Ashinaga-san is Waiting #PulpAdventCalendar2022

+++

“Senpai, seriously, why are we out on field duty on a day like this? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“Because we were the only ones who came into the office today.”
“You should’ve just dragged the field team out instead!”

　The main street was bustling and noisy with the holiday sale, but once you turned into the back alley, it was quiet. In fact, it was almost too quiet—not a single soul was walking there.
　The branches of the deciduous trees lining the street were lightly powdered with white.
　The two figures in suits were the ones leaving footprints in the freshly fallen, fluffy snow on the ground.

【Hasuroku City, Environmental Policy Division, Pest Control Section】—commonly known as the “Ashinaga Desk.”
　This is a special department established by Hasuroku City to deal with the “Ashinaga cases” that have been quietly causing a stir in the city in recent years.

【Ashinaga】 are bee-like lifeforms that suddenly appeared in Hasuroku City several years ago. They can disguise themselves as humans, blend into human life, and secretly build communities called “Hives.”
　They attempt violent contact with people, primarily teenagers, under the guise of “assistance,” and possess the terrifying ability to use the “poison” accumulated in their bodies to transform their victims into “Ashinaga.” The “Ashinaga Desk” focuses on rescuing victims of these cases and, more importantly, on Ashinaga extermination work to strike at “Hives” before they can increase the number of victims.

“I bet they all just shoved their paid leave requests in because they know Ashinaga activity drops off in the winter!”
　The one who had been snapping and complaining like a dog on a leash for a while now was a petite woman wearing a high-quality gray rabbit fur wrapped around her suit like a scarf—her name is 【Abekawa Sasuco】, commonly known as “Abu.”
“They’ve been dragged out from morning till night during the busy season, too. Let them rest, Abu.”
“We’ve been working non-stop regardless of the season, haven’t we?! Do you love work that much, Hachikuma-senpai?!”
　Every time Abu swung her body, the fur brushed against the man walking next to her. The tall man—named 【Yobetsu Yu】, commonly known as “Hachikuma”—continued walking without changing his expression or even seeming to notice. They are both public servants belonging to the “Ashinaga Desk,” but they are not part of the frontline extermination squad; they belong to the research team that studies Ashinaga ecology and anti-Ashinaga tactics.

“So. Is this the nest for today?”
　Abu, with a cocoa cigarette in her mouth, pointed with the tip of it at a small two-story house hidden by a large, bare-branched deciduous tree.
　Ocher-colored roofs are a common trait of Ashinaga nests. Because they build houses that blend into the surrounding residential area, it is extremely difficult to identify a nest unless an incident actually occurs in the vicinity.
“Abu, patrol the perimeter.”
　Hachikuma said this while looking up at the ocher roof in front of the fence surrounding the nest. There was a sound of Abu crunching her cigarette next to him.
“Huh?! Usually, I’m the close-combat specialist who takes the lead and rings the doorbell!”
“I want to avoid the possibility of becoming incapacitated the moment the door is opened.”
　Hachikuma, with both hands in his pockets, grabbed his colleague by the scruff of her neck as she stomped her feet and tossed her lightly toward the deciduous tree casting a shadow on the nest’s roof. Abu, who had spun two or three times in the air while shouting “Don’t underestimate me!”, wrapped the tip of her fur around a tree branch in the next instant and hung upside down like a ninja.
“We aren’t dealing with a large swarm today. To avoid unnecessary collateral damage, our top priority is to efficiently eliminate the ‘Queen’.”
“Yeah, yeah. Senpai, you’re a big enough target as it is, so try not to get surrounded, okay?”
　Hachikuma glanced at Abu and admonished her, but it was like talking to a brick wall.
“Anyway, I’ll go check out the second floor, so you handle the usual doorbell ringing, please~”
　Ringing the intercom at the front door is a duty that must be performed when acting under official government orders, no matter how much the house might be an Ashinaga nest.
　Hachikuma gripped the lapels of his heavy-looking long coat and pressed the intercom installed under the nameless hexagonal nameplate.
“Haha, I wonder if they’re out, maybe?”
　Even after waiting for a while, there wasn't a sound, and Abu’s dry laughter came through the communicator. Complaining that it was a buzzkill, Hachikuma could see her from his position; she had already climbed to the top of the tree and was peering into the house from a second-floor window.
“Hmm? Senpai.”
“What is it?”
“This is bad, there isn’t a single bee in here.”
“Impossible. Even if the underlings die, the 【Queen】 survives the winter. Keep looking.”
“You’re a real taskmaster.”
　Abu’s figure, which had been visible near the entrance, disappeared. She must have gone around to the back of the house or entered from the balcony.
　Hachikuma also approached the door and placed his hand on the handle. There was a good chance the enemy was lying in wait just inside the entrance. He took a step back with his left foot to be ready to storm in at any moment, and the entrance to the nest opened with a click.

