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Phenomeno:Case 00: Chapter 2

2023-12-03T14:30:03Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 00 – Chapter 2: A World of Ash==

Let’s say you were to try and divide all possible life events into happiness and unhappiness.

If so, the ratio generally comes out to be 50/50, which means that in short, how one perceives happiness as happiness is proportional to our experience of unhappiness as unhappiness – is what I felt someone once told me. The details are fuzzy to me since I don’t have any memories, but at any rate, it seems that people who are always "happy" do not feel "happy” based on the premise of their current state. It may be that "happiness" is perceived as "happiness" only when there is something to compare it to. That’s why unhappiness might be a critical spice for life is what that someone might have been trying to say, but—no, wait a minute. I would like to say it out loud right now. Even if that was the case, isn’t my condition right now a bit too high on the side of “unhappiness”?

First of all, I had no reason to live. I mean, being dead to begin with means any reasons go to hell, but in any case, I don’t feel like I’m moving forward at all. I was unable to decay physically, only an eternity of endless thoughts continued, and even in those negative mass of thoughts, I can only think, “I want to die properly as soon as possible”. I never thought it would be this painful to not be seen or cared about by anyone. When I wandered alone in town, my thoughts and emotions were headed to an endless oblivion because of the extreme bitterness, but I was saved thanks to meeting the young girl known as M. No, I don’t know if it would be right to say that I’ve been saved completely, but at any rate, my condition now was a little better than rotting away in the city as I was back then. That’s the extent of my “happiness”.

However—

That girl in the black dress said it.

『Around two weeks from now – On the 31st of July, they will all die.』

After that, I checked the calendar. The 31st of July 2001, was, by chance, an unlucky date. What in the world was going to happen to the family on that day? Just who the hell was that Takamura girl to begin with? What was she trying to make me do by telling me, me who was already dead? She was able to see me and have a conversation with me; She seemed to know me back when I was alive. And on top of all that, she had a sense of biological superiority, as if looking down on everything. Recalling Takamura’s pale, tomboyish beauty, I trembled with fear. She was, how should I put it… dangerous. Undeniably dangerous. I understood that much. Even I, who had little emotion, couldn’t stop feeling goosebumps, her whole body was covered with a stagnant cold air.

Could it be that she was the “God of death” incarnate? Or perhaps a demon? Or an Anunnaki, interdimensional aliens described on Sumerian clay tablets? Ah, those might have all been the same thing – is what I felt the easygoing me thought back when I was still alive, however, because she had a supernatural aura about her, I didn’t feel like there was any hint of a lie in her words, which was troubling. Perhaps her awakened gaze that seemed to regard ‘death’ as a trivial matter led me to believe so.

『Don’t you think it’s really inefficient to live in human form?』

Takamura spoke as if looking down on the world from the top of the building afterwards.

I don’t know. I had no idea. I didn’t have the answer to such a difficult question even after death. Why do people live, and why are they so afraid of death? Where did the emotion known as ‘fear’ come from in the first place? I had no clue about that at all right now – and when I reached that thought, something suddenly came to me.

『Hey, are you scared?』

『How does it feel to be scared?』

I don't know if that was from my own memories, or someone’s scattered memories from that Akashic something. At any rate, that vague someone stood beyond the darkness. She turned her pale face toward me and asked me in a voice that sounded like a bell. In my jumbled memories, I tried my best to concoct an answer, trying to convey the true face of fear. I was infatuated with her even while fearing her, and I became unable to leave her alone. Before I’d realized, she had become a very familiar existence.

Ah, what is this scene? What did she say her name was?

--It’s no use. I can’t remember. Everything was vague, as if covered by a fog. Is this what you called lingering attachments? Was I clinging to life once more? I had completely begun to accept myself as a ghost, but thanks to the girl in the black dress, I felt so frustrated at my lack of memory.

That’s right, in the end – there was no ‘hope’.

There was too little hope from here on out. I was troubled to stay near M for forever like this, and after being forewarned of the ‘The Noose Mansion Massacre Case’ that would happen two weeks from now, there was just too little "happiness" in my life.

I vacantly thought on such things—

As I lay alone on the roof of M’s elementary school.

I had already spent two days in idleness since I met that girl dressed in black.

The sun was already shining brightly, and clouds rolled high above across the sky; today would be another beautiful day.

As things stood, the fun summer vacation would soon arrive, then the delicious food of fall, the jam-packed winter full of events, and then spring when the vegetation would sprout all at once— It was so sunny that I could only think of such natural happiness coming and going.

M and the others were the same as always. They were in the flow of a peaceful time as they peacefully passed their days in tranquility. It was hard to believe they were a family that had been marked by a Death God.

The father came home right after finishing his work, the mother would cheerfully tell jokes, and the elder sister was busy with her club activities, and M being M was content with her life, smiling alone in the corner. That was surely because of the exquisite feeling of balance that both her parents brought about. It felt like the two of them didn’t just care about a single family member, but acted conscious of the whole family in mind. That was surely what created the warm and inviting household, and made me wish it would stay that way forever.

Irritated, I scratched my hair, and looked up at the sky.

At any rate, this was about the limit of what I could do right now. My thinking was dull, painful, and I couldn’t construct things logically. I came here because when inside Mr. Frog, my consciousness was taken up by what was in front of my eyes, which was a problem, but even here — my ability to think didn’t really change. In any case, if what that death god-like, or alien-like young girl said was true, I had to do something to save that family. And that, I felt, was the reason why I had wandered ten years into the past.

There was no sign of that light pouring down from the heavens in the blue sky that appeared again that time. It was perfectly clear as far as the eye could see. I’m sure it must have ended up going somewhere again.

And I felt that it would never appear again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, no bright ideas came to mind, and the merciless passage of time continued.

And then, I learned of that strange incident on the day of M’s schools’ end-of-term ceremony.

“Say, M-chan. Do you know about the incident that happened in the neighboring town?”

Tomorrow being the start of summer vacation, the students were making a big ruckus since the homeroom teacher had yet to arrive in the classroom, but M was sitting alone in her seat, when Kii-chan spoke to her.

“Mom didn’t really tell me much about it, but something scary happened.”

“Something scary?”

M cocked her head slightly, and Kii-chan replied in a hushed tone.

“That’s right, something really scary. I don’t know what it was. But mom was really scared.”

M’s face darkened at hearing those words, and I too, who was inside Mr. Frog affixed to her bag, felt like I had swallowed iron. Well, in my case, it was because I was anxious not knowing what to do despite the two-week deadline drawing to a close that the girl who called herself Takamura told me.

“I heard a ''Tengu'' appeared.”

Thereupon, S-chan, a girl who was on good terms with both M and Kii-chan butted into the conversation, saying something outrageous.

“My father told me. Someone was murdered by a Tengu.”

“Eh--? Being murdered means they died, right? That’s scary.” Kii-chan spoke.

But when S-chan saw M suddenly look unwell with her head cast down, S-chan hurriedly put on a cheerful face.

“Ah. But it’s going to be alright! Papa said the police are looking into it, and they'll catch the Tengu or whatever it is soon!”

“…Yeah.”

M finally opened her well-shaped eyebrows when she heard that.

I managed to take a look at the entire classroom from within the frog.

With summer vacation starting tomorrow in mind, most of the first-year elementary school students were brimming with excitement. Summer festivals, the Bon Festival dances, swimming pools, the beach, and playing in the mountains. The watermelons would be delicious, and some of them would probably play with their grandparents and cousins who they rarely met. However, looking closer, there were faces of elementary schoolers talking with serious faces here and there, and it seemed a number of kids already knew of the so-called ‘Tengu incident’. For the time being, I drew closer to those guys and tried to gather up all the gossip – but I still didn’t get a complete picture.

“I mean, even the lowest branch of the ginkgo tree at that shrine is around four meters, right?”

Suddenly, a lively boy in the back of the class, who seemed to be the leader of a group of kids, raised his voice somewhat excitedly.

“It would have had to be a big guy to have an old guy hanging upside down there.”

“But if it was four meters long, then even a bug guy couldn’t have…”

*Whack*

The boy who objected to his argument was smacked on the head by the leader.

“You idiot, that’s why it must have been a Tengu.”

“Where did you hear that from?”

“An uncle from the neighborhood association who always brings me rhinoceros beetles. That’s why it’s not a lie.”

I didn’t understand it well, but it seemed that an old man from the shrine had died. And moreover, in unusual circumstances.

However, the great commotion that started with the ‘Tengu theory’ ultimately jumped to the boys in the class talking about forming a ‘Tengu subjugation squad’.

…Somehow.

This sure felt nostalgic, I thought to myself. It felt like the world of children was largely decided by the opinions of influential guys with clout. Though I didn't know for sure since I had no memories.

“The boys are full of energy, aren’t they?”

Kii-chan laughed exasperatedly at their behavior.

“But why would a Tengu do a thing like that?”

“Maybe because it might have wanted to eat him later. You know, Sensei told us there was a bird who did the same thing.”

“S-chan, you mean, the murdered old man was impaled on the branches?”

As Kii-chan and S-chan returned to that kind of inappropriate conversation, M suddenly opened her mouth, “Hey, aren’t you scared?”

“…Eh?”

“Don’t you think it’s scary to talk about such things?”

Both Kii-chan and S-chan faltered in response to M's straight-faced questioning.

“It is scary. It’s scary, but how should I explain it? It’s strange, but it’s a little exciting as well.”

Kii-chan eventually answered, and M cocked her head in puzzlement.

“Umm… I know I'm not supposed to say it like that, but, well, there were a lot of TV people there, and a lot of police cars driving around, it was different from usual, it was like a festival.”

