🎶春日の響きと記憶の音 — 番外 — 舞台 — Patrol Is Not Over Yet

🌸✨ 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 💗💜💗💜💗 And so, the ten of them started moving again. This time, their patrol had another purpose. Besides checking whether there were any other remnants hiding in town, they also began examining the corners of walls, warehouse doors, fences, and alley entrances. After passing through two streets— “Here!” Rin suddenly called out. Everyone immediately gathered around her. At the bottom of a wooden post, there really was a similar marking. Three lines. And an arrow. The arrow pointed northeast. Teto reached out and touched it. “This really isn’t a coincidence.” MEIKO looked up. “Let’s go that way.” Len looked at her. “Why are you the first one moving again?” “I’m only walking this time.” “That’s how it started last time too.” “Len.” “Okay, I’ll shut up.” Following the direction indicated by the mark, the group continued onward. The sun was gradually sinking toward the mountains. The streets were beginning to darken. Meanwhile, the paper lanterns nearby seemed to glow brighter and brighter. Miku and the others found a third mark. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. Every single arrow pointed in the same direction. Toward the northeastern corner of town. That area was already close to the town wall and the roads leading outside. But after the fifth mark— there were no more. Miku stopped at an intersection. Ahead of them was a narrow road leading out of town. Tall weeds grew on both sides. Farther beyond lay a forest, slowly being dyed a deep crimson beneath the fading sunset. Luka looked ahead. “Is this where they’ve been coming and going?” Gakupo crouched down. There were indeed quite a few footprints on the ground, some old and some fresh. “Most likely.” KAITO stepped forward twice. “There are wheel tracks too.” Two faint grooves ran along the ground. They looked as though a small wooden cart had passed through. MEIKO lowered her voice. “So if the things from the warehouse really were stolen…” Mio continued, “They were probably transported out along this road.” みお looked toward the mountain path, which was rapidly growing darker. “Should we go take a look outside?” For a moment, no one answered. Rin clearly wanted to go. Teto looked just as interested. But Miku glanced at the setting sun. “Not today.” Teto immediately looked disappointed. “Ehhh—” MEIKO, however, nodded. “This time, I agree.” KAITO looked at her. “A miracle.” MEIKO slowly turned her head toward him. “Do you really want to spend the night here?” “No.” Gakupo looked toward the mountain road. “We don’t know what’s waiting outside town.” “And we just finished a fight.” Luka nodded as well. “If someone is deliberately waiting for us outside, going out there now would only put us at a disadvantage.” Mio lightly tapped the sheath at her waist. “Then remember the location.” みお said, “We’ll come back tomorrow.” Miku turned around and looked back over the entire town. The final light of sunset was falling across rows of rooftops. “Let’s finish patrolling the northeastern side first.” “Once we confirm no one else is hiding here, we’ll head back.” Rin stretched lazily. “Finally, someone said ‘head back.’” Len immediately retorted, “You were literally acting like you wanted to go into the mountains just now.” “That’s different.” “How?” “Exploring and patrolling are completely different things!” Teto immediately nodded. “I agree.” MEIKO rubbed her forehead. “You two had better not sneak out by yourselves tomorrow.” “We won’t.” “You answered way too quickly. That makes it even more suspicious.” The group continued south along the outer edge of town. They encountered no more enemies along the way. They inspected two small warehouses. Checked the area around a well. Spoke with several residents whose doors were still open. And paid special attention to several narrow alleys that led directly outside town. With every place they passed, Miku slowly began to remember what the town looked like. Streets that had once existed only inside a script were now beginning to feel real. There was an old man who sold sweets over there. A family with flowers planted outside their house lived here. At the next corner, a yellow dog was almost always lying on the ground. Two streets farther ahead was the direction where the officials had taken the captured remnants earlier. Miku suddenly stopped. MEIKO looked at her. “What is it?” Miku stared down the street. “I just suddenly realized…” She paused for a moment. “We’re starting to remember this place.” Luka looked toward her. Miku gave a small smile. “Not memorizing the script.” “We actually know where things are now.” For a moment, everyone fell silent. Because they all understood exactly what she meant. Only a few hours ago, this had still been a completely unfamiliar world. But now, as they walked through the streets, they already knew where the next corner would lead. They knew which residents lived in which part of town. They would instinctively notice when a door had been left improperly closed. And whenever they passed a suspicious alleyway, their hands would naturally drift toward the swords at their waists. MEIKO quietly exhaled. “Don’t think about it too much yet.” Miku looked at her. MEIKO gazed at the sky, which had already faded into shades of violet and crimson. “We still haven’t even completely decided where we’re sleeping tonight.” Rin suddenly said, “The dojo.” Len looked at her. “You already think of that place as our house?” “Where else would we go?” “At least ask the owner first!” “But that’s where we appeared in this world in the first place.” Teto raised her hand. “I vote for sleeping at the dojo.” Mio raised her hand too. “Same.” みお followed and raised hers. “Plus one.” KAITO gave a helpless smile. “Are we voting now?” Miku couldn’t help laughing as well. By now, only a tiny portion of the sun remained visible beyond the mountains. One lantern after another lit up throughout the town. Miku once again took the lead. “One last street.” “Once we finish patrolling it, we’ll head back.” MEIKO rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. “This time, nobody had better suddenly jump out at us again.” KAITO laughed. “Are you saying that to the remnants?” “To this world.” Rin couldn’t help laughing. “If only that actually worked.” The footsteps of all ten of them moved forward once more. The sun continued to sink. The warm glow of paper lanterns gradually replaced the golden light of the sky. And their first patrol through the town— was still not truly over. Because just as the group entered the final street, Mio suddenly slowed her pace. She did not draw her sword. She simply raised her head in silence. “…Wait.” みお was the first to notice. “What is it?” Mio looked toward a wooden house ahead of them, its doors already shut. There was no light inside. No sound either. And yet, in the muddy ground in front of the house— there was a trail of very fresh footprints. They extended from the house and continued all the way toward the road leading out of town. And at the base of the wooden post beside those footprints, three familiar parallel lines had been carved. Along with an arrow— pointing directly toward the dark mountain road.