could recover was the charred cover, and a few torn-up pages.

With such scarce remnants, it should've been hopelessly impossible for us to restore any book, let alone a cursed tome.

But lucky us! We happen to have a very good relationship with an academy who claims a magician of their own. They can restore whole books from scraps and pieces.

You mean to say...some ordinary old human restored Inou's Phantom Records?

There's no way! I won't believe it!

...It's completely blank?! There's nothing in here!

Well, naturally, even the magician couldn't pull its contents out of thin air. The pages themselves were completely burned, after all.

Then it's useless! A tome's power comes from the stories written inside it!

Even if you have a pretty cover that looks the same...

Oh, that tattered ghost story book? What could you possibly need with that old thing?

...it's worthless without its stories.

You're right. Without them, a tome is no better than a stack of papers, isn't it?

In that case, why don't we just write our own stories?

Hm, renowned novelist, Kuchiki Shura?

...Kuchiki Shura?

Kuchiki Shura, as in...

H-How do you know that?!

Oh my, how could I not? You post your stories online at "Let's Write Novels" every week, don't you?

I personally was a huge fan of "I Became a Ghost Bard and Solo-Leveled in a New World!"

Wh-Whoaaa! WHOAAA!

Of course, its breakneck pacing and cheat-level skills made it a polarizing masterpiece, so the comments turned into a complete warzone with every new update...

Th‑That's because...!

You don't even have to explain. The point of your work wasn't those trivial tropes, but an exploration of the profound themes behind them, wasn't it?

I truly feel for you. How unbearable for people to not see and understand your artistic decisions.

You... You really read my stuff?

I told you I liked it, didn't I?

So what do you think, Author Shuro?

This tome could manifest your stories in reality. Just imagine the looks on all your doubters' faces. The ones who scoffed at your unrealistic plot twists.

How did you feel when no one understood your writing? Frustrated? Miserable? So angry you could barely breathe?

Don't you want to...make them feel that too?

*gasp*

D-Don't even try to flatter me! I won't help you!

I do what Kokuriko wants! I want to create a new Hundred Ghost Stories for her! That's it!

And that's okay. Even if you spread new ghost stories through Hyakkiyako, that's okay.

Wh-What? Seriously?

Have I lied to you yet? In fact, there's something I'm quite curious about. To whose stories will the people flock, yours? Or that ghost artist?

Hold on, President Niya. I don't think that's going to help the situation...

Shush.

For now, let this play out.

My own...Hundred Ghost Stories...

Understand that, and you'll one day have a tome of your own.

My own tome...

Well then, what say you?

I can really write...whatever I want?

Then... The next song...is...

Keep it up, Chise! You can do it!

Flanking us, Pina!

From the front too! We are thoroughly outnumbered!

Ugh... It seemed like we had the upper hand for a little bit, but they just started multiplying again out of nowhere.

We're not going to be able to hold out for much longer...

Huh? Is someone...screaming?

Or maybe a cat crying?

Augh! It could be that monster from last...

NYAAAAAAH!

...What is that pathetic thing?

It's...nothing like the monster cat that attacked us last festival.

Did some kid draw this thing?

"In the hands of the greatest ghost bard to ever exist, Myouki Kurokage was reborn...

All you had to do was look at it to see how strong it was...

Anyway, it was so scary, that everyone trembled before it..."

"So... It was ginormous, with long whiskers, and its big horn could pierce through anything...

It was super-evil looking."

"It roared like a big cat... No, a noble and powerful beast...

Right, it looked like a huge lion..."

Ahahaha! What the heck is that?

Maybe it's a part of the Waraku Festival?

It's kinda cute, isn't it?

President, Tsukuyo! The monsters have been thrown off-guard!

Now is our chance to turn things around! Surprise attack!

H-How? We can't shoot them...or bomb them...

And barricading them or tricking them hasn't been working either...

Eek?! Wh-When did you get so close...?

Tsukuyo, look out!

Did our attack...just land?

What is happening right now?

Hold it! Even if this is fiction, isn't that way over the top?

No matter how strong the opponent is, you still have to follow the rules! You're undermining your own plot!

Amateur readers like you are exactly what hold back literature! There's only one trope for a situation like this!

"At that moment...an insanely powerful ninja appeared."

Wah?! Izuna feels...incredible power surging within her!

What is happening, President?

I have...no idea... This is too scary for me...

W-Well...at least we can fight the monsters now! We should protect...the stage!

Ninjutsu Research Club! Charge!