Solnus 20. Into The Blokes; Into The Blaze

987 days, or 2 years, 8 months, and approximately 17 days before The Circumadversum Omatsuri, one late afternoon.

Minato Nakamura and several employees of his shipping company were walking along a corridor of a ship. These employees included Daniel Lumanbatu, the duo X Bành Đức Hải, and Guruh Dwi Cahyo. On the corridor wall, they could see instructions posted in Japanese, English, and Russian.

Russian? Was Minato Nakamura taking his crew on vacation to Russia? The answer is no.

Minato and his employees were still in Wakkanai, Japan. In Wakkanai, many things were written in Japanese, English, and Russian. There were road signs, hotel information, and other things written in all three languages.

The place Minato and his staff visited is also one of the places that provides trilingual instructions. This place is an "onsen," or hot spring.

The Japanese instructions are for local residents, and English is for international visitors or tourists. Meanwhile, Russian is written because of Wakkanai's proximity to Russia and its historical ties.

The presence of Russians in Wakkanai did not escape Daniel's camera, which captured their activities there. Daniel pointed to the instructions on the wall. "This, guys, is written in Russian."

Daniel recounted his experience: "As far as I know, there aren't many Russian tourists here anymore. If I've ever seen a Russian person, the answer is no more than the fingers of one hand, guys."

Daniel explained, "As far as I know, there used to be a lot of Russians here. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of Russians coming to Wakkanai decreased significantly."

Daniel spontaneously paused his discussion of Russia when he saw Hải and Guruh walking nearby. Daniel pointed the camera at them and said, “Hey, seniors Hai-san and Guruh-san, are you going home now?”

Hai replied, “Our other colleagues and our boss have already gone home. We’re the last ones here.”

Guruh replied, “If you want to stay longer, that’s fine. We’re taking a few days off starting tomorrow anyway.”

Hai joked, “Maybe if you ask the owner of this place to spend the night and create content here, you’ll be allowed, Douga-kun.”

Daniel spontaneously laughed, “Hahahaha…” He then bid farewell, “Maybe that’s true. Okay, Douga-kun will be wandering around here making videos. See you again at our rented apartment, seniors.”

Daniel shook hands with Guruh and Hai in turn. Then the three of them went their separate ways. Guruh and Hai were headed towards the onsen parking lot. In the parking lot, Guruh and Hai did the same thing: unlocking their bikes and immediately pedaling away. Guruh rode ahead of Hai.

As usual, Guruh and Hai biked home and had a conversation. Shortly after they exited the parking lot, Hai started the conversation, “You must know that Eiru Inman Anno, also known as Anni Annoni, is having a concert tonight.”

Guruh replied, “Yes, I remember. I’m sure the Tokyo Dome concert is sold out.”

Hai, “And she’s only seventeen.”

Guruh replied, “Uhh, I remember that too.”

Guruh certainly understood what Hai was trying to convey. Hai wanted to compare their fates to Eiru’s success as a successful singer.

Hai and Guruh had already discussed Eiru and her work. According to Hai and Guruh, Eiru is a singer who is "talented, adaptable, and aware of things beyond songs."

Eiru debuted as a child singer, singing children's songs. She continued her career until she graduated from junior high school. She took a break during her early years of high school.

There were many rumors at the time speculating that Eiru would make a comeback to the music world by joining an idol group. However, these speculations were dispelled when Eiru chose a solo career with the launch of Extended Play.

Regardless, whether joining an idol group or pursuing a solo career, Eiru's work continues to sell. Many people still appreciate Anni Annoni's work, and many still talk about her. Hai and Guruh are among those who have spoken about Eiru's work. However, this time, they won't dwell on that.

At this point, Hai, who had initiated the conversation, also seemed to discontinue the discussion about the differences between Hai and Guruh's musical careers. Guruh, on the other hand, seemed uninterested in continuing the conversation on that topic.

Gurah and Hai seemed to have reached an agreement: "Yes, I failed as a musician. Even my musical soul seems to have vanished from me. But so what? I'm a bloke, a normal guy. But see, I'm not a criminal who deserves to be ostracized and imprisoned in a cramped cell. I'm a bloke, but I have a life I can still enjoy."