　A faint scent of honey drifted by, brushing against his nose.
　Ashinaga are lifeforms that mimic bees, but to blend into human society, they perfectly imitate humans even in their daily lives. What spread out before him was an ordinary scene, no different from any typical household.
　There wasn't a single pair of shoes in the tidy entryway. There was little furniture in the hallway, and if you looked closely, it seemed like the shoe cabinet was covered in dust. It lacked the sense of daily life one would expect from an Ashinaga nest, which usually houses a large number of them.
　Hachikuma walked forward slowly in his leather shoes. However, about two meters in, a bell-like voice suddenly tumbled down from above his head.

“No, you have to take your shoes off properly.”

“?!”
　He gripped his coat tighter. He immediately looked up and saw a young girl looking down at him from the top of the stairs leading to the second floor.
“Abu, there’s a child upstairs—”
　Just as he whispered that into his communicator, the girl shouted as if to cut him off.
“I’m coming down now, so just wait a moment!”
　She walked down the stairs slowly, one step at a time. Hachikuma, who had been crouching and watching her movements in anticipation of an attack, felt the tension leave his broad shoulders at the sheer clumsiness of the little girl.
“...Are you a child who lives in this house?”
“That’s right? You’re a strange man. You break into my house and then ask if I live here.”
“Where are your parents?”
“They won’t be back for a while. I’m house-sitting. I’m a good girl, aren’t I?”
　She looked to be about five years old. She had fluffy, bouncing brown hair and was wearing flannel pajamas.
　The girl clasped her hands behind her back and tilted her head as she asked.
“Hey, are you a bad person?”
“...”
　While Hachikuma was choosing his words, Abu was calling out to him repeatedly from the communicator, sounding panicked as she grew suspicious of the interrupted conversation.
“Senpai? What’s wrong? Huh, Senpai? Are you okay—”
　The girl looking at him with innocent eyes and the voice of his colleague shouting in his ear. He thought about which one to focus on, and in the end, Hachikuma removed the communicator from his ear and shoved it into his pocket.

　Spread out before him was a wrinkled tablecloth. And plastic dishes, and a chipped mug.
　Hachikuma, having been told to properly take off his shoes at the entrance, was then guided to the living room and was receiving the finest “hospitality” from the girl.
“Please, have some delicious juice. It’s juice made from flower nectar picked just this morning.”
“...”
　Of course, the cup was empty. It was what you’d call playing house.
“Enjoy.”
　Just as the sullen adult man was handed a cup so small he could only hold it with his fingertips, heavy footsteps could be heard from the hallway.
　With a high-pitched sound effect like car tires drifting, Abu came rolling into the living room. She had successfully infiltrated from the second floor, but it seemed she had given up on searching the area and had come down to the first floor to find Hachikuma.
“Senpai, are you alive?! Oh, no, you’re having tea with a little girl.”
“How does this look like that to you?”
“It looks like exactly that!”
　Hachikuma’s hand holding the cup was trembling.
　The girl looked back and forth between the face of the new guest and the face of Hachikuma, who was having a somewhat familiar conversation, and tilted her head with a blank expression.
“Is that your friend, mister?”
“No.”
　Seeing her boss’s furrowed brow, Abu couldn't hold back her laughter and finally burst out.
“Yes! I’m so happy to have so many guests today. I’ll go prepare some tea now.”
　The girl started clattering with her toy dishes. Abu, who had sat down next to Hachikuma as he watched her blankly, whispered into his ear.
“Senpai, is that kid the ‘Queen’?”
“I don’t know. It’s possible she’s a victim who received ‘assistance’.”
　Ashinaga target teenagers. They specifically target children who are struggling in their daily lives, such as those without family or those in financial distress.
“So you’re saying we can’t just strike blindly...”
　A teacup was offered to Abu, who was tapping her finger against her lips. Of course, it was empty.
“Here you go, miss! Be careful, it’s hot.”
“Thanks~. Digging in—ow, hot.”
　The girl clapped her hands and laughed happily at Abu, who was “acting” out drinking hot tea with practiced ease.
　Hachikuma watched the friendly exchange without changing his expression.

