Chapter 56: Rollback
A moment of tense breath echoed in the park.
Just as if a person on the verge of drowning resurfaced and took a deep breath.
A high school girl, dressed in a JK uniform, opened her eyes in a cramped space that could barely accommodate one person.
She first reacted intensely by glancing left and right, only to find no one in sight. Even the secluded park lacked both strolling crowds and playful children.
"What is going on?"
"Am I dreaming?"
"I distinctly remember being… on the tram…"
She recalled the scene of steel piercing into her neck and shuddered involuntarily, immediately proceeding to examine her body, ensuring that her limbs were unharmed.
"The wounds caused by the previous struggle had also disappeared."
She sat still for a moment, rubbing her forehead, attempting to comprehend the current situation.
Perhaps she had dreamt of everything that happened approximately two hours later, and she vividly remembered every detail of the events that occurred in the dream, with the sensations of pain being so vivid. It didn't feel like a mere dream, but rather a genuine experience.
Just as she was about to recall the details carefully, the sudden sound of an animal's cry interrupted her reminiscences.
"Ack, ack, ack…" A fully black crow landed on the open space before her.
The crow tilted its head, its blood-red eyes fixed upon her. After a few calls, it emitted a deep, husky male voice.
"Nishino, what are you doing?"
The girl didn't show surprise, but rather narrowed her eyes.
Indeed, just like what happened in her dream, this crow can indeed speak.
"I am not Nishino, you've got the wrong person," she gave the same response as last time.
"Who else could you be if not Nishino?" the crow retorted, flinging a shattered fragment of a mirror.
From the fragments of the mirror reflected a delicate face, but this countenance was unfamiliar to her.
She clenched her fingers tightly and declared, "You have mistaken me! My name is Kichyō."
The crow stated calmly, "It seems that the transference technique has caused a certain degree of confusion in your memory… However, even if I agree with your statement, those individuals are unlikely to settle matters amicably."
"…," Kichyō gazed at the crow in silence.
"The cultists of the malevolent deity," the crow began explaining to himself, "You are the covert agent we deployed within the organization of the cultists. Now that your identity has been revealed, they will undoubtedly spare no effort in pursuing you."
"Unfortunately, only a handful of individuals were aware of the covert operation; once exposed, it would implicate other operatives, thereby rendering assistance from Onmyoryou, the shrine, the police headquarters, the execution office, and the shogunate impossible. The authorities will not aid you, and we are also concerned that our own ranks may have been infiltrated, hence…"
"The cultists of the malevolent deity, as well as the authorities, are my adversaries," Kichyō said calmly, "Is that what you wish to say?"
The crow blinked, its eyes crimson, and spoke, "You understand quickly. Having a strong capacity for acceptance is a commendable trait… Now, before you, there are two paths. One path is to flee at all costs, and I will provide you with some assistance, based on the false identity you have retained, to help you leave this country. The other path is more arduous, as you will need to thwart the plan of the cultists of the malevolent deity."
"Which one do you choose?"
Kichyō took a deep breath and said, "As I have mentioned before, I am not Nishino, therefore I have no intention of cooperating with you."
"Very well, tonight at nine thirty, you can take a ride in Tokyo Bay…"
"I have no intention of fleeing Tokyo," she said, "I want to understand everything clearly."
"Then you have chosen the second option," the crow continued, "Based on the intelligence you have gathered, as of now, all we know is that at 6:20 PM, there is a tram from Ginza heading towards Old Edo… The rest of the plan is still unclear…"
"It's a bomb," Kichyō stated bluntly.
"What?" the crow tilted its head, sounding uncertain. "What did you say?"
"The other party has planted a bomb on the tram to initiate an explosion. This is a terrorist attack, even more insane and radical than previous followers of the evil god,"
"How do you know?" the crow asked. "No, why are you so certain? Where did you obtain this intelligence?"
