Muse

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Seventh Day:

"Chance & Choice"

"Rise and shine, Tsukiko-kun. We're at the endgame now."

Having Hasekitsu nudging her wasn't Chou's preferred wakeup call, but she didn't have room to complain. Chou took the time to sit up, made sure she wasn't going to be overly dizzy, and then stood up. Not even a meter away, Nifuji was helping Hotaru to her feet. They'd woken up in the Scramble, which would be the last time if chou had her way. Assuming everything went well, the next morning she and Hotaru would be waking up back home.

I refuse to imagine any other outcome.

[So it's the seventh day,] Nifuji said after everyone had exchanged morning greetings. [What can we expect now?]

The question was directed at Hasekitsu, and Chou joined Nifuji in giving the repeat Player an expectant look. Hotaru was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, but she joined in best she could. Hasekitsu's grin looked wider and more feral than ever. "Today's the big finale, so we've gotta put that to good use, yeah? That means it's our opportunity to go and fight the big boss Game Master."

Though she should have been focusing on what that practically meant for the Mission, Chou couldn't help but feel a touch of excitement. Getting the opportunity to take out her frustrations on Daikoku was exactly what her vindictiveness had ordered. She punched a fist into the opposite palm. "Well what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go kick some ass."

As if it had been waiting for her to say so, the Mission arrived on their phones in a short cacophony of different ring tones. Final Quest: Complete the grand finale and defeat the Dungeon Master at the Station Underpass for the chance to obtain the ultimate treasure. You have three hours. Erasure awaits those who fail.

[That's that. We should get moving then.]

"H-hold on!" Hotaru said just before Hasekitsu and Nifuji took off. "It's just the four of us here. What about Yoshiya-san and his Partner?"

"Look, I get what you're saying, Tsukiko-kun," Hasekitsu said, sounding calm—though his bouncing leg indicated he wanted nothing more than to get a move on, "but I can tell you these Day Seven missions are never just a straight shot. We're going to need to work our way through at least one stupid Wall or fight before we even get to the GM, and we don't wanna waste time. Either other Players will catch up, or we'll see them once we clear this thing. But hanging around in the Scramble isn't going to do anyone any sort of good."

Hotaru opened her mouth to protest again, but Chou caught her hand. "Come on, Nee-chan. Kiryu and his Partner have made it this far. He's too egotistical to just up and die now." Maybe she could have used a bit more tact, but Hasekitsu was right: they didn't have the time to worry about this stuff.

It took a few seconds, but Hotaru ultimately nodded, though the worry wasn't fully gone from her eyes. "Y-you're right. Let's go."

They set off en route towards their destination, pushing their way through the crowds and past the statue of Hachiko. As they tried to get to the station, however, they had an obstacle, and it wasn't in the form of anything as simple to take care of as a Wall. The Copycat Reaper had taken up sentry right in the middle of the road, and Chou got the feeling that avoiding her wasn't an option.

"Well, look who it is," she said in the same sing-song tones as usual. "We've got ourselves a nice little batch of Players. Down to the four of ya, huh? I at least expected that business casual guy to make it. He had some pretty smart moves."

Chou felt her blood start to boil at the mere mention of Kano, but Hasekitsu had stepped forward, his eyes darting over Nifuji's screen. "My Partner's made quite a good point. We don't have time to waste on banter. So are we fighting you this time, or are we fighting one of your little pets?"

Copycat shrugged. "As much as I would love to have a little tussle with you myself, I'm afraid the DM likes to handle things by the rulebook. So that means you get to have a taste of this!"

The Noise symbol appeared, a massive and hulking thing that Chou hardly got the opportunity to see before she was ripped into battle. What stood before her and Hasekitsu was a huge beast in the tattoo-rendered shape of a blue and red dragon that was easily taller than the two of them combined. Though most Noise were scary in some way, she'd gotten used to most of them. Seeing the creature before her was more than enough to send a fresh shudder of fear throughout her body.

"A Drake, huh?" Hasekitsu said, intertwining his fingers and stretching out his arms. "Been a while since I fought one of these. Tsukiko-kun, you ready to go?"

Remembering that she didn't have to fight the thing alone did a lot for Chou's nerves. "I don't have a choice whether I get to be ready or not!" she called back, getting ready to flex her Psyches.

"Fair enough, fair enough. Then let's get in our warmup before we take on DnD!"

Having fought enough battles at his side, Chou wasn't even remotely surprised when Hasekitsu charged straight at the monster. She focused on lying down back cover, first letting out a speaker-amplified shout to stun the thing, and then sending a barrage of projectiles straight into the Drake's side. It was her first time using the new pins that Hasekitsu had let her borrow in battle, and Chou could tell these ones happened to pack much more of a punch than her previous ones. Thank fuck Hasekitsu's a hoarder—whoa!

