Chapter 25: Silver Soul (Cosmic Arc)

“Azusa, come here. You’ve become an internet celebrity.”
One day during their lunch break, Coco waved Azusa Okakura over to look at her computer screen.
“What?” Azusa walked over and saw her own photo in a fur skirt displayed prominently on the monitor.
“Who took this?”
“Probably one of the regular customers at the restaurant. Look, they’re calling you the ‘Goddess of the Restaurant.’”
“What a strange nickname!” Azusa exclaimed, a bit exasperated.
“Here, read the comments yourself.”
Azusa leaned in and scrolled down to read them.
[This girl is so beautiful. Does anyone know her name?]
Basic Member Dragon Knight – Feb 15, 9:00
[She’s called Azusa. I went to that restaurant recently. She’s even more beautiful in person!]
VIP Member Long Legs Lover – Feb 15, 9:01
[What’s the name of that restaurant? I want to see the goddess too.]
Senior Member White Ink – Feb 15, 9:02
[Ah, if only she’d tell me her real name.]
VIP Member Long Legs Lover – Feb 15, 9:02
[Hmph, she’s mine. No way she’d tell you guys her real name.]
Intermediate Member Wild and Cool – Feb 15, 9:03
…
Azusa didn’t bother reading any more. She looked at Coco, troubled. “What is all this?”
“You’re a net idol now—of course you’ve got lots of admirers. And haters, too. Just the other day, I saw them arguing online. The haters kept attacking your figure, saying your chest is too small. Hahaha.” Coco reached out and pinched Azusa’s chest. “Well, it is a little small.”
Azusa’s face went red as she pushed Coco’s hand away, embarrassed and angry. “I’m still growing!”
“True, you’re still growing. If you’d let me pinch you a bit more, that might help.” Coco lunged at her again, but Azusa dodged.
“All right, you two, enough. Time to get back to work.” Nina entered and broke up their tussle.
“Okay, I’m going.” Azusa hurried out.
“Wait for me, Azusa, you stingy thing!” Coco ran after her, and together they headed back to work.
Unknowingly, Azusa had already been on Crota for two months. As promised, Tetana paid her salary every month and covered her meals, while Azusa paid rent, which she later realized was only half what others paid in the area.
Azusa was grateful for Tetana’s care. After two months, she understood that the planet was just as Tetana had described. Crota had a dark side, and the greatest shadow was cast by the Spring Rain syndicate.
After her arrival, Azusa reflected a lot: no matter where you go, the world is the same—survival of the fittest is the basic law of all civilizations. The strong make the rules and put collars on the weak. She realized Earth still had far to go; for all its power, it was merely a plaything for the Celestials, just like Crota.
Azusa still wanted to return to Earth, but not yet. Her original dream was to travel across Japan, but here she was, in the universe. Now, she wanted to see this vast cosmos.
But she hadn’t found a way off Crota. Just as Tetana had told her, the only spaceport off-world was controlled by Spring Rain and the gangs—no ordinary person could leave.
One early morning, Azusa awoke before her alarm, shaken from a nightmare. She’d seen again the night her mother was killed and the final battle with the Celestials—smoke and flames everywhere, the stench of burnt flesh and blood, planes circling above, familiar faces being killed one after another, and finally, a plane crashing straight toward her…
Azusa woke, washed the cold sweat from her face, and stared into the mirror. She was beautiful, yet looked unfamiliar—as if wearing a mask.
“Azusa, let’s go or we’ll be late.” It was Nina’s voice. She and Azusa both lived in Tetana’s apartment, so Nina called her every morning.
“Coming.” Azusa pulled on a sweatshirt and pants and went out.
Today, a strange man came to the Bone Society. He was wrapped in bandages and carried a large umbrella. As soon as he arrived, Tetana greeted him.

“Abuto, you haven’t been to my shop in ages.”
“I’ve been busy lately, Tetana. Long time no see.”
The stranger unwound the bandages from his head—he was an older man, weathered, but when Azusa met his lifeless, dead-fish eyes, a chill ran down her spine. This man was dangerous.
