The Rise of Shiroi Nami – Chapter 18

I lag behind our group as we walk to the shuttle landing field to down my water and take a deep breath. It’s crucial for me to appear happy and healthy. Everything is about to change.

“Look,” Aimi says, pointing to the distance. “They’re almost here.”

Hurrying up, I reach our group just as the shuttle touches down and opens up. I breathe a long sigh of relief to see Michio Hayashi, the CEO of Shiroi Nami, along with Reina and her husband, Naoto, and… I search my brain for their names. Right. Daito and Miho Nomura. Yes, they were the people I was trying to think of earlier, the ones with the estate in Susami where Rin was held.

I swallow my anxiety as several kumojin, the sentient spiders, follow them out along with two of the giant purple murasakijin and Isao’s brothers, Wataru and Hidéki. I can’t say this is a great idea. It’s one thing to tell the populace you’re going to genetically engineer people to become better versions of themselves. It’s another to show them those advancements in the flesh.

Rin leans into my ear. “I think you should set the example here for everyone.”

Ugh, really? Why does it have to be me?

I already know why.

Summoning a smile out of nowhere like the magician I am, I stride forward. I’m barely out of our group of people when I hear a gasp.

Atsumi, who I try not to acknowledge in any way, shape, or form, has her hand over her mouth. “Men with wings?”

I ignore her and keep going.

“Hello!” I say, raising my hand in a wave. “It’s so great to see you all again.” I bow, angling enough to show the deepest respect. “Were you able to return to the base after we had to flee?”

Hayashi seems a little nervous, looking out past our welcome group to the town beyond. It’s obvious from even this far away that there are many people here for the big announcement. Drums beat and flutes play. The crowd cheers and kids scream. It’s festive and happy, and Hayashi looks suspicious of it all. But that’s the kind of man he is.

Reina steps in when Hayashi doesn’t speak. “We sent people back to the base to reconnoiter, but that was about it. We’re at another location on Kurai for the time being.” She inhales through her nose. “It’s good to be back on Hikari and on the Northern Continent!” Her face breaks into a smile. “It’s been a long time since I was last here. I smell food, lots of it.”

“Yes, the food stalls in town are fantastic. I think you’ll be happy with the selection.” I clear my throat, bringing everyone’s attention to me. The fatigue and aches get shoved aside so I can do business. “So, the plan is to bring you into town now, and we’ll walk straight to the central stage. We have set it up in the town square. People will stop you along the way, I’m sure.”

I hold up my hand when Reina’s face clouds with concern. “That’s fine. We have time built-in, but we shouldn’t delay, and we should be careful of being overwhelmed. Okay?”

I stare past the humans upfront to the genetically engineered beings in the rear of the group — the kumojin click at each other, and the murasakijin nod. I’ve never heard either of them use proper language.

“Ready? Reina, why don’t you walk with me?”

I gesture for her to walk at my side, and she steps in next to me. Aimi waves as we approach my group, but she keeps her eyes on the camera. I’m impressed with her dedication to the documentary so far. She seems excited by the idea, and that’s important when producing a project like this. A passion project always makes it to the final cut.

Atsumi’s eyes are wide as we pass, her gaze focused on Wataru and Hidéki. She folds her arms over her chest and presses her fingers to the side of her mouth. I hope that’s the worst reaction we see today.

We’re halfway across the landing field when another shuttle appears from over the surrounding forest and touches down too. Our party comes to a standstill.

“Who’s this?” Reina asks, and I don’t have an answer for her.

“It’s Kiiroi Yama,” Rin says, leaning in to keep his voice down. “Maybe they’re just dropping something off.”

The door to the shuttle opens, and Yori Okamoto, Kiiroi Yama’s CEO, walks out. His gaze turns to the sounds of celebration in the distance before he spots us.

I’m always a little shocked by the fact that he travels where he wants and how he wants, and with no guards either. It’s like he knows the dangers and faces them alone.

“Is this an ambush?” Hayashi asks, bristling. He pulls back, but Reina stops him with a hand to his arm.

“Fuck me,” I mutter under my breath.

I muster up more energy to trot across the field to Okamoto, and he greets me with a smile.