While she was doing more damage, the Drake was also much tougher than any of their previous opponents, and it was still able to move to sweep its tail across them both. Chou had enough distance that she was able to dodge, but Hasekitsu was closer, and he took a much heavier blow. He was back up a few beats later, though, already dropping down rocks from the sky in an attempt to restrain the Drake's movements.

The Noise somewhat slowed down, but Hasekitsu wasn't doing enough damage on his own. Chou pushed down the fear that was building up in her throat and charged forward to add in some punches. The combined assault helped with restraining the Drake, though all it would take was one little slip-up on their part would be all it took to put them both in immediate range of a counterattack. Hasekitsu's ice spears caught the Drake from below, lifting it into the air, and Chou pressed the advantage.

Thousand Needles!

The new addition to her pin deck had come from Hasekitsu's stash, and Chou felt a satisfying rush as hundreds of small and pointy projectiles converged on the enemy Noise. While such small weapons normally wouldn't have stood a chance against a dragon, the Psych reinforced blows were plenty to add to the damage dealt. Chou allowed herself one moment to smirk at the effectiveness of the new ability, and she almost missed the oncoming buildup of fire in the Drake's maw.

The flames looked just as made of tattoos and graffiti as the Noise did, but that didn't stop them from burning like hell. Chou choked out as much of a scream as possible with pure burning heat invading her throat. The Drake couldn't keep up the attack forever, but the damage it did cause was immense. Even Hasekitsu looked rather worse for wear, but he activated a healing psyche, downed the can that materialized, and kept going.

Hotaru must have done the same on the opposite end of the Noise Plane, because Chou experienced feeling melting back into her nerve endings not too long after. She gritted her teeth, got back on her feet, and rushed forward to knock the Noise back before it could take another sweep at Hasekitsu with its tail.

"Like we have time to waste on crappy opponents like you!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Tsukiko-kun!"

The shout was more than enough to stun the dragon, and Hasekitsu lifted up a nearby truck to launch at the Drake at the same time Chou unleashed her needle Psyche once more. With Hotaru and Nifuji presumably also attacking from the other side, that final assault was all it took to erase the Noise and bring them back to the UG.

Chou didn't even bother to look for the Copycat Reaper, instead focusing on the rest of the collected Players. "Let's get a move on before someone else tries to be a stupid roadblock. Come on, Nee-chan!"

Hotaru looked a bit winded but quickly matched Chou's pace. "R-right!"

Once we're done kicking Daikoku's ass, I'm not going to run for as long as I can help it. All this rushing around is pissing me off. I'm tired of living life under a time limit.

The shadows of the Station Underpass spread a heavenly coolness over Chou's sweat-slicked skin, but there wasn't much time to rest. Daikoku had set the place as the stage for their final battle, so the GM had to be somewhere nearby. Hotaru was staring down the opposite end of the underpass, her gaze half-focused, half-glazed. Chou grabbed onto her sister's hand. "You alright, Nee-chan? We're almost home free."

Hotaru shook her head out. "S-sorry. I promise I'm fine." Chou could have argued against that statement—like either of them couldn't tell when the other twin was thinking about something else—but it wouldn't have done too much good. Not a lot of people would have guessed it, but Hotaru could be damn stubborn when she wanted to be. "Like you said, we're almost done. Once we survive this…"

"Well, assuming you do survive this." As few in number as they had been, Chou had heard Daikoku's voice more than enough times to recognize it echoing against the Underpass's walls. He emerged into blue with a flourish of his cape and a flick of his bright blue hair. "I mean, I'm obviously all for dramatic victories, but I'm not a big fan of losing. Dungeon Master pride and all that."

"What a coincidence," Hasekitsu said, his whole expression lit up at the prospect of the fight to come, "I like to play to win, too. And since I haven't quite gotten quite enough kicks out of this little Game of yours, I'm going to have to put up a fight." Chou didn't bother to say anything more, just added her glare to the conversation. Daikoku could understand how she felt through some one-on-one time with her fists.

The Game Master shrugged. "Too bad we couldn't recruit you for our side. You would have made a fun piece to include. But no sense talking about the post-game if you haven't even beaten the final boss yet."

Nifuji stepped forward, his expression set. [Then let's go ahead and fight. Unless you're stalling for time because you think we're going to beat you.]

Daikoku's easygoing smile shifted into a smirk. "If you insist."

With a few deft movements, he had undone the golden fastenings around his neck, letting his cloak whip free in the stirring wind. Skeletal wings sprouted from his back, stretching wide before they started to grow larger, Daikoku Masato's entire form starting to shift into something much bigger than it looked like the Station Underpass could handle.

