Chapter 64 - A New Path 4

That evening, Siren left Santa's Rest Stop, saying only that she would be out for a while.

Her destination was Halloween Society, awash in dazzling neon signs and holographic advertisements.

"..."

Siren paused to look at the holographic ranking board floating beside the headquarters building. Countless idols' names and faces flitted across Today's Best without pause, and at the very top sat her own name.

[WitchCraft - SIREN]

She stared at it for a moment, then gave a twisted smile.

Once, she had devoted everything to getting her name onto that board. Yet now, for some reason, it stirred nothing in her.

If anything, she could barely stand the sight of it.

Number one? What did that even mean?

Memories of the rest stop's backyard flashed through her mind.

Their swordsmanship, summoning clouds and lightning.

In the face of such overwhelming power, what meaning could that name in a hologram possibly hold?

An illusion.

It was all nothing but an illusion.

Without a trace of reluctance, she turned away and headed down a somewhat unfamiliar street toward the shared idol residences, some distance from headquarters.

DING-DONG.

She stopped at one of the doors in the long row and rang the bell. A surly voice emerged over blaring music.

"Who is it?"

"... It's me, senior."

There was no answer.

A moment later, the door flew open.

Out came a woman in an adorable pair of fuzzy pajamas with pink rabbit ears. She looked Siren up and down, then let out an obnoxious whistle.

"Wow. You're a complete wreck. Looking good, huh?"

The person Siren had come to see was Ifrit.

When Siren offered no reply to her mockery, Ifrit jerked her head, signaling her to come inside.

After a moment's hesitation, Siren stepped into her quarters.

The room was a disaster. Expensive designer clothes and gifts from fans lay strewn everywhere, while empty liquor bottles were stacked like towers against one wall.

Yet amid all that chaos, the old Elementary Girls poster hanging in the middle of the wall was spotless, without a speck of dust.

As Siren surveyed the room, she reflexively caught a can of beer flying toward her. Apparently, Ifrit had tossed it to her.

"Don't just stand there. Sit."

Siren had no idea where she was supposed to sit, but she pushed some bottles aside and settled into a corner.

PSSHT.

The sound of a can opening broke the awkward silence.

Ifrit took a hearty swig of beer, perched carelessly on the sofa, and stared straight at Siren.

"So. What is it?"

"Sorry?"

"Why are you here? At my place. In the middle of the night."

At Ifrit's blunt question, Siren fidgeted with the can in her hands for a while. At last, she spoke.

"I'm going to retire."

Honestly, she had expected at least a little surprise, but Ifrit showed no reaction. So Siren quietly continued.

"... That's why I came to return this arm before I retire. Do you have time now? If you do, we could go to the workshop together..."

Ifrit, who had been listening in silence, cut her off with a snort.

"You got your ass kicked, didn't you?"

Siren's shoulders twitched.

"Let's see. Losing to Ash wouldn't get you like this. Was it that guy Zero? He did look pretty strong."

"..."

"Oh, no? Then what, one of his siblings? Don't tell me... You lost to them? Wow, you got fucking demolished."

Siren bristled.

"D-does that matter?"

"Of course it does!"

"Why?"

"Because it makes me feel great. So who beat you? The rat? The rabbit? The wolf? Or all three? Bwahaha!"

Siren opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, then sighed. She cracked open the beer in her hand and gulped it down.

"Anyway! I'm going to put my entire past behind me and learn Mr. Ash's secret techniques. So let's go right now. To the workshop."

Ifrit listened without a word, watching Siren for a moment before sinking back against the sofa until she was practically lying down. From there, she gazed at the Elementary Girls poster.

"Hmm..."

Her heart-shaped eyes flickered now and then. Without looking away from the poster, she said casually,

"Forget it."

"What?"

"I said forget it. Keep the arm."

Siren's eyes flew wide with surprise.

"What? I didn't mishear you, did I? You want me to keep it? Why? You were yelling at me to give it back every single day."

"I was. But..."

Ifrit turned her head slightly to look at Siren.

"Something you said struck a chord."

"Struck a chord?"

"That bit about putting your entire past behind you."

She grinned.

"Honestly, what would I do with that arm? I'm a shooter, and that arm's built exclusively for melee combat. At most, I'd sell it or put it in storage. Neither really means much, does it?"

Ifrit sipped her beer.

"So keep it. But I'll take something else in return."

"Something else? What sort of...?"

Ifrit's smile deepened. She sprang up and whispered something into Siren's ear. As she went on, Siren's eyes grew rounder and rounder.

"... Would that really be enough? That sounds less like taking something from me and more like helping me."

"It's a clean solution. Less fuss, and we both benefit."

Ifrit laid a hand on Siren's shoulder.

"So next time, go full power and show them what a vicious bitch you really are. Don't sit here cowering like some fucking weakling. For fuck's sake, how does the number-one idol lose to a bunch of ninjas?"

"... Senior. I thought we didn't get along."

"Hey. If anyone's going to tear you down, it's me. You don't get to go around getting your ass handed to you by other people. Not when you're wearing Undine's arm. Okay?"

Then Ifrit abruptly held out her fist.

"So, deal?"

Siren hesitated a moment before lightly bumping her fist against Ifrit's.

"... Deal."

"Okay."

Grinning, Ifrit drained the rest of her beer. Watching her, Siren downed hers in one go as well.

Then, as though something had suddenly occurred to her, Ifrit spoke.

"You're planning to retire as an idol and join Ash's team, right?"

"That's right."

"Did he say he'd take you? For sure?"

"..."

Ifrit slapped her forehead.

