On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Eighty-One

“Bro, bro, what the hell kept you! Eri, Shaeula, hurry!” My sis was literally bouncing with excitement, a very strange sight as she was wearing red and white hakama. Kana was beside her, along with her friends Asami-san and Mio-san. Takagi-san, normally the shiest of the group, was pink-cheeked and excited as my sis, badgering her friend Maiko-san and the slightly bemused looking Marika-san about the upcoming concert. There were several girls I didn’t recognise there, one my sister’s age, with short brown hair and brown eyes, freckles all over her face giving her a slightly cute look, while there was a younger girl too, her dark hair pulled into twin-tails, reminding me a bit of Keomi-chan. Speaking of, where’s Keomi-chan? I haven’t seen her since this morning.

“You know we were busy.” I chided her. “You should behave more dignified in front of other people.”

She shot me a flat look. “Oh really bro? Sure, sure. You don’t get to tell me that! Besides, if I’m not excited now, when can I be? First I managed to get some classes this morning, and now I’m going to see Red and White live, and even get to meet them afterwards!” she was bubbling with happiness. “Oh yeah, these two are Ito-san…” the older girl nodded politely. “… and Tamura-san.”

“Hello there, pleased to meet you.” she said politely, her eyes a little wide looking at the kimono-clad Shaeula.

“These two are from Kanda-Myojin shrine, just like the lead for Red and White, Tamami-sama!” my sis continued to gush, and I felt second-hand embarrassment just by watching her.

“Sorry about my sister.” I apologised to the two girls I didn’t know. “She isn’t normally this bad, she must really like this idol group. Tamami-sama… heh.”

“Well, we don’t mind. To be honest, everybody loves Tamami-chan!” the younger girl, Tamura-san said. “She’s so cool, and yet she still works as a shrine maiden at our shrine, despite being so busy!”

“Yeah.” Ito-san agreed. “Big sis Tamami, you wouldn’t think she’s an idol, she’s very down-to-earth. The other two as well, they come to train at the shrine sometimes. Ugh, the crowds then though…”

“So have you been to Kanda-Myojin shrine, big brother?” Tamura-san asked me, and the way she addressed me made me a little uncomfortable, but as the adult here I let it go. On seeing the look of mild discomfort on my face, Kana burst out laughing, followed by my hyperactive sis.

“See, I told you he’d react like that! You want to be careful, Tamura-san. He’s a major siscon, don’t trigger his flags!”

“Well, now we’ve all had a laugh at my expense…” I changed the subject. “As it happens, yes, I’ve been to the shrine a few times. I visit Akihabara on occasion, and the shrine steps are pretty famous in certain circles, right?”

“You mean in anime, right?” Ito-san agreed. “They’ve been featured in a few, yes. And we get a lot of tourists, foreign ones too. So, if you go to Akihabara, are you an otaku?” her smile was gently mocking.

“I do not-not know why that term is so insulting.” Shaeula mused, interjecting. “I find your anime most-most entertaining.”

“Oh god, she’s as cute as Tamami-chan!” Ito-san squealed then, and Tamura-san agreed. As they fussed over Shaeula, marvelling at her hair and eyes, I looked for someone who could give me an answer as to why they were with us.

“Seems like we are a little bit like celebrities around here.” Kana said, a touch proud, and her friends giggled in agreement. “Word went around about the training school and us being part of it, and what we can do, and then…”

“It’s not fair. You always favour Kana!” Mio-san teased me. “Now she can throw balls of light out of her hands! I mean, I don’t know what it is useful for…”

“… but it’s not fair that Kana gets to and we don’t!” Asami-san came in close, grabbing my arm teasingly.

“Yes, why always Kana?” Mio-san grabbed my other arm, only for Eri to haul them both off, lifting them easily one-handed.

“No, not happening. Kana-san I can just about tolerate, but not you pair!” she declared.

“That’s discrimination, Eri-chan!” “Yes, discrimination!” they replied, laughing.