…Ahh. That was called – ummm, a spring day. One of the worldviews unique to the Japanese, The usual days were separated as ‘Ke(Ordinary)’, and the unusual as ‘Hare(Spring)’ from what I can remember. And somebody explained that the concept of ‘defilement (Kegare)’ came to be mixed in there afterwards<ref>As explained, this is a traditional Japanese worldview. The concept comes from ‘Haregi’, which means one’s best clothes worn on rituals like one’s wedding, the hare meaning spring and gi meaning clothes. The everyday clothes you would wear in your daily life would be ‘Kegi’, a term not used in modern times, where ‘Ke’ can mean ordinary and gi is clothes. The defilement is from the word Kegare which is kind of like a pun to the aforementioned Kehare(usual and unusual).</ref>…

Wait a minute, how do I know that story? Was I a student majoring in folklore studies or something back when I was alive? However, it felt like I wasn’t especially knowledgeable about it, so it might have just been second-hand information from that certain someone.

“Well, since someone got killed, it really is different from a festival. But, even though it’s scary, it’s… how should I say, it ends up feeling festive. Maybe it’s because the person who was killed was someone I didn’t know.”

“…………..”

“How was he killed? Was he hung by the neck? Was he stabbed with something sharp? Both of those seem like they would hurt.”

M took one look back with a sad expression in response, “Let’s just stop. Kii-chan,” and broke off the conversation.

“Why?”

“Somehow – I don’t think it’s right to talk about the dead.”

While inside the stuffed frog, I too, couldn't help but look behind me. It somehow felt like the murdered victim ended up drawing closer. M probably felt the same thing.

When, thereupon—

“Hello. Good morning everyone--!”

The plump middle-aged and gentle-looking female homeroom teacher entered the classroom and called out to her students, causing all the first-year students to hurriedly rush back to their seats. They stood up, a cute sounding chorus of “Good morning!” rang out, and after they finished their mannered greeting:

“A sad incident happened in the neighboring town yesterday.”

The homeroom teacher began to narrate with a solemn expression on her face.

“But the adults are doing their best. The police are very good at their job. They’ll definitely catch the bad guys soon, so let's all study hard as usual.”

In response, Ye—sss, the first graders, who were still very obedient, replied loudly all at once.

“Today is the end of the first semester, but a word of warning. During summer vacation, don’t play with your friends in any secluded areas away from people. Always go with an adult wherever you go. Moreover, I believe there will be TV people in town. They’ll be the ones with microphones and cameras. If they ask you something, tell them you don’t know anything. If we talk too much, then the adults might be late in solving the case. Answer them properly with politeness. Can you all do that?”

Another loud ‘Yeees’ rang out in the classroom once more.

“You’re all such nice children. Then, sorry to keep you waiting, I’ll be handing out all your report cards!”

The classroom immediately erupted in an uproar, but the teacher roared, ‘Be quiet’, and began to hand out the report cards in turn. Talk of the ‘Tengu Incident’ as well the ‘Subjugation Squad’ was instantly forgotten in the commotion.

Children quickly change their interests from one moment to the next, however, I couldn’t afford that luxury. Before homeroom finished, I gently slipped out of the stuffed frog affixed to M’s bag, and went to the staff room.

The staff room was situated on the same floor as M’s classroom. I slipped through the door, and sure enough, the teachers were talking to each other about the incident. Thereupon, after gathering bits and pieces of information from walking here and there, this was the general feeling I got:

The man who died was said to be in his fifties known as Mr. Niizawa from S-town. Just how the leader of the group from M’s class had described, his body was discovered hanging from a two-hundred-year-old ginkgo tree on the grounds of an Inari shrine. However, it seemed he wasn’t hanging upside down, but simply hung by his neck. The reason why this case had not been highlighted by the public was that it was treated as an ordinary suicide -- however, the people in the locality seemed to treat it a mysterious death. The reason being that the branch Mr. Niizawa hung from was about four meters above the ground, and the trunk of that large ginkgo tree was thick enough that even a trained person would have had great difficulty climbing it. There was no ladder nearby, and there was no knowledge of Niizawa-san being good at climbing trees, so they were creeped out, wondering how he climbed all the way up with a noose in hand, and that If he was going to kill himself, weren’t their easier ways to do so?

--I see, so that’s why they’re calling it the work of a Tengu.

I somewhat understood, but it was no doubt a creepy incident.

However, two days into summer vacation, it happened.

The next strange incident happened. That morning, something felt different from usual, and my consciousness, which had dozed off in the frog, was suddenly awakened.

The hot sunshine was already pouring in from behind the window curtains, but the clock on the wall showed that it was only 7:00 in the morning. In her room, M was sleeping peacefully in her bed, with the air conditioner set to low, and the temperature remained constant. However, I could hear the somewhat tense voices of the adults ringing out from downstairs. I slipped out of the frog, then through the doors, and descended the stairs.

There were two strangers at the front door with a grave expression on their faces deep in conversation with M’s parents.

“…Anyway, let’s keep the doors locked tight. And if there are any strangers around, let’s communicate with the rest of the neighborhood association right away. It might be better to keep kids inside for the time being.”

“But why Nagami-san…?”

“We don’t know. The patrol car is on its way here now, and many more will be here soon. One of the policemen told me that it was a murder case.”

“Um, does it have something to do with the incident in the neighboring town the other day? The random attacker or something?”

“The police will be looking into that as well. However, the fact that we don't know what happened at all after that incident is troubling.”

It seemed the two people talking to M’s parents were from the neighborhood, and judging from the nature of their conversation, it seemed that “An incident similar to the one three days ago in the neighboring town had occurred very close by.” Which meant that the ‘scary incident’ the first-year elementary school kids were making a fuss about had occurred once more. And I couldn’t help but feel that these two scary incidents were the beginning of ‘something’.

Ten days from now, M’s family would be attacked in a mysterious incident that would remain unsolved ten years in the future. I was assailed with an inescapable sense of dread as if it was finally happening.

Unable to sit still, I passed through the four of them and went outside. Under the blistering sun that was sure to get even hotter from now on, I searched for the house of that ‘Nagami-san’. However, before I even thought of ‘searching’, I could see that the town was in an uproar after just a short walk. A dozen or so meters ahead of me, a single patrol car stood parked silently with only its red-light blinking, and next to it was a normal passenger car that seemed to have been an unmarked police car. Even though it was still early in the morning, there were countless onlookers swarming the surroundings, taking photos of the uniformed police officers at the entrance with their cell phones in one hand. The house at the center of all this commotion probably belonged to the so-called ‘Nagami-san’.

I slipped past the crowds of onlookers and entered the house. Yellow tape had already been plastered in front of the entrance, and the interior was hectic with several uniformed police officers going up and down the stairs. The incident seemed to have occurred upstairs. I continued to slip through the officers and stepped onto the stairs.

On the second floor, there was a middle-aged guy who looked like a plain clothes detective. He was dressed in a creased navy-blue suit, his stiff hair was streaked with gray, and he had a bitter expression on his face, as if he had just eaten an astringent persimmon. I peeked into the room the old guy was looking at. And, standing next to the old guy, I ended up making a face like him.

In the Japanese style room about 10 sqm in size, the man probably known as ‘Nagami-san’ lay collapsed.

I wondered what kind of person he was, but even after looking at him, I had no idea. Because his head was cleanly missing from the neck up. He had a knife gripped with both hands, and was covered in a pool of his own blood, well it’s obvious to say, but he was dead. Judging from the condition of the corpse, it was as if he had died by chopping his own head off. But – was such a thing even possible? At the center of the neck there was the bone after all, and midway through there would be massive blood loss leading to a loss of consciousness, that would surely make it impossible. I looked around the tatami-mat room, but the head was nowhere to be found. And that's when I suddenly realized.

--Ah, so that’s why it was being called a ‘murder case’.

Did that mean that there was someone who took only the head out of the house.

Perhaps it was because my emotions did not really undulate, but even seeing a dead body in front of my eyes did not upset me. Still a bitterness rose up from the bottom of my stomach. Perhaps a feeling of resignation at an extremely common occurrence, of the taboo of the human world since time immemorial, of “man killing his fellow man.”

“Oi, the forensics still haven’t arrived?”

One of the uniformed police officers replied with a frown in response to the old man’s inquiry.

“Tatsuke-san, aren’t you out of your jurisdiction?”

“Isn’t it alright? Just let me take a little look.”

A faint smile appeared unconcealed on one of the officers who was looking at the old man.

It seemed this old man was a police officer, but seemed to be a little frivolous in nature.

“Oh dear, this tatami has become quite useless now, hasn’t it?”

The moment the plain clothes officer called Tatsuke muttered that…

《We found the head!》

The report simultaneously came in through the radios of the cops present.

“Where is it?”

《It’s in the garden. On the branch of a persimmon tree in the garden--》

“A tree in the garden?”

I stuck close to the galloping old man as he ran out the room. We both jumped down the stairs, exited the front door into the garden and looked around. There were two police officers there, and their faces were pale as they pointed somewhere to Inspector Tatsuke after he arrived. The old man and I looked up almost simultaneously in the direction their fingertips were pointing.

There, among the leaves of the thick and overgrown elliptically shaped persimmon tree, was Nagami-san. He was looking down at us with a radiant smile on his face.

--Ughhhhhhhhhhh.

A sense of nausea bubbled up inside my body. It was a distorted pale smile drained of blood I couldn’t forget even if I wanted to. It was an artificial smile, as if pins were used to keep all the facial muscles in place, and the fact that only the head was present gave it an eerie appearance, as if a persimmon fruit was smiling.

“Tsk…”

As soon as the old man clicked his tongue, I staggered out of the house premises. The atmosphere was already too heavy, and I was at my limit. I really felt at home inside that stuffed frog.

Outside, there were even more rubbernecks than before. It was exactly what I expected: more rubbernecks calling for more rubbernecks. The people in the back must not have known what was going on. And it was only a matter of time before this would all be on television, and I sighed, despite being a rubberneck myself.

In the meantime, more and more patrol cars arrived to assist, and a wagon car loaded with what seemed to be forensics people in navy-blue suits; the site finally started to become noisy. I returned to M’s house, as if to change places.

-------------------

This time, the incident was reported in the newspapers. Not just the newspapers, but also on TV, day after day, night after night, and I became familiar with the case, even though I didn't like it.