　Usually, it was a fight for their lives the moment they opened the door. He had never experienced anything like this since starting this job—spending time like this after infiltrating an enemy nest.
　Ashinaga are lifeforms that mimic bees, but they perfectly imitate humans even in their daily lives to protect the “nest” where they live peacefully and the “family” that resides there, driving away those who would do them harm. In truth, it might not be any different from the work Hachikuma and his team do every day to protect “humans.”
　However, to humans, Ashinaga are “lifeforms that threaten their lives,” and Hachikuma’s Ashinaga Desk is an organization on the human side. Even if the girl in front of him looked exactly like a human, if her true form was an Ashinaga, she had to be exterminated.

“Ah, I can’t eat something that big!”
“Oh, come on, miss, you’re spilling it!”
　Hachikuma stood up just as the girl ran toward the kitchen.
“Huh, Senpai?”
“Get your weapon ready, Abu.”
　He continued in a low voice, glaring in the direction the girl had run.
“Whether she’s the ‘Queen’ or not, being in this nest means she’s already received ‘assistance’ from the Ashinaga. She’s still a target for extermination.”
　Hachikuma’s expression as he stared at a single point was stern. But Abu knew that this was his “work face.”
　Both Abu and Hachikuma were originally part of the frontline squad specializing in extermination. But after Ashinaga incidents began to increase, the upper management, judging that they couldn't get anywhere by just blindly overpowering them with force, expanded and reorganized the organization. The two of them, who had extensive combat experience against Ashinaga, were assigned to the newly established research team, becoming a position that backs up the front lines based on knowledge and experience.
　Hachikuma, who never loses his cool even in the most critical situations, is one of the pillars of the Ashinaga Desk. With his broad perspective and attentiveness, he excels at calming the anxiety of his colleagues and subordinates and turning the tide of battle.
“Oh, work mode. ...Alright then, I guess I’ll do it too.”
　Abu shoved both hands into her slacks pockets and crouched down.
　Footsteps were returning.
“I finally found a towel! With this...”

　In an instant, she leaped. Abu’s body floated into the air.
　The moment she circled behind the girl in a beautiful arc, the tip of a dull-colored, long, thin needle was pressed against the girl’s slender neck.
“Um... miss?”
　From the outside, it looked like she was gently hugging the girl who was clutching a piece of ragged cloth. But the woman’s eyes, staring at the girl’s mouth, were gleaming—it was the look of a predator catching its prey.
“Hey, I need you to stay still. You might get hurt if you move.”
“Enough with the banter.”
　With his left hand on his coat lapels and his right hand hidden inside, Hachikuma growled at the girl in front of him.
“Answer me. Are you the ‘Queen’?”
　The girl narrowed her rounded eyes and smiled happily.
“Is this the next part of playing robbers!”
　And from her slightly parted lips, she revealed a “yellow jaw” that a human could never possess.

“Abu! Exterminate her!!”
“Yes, sir!!”