The last battle of the Reaper's Game had begun.

Hotaru's ears felt as if they were filled to the brim with pure sound. The song in her mind had been growing ever larger since they started the day, and it had only increased in volume. Now in front of the transformed Game Master, Hotaru felt as if she were standing directly next to a speaker at one of the concerts Chou would occasionally take her to.

When facing the earlier dragon Noise, Hotaru had felt intimidated. That Noise had nothing on what she faced now. Daikoku's unrestrained power sent an overwhelming pressure over the area, and his shape had grown to that of a five-headed western dragon with scales of a bright blue and the occasional accent of red along his body. Daikoku could focus a head on each of them and still have plenty of leeway.

Draco Cantus.

The dragon drew in a breath. "Now then. Let's see how lucky you Players are."

Something crashed into the ground, sending a massive vibration like an earthquake through the Underpass. Hotaru managed not to fall over, but she couldn't do much to move, either. By the time Hotaru got her wits about her to try and cast a Psyche, she found her joints locked into place.

I can't move?!

She tried to look around to see if the others were in the same position—but then she realized that she was the only one around. The other had to be up against the Noise, too, she could feel them in the same way she felt Chou on the opposite end of the Noise Plane whenever they went into battle. Daikoku must have been powerful enough to split them up even further than usual, making coordination near impossible. Up against someone like the Game Master, who far outclassed any of the Reapers they had battled so far, that lack of teamwork could be deadly.

No, trust your Partner. I trust Nee-chan, and I trust Nifuji-san and Hasekitsu-san. We've made it this far. I… I don't want to lose!

"Initiative set," said Daikoku, his voice warped, "And I have the first set of attacks. Let's see how well you all can survive."

The dragon head on the far right was the first to move, and it dove straight for Hotaru. The odd paralysis in her limbs had faded, and Hotaru was just able to slip out of the way of the strike—though she did get a far-too-close view of watching Daikoku's massive teeth tear into the tiled floor as if it were nothing more than a dessert. The second assault by the middle head, on the other hand, managed to hit home, striking with a massive force that send Hotaru rolling across the ground. She used that momentum to her advantage, spinning out of the way of the next blow. When she tried to fire off an attack, her lighting went wide, crashing into the ceiling instead of her intended target.

Daikoku didn't even hesitate to follow up on the opening, two sets of jaws lashing out and catching Hotaru between them. A whimper spilled out of her throat, but she managed to concentrate enough in desperation to summon a pyre of flames that scorched her opponent and set her free long enough to use a quick healing Psyche before preparing for whatever was about to come next.

One of the heads let out a great roar and slumped over, looking almost as if it had fallen asleep in the middle of battle—or if someone else had knocked it out. Hotaru felt a rush of relief for all of five seconds—until the head closest to it also let out a roar, the fallen head resurrecting in the green glow of a psyche. The heads could resurrect each other, which meant that they could end up in a never-ending loop of fighting, either falling by sheer attrition or by expiring their time limit.

No, don't think like that. If we keep hammering them, we catch Daikoku off guard and make our way through this!

Concentrating her aim, sent off another Lightning Rook, her aim holding true and blasting into the newly resurrected head and the one that had healed it. Watching another head slump before rising again, Hotaru summoned a fresh vortex of flames and concentrated on the head to her far right. She pushed the Psyche as far as she could—until she caught the sight of static starting to leak from its scales and backed up. She wasn't sure if the others would notice, but if they could all hold off and maybe coordinate—

The head that she spared snapped back at Hotaru, breathing a steady stream of azure blue flames onto the battlefield. Hotaru was lucky enough to dodge the first set of jaws that came after her, but not the second. She tried to retaliate by summoning a fresh attack, but getting launched across the underpass didn't do too many favors for her concentration, and the fire died out before it could become an eruption. Her vision started to go blurry, and the shapes of the others started to take place on the battlefield, even though they were in separate planes.

No, Hotaru realized after she tried to blink the afterimages from her eyes, I can see them. They were still separated across the Noise plane, sure, but what she was looking at were the shapes of the other Players. Nifuji and Hasekitsu weren't having much luck with getting their attacks to land, especially since the remainder of Daikoku's heads were running interference, trying to trigger a resurrection to refresh their strength. Chou was trying to launch a fresh attack, but she, too flew across the room on the receiving end of a headbutt. She landed next to Hotaru, cursing, their bodies close in everything but plane of existence.