The victim was Kōichi Nagami-san, a 38-year-old self-employed male who lived in K town of Chōfu city. The report of his head not being discovered at the scene of the crime, but instead on the branch of a tree in the garden became a news sensation (However, they didn’t report the smiling expression on his face). The police began investigating the case as a possible accident or a murder. The first person who discovered the body was the wife of Nagami-san, 35-year-old Noriko-san. When she returned from walking their pet dog in the morning, she discovered the headless corpse of her husband. She was so terrified that she ran out of the house and collapsed on the street where she was helped by a neighbor. Thereafter, the police were called, and the crime scene was discovered. As of now, it seemed they still hadn’t figured out why the head was placed on the tree branch in the garden. There were no eye-witness reports of anyone suspicious, and it seemed no one who bore a grudge against Nagami-san was identified – but this was just information from the news on television, there might have been a few suspects in mind, but for the time being, that was the official story published.

And thanks to this case becoming the talk of the town, the incident that occurred three days ago in the neighboring S-town was looked at closely as well. The commonly known ‘Tengu Incident’ that was made much about on the last day of school in M’s class. However, it seemed the police weren’t taking any proactive action in this case, and in irritation, the neighborhood watch held a meeting to see if they should go to the police for advice. Then, according to the mass media who caught wind of the developments, connected the two mysterious incidents to various things. The topics were veering in unimaginable directions, for example, the troubles surrounding the construction of the building for a new religious group around half a year ago, or that a serial killer on the run in Kyūshū was hiding close by, or even that it was because a manga artist famous for his brutal depictions lived nearby. Seeing the reporters on television excitedly discussing these stories, M’s mother sighed on the sofa, “It would be nice if they would solve it quickly.”

“It really is annoying. They've had to cancel all summer school activities, and if things go on like this, the summer festival is going to be canceled, too.”

Dressed in a tank top, M’s elder sister spoke in a huff.

“I have no idea what they were trying to do by placing only the head on the branch of the tree.”

Muttering those words – the mother suddenly looked at M sitting beside her. She must have thought it was a story a first-year elementary schooler shouldn’t hear. Incidentally, I heard their story unconsciously while inside Mr. Frog which was in M’s hand. And I recalled Nagami-san’s pale face and complacent smile looking down at me through the crevices in the branches, and a bitter feeling came over me again.

“Well, anyway, there’s nothing we can do by worrying about it here -- A. Make sure you're always with M.”

“Suuuure.”

A, a freshman in high school, must have had many summer vacation events she was looking forward to. Instead, she had been forced to look after her first-grade sister for almost 24 hours a day. She gave an unconcealed grimace even as she replied as such. From the tone of A's voice, M felt that she was something of a nuisance -- “I’m sorry.” She apologized to her sister in a tiny voice. A shrugged one shoulder in reply and said, “It’s not your fault,” before patting M on the head.

“Well, I’m off to work. Keep the doors locked tight. If anything happens, call our neighbor Oomine-san.”

“I know.”

“And, if a stranger comes, you don't have to answer the door.”

“Yes, yes, you’re getting late, right?”

After the conversation, M’s mother headed to work, leaving A, M, Leo and myself alone in the house.

“Well then.”

A spoke while lying down on the sofa and flipping channels on the television.

“I promised I’d go out with a friend this afternoon.”

“…Eeeh?”

“Can you stay at home by yourself?”

“But mom told us to stay together…”

“She did, didn’t she--? Um… well it can’t be helped, will you come along? I’ll treat you to some ice cream.”

“…But, are you sure it's safe to go outside?”

“I'm sure it's fine. I mean, everyone is living normally. It might be a good idea to avoid the streets late at night when no one is around, but there are TV reporters all over the place, and the police are patrolling the streets, it’s fine.”

“But... Is it alright if I come with you?”

“It’s alright. In exchange, dress up before we go. You had a cute dress, didn’t you? That one-piece.”

The two then went up together to M’s room. I was left alone on the sofa in the stuffed frog. Leo looked at me with a whimper. Are the two of them going out? Is what I felt he asked me, to which I answered, ‘That seems to be the case’.

Eventually, A came down dressed in short jeans layered together with a tank top. Ohhh, she looked super cute despite having a short bob haircut and her shoulders being bare. She looked gorgeous enough to blow away my unpleasant feelings in one fell swoop. As I was thinking that she was bound to be accosted by loads of bastards, M descended the stairs with a somewhat timid look on her face, Uwooooo, I couldn't help but open my mouth in surprise.

Dressed in a white summer one piece and a small straw hat, M was really beautiful – no, those words were lacking. Her lustrous long black hair combined with her fair complexion made her look like a foreign model. No, she was like a fairy, an angel descended from the heavens.

“Yeah, you look cute.”

A grinned gleefully as she tapped M’s straw hat.

M looked down as if embarrassed, ‘Ah’, when she noticed me.

“Can’t I take Mr. Frog with me?”

“It’s not suitable! A stuffed toy doesn’t go with that outfit.”

“…Yeah, but.”

“You should let Mr. Frog relax sometimes. Mr. Frog will be looking after the house today.”

M eventually nodded in response. After that she picked me up and apologized, “I’m sorry.” Well, I was going to slip out of Mr. Frog and go with them, but—when she said that to my face, I felt like I had to stay behind and look after the house. In addition, Leo whined as to if to say, “Hey, you're not going to let me stay here alone, are you?” So, somehow, I ended up staying at home.

Well, you could say it was exactly the right time.

There were exactly ten days left from today until Takamura’s declared deadline. As expected, my inner thoughts were in turmoil. I had the choice to not believe Takamura, but even so, I had to take all possible precautions and think about what I could do. In any case, what was happening in this town right now? How was it related to M and her family? And what would be the best course of action for me to take? I was uncertain if I was bad at logical thinking because I was dead or because I was just innately bad at it, but at any rate, it was time for serious contemplation.

A and M left home a little after 1 PM.

The door was locked, the house was dead silent, with just me and Leo.

Now -- let’s think. Let’s think things though.

I slipped out of the frog and sat on the sofa with my arms crossed, however, at that moment, Leo wagged his tail happily. No, wait a minute. I don’t have time to play with you today. I told him that, but Leo had already brought a toy ball in his mouth and held it out to me. I was about to say, “I’ve already told you many times, I can’t physically interact with this world, so I can’t do anything even if you bring that to me”—when I suddenly realized.

I tried to pick up a felt-tip pen left behind on the table.

However, as expected, my fingers ended up slipping through. Not even the slightest sensation of touch could be felt in my fingertips. I thought I’d try going to the kitchen and running some water through my fingers, but that didn't work either.

…Ah, that’s right.

I truly had nothing to do with anything in this world whatsoever.

I couldn’t make the air quiver to send out my voice to others, nor could I write to convey my wishes. In short, even if I figured out something about this incident, it was impossible for an unsteady existence like me to communicate it to anyone who had anything to do with this case.

…Hey, what am I gonna do?

I was made to feel my place again after all this time and felt depressed, when—

Suddenly, the front doorbell rang.

Both Leo and I looked at the front door at the same time. But neither of us could answer. It felt uncomfortable in this situation, to not be able to answer even though we were here, as if we were pretending to be out. Sorry, please come again. As I was sending such a glance at the front door, the doorbell rang again. Darn, it must be some delivery, is what I thought as I tried approaching the door, when it happened. Suddenly, the doorknob was turned and pulled gently. It merely swayed and stopped with a clunk as it was locked, but that act startled me.

--Eh? What? What the hell are they doing?

Leo gave a low growl from the back of his throat. It seemed that he, too, had sensed the abnormality of the situation.

(Wait.)

I restrained Leo with my hand, silently made my way to the entrance, and looked outside through the peephole.

An unfamiliar pale face was present there. A young man wearing a shaggy gray jacket. His expressionless pale face was devoid of blood. And his narrow eyes were filled with a strange light that made it hard to tell what he was thinking.

--T, this guy, who the hell is he? What the hell is he doing there?

I couldn’t move even as I thought that. And, despite not having a heart, I still felt my pulse quicken. Come to think of it, human emotions are supposed to be governed by the mind, and yet, why is it that the emotions are actually felt inside the heart? When you receive people’s affection, you feel pleased and your heart feels warm. When you’re startled, your heart pounds. What’s feeling is not the mind, but the heart. No, those things were inconsequential. At any rate, the thing I had to think about right now was who the hell this guy was.

As if holding my breath, I stayed extremely still as I examined the situation on the other side of the door though the peephole.

Thereupon, I recalled the word ‘random attacker’ from the conversation M’s parents were having this morning. The man on the other side of the peephole was strangely in sync with the two incidents that had occurred in the periphery of town, the ‘Tengu incident’ and the ‘Headless Incident’.

…Hey, it can’t be.

As I stood in front of the entrance petrified—

The man on the other side of the peephole swayed in a large, slow motion to the right, and disappeared.

Remembering that the garden was in that direction, I rushed to the living room which faced the garden, and Leo followed me with a growl. I leapt into the living room and did a quick visual confirmation to see that the doors were locked. Eventually, that thin shadow wandered on the other side of the sash. Then, he abruptly stuck his face all the way up to the glass, as he began to peer in my direction through the laced curtains. I felt petrified, even though there was no way he could see me. The man stared motionlessly in my direction, before slowly looking around the interior of the house. I don’t know how long I was glared at – before the man abruptly moved again. This time he moved to the direction of the rear garden. I, too, quickly rushed in the direction of the kitchen. In the far back of the kitchen lay the kitchen door that led to the rear garden. The key there must have been locked, right?

I quickly ran there with Leo and breathed a sigh of relief when I confirmed that the kitchen was locked properly. The kitchen door had a lattice design with a frosted glass set on it. The black shadow eventually appeared beyond that glass. The man did indeed put his hands on the doorknob and pulled. This time, he had the nerve to pull it with a little more force, and the door clattered and shook. And thereupon, Leo finally barked. It was the sharpest bark I had heard until now. I held my breath; The man on the other side of the glass stopped moving, too. Please. I prayed that he would flee after finding out that there was a dog present inside.

Was he the random attacker? Could it be that he was the culprit from both cases, and was targeting M’s family this time? Aaah, was he related to the incident that would happen on the 31st of July that Takamura mentioned – no, no, there were still ten days left, it was far too soon, I fretted.