“My dear Miss Minamoto, I hope I’m not intruding.”

I stop an all-out laugh. “I think you know you are. What’s going on? I was sure Kazuo and Atsumi relayed the plans for today. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” He leans forward to drop his voice. “And I like the fact that you’re always straight with me. Never change.” He clears his throat and raises his voice as we walk and reach the group. “I’m here to support Shiroi Nami today. I hope no one minds me attending the festivities.”

Okamoto stops about a meter from Hayashi and Reina. The three stand at attention, unwavering, unwilling to be the first to speak. I look at Rin and Kazuo, begging them for help with the force of my glare. Rin shrugs, and Kazuo waves his hand back and forth, indicating I should start the introductions. I sigh, and this time, I’m too tired to censor myself.

“I’m sure you all know each other,” I say, unable to keep the growl out of my voice. “Michio Hayashi, CEO of Shiroi Nami, please meet Yori Okamoto, CEO of Kiiroi Yama.”

The tension between Hayashi and Reina crackles in the surrounding air. She’s the one ready to leap forward and take the attention of Okamoto. In contrast, Hayashi would rather die than say hello.

A tense moment passes before the two men bow to each other. “I’m so glad I could make it before the big reveal,” Okamoto says, turning to Reina. “I hear you have astounding plans for Hikari citizens.”

She bows to him, a dip of the head and shoulders. “Only those who want this opportunity. We will force no one to make decisions that go against their best interest.”

“I’m excited to hear more,” Okamoto replies, and I believe it. He’s genuinely interested in Shiroi Nami and what they can provide to Hikari.

But as we turn towards town, I see more people alight from Okamoto’s shuttle. Kenryōshi, former coworkers of Rin. Dressed in black and carrying swords, I have to wonder what kind of work they will be doing once Aoi Uma’s androids are in line and no longer a threat.

Though I suspect I already know the answer to this question…

—-

The walk into town is as I thought it would be. At first, no one pays any attention to us. They shift to the side without registering who we are before Wataru and Hidéki and the other engineered creatures are spotted.

A woman yips like an injured dog and leaps to the side as we approach, and this stops more people who gape at us. I smile and nod my head to people as we pass, trying to show them all that if I’m not scared, they shouldn’t be scared either.

“You look exhausted,” Rin says, placing his hand on the small of my back. “We should see the doctor about another round of antibiotics.”

I shake my head, pressing my lips together. “Not now. This is too important. We need to stay on top of this situation, especially with Okamoto here. I had no idea to expect him.”

“Me neither.”

A woman we pass gasps and brings her hand to her mouth, “Oh my. Wait. Is that… Hidéki, is that you?”

Hidéki’s eyes shift, and our whole parade comes to a halt.

“Tana?” he asks, easing a kumojin to the side and approaching the woman. “It is you.”

I’ve had very few interactions with Hidéki because he’s been quiet and kept to himself. But if I draw the logical conclusion here, this woman may have known him when he was in a different body. I mean, I always assumed these bat-like bodies resembled their former all-human selves, but I never asked for sure. It’s probably in the diary Isao gave me.

Tana is an older woman, maybe in her late fifties, Hikari equivalent, and from the way she’s staring up at Hidéki, I can guess that in her youth, they were close. Really close.

“Tana, how are you? It’s good to see you.” Hidéki’s voice rumbles like water over rocks, a soothing and almost irresistible cadence to his tone. Several other women approach, starry-eyed.

“I… I always wondered what happened to you when you were banished to Kurai. Is this…?” She’s at a loss for words.

“This is my newest body, the third one I’ve had. We’ve come a long way from custom dog breeds.” His smile nearly knocks the ladies over. I press my hand to my chest, and Rin rolls his eyes. Isao has always referred to Wataru and Hidéki as his brothers, but now I realize this was an affectation. He considers them brothers because of their bat-like bodies, not because they are actual brothers.

“This is what Shiroi Nami does now?” Tana’s eyes coast over the kumojin and murasakijin. If she’s fearful, it doesn’t show. She’s in awe.

Good.

Hidéki nods. “This is what we’re bringing to Hikari. I hope you’ll come to the town square with us.” He holds out his hand to her, and she doesn’t hesitate to put her hand in his. I breathe out a sigh of relief.