"Nee-chan," Hotaru said. Chou didn't look up at her voice, unable to see or hear her twin. Hotaru reached out for Chou's hand anyways, letting the familiar contact soothe her for a moment before standing up and shooting off a magma plume beneath one of the heads that was still in relatively good shape. Since she hadn't had much of a chance to use the pin since she got it from Hasekitsu, Hotaru had overestimated the power she'd need to damage Draco Cantus without fatally injuring the head, and she bit the inside of her cheek in frustration for overdoing it.

Chihiro and Hasekitsu managed to make their next moves in neat synchronization, a series of punches and the crash of a meteor targeting the head furthest on the left with enough force to stun it, too, down to the wire. Daikoku roared again, preparing to set off another round of resurrection, and Hotaru scrambled to try and cast a Psyche before—

"Oh, like hell am I putting up with any more of this bullshit," Chou said, her voice echoing across the battlefield. Hotaru looked back to her sister: her tights torn, wounds leaking static everywhere, one pigtail free from its hair tie. In her hand was a pin, white glow pulsing between her clenched fingers, and Hotaru could feel the psyche reach out all the way to her, asking for the second half to complete it. "Just go down when we put you down and don't be such a sore loser!

"Nee-chan, let's show 'em what we've got!"

"This is so we can make it home!"

The last time she'd been around a Fusion, Hasekitsu and Nifuji had been the ones executing it—and, even then, their collective power had brought such an intense darkness over the world it wasn't like Hotaru had much of a way to describe it. But when it came to sharing the moment with Chou, everything was different. The energy streamed between them, their own song overpowering the ever-pressing melody that had been echoing through Hotaru's mind.

The whole world shifted from orange to yellow, and Chou spread out her arms. Thousands of millions of needles covered the ground and Draco Cantus, like an unending swarm of angry wasps. The silver points sparkled in the light—until Hotaru put a full charge of electricity into the attack, the sheer brightness almost too much for her to look at as a deadly voltage coursed through every little lightning rod Chou had set the playing field with.

The massive form of Draco Cantus shook from the attack, its large body writhing until it shifted to an afterimage of static in the shape of a dragon before the entire thing exploded. In the midst of that sound, Hotaru could have sworn she heard Daikoku's chuckle.

"Now that's…what I call a game…worth playing…"

The willpower that had been keeping Hotaru upright melted straight out of her body, and she fell towards the ground—and she bumped right into Chou in the process, who was doing the same thing. Though they no longer had the injuries from the fight, adrenaline could only do so much to keep the weariness away from them. Somewhere in the middle of sinking to the tiled floor together, Hotaru and Chou's hands came together.

They'd made it.

They'd completed the final Mission.

We survived.

Before, a week had seemed like no time at all, just an ordinary span of seven days. It was still hard to believe how much had happened, while at the same time it had seemed like an eternity. But despite everything they'd faced and how much they'd lost, they'd made it all the way to the end. All that was left was to go home.

"Not bad, not bad. Been a while since I've seen a couple of newbies take down the GM like that. Usually that falls to me." Hasekitsu had made his way to stand nearby, his tall height seeming even more like a skyscraper from Hotaru's place on the ground. "It's a shame we gotta cycle out the management each time, though. I would've liked to have a one-on-one with him at some point."

Nifuji shook his head, then directed his phone screen to the twins. [You two did do great, though. I'm glad you managed to pull off that Fusion when you did. I was worried we were going to have to wear him down all over again.]

Chou raised an eyebrow. "Says the duo who went ahead and took down another head even though it could have just come back a bit later."

Hasekitsu pulled a pin from his pocket and flipped it like a coin. "That's what we call a preventative measure, Tsukiko-kun. If we hadn't weakened that one for ya, I dunno if your grand finale could have finished it off."

"I'm just glad that it's over with," Hotaru said. She'd had enough of running for her life—of being so close to watching people disappear right in front of her eyes. She wanted time to put distance between her and the events, so they could rip at her heart as much as they could now. "Hasekitsu-san, what happens next? We've beaten the Game, so…"

"So then next is the closing ceremonies. Which should happen in about three, two, one…"

And just in time with Hasekitsu's countdown, the whole world went white.

No matter how much Chou tried to blink her eyes, everything stayed unbearably bright. Sure, she got the impression that there were some structures in the distance, and the ground beneath her was a concrete gray, but everything looked as if someone had cranked the saturation on a photograph up to eleven, blurring out the immediate background and making everything a damn eyesore.

The good news was that she and Hotaru had pretty much landed beside each other, almost in the same position as before, save for being on their feet. Hasekitsu and Nifuji were nearby as well, and it looked as if it were just the four of them in the room.

No, that was wrong.

He emerged from the light like a few slithering strokes of a paintbrush: a tall man with washed-out and nearly gray skin, dark hair to his shoulders, and large sunglasses sitting over his eyes. Even his suit was dark, though it shimmered in a pattern not unlike snakeskin, the jacket resting over a white button up. The only thing really giving his ensemble a real pop of color was the cherry red headphones hanging around his neck.

