Artist's commentary
Karindou 4 Koma Extra Story Pseudo Short Story [Ghostrick Live] 11
That day, in the city, groups of tense, wandering maids were seen at multiple locations. They were the Schtlehertz maids following Ran's trail.
The clues to her trail ending with the final item, her earrings. Upon finding this, they all excitedly treated it like a police investigation. Their escape route was through the air, so psychometrers was no help, and in the end, they went back to their original approach, and started questioning those around. The only ones that were successful at obtaining even the slightest amount of clues were the phantom beasts/werebeasts, plant-based and insect monsters, and Mifi.
The search for clues alone had taken over half a day, and as they continued the questioning, it was already evening. Soon, the sun would set. Col and Pink-chan, who had sufficiently recovered and was released from the medical room, had come to the park in the office town to rendezvous with Mifi, but due to Mifi's enormous job of "questioning", when she got to them, she could only stare at them with lifeless eyes. They weren't skilled enough in conversation to question anyone, so that's why they were meeting Mifi, but it was too much even for Mifi.
"Ah~ ...So. Are you going to be okay, Mifi? Did you hear anything 'good'?"
"Oh, you two are early. In general, for eyewitnesses, you see, it was night so it wasn't quite eye witnesses, but "there was a loud noise and something big flew over us", so it passed above this park. It was lucky that there were lots of ones with good memories around here."
She said that with a kind of smile, but they didn't know the details. In any case, rather than looking at Mifi, they were looking at a swarm of feathers in the shape of Mifi.
"...No matter how much I look, you like you're being attacked."
"Really?"
The words Col bottled up inside herself slipped out, and Mifi, who was being swarmed from head to toe by various birds, gave a odd laugh. If it was a few birds, then this would be something to laugh at. But since it was dozens of birds, why did it make them uneasy instead? In any case, they should drive off the birds before they hurt Mifi, so Col hid the Derringer in the palm of her hand, but fortunately didn't use up the ammo she had already loaded into it.
Mifi was an ordinary human, and although she called herself that, technically she (in theory) had a special ability. If her tribe hadn't been annihilated, she would have gone training as her tribe's priestess candidate, and even if she didn't become the priestess, she would have been a fine shaman, so she had the ability to speak to nature. Of course, this was plants and animals, and even rocks and man-made inorganic things. While under Elza's overprotective care, she had spent her life in something completely different from the training, so she had no other abilities except the ones she was born with, and it was pretty weak. However, she could still communicate simply with both organic and inorganic matter.
And now, using this ability, she was questioning animals. Naturally, she was exchanging breadcrumbs for information. The impatient ones immediately started poking at the paper bag in Mifi's hand.
"I learned something worrying. They passed by close to here, and flew pretty low. Then, they changed direction and flew off right away... Do you know which direction?"
Mifi asked them, and several small birds gave a small chirp, and turned their necks. They all turned in one direction, pointing with their beaks, and looked at Mifi. From the perspective of others, they couldn't tell what kind of bird they were at all, and since it looked like they were facing any direction they wanted, the only one who could understand them was Mifi.
"...It's just as I thought. No matter where I hear it from, it all leads to the same direction. Everyone is pointing over there. I consider it a certainty."
Mifi pointed... It looked like one part of the flock of birds got excited, but it seemed like they were using their arms... Checking the direction, Col spread out a map. It was a copy of the map that Elza and Aiina had put a check on all of the suspicious areas.
"...South of hotel, huh. That matches the direction that the helicopter flew away in. And..."
"There's a checked facility really close by. It's an abandoned factory and execution site, but... But, the execution site is slightly off from the direction that the birdies pointed? The mistress was saying that she thought it was the likely location."
"Did you forget that she was talking while focused on the goal? If that was the answer, then the mistress would have done something before the little mistress was kidnapped. In any case, according to their story, if you consider it as their altitude dropped, and the people got off on top of a building, and then the helicopter alone flew off... If that was the case, it would be pretty conspicuous. Why would we only be able to hear about that from the animals."
'Isn't it because it's an office town? Once it's past business hours, the people all immediately disappear. There's also a radio station, so a news helicopter isn't anything out of the ordinary. So the few remaining people wouldn't think anything of a helicopter. By the way, using a different method, I've obtained information which corroborates Mifi's information.'
