SF Short Story: Cafe 'Yūkaku' Fantasy Tale, Part 1

[A first-time collaboration work featuring characters borrowed from other works]

This work was written as a character collaboration project on the posting site 'Everystar', where I borrowed characters with the cooperation of creator borderfield to feature them in my own story.
I have now significantly revised the content and reposted it as a new note version.
Thank you again, borderfield, for your cooperation.
Now, please enjoy this mysterious 'SF Invasion-themed work'.

1

　On Earth, humanity had won a series of invasion wars and was in the midst of drunken, boisterous celebrations.
　Who cares about aliens?
　Whatever the invaders do is trivial.
　There is no enemy before the military might of Earth's humanity.
　
　That said, it is not as if wars over territory, resources, and ethnic conflicts between humans themselves have disappeared.
　It just means that those conflicts have been temporarily shelved, and the world is currently enjoying a victory mood.

　Earthlings do not yet know that a new invasion of Earth by the Outer Planets and Dark Star System Alliance is about to begin.
　And this time, the story winds back a little.

　Just as Tayu Onion and the Young Master were deciding on their invasion plan and discussing concrete proposals in the VIP room of Cafe 'Yūkaku'.
　In front of the locked room entrance, a courtesan was in the middle of trying to peek at what was happening inside.

　Her name is Tayu Rakko.
　Her true identity is the daughter of the Emperor of the Mu Empire, which was destroyed by the Imperial Navy Kenbu Unit's ship, the Kaishin.
　She was Princess Imeriana.

“Oh, geez! This clairvoyance device is broken. There's too much noise and I can't see a thing... I know that Onion-nee-san is trying to pull something off, though...”

　The Tayu cursed while fiddling with the small clairvoyance device.
　She seemed unable to stop worrying about what was happening inside the room.

“Should I just break this door down and barge in? With my sacred power bestowed by the High Ancestor God of Mu, the power of this jewel that generates high-heat waves...”

　A bracelet with exceptionally beautiful ruby decorations, integrated with a gauntlet.
　The jewel reacted to the Tayu's thoughts and began to emit a suddenly intense light... but the light vanished immediately.

“N-no, I can't. Using this here is forbidden... It's an act that goes against the rules we decided on. Even if this shop is an environment that understands us, it doesn't change the fact that we are in enemy territory.”

　Then, she bit her lip hard, glared resentfully at the locked door, and turned to head back down the corridor.
　Her background as a princess of the Mu Empire was no joke.
　The way she walked, lifting the hem of her kimono, was truly filled with the dignity and glamour of one of the top two Tayu in the shop.

　It was at that moment.

“Are you in trouble, young lady?”

　From out of nowhere, an unfamiliar man's voice was heard.

“W-who is there?”

　The Tayu was startled and looked around.
　But no one was to be seen anywhere.

“W-where are you? Don't hide, show yourself to me.”

“Hehehe. I don't mind showing myself... but please don't raise your voice.”

The voice came from directly behind the Tayu.

When the Tayu turned around, there stood a man wearing a purple suit loosely, his face painted with stark white greasepaint, his mouth ripped wide and upturned, appearing as if he were wearing a strained, frozen smile.

!!!

Sea Otter Tayu swallowed her voice and widened her eyes. However, she immediately stared back at the stranger and retorted with a spirited attitude.

Sir, where have you come from? This place does not admit first-time guests... and that face of yours, are you a supernatural being?

Supernatural, you say? Hmm. That's not bad either. But you, who say such things, are a clone of the Emperor of the Mu Empire. You should have undergone significant genetic modification. I don't think you can call yourself a pure human, either.

As he said this, the man approached the Tayu, knelt, and took her hand, feigning a gesture of respect.

W-what... what are you doing?

Why is a princess like you in a place like this? I can hear the cries of the imperial subjects. The hateful Imperial Navy Kenbu Corps, and their captain. They will chase your kin and subjects to the ends of the earth and annihilate them. As a princess, or rather, as the new Empress, are you going to allow that? Or will you stoop to becoming a dog for the aliens?

The man's ripped mouth twitched further, looking like a face in uproarious laughter.