His presence sent a shiver down Chou's spine, and Hotaru beside her didn't look much better.

"Hey there, Megs. Nice to see you again," Hasekitsu said with none of anyone else's hesitation. Even Nifuji didn't seem to have the capacity to look exasperated over his Partner's antics. "Well, everyone. This guy over here is the Conductor. He's the one that'll let us know the results of the Game and send us on our merry way."

Conductor, huh? Presumably higher up than Daikoku. Chou couldn't decide if this guy was worth any of her anger over the unfairness of the Reaper's Game—or if she was willing to spend her energy on him whenever they were so damn close to being over with the whole thing.

"W-wait a minute, please!" Hotaru said, her shoulders shaking. "This shouldn't be all of us. There's at least one more Pact left! E-even if they didn't complete the Mission, the rest of us did, so they should be here, too."

The Conductor regarded her with an impassive expression. "I don't know where you got that impression. We as the Reapers observe the Game throughout its entirety. You four have been the only remaining Players since Day Five. A rather persistent bunch, though I shouldn't be surprised with Hasekitsu Nepuro among you this time."

Hotaru shook her head. "That's not right at all! I-I saw them, and the others did, too. Y-Yoshiya-san was talking to us just yesterday, there's no way—"

"I don't know what sort of irregularity you experienced, Tsukiko Hotaru, but you're mistaken—"

"I'm not!"

"Nee-chan," Chou said, reaching out for Hotaru, unused to seeing her act so worked up. It just wasn't something she did. Chou managed to take hold of Hotaru's shoulders, turning her twin to face her. "Nee-chan, I know this is weird, but it doesn't matter. We all saw Kiryu, too, but he's not as important as getting back home. You said you wanted to survive, and we just need to—"

"It does matter. Yoshiya-san was there, just like we were, he should be able to go home, too." There were tears welling up in Hotaru's eyes, spilling down her cheeks. "He—he's not gone, Nee-chan, I would have been able to hear it—"

"Megumi," a voice that seemed to come from the room and echo throughout it all at once said, "I'll handle this one."

The Conductor looked up, shock seeping into the visible corners of his expression. "Sir. I couldn't possibly as for You to—"

"It's fine. You've done more than enough. Or are you questioning my judgement?"

No way, Chou thought as her brain sluggishly picked up on the cadence and tone of the words. No way, no fucking way. I'm hearing things. I've got to be. After so much stress in one week, it wouldn't be surprising if she was imagining the sound, because what she thought she was hearing was impossible.

"Of course not," the Conductor said, his words sounding half like a sigh. "I'll thank You for the opportunity to allow me to retire from work early this week. Farewell, Players." And before any of their number could ask for an explanation, the Conductor had slithered back out through the light the exact same way he had slithered in.

And in his place was a new presence.

Chou didn't know why she'd bothered to feel worried about the Drake, about Daikoku's Noise form, about the Conductor. The presence before them was much more than all of that combined, and the brightness of the room seemed dim in comparison to the vague impression of a person that was pacing towards the Players, like a hunter approaching its prey.

"Yoshiya-san," Hotaru said, her soft whisper sounding resigned.

"Oh, you recognize me even like this? I'm a bit impressed." The voice they'd heard echoing before started to shift in tone, along with the figure's shape, shifting back into the boyish figure of Kiryu they all recognized. "Ah, and let me also thank you for trying to stand up to Megumi for me, though it wasn't about to get you anywhere. You really are adorable, Hotaru-chan."

"You managed to throw me off guard, though," Hasekitsu said. He was trying to sound as casual as ever, but even Chou could pick up on the faint strain in his words. "I mean, I knew you were suspicious, but I didn't expect you to end up being someone like the Composer."

A whimper slipped out of Hotaru's throat, while Chou clenched her teeth, trying to control her frustration and anger for all of five seconds before she decided it wasn't even worth it. She turned to Hasekitsu first. "If you knew something was up with him, why the hell didn't you say anything?"

Hasekitsu raised an eyebrow. "Look, Tsukiko-kun, I'm pretty sure I made it clear that I'm just in the Reaper's Game because it's interesting, yeah? I don't have a problem with unexpected things happening if it means I get to experience something exciting."

Chou scoffed. Arguing with Hasekitsu wouldn't do much good, and it wasn't like he was the one who'd started the whole mess in the first place. Fists clenched tight, she rounded back on Kiryu. "Then what the fuck was your deal? Infiltrate your own damn Game, come and laugh at us as we scrambled for our lives while you had a front row seat, huh?"