“It’s always… very lively.” Takagi-san observed, for once her presence front and centre. “But we don’t have time for this! We need to get good spots, or we won’t be able to see everything!”

“Hey, Marika-san.” I asked the youngest girl there, who was still a bit nervous being in a group of older, loud girls. “Do you know where Keomi-chan is? I would have thought that she’d want to be here for this.” They get on quite well at Shirohebizumi shrine, so she might know.

“No, I think she was with some of the other girls from the training school.” Marika-san shook her head, looking serious. “She is not answering her messages, but that is nothing new. Keomi-san is… well, I do not like to be rude, and she is very nice to me, but she can be a little careless at times.” Damn, that’s adorable. She’s always so serious.

“Yeah, Keomi-chan is the sort that would forget her head if it wasn’t screwed on.” Kana sighed. “I did ask the other girls from the training school if they wanted to tag along, but seems like most of them had plans. We’re meeting a few over there though.”

“Yes, come on, come on! Let’s go!” My sis declared, and with that I let them lead me towards the park opposite the Imperial Palace, where a temporary stage had been set up…

********

That’s surprisingly impressive. I looked at the large stage, complete with coloured spotlights and festival speaker towers. I’ve heard of guerrilla concerts, but this seems a step above the normal type of thing you see in Akiba.

The crowd was already pretty large, and tourists and residents of Kyoto seemed to have been attracted too, though the majority was the younger shrine personnel who had come for Conclave.

“Over here, here!” My sis declared, leading us to near the front of the stage. Hyacinth was waiting there, along with some more of the trainees from my school. I had asked her to make sure they got here safely, unable to shake my bad premonitions, but now they were here I could be relieved. Grulgor, Shirohebi, the Jade Beetle and the mercenaries under Treyvon are on alert, and I’ve told the adults to gather together, so everyone should be safe, even so…

“Master…” Hyacinth began, drawing nearly as many looks from the crowd as the large stage that had been erected. Well, she is pretty eye-catching, with that streaked hair and… the outfit. “I have escorted everyooone safely, though these were all there were.” Chiyo-san’s granddaughters were there, along with the four from Hachisen shrine and Akaiwashi, the older priest apprentice from the latter reminding me of Mine-san and Kinkawa-san, what with his bleached blonde hair and piercings. Is it me, or are there way too many who like delinquent fashion amongst the shrines and temples?

As we exchanged greetings, I noticed there were a number of others in the group as well, new acquaintances of my students they had met during the smaller Conclave sessions they attended. I made sure to give everyone my greetings, while Kana, looking annoyed, was on her phone trying to call Keomi-chan. After a while she gave up, shaking her head, irritated.

“The little airhead. It’s just ringing out. I wouldn’t have put it past her leaving it back at the ryokan.” She let out a long, peevish sigh.

“Well, doesn’t it look like anybody from Susanoo faction is here, from our group, anyway?” I asked. “Maybe she’s with them?”

“Aren’t we Susanoo?” Kana asked, and Marika-san nodded.

“Kind of?” I answered. “I think you’re whatever I am now. Well, I'm still a bit worried. Although I'm sure it isn't like Keomi-chan should be in any trouble." I said, taking no chances. "Hyacinth, can you go look for her? I don't think she'll have wandered off anywhere, she's probably still in the Imperial Palace." As Hyacinth agreed and pushed her way through the growing crowd, I watched her go, pensive. The premonition feels too strong for it to just be Keomi-chan in danger. Kana's right, she's probably just hanging out with new friends, like we are...

“That reminds me…” Eri said, speaking up. It didn’t look like she was too interested in idols, but she had been paying attention. “Which faction is Kanda-Myojin?”

“Tsukuyomi, or they might have been…” I said, realising what she meant. “Yeah, I don’t know, maybe they are under our faction now.”

“If that’s true, you should ask her to the training school!” Takagi-san declared suddenly. “To think we’d be able to train with Tamami-sama from Red and White!” she had a dreamy expression on her face.

