Oriente 6

In some room, Heaven

I have no idea how long I slept again, but when I regained consciousness, I opened my eyes and tried to get up quickly. But when I looked around, all I could find was that I was in a hospital bed, with an IV in my arm and even bandages on some of my previous wounds. Worried about the angel who had helped me, I tried to get up, only to find Momo lying half asleep beside me, holding my arm with her delicate glass hand. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she was safe, but perhaps my action had managed to wake up the transparent girl, who looked at me almost immediately. It seemed that the girl was embarrassed to be caught in the act, for I am sure that if she had skin right now, her face would be completely red with embarrassment.

"Cesar..."
"This is..."
"I was making sure you weren't hiding any other symptoms!"
"Yes, that! I was just checking your health!"
"......"
"Tell me, are you okay? Does anything hurt?" the angel said as she returned to sit by my bed, worried.

"I feel... like crap, to be honest."
"Exhausted despite being sedated for 9 months."
"But otherwise I feel fine, my arm doesn't feel weird anymore."

"Maybe it's a side effect of being trapped in a capsule, I suppose."
"Speaking of the arm, did you know that you were actually poisoned?"
"It appears that you were attacked by a Black Widow Arachnea."
"It is an extremely deadly and dangerous poison; what you felt was the initial effects."
"How did you even manage that?"
"You're lucky we got to the hospital in time."
"If you'd fallen asleep in Vienna, you'd be dead by now."
"Again."

"......"
"Speaking of which, where are we now?"

"Oh, in Heaven, but don't worry, you're not dead, just out for a little walk."
"Right now, we're on the planet Orient 6 in the Orient Solar System, to be exact."
"This is a sector for the Eastern Divine Division of Japan on Earth."
"Where many gods and their followers live, those who prefer to stay here rather than reincarnate."
"This is the capital of Takamagahara 6, and this is a hospital of the C.S.S."
"It's one of the best hospitals, and it's near a portal terminal."
"Thanks to that, they were able to treat you in time to cure you of the poison."

"Wow, I almost screwed up again so easily."
"Well, at least the worst is over."
"When will they let me out? I have to go home and check on my sister."

"......"
"Well, speaking of that... ......."

"Just give me the summary."

"Remember the bomb I told you to place near the portal?"
"Well, there was a reason for that, but you moved it and it exploded in front of the ring."
"That destabilized the synchronization and triggered the safety protocol."
"The good thing is that it protects people going through the portal from harm."
"The bad news is that it overloaded the system and caused the capacitor, the high-voltage transformer and the power supply to explode."
"So, thanks to you, the entire Oriente 6 portal terminal is currently under repair."
"And since Oriente 6 was the capital planet of the system,"
"Right now, the only way to get out of here is by old-fashioned space jumping."
"The repairs will take some time."

"How much time?"

"I don't know, I haven't checked yet, maybe three or four."

"Three or four what?"

"Yes, maybe five."

"Five what? Hours? Months?"
"I don't have that much free time! I need to get back to my sister!"
"I need to know she's okay! All this crap is so she can be safe!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who destroyed the portal."
"I was very clear in my instructions."
"....."
"Anyway, it looks like you're okay now, and they'll be releasing you this afternoon."
"....... "
"....... "

"Are you getting nervous? About what?" I ask her.
"We managed to escape, we're already in a safe place."

"....."
"Hey, since we can't leave..."
"While you were recovering..."
"I was looking for a place to stay."
"And I found a nice hotel... It's a bit far from here... but we can get there by train in just an hour."
"If you want, you can come with me if you have nowhere to stay."
"Only if you want to, of course!"

"Well, it's not like I have any other options or know the area."
"Actually, you'd be saving me again, because I have no idea what to do outside the hospital."

"Oh, excellent!"
"I'll get everything ready! You wait here."
"Don't worry! Leave it to me!"

Momo, for some reason, jumped for joy and left the room, checking her smartphone, probably to contact the hotel. Shortly after, a couple of doctors arrived to check on my health, and it was only when I looked in the mirror for the second time that I realized the big problem I was facing.

The first time, I had been too worried about trying to escape a war to pay attention to something that was not strictly related to my immediate survival. But now it was different. I could see Nanami's body, I could see her face, I could see her fox-girl ears and tail, I could hear her voice, but she wasn't there. Instead, it was me who was carrying her body like a horrible parasite. I didn't mean for this to happen, but like the cruel fate that bound us to Atlantis, I was once again using the body of someone who was extremely important to me and who, despite her sacrifices, never found salvation. What disgusted me even more than seeing myself using Nanami's face was the relief of not seeing my ruined face instead. In the mirror, I saw tears streaming down my face, but I didn't know if they were for Nanami or for me. I was a girl now, and I couldn't deny it; I could see it in front of me. I couldn't be the same as before, even if I wanted to be.

hat all of this was a bad decision I made just to protect her from the illness? I had no way of knowing, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. All I have left is... to move forward... for now. The future will tell what will happen... I hope.