"I simply know, how I know isn't important. If you insist on asking, consider it as my speculation,"
The crow fell silent for a moment. "If it really is a bomb, then the situation is very dangerous. You will need to figure out where the bomb is on the 6:20 train."
"Even if you are aware that there is a bomb, do you not intend to seek assistance from the authorities?"
"Even if the police department preemptively disrupts tram operations, thwarting the plans of the cult followers, as long as they are not apprehended, it remains uncertain when and on which main route the next incident will occur."
"So, it all relies on me alone?"
"I will also provide you with necessary assistance."
"You might as well have not said anything at all. You are nothing more than a crow… no, rather, an Onmyoji lurking behind the crow."
"I am not an Onmyoji."
"Controlling animals as Shikigami is a characteristic of Onmyoji."
"…You know a lot," the crow pondered.
"It was you who told me."
"Me? When was that?"
"If you don't remember, then forget it." Kichyō emerged from her concealed narrow space and said, "I need you to conduct aerial reconnaissance and inform me of the whereabouts from which the followers of the evil deity will arrive. I will make every effort to reach the tram station in a short amount of time."
The crow fell silent for a while and then spoke, "I will assist you based on the circumstances, but… you are not allowed to command me."
"Understood," she departed towards the northern exit of the park.
"Which direction is incorrect."
"If you want to escape safely, you have to go from here… also, I need a sword for self-defense, preferably a sharpened one."
"I will take a look." The crow flew up to the branch.
After Kichyō left the park, it flew back and landed on a high wall by the roadside, pointing towards a place. "Half a street away in the southwest direction, there is an antique shop where you can find standardized daggers on display in the shop windows. However, do you have money to buy them?"
"It's just a single dagger," she said. "You can put it on credit."
…
The shop assistant at the antique store was listening to a melody playing on the gramophone, when suddenly they heard the sound of shattering glass.
He hurriedly followed outside and witnessed the shattered glass window, with the displayed collectibles in the showcase nowhere to be seen.
"Good heavens!" the shop assistant exclaimed. "Call the police, urgently! This is a case of someone shoplifting right under our noses!"
At this moment, a passerby walked by and picked up a piece of paper.
It appears to be not a case of shoplifting, but rather a promissory note that has been issued."
The assistant took a closer look.
-----To be fully repaid at the original price on a future occasion!
--- by Nishino.
"You call this a promissory note? How outrageous! Not only did they commit robbery, but they also left behind a letter to insult the shop owner!"
…
"You were called Kichyō, weren't you? Why did you sign with Nishino's surname?" The crow chuckled derisively.
"I cannot bring shame upon my family." The girl's expression remained calm as she weighed the sword in her hand. "This blade is too light. Just now, there was another one in the neighboring display window… I should have chosen a different one, deceived by its appearance."
"Whether satisfied or not, this is the only option we have now, and there is less than half an hour remaining."
"If there is another opportunity, I will choose a different one."
"Do you want to snatch it again?"
…
"Hmm…"
"You are injured."
"This sword is too lightweight, of inferior quality, a mere imitation for amateurs. It couldn't withstand an attack and snapped in half."
"Simply tend to your wound. The tram is approaching. Don't let anyone see you bleeding."
…
At the entrance of the tram station, she instinctively paused, gazing at the young man on stage, cradling a guitar as he performed a self-composed song.
"What are you doing? Hurry inside, is it time to listen to music now?"
Kichyō glanced at the young man for a moment before retracting her gaze.
In the previous dream, this person was absent.
She fell silent for a moment, deciding to temporarily overlook this matter. After all, he appeared to be just an ordinary singer. If he could attract more passengers, it would actually be a good thing, preventing further harm once more people boarded the tram.
On the tram platform, she observed her surroundings, noticing that there were fewer people compared to the last time. However, there were still at least hundreds of people on the entire tram, making it impossible to conduct individual inspections.
However, she remembered that the explosion occurred in a very close proximity, precisely in the same carriage she was in at the moment.