"Now, now, Chou-chan," Kiryu said, flicking some hair out of the way to better show off his smirk. "You've already decided you won't like me. It doesn't matter what excuse I decide to give; your reaction's going to be the same. Why don't we skip over the formalities, hm?"

If that was what Kiryu wanted, it was what he was going to fucking get. Chou rolled her shoulders and got ready to launch a punch, but Nifuji grabbed onto her arm and shook his head. [Don't be so hasty. If we mess with him, there's a chance it could nullify our whole Game.] Chou was temped to say screw any sense of logic, but Hotaru was also looking at her, wide-eyed and panicked, so she huffed and let Nifuji reign her in. Satisfied, he directed his next line of text at Kiryu. [So what does your involvement mean for our Reaper's Game? If you weren't playing to come back to life, what does that do to the rest of us?]

"Not a bad eye, Chihiro-kun." Chou blinked, realizing that she'd never heard Nifuji's full name before. Kiryu began to pace, still as casual as if they were still on the streets of Shibuya instead of in some strange, washed out location in the afterlife. "I'll admit, my playing around did upset the Processors a bit, but I hardly did anything to impact your success. You four will basically have unaffected results—though I suppose that really only matters to the three of you, since Nepuro-kun is just going to ask for a fresh round to play."

Hasekitsu nodded. "You know me so well."

"But wh-what about your Partner?" Hotaru asked, still shaking. "They were with you, so then they—"

"Oh, goodness, has it not occurred to you that I was lying? I mean, you never actually saw me with a Partner, now did you. You're very trusting, aren't you, Hotaru-chan?" Kiryu flashed her a look that had enough audacity to be something like a smile, and Chou was starting to regret not just decking him when she had the chance. Hotaru dropped her head, the tips of her ears tinting pink in shame. "But since you're so worried, there wasn't ever a Partner in the first place. So, no, I didn't ruin anyone else's chance of survival just because I decided to try and give myself a little entertainment."

Chou felt her anger spike up even further. "Is that what this fucking was for you? Some entertainment?"

"I did warn you that you weren't going to like whatever answer I gave, didn't I?"

"You're the one who made this unfair, shitty Game, and you have the gal to say watching people scramble for their lives is fucking entertainment?!"

Kiryu's violet eyes narrowed into dangerous slits that stopped any further sound from erupting out of Chou's throat. "You seem to have a lot of opinions on the subject for someone who's only still around because of my Game. Without it, people like you would have been gone the moment your bodies in the RG expired. Here, they at least have a chance of surviving. Would you rather you and your precious sister not still be here at all?"

Chou grit her teeth but couldn't retort. If it weren't for the Reaper's Game, she wouldn't have even had the opportunity to come back to life, and neither would Suzu. But with Chou's Entry Fee, had she ended up killing Hotaru as well? How much of her family's grief and sorrow was Chou's fault, just because she'd had the opportunity to join the Reaper's Game?

Nifuji stepped forward. [No offense, but none of this matters in the long run, does it? We can debate philosophy all we want, but it doesn't change the fact that we've played the Game and won. That means we should get our rewards.]

Kiryu didn't even bother to look at Nifuji's phone but responded to the words well enough. "Yes, I'm sure you want your Entry Fee back, don't you, Chihiro-kun? Well, that's traditionally taken care of after we announce the final rankings, so let's see how you all did." Kiryu shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them once more with the same smug smile. "Nepuro-kun's going to just want to play again, so no sense in worrying about that. As for the rest of you…

"It looks like congratulations are in order, Hotaru-chan."

A few beats of silence passed as Chou processed the words. She could have felt a million things in that moment, but the first to make sense to her was relief. Nee-chan made it. Thank goodness. So long as at least Hotaru was okay, then it would all be worth it.

"N-no." Chou almost didn't recognize Hotaru's voice. "No, that can't be right! Everyone else worked just as hard as I did—no, they worked harder!" Hotaru clung onto her pin pouch, her voice steadily escalating in pitch and desperation. "I can't be the only one, Yoshiya-san; that's not fair—"

Kiryu held up a hand, silencing Hotaru with one smooth gesture. "This isn't a Game that's about who works the hardest, Hotaru-chan. Not that I plan to go around revealing all the details of how it does work to a bunch of Players. But it doesn't change the fact that you're the one who met the qualifications to return to life. That's not something everyone can do."

"B-but… I…"

"As for the rest of you, I'm sure Nepuro-kun's already told you your options." Kiryu started counting up on his fingers. "You can join him for another round in the Game. New Entry Fee, new chance to try again and go back to life. You can decide to join up with the Reapers—don't look so disgusted Chou-chan." Chou flipped Kiryu the bird. "And, of course, if none of that appeals to you, there's always Erasure. So long as it's one of those, then the choice is yours. I can give you a little time to think it through, but I figure you've already decided, haven't you?"