After changing into the clothes Momo had given me, she picked me up again and we walked for a while through the city to the train station. Takamagahara was unlike any other city I had seen on Earth, an extremely beautiful place with architecture heavily inspired by traditional Asian culture. Even the people who walked its streets continued that tradition by wearing classic clothes from those eras. But don't confuse their love of tradition with a lack of progress; on the contrary, the city was full of it, with spaceships flying through the sky, several floating islands to visit, buildings the size of the tallest skyscrapers on Earth, and high-speed trains that would put any known to man to shame. When Momo talked about an hour train ride, she really meant an intercontinental journey.

When we arrived at our station, we descended into a city that was much more subdued compared to the obvious eccentricity of the planet's capital. Where we were now resembled the image I had in my mind of traveling back in time to Japan: a small village in the middle of nowhere, with its dirt roads, five small houses separated by vast rice plantations and people working in them by hand. The joys of manual labor and the tranquility of rural life, interrupted only by the occasional spaceship flying in the sky or parked next to their houses.

"How did you even know this place existed?"
"Actually, if you told me there was a hotel here, I wouldn't believe you at all."

"Oh, well, your father mentioned it once and told me that if I mentioned that I worked for him, the owner of the place would give me a big discount for staying there."

"So, my father again..."
"Every time they talk about him, I have more and more doubts if we're talking about the same person."
"What the hell did he do with my money?"
"Why does everyone know him?
"Why is there a statue from a New Year's Eve party in my house in the town square?"
"We're not even on the same planet! Why is there even a statue?"
"What happened at that party?"

"It was just a really good party."
"You had to be there, everyone in the heavens appreciated it at some point."
"A bunch of special party ships in the sky and a lot of cruises on the seas were brought in to accommodate people."
"It was incredible and chaotic.
"I have no idea how so many people or food could be in Avesta 7 at the same time."

"All the people from Heaven on one planet? Please don't lie."
"Avesta 7 isn't that big to begin with."
"Besides, the whole idea of the planet is to be a paradise of private islands on a tropical planet with perfect weather."
"That's why I chose that place."
"Having a bunch of people there goes against that idea."

"Well, it was just for the New Year's Eve party."
"Besides, it was the BOSS'S SON, he was one of the first to arrive."
"He knows how to manage people and distribute food to large crowds with few resources."
"Also, if he tends to show up at a party, even if it's just for friends, people tend to remember him for millennia afterwards."

"Wait, are you talking about that...?"

"The best part was around midnight!"
"He got on the DJ table and started blasting music until the sun came up."
"It was legendary, the best party I've ever been to."
"I'll buy you a copy of the movie when it comes out."

"Every time someone talks about it, I have more and more questions."

As we talked and walked along the dirt road to the hotel, we heard the sound of a car approaching, so we stepped aside to give it room to continue. What we didn't expect was that the car was a silver Mercedes Benz AMG GT from this year. Nor did we expect it to stop as soon as it passed us, and its driver to get out to greet us, or perhaps to see a samurai girl in her armor as the owner of the vehicle. The girl looked like a typical Japanese girl with her straight black hair, short stature, and fair skin. She seemed like a normal person if it weren't for the fact that she was driving a racing car while carrying a katana at her waist.

"No way!"
"Momo? What are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't you be working, trying to keep Rafael under control?"
"No, wait, you wouldn't come out of there unless something really happened."
"Which means that the girl next to you must be... Cesar? Maybe?"
"Is it really you?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met."
"Sorry, but who did you say you were?"

"Oh, sorry! Where are my manners?"
"My name is Urakaze, I'm the owner of the Ryokan just ahead."
"Ryokan means hotel in Japanese, in case you didn't know."

"Yes, I know what it means, I can speak Japanese, I studied it for a while."

"I'm a big fan of the parties your father throws from time to time and of his work."
"Although it may not seem like it, I am friends with him, also a collector, and he has helped me find some hard to get items like this car."
"In fact, I was on my way back from visiting him."
"I was supposed to return about three days ago, but apparently some idiot managed to break all the gates at the transportation terminal at the same time."

"But what the hell... sorry, I mean..."
"Oh... I can't imagine what kind of idiot would do such a thing!"

"I heard about your promotion to Valkyrie from your father."
"I must admit, I had my doubts as to why they would give you such a position."
"But now that I see the two big reasons, I can more or less understand what happened."
"I have to admit that you don't look anything like the photos your father showed me of you, but now that I think about it, maybe that would have been worse."
"With the burns and..."

"Don't mention it, I don't like to talk about it."
" I've had enough of scaring the kids with my face."

"Oh shit, I fucked up..."
"......"
"Oh! I guess you're on your way to my ryokan, right? There's nothing interesting around here anyway."
"Sure, you want to rest and relax for a while."
"Go ahead, get in the car, I'll drive you."
"I was going there anyway."