“A new face?” Abuto glanced at Azusa.
“Yes, I picked her up from a trash heap not long ago. Isn’t she pretty?” Tetana leaned against Abuto as she spoke.
“She is, but I prefer someone more mature.” Abuto glanced at Azusa’s chest, then Tetana’s.
A mound and a mountain—an obvious contrast. Seeing that appraising gaze, Azusa inwardly spat at him.
After greeting the customer, Azusa returned to the counter and noticed Coco staring at Tetana and Abuto.
“Coco, focus on work.” Azusa tapped her on the shoulder.
“Azusa, do you know who that man is?”
“Isn’t he Tetana’s boyfriend? They seem close.”
“No, I mean his identity.”
“His identity? What about it?”
Coco glanced around and whispered in Azusa’s ear,
“That man is a Night Rabbit.”
“A Night Rabbit?”
“Azusa, what backwater planet did you crawl out of? You don’t even know that!” Coco looked at her with disdain.
“Listen, the top three fighting races in the universe are the Dragon Clan, the Tea Djinn, and the Night Rabbits. The Night Rabbits are the most belligerent, but their weakness is sunlight.”
“Oh, that explains why he’s so covered up.”
“And that’s not all, idiot. Listen—he’s called Abuto and he’s the second-in-command of Spring Rain’s Seventh Division, very powerful. Our boss has really landed herself a big fish!”
“Coco, you’re practically spitting in my ear. Gross.” Azusa wiped her ear with a tissue. Coco responded with a playful punch. “Who are you calling gross?”
“By the way, Coco, have you heard of a tribe called the Ghost Relics?”
“Ghost Relics? Never heard of them. Why?”
“No reason. I just heard about them from someone and was curious.” Azusa changed the subject. “Come on, we should serve the customers. If Tetana catches us slacking off, she’ll dock our pay.”
At the mention of lost wages, Coco hurried out to work. Azusa glanced at Tetana and Abuto, but they were gone.
Azusa finally solved a question that had puzzled her: why was this restaurant so safe? When she first arrived, she saw gangsters collecting protection money from nearby shops, but never from theirs. She figured Abuto had something to do with it.
“Azusa, bring out the orders!”
Kodo’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Azusa plunged back into her busy routine.
That day after work, Nina invited the girls from the restaurant to go shopping. Bellona declined, saying she had a date, so only Coco, Nina, and Azusa went.
Girls shopping together always hold hands and browse pretty clothing stores. Azusa, with Coco on one side and Nina on the other, fully enjoyed the feeling of being embraced from both sides. The three lovely girls drew plenty of admiring glances.
They hadn’t walked far when a man approached with a business card, mainly targeting Azusa. He claimed to be a talent scout and asked if she wanted to be a star.
Azusa declined outright; she had no interest in fame. The man tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t budge. He left his card and walked away.
Nina and Coco looked at Azusa in envy. “Wow, Azusa, a talent scout noticed you!”
“Did you ever consider he might be a scammer?”
“No. Here on Crota, fraud is heavily punished. Plus, I checked his card—his agency is the most famous on the planet. Azusa, you just turned down a huge opportunity,” Coco sighed. “Why didn’t he pick me? I’m not bad either.”
The talent scout incident was just a minor episode and Azusa soon forgot about it, but what happened next turned her life upside down: Coco disappeared.
After shopping with them, Coco didn’t return home and was absent for five days from both home and work. In the end, Tetana called the police.
The police questioned everyone at the restaurant. No one was linked to Coco’s disappearance. Azusa and Bellona, as off-worlders, were scrutinized more closely, but both were innocent.
So where had Coco gone?

“Azusa, it’s the seventh day—Coco still hasn’t come back…”
It was break time. Nina looked worried across the table, and Azusa didn’t know what to say; she had no idea what had happened to Coco either.
“Nina, the police are still investigating. Let’s be patient.” It was all Azusa could offer.
