073 – Stars
The old god Cronus and Chairman Hades had a bad relationship. Both lived in this Soul Society, but they'd never once faced each other, and it was meant to stay that way forever. But? Now they were face-to-face. Because I'd fled straight to Old Man Cronus.
"...You old fart!"
"Don't you ever look in a mirror?"
The chairman's rage, which had been pouring down on me, instantly redirected toward the giant god Cronus. Of course, he didn't forget to shoot me a sidelong glare with those red eyes.
"Section Chief Jo, what a ridiculous ploy. Even if you've dragged me to some senile, powerless geezer, nothing changes!"
Crackle, crackle-crackle! The overwhelming pressure bursting from the chairman's body turned into red lightning, striking all around.
That's when I slipped whoosh behind Old Man Cronus. He just picked up his pickaxe and kept pulling rocks out of the field.
"Get your feet off my field. You're trampling the sprouts."
"Sprouts?"
The chairman pulled back his foot in a huff, and sure enough, the crushed sprout wilted droop.
"You devoured your own kids, but you sure take good care of plants that aren't even your blood."
"I hear you didn't eat yours, but still got grabbed by the collar by your son? Zagreus, right? He said the kid takes after you completely."
Incredible! Not even backing down an inch in front of the terrifying chairman who made the underworld's executives bow their heads—this was why running to Old Man Cronus had been the right call.
"Anyone who draws a blade on their father is doomed to face the same from their own son. The rebels are the same. Those who rise by rebellion fall by rebellion! That's destiny."
"Nonsense! We're different from you old fogeys!"
"Your siblings might be. The second son or the youngest could be. But not you, Hades. My eldest. You take after me the most—even the twisted, cranky parts!"
"Argh, shut up! Just watch. I'll break this cycle of hatred flowing through our dark, murky blood! We'll see if you say the same then!"
"Fine! Next time you come, at least bring a gift!"
"No way!"
With that, the chairman turned and whoosh vanished into the darkness.
Only then could I finally let out a sigh of relief. Old Man Cronus turned to me and let out a hearty kahaha.
"Section Chief Jo, you're the only one—executives and mortals included—who's survived being hated by that fearsome eldest son of mine. Even I get chills from his temperament, but you made it out alive!"
"What did I do? It's all thanks to you, sir."
"Is it, now?"
The old man shrugged. What did he mean by is it, now? As I pondered his intentions, his hand pointed toward the light.
"More importantly, look at that sun. It's escaped its fake glow and is twinkling like a real sun, beautifully. They say you helped make it?"
Cronus marveled at the fake sun shining in the underworld sky as it set.
"Looking at that sky reminds me of my old man."
"Your father... You mean Uranus, the protogenos of the heavens?"
"Yeah. Terrifying bastard. But staring at the sky like this, I think of him sometimes. When his era ended, he told me I'd fall to my son's hand just like him."
"You just said the same thing to the chairman."
"That's father and son for you. If a son can't surpass his father, he hasn't done his duty as a man. You get it, right, Section Chief Jo? You've got sons."
I gazed at the sunset sky. It looked just like one from the surface. At night, that Celestial Body ver.2 would shine even more brilliantly.
"I got along great with my dad. Honestly, nothing but good memories."
"What? How's that possible?"
Cronus asked as if a good father-son bond was unbelievable. Given the kill-or-be-killed history he'd known, it made sense.
I dredged up dusty old memories.
"Dad loved stars. At night, he'd haul a big telescope to the roof and tell me about constellations and heroes turned to stars."
I loved those stories of star-born heroes. Maybe half the reason I'm here is nymphs... and half is Dad. Suddenly, I remembered: tonight, the Soul Society sky would sparkle with stars brighter than ever.
This wasn't the time to dawdle.
###
Countless people gathered along the underworld rivers and in the Asphodel meadows blooming with flowers. Families out for a picnic to see the moon and stars shine as the sun set.
"Honey, there are so many people!"
"Kshalri, hold my hand tight. Son! Don't wander too far!"
"Admetus! Over here! I saved seats!"
"Great spot."
"...!"