　Abu thrust the needle she was holding in her left hand into the girl’s neck without hesitation. The tip was supposed to tear through the “part that became a vital point because it was human” of the Ashinaga disguised as a human, instantly rendering her unable to fight back.
　However, there was no resistance.
　Abu’s left hand, gripping the needle, didn’t move even a millimeter—it had been entangled by the girl’s fluffy blonde hair.
“...Huh?!”
“Since it seems you’re both playing robbers, I’ll play the police!”
　The girl’s hair began to stir as if it had a will of its own, and the tips of the hair were all aimed at Abu. Like a laser that had locked onto its target, they all became countless deadly weapons at once and aimed at Abu.
“Bad people have to be shot with a gun!”
“Isn’t that too simple?!”
　With a quick maneuver, she changed how she held the needle, and the tip of the needle, which circled around her wrist, easily sliced through the hair that had been restraining her arm.
　She immediately crouched down and stepped forward. When she circled behind Hachikuma and looked back, a blonde “sea urchin” had formed where Abu had been just a moment ago. If she had been even a second slower, her whole body would have been a beehive. Given the location, it wasn't something to laugh about.
“I’ll say it again. Answer me. Are you the ‘Queen’?”
“I’m the police now, remember?”
“Don’t mess with me! We aren’t playing around here!”
　At Abu’s snapping shout, the girl puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. “It wouldn’t kill you to play along a little!”
　She gripped the hem of her dress with both hands and stomped her feet. The bee jaw peeking out from the corners of her mouth made a grinding, threatening sound.
“Even though Mom and Dad aren’t here! I’ve been all alone!”
“Senpai, what is she talking about...?”
“This ‘Queen’ must believe that the ‘worker bees’ who raised her are her father and mother. But only the ‘Queen’ can survive the winter. All the other Ashinaga die before winter comes.”
“Is that so...”
“Don’t sympathize. If we let her go now, she’ll increase her numbers massively by next spring. Human casualties will also skyrocket.”
　Saying this, Hachikuma took out a sphere that fit in his palm from under his coat. It was covered in an iron shell and looked similar to a hand grenade, but what was packed inside wasn’t gunpowder.
“Huh?! ‘That thing’, the one you just developed the other day?!”
　Abu shouted, and the girl’s gaze focused on Hachikuma’s right hand. The tips of her hair aimed at “that thing” and stood on end.
“Is this a game of keep-away with a ball now? Whoever breaks it wins!”
“Try and take it if you can.”

　The bee-like lifeform 【Ashinaga】—their threat isn’t just the “poison” that transforms humans into their own kind. As the name “Ashinaga” (long-legged) suggests, they have the power to extend and retract their “legs.” The “kicks” using those legs are extremely powerful, and the worker bees “Mister” and “Miss” who defend the nest specialize in this combat ability; if they are even higher-ranking beings, they can even extend and retract parts of their bodies other than their legs.
　This girl—the “Queen’s” body is still a juvenile. It was clear that her four short limbs were not suited for combat. However, her hair was a different story; if she could control everything as she pleased, the number of weapons was hundreds or thousands of times that of her limbs. Overwhelming suppression power—that is the characteristic of this individual.

　The moment Hachikuma provoked the girl, countless deadly weapons attacked him. The girl’s hair moved through the narrow room in every direction, violently gouging not only the furniture but also the walls and ceiling.
　Abu, who had been positioned behind him, immediately lowered her body and left the spot, circling widely around the battle between Hachikuma and the girl to look for an opening to get behind her again. Most of the hair’s tips were aimed at Hachikuma, but a small number crawling around the area kept Abu from getting close to the girl.
　The female Ashinaga’s attacks all come with “poison application.” Because Abu’s combat style relies on surprise attacks, she wears almost no armor to ensure mobility, so even a graze from the girl’s attack is extremely dangerous.
“Damn it!”
　She threw her needle, thinking that if she couldn’t stab her directly, she would try that, but all of them were deflected. After that, she continued to jump around the room, utilizing the functions of her fur, and kept throwing needles to create an opening for the girl.
　Meanwhile, Hachikuma was enduring the girl’s attacks using his coat as a shield. The long coat he wore was an anti-Ashinaga specialized armor developed by the Ashinaga Desk research team. In exchange for many disadvantages, such as a significant decrease in movement speed and a burden on his muscles, it blocks the impact of Ashinaga kicks and the “poison” delivered from them.
　He is the only one at the Ashinaga Desk who can master the shield that can withstand any fierce attack despite his slender build. The title he earned is— “Hachikuma of the Solid Wings.”
“Senpai, please hold on a little longer!”
　The distance between Abu and the girl was closing, slowly but surely. If she could inflict even one wound on the girl, she could use that opening to deliver the “weapon” Hachikuma was holding.
“I’m good at endurance contests, you know.”
“Your ‘legs’ are numerous, but each blow is too light. Don’t think you can crush my shield.”
“Oh, you’re strong! Then become my ‘family’!”
　The attacks that had been raining down from a wide area converged into the shape of a single spear. The blonde hair gathered together like a sword, forming a more solid tip.
“I’ll give you some ‘assistance’!”
“That’s unnecessary. —Abu!”
“Leave—it—to—me!!”
　At that moment, the spear aimed at Hachikuma was composed of everything the girl had, without exception. Yes, “without a single exception,” the hair had transformed into a spear.