"Ugh, you idiot. If you're going to pull something like this, at least make sure you've got everything sorted out first!"

She rubbed her chin in thought, then broke into a sly smile, her heart-shaped eyes gleaming.

"Hey. How about trying this? From what I've seen, Ash is really vulnerable to this sort of thing. He'll probably try to take responsibility for you one way or another."

"... This conversation just got very interesting. What is it?"

"Well, here's what you do..."

Once again, Ifrit whispered into Siren's ear.

As she continued, Siren's pitch-black eyes, so gloomy and lifeless before, slowly began to sparkle.

* * *

A few days later, a commotion broke out in the training ground while practice was in full swing.

"Mister! Everyone! Something's happened!"

It was Akina, running over with a PDA in hand. Her clamor brought everyone together.

"Miss Akina. What is the matter?"

Rather than answer Ash's question, Akina held up the PDA. A press conference was playing on its screen beneath a red [LIVE] label.

But something else drew their attention even more.

Siren.

"Siren's retiring!"

The press conference was, in fact, Siren's retirement announcement.

Just then, a reporter on the screen asked a question.

"Why are you retiring so suddenly?"

Surrounded by microphones and camera lenses, Siren delivered her prepared remarks in a composed voice.

"During our recent expedition into the Outer, I lost a teammate, and another was seriously injured."

"All of this was due to my failings as leader."

"I am painfully aware that I no longer deserve to lead my teammates. To take full responsibility, I have decided not only to step down as leader, but to retire."

Her words instantly threw the venue into chaos.

Then another reporter fired off a pointed question.

"What will happen to Witchcraft, then? Will the group disband?"

Siren shook her head.

"No. I intend to hand leadership over to a more seasoned professional whose abilities I can trust."

"Who is that?"

A murmur rippled through the venue.

Someone appeared to have arrived off camera. The live feed Ash and the others were watching swung around, zooming in on the woman who had just entered.

"Hello, Ifrities!"

It was Ifrit, holding a V sign beside her eye, her heart-shaped eyes shining.

"Huh...?"

Staring at the PDA, Ash involuntarily let out an electronic sound of utter bewilderment.

The press conference continued on the screen.

Ifrit sat down beside Siren, and the two clasped hands.

"I am entrusting leadership of Witchcraft to the person I trust most: my senior, Ifrit."

"Oh, I'm so touched! You can count on me, junior!"

"Thank you, senior!"

"Now then! Witchcraft 2.0! We're making a fresh start with me, Ifrit, as leader! Please give us lots of love!"

Amid a barrage of camera flashes, Siren and Ifrit rose and shared a warm embrace.

"..."

For a while, no one watching the PDA at the rest stop could say a word.

* * *

Night fell over Sanctum.

The curtain of night had settled over the rest stop as well, darkening everything around it, but the fervor in the training ground showed no sign of cooling.

Then Ash, who had been explaining the subtleties of footwork to Zero, suddenly turned his head.

At his peculiar movement, everyone stopped their swords as though on cue and looked in the same direction.

Soon, a slender woman emerged from the darkness where Ash was looking.

She wore a cap pulled low and an old exploration suit. A large backpack and a single blade stood out on her back.

Ash recognized her immediately, but he did not speak.

There was something strangely blazing about her presence.

The woman came right up to him and removed her cap.

Jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Between the flowing strands, eyes blacker than the night sky gleamed silently.

"Did you see the broadcast, Mr. Ash?"

Ash nodded.

"I did."

"Then this will be easier to explain. That's right. I left it all behind. My team, my private luxury quarters, my advertising contracts, my ranking, Halloween."

Her voice could not have been calmer.

Yet a suppressed madness lurked within it.

"So now, teach me."

Her pitch-black eyes flashed again. They resembled those of a starving beast.

"The Neuro Internal Art. Teach it to me."

"... My lady Si—first, calm yourself..."

Ash's voice rang out electronically, but she shook her head.

"I'm not Siren anymore. I've retired, so I can't use my stage name."

"... Then what should I call you?"

She stepped close enough to almost touch him, took a new Pathfinder License from inside her clothes, and held it before his optical sensors.

It read:

[ANNA BLADE]

Ash was aghast. His optical sensors blinked over and over in disbelief.

It was not the name Anna that shocked him. It was what followed it: Blade.

"What is this? Blade? Blade! What in the world have you done?"

Watching Ash's genuine dismay at her adoption of his surname, Siren—no, Anna—grinned.

Then she said in a near whisper,

"Senior Ifrit told me that if I did this, someone with your personality wouldn't be able to help taking responsibility for me."

"Ifrit... That woman, I swear...!"

"Huh? Anna Blade?"

Akina had come up beside them and was peering at the license, her head tilted.

"You changed your last name to match Mister's? Does that make you his little sister now?"

Ash looked from Akina to the license to Anna, then let out a furious roar.

"Impudence!"

To Ash, a name was not merely a means of addressing someone. It was his very foundation, akin to his generational standing within his martial lineage, and could never be treated lightly.

Of course, there was no longer any need whatsoever to uphold such customs. But for Ash, who still viewed the world through his old way of thinking, this was unquestionably a shock.

Blade.

The same Blade as him!

Ash's optical sensors blinked frantically, as though an error had occurred.

That was how devastating Ifrit's joking advice had proved. She truly was a veteran.

Just then, the ninjas, who had stepped back a little from the sudden commotion, whispered quietly among themselves.

"... Second."

"Yes, Big Brother."

"That surname, Blade... Don't you think it sounds rather nice?"

"It does. It seems like it would give us more of a sense of belonging, too."

Their voices were so quiet that no one heard them.

Ash should have heard them.