“I know, right!” Mio-san agreed. “Damn, why wouldn’t she want to? After all, being an idol is brutal, gruelling work. The endless repetition, exercise and dieting. I bet having Chirurgery would make her an even better idol!”

Uh, the school isn’t for that sort of thing, although… my faction had just formed, so maybe putting in some effort to gain solid support from the bigger shrines would pay off. I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed in Hikawa-san and the Susanoo faction shrines. Sure, they’ve backed me, but they still seem to want to support Uchida-san over me…

“Damn, that makes me wonder, do you think I could be an idol, bro? That’d be awesome!” Aiko said, getting caught up in the moment.

“Why would you want to? I thought you wanted to be some sort of personal trainer and sports scientist.” Eri sighed.

“Besides…” Kana grinned. “Your brother would be all upset and jealous if you were an idol, all those boys and girls sending you love letters and going to handshake sessions. Though I bet he’d buy all your photobooks, especially the lewd ones!”

“Hey, Tamami-chan doesn’t do those!” Ito-san protested. “Well, Red and White have done some swimsuit issues, but they were tasteful!”

“She’s right!” Takagi-san added her own voice of complaint. “I have their most recent one. It’s not dirty, just cute!”

“There’s no way I’d buy lewd photos of my sister.” I shut that down.

“Yes, he’d get them for free…” Kana giggled, only for Aiko to strike back.

“Well, you should be an idol then, Kana-chan. You could do it with your school friends there. You’re all decently cute.”

“I’m not cute.” Takagi-san said, as my sis included her in the conversation.

“Well, maybe not on Kana-chan’s level, no, but you’re hardly ugly. Have some confidence. A bit of makeup, a different hairstyle, change your glasses a bit… and again, confidence. Besides, all the big groups need variety.” My sis said seriously. “Anyway, Kana-chan, maybe my bro would look at you more if you were dancing around in a frilly costume…”

As the girls bantered, the few boys with us embarrassed but also pleased to be in such attractive company, I gestured to the stage. “Looks like they are about to start.” The various technical staff required for the lighting rigs and speakers had left the stage, and moments later two machines on either side started spewing artificial fog, while the back floodlights came on, casting a deep shadow over the crowd.

“Oh god, here we go! Shit, pinch me Eri! I want… ouch, that hurt!” my sis babbled, while Eri looked satisfied, her fingers twitching as if she wished to do it again.

Well, I suppose I might as well see what all the fuss is about. I’ve seen a few idol events back in my university days, though nothing too big. It might be fun. Though… It was hard to be relaxed, considering my ominous feelings, but I had taken precautions, so… It wouldn’t be Keomi-chan, right? Surely not…

Three shadows could be seen in the fog, and the growing crowd was getting restless. It was then that red, green and blue lights shone, the spotlights piercing the dispersing fog, to reveal three girls on stage. Front and centre must have been Tamami-san. She was tall for a Japanese girl, and had reddish-brown hair pulled back into a sporty ponytail. She was wearing a headset and a long, flowing red dress with a white gradation on her skirt, and white ruffles around her decently-sized chest. Okay, yeah, she’s cute. I can see why she’s popular, assuming she can sing and dance well too.

The backing members were wearing similar dresses, just with the colours reversed, white with red accents. One was short and slender, with long legs, her dark hair pulled into twin-tail braids, while the other was of average height, again with a decent chest, and her hair was in a more traditional hime-cut, the bangs straight over her eyes.

“Hello everybody!” Tamami-chan called, and after a wave of cheers there was silence. She waved, winking cheerfully at the audience. “I’m Tamami!”

“I’m Kanako!” the short girl shouted.

“And I’m Tsubame!” the last said. “Together, we are…”

All three of them finished together. “Red and White, Shrine maiden idols who serve the Gods, as well as the fans!”

“Right, let’s go! This is our first song, and our most recent single, Arrow to the Heart! Girls, let’s go!”

With that music started blaring from the speaker towers, and the three of them started a perfectly choreographed dance routine, while Tamami-san was singing, the lyrics about making sure to strike first in love, a perfect shot to the heart.