What should I do if those two sisters were to return and if that man were to hide in the backyard? No, even if he were to leave, how would I relay the events that had transpired here and now? How would I tell them that a strange man ended up trespassing in the garden while you guys were out? I couldn’t even hold a pencil. I couldn’t physically interact with this world.

At that moment--

The man didn’t hide in the backyard, and neither did he leave… Incredibly, his actions became even more audacious. He took something out from his pocket and fit it inside the knob’s keyhole. With a clatter and click, he began to fiddle with the keyhole.

…Eh, it can’t be, this isn’t a movie… there’s no way he can open it that easily – as I thought that, the inner lock turned with a click. Which meant that in short, it opened. It ended up opening.

After that, the man slowly put the lockpick back in his pocket, looked inside for a bit, and put his hand on the doorknob once more. Then he slowly twisted and pulled.

The kitchen door opened with a creak right in front of me. Leo stood firmly in place on all four limbs and growled. I, too, aimed all the aura of animosity I could muster towards him. If ghosts really could curse someone to death, I tried to brandish that power here and now as I glared at his face.

The pale face that peeked in through the crevice of the door, was thin.

He was tall and looked to be in his twenties. His features were originally well-arranged like that of an actor, but his pale face gave a strong impression of being in poor health. His hair was long and carelessly slicked back, and his gray jacket was full of wrinkles as if he had slept in it for months.

Leo barked.

The man extended one finger in response – pointed it at Leo, and then brought it against his own lips.

“Shhhh--- please be silent.”

He whispered in a hushed tone of voice which was unexpectedly overfamiliar.

He then narrowed his slender, foxlike eyes in the direction of me, who couldn't move.

“Yo, nice to meet you—is what I should say, right?”

I couldn’t even move a finger to respond to the words that were clearly directed at me.

“My name is Sako Takita.”

The man displayed his white teeth in a broad grin as he spoke.

“Even though I’m only a graduate student, but I’m still a head priest.”

-------------------

“Now then—Where should I begin?”

The young man known as Sako Takita sat brazenly deep down on the sofa in M’s house, his long legs crossed and swaying gently.

“Anyway…huh? You are there, aren’t you?”

--Ah, I’m here.

I stood in front of the sofa with my arms crossed, and answered haughtily while looking down on the man. I felt a fear as to who this guy was, but on the other hand, I felt a nostalgia from his detached way of talking.

“No, at any rate, I know you are here in this house, but I can’t see you. I can see most of your everyday ghosts, but not you. Anyway, let’s start with introductions. I am university student studying comparative religions in one of Tokyo’s universities. Although I say that, I’ve previously worked as a Shinto priest, which is why I called myself a head priest earlier. To tell you the truth, Sako Takita isn’t my real name. Well, I guess you could call it a stage name, or a business name.”

That’s right – the reason I’m referring to this guy with his full name is because it’s not his real name. Moreover, it was strange that in his case, I couldn’t help but feel that even if it was his real name, it wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe it was because he had one foot thrust deeper in the world beyond than even me who was dead, or maybe this guy was a ghost himself…at any rate, his hopelessly weak sense of existence made me think so, but he was far too talkative to be a ghost.

“But you see, people usually realize how inexperienced they are when they start their careers. Disgracefully, I too am unable to escape the conventions of society and thus feel inadequate, so I thought I’d restart my studies from the beginning, but, you see, when I look around the world from multiple angles once more, my suspicion deepens: aren’t the roots of the various religions in the world born from the same nature? I was deeply reminded once more to look at the world from a broader perspective —Eh? What am I talking about, you ask? Well, I’m speaking in turn so please don’t fret. It’s not something one should rush. I’m talking in turn so that you may comprehend. At any rate, I might be older than the other graduate students, but you can say that I truly obtained the right timing for studying. The occasion being the incidents occurring in this town right now, and the story you will be involved in from here on.”

Hey, you don’t mean…

(Are you talking about the incident in which M’ family will be attacked ten days from now? Do you know what that’s gonna be?)

I asked in a panic, but the man who introduced himself as Sako Takita just looked at me blankly. It seemed that he was different from the girl known as Takamura, in that my words didn’t seem to reach him.

“…Hmm. To tell you the truth, I can’t tell who you are, if you’re a man or a woman, old or young. I can’t see you, after all. But I am able to feel you. Whether you’re angry, happy or disturbed, that’s the kind of vibe I get. From there I can willfully converse by inferring your opinion, but you are ''different'' after all.”

(…Different? What do you mean by different?)

“I recently realized that there are ghosts I can’t see like you in this world, who come from the future, it was when I was researching ancient Mikkyō religious scriptures in university. That scripture is not publicly acknowledged by Koyasan<ref>Shingon Sect</ref>, but I happened to come across it through a source. In it was an interesting passage regarding a switch in perspective – for example, you believe that time flows from the past into the future, correct?”

…Hey, what are you talking about?

“Well, the majority of people in the past and today believe that to be the case, and in the religious view that everything began with the creation of the universe by the creator God, it is necessary in a sense. However, if the events of the past end up creating the entirety of the future, doesn't that mean that since the events of the past can’t be altered, then the future can’t be changed either? However, there is one way of thinking to solve this contradiction. That is to look at everything from reverse. That’s right, the way of thinking in which the past is the result of the present.”

Thereupon, Sako took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.

But then he recalled that this was someone else’s house and that he was trespassing right now. He hurriedly stood up and walked towards the kitchen, turned on the ventilation fan and began smoking in front of it. He looked uncomfortable as he looked around restlessly, it couldn’t be helped, so I walked up to him.

“Sorry, I wonder if you can hear me. Let’s continue the conversation, shall we? If the result of the present is the past, then the future rapidly approaches oneself, and without even stopping for a moment, passes through the self in the present and leaps back into the past. I believe you can imagine this sensation. In short, the future, which flows into you like raging billows from somewhere unknown is littered with infinite possibilities, and there is a thought that only those who make the most of it in the ‘present’ can create a successful past.”

…Oi, I have no idea what you’re going on about.

(Explain it more clearly, or just tell me the answer.)

Perhaps my annoyance got through to him, the young man known as Sako looked at me as if he truly pitied me.

“…You don’t seem very bright, do you? Well, I suppose it’s alright. If one were to acknowledge the possibility of time flowing from the future to the past, wouldn't it be possible to overturn modern physics, which says that a person can go to the future but not to the past with his or her present consciousness? Well, the summary of that scripture did say that the subject would not be a living person.”

Ah, in short, it’s the thing Takamura was talking about, 『Spiritual things sometimes transcend time and space. 』

“In short, you, who are invisible are a ghost to me, but not an ordinary deceased person, it can be said that you are weak radio signals from the future accessing this point in time in the past for some unknown reasons.”

…Radio signals again, huh?

To sum it all up, all this guy wants to say is that I’m something that’s peeping into the past?

Ahh, be it radio signals or whatever. At any rate, why did I turn out to be like this, and tell me if there’s anything I can do in this world.

I appealed as such, but my complicated thoughts probably did not reach Sako.

“At any rate, you who are dead or on the verge of death in the future, have something you desperately want to know in this timeline. Well, I don’t know what that is, and I can't help you find out. Because I’m very busy with a lot of things, after all.”

A busy person wouldn’t be puffing smokes in a carefree manner, I rebutted.

“Ah, too much smoke for you?”

Sako drove away the tobacco smoke with one hand as if he cared.

(That’s not the problem here. What kind of person smokes when they’re trespassing?)

“No, well you could say that smoking is my only hobby, or my raison d'etre, to deprive me of that would be quite a cruel act, so won’t you please forgive me?”

Sako laughed nonchalantly, but I had completely forgotten about it because I had been taken in by this guy’s foolish persona. How did he know I was in this house, despite not being able to see me in the first place? And why did he go to the trouble of committing the crime of ‘trespassing’ by sneaking into M’s house?

“Oh, that's quite simple, really.” Sako shrugged his shoulders in response. This time, he seemed to have understood. “I was pursuing a certain psychic phenomenon – or you could call it a certain ‘ghost’. That’s why I came here to this town, but I simply mistook that to be you.”

--A certain ghost?

“There’s an elementary school girl in this house, correct? A fair-skinned, long-haired girl who’s quite beautiful. I merely caught a glimpse of her in town just the other day, but I understood that something was haunting her. That’s when I decided I’d meet her once and confirm it for myself but – well, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. You were not the ghost I was searching for. That’s right, it would have been far better if the thing I was chasing turned out to be something foolish like you. After all, the girl who’s being haunted is out and about, yet the thing that’s haunting her is relaxing at home without a care. And judging from the pooch ball that’s dripping in drool, you were extremely carefree as you played with the dog. You are quite defenseless. And haphazard.”

…Hey. Isn’t that going too far?

“Ah, apologies if I caused any offense. I didn't mean it in a negative way. At any rate, a simple case of mistaken identity – there's nothing more between you and me.”

Thereupon, he discarded the elongated tobacco ash on the portable ashtray he took out from his pocket, “Well then, I have no further business in this house”, before taking one last longing puff and stubbing it out.

He quickly moved to leave, causing me to panic.

(H…hey wait, wait a second! I have less than ten days left! Something terrible is going to happen to M’s family! And since you’re the only one in the world that can perceive me and likely to be of some help, help me solve my problem, even if it’s just a little!)

I fervently made a fuss as I waved my hand and tried to stop Sako, who made a really annoyed look face in response as he looked back.

“Please take care of your own problems. Like I said before, I’m busy with my own business – Eh? What? Hmm… The two incidents that have occurred in the vicinity of this town?”

This bastard, he started making inferences all by himself about things I didn’t even think about.

“I read about that in the newspaper, but it’s not such a big deal, is it?”

(N, not a big deal you say? A person was hung from a tree that was seemingly unclimbable, and even though a head cut off by someone was found in the garden, you say that this isn’t a big deal? No matter how you look at it, it’s a case of a monster materializing!)

“...Ah, yes, yes. I understand. If I solve that then you can rest in peace – no, or maybe you're not dead, to be precise, but the problem will be solved, won’t it?”