"Yeah, yeah. I think so too, Echo."
Lovers stepped out into the streets. Tonight, every Soul Society resident would be outdoors.
"Whew, no overtime today—feels great!"
"Mr. Crowzer, long time no see."
Even Crowzer, for whom overtime was routine in Happy World.
And Sisyphus, fixated on his eternal boulder-pushing punishment, showed up in the park.
"Didn't expect you here, Mr. Sisyphus."
Did that mean the prisoners' punishments were on hold? He shrugged at my question.
"Thanks to you, Section Chief Jo."
"Me?"
"Daedalus's masterpiece turned out better than expected, so the chairman's in a great mood. We prisoners get tonight off to enjoy freely."
The chairman in a good mood? Hard to picture after he'd chased me like he wanted to kill me.
As the sun slowly set, the night began to dye purple and beautiful.
Some gasped in awe.
"Must be Nyx and Erebos's powers."
"A sky infused with night and darkness. Daedalus outdid himself."
The murmurs faded. Overwhelmed by the masterpiece.
Twinkle, twinkle. Countless stars above, the flowing Milky Way like glittering beads on black silk. Everyone forgot to speak.
Anyone who's lived has a memory of beautiful stars and night skies. The Soul Society residents were no different, sighing with nostalgic longing for their brief lives on earth.
"What a magnificent night sky."
Swish. That's when Lady Melinoë appeared beside me.
"This sky was Father's birthday gift to me. A special order for a girl who'd never see the surface."
A solemn father gifting his daughter the night sky. Now I understood why the chairman obsessed over its completion.
"Honestly, I didn't expect it to finish. But it's beyond imagination."
Her red eyes reflected the starlight. How did the perfect goddess feel seeing the night sky and stars for the first time?
Her finger pointed skyward.
"That's Altair, and beside it Vega, right? On the seventh lunar month, Qi Xi, a foreign myth where lovers cross a bridge of magpies and crows to meet."
"Oh."
Amazing. In Greek myth, Altair linked to Zeus's eagle. And Vega—
"My nymph Lyra! The nymph Lyra, preserved as a constellation after death, is right there!"
Crowzer—no, Orpheus—and his lyre, turned to stars after death.
Lady Melinoë mentioning distant Chinese lovers from Greek myths? No wonder I was surprised.
"You know foreign constellations well, Lady Melinoë."
"Hmph, as a perfect and beautiful goddess, I must be knowledgeable. But strange... This should be my first time under such vivid starlight, yet somehow..."
Flicker. Her eyes glowed softly.
"Somehow, I know this night sky. Like I've seen it in a dream. Odd. I've never left Soul Society since birth..."
"......"
"But that's not important now. Jo, you worked hard for me. You overcame the master artisan's endless delays and achieved this feat."
Ding ding ding. Beautiful melodies began somewhere.
"It's E&S!"
"Nymphs and sirens!"
"They said a special show—it's real!"
Fairy voices wove through the starlit riverbanks. Amid romantic myth.
Lady Melinoë's soft voice cut clearer through the songs.
"Jo, I'm grateful. As I said before, without you, it would've taken ages to reach this point. I might never have seen this sky."
"...It wouldn't have. You'd be standing here without me. That's the 'fate' the Moirai weave."
I was a speck of dust, a mortal. In this well-woven world, with or without me, fate's path was inevitable.
But she shook her head.
"Not quite. I can't say too much, but without you, Jo, all this would've been impossible. You've done something incredible."
She paused dramatically.
...No. I tensed.
"It's only right to reward great deeds. As a fair and just goddess, I must honor my word."
I sensed it. If she spoke next, my resolve and plans to escape this underworld for the surface would become impossibly harder.
"As long as you stay in Soul Society, I'll be on your side. And vice versa. That's our contract—"
She offered her pinky.
Bang! An elf mage's fireworks lit the sky in colors.
My body froze stiff.
"Jo, what are you doing?"
"I can't move."
Someone gripped my arm tight.
A voice boomed from thin air.
"You rascal! Jo! Keep their romance strictly secret, platonic—not even fingertips touching!"