… Draw back the bowstring, notching my arrow…

… I’ve got my target in sight, got to get it right…

… if I miss I’ll pick myself up and try again…

… I want to pierce your heart, so you’ll look at me…

I found my foot tapping along to the beat. They were good, Tamami-san especially, and the joy she had on her face as she sung was contagious. As the first song came to an end there was a brief pause as the idols started talking to the crowd, mentioning a bit about themselves and the reason they were doing a concert there today.

“She went to a shrine-affiliated school in Tokyo.” Kana whispered to me. “Not ours, more’s the pity. Unlike those noble girls and their Hanafubuki, we just have schools that have a bit of knowledge and a few extra lessons. Anyway, she started being an idol in high school with her two friends, and they are carrying it on now they are at university.”

“I see. Well, I enjoyed the first song.” I admitted. “So… is that the sort of life you wanted?”

She shook her head. “No, too hard. Being an idol is really difficult. Although…” she frowned, thinking. “… now I’ve decided to give being a shrine maiden my all, maybe I’m not so afraid of hard work anymore.”

“Well, you certainly have the beauty and the charm for it.” I said, and the annoyed look she gave me in return made me smile.

“Look, that’s so damn annoying. If you are going to keep complimenting me like that, why not ask me out? Otherwise it’s just frustrating.”

“Sorry Kana, but… whatever my feelings, it’s undeniable you’re beautiful. And getting more so every day. I’m not going to lie and play down your good sides.”

“Ugh, I never thought I’d feel sorry for Eri-chan, but… I do. Okay, just shut up and listen, the next song is starting, okay!”

“You can not-not expect Akio to be forward with his feelings, Kana. He is still rather shy. Though why, I do not-not know. Now, let us enjoy this. It is quite-quite different seeing it in person!” Shaeula was clinging to my arm, her amber eyes wide as she took in the show.

The second song was a bit slower, and followed by a third song which was more upbeat. When it was done, the girls on stage took a moment to rest and interact with the crowd, and surprisingly enough Tamami-san talked a bit about Kanda-Myojin shrine and the history behind it, which was quite interesting.

“… all right then, I’ve talked enough. We know what you are here for, so… it’s time for that song you’ve all been waiting for! It’s Red and White Paradise!”

At that the crowd cheered, the girls around me, especially my sister and Takagi-san, joining in, and suddenly the crowd was a sea of glowsticks around us, in red and white colours, naturally. Hey, even my sis has one… on seeing my look she stuck out her tongue and winked, before turning her attention back to the band.

…. See you watching, sitting on the benches…

… dreaming of me, in red and white…

… the day’s as hot as your heart, sweat clinging to me…

… watching with a fiery gaze, my transparent shirt…

Suddenly the music and dancing paused, the spotlights converging over the dancing girls. “Are you ready? Are your hearts burning red and white?” Tamami-san called to the crowd, and as they roared back, I felt myself getting sucked further into the spectacle.

“I can’t hear you! We can’t hear you!” the idols cried, and as the crowd shouted louder, glowsticks flailing, the girls reached down and…

Whoa, seriously? Tamami-san had torn off the white part of her dress, the longer skirt and the lacy material around her chest, and now she was dancing in a low-cut form-fitting red minidress with a little white detailing. Kanako-san and Tsubame-san were in the reverse, white on red, and the crowd was going wild.

Uh, that dress is so short, it’s amazing that you can’t see their underwear. They must have practised hard for that… As their singing and dancing picked up in tempo and intensity, under the lights of the stage and the many glowsticks the crowd was swaying, it was quite a surreal experience.

“So, what do you think?” Kana whispered to me as the idols finished their song. “Are you a fan now? You seem to be of their legs, anyway. Hoping for a glimpse of something not normally seen? Too bad, professionals don’t make mistakes like that.” She winked at me playfully.

“I’d say I like them.” I admitted. “Besides, you are all having fun, which we need right now, as we have a lot of hard work ahead of us.”