Chou had already decided. It wasn't a conscious choice, but her mind had been working at the problem ever since Nifuji had mentioned the options. Sure, the ideal was going back home right away, but if that wasn't an option for the moment—Well, I've lived through this Game once and Hasekitsu's been at it for several months. It'll suck, but surely I can make it through one more time.

[No matter what option we take, we get our Entry Fees back?]

"Yes," Kiryu said, "though if you choose to play again, that return might just be temporary."

Nifuji's breath caught in his throat for a moment, and Chou recognized the uncertainty in his posture. "Well, I'm not going to just sit around and work for your fucked up system here," Chou said, trying to give Nifuji some more time to think things through. Kiryu glanced to her, and even Hasekitsu raised an eyebrow. "I'd rather die as a Player than enable this afterlife shit show."

"Then me, too!" Hotaru stepped forward again. "Just because I won the right to go back to life doesn't mean I have to, right? I'll play as Nee-chan's Partner one more time."

Kiryu opened his mouth, but Chou grabbed onto Hotaru's shoulders first. "Are you out of your mind?! Like hell am I going to let you do that, Nee-chan. You earned that. Go back to Mom and Dad. I'll be able to follow behind you, but I'm not about to let you risk getting Erased again when you don't have to!"

In most other circumstances, Hotaru would acquiesce to the other party in an argument, but right then and there she squared her shoulders and screwed up her face. "And I'm just supposed to sit there and act like life is normal while you're running around trying to not die?!" She smacked her fist against Chou's sternum. "We're sisters, Chou! Twins! If you think I'm about to leave you alone to deal with this, then you're—you're being stupid!"

"Better than being a dumbass who'd give up the chance to go back to life without even knowing if they'd get another shot!"

"I'd rather not have another shot if it means going back alone!"

"You're being impossible!"

"You're the one who won't let me help you!"

"If I may offer another option," Kiryu said, his mellow tone more than enough to get Chou and Hotaru to step back from being in each other's faces, "I propose a game."

Chou sneered. "And what makes you think we'd want anything to do with that?"

"Tell me, Chou-chan, who do you think is the one responsible for bringing successful winners of the Reaper's Game back to life?"

"The Composer," Hotaru said.

"Very good. Now, because I'm in charge, that means I get a certain amount of…discretion when it comes to deciding who goes back to life. Of course, I do follow the rules." Kiryu could say that all he liked, but Chou still felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine. "No sense in having a Game otherwise, but I digress. Since you two are so passionate about this subject, why don't I let you play to decide which one of you goes back to life?"

Chou and Hotaru might have been bickering a few moments before, but they still both tensed up in unison. Given everything else Kiryu had lied about, Chou wanted to believe that the offer was nothing more than a bluff. However, considering the entertained look on his face, Kiryu was just as likely to set this sort of thing up just to amuse himself with the results.

Like hell I'm going to let him trap Hotaru here. But she really would fight to stay back and play one more time with me, and I can't let her do that, either. So, if it's the only way to get her to go—

"Interested, hm?" Kiryu asked, though neither of them had said anything. "Well, let's make this simple, shall we? I already know what you both want out of this little exchange, so…" Kiryu raised a hand, which was empty one moment and had a revolver in it the next. It was the same model Chou had seen some of the Reapers use, but having a gun so close to her was enough to make fear finally break through everything else and race through her body. Hasekitsu whistled from the sidelines, and even Nifuji looked smaller than usual. "I'll count down from ten, and then I'm going to fire once. Whoever gets hit stays, and whoever's uninjured gets to go back. Of course, if you try to stick it out together and both avoid it… Ah, let's call that a 'dealer's choice,' shall we? Ready now?

"Ten."

Kiryu continued counting, just slow enough for dramatic tension but also too fast for there to be any time to think. Chou and Hotaru glanced at each other at the same time, but neither of them could get any words out—not that Chou was trying. Sure, getting shot seemed like it would hurt like a bitch, and there was no guarantee Kiryu would hold true on his word. But letting Hotaru take the bullet so Chou could come back to life alone wasn't going to be acceptable, either. Hotaru had already proposed the option of the two of them going through the Game together one more time, and maybe that would be the best chance at survival they'd have.

But sorry, Nee-chan.

"Three."

Chou tensed her muscles, getting ready to move.

"Two."

I'm too selfish to let that be how this story goes.

"One."