Sako took a deep breath and ruffled around his long hair.

“It can’t be helped – a chance meeting that is preordained or something, is it? Well then, let’s go and take a look now, shall we?”

--------------------------------

“But the weather really is quite nice, isn't it? It’s so peaceful you’d hardly believe it’s a town where a series of bizarre incidents have occurred.”

Saying something like that, Sako lankily swayed as he walked in the residential area. I had no choice but drift behind in his stead.

“First let’s try going to the house nearby where the headless case occurred. Umm, the ‘Nagami’ household, was it? Where is it…ah, we don’t even need to look for it. It’s the house over there with the swarm of crowds that regrettably look like they haven’t gone back home in days.”

Saying that, Sako drew close to the front of the Nagami household which was swarmed with a few dozen or so reporters. He stood up straight as he looked around the entire house with a relaxed expression on his face. His appearance was so peaceful that he appeared to nothing more than a shameless onlooker, but seeing his face right next to mine, a cold shiver ran down my back.

It was because of the look in Sako’s eyes. Cold, emotionless, and hollow eyes. They reminded me of that girl named Takamura in a way, and there was a sense of dread in them, as if they were seeing right through this world.

“Hmm… I see.”

Going around and seeing the entirety of the house surrounded by a fence, Sako muttered lazily when he reached the back of the house.

“So, this was the persimmon tree where the head was stuck in. Not under the Cherry blossom tree, but on top of the persimmon tree, is it? Ah, it does seem like he cut it off himself. And yet despite that, the person in question seems to be bewildered. Hmm.”

Muttering such creepy things, Sako continued a few steps closer to the fence of the house, and while the reporters were giving him suspicious looks, he suddenly climbed up onto the fence. He then stretched his long fingers towards the branches of the persimmon tree. And thereafter, picked up ''something'' in his hand.

“Um, excuse me?”

A man with an armband of a major TV station, who seemed to be a television reporter, came up behind him with a microphone in one hand.

“Are you related to this incident? Or are you from the police?”

“I’m merely a passerby.”

“Eh, wait, if you’re not involved, then please stop. This is inappropriate given that this is the scene of a crime.”

“Being told what is inappropriate from the fellows making a big fuss in front of other people’s homes at the crack of dawn is quite something.”

Replying aggressively, Sako stroked something invisible in his hand as if he cherished it. It was just about the size of a person’s head, causing me to take a step back, “Hey, it can’t be?”

“What did you take just now?”

“What, I'm trying to help you guys and the police –Hmm, it seems his consciousness was thrown off here from the head itself. Conversation isn’t really viable anymore.”

As Sako muttered that kind of thing, a uniformed police officer who was guarding the area near the entrance came running, perhaps noticing the noisy media.

“Hey! What are you doing?! Get down from there!”

“Well, please just wait a moment. He won’t be able to speak soon. If that were to happen, then the moments before his death are bound to become even more confusing.”

Sako narrowed his thin eyes to be even thinner and continued to mutter something with his lips. From the looks of it, Sako had found the ''ghost of Nagami-san’s head'' on the branches of the persimmon tree. I'm sure he’ll be thought of as a crazy person after giving that explanation, and if I wasn’t dead myself, I’d fully agree with that assessment a hundred percent.

“According to the reports, Kōichi Nagami-san is supposed to have died on the second floor, and the window was closed. Only a married couple lived in this house with no children. And yet – he said, "a child". Who is that I wonder?”

Thereupon Sako turned around, and spoke to the police.”

“I suppose you won’t allow me inside.”

“O-of course not! Who are you?”

“Sorry for the late introductions. Here, please take a look.”

Even though it would have been better for him to come down, Sako crouched down on the fence, and with his left hand still clutching the invisible head, he skillfully took out a business card with his right hand. I took a peek, and the words therein were: “Sako Takita, Chief Priest of Okitachi Inari Shrine.”

“C-chief priest?”

“Yes, the late Nagami-san wished for a Shinto funeral when he was alive, and I am merely here to fulfill his wishes.”

--Hey, that kind of lie will get exposed right away.

I was worried, but the police did a visual comparison of the business card with Sako’s pale, featureless face, waited a while, and began to communicate with someone on the radio. Before he could even reach a decision, Sako nimbly jumped down on the other side of the fence, in short – on the side of the Nagami household’s garden. “Ah—Hey, wait a minute!”, a voice came from the other side of the fence, but without as much of a care, Sako quickly went around to the front entrance and ended up entering inside. I had no choice but to follow in his stead.

It was my second time in the Nagami household, and despite being daytime, it was deserted. Well, that was natural. The wife seemed to have returned to her parents’ home, and no one was present inside. It would be scarier to sense the presence of a person. Sako took off his shoes, and quickly entered inside. He turned his somewhat vacant gaze toward the second floor, and climbed up the stairs without hesitation.

There were three rooms on the second floor. One was presumably the couples’ western style bedroom with a double sized bed. A second room that was presumably Nagami-san’s study room. And the last one which was a Japanese-style room where the body was discovered, it seemed to be an empty guest room with only a vase of flowers present. Sako entered the Japanese style room after removing the yellow tape sealing it. He then bowed toward the white tape that marked the location of the corpse, then stepped over it as he opened the window.

“Yes, this room is the closest to that branch of the persimmon tree.”

I looked at the scenery from the window and saw a member of the media below aiming their camera our way. It must have been their instinct as reporters to record anything that might happen right away.

Suddenly, Sako turned to me and called out.

“Are you there?”

--Yes, I’m here.

I answered, and in reply, Sako spoke with his hands still in his pockets.

“I mostly figured it out. Let’s move on.”

From there, we made our way to the neighboring S town, about a ten-minute bus ride away. As I recall, it was the incident where an old man who went by the name ‘Niizawa’ was found hanging from a tree in the grounds of the Inari shrine there. After asking passersby about the location, we arrived at the shrine just past 2 pm.

A dense thicket of trees lined both sides, and the path towards the shrine stretched in the center. Walking slightly leftward from the center of the stone paving, Sako spoke:

“There really is a god here. Shrines with gods are always enveloped in a faint mist for some reason.”

--Mist?

Come to think of it, there did indeed appear to be a faint mist in the air even though it wasn’t early in the morning. I mean, if there really was a god here, then I was the one who wanted to implore them. I continued to walk a little nervously with this thought in mind, but no voice came down to me.

It must have been so because I lacked faith, right?

As I pondered such things to myself, “Aren’t you mistaken about god?”

As he stepped on the gravel, Sako spoke as if narrating a monologue.

“The original god of this country you see, is not the almighty personal god like that in the west. It’s something that has spilled from the realm where humans are not allowed to tread. It is something only to be feared, not something to ask favor of. If anything, a thing revered and sealed in order to minimize calamities.”

--Calamities?

“That’s right, most of them are curse gods.”

With those creepy words, Sako eventually stopped a few meters in front of the main temple building. He stroked his thin beard as he looked around the surroundings, and I saw it. I heard that the old man was hung from a large ginkgo tree, but – I see, from a rough look around I could see a dozen or so ginkgo trees.

“Now then, which one was it?”

Muttering that, he drew close to each ginkgo tree and touched it by hand.

Eventually, he began to repeatedly stroke one of the large trees, and nodded.

“I guess this is it.”

(…You can tell?)

“It’s far more unsettled than the other trees; It’s still shaking. Yes… this does seem a bit too thick to climb. It’s around four meters in height, and if we’re talking about branches not breaking if a person is hung from them– then was that…?”

He then looked around the surroundings restlessly, and eventually caught sight of a worn out shed next to the shrine office, headed over to it, and took the liberty of bringing a step ladder meant to be used for pruning. He brought it up close to the trunk and began to climb the ginkgo tree.

I was worried someone might come, but no one was passing by, as if the fact that a man had died had put everyone off.

“Ah, I see.”

Eventually, Sako’s voice came down from up above.

“I understand the gist of it. It wasn’t a significant incident after all – no, it wasn’t even an incident.”

Sako sat down on the branch where a dead man would have been hanging from just a few days ago, and spoke that kind of thing while yawning.

(Hey, I don’t understand at all. What do you mean you get it? Aren’t these two incidents the work of some psycho killer? Isn't he still hiding somewhere in this city, and in the next ten days, he’s going to make a move on M’s family, isn’t he?)

He must have sensed the intent of my unrelenting questions. The pale faced young man spoke, “Now, now, please calm down.”

“Firstly, the man who hung from this branch merely committed suicide. If there’s a death that’s considered suspicious in this country, then the autopsy is very thorough every time. It is true that the lack of good medical examiners in the field has led to a number of cases and accidents being misjudged, and it’s also true that the police are not as good at investigating as they once were, but the investigative organizations in this country aren’t that dumb yet.”

…Suicide?

No, if that’s the case, then how did he climb up there?

“That was simple. He probably used that stepladder like I did. The problem is how the step ladder disappeared, but the truth is quite simple. ''Someone'' put it away.”

……..

I was dumbfounded with the way Sako recited those words like poetry.

--Wa, wait a second. You mean to tell me that someone who put the step ladder away didn’t notice the feet dangling above it? Even if the old man was around 170 cm in height, his legs would surely be in the field of vision, right?

“That is the unpleasant fact about this case. That someone put it away even after noticing.”

(…Huh?)

“What would happen if a step ladder or anything to climb on wasn’t discovered in the surroundings when they found the hanging body? It would probably cause a strong sense of discomfort at the scene. That's what someone was trying to do. They merely put it away because it would be amusing.”

--Merely, amusing…?

“And that Nagami-san – was it? With the headless corpse. That was the same thing. Nagami-san cut off his own head with a terrible strength. You might question if that’s possible with a human being’s mental and physical strength, but it probably is. It’s recorded that after Antoine Lavoisier was decapitated in the year 1794, he continued to blink for more than fifteen seconds. In 1904, the French physician Baulieu described how decapitated heads could react to their names being called. Looking at the direction of the corpse on the tatami floor, the direction of the blood spray, and the position of the head discovered on the persimmon tree, they all point to this as the most likely explanation. With a strong will. Nagami-san cut off his head with his own hands, and the moment it separated from the body, it shot off towards the window, where it was caught in the branches of the persimmon tree.”