“Yeah. Just where is that idiot Keomi-chan? She’s missing out.” Kana quickly checked her phone. “Everyone is having a good time and she’s probably been lured off somewhere by free cake. Let’s hope no kidnapper bundled her into a van or something like that…”

“And now for a new song, never played before…” Tamami-san cried, elated by the crowd reaction to their set. “This one is new, and it’s called Under the Moonlight!”

…. The moon watches you like an unblinking eye…

… but I’m always watching you, not just at night…

… so please, I beg you, just as the moon reflects your eyes…

… won’t your eyes reflect mine?

“An auspicious song.” Shaeula approved, glancing around. “It seems-seems rather popular.”

As I looked around, I could see that. It seemed even foreigners were enjoying it, as I spotted one young girl not too far from us. She was wearing a black and blue gothic lolita-style dress, similar to the armour I had made for Eri, and a black parasol was put down beside her. Despite the press of the crowd, she had a bit of space around her, possibly because she was clearly not Japanese, but western in appearance. Or maybe because of her hair. Seriously, I’ve never seen such perfect drill twin-tails outside of anime… It must have been a great effort to get her long blonde hair to stay curled like that, and as she danced energetically, her blue eyes gleaming with excitement, both hands holding glowsticks, her hair swung and danced with her. It was almost mesmerising, in a way.

“What are you looking at?” Kana asked, following my gaze. “Oh, she’s cute. Is that your type, huh?”

“Kana, just because I am looking doesn’t mean I’m planning on making a move.” I hissed back, feeling slightly wronged. “I was just admiring her hair. I’m not a girl, but I imagine that would be a nightmare to style.”

“No kidding. It’s why I leave mine loose most of the time.” Kana agreed. “I bet she goes through cans of hairspray and styling wax each day. But enough about her, leave the tourist to enjoy the concert. You should as well…”

“Right. I should.” I agreed, turning my attention back to the three university students who were giving their all on stage. Idols, huh? You know… maybe idols could be useful, in the longer term, for raising awareness… as I pondered that idea, they started another song, this time Kanako-san at the front, the mood changing…

********

“You’ve been a great audience! On behalf of Red and White, let me just say, we love you all!” Tamami-san declared.

“We sure do! It’s been a real honour to be able to perform here in Kyoto!” Kanako-san followed up.

“Especially on such an important weekend.” Tsubame-san agreed. “Well, if you don’t know what we mean, don’t worry about it.”

“But this weekend is special!” Tamami-san continued. “So, may the light of the moon shine down on you, and may the kami bless you!”

They then took a bow and headed backstage, the fog machines pumping out more smoke over the stage, the lights dimming, but not going out.

“Shit bro, that was awesome!” my sis bounded over. “Just the encore to go now, I guess. Ugh, I really want to go to the Christmas Eve concert in Tokyo now, but the tickets are already allocated…” at her pouting face, I sighed.

“If it really means that much to you, maybe we can talk to her? After all, Ito-san and Tamura-san said they could introduce you. If their shrine has come under me, maybe I can get you in somehow… no promises though.”

“Way to be the best big brother ever!” My sis hugged me, to laughter from those that knew us, and bemusement from the surrounding crowd. I could feel the gazes of Kana’s classmates, and I silently conceded I would have to try and get them some tickets too.

“Do calm down, Aiko. People are looking!” Eri said, embarrassed, and I could see people were, including the foreign girl, who was giggling at my sis and her antics.

“Well, if I don’t let bro know I appreciate him, he might start taking me for granted. Why, jealous? You can give him a hug too!” she teased, and Eri soon began to pull her cheeks a little. “Ouch, quit it!”

Kana was checking her phone during the interlude, and there was still nothing from Keomi-chan. I checked mine, and I had reports from Treyvon and Travis, all detailing that everything was normal, and there were no issues on their end. I split them into two teams, for extra coverage. Our parents and the older adults of the shrines should be safe, Grulgor is watching them. Even so, this bad feeling isn’t going away… I was starting to get very worried about Keomi-chan, and while I didn’t think my bad feeling could be just about her, if she was part of the event… shit, where the hell is she?