Right then, Aiina added to Col's guess over the radio.
"'When I investigated earlier, there were no news helicopters flying last night. In addition, last night, the air force had to scramble in response to an encroachment of air space. The target was an unknown helicopter, and it was first intercepted along the coast, about 50 km from the park you are at now. After they made contact, it "suddenly" vanished when they lost sight of it over the ocean. In regards to this, the Sweepers detected an unknown large ship emitting supernatural energy, and a Sweepers ghost ships and ships and aircraft youkai have orders to be on the lookout. In the early morning, when Ran's lost items were discovered, they discovered the signs of a ship, and are currently tracking it, but what is troubling is the fact that this mysterious ship can hold a helicopter. If they're based out of there, considering the fuel, a single helicopter can't make the trip across the ocean, so flying a helicopter from a nearby ship on the ocean, and having it land there at the end to withdraw, seems natural.'
"...It's impossible for a helicopter to shake off combat planes. I didn't see any electronic combat equipment on the helicopter, so it wasn't a combat helicopter. So, maybe the passengers, or possibly the helicopter itself, as youkai could avoid the air force by using an ability? Or maybe the coast was the reason it was quickly intercepted? Given Aiina-sama's theory, it's consistent, but... we have no proof that the place where the helicopter's altitude dropped was where the little mistress got off. It's also possible that the little mistress is on the unknown ship, and is in the middle of the ocean right now..."
"But but, there must be some reason to make such an unnatural detour and go to that place. Even if they were disguising their escape route, anyone but a complete sponge brain could figure it out. And to be quickly intercepted at the coast is unnatural. And a ship hidden by supernatural energy, isn't it like it's saying to look for it? Actually, I think that that is the decoy. So, anyway, since we're close by, we should investigate the abandoned factory. Even if this is wrong, and the unknown ship is right, there are people already chasing it, so we'll leave it to them. And even if this is just a waste of time, it's a way to pass time until we have to move."
"Yes, for now, let's head to the abandoned factory. In any case, since we're not on board a ship, we can't do anything about the ship. If we find the place where the helicopter's altitude dropped, and determine whether anyone got off, then we'll be able to tell if we should get aboard the mystery ship. Aiina-sama, if that turns out to be the case, can you please continue to collect information on the mystery ship?"
'Understood. Ah yes, about the abandoned factory, it seems like people gather there, so I think you can ask them questions. I don't think it will be a fruitless visit."
"Gather?"
Though Aiina didn't mean anything by it, Col and Pink-chan looked at each other.
"How long have they been there? Wasn't it abandoned?"
'Eh? ...Ummm, right after it was abandoned 10 years ago, they had already moved in, so I guess many groups have come and left?'
"Bums wouldn't gather there, and if evil people came there, then they would force them to leave? It's pretty close to the office town, and there isn't any entertainment close by, so it's not a point of interest, but a gathering place? In addition, nothing inconvenient has been done, so are they just gathering for good etiquette?"
'Eh? Eh? Did I say something strange? There's no one there, and they've never been accused of disturbing the night, so maybe their reason is just that it's convenient?'
Since Aiina had lived the life of a lady, she didn't understand at all, but the two of them were convinced. A group that illegally invaded an abandoned factory wouldn't just stay quiet and not "mess" with those around them. Most of all, during the night, it was a place where human activity should halt. For youths who think that going out there is cool with their childish self beliefs, this would be an ideal place. However, from hearing that it was only a gathering place, since they've never heard any rumor of any actions, it was very unnatural and suspicious.
So who were the people who invaded the abandoned factory? Col and the others thought they were probably those acting as gate guards.
Why would there be gate guards? What need would there be for gate guards? What does it mean that they need gate guards? If they could find out that the abandoned factory was actually some sort of facility, that would answer their questions. And if it was actually just a regular abandoned factory... They would regret their actions, but the group's regrets wouldn't even compare to Ran's safety, so there were no problems either way.
"This is an order to all maids, meet up at the factory near the park on the outskirts of the office town. In 10 minutes, we will begin our assault."
Over the radio, she knew the maids were now tense. Col and the others also quickly started to move.
No matter what danger awaited them, they had to crush it as they advanced.