Momo gave the green light, so I trusted her and got into the car to get to the hotel early. It was truly a beauty worthy of the best fantasy tales, with exquisite architecture that was both traditional and elegant. It had large, meticulously maintained gardens and a luxurious outdoor hot spring area. While the interior, like the lobby, boasted all the comforts of the modern world one could expect, with air conditioning, television, comfortable chairs and tables fit for a first-class restaurant, and even free Wi-Fi Internet - it had it all.

"I can tell by your expression that you're quite surprised by what you see."
"But even though this Ryokan is nearly a thousand years old, it's still a hotel."
"It is important for business to keep up with all the comforts that guests might want."
"Although there's also a much more traditional section for those tourists who want something more 'authentic' to the past."
"Ah, it seems like only yesterday when I started building this place as nothing more than a hut to spend the night in with wood I gathered myself."
"But with time, and perhaps more renovations than necessary, it became this."
"The Ryokan Megumi-no-Kitsunei."
"..."
"Well, the relatively distant location from the capital may not help attract many customers at first, but we have a rather relaxed and peaceful atmosphere that has made us famous in our own right."
"A blessing disguised as a curse."

"Can I have some more of this delicious ice cream?" the angel asked happily after finishing her third plate of food.

"Hey, try not to order too much food, we still don't know the prices of this place."

"Oh, don't worry about it."
"Go ahead, order whatever you want, it's on the house," Urakaze said frighteningly cheerful.

"Hey, wait a minute, what exactly is going on here?"
"I don't like to think badly of people, but I think you're being overly generous."
"Letting us stay here, the food, and not charging us?"
"You may be a friend of my father's, but I think it's too much even for that."
"......"
"Although it's my father we're talking about too, and situations like this happened when he was alive, so I don't know what to believe."

"......"
"Well, any emergency can happen."
"I'm sure being stranded on Oriente 6 wasn't in your plans."
"Of course you need a place to stay."
"And I figured everyone needs a Good Samaritan from time to time."
"......"
"....... "
"And this will also help me reduce my debt to your father at least a little."

"Debt?"
"How much do you owe my dad?"

"......"
"......"
"The ownership of the hotel..." Urakaze said, looking out the window.

"You owe Mr. Rafael the whole hotel?" Momo said, even impressed.

"We were playing our usual poker game."
"One of the new guys came with one of the first examples of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 1."
"It was in mint condition, with the original receipt."
"It was the first car made by man, the great-grandfather of the one I have."
"I had to have it in my garage!"
"And then your father came along with a Detective Comics #27 in mint condition."
"Things got tough, I couldn't fall behind."

"And that's how you lost an entire thousand-year-old hotel on a bet."

"Please! Tell him to reconsider!"
"This hotel is my main source of income!
"I hammered every single nail in the foundation of this building myself!"
"The garage with my babies is also here!"
"Please tell him to change his mind about something else, but not my hotel!"

"Oh, yes, of course, I'll think about it."
"If only he would stop pretending he's not home and ignoring my calls or messages asking him to return my money."

"Oh! That would be excellent! Thank you so much!"
"I'll put you both up in one of the best rooms in the hotel!"
"I only have one left, so you'll have to share."
"It's the lake cabin, it's outside the main building, but it's quite private, so you won't have any trouble with disturbances."
"You can also use all the facilities you want."
"Here are your cards, these are both your room keys and where your bills will be."
"Please use them as much as you can, the survival of my hotel depends on you spending as much as you can, don't hold back."
"Oh, and before I forget!"
"Please don't venture too far into the forest to the north, there's nothing of value there and it's easy to get lost."
"Besides, the locals usually go there to hunt animals before winter."
"So it's probably full of traps and people with weapons, it's not safe to go there."

"Okay, thank you very much, I guess."
"But I'm sure Momo will want a room for herself."

"No! No, that's not necessary."
"We're already bothering Urakaze enough by giving us a whole cabin to ourselves."
"That's fine."

"Oh, I get it! Momo, good luck with him."
"Use these days and make your dream come true."
"It's the perfect time! It's time to act!"

"Urakaze! I told you it was a secret!" said the Crystal Girl.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing! Nothing important!"
"Maybe we should go to the room already, you just got out of the hospital, it's important that you take care of yourself."

"Wait a minute, do you really think we'll be okay being in the same room?"

Momo pushed me toward the cabin Urakaze had mentioned. It was a traditional cabin, but with architecture similar to the rest of the Japanese hotel, complete with tatami mats, low bed mattresses, and for these cold days before winter, there was also a kotatsu. In addition to all the other things you would expect from a hotel, such as room service, a mini fridge, and most importantly to me, a modern bathroom. I hadn't seen an intact one for years, and those on the carrier were anything but comfortable, while those in the cities I visited were usually damaged for various reasons, from being broken into pieces to having an undetonated bomb. Seeing such a fine specimen for free, I couldn't resist using it right away. But right after I pulled down my pants, I remembered a crucial detail that I had overlooked all this time. My best friend and battle buddy had been killed in action, another casualty of the war. My faithful friend and tool was now in a better place without me, for from now on, nothing would ever be the same again.