(But, that window was closed, right?)

I saw it myself right after the incident had occurred. I saw that the window was closed together with that old inspector… “Ah”, I suddenly realized.

“That’s right. Because that window was closed, the crime scene became that of a different nature. Someone must have closed the window after Nagami-san had committed suicide. If that was done, then it would have the same effect on the people who discovered the headless corpse. The same effect as removing the step ladder, to create an intense sense of unease that clung to the area around the body.

………………

“Why did Niizawa-san hang himself at the shrine, and why did Nagami-san cut off his own head? To be honest, I have no interest in that, and I'm sure the police will look into it. However, the reason the incidents became tinged with a bizarre aspect to them is definitely because someone added a slight sense of unease to the scene of the crimes. That’s why these aren’t even incidents.”

That’s all, the end – and with that, Sako quickly descended to the ground using the step ladder, and returned it to the shed.

-------------------------------

As Sako had said, in contrast to the ‘Whodunnit’ rubberneck curiosity that had raged across Japan, the police investigation seemed to be leaning towards ‘suicide’ being the cause. “That’s strange considering the fact that the head was discovered in the garden,” is what the internet, the mass media and conspiracy theorists were spouting. However, it seemed unlikely that the course of the investigation would be overturned based on the crime scene situation which had not been made public, of “Someone having closed the window,”. The question was who it was and why they did it, but it seemed the police had not been able to ascertain that far. If I was indeed looking at the past like Takamura had said, then it would have been easy to find out the truth if I could go back and forth in time more freely – is what I thought, but I couldn’t do it easily.

In the end, a gloomy air hung over the city, as two more days had passed since the incident. At the same time, that strange young man called Sako Takita ended up disappearing, and my thoughts without end coiled inside my head constricting my body.

There were only eight days left until Takamura’s proclaimed date of July 31. It would be great if August comes without incident and I can say to myself, “That bitch was telling a lie” – but for some reason, I didn’t think that was the case. I definitely had nothing but terrible premonitions as the day drew closer. There’s a phrase called ‘spirit sense’, and I wonder if I ended up becoming sensitive to it since I became a ghost. Anyway, I was being swept away by the cold river at night without resisting, and I couldn't get rid of the cold chill as if a bottomless waterfall lied in wait for me just ahead.

--Dammit.

Vague anxieties can be dispelled by taking action.

If I recall correctly, I think some genius shogi player said something like that. Staying inside the house, staying still inside the frog in M’s hand was comfortable but, I couldn’t do anything about this intensifying anxiety. Something might change if I took some action. And, the only person who could connect me to this world, where I couldn’t physically interact with anything, excluding the existence of Takamura who was like an inter-dimensional being, was Sako Takita right now. At any rate, shouldn’t I look for him, somehow convey this danger so that he could at least warn the family?

He could see ghosts. And he must be smart. And, that’s right. Didn’t Takamura say it as well? 『A graduate student appeared out of nowhere and settled the case like a great detective in the classics.』That was referring to Sako, wasn’t it? To put it simply, if I could somehow convey the information at my disposal, it felt something would change. No, I had to change it.

I strengthened my resolve, and flew out of the house.

In any case, I intended to search thoroughly for Sako Takita’s whereabouts to the utmost of my ability. He said he was chasing after some paranormal phenomenon. It was the reason he was in this town. Which meant that he should still be wandering around, investigating something. Perhaps he could be looking around all over town even if it took him all night or something – and as I arrived at the station, I easily found Sako there.

The pale young graduate student cum chief priest was pecking at his chocolate parfait or something, sitting on the second-floor terrace of a coffee shop that overlooked the roundabout in front of the station.

(--Hey, Sako.)

I called out to him as soon as I got there, but he merely threw a glance in my direction and ignored me. I flew into a rage and hurled all the abuse I could muster close at him, Sako looked annoyed and brought his finger to his lips.

“Shh, please be quiet. Your existence is invisible to everyone. If I answered you here, I'm going to look like a weird guy mumbling to himself.”

He whispered in a small voice as he took a peek around.

(Never mind that, I need your help. It’s an emergency!)

“You seem quite agitated, but I’m afraid it’s not my job or duty to help you.”

Sako whispered as he lovingly savored the spoonful of ice cream, chocolate and fresh cream. It might have been a time of supreme bliss for him, but I ignored all of that as I spoke. I talked about how I met the girl named Takamura, how at the end of the month – no, how in just eight days, M’s family would be assaulted in an incident that would remain unsolved even ten years into the future. How I wanted to prevent it at all costs. I asked him if he could at least call or give that family a letter to warn them.

Narrating the story non-stop without pause left me exhausted as expected. Wasn’t this asking too much of a ghost? I looked at Sako, who, whether he was listening or not, was plunging his spoon into the end of the glass bottle to dig out the ice cream with a demure expression on his face.

(Hey, do you understand what I’m saying?)

“That’s why, I’m troubled you see. I know you’re vehemently trying to communicate something, but like I told you before, you’re not a normal ghost. I can't hear you, and I can’t understand exactly what kind of problem you have. Look, that couple of girls over there see me muttering to myself and are eyeing me suspiciously, aren’t they?”

“Do I care? Look, please, the incident still hasn’t been settled. I'm sure that something more is going to happen – no, maybe the real thing is just beginning. Even if those two incidents were suicides, some guy crazy in the head must have tampered somehow and created a sense of unease, right? They did it just for the fun of it, right? Isn’t that dangerous? Isn’t it possible that guy might perpetrate something else in this town?”

“I have a job to do. I sympathize with you, but I can’t help you.”

Finally realizing how loud his voice had become, Sako lowered his voice, but – no, wait a minute, that’s it, I leapt.

(Who is the ‘ghost’ you’re looking for?)

I asked, and perhaps sensing the mood of my question, Sako took a deep sigh and spoke.

“The name of the ‘thing’ I’m chasing after is inconsequential at this point. The name has changed over the ages, and the earliest accounts of it can be traced back to the Nara period.”<ref> Nara period (710-794 CE)</ref>

--N, nara period?

“It keeps changing the person it possesses, a troublesome spirit that spreads misfortune wherever it goes.”

Thereupon, Sako looked longingly at the glass of chocolate parfait he had just finished eating, took a cigarette out of his pocket and lighted it. I looked at the relaxed Sako blowing tobacco smoke around, and spoke irritably:

(Then why are you slurping Chocolate parfait in a place like this when you’re searching for something dangerous like that? Can you afford to sit around and take a smoke?)

In response, Sako unexpectedly whispered a question at me.

“Have you heard of the illness known as antisocial personality order?”

…What?

“To put it simply, it’s the mental disposition of irrepressibly experiencing joy in destroying the peace. It is said to be a central nervous system dysfunction found in many criminals who are commonly referred to as serial killers, but not all of it is understood yet. Not everyone with antisocial personality disorder will commit crimes, and they are not aware of their malicious intent in the first place. The destruction of order is as natural as eating a meal to them. The norms of good and bad are completely alien to them. They follow their curiosity – they destroy their surroundings, simply because it’s amusing.”

Something nasty crawled down my back upon hearing those words.

“But you know, it would still be better if that disease were to afflict a flesh and blood human. Because you can flee from them, or restrain them. But what if it was a ghost? What if it were an existence invisible to the human eye? Wouldn’t that be a modern-day curse god?”

Hearing those words – the vague anxiety in my head finally took shape.

The twisted smile of that girl in the black dress was, right now, clearly drawn in my head.

『Because it’s fun, after all.』

Her lips twisted into a sneer, Takamura’s tomboyish looks spread across my retinas.

That’s right – our sense of values was fundamentally different. They were out of sync. That's what made me shudder at the time. Could it be that… Takamura is the ghost Sako is searching for? If Sako’s story were to be believed, could Takamura have been changing the person she possessed and spread misfortune wherever she went? No – no, wait. If that were the case, doesn’t that mean that Takamura deliberately warned me of her actions in advance? Is that why she told me to wriggle? To squirm? Ah, but somehow it feels like she’s capable of anything. And also, didn’t she say that crazy line at the end? 『Show me a fightback so magnificent that I fall in love with you.』

(Hey, Sako!)

I yelled. (You need to move right now! I know who it is, so do something quick about it! I’ll haunt you until you help me. And if something happens to M’s family, I’ll curse you until you die!) I shouted as I waved my arms and legs in the air, but of course, it didn’t reach Sako. However, it seemed my panicked mood got through to him.

(…Hmmm?)

Sako rose from his chair, and looked in my direction.

“It seems you know something, and you have a strange obsession with that family. In short, you mean to say there’s some sort of connection between the family and the ghost I’m searching for?”

I vigorously nodded my head.

“Hmm…alright, understood. I have no other leads to go on either way. It’ll be my first experience trying to do something by teaming up with a ghost, but well, it might be interesting. Communication will be a bit of a problem, though.”

I looked up to Sako’s tall figure as he spoke those words – and felt a relief deep enough to make me collapse to my knees.

Without any clues, I still didn’t know what to do in the face of this inexplicable danger – but, even still, I was able to gain one ally for the time being, and a hope began to sprout within me, that if things went well, I might be able to save M and her family.

However—

I should have paid more attention to the words Sako had spoken earlier.

In the Nagami household, Sako picked up the invisible thing resembling Nagami-san’s head and spoke.

『And yet – he said, "a child”.』

It happened early morning on the following day.

At school, M’s best friend, Kii-chan… was discovered at the bottom of the pool.

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==Translator's notes and references==
<references/>

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Phenomeno:Case 00: Chapter 1

2023-12-03T14:29:05Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 00 – Chapter 1: M==

It’s obvious to say, but I, or me, or whoever I was, couldn’t die. I was already dead, and that hypothesis was proved thus. I jumped from the building, lightly drifted down, and landed on the concrete where pedestrians walked back and forth. I had made an entrance like a hero in a Hollywood movie, however, not a single passerby showed any signs of surprise. I wasn’t reflected in their eyes, and their legs passed through me.