Naturally, anyone who tries to invade one's area draws their attention.
And if it's a group of about 20 maids, it's hard to come up with a plan on how to stop them.
Or, at least that's what anyone with any common sense would say.
As soon as the sun had set below the horizon, a group of overconfident, malicious men surrounded the maids. They unabashedly smiled vulgarly, as though the invaders were a "feast of wonderful jewels", and gazed at them.
(There's about 30 of them... Their numbers are the only real concern.)
"Sorry, but this place is off limits. If you don't leave nicely, you'll get devoured by us?"
The guy who seemed like the leader pointed his iron pipe at Col and said that. The other men crudely laughed. They had very grim clothes, and well groomed fighting hairstyles, and crude drooping accessories, and it was obvious what would happen if they got their hands on a girl. They were real life versions of stereotypical idiot drop outs. That was Col's assessment. They had an iron pipe, a rusted crowbar, a knife, a chain, and various other items in their hands. They looked like they were used to these weapons, and fighting, and handing out pain. However, these were used more to intimidate and frighten, and they weren't as beligerent.
"Or maybe that's why you came here? You've got some messed up tastes. Or maybe you don't have enough masters, so you came to get some? Well, I'll welcome you?"
They slowly drew closer, but the maids didn't look one bit afraid, and didn't tremble at all, but just observed the men with cold eyes.
"Hey, how about you say something!"
Maybe he couldn't handle it, but one of the guys stabbed a small maid in the chest with his knife. In an instant, the small maid had cracks running all over her body, and a flower bloomed from the middle of her chest.
With a deafening poof, charming and disgustingly squirming, the "thing" came out from the maid's appearance, and the man immediately jumped back.
He jumped 3 meters without a running start. It wasn't the jumping ability that a human would have.
"You shouldn't be so gluttonous. I do like that kind of man, but not someone like you. You smell like an unwashed dog, you damn dog."
"F, fuck you!"
The man-eating flower laughed. Just as she said, the arm of the man who was nearly devoured by her started to lightly grow some animal-like fur, and he bared his teeth with anger after being called a dog, revealing sharp canine teeth. Instinctively sensing danger, he instinctively showed his true nature as a werewolf.
"I see, you came to find out "what" we were... What would "others like us" have to do with us...!"
With extra carefulness, the other men's attitude also changed. Some grew hair or scales on their body, and some grew to giant size. Their horns and claws were clearly more dangerous than the weapons they held in their hands, as they transformed into hideous monstrous forms.
In this volatile situation, Col expression changed. It was a sneer of contempt.
"We didn't come here to find that out. But now this is getting more and more suspicious. One way or another, we're going to see the inside of this factory, and as long as you don't get in our way, we won't drive you out of here. And if possible, if you tell us everything you know, it won't take any longer than it has to... How about it?"
"No way!"
From both sides, a killer ape with an imbalanced body, and a doom beetle with a distorted long horn rushed in. The men laughed, expecting to brutally rip her to shreds.
But their target was Col. Things did not go as the men thought. Reacting to the attack on both sides, she moved only slightly, and the two who were targeting Col were knocked straight down, on the ground. The men couldn't take in what happened. Col slowly stuck out her crossed hands, which were now brandishing a hush puppy and a Sig Sauer P228 with silencers, and pointed the barrels at them.
"Now will you listen to my request?"
"...Sorry, but we're not in a position to do that."
Though it didn't penetrate through them, the two fallen men had holes in their foreheads, and blood pouring out from their gunshot wound. Seeing this, the men became even more cautious and angry, and glared at the maids. The maids started to put their killing intent in their gaze and stared right back.
"I see, your position. So you're deployed here so that people can't enter... Oh my, we're short for time, so I was hoping to settle this peacefully, but if you won't listen to me, then it can't be helped. We will just have to force our way in."
That statement, along with the sun setting behind her, created an uneasy twilight. The men, who were seemed to be used to fighting, felt the atmosphere change and get heavier, like some sort of strange pressure, and without realizing it, they got stiffer.
"Ah, everyone, it looks like this is the place we've been looking for. They are a hindrance, looking to block our way. We only need one of them to spill their guts, so for these worthless, rude guys who waste their breath defying the mistress, there's no need for any compassion or lenience, and you don't need to keep them alive, so take care of them however you want. As your "reward" for exterminating this evil, you may eat or drink or do whatever you like. Tonight, we shall feast."