Ah, th-that is... ah, the hateful Imperial Navy. How on earth shall we clear the anger and resentment of our Mu...

The Alliance of Alien and Otherworldly Humans was created with the main purpose of 'retaliation against Earthlings.' However, in reality, the Mu Empire was at the beck and call of the aliens.

On top of that, Sea Otter Tayu's heart was now in a state like a small boat tossed by rough waves due to this mysterious, suddenly appearing phantom.

Now, go. The door is unlocked. It seems a chance for your dreams to come true is waiting inside. Ah, yes. You should tell them the words 'Selene.Luna.13'.

Selene... Luna... thirteen... is it?

That is correct. Well then, I shall take my leave.

No sooner had he spoken than the man's body swayed like a heat haze, and he vanished from sight.

Ah, sir, don't be like that... you should have stayed a while longer. As my guest, I would have served you well. At least, tell me your name.

...Harris. Fear to you.

The voice sounded like the joyful cry of a ghost.
And then, all presence vanished.
The surroundings were the usual, familiar hallway of the shop.

"Ah, who on earth was that person...? They didn't look like an ordinary human of this world at all. And yet, I didn't think they were one of our own kind either."

She had been plotting to plunge the people of Earth into the depths of terror and despair, but having been shaken by the sudden appearance of the mysterious stranger, her footing felt extremely unsteady.

Is he a human from Earth?
If so, what is this feeling of 'terror' crawling up my spine right now?
To think that we, who possess a history of over ten thousand years and a science worthy of being called a super-civilization, could be so shaken by a mere Earthling—even if he is disguised in human form.

She looked at the particularly large jewel on the gauntlet bracelet worn on her wrist.
It remained silent, just a simple gemstone emitting a quiet glow.

The Tayu could no longer sit still, so she made up her mind, reached for the door of the private room, and threw it wide open.

"Sister, O-Tamane-Tayu... something terrible has happened!"

She shouted this the moment she opened the door.

"Oh, is that you, O-Rakko-Tayu? What on earth is the matter? You're in such a panic. It is extremely rude to barge into a private room like that."

Displeased by O-Rakko-Tayu's lack of decorum, O-Tamane-Tayu glared at her.

"I am sorry. B-but, this is no time for that. A truly terrifying person has entered this shop."

O-Rakko-Tayu cowered in fear.
Where had the dignity of the Imperial Princess gone?
She was now nothing more than a mere Oiran.
Although O-Tamane-Tayu had scoffed at her initially, she sensed that O-Rakko-Tayu's terrified state was unusual, so she crouched beside her, gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly to calm her down.

"Pull yourself together. You are an Imperial Princess, aren't you? It's a mood-killer to have a face like that. Come now, stand up."

With the help of O-Tamane-Tayu, O-Rakko-Tayu slowly stood up.

"Thank you, Sister."

Supported by O-Tamane-Tayu, she moved toward the sofa, dragging the hem of her kimono.

"What happened? Well, drink this and try to calm down."

The young master... the president of the Tenjin Trading Company, poured a single serving of vintage whiskey from the decanter on the table.
He handed it to O-Rakko-Tayu in a shot glass.
The Tayu took it gently and brought it to her lips without hesitation.
The amber liquid slid down her throat.

"Ah. Thank you. ...It's a bit strong, though."

The Tayu's cheeks were faintly dyed cherry blossom pink.
She stroked the rim of her glass with her slender, white-fish-like fingertips and placed it on the table.
It was as if she had stepped out of a fantasy world.
But this was no metaphor; two young women who were literally not of this world were competing in a beauty that was also not of this world.

"So, Sea Otter Tayu. What on earth happened outside this room?"

Sea Otter Tayu radiated a beauty that was like a hundred flowers blooming in profusion, while Onion Tayu possessed a beauty like a shining, sparkling jewel.

"Onion Tayu, you were supposed to have locked this room, weren't you?"

The young master confirmed with Onion Tayu.

"Yes. I did, very securely. It cannot be opened unless you leave from the inside. Aside from the key I have now, no one should have a spare key except for the madam of the shop."