She didn't have the power of her Psyches on her side, but Chou could still pack a punch. One quick hit to the gut was all it took for Hotaru to fall backwards. Chou didn't look back, didn't have breath to waste on an apology, even as Hasekitsu let out a surprised shout. She ran for Kiryu head on, only catching a glimpse of his grin before she chickened out watching the moment it happened and shut her eyes.

"Zero."

The bang was deafening, but the pain was much more important to her body's awareness, and Chou hit the floor, her eyes shocked wide open as she stared at the infinitely high ceiling above.

Waking up in the middle of Scramble Crossing, Tsukiko Hotaru, the sole survivor of her first Reaper's Game, cried.

[The Future Is in Sight]

[Return to the Present – 725 Days Forward]

[Author's Notes]

Hello, and welcome to the Muse Season Two finale. Hope you're doing well.

Thanks go out to She Who Loves Pineapples and Chronic Guardian for the reviews on the last chapter, as well as the general support you've given me this season. Additionally, lots of thanks to the rest of the Sauce Project crew and the Shibuya discord for being amazing. It's truly because of all of you that this story finally got off the ground, so I gotta pay my dues!

Okay, yes. This end to this week. I've been sitting on it for a while. Like, a long while. Probably since close to the beginning of planning this fic and definitely for the past few years. And it's in print now, so no time to go back! (Stick around for the bonus for a cool Season Three teaser!)

When it comes to fun facts about this chapter, the only thing I can provide is that I wrote the Daikoku Boss Battle using actual dice. There were...a lot of failed attacks in that run. Hopefully the final version of this still feels smooth overall. I mean, why have a DM GM if you're not going to go the extra mile. Also, for trivia: Daikoku's version of Draco Cantus is more aesthetically similar to Tiamat than Megumi's version at the end of the game. Daikoku's Imagination leans more towards Western than Eastern fantasy.

Getting in my obligatory promotion, this story is the result of the [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] challenge, which will still be in progress after the posting of this chapter. There's some great works going on right now and in the archives, and they're well worth your attention. 10/10 would recommend.

On another TWEWY-related note, I also have a poetry fanfic collection by the name of Noise. One of my goals for 2020 was to finish that project up, and I've completed the drafts, so it'll be updating every other week continuing from next Saturday. I have some pieces I'm really proud of, so I'd be honored if you'd check that out.

And, lastly, Season Three of Muse will be part of next year's [SOSS] challenge, so please look forward to it next winter. Season Three will be the final arc, and I hope to make it worth all the hype! So, as per usual, please look forward to it!

-Avi

[02.17.2020]

The Seventh Day Bonus Episode

"Reunion & Reveal"

"Allow me to introduce the GM in charge of our Muse Game: Tendo Suzumebachi."

The words were really meaningless. Yoshiya needn't even bothered with an introduction. It could have been two centuries rather than two years, and Hotaru still would've recognized the Game Master now standing before her.

"Nee-chan."

Their voices overlapped, both Tsukiko twins speaking at the same time. They were only a meter apart on the concrete, but Hotaru felt as if there were a greater distance between them. Chou had put up so many walls around herself, enough to take on an alias as the fallen Suzume, and Hotaru wasn't sure she could reach across the gulf that was separating them even further than things like UG and RG ever could.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

"Nee-chan," Hotaru said, stepping forward. Beneath her unkempt bangs, Chou's brown eyes followed her movements. "I missed you so much. I-I mean, it was tough coming back, but I've been doing okay. Well, maybe that's hard to believe considering I'm in the Game again, but I promise…that…"

"That's enough," Chou said, and her voice was harder than before, forced to an edge that sounded like a chipped knife in audio form—sharp, but still jagged, broken. "I… We don't have time to do this. The past doesn't matter here because right now, you're a Player, and I'm the Game Master."

"But that's—"

"Goodness, dear, you're being rather cruel to Hotaru-chan here," Yoshiya said, slipping into the conversation from the sidelines, just like before. "I mean, when she came to talk with me and Sanae, one of her biggest concerns was your wellbeing—"

Chou stomped the ground with a snarl. "I don't want to hear anything else from you!" Hotaru winced, and Yoshiya watched on with an unimpressed gaze. "I'm not done yet, Kiryu. You may have manipulated things into your fucking favor, but I'm still the damn GM, and I'm not going to let you take anything else from me!" She pivoted on her heel, sending up her hair in a curtain and showing off the stretch of her skeletal Reaper wings.

Hotaru tried to push past the shock coursing through her veins to say something else. "Hold on, please wait—"

"Nee-chan," Chou said, her voice sounding more rust than blade in the moment that Hotaru felt the drowsiness of the end of the day started to wash over her, "I'm sorry. I didn't want this. But for now, please just trust me. I promise:

"No matter what happens, I'm going to keep you safe."