"Wha...!?"
Col had a faint smile, and her intentionally dramatic and calm voice echoed coldly. The maids, who didn't look like they could fight, suddenly changed their mood all at once, due to the danger and the obscure meaning speech. Among the men, anxiety started fomenting.
The slightly feverish atmosphere spiraled out from the maids. Was it delight, or anger, or maybe contempt or pity? This expression, which didn't distinguish between any of those, was on all of their faces, had a strange "wavering" as they silently moved forward.
The pretty, slender, wonderful maids all together transformed into strange, ugly, evil forms. They turned from normal-looking things into horns, claws, fangs, tentacles, blades, flames, ice, thunder, so much so that they didn't want to believe what they saw with their own eyes. It was obvious at first glance that the majority of them lined up where far higher classes of existences than the men.
It was then that the men finally realized understood the situation they were in. They weren't the guard dogs who were going to overwhelm pitiful, lost intruders with overwhelming force. They were nothing more than reckless fools who foolishly provoked an unreasonable existence who was greedily looking for victims, and were now being exposed to danger.
They weren't an inexperienced group. Even though they had poorly disguised themselves as idiots, in reality, they had undertaken many dirty deeds and were skilled. However, or rather, because of it, they knew that the transformed maids in front of them were not something they could take on.
The ones who acted first (or maybe they just realized it first), tried to flee before any action had been taken. Just as one of them was about to jump over the wall, his head was chomped on by the jaws of something that was probably lying in ambush and jumped in. The giant white crocodile kicked up a cloud of dust as it landed. With a large mouth to match its large body, it had teeth just like a saw, and as it cleaned its teeth of pieces of raw flesh, it hungrily chewed, its white body stained red. One tried to escape through the air, but just as he left the ground, a 3 dimensional puzzle with a sharp section turned him into tiny pieces of flesh. If they looked at a bike mirror or one of windows that still had glass in it, they would have seen a maid somewhere they didn't expect one, surrounded by flesh and with a crazed smile on their entire face, licking the blood off of her sickle with her tongue. In the confusion caused by this unimaginable disaster, they were surrounded on all sides, and their allies were being crushed, sliced and beaten, and finally their flesh eaten, greedily overrun by them, as they fell one by one.
Although it wasn't yet time for people to be walking around, even though they screamed and howled, not a single came running in. Those would could tell it was "that sort of thing", knew there was already a barrier around the abandoned factory that made people unconsciously keep their distance, and were scared. The would-be hunters became the hunted, and their escape paths were already blocked. The meaning of her earlier words of "eat or drink" were literal in meaning. It meant that those men were all going to be the transformed maids' dinner.
"What... What the!?"
One of the panicked men said that. In the next moment, a short maid who had a red cap instead of a hairband sliced his throat with a backhanded gripped knife, and his head dangled down at some impossible angle. The tiny maid shivered with an expression of ecstasy or pleasure, and without worrying about the drops making a stain at her feet, looked up for her next target.
If it was just a purely life-or-death exchange, then the men would have done so many times and would be used to it. But this mind ripping caused by this huge difference made them witless and fear took hold. Already, the men no longer had anything left that could let them fight.
"For people like you guys, corporate people who act unethically to get what they need, who use substitute things to curb their impulses, there are limits. For a gang of ruffians, criminals as you are, you are a very welcome sight. Causing harm to humans is bad, and for you guys who have sworn to protect that, the only thing for you to do is to become food."
And finally, the surrounding maids, who were gnawing at them from the outside, and would devour them from the inside, began to move.
"We, the Schtlehertz maids"
'Live for the mistress!'
"And for her, what are we"
'Her defense that strikes her enemies, a shield that acts as an absolute strongest sword!'
A cheer said in perfect unity. Col nodded in satisfaction and
"Very well! Tonight, our task is to save the mistress' beloved adopted sister by any means necessary!"
With that poignant declaration, she brought down her arm.
"Target in sight!! Blast off and strike!!!"
'Yes, ma'am!!!'
It was a merciless signal, announcing the beginning of the one-sided dance.
