163: Ant’s Nest
Two women were standing in a very large cave.
On one side was a tall, hunched woman in a long red coat. On the other side was a girl in a black jacket brushing mud off her silvery white hair.
Although a bit dirty, they looked as if they had nothing to do with the underground space which wouldn’t look out of place if it’s in Daikanyama. However, these women were unmistakably people of the underground, denizens of the darkness.
「Wh- Wh- Wh- what’s this place ……? Where is this!」
「Don’t use me as a shield in an unknown place.」
Minato hid behind Kirika and looked around timidly. The bare rock surface that emerged in the darkness looked somewhat like a face.
A small black shadow passed over the head of Minato, who looked like she was about to cry, with a rustling of wings.
「Pyaaaaaaaah!! Something’s theeeere!!!」
「It’s fine to hold on to it, but please don’t tear it with too much vigor. This jacket is not for sale.」
A scalpel shot out from above Minato’s head, grazed just beside the shadow and fell to the ground. Perhaps startled by this, the thing that had been hovering near the ceiling came down right in front of Minato and Kirika.
「See, please take a look, it’s just a bat.」
「Creatures that suck blood are a no-no! What if we got infected by a disease?」
「Then, we should eradicate it.」
「That’s no good!!!」
Perhaps sensing Kirika’s murderous intent, the bat flew away at once to the back of the cave.
「Ah, good, waitl, it’s not good at all.」
「……The fact that there are bats means that there is at least some access to the outside.」
Kirika suddenly crouched down and traced the ground with her hand. The only light illuminating the dimly lit cave was the penlight Kirika was holding.
「Hollow, dug at an even width, and the hard ground that was firmly packed down. It was a tunnel dug to transport something large. If so, at the end…」
「What exactly are you looking for in a place like this?」
「There it is, the power lines.」
Minato gazed admiringly at Kirika, who was proceeding with her investigations quickly and efficiently on her own.
「If we follow the power line seam to the socket, we will reach the power supply facility. If there is an exit, it would be there.」
「That’s amazing, so you understand that much.」
「”Don’t give up on thinking, the path to success opens up after ceaseless thinking.”……These are the words of Senpai, whom I respect more than anyone else.」
“Hoo, that’s amazing,” Minato murmured, but she had never seen Rintaro utter such a proverb. Neither Rintaro nor Kirika spoke at all about their pasts, but there must be a strong bond between master and student that Minato was unaware of.
「Oh, come to think of it, Kirika was a former hero…」
「Now, let’s go. Stay close and follow me.」
「Awawa, wait, wait! Do we not need to look for Rintaro’s group?」
「Senpai will get to the same idea faster than I did. I’m sure we’ll meet down the road.」
Kirika then walked away without a second thought.
Minato hurriedly followed the flickering light from the penlight in the darkness.
「……………………」
「……………………」
They must have been walking for about 30 minutes, but no matter how far I went, the tunnel just continued on and on, colder and colder.
「……………………」
「…………Uu……a」
It was an unfamiliar and mysterious space, and even Minato had prepared herself for the possibility of wandering around. But even though they were alone, she felt uncomfortable that there was absolutely no conversation between her and Kirika.
Mayuzumi Kirika is the type of woman who does not find silence and loneliness painful. Even at Ark Dominion’s secret underground base, Kirika was rarely seen talking with anyone other than Rintaro and Samecchi.
It may be due to her title as a former hero, but more than that, Kirika herself is so high specs that she was kept at a bit of a distance from everyone. Minato, by the way, still sometimes feels a little intimidated by Kirika.
However–
「…………Kiri- Kirika!」
Minato, unable to endure the long, long silence, called out to Kirika with all her might.
Being alone with each other is a chance to break down the walls between them. Above all, she didn’t want to keep silent any longer.
「What is it?」
「……Etto, Umm, The weather is nice today!」
「We are underground though.」
「……That’s right, un.」
Silence fell again between the two. It was Minato’s fault, as she had not thought about the topic of conversation before speaking out.
「………………」
「Ho- how are you doing lately? Is there anything bothering you?」
「Even if you ask me. I don’t really have any particular worries.」
「……I see.」
They don’t click; it’s like a conversation between a workaholic father and his adolescent daughter.
while making noises like “Uhh” and “Guh.”, Minato searched for a common topic.
「Oh right, Rintaro’s……」
「Shhh… Be quiet. I can see light.」
Stopped by Kirika, Minato stared at the end of the tunnel. Beyond the thin purple mist, something like a light was moving slightly.
「Let’s take a closer look.」
「O- Oi! That’s dangerous!」
「”Opportunity never comes to those who do not seek it”, you know.」
There was no cover to hide behind in the wide tunnel. Kirika and Minato crouched forward slowly, trying not to be noticed by the thing squirming in the darkness.
「Well, there’s a good harvest today too, ari. I’ll try my best, ari, to carry a few more, ari.」
「This robot, hiihii, is heavy, ari, hiihii……」
「An important source of funding for the strange insect army, ari, please transport it more carefully, ari!」
At a cursory glance, there must have been a dozen or more of them. There they were, men in full black tights with antennae on their head.
What they were carrying with “ari ari” noise was the Victor Ranger’s mech, which had been reduced to half scrap.
What appear to be remains of erased buildings could also be seen here and there.
The zako fighters were carrying them like ants carrying food to their nest.
「We’ll follow them. Please stay low.」
The two of them kept close to the zako fighters, crawling along the ground in pursuit. Every time they nearly got noticed along the way, knives would fall out of Minato’s sleeve, leaving behind bladed marks dotted around the tunnel.
「Finally arrived, ari!」
「We were late, ari, Thanks for your hard work, ari.」
Before long, the group reached their “destination.”
「What is this place… a place like this, Yokohama’s underground…?!」
It was a huge underground space, the height and size of several domed baseball stadiums. In one corner of the space, the zako fighters lined up the Victory Manta they had caught.
Other items included a red steel frame that appeared to have belonged to the now-destroyed Golden Gate Bridge and a pile of building materials.
「Ah, that’s Kinkakuji! And this is… wow, isn’t this the shachihoko statue from Nagoya Castle?」
「I see, so this is Zazo… the true nature of SHIVA’s magic. To Senpai, this is something he absolutely can’t see.」
「Isn’t it fine to just say General Zazoma. I’m not sure if there is anyone who doesn’t notice it.」
Yes, this is precisely how the “Strange Insects Army” raised funds.
The Strange Insects Army, led by Strange Insect General Zazoma, a.k.a. SHIVA, is an army that stands out for its flamboyant eccentricities, such as building a dome-shaped botanical garden in a service area.
The inexhaustible supply of materials and funds for their activities were collected in broad daylight through underground tunnels in the name of “grand magic”.
「It is like the queen’s room in an ant’s nest.」
「Hey, Kirika, that…… over there……」
「What’s wrong? Ah……！」
Minato cautiously pointed her finger towards the edge of the large space. Where she was pointing, a man wearing a green jacket was watching the zako fighters with his mouth hanging open.
thx for the new chapter~ ^_^