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Without the pillar to uphold us.
All we can do now is to form a procession and walk in a straight line.
Giving way to those who have departed, whispering prayers.
For every passing, every losing breath,
Shall one day return to the embrace of the world once more.
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Two years later
An azure butterfly slept quietly atop Tokyo Tower in the stillness of night. Neon lights from the surrounding buildings stabbed at its eyes until it had to turn its face away. It sat listening to the wind blowing in from the left. It was a peaceful day in Tokyo; cars flowed smoothly through streets and alleys. Before long, it sensed an energy drawing near. A young girl with long, flowing hair slowly floated upward, four wings spread like those of a moth.
"May I sit here?" the girl asked the azure butterfly. The butterfly shuffled aside to make room for her. It felt no aversion toward this girl at all, whether she was human or not. The two sat together in the breeze atop Tokyo Tower for a while, until the butterfly spoke.
"The wind up here is pleasantly cool, isn't it? Too bad this city is full of garish lights—nearly blinds my eyes."
"Hehe, you talk just like my dad. You seem older than me, even though you're just a butterfly," the girl said with a smirk.
"You still haven't answered my question, you little moth." The butterfly twitched its antennae.
The girl looked down at the streets below. "You mean about the cool wind? No. I can only feel at ease once I see everyone happy."
The butterfly slowly beat its wings. "Very few are willing to give up their own happiness for others. In the end, they gain nothing in return. I still don't understand people like you. Do you have an answer for that?" It beat its wings again.
The girl turned back to the butterfly. "I probably can't answer either. It's a feeling that can't really be put into words."
The butterfly changed the subject. "It's high up here. Aren't you afraid of dying if you fall without those wings, hmm?"
"What makes you think I'm here?" Hearing that, the butterfly looked down—and saw the same miraculous girl pushing through a billboard, entering the real world below.
The butterfly turned back to the girl beside it. She was gone.
"Over here! Come on!" But she was already standing on the rooftop of a building below. Seeing this, the butterfly leapt down—right alongside a white-haired man who jumped from the rooftop in a wingsuit. It darted forward and grabbed his leg, merging with him instantly.
I glided through the air, chasing Kurayami's transformed form as it soared above Minato Ward in Tokyo.
"It's high as hell up here! Dango, can you hear me?" I spoke into the communicator.
"Loud and clear, Seoki-chan. Seto is currently in the OMUP building on the 18th floor. He's entering the storage room. Estimated three minutes until he reaches the plutonium vault."
"Whoa! Looks like the cold room's already unlocked. Guess the people in this company are pretty careless. Man—let me tell you, it's freezing in here. Thought it was a morgue or something." Seto complained casually over the line.
"Okay. I'm heading to the rooftop."
I split off from Kurayami, who was flying around having the time of his life. I spotted the pink OMUP building—the headquarters of the Oniwabang mafia boss, who used it to stash illegal goods.
"Hey guys, if I drop this shit, is it gonna explode?" Seto asked, tapping metal—pong, pong.
"If it drops, it'll make noise, dude. Stuff ain't made to break easy," I replied, deploying my parachute and landing safely on the rooftop.
In front of me stood a signal tower that served as a conduit for an extraterrestrial satellite system. I quickly opened my backpack, pulled out a crowbar, and pried open the circuit cover to insert a signal jammer.
"All set!" I said.
"Okay, wait a moment…" Dango went silent for a bit. "Alright—run, Seto!"
Not long after, the sound of a door slamming open on the rooftop made me flinch. Seto burst out wearing a balaclava, a long container holding dangerous minerals strapped to his back.
"Oniwabang really sells everything, huh. No wonder they got rich so fast," he muttered, pulling out a slingshot and firing it across to the next building.
"Strange… why would they store petroleum here?" I wondered aloud.
"Who cares? Rich people stuff. Don't forget, we've got a concert tomorrow!" Seto said as he leapt, using the hook to swing across.
"Hey! Wait up!" The two of us soared and landed on another rooftop, smashed through the building's glass, and fell toward the ground below. My goggles transformed into a kabuki mask that covered my face—and in the blink of an eye, the building turned into a massive stage surrounded by thousands of people.
"Yurei! Yurei! Yurei!" The crowd waved glow sticks left and right in rhythm. I turned to my left and saw Seto, also wearing a kabuki mask, raising a drumstick to signal me. I lifted my guitar and tested the sound—thoom, thoom. Seto gave me the cue and played along with the beat.
Braaan! I struck the guitar, sparks bursting from its head. Ta-ta, thoom! Ta-ta, thoom! The opening music roared to life, and soon everyone witnessed what they had been waiting for.
A green-haired girl in a cloak of golden feathers descended from the sky toward the stage.
"When I descend upon this world, there must be cries and music," her voice declared as the tips of her feet gently touched the floor, announcing her arrival to all.
"Yooooooooo~ hooooo~ hooooo~ hooooo!" The crowd roared so loudly the kami themselves could hear.
"Minasan~ konnichiwa!" Yurei cast off her cloak, revealing a white idol outfit with a skirt the color of higanbana. "Yooooooooo~ hooooo~ hooooo~ hooooo!" Yurei danced gracefully, pointing her finger as she swept her gaze around the stage.