As the stars began to shine in the night sky, a small group of people who were going back home to their families, caught sight of a large number of dreadful looking maids, who were cleaning the lot of the abandoned factory, which had been neglected for a long time and had become a gathering place for bad guys.
Were these related to the group of maids who were seen that morning, was some rich whimsically using the maids, or were these individual volunteer maids? Regardless, by next morning, a rumor was circulating that they were volunteers who had cleaned up the trash at that facility. The unnamed community service left a deep impression on the people, and afterwards, there was a "Cleaning Day" established each month where the companies in the office town would clean up the city. At first, there were many who expressed their disapproval over it, but eventually the refreshing feeling from their work in cleaning the area became widespread, and the number of proactive participants increased.
After that, the sites were completely cleaned, and due to either their shame or their uncomfortableness, all the bad guys who went in there without permission stopped coming, and the story of "Cleaning Day" became widely known.
Of course, the people never considered that the destruction of one of these old ruined structure on the outskirts of town had something to do with these girls.
"How is it going Mifi, have you found any secret passages?"
"Ah, hold on head chamberlain, it should be right around here... Hmm, which one moves? Is it this end button?"
They were deep inside the abandoned factory, where there were no lights. With a battery powered flashlight, which was either brought by the men or left here on accident, in one hand, and relying on a man's information and the "voice" of a chair and desk that was left there, "A particular man did a particular action" was repeated, so Mifi opened up the rusted electrical switchboard and stared inside it. She tried sticking her hand in just as the "voice" instructed her, and on a board hidden by the wiring in the corner, she felt a small button with her fingers.
The 4 who were investigating the inside of the factory were Col, Pink-chan, Mifi and, wearing a cloak of invisibility from Elza's magical item collection, Cuey. Several of the other maids were left to keep watch outside, and the others had left to defend the mansion and to investigate other facilities. Col had wanted the full powered corps, but since was an infiltration of a facility rather than a battlefield, a large number would limit movement and be unfavorable. So it was decided that a small number of handpicked maids would be chosen for their infiltration abilities, and these members were the result. Two were selected for their extensive combat, Col, as a former mercenary and expert marksman, and Pink-chan as a melee specialist. Mifi, was chosen as support for being able to get information from non-living things to find Ran. Even ignoring the fact that Cuey was possibly being targeted by the shadow stalker, no matter what they said, she stubbornly insisted on coming along, and her incredible strength from her giant body and eyebeam could be a trump card in a pinch, so she was permitted to come by that excuse.
"...I see, even though there's tons of dust on the breaker, this button is dirty, but not dusty. I don't know how long it was working, but at the minimum, it's been pushed after the breaker stopped working."
Bringing the flashlight closer to it and looking, there were faint markings from the button's origin.
"Mifi-chan, I'll keep watch, so push the button. Cuey-chan, stand between me and Onee-sama. If there's an ambush, you won't be able to react, right?"
"Eh... I'm sorry..."
"All right, I'm pushing the button... And..."
The button gave more resistance than she thought, as she pushed it. And then they heard a dull latching sound beneath the floor, and the wall next to the switchboard opened up like a door. Unlike the concrete factory, the area in front of them was metal. There was a passageway with a short stairway and a low ceiling, and beyond that, was a small space that couldn't even be called a room. The space became even narrower and was enclosed by a lattice frame. Even with the flashlight on, the old yellowed bulb was unreliable, and they could only see what it directly shone upon.
"So there was a secret passage."
With her hush puppy, Col cautiously stepped into the lattice frame. The plainly metal floor sank a little, and since it was a little unsteady, she checked to make sure that it was sturdy. Looking back, next to the lattice frame was a lever. The lever didn't fit this space at all, and although it was rusted, the gaudy ornament had an old numbered inscribed plate and parts with arrows pointing to the numbers. She could tell that on the other side of the lever was a short horizontal opening with a manual shutter. And then she saw something in the small gap between the wall and the lattice frame.
"A rail and a guide roller... It seems like this is an elevator. Though it must have been made a long time ago."
"Whoa... This looks like an artifact that would be worth a lot to a museum."
"It looks like the structure was repaired. Since it's been maintained, it's still alive."