Suddenly the light flashed up, and Red and White were back on stage, this time wearing flashy mini-skirted shrine maiden hakama, with gold and silver decorations and accessories. “All right, you knew we weren’t done!” Tamami-san shouted into her microphone. “Like we said, this weekend is special, so just for tonight, we have an extra-long encore for you! We’ll start with our second single, you might remember it from way back then…”

The music started, and they began to dance, and the three of them flourished sets of kagura bells, swaying them in time to the music, filling the air with tinkling sounds.

“I love this one!” Asami-san cheered, and my sis and Takagi-san seemed to agree, as they were dancing happily along with the crowd. Our foreign tourist seems to love it too… Shaeula as well. Both of them were watching with wide eyes, blue and amber respectively.

“… and now, another new song, one a bit slower.” Tamami-san was grinning, her smile tired yet contagious, and I couldn’t help but admire her dedication, and think a little of Miyu, who was also a dancer, though of a very different sort. Yeah, no way she’d ever perform at a concert like this.

… see the future, it’s looking bright…

… every day, I’m smiling, feel my delight…

… if you can’t see, then I’ll shine a light…

The lyrics were hopeful, and I found myself swaying along with the rapturous crowd. They resonated with me a bit, as after all, I was trying to be one of those lighting our path towards the future. It was dark and unknown, and many dangers lurked, but just like the moon in my name, I could be a beacon, and…

Suddenly I could hear a disturbance at the back of the throng, and people were panicking. The crowd was parting, and up on stage the girls had noticed it, the music grinding to a halt, much to the dismay of those who hadn’t noticed yet, like the rest of our group.

“Huh, the music stopped. Was it a power cut, or…” Takagi-san said, puzzled.

“Sorry, there seems to be some sort of commotion.” Tamami-san used her microphone to talk to the crowd. “Is someone hurt or fainted? It does happen sometimes, so please make room and get them out of the crush. Medical professionals know what to… uh…” her jaw dropped in surprise, as an unusual sight greeted her.

What the hell is going on? Fuck! As the crowd parted, some people were screaming, others shouting, and panic was starting to spread.

“Uh, please keep calm everyone.” Tamami-san recovered her poise. “I’m sure he’ll be all right, so…”

My god, is that Ren-san? Forcing his way through the crowd, which was parting before him, I could see him now. His face was covered in blood, numerous deep cuts and gashes on his flesh, as though something sharp had cut him. Neither of his arms seemed to be working properly, hanging limply, blood dripping to the floor, and his black hakama was torn, dreadful cuts visible below, not deep, but still nasty. On seeing us through the packed field, he brightened, rushing our way, breathing heavily.

“Oh shit, that’s Ren-san, right?” My sis said, spotting him now amidst the chaos. “What… what the hell happened?”

The more ordinary girls were panicking, Maiko-san and Takagi-san holding each other tightly, while Asami-san and Mio-san looked on in dumb astonishment. Marika-san was being consoled by Kana, as the scene was triggering her memories of the Yakuza attack, and everyone else was looking on dumbly or crying out. No, not everyone. The foreign girl had retrieved her parasol and was watching with some interest.

I moved towards Ren-san, Eri and Shaeula flanking me. As he reached me he collapsed with relief, and I caught him, heedless of the blood that was soaking me.

“Ren-san, what happened?” I asked, an ominous feeling within me.

“It’s… my sisters. That dumb girl. The others. We… it’s bad, awful!” he coughed, a little blood spilling from his mouth. “We can’t get away, we’re trapped! I only got out by feigning I…” more coughing, more blood. “…was dead.”

I immediately started Ether Healing to heal the worst of his internal injuries. “Calm down, take a breath. What’s happened?”

“They’re trapped.” He groaned, tears spilling down his cheeks. “It was a miracle I got out.” His words were becoming less laboured as my aether flowed into him. “Even so… it’s too late. So many are dead already, and it took me… too long… to get here.” He wailed. “Please, do something! Save them! My sisters, the others… do something!”