It’s going so much better than I hoped. How is it even possible we’d run into someone Hidéki would know? I’m not sure, but it must be fate.

Before Rin, I didn’t believe in fate. But then he showed me there are some things you just can’t pass off as coincidence.

They were meant to be.

The crowd moves again, but this time the pace of chatter has picked up around us. More people approach as we walk, asking questions of Wataru and Hidéki, touching the kumojin, and trying to speak to the murasakijin. The murasakijin mumble answers, and people’s eyes light up. So they do speak! Maybe they’re just shy.

I have a million questions of my own, but it’s my job to move this forward.

The crowd in the town square is dancing to a band on the stage. Most people don’t even see us approaching, but the feeling of our presence washes out over the crowd as we approach the stairs to the stage.

My heart races in my chest, and my mouth goes bone dry. I close my eyes and try not to faint.

What the hell are you doing, Yumi? You’re not a public speaker! You hate being the center of attention.

Panic sets in, and my legs ache to bolt, run away, and never return.

“Breathe, kako,” Kazuo says, grabbing my upper arms. “In and out. In and out.”

I press my lips together and shake my head.

“Come on,” he insists. “You can do it.”

Rin pokes me in the side, and I gasp for air. In and out. In and out.

“Look at me,” Kazuo commands. Rin takes my hand in his and wraps his other arm around my waist.

“I can’t do this,” I tell them both. “I’m not meant for this. I should be behind the camera, not in front of it.”

Aimi comes into view behind them both, and I groan and move to the side.

“Hey!” she yells at me. “Get up on that stage and do what we came here to do.”

I pull back in surprise, and the anxiety breaks with a laugh.

I wipe a tear from my cheek. “Yes, ma’am.”

Rin waves to Kazuo. “Give her some water.”

Kazuo hands over the bottle, and I gulp some down. When I hand it back to him, his face is dark with concern. “We need to get you to the doctor after this.”

“I’m just tired from yesterday. I’ll get through this, and I’ll be fine.”

The band sees us approaching, finishes their song, and heads turn in the crowd as they realize we’ve taken the stage.

When I imagined this moment, I had an excellent speech prepared, and I nailed it. Of course, now that I’m actually here? I’m blowing it. I remember nothing.

I approach the bandleader and smile and shake her hand.

“You’re Yumi, right?” she asks under her breath, and I can only nod. “Don’t worry. It’s easy. Just pretend no one is there.” She turns back to the crowd and raises her voice. “Everyone, thank you for coming out today. It’s my pleasure to introduce a representative of Shiroi Nami, Yumi Minamoto.”

She turns me towards the crowd and points to the transparent screen in front of her. “Just direct your voice here, and it will be picked up for the crowd.”

The crowd’s applause rolls in waves, intermixed with shouts and people pointing at those joining me. I smile at both Hayashi and Reina, and I try not to worry as Okamoto steps forward too.

“Hello, everyone!” I shout and wave, and a few people wave back. Hey! I smile and wave to them especially. “Thank you so much for coming out to Awashikawa today for this festival.” I pull a small piece of paper from my pocket and glance at my brief notes. “I hope you’re all enjoying the food and the music. Let’s give another round of applause for the band!”

I turn and applaud them with everyone else. This is how I remember concerts and assemblies going back home. I hope I don’t sound like a total loser.

“So, as you know, we’re here today to celebrate the return of Shiroi Nami to Hikari.” The crowd whoops and cheers, and I smile at Reina and Hayashi. Hayashi reveals a small smile. “This is something Aoi Uma had hoped would never come to pass. When Aoi Uma and Aka Matsuba banished Shiroi Nami to Kurai dozens of years ago, they thought they had gotten rid of a competitor.”

“No, they didn’t!” Someone in the crowd shouts back.

I point in his direction. “No, they didn’t.” I grab my bottle of water and chug more down, hoping it’ll calm my racing heart. “Some of you know who I am…” My heart beats so fast I start to blackout. Reina must feel my anxiety because she steps close to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. “And the rumors are true. There are more of us out there in the universe than what you have always believed.”

The crowd hushes, and the eyes of those closest to the stage widen. Oh shit. Maybe people have no fucking idea about what Aka Matsuba kept from them.

I’m going to puke.

No. I swallow and press on.

“Many months ago, I arrived here in the Hikoboshi System with my crewmates from your sister planet, Orihimé. Far, far away.” I raise my hand and try to calm the suddenly agitated crowd. People raise their tablets and capture me on camera. Off stage left, Aimi is doing the same. “We crash-landed on Kurai after being shot at by Aoi Uma ships.” The crowd settles. “Some of my crew were killed in the initial attack; some were killed in the escape pods. Those left alive were hunted by Kiiroi Yama on retainer from Aka Matsuba and Aoi Uma.”

I close my eyes and return to that moment in the river when Rin lashed out and cut me across my chest. My breathing settles a little.

“Aka Matsuba gave us freedom with contracts of our own, but Aoi Uma still holds many of my crewmates in bondage.”

Reina steps forward into the reach of the microphone.

“You all know me, know my fellow chair people.” She brings her fist to her heart. “You know the kind of people Shiroi Nami employs… The kind of people who honor their brothers and sisters, their family, their neighbors. Aoi Uma shot down a peaceful mission from our far away brothers and sisters. And they continue to endanger those people and the people of Hikari.”

Reina and I nod to each other, and then Hayashi steps forward. When the crowd cheers for him, a spring of hope wells up in my chest. They remember him. They recognize him despite him being gone so long. He raises his hands, and the crowd quiets again.

“We are offering Hikari citizens a choice.”

Anxiety ripples through me again. This is a choice not everyone is going to be okay with.

“Shiroi Nami will go in two different directions. Our first direction is farther into space, farther than we’ve ever gone with genetic enhancements and technology we’ve only ever dreamed about.”

Hidéki and Wataru, the kumojin and murasakijin, and several others appear on stage. This time it takes a full minute for people to stop talking and listen. I watch the crowd warily, worried someone will rush the stage and try to attack my cousins.

“Yes, we can do” — he shakes his head, and his voice is awed — “amazing things now. Things that Aoi Uma and Aka Matsuba never wanted you to know about. That’s why we were exiled! That’s what they wanted to hide from you!”

Several people in the crowd shake their heads. A few people turn to leave.

I rush forward, raising my voice into the microphone. “Or, there’s another direction! I will start a corporation to bring our two systems together. We can support each other.”

This stops a few people. Okay, good. I swallow more water. I’m dying of thirst.

Hayashi moves to my side. “And Shiroi Nami supports this corporation. If you don’t want to explore farther into space, then we understand. We will support Yumi’s corporation so that you can continue to live prosperous and peaceful lives.”

“What’s the name of your corporation?” Okamoto asks, his voice just loud enough to carry over the crowd noise.

Shit. I hadn’t given a ton of thought to this. Every major corporation here uses a color and symbol combination for their name. But that doesn’t feel right. It should be something from my own planet, something to tie us to Orihimé… and the empress.

“Kazenoho,” I blurt out.

Okamoto thinks about this a moment. “Wind of Fire… or Fire’s Wind?”

I nod, unable to open my mouth and tell him it’s the name of the empress’s sword, a sword revered for the peace it brought to Orihimé… and also feared for the destruction it wrought.

Maybe I should take it back? Is it a bad omen?

Okamoto steps forward next to Hayashi.

“As the CEO of Kiiroi Yama, we will also stand with Yumi Minamoto’s corporation. You will know the corporation as Kazenoho, and together, we’ll bring Hikari into a new age — an age of cooperation, of freedom, of justice. We will break the chains of Aoi Uma’s androids and find an alternative way forward for humanity, here and across the stars.”

With the cheer of the crowd in my ears, I invite the band to play again. Hidéki and Wataru open their wings and take off above the audience. The rest of us smile and wave.

Just smile and wave, Yumi. Pretend like this is all normal.

Yes, everything is normal. I just told all these people that I’m from another world. That I’ll start my own corporation. And I’m having trouble reconciling what I need to do with what has to be done.

If I thought I was going to back out of this agreement, I can’t anymore.

I’m committed.