Suddenly, I felt something bright flicker right above me, and I raised my head.

Far above the rooftop of the building I had been on just now – there was a strange cloud above in the sky.

No, rather than a cloud, something large and gray covered a part of the sky that was like a giant swirl of paint, and a beam of light shone from a gap in it. And, that light was aimed straight down at the handrail of the building where I had stood just now.

--Ah… Wasn’t that the final call? If I had just waited there, wouldn’t everything have ended?

In a panic, I searched for an entrance to the building in order to return to the rooftop, but it was already too late.

The bright light shining down from the sky gradually narrowed its point of focus as if to say it had ‘lost the thing it was looking for’.

(Hey, wait for me. I’m right here. I’m dead here. Don’t leave me behind.)

I tried to shout out loud, but the light in the sky contracted in the blink of an eye, and eventually disappeared.

I was in a daze for a while – then slowly collapsed to my knees. Even though I landed from the tip of my knees on the concrete, there was barely any pain or an impact. The weight itself was almost imperceptible. From then on, I just sat there on the ground and became hollow. I don’t remember how long I sat there for. I felt no pain since I was dead, and I probably felt no hunger, or thirst. In short, it wasn’t a problem if I did it for eternity.

I didn’t know – I didn’t know, but…

For the time being, I slowly thought it through.

‘What should I do from here on’, was the only thing I kept thinking about. There was no starting point. I thought I should first create a starting point, and first choose how to refer to myself in first person. I tried out various forms, but they all had their merits and demerits, so I chose the word ‘己’. It meant both ‘Ore’ and ‘Onore’, hmm, yes, that was fine.<ref>The kanji can be read in multiple ways and is used to refer to oneself in Japanese. Ore is used more often and onore is uncommon. I will just use ‘I’ to simplify from here on.</ref> Well then, what was I? I was a dead person. I must have ended up becoming the existence commonly known as a ghost or a spirit. I still couldn’t remember the events that led me to this situation, but – that’s right, I was… I was trying to do something. No, was I trying to meet someone? At any rate, it felt like I was in a rush to get somewhere. But I couldn’t recall where that was, nor the reason why I was in a rush. Well, it would be meaningless even if I could recall. I was already dead, and if I had arranged to meet with someone, that person would still be alive, a dweller of the world I was no longer related to.

Alright, that’s good. For the time being, merely defining myself as ‘I’ has greatly calmed me down.

But, however—

What was this sad wind that occasionally blew at the depths of my heart? When I try to recall the sight I saw just before my death, that sad wind blows in at my heart from somewhere. Someone’s lonely, beautiful, face flickers before my eyes – The fact I would never see them again, no, that I wasn’t even able to say goodbye to them, made me unbearably sad…

Thereupon, I shook my head. I was afraid that If I stayed buried in my grief as someone who was dead, I would end up becoming one of the incomprehensible ‘monsters’.

Before I’d realized, night had passed, and morning came and went. That cycle kept endlessly repeating. And in that time, not a single person noticed me. Even though I was sitting in such a conspicuous place on the road in front of the station.

I stood up and tried to talk to the pedestrians passing by. However, no one lent my words an ear. I tried to dance. A sloppy dance in my own style. But, as expected, no one looked at me. I tried running with all my strength. People didn’t avoid me as I ran with a furious facial expression, nor did they even try. And as expected – I didn’t crash into anyone as I merely passed through people’s bodies.

Feeling foolish, I stopped in front of a commercial building. On the ground floor, there was a store window for a clothing store.

In a daze, I stood in front of it, when I realized. In the glass window, I could see the reflection of people passing by, yet I could not see my own. I, alone, was not part of that world.

『Ghosts are not reflected in mirrors.』

With sadness, I recalled such words I had once heard somewhere. And the reality painfully sunk into my heart more than I thought.

--I was nothing.

Leaning back against the wall of the building, I merely sat down in a daze.

I was practically homeless, but that was a fact. I was homeless for eternity. No, what was worse than being homeless was losing your memories, your sense of existence, with no end. There were things I thought I would do if I had an eternity of time – is what I felt I thought once. I felt like that would be to train in musical instruments, and to do sports training. But even that would all be meaningless right now. Even if I learned how to do those things, there was no one who would be happy for me, and to begin with, I couldn’t even touch organic objects (I could barely feel something when I touched it. I tried it with vending machines and such). Even though there was nothing to do, I had an eternity of time. I rolled helplessly in the midst of those endless thoughts.

In all likelihood – a week passed by.

I didn’t exactly know how much time had passed. As expected, I felt neither hunger nor pain in my butt. Even pain might be a spice in this never-ending passage of time – I reached that sad conclusion, and despaired. That was because, in other words, time did not act on me alone. There were people going back and forth in front of my eyes right now, but they would eventually grow old and die. And they would be guided by that light and head off to some other world. But what about me? Would I just stay here like this? Shouldn’t finding that light again be my number one priority? But my thoughts would always stop there. I hadn’t seen that strange cloud that appeared in the sky at that time since then. I didn’t know what I had to do to see it once more. I wanted to ask someone, yet I couldn’t talk to anyone. There were so many people, yet I alone was separated from all of humanity.

『There is a ghost there.』

At the ends of my boundless thoughts, someone’s words crossed my mind.

Huh? Where? I tried looking around, but there were only living people around me. There was no sight of anyone else who was as lost as I was. Or could it be that there were dead people mixed in with the living who I couldn’t discern? Couldn’t I tell if I saw a fellow ghost?

Hey, I’m dead as daylight!

I tried shouting out loud with all the strength I could muster.

However, no one looked at me. No one noticed my screams.

Before I’d realized, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I learned that even in death, tears came out, but my feelings stayed hazy. My tears alone spilled down as if they were someone’s forgotten possession.

It’s painful. Pain. Pain. Pain – it’s too painful.

If things went on like this, I might end up bearing a grudge at something unrelated. I would end up gathering all the pent-up resentment here and there and turn into a terrible demon. Kill me, I prayed. God, devil, anything is fine, consume this body. Tear me apart, just take me away from here. Take me away from this bugged world where nothing happens, even if it’s hell. I shouted out loud in tears, but as expected, nothing happened.

However, as the dull world bereft of color passed by in front of my eyes – it happened.

I felt something like a gaze.

I raised my head, and realized once more that it was early morning. The crowds of people going to work all headed towards the station, walking at a brisk pace. But when I tried to look closely around me, there was no one around who was looking at me. No one was paying attention to me.

But, I tried to stand up and look.

Right now, without a doubt, someone looked at me. It was for a brief instant, but someone realized my existence with an ‘Ah’. I definitely felt that presence that went ‘Ah’.

--Hey, please. If you can see me, then help me.

I shouted out loud, and started running. I stepped into the crowds of commuters. I drew my face up to their nose, be it woman or man, and exposed myself right in front of their eyeballs. But it was no use. I could faintly feel people’s body heat, but I wasn’t reflected in anyone’s eyes.

Despite that, I ran in search of the someone who had noticed my existence. However, the sign of someone's "awareness" that I had felt earlier was gradually diminishing. I thought it might have been my misunderstanding – or my wishful delusion that raised my hopes.

I ran from one end of the street to the other, but there was no one who had taken notice of my existence.

I was alone once more.

Becoming alone, I collapsed on the street.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several days passed by once more. I had no sense of time anymore.

It was raining.

Since yesterday – no, was it the day before yesterday? For some time now, a lukewarm rain was falling down.

Perhaps because of this, there were far fewer people in front of the station than usual.

I had been lying in the middle of the street – on the crosswalk for a long time.

It was also the roundabout exit for buses, and from time to time, buses drove on top of me, but if there was no pain from being trampled by their giant tires, then there would be no death. It was the pedestrian crossing, and naturally, the pedestrian traffic was high. I was trampled by a lot of humans. Even so, I was glad to somewhat be able to feel the touch of someone. At times, I would see the pants of a short skirt wearing girl, but it didn’t make me feel anything. My feelings were becoming weaker. My heart was becoming less moved by things.

I merely lay on the ground, looking up at the cloudy sky.

I had the faint hope that if I kept looking up at the white sky, that light would someday fall down on me and take me somewhere.

At that moment, I felt it again.

--A gaze.

After about three days, I suddenly sat up. And then looked around me. However, as usual, even if the countless gazes of people around me looked in my direction, their gaze would go right through me.

--No, just now, I definitely….

Absentmindedly, without much expectation, I slowly turned my head around.

And then, I saw her. An elementary school student in front of a cell phone shop. She wore a bright red backpack, her beautiful black hair stretched down to her waist. With a fair complexion, that girl with startling facial features seemed to panic as she looked away from me. She broke into a half run from there, and I stood up in a hurry and tried to chase after her. That girl almost bumped into the crowds as she ran through the shopping arcade.

(--W, wait!)

I ran and literally slipped through the crowd as I chased after her. That girl would look back at times. And each time she did, she made eye contact with me. And then, after hurriedly looking away, she would increase her running speed.

--There was no doubt about it. This girl could see me.

(Hey…Hey, wait for me! You can see me, can’t you? Then help me! I just want to talk to someone for five minutes! I’ll go crazy if I don’t talk to someone! I'm going to break down if I go on like this!)

I shouted out loud in tears, as I continued to run.

As her long hair swayed brilliantly, the girl continued to run.

Her red school bag bounces on her back, and her legs stretching out from her short skirt were filled with life.

--Why won’t you help me? Why? Even though I’m in so much trouble. How can you be that cold? I’ll do anything, just help me. I won’t cause you any trouble, just a few words are enough, please just talk to me.

Thinking it over calmly, even a grown man would shit their pants and run scared if a dead person were to chase after them yelling such resentful complaints in tears. But I was just desperate at the time. I had finally found a human who could perceive me – the only hope I had found in this world of infinite loneliness. That’s why, even though I felt awfully bad for the girl, I chased after her with all my strength. I was even willing to become a demon to achieve that end. And then, at the end of the shopping arcade, I caught up with the girl.

But – that girl had stopped in her tracks, had her hand on her knees, and was out of breath as she looked in my direction.

I wandered closer, but the child’s gaze didn’t catch my eye.

--Oh no.

I slowly approached the girl and waved my hand in front of her eyes. But her eyes didn’t move. She still had a troubled expression, but she let out a sigh of relief, and after that, slowly began to walk again. I understood that this gesture meant that she had outrun me. However – that meant that in short, she couldn’t see me anymore. She was running just now because she had definitely noticed me, but she couldn’t see me anymore…? Was that how ghosts were? Could people who see them only see them in certain conditions and not see them in others? It can’t be…

If that were the case, how could I make contact with that tiny minority of humans who could see me?

I endured the depressing feeling that made my knees want to collapse, and managed to raise my head somehow. The girl was waiting for the signal of a pedestrian crossing to change in color a little further ahead. She took a glance back my way, but it seemed she did not see me in her vision, and this time she truly seemed relieved and started walking as soon as the light changed.

I was entranced by her back.

From that long, shiny hair that swayed at her back, I was on the verge of recalling something.

That might have been the reason why.

I, too, somehow began to walk.

I began to walk, trotting thirty or so meters behind the girl.

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The girl’s house was located on the outskirts of a suburb around a ten-minute walk away from the station.

It was still new, a fashionable western style house surrounded by a reddish-brown fence. On the other side of the fence was a small garden that looked to be well-kept. The girl opened the front door and entered, “I’m home”. I hesitated for a moment, before I followed. I pressed my body against the front door, and slipped inside.

“Yo, welcome back, ○○.”

On the other side of the entrance was a girl who looked to be of high school age, who cheerfully called out to her.

Her hair was a bob cut around shoulder-length, and her healthy-looking smile made her distinctly cute. Her cute qualities were completely different, but she was probably the girl’s older sister. As if enticed by her smile, the young girl too, broke into a grin. And, for some reason – I was deeply moved by her smile. My heart was moved after a long time. It felt as if I had caught a glimpse of something truly precious. That might have been why, even though I should have heard the girl’s name, I didn’t realize it in the moment.

“You’re late, did something happen?”

The girl briefly hesitated in response to the question, before she shook her head and said no.

“Did you buy the tea on your way back?”

“Yes.”

The girl nodded, and handed the package in her bag over to her sister.

“Ah—thanks. Well then, for the change… you can keep the hundred yen. Buy a notebook or something with it.”

Hearing the words of her elder sister, the young girl happily nodded.

I watched that exchange behind the girl, but – why was it, I wonder? The tears that flowed in my eyes now were different than tears of loneliness or pain. Was I such a crybaby when I was alive? It was pathetic, but I didn’t know why I was crying. At any rate, I was helplessly overjoyed, breathed a sigh of relief, and was thankful at this trivial family exchange.

“Put your bag away and wash your hands. We have dorayaki as a snack.”

The girl trotted up the stairs to the second floor without pause.

I merely stood stock still at the entrance in a daze. Was it alright if I stayed here like this? I hesitated, but—no, at present the only one who barely perceived my presence, be it for an instant, was that girl. I had no idea what time I would be visible next, but, even so, if I were to make contact with that girl without scaring her, I might be able to discover the path I’m supposed to take. Thinking that, I felt remorseful, but decided to freeload in this house for a little while longer.

But, at that moment I heard a low growl at my feet.

I looked down to see it was a small dog with fluffy brown and black fur. Ermm… I think it was called a Yorkshire Terrier? I wasn’t quite sure, but anyways, it was a small indoor dog. It was staring straight at me with its dark eyes and gnashing its teeth.

--Oh damn. Can it see me?

No matter how you slice it, there was no other choice besides rushing outside to get away from him. However – before I’d realized, I had crouched down, and was hugging the dog with all my might. Of course, my hands slipped through, but even so, I snuggled my body as close as possible, rubbing my face against it.

That’s right – that dog was right now, without a doubt, the only existence in this world that could perceive me. I was so happy that it couldn’t be helped. Perhaps my overflowing emotions reached it, the dog stopped growling, looked puzzled at first, before happily sticking out its tongue, and rolled down on its belly. It seems I was somewhat of an animal lover when I was alive. That gesture brought me to tears once more. I never thought I’d be this happy to have my existence accepted. I rolled down on the spot as well and played with the dog. No, but my hand still ended up slipping through as expected.

“…Leo? What’s wrong with you?”

Hearing the dog’s merry voice, the young girl’s older sister came out of the kitchen, and stared in amazement.

(So you’re called Leo?)

Still soggy with tears, I extended my hands to stroke Leo's body here and there. Even though I wasn’t visible, Leo seemed to have understood me as he happily tumbled over and wagged his tail.

(Leo, thanks – I’m really grateful. You truly are my hope. Thank you--)

After that, I played with Leo until nightfall, and the young girl and her older sister chatted happily in the living room, watching TV as they ate dorayaki and drank tea. The girl was happily talking about what had happened at school today, a new game she had learned from a good friend, and a seat change that was going to take place soon.

Eventually, the sisters’ parents returned home, and from a glance, they seemed like good people.

The black framed glasses the father wore suited him well, and they went well with his prematurely gray hair. He was a little taller than me and wore a stylish suit that gave him the appearance of a being a salary man in some foreign company. The mother was a beautiful woman who often smiled, and the jeans she wore suited her for her age. Her bright and curly hair seemed to illuminate the surroundings, and she resembled the elder sister.

The two came back from work at roughly the same time, and after hugging the elder sister and young girl one after the other, patted Leo on the head. After that, the family of four sat on the table, and began to enjoy dinner. On that day, it was curry made by the older sister, and although I couldn’t smell the aroma, the curry full of vegetables looked delicious enough to make my stomach growl even though I couldn’t feel hunger.

The conversation was mostly dominated by the mother and the elder sister. The father interjected occasionally to show that he was paying attention. The young girl who perceived me – in other words, the younger sister was eating her food alone, as she happily watched the scene. When she was occasionally called upon to touch on a matter, she would hurriedly try to think of some comment, but her mother wouldn’t wait on her answer and went, “Is this what you mean?” as she ended up leading the conversation. That seemed a little different than what the young girl wanted to say, but the girl readily nodded in order to escape for the moment. From there, the family burst into laughter. The young girl smiled slightly as well. I gazed at the family together with Leo from the couch a little further away, without being bored.

It seemed everyone in this family was quick-witted, and topics of conversation kept flying one after the other. And I got the impression that the young girl was a little slow to keep up with their conversations. Even so, the young girl looked happy. And that young girl probably hadn’t even realized the preciousness of her beautiful face yet. The elder sister and the mother were both pretty but, the young girl’s well-featured face far surpassed them. Her skin was as white as pottery, and her facial features were like that of a western doll – that was, if anything, as if the girl was the only one in the family whose beauty was not in harmony with the family, driven by a baseless sense of insecurity.

Even so, when I thought a day would come when someone would wed this beautiful young girl, a strange jealously took root in me, even though I was not her father. That is how emotionally attached I had become to the family. There wasn’t much I could do for this family as someone who was already dead, but there was a happy household here I at least wanted to continue watching over.

Even if I stayed as a ghost forever, I would be able to get by if I could stay close to this family. As I suddenly began to think that – an uncomfortable feeling reached my ears.

With a start, I looked around the room, and searched for the identity of the strange sensation I felt. A news program was playing on the large television in the living room, a male and female anchorperson were smiling and reporting on today’s news. Their outfits – no, this television… something was strange about it. Barely having any memories, I could hardly remember why, but as I watched, I realized.

--That’s right, in the world I was alive in, it felt like televisions were a lot thinner. Televisions with a large protruding back were only around when I was a child…That’s right, the newscaster, in particular the female newscaster. The manner of her clothes, hairstyle, makeup and such, wasn’t it somewhat old-fashioned?

Thereupon, the female newscaster began to speak.

〈--Now for sports news. In professional baseball, Hideki Matsui of the Tokyo Giants finally reached base in 50 consecutive games. Over the ocean in Major League Baseball, Hideo Nomo won his eighth game in a row, tying last season's record.〉

…Eh?

Matsui? Huh? His uniform looked somewhat different. When I was alive, he wasn’t in the Giants anymore, having moved to the Major Leagues… and Nomo had already retired.

I stood up, went over to the newspaper spread on the living room table, and looked through.

“Fears of antitrust violations with the new Windows XP OS releasing this fall.” “Interview with Takako Doi, leader of the Social Democratic Party.” “Full house even in the absence of Takanohana.”

Huh…Windows XP still hasn’t released? It felt like Takako Doi wasn’t party leader anymore, and Takanohana already retired and became a supervisor…

As I kept reading, something cold was falling on my back.

I was seized with terrible thoughts, and was starting to get worried, *woof*, Leo looked me, and I somehow managed to bear with it.

…No. Aren’t my memories all fuzzy? If I was allowed to stay in this house for a while, my spirit might become more at ease. If I did that, then I’d remember various things, and that light might come for me once more.

…That’s right, I should stop thinking about difficult things for now.

For the time being, I gave up on it all, and collapsed next to Leo once more.

“That was delicious.”

My eyes suddenly opened at the sound of the elder sister’s voice. It seems I had dozed off before I’d realized. Or rather, I realized that even ghosts sleep properly. I had been living a life filled with in anxiety up to the present, so I must have felt completely at ease. Was it because of a habit in past life? I rubbed my eyes and looked around to see that the family had all begun to leave their seats. The young girl and her sister began putting away the dinnerware and the mother had begun washing the dishes in the kitchen. The father went to the living room and sat down on the sofa, relaxing in front of the television. Leo jumped into his lap, as if waiting for him.

The elder sister disappeared to the bathroom, perhaps to clean the bath.

The young girl helped her mother for a while, but left for her room when her mother said, “It’s alright now, thank you.” For some reason I followed her.

The young girl’s room was right next to the top of the stairs. In the room about 10 sqm in size, a bright curtain hung in front of the bay window. Her bed had a yellow bedsheet with stuffed bears and pandas drawn on it, and in the back was a desk and a small bookshelf, it seemed to be a typical girