OTO Chapter 89

[Lullaby of Insanity]

“For now, can you tell me the situation?”

Being asked, briefly explained the situation to Roll. We held back the invasion of the Nursery Rhymes and the ‘Association’ with a small number of people, two generals are coming as the reinforcements of the SDF, and Renga going out of control…

Seems like Roll was doing a mission at a relatively close place, so she was able to come back quickly.

“Why is Renga going out of control?” Roll looked up at Renga fighting General Ichinose in the sky and asked.

“…Perhaps, it was brainwashed. It doesn’t listen to me. And its state was completely strange.”

“Brainwashed? Does that mean that the enemy has an ability user with that type of ability?”

“No. It’s Desuko-san.”

When I said that, Roll frowned.

“Desuko? Why would Desuko do something like that?”

“Now, we concluded that someone betrayed us, and I bet that person is Desuko-san. After all this kind of situation should be impossible, right? But if Desuko-san betrayed us, a lot of things will make sense. Like Renga’s brainwashing.”

Byakurei-san and Shikkou-san said it wasn’t her, but I think that Desuko-san is suspicious after all.

“I think that doesn’t prove that Desuko betrayed us though…”

Roll also had the same reaction as the two, denying that Desuko-san was the traitor.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“After all, Desuko is Anonymous’ executive, and although she is usually messing around, she had done a lot of works for the organization so far, you know? Desuko-san wouldn’t do that.”

Roll said with befuddled expression, but that doesn’t explain that Desuko-san doesn’t betray us. That was an emotional theory.

But if everyone thinks that it wasn’t her, was it really not her I wonder.

I have only known her for short time, and honestly, I don’t know her very well, but that’s not the case for Shikkou-san, Byakurei-san and Roll.

Perhaps everyone couldn’t believe that Desuko-san had betray us since they’ve known her for a long time. That is why they trusted her even though she has such a personality, I guess.

“…Well, anyway. For now, I have to go to the rooftop of the Neo Slaceid Building and get back to my post. It’s easy to pick up sounds from there, and conversely, if I don’t go there, I can’t connect the sound connection with everyone.” I’m not convinced, but even if I think about it now, the enemy we’re fighting against is still the same, so I said so.

Because I stopped gathering sounds in the middle of the battle against Hitsugiya, I don’t know what the other members are doing now.

From the atmosphere, they should be fighting against the and the Self-Defense Force and Nursery Rhymes that are invading, but… I can’t grasp the details.

“I see. I got the gist of it. I’m surprised that Shion is in command, but anyway, I should be on the frontline, right?”

“No…”

Originally, I would like her to do so, but…

“I want Roll to be close to me.”

This is my selfishness. Because I’ve overused my ability, I’m not in a condition to fight anymore. It’s even uncertain whether I’ll be able to rebuild the sound collection field.

Therefore, it is dangerous for me if I encounter an enemy alone.

“Got it.”

I thought she would refuse, but Roll nodded without asking why.

“Thanks.”

“Un. Get on the back quickly.”

Being told so, I straddle the back of the motorcycle and grabbed on to Roll. And when Roll was about to depart, “Wait!” we were called out.

Looking back, there was Kemuri-san.

“This is Kemuri D, joins up with Shion and Roll.”

When Kemuri-san come until here, he said so to the transceiver he had in his hand. From the other side of the transceiver, multiple “Roger” was returned with the same voice.

“Kemuri-san…!”

“Kemuri, you’re back too.”

“Yeah, sorry to made you wait, Shion. I know it’s sudden, but give the command to me.”

Being told to do so, before I reply, I sighed in relief.

After that, I answered “Yes”, then strength left my body and I almost fell of the motorcycle.

It’s fine now that Kemuri-san has come. This feeling of liberation. I was about to be crushed by the pressure.

“My clones are joining up with other members one after another. The invasion of Nursery Rhymes and the ‘Association’ sure is slower than I expected. I was sure that everything would be completely destroyed when I arrived, but that wasn’t the case at all. Well anyway, from now on, leave it to me.”

I can have a peace of mind now that Kemuri-san will take the command. If he’s joining with the members, he may already know the situation better than I do.

“What should we do?”

“Withdraw first. You don’t need to buy any more time than this. We have enough people as well.”

“Withdraw…? Time? What do you mean? Do you mean that more than this will be though?”

“No, the people in the hideout should have completed the preparation to withdraw after all, right? The base was planned to be moved to begin with, now the only thing left is the pillar of the essential facility, the Observer, and even that, the main body has already been transferred?”

Eh… what do you mean by that?

Wasn’t this the battle to defend the various facilities of the organization such as the Observer?

“Is it okay to withdraw?”

I also wanted to withdraw if possible, and I thought I should do so.

“Ha? Aren’t you all buying time to let the non-combatants in the hideout escape? It’s enough, right?”

“Eh, I haven’t heard anything about that though… Byakurei-san seems to want to fight to the death, so I… Shikkou-san too.”

“Wait, putting aside Byakurei, Shikkou said so too?”

“Rather than saying, she gave off that kind of feeling.”

Roll told me to be clear, but I can’t but to be helped to be ambiguous. This situation was sudden for me, and I didn’t know what to do. I was desperate in the changing situation.

It was me who was commanding, but I was not the one who decided the situation.

“…I think it was Byakurei-san who was particular about interception.”

“Did Shikkou not stop him…?”

“Yes.”

“You’re kidding, right…?”

“That’s impossible, is that mean that it was possible that the traitor was Shikkou…?”

“Ahh…” Kemuri-san nods at Roll’s words.

“It’s a lie, right….?”

Kemuri-san takes out another phone from his pocket and operates it. Then he put it on his ear.

“Are you trying to connect with Shikkou-san?”

“Ahh.”

“Perhaps it won’t connect. My income should have been connected to Shikkou-san, but she hasn’t reply from a while ago.”

“Seriously, dammit! The enemies haven’t entered the hideout, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

The sound collection was cut off after all, and if there was an infiltrator, Shikkou-san would have contacted me, but that Shikkou-san can’t be contacted now.

“What is Byakurei doing now!?”

“Perhaps… protecting the café.”

“J district, huh…! Then you guys pick up Byakurei there and hurry to the monitor room!”

Immediately, Roll started the motorcycle.

My mind became jumbled up behind Roll. Who in the world is the enemy? Was Shikkou-san on the Nursery Rhymes’ side? But if Shikkou-san is the traitor, I don’t think she can mess up the inside of the hideout alone.

I wonder if others already infiltrated in. Dammit, I can’t keep up with Kemuri-san’s thinking speed.

“Shion, hold on tight!”

Roll rush through the downtown. Because abandoned cars were in the way, we were running on the sidewalk. With roaring sounds, it took only a few minutes for us to reach J district.

When we arrived at the cafe, Byakurei-san was still guarding it.

Roll and I jumped off the motorcycle and ran to Byakurei-san.

“Byakurei!”

“Ohh, isn’t it Roll and Shion? What’s up?”

“Byakurei-san, no one was passing through here, right?”

There were several corpses rolling around Byakurei-san, it seems that he was defending properly. It was a foolish question to ask Byakurei-san, huh.

When I thought so, terrifying words came out of Byakurei-san’s mouth.

“No, there was only Desuko passed here a quite some time ago.”

“…Wha-!?”

Desuko-san…?

“Hm? Something wrong?” Roll and Byakurei-san doubtfully looked at me whose eyes were wide-opened.

“Are you perhaps still suspicious of Desuko? The one who is suspicious right now is Shikkou isn’t it?”

Why. Isn’t it strange that she entered the hideout at this timing?

Besides, Desuko-san was supposed to be in New Road and couldn’t be called

But perhaps, Desuko-san came to this city mixed with the forces of the Nursery Rhymes and the ‘Association’… Now that I think about it, isn’t it strange that Sen’s memory disappeared? If it’s Desuko-san, she might be able to erase memory…

There wasn’t only one traitor.

“…No, anyway, let’s go inside. Byakurei-san too, please come with us. I’ll explain later.”

ーーー

When we entered the hideout from the cafe, we witnessed a terrible disaster there.

Passageway stained with fresh blood everywhere.

The corpses of the members are rolling all over the place.

“What’s this…”

“Who the heck did this…”

I was creeped out by Roll and Byakurei-san who did not connect Desuko-san to this situation.

I admit that I don’t know what’s going on, but obviously this is the work of Desuko-san.

I said “Let’s move on” to the two and took the lead.

Then we arrive at the monitor room.

There seems to be no one inside because no sound can be heard.

I looked up at the plate of the observation tower-cum-monitor room, checking it just in case, and opened the door.

What jumped into my view is a sea of blood.

I unintentionally step back. Roll and Byakurei-san are also lost for words.

All the people who were supposed to be working here were miserably killed.

Some corpses were so messed up that they I couldn’t see them directly.

We crossed the corpses and went inside.

I looked up overhead, the lights were weak for some reason and the originally dim monitor room was even darker.

“This is, the main power was turned off and switched to backup power…”

I see, so that’s the case. The intention is simple. It is in order to deactivate the facilities of Anonymous.

When we proceeded into the center of the monitor room, Byakurei-san noticed something there.

“Hey, that…”

Roll and I looked at the place Byakurei-san pointed.

There was a woman who was crucified on a pillar next to the large display on the front.

“Shikkou…!?”

I didn’t immediately know that it was Shikkou-san. I finally notice it from Roll’s call.

It is no wonder I didn’t notice it right away. The reason was that the upper body and lower body of Shikkou-san were separated, her body and clothes were dyed with blood and turned deep red.

Of course, she was dead.

Roll staggered a little.

Byakurei-san also has his eyes wide open. I was also suppressing nausea.

At that time, a new sound appeared from behind.

“…I can read people’s minds. I know the lies of many people.”

I didn’t turn around to that voice. No one does.

“I can read people’s minds. I… know the true feelings of many people.”

Even with that voice.

“I can read people’s minds. I… know the ugliness of people’s hearts.”

The two on both of my sides were stiff, I barely turned my head around.

“Hey, Shion-kun, do you know?”

I’m looking back at her standing at the top row of the monitor room.

My heart was throbbing at the question that was thrown.

“The moment when a person’s heart becomes the most beautiful. It is the moment their hearts become clear, like the moment when a baby was taken out of their mother’s womb, born into this world…”

There stood a short-statured, childish looking, and chestnut-color haired woman, Desuko-san.

She was splattered with so much blood that it seems that she had bathed in it. Her dress messed up, and one little hand of hers was holding a golden mask.

As I thought, Desuko-san was of the Nursery Rhymes.

And rather than that fact, I was thinking about the answer to Desuko-san’s question. No, perhaps, to be exact, she made me think about it.

Did she already use her ability? I don’t know.

Anyway, Roll and Byakurei-san on my both sides are still stiffened.

After a while of silence, Desuko-san’s voice continued.

“That is, you see. The time I want and wish to live in from the bottom of my heart. To be more precise, just before death, see.”

Her voice came into my ears smoothly.

The voice of Desuko-san echoing in the monitor room was insanity itself.

“The time when you want and wish to live, just before you die. No matter how rotten people’s heart is, it became so beautiful at that time, you know.

It’s great when they can only despair, the deeper the despair the better it is… It’s especially great when they have no hope left…!

For me, the heart of a person who faced a certain death itself is a beauty to be pursued, you know!”

“Desuko-san…!”

“…Her cries were beautiful, you know.”

Desuko-san smiled innocently and said so.

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Knowing too much things do make you crazy, I guess.

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