　Abu, who had circled behind her, thrust the needle she was gripping in a reverse grip into the girl’s neck, which had been left wide open.
“Guh, ...”
　The needle that pierced through her neck and throat made a hole in her airway.
　The sound of surprise didn’t even reach the point of forming words, and only the sound of air leaking from the hole reached Abu’s ears.
　A momentary opening. The eyes of the 【Hawk】 (Hachikuma) did not miss the moment the gathered hair loosened.

　The sphere was released from his right hand, which had been swung back wide.
　Light as a toy capsule, it bounced lightly off the girl’s chest, and using that impact as a switch, it sprayed a large amount of gas.
“—Ah... kah...”
　From then on, every time she struggled to breathe in search of oxygen, the girl inhaled the gas. That gas, the key to anti-Ashinaga extermination, invades the Ashinaga’s nervous system and quickly drives them to death.

+++

“...*Cough*... Ah, I really don't like this smoke...”
“It’s not entirely harmless to the human body, either. Get outside quickly. I’ll handle the cleanup.”
Abu picked up the empty sphere that had rolled onto the floor after releasing the gas. He stared at the letters printed on its surface and muttered to himself.
“‘There are Say Yack’, huh...”
“Lightweight, compact, and throwable. Suitable for carrying. This time it was used on an individual, but it should be highly effective against a swarm.”
“Wouldn't it be better if it had a timer function, like a grenade?”
“I'll consider it. From now on, we'll abbreviate this as [TaSY]. Let's keep improving it.”
“Understood.”

They offered a hexagonal candle to the remains of the queen, who had collapsed on the floor and was no longer moving.
Before long, the flame turned into a blaze, burning the nest along with the remains. Since leaving a nest behind can lead to new Ashinaga wasps moving in, the rule of Ashinaga extermination is to burn it to ashes without a trace.
To prevent the fire from spreading, the two of them watched over the burning house until the fire died out.
“That nest, it seems the second floor was the queen's bedroom.”
Leaning against the trunk of a broad-leaved tree, Abu looked up at the top of the flames.
“It was just like a child's room. And they even went to the trouble of decorating a tree.”
“The world is celebrating Christmas tomorrow, after all.”
“They even hung up so many stockings... I'm sure they were preparing them for the ‘family’ that would be born next year.”

[Please become my ‘family’]

The words the girl shouted at the Honey Buzzard in her final moments might have been the wish she intended to put into the “many stockings” Abu mentioned tonight.
Beyond the sound of crackling sparks, the sun was about to set.

“Why on earth am I looking at illuminations with my boss on Christmas Eve? You've got to be kidding me.”
“Chicken will do for the overtime pay.”
“I won't accept anything less than KFC, senpai.”

fin.

>

[Buddy story.]

Last year it was a story about a girl who dreams, but this year it was a story set in a world where you'd think, 'I hope this is just a dream...'
Christmas always comes with a DREAM. This is my fourth time participating in this project, I'm Niinomi.

I participated again this year.
As I wrote in the profile in the table of contents as if it were an excuse, I've been suffering from post-Summer Comiket burnout to this day, and after failing to participate in the Gyakufunsha Novel Awards again this year, this ended up being my only original work for the entire year.
If so, I thought I'd try various challenges. This year I sent in a buddy pulp... wait, is this pulp?... a pulp with battles, but

Huh?????? Aren't battle descriptions too difficult?????????
What do the pulp slingers participating in this project eat and watch every day to be able to write such immersive, high-speed, high-impact battle sequences???????

A week has passed in December as of today. There is still a lineup of intense participants for the second week and beyond, so please look forward to it.

This story was written as a spin-off of “Ashinaga-san is Calling” which I submitted to the Gyakufunsha Novel Awards two years ago. I mixed elements like “buddy story,” “battle with an enemy,” and “detective drama” in my preferred proportions. Since all of these are far from the subjects I usually write about, it was a great learning experience.
The [Ashinaga] concept was inspired by “Ashinaga-bachi” (paper wasps) and “Daddy-Long-Legs,” but this time the former element is more prominent.
The characters are based on creatures that are natural enemies of the “Ashinaga-bachi.” The Honey Buzzard is a type of hawk that can protect itself from bee attacks with layers of feathers. Pretty cool, right?
If you read the weapon's name out loud, it might sound like a pharmaceutical company you've heard of. Buzz buzz buzz 🐝

I hope to be writing something next year as well. Merry Christmas. Have sweet dreams.

>