One aspect of Guntur and Hai's life that can still be enjoyed is the road leading to their apartment. The road offers views and a soundtrack of the Wakkanai coastline in the afternoon.

The sound of waves crashing against the shore. The sky is darkening as the sun sets. The sound of cars, infrequently passing by, adds a little variety to the soundtrack. The lights at intersections and the glow of vending machines are starting to turn on. These were all things Guruh and Hai had grown accustomed to hearing and seeing, yet they always found joy in each encounter.

However, this afternoon, Banh Dac Hai and Guruh Dwi Cahyo were about to experience something unusual, something they would never have experienced before.

The incident began when the voices of Bosai Musen and Goji Chime were heard. Guruh noticed something strange on the shore and said, “Hey, Hai-san. There’s something strange there!”

Hai asked, “What?”

Guruh slowed down his bike, while Hai moved forward so that he was level with Guruh. Sharing Guruh’s gaze, Hai agreed, “You’re right. There’s a light on the shore over there.”

They drew closer to the strange thing, and Hai remarked on something else his sense of hearing had picked up: “It seems like besides emitting light, it’s also making a sound.”

Guruh asked, “What? It seems so.”

That's when the Bosai Musen bell finished ringing, and Guruh changed his “it seems” to a certainty. Guruh stated, “Yes, there is a sound coming from there.”

Hai said, “I'll check what it is.”

Guruh responded, “Hey, wait a minute, Hai-san…”

Hai stopped and parked his bicycle at the side of the road. Just four seconds later, Guruh did the same.

In addition to parking his bicycle, Guruh then did another action similar to Hai's: turning on his cell phone's video recorder.

Their feet walked along the beach sand, while their left hands both held up their phones, which were already in video recording mode. In no time, Hai and Guruh were near the strange object.

Hai held up the object they had found with his right hand. He wondered, “What is this? Guru-san, have you ever seen something like this before?”

Guruh shook his head. He thought, “It looks like a fruit? Or a ball? A balloon?”

Hai said, “I agree. But the surface is hard, like a tin can. Try holding it.”

Hai offered the object in his right hand, and Guruh took it with his right. Guruh commented, “Yes, it looks like a tin can.”

Guruh asked, “Could this be a child’s toy? Have you ever seen a child’s toy like this?”

Hai shook his head, then expressed another opinion, “Could it be something kinky?”

Guruh responded, “Uhh… Something kinky, an adult toy?”

Hai said explicitly, “Yes, a sex toy. Guru-san knows that there’s more variety in Japan.”

The conversation between the two adult men paused for a moment. Then Hai suggested, "Guru-san. Try holding that thing; I'll try asking the artificial intelligence."

Hai took a photo of the object and uploaded it to the AI ​​chat. However, the AI ​​responded that it didn't recognize what it was. Hai shared his findings: "The AI ​​doesn't know what it is."

Guruh asked, "Well, we don't know what this is. Should we report it to the police?"

Hai argued, "But this isn't something as common as reporting a broken pedestrian crossing."

Suddenly, Hai remembered something. "Something unusual... Hey, Hai-san, do you remember something unusual that happened a few years ago? The incident at sea?"

Hai immediately grasped Guruh's meaning and said, "About that mysterious ship filled with bodies that was found on a deserted beach, right? There's been no official word from the Japanese government about what that ship was."

Guruh nodded. Just then, Hai shouted, "That device is moving around here; quickly throw it away, Guru—"

But it was too late. The object emitted a blinding light that forced Hai's and Guruh's eyes to close. Guruh could still feel his right hand releasing the object, but with his eyes closed, he couldn't see his surroundings.

Just a fraction of a second later, Hai and Guruh felt a sharp pain in their ears. Heat spread throughout their bodies. The two blokes felt something strange permeating their entire bodies.

(000)

987 days, or 2 years, 8 months, and approximately 17 days before The Circumadversum Omatsuri, one night.

Lights and sounds struck the bodies of tens of thousands of people. The pain, of course, wasn't the only thing the humans felt from the impact.

The sea of ​​people leaped with joy, mingling with a sea of ​​light and a sea of ​​sound. The conductor of these oceans was none other than Eiru Inman Anno.

That was the image of Anni Annoni's first comeback concert after a several-year hiatus; the concert was titled "Anni Annoni: Into the Blaze."