🎶春日の響きと記憶の音 — 番外 — 舞台 — The Stragglers Emerge

🌸✨ In this alternate universe, Mio and みお are twin sisters, set in a unified world where the virtual singers of Crypton Future Media, Team TWINDRILL, INTERNET Co., Ltd., and the characters of Project SEKAI: Colorful Stage! feat. Hatsune Miku coexist. 🌙🎶 💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 There were still more than a dozen people hiding inside an abandoned warehouse at the rear. “There are more?!” Rin’s eyes widened. Teto, on the other hand, tightened her grip on her sword again. “Now that’s what you call the remnants.” MEIKO turned at the sound. The moment she saw another dozen or so men rushing out of the warehouse, her expression changed instantly. “So this is where all of you were hiding.” The group drew their weapons as well. “Since you’ve found us—” The man at their head stared coldly at them. “—we’ll just get rid of all of you.” MEIKO took a step forward. KAITO immediately grabbed her by the shoulder. “Wait.” “What?” “You’re not planning to charge in by yourself again, are you?” “No.” KAITO stared at her. “Really?” MEIKO fell silent for a second. “…This time, we all go together.” Only then did KAITO let go. Mio couldn’t help laughing. “Wow. You actually listened for once.” “Mio.” “I didn’t say anything.” By then, Gakupo had already moved to the front of the group. “Don’t let them split us up.” Miku and the others quickly regrouped. Miku, MEIKO, KAITO, Gakupo, and Luka took the front. Len, Rin, Teto, Mio, and みお spread out slightly along the two flanks. The sun had sunk even lower. Orange-red light glinted across a row of drawn blades. No one was joking anymore. The remnants slowly began to close in. Twenty paces. Fifteen. Ten. “They’re coming.” Luka spoke quietly. The next second— “Go!” The enemy charged first. The two sides collided in an instant. Clang! Clang! CLANG—! The sound of blades crashing against one another rang out again and again. Miku had only just knocked aside one strike when another man closed in from the side. “Right!” KAITO warned her. Miku spun around immediately. Clang! She barely managed to block it. MEIKO, meanwhile, was facing two opponents head-on. “Come on!” She violently knocked aside the attack from her left. A second blade immediately came in from the right. MEIKO leaned backward. The edge passed so close it nearly grazed the tip of her nose. She spun around at once. The back of her blade slammed hard into the man’s wrist. “Ah!” His weapon nearly flew from his hand. KAITO followed up instantly. “Back off!” The man was forced to retreat. MEIKO steadied herself again. “Thanks.” KAITO glanced at her. “So now you know how to say thank you?” “Shut up.” On the other side— Rin and Teto were covering one another. Rin blocked the opponent in front. Teto moved in from the side and forced a second man back. “Rin!” “Switch!” They quickly traded positions. At first, they were still a little awkward. But after a few exchanges, their coordination became increasingly natural. “Left!” “I know!” Clang! “Behind you!” “Leave it to me!” While dealing with the enemy in front of him, Len couldn’t help shouting, “You two, stop looking like you’re having more and more fun!” Rin shouted back, “Who’s having fun?!” Teto, however, answered immediately, “I am!” “You admitted that way too fast!” Mio and みお continued moving almost like mirror images of each other. When Mio stepped forward, みお naturally covered the rear. When みお stepped back, Mio immediately blocked the pursuit for her. The rhythm between the two was even more cautious than it had been when they were practicing with wooden swords. Because this time— Every single strike could cause real injury. “Mio!” みお suddenly shouted. Mio turned instantly. A man thrust at her from a blind spot. Clang! Mio managed to catch the blade. But the force behind it sent her stumbling back two steps. “So heavy…!” The man pressed forward again. みお cut in from the side. She did not slash at him. Instead, she drove the back of her sword hard into his forearm. “Ugh!” Mio immediately took advantage of the opening and shoved him away. The two regrouped beside each other. Mio took a breath. “This really is nothing like fighting with wooden swords.” みお nodded. “Yeah.” “But you can still keep going?” “Of course.” Mio smiled. “Then let’s keep going.” The battle did not end quickly. These remnants were far more tenacious than the ones they had encountered before. They clearly knew that if they failed again, it would be difficult for them to remain hidden in the town. So they tried again and again to break through. And Miku’s group was forced to gradually adjust the way they fought. They stopped relying solely on instinct. They began calling out enemy positions. Rotating between the front and rear. Whenever someone began tiring, another person immediately stepped in to take their place. “Miku, fall back!” MEIKO shouted. Miku didn’t try to push herself. “Got it!” She retreated. Luka immediately filled the gap. Clang! She knocked