Saying this, Onion Tayu took a key card from between the folds of her kimono obi to show him, stating it firmly.
There was no way to unlock this door other than with this key card or the master key held by the proprietress.

There were three such private rooms with this special locking mechanism in the shop; one was this Aurora Room, Onion Tayu's private room.
Another was the Lantern Room, Sea Otter Tayu's private room.
The last room remained vacant.

"I see. So someone unlocked it from the outside... Sea Otter, you didn't happen to release your 'ability,' did you?"

Pressed by the young master, she hurriedly denied it.
She could not possibly tell the truth.
What Sea Otter Tayu had done was espionage itself.
She had no choice but to feign ignorance.

"You're so mean, Master... Oh, if I had done such a thing, I wouldn't be here. Even though it's inside the shop, as long as we are here on the surface, releasing higher-level powers is forbidden."

Her cheeks turned intensely red, and Sea Otter, with a dazed expression, shook her head to protest to the young master.
She was desperate to hide the facts.

"Ah, I see. That's right. There's no way you would do something so rash. The proprietress and the other courtesans are just puppets controlled by our mental manipulation, after all."

"Then, who on earth was it?"

"It was a man with a face as white as a sheet, whose mouth was split all the way to his ears."

Watching the expressions of the two, Sea Otter finally began to talk about what happened in the hallway outside the room.

"What did you say?"
"What is it?"

The two raised their voices at the same time, and Onion Tayu leaned back significantly.
A look of anxiety began to appear on the young master's face.
Trying not to let the Tayus notice, he reached for his cigarette to light it, but dropped his lighter.

"Master, please pull yourself together."

Onion picked it up and lit the cigarette that the young master was holding in his mouth.

“A white-painted man with a split mouth? What is that? Was he human?”

“Yes... probably. He himself said he was not inhuman. I believe he said his name was Harris.”

Sea Otter Tayu shuddered as she recalled the white-painted man’s blood-red eyes.
Above all, he seemed to see right through their true nature.
He couldn’t possibly be just a human.
He was a man full of mysteries, and she had no idea if he was a friend or a foe.

“Harris... hmm, I’ve never heard that name. So, what did he say?”

At the young master’s question, Sea Otter Tayu froze as she tried to tell the two of them what had just happened.
At the same time, the young master, immediately sensing something was wrong, threw a question at Sea Otter.

“Sea Otter Tayu. Did the amulet you’re wearing not react to anything? If someone were to approach, it should have sensed their presence and alerted you immediately, right?”

The young master stared intently at Sea Otter Tayu’s face while crushing out his cigarette.

“Yes. Absolutely nothing happened. When I was in front of this room...”

She started to say, then covered her mouth and fell silent.
If she spoke, she would have to confess to the two of them everything she had been about to do at that moment.

A moment of silence. Sea Otter Tayu’s ragged breathing could be heard loudly in the room.
Watching her out of the corner of his eye, Onion Tayu stood up, moved, and sat down next to the young master.
She gently placed her hand on the young master’s knee.

“It seems Sea Otter Tayu knows something she can’t tell us, doesn’t it? Say, Master, as long as we are here, we agreed there would be no secrets or hidden things, right?”

Onion Tayu intertwined her fingers with the young master’s hand, fixed a sharp gaze on Sea Otter Tayu, and spoke in a piercing tone.

“Hmm, S-Sea Otter Tayu, is that true?”

Asked by the young master, Tayu recoiled as if struck and stared at him.
The master’s tone was gentle, but his eyes, looking back at her, held a sharp sense of suspicion.
(To be continued in the next installment)
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“Click here for borderfield’s works”

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“Author’s Musings”The [Harris] who appears in this work is a character borrowed from the Codo-D.D. series by borderfield, who is active on Everystar. I am very grateful to have been able to find new possibilities for my own work by letting borderfield’s near-future character appear in my Showa-retro style story.

Thank you to all the readers who read this again this time. <(_ _)>
If you liked this work...
I would appreciate your support through likes or follows.
Both positive and negative comments are also very welcome.
It boosts my motivation and encourages me for the next writing session.
Well then, see you in the next article.
See you again !

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