Suddenly, Nina looked uncomfortable. She glanced at the door, then leaned in to whisper, “Azusa, I need to tell you something, but please don’t tell anyone.”
Seeing Nina’s nervousness, Azusa nodded. “Okay, I won’t tell.”
With Azusa’s assurance, Nina whispered in her ear, “I suspect Bellona is involved in Coco’s disappearance.”
“Bellona? Why?”
“Before Coco vanished, I saw her arguing fiercely with Bellona in the restroom. I overheard something—Bellona… she…” Nina bit her lip, hesitating.
“What about Bellona?” Azusa pressed, curiosity piqued. After a few seconds, Nina took a deep breath and decided. “Bellona’s been using Rebirth Dust.”
“Are you serious?” Azusa was shocked. Rebirth Dust was a drug, and Bellona, the cute cat-eared girl, was an addict.
“I’m not lying. I heard her admit it myself.”
“But what does that have to do with Coco’s disappearance?”
Now that she’d started, Nina spoke faster.
“Coco and Bellona are good friends—Bellona started working here through Coco. That day, I heard Coco urging Bellona to quit Rebirth Dust; Bellona had already spent all her savings on it and even tried to borrow money from Coco, who refused. Then Bellona threatened Coco, saying, ‘If you don’t lend me the money, you won’t have it easy.’ That made Coco even angrier. They argued, and I left because I didn’t want to keep eavesdropping.”
“Azusa, do you think Bellona is involved in Coco’s disappearance?”
Azusa thought for a moment and said, “We can’t just speculate between us. We should tell the police and let them investigate.”
Nina hesitated but agreed. The police had left them a number, so the two called and reported what they knew. The police thanked them for the lead and promised to investigate.
After hanging up, Nina sighed in relief. “I feel better now that I’ve told someone.”
“In the future, always speak up about these things, Nina. It’s a serious matter. If you’re afraid, tell me and I’ll speak for you,” Azusa said sternly.
“I’m sorry. I know it was wrong to hide it. I just thought it was only my suspicion, and reporting someone based on a hunch…” Nina hung her head.
“I understand your worry, but innocent people won’t suffer because of what you say. If you’re ever afraid, just tell me.”
“Okay!” Nina nodded, looking relieved.
The next day, the police did investigate Bellona. She was indeed using Rebirth Dust, but there was no evidence linking her to Coco’s disappearance.
Afterward, Bellona became distant from everyone at the restaurant, growing cold—she probably guessed someone there had reported her.
And just days later, Nina disappeared as well. At the same time, a wave of mysterious disappearances of women swept the district—a well-organized crime where the perpetrator remained hidden and the police had no leads.
Bellona soon quit as well, leaving Azusa the only female staff member at the Bone Society. Because they were short-handed, even Tetana had to help serve customers.
“Ah, looks like I’ll have to put up a hiring notice soon. With so many customers, two people can’t handle it,” Tetana said with a stretch.
“Tetana, do you think Coco and Nina will ever be found?” Azusa couldn’t help asking. It was hard to bear losing so many familiar faces at once.
“Azusa, remember the three dangerous districts I told you about on Crota?”
“Yes.”
“I suspect this string of missing women is their doing.”
“Their… as in the gangs and Spring Rain?” Azusa asked quietly, and Tetana nodded.
“Azusa, stop thinking about this. The darkness behind these events is too deep for us to solve.”
Azusa bowed her head at Tetana’s warning. “But what about Coco and Nina?”
“There’s nothing we can do. The police are entangled with that world, too. This case will never be solved. Azusa, you need to be careful—the missing women were all single and not close to others. You’re new on Crota and don’t know many people, so you could easily become a target.” Tetana’s voice broke. “I… I don’t want to lose another waitress…”
“Tetana…” Seeing Tetana in tears, Azusa could think of nothing to say. Tetana had known Coco and Nina far longer, and must be even more upset.
Just as Tetana feared, women kept disappearing, and the police made no progress. Every night before sleep, Azusa couldn’t help but think of Coco and Nina. Where had they gone?