aside the enemy’s blade. “Gakupo!” “I’m here.” Gakupo came in from the other side and forced the man backward. MEIKO turned toward the left. “KAITO, switch!” “Got it!” KAITO took over the enemy in front of her. At last, MEIKO had a chance to catch her breath. She glanced down at her hand. Her palm had already gone numb from gripping the sword for so long. Becoming male had indeed given her more physical strength. But that did not magically turn her into a seasoned warrior. The same was true for everyone. The only reason they had lasted this long was because they were supporting one another. “MEIKO!” Miku’s voice rang out. She looked up. One of the remnants had suddenly turned and fled from the rear. Two others were beginning to retreat as well. “They’re running!” MEIKO’s eyes instantly sharpened again. “Don’t let them scatter into the town!” She immediately gave chase. This time, no one tried to stop her. “Mio! Right side!” MEIKO shouted. “Coming!” Mio and みお cut across from the opposite direction. Rin and Teto followed. Len circled around toward the alley ahead. The remnants had originally intended to scatter and escape. Only to discover that every exit had already been blocked. “Damn it!” Their leader gritted his teeth. Then he suddenly raised his sword and charged straight at MEIKO. “Take down the redhead first!” MEIKO frowned. “Again?” Clang! Their blades collided. The man was strong. MEIKO’s footing slipped. She was forced back half a step. His second strike came down immediately. Clang! She blocked again. The man clenched his teeth and pressed down with his blade. “You were the one leading the chase earlier!” “Yes.” MEIKO looked up at him. “So?” “Then you’re the first one I’m taking out!” The man abruptly pulled his sword back. Then slashed from the side. MEIKO dodged. Another strike followed immediately. She retreated several steps in succession. The setting sun streamed between them. Every time their blades crossed, brilliant golden flashes burst from the steel. Clang! Clang! CLANG! At last, MEIKO found an opening. Instead of striking directly at him— She suddenly changed the angle of her blade. Her sword swept upward. CLANG—! The man’s weapon was knocked into the air. It spun several times overhead before plunging into the dirt some distance away. The man froze. The point of MEIKO’s sword was already resting in front of his chest. “Still want to fight?” The man gritted his teeth. But he did not move again. Around them, the remaining remnants were gradually forced back as well. Some were disarmed. Others simply threw down their weapons on their own. When the final weapon struck the ground— Clang. The street finally fell silent. Miku panted for breath. “This time… it really is over, right?” Len dropped onto a wooden crate nearby. “If another group comes out, I’m taking a break first.” Rin bent over with her hands on her knees. “My hands are completely numb.” Teto laughed. “But we won.” MEIKO still had not sheathed her sword. She stared at the remnants. “Everyone, squat down.” No one resisted. Mio looked at her. “Should we tie them up?” KAITO nodded. “Keep them under control for now.” “But we shouldn’t deal with them ourselves.” Gakupo reminded them. Luka immediately understood what he meant. “Leave them to the local authorities.” Miku looked up. “The authorities?” Just then— The sound of orderly, hurried footsteps came from the distance. “Up ahead!” “They’re over there!” A group of uniformed local officials and armed guards rushed in from the other end of the street. Clearly, the sounds of the fighting had already alerted people nearby. The official leading them visibly froze when he saw the scene before him. More than a dozen remnants were crouching on the ground. All of their weapons had been thrown aside. Meanwhile, Miku’s group of ten still stood around them with their own weapons in hand. “These men…” The official stepped forward. MEIKO finally lowered her sword. “They’re remnants from the group that attacked the warehouse earlier.” The official’s expression immediately turned serious. “All of them?” “These are all the ones we’ve found so far,” Gakupo answered. “Some of them had been hiding in the abandoned warehouse on the east side.” Luka added, “They just attempted to scatter and flee.” The official turned around. “Take them all into custody.” “Yes, sir!” The guards behind him immediately moved forward. One by one, they restrained the remnants. Some had their hands tied behind their backs. Others were searched, and concealed knives and other objects were removed from their clothing. One of the remnants struggled in frustration. “Let go of me!” The official gave him a cold glance. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it at the magistrate’s office.” “Move!” The remnants were gradually escorted away. MEIKO stood there watching the entire time. Only after the last one had disappeared down the street did she finally slide her sword back into its sheath. Click. Miku looked at her. “Now it’s really over.” MEIKO exhaled. “At least this group is.” KAITO folded his arms. “So you’ve learned to say ‘this group’ now.” MEIKO looked at him. “What are you trying to say?” “Nothing.” “You clearly are.” “I just thought you looked pretty energetic chasing them earlier.” Rin immediately imitated her. “‘Don’t think you’re getting away—!’” Teto laughed along with her. “You were really loud.” Mio couldn’t resist joining in. “The whole street probably heard you.” みお nodded. “Probably the next street over too.” MEIKO’s expression gradually darkened. “You four.” All four immediately shut their mouths. Miku tried to hold back her laughter. “But MEIKO really was the first one to charge after them.” “Because I saw them.” “And then you didn’t wait for us at all,” KAITO added. MEIKO glared at him. “You all caught up in the end, didn’t you?” “That’s because we ran fast.” Len, still sitting on the wooden crate, raised a hand. “I can confirm. She was really hard to catch.” Rin looked at him. “You were running pretty fast yourself.” “Because if I didn’t, we’d be one MEIKO short.” “KAITO.” MEIKO turned around. KAITO immediately pointed at Len. “That wasn’t me.” At last, everyone burst out laughing. The tension that had been building for so long finally began to ease with the sound of their laughter. The sun had still not completely set. But it was lower than when the battle had begun. The orange-red sky painted the entire street as though it were burning. After giving instructions to his men, the official in charge walked back toward them. “Thank you all for your assistance.” Miku’s group quieted down. The official looked at them. “This group has appeared around the area several times recently.” “Before now, however, they mostly operated outside the town.” MEIKO frowned. “They only started coming into town recently?” “Yes.” The official nodded. “And for them to openly attack a warehouse this time, I doubt it was something they decided on the spur of the moment.” Gakupo looked toward the mountain road. “Someone else is behind them?” The official fell silent for a moment. “We’re investigating that as well.” Luka asked, “What will happen to the people you captured today?” “They’ll be taken back to the magistrate’s office first.” “They’ll be questioned separately.” The official continued, “If we can get them to reveal the location of their base, we may be able to learn how many more of them are still out there.” Mio lightly gripped her sword sheath. “So this isn’t over yet.” “I’m afraid not.” The official looked at the ten of them. There was something more complicated in his expression now. “But at the very least, none of these men will be returning to the streets tonight.” MEIKO gave a small nod. “That’s good.” In the distance, the captured remnants gradually disappeared at the far end of the street. This time, Miku and the others did not follow. Those men had now officially been handed over to the town authorities. And at last, the group finally had time to stop. Miku lowered her gaze to the sword in her hand. The blade still reflected the colors of the sunset. Only a few hours earlier— They had merely been rehearsing for a period drama set during the Japanese colonial era, holding wooden swords inside a dojo. Now— All seven of the original women had somehow been transformed into men. Their wooden swords had become real blades. Their film set had become a real, living town. And the battle they had just fought for what felt like an eternity was no longer something anyone could end by shouting “Cut!” Rin suddenly spoke in a quiet voice. “I still think this is so strange.” Miku looked at her. “What is?” Rin gazed at the sunset. “We’re actually catching bad guys here now.” Teto smiled. “And quite a lot of them, too.” MEIKO immediately corrected her. “The authorities are the ones arresting them.” “We just stopped them.” Mio looked at her. “The person who led the chase has the least right to say that.” MEIKO turned around. “Mio.” Mio immediately hid behind みお. “I’m starting to get scared.” みお suppressed a laugh. “Too late.” Miku laughed as well. But soon, she lifted her gaze toward the town, which was gradually growing darker. “Let’s go.” Everyone looked at her. Miku placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. “Before the sun completely sets.” “Let’s finish patrolling the eastern side.” Gakupo nodded. Luka moved toward the front as well. KAITO and MEIKO followed. Len, Rin, Teto, Mio, and みお readjusted their equipment. The shadows of the ten of them stretched long beneath the setting sun once again. And this time— They were no longer merely actors who had been dragged into a bizarre incident. At least, not in the eyes of the people who lived in this town. Miku and the others had truly become its protectors— people who would draw their blades against enemies, pursue the remnants, and turn captured criminals over to the authorities. There was only one thing none of them knew. The remnants being taken to the magistrate’s office— just what would they reveal?