Wow, said Pink-chan as she checked the rusted lattice. Col and Mifi visually compared the flashlight with the dirty light bulb in the elevator, and titled their head.
"Huh? Wait a minute, this factor shouldn't have any electricity, and the breaker hasn't been flipped. So, where is the electricity to run this elevator coming from?"
"Yes, I was wondering that as well. Aiina-sama, can you investigate where the electrical supply for this factory is coming from?"
'Electrical supply? ...Please wait a bit.'
From the radio, they heard the sounds of a mouse moving and the frantic typing on a keyboard, and the banter of other maids. After a little while, there was a faint electrical ding.
'...According to the records, the factory stopped being supplied at the same time it closed. I checked with the ones on guard duty, but the meter on the side of the factory isn't working at all. Even if it's stealing electricity from somewhere nearby, the amount of electricity required to run an elevator would cause them to be found out right away, so I do not believe that is feasible. And naturally, electricity is required so that the elevator can work... I think that the correct answer is that there is a power generator. But still, it is strange...'
"...What do you mean by strange?"
'As an underground research facility, having a hidden entrance to a hidden passage, and providing its own electricity means that it's cut off from the outside world. Since they're this thorough, the fact that I could obtain their research data through the internet, means that they have a network line to the outside world. If they didn't have it, then my program wouldn't have been able to get in, and they would be virtually perfectly isolated from the outside. So why didn't they do this? Did they have to have the data processed by someone outside? Or maybe there was some reason they had to transfer data to the outside?'
"Aiina-sama, please leave those questions for later. Saving the little mistress takes priority, and once we get inside, it might all be made clear."
Pink-chan stopped Aiina from going into thinking mode. If headquarters was busy thinking about something else, they would ignore the current situation, and their real time cooperation would be delayed, and it would ruin everything.
Col, relieved that Aiina was focusing on them now, stomped on the elevator floor. There was creaking, but it didn't give, and the floorboards didn't seem suspect, and they were surprisingly solid.
"It's been maintained, so it looks like we can use it. I don't see any other stairs, and it doesn't look like there's any other way down. The problem is... it looks like 4 people can ride it, but maybe not "all" of us."
As they realized what Col's last part meant, all of their gazes focused on one person. The ceiling of the path was low, only about 1 head taller than an average adult man. And for the large maid, Cuey, who was close to 3 meters in height, even the Schtlehertz mansion, which had higher ceilings than an average building, her head would be scraping the ceiling. So the ceiling of the passage at the height of her back, and there was no easy way for her to squeeze through. Her face twitched with vexation as everyone gazed at her. And naturally, the elevator's ceiling was made to be the same height as the passage. Also, although she was timid, her weight/height was proportional to that of a snake. And if they exceeded the maximum weight, it would be obvious what would happen.
Col moved in front of the lever, and Mifi and Pink-chan got on. Cuey tried to forcibly squeeze her way into the space for her and put her hands on the roof. There was a sudden heavy creak, but it looked like it would support the weight of all 4 people (including the abnormal one).
"...I pray that it doesn't break midway down."
"Why is everyone looking away from me!? Look at me directly and say it!"
"H, hey Cuey, don't get violent... I'm terrible at free falling..."
"Whoa! If you can transform into a human form, then you should transform to be shorter!!"
"Cuey, don't thrash around. We're going down..."
She closed the gate and pulled the lever. With a clang and a slight shake, the elevator slowly started to descend, somehow creating a feeling of uneasiness.
'...If you were worried about the weight limit, you should have split up into two trips? I guess it's too late for me to say that.'
"I wish you had said something sooner, Aiina-sama..."
As they had that conversation, they felt the atmosphere gradually get colder, and each of them looked to the side. Through the gaps of the lattice, they stared at the wall sliding upwards, and finally the metal walls were replaced by dirty stone walls.
"Now we've made it to the underground facility. The elevator may stop at any time, so be prepared."
Saying that, Col gripped her gun and Pink-chan held up the hem of her skirt where she always has her knives. To get out of their way, Cuey tried as hard as she could to make as large of a space for at the entrance and get ready for melee combat.
(We're progressing nicely here. I wonder how the mistress is doing right now. I'm worried... About him.)
As she tried to get out of the way like Cuey, Mifi flattened herself against the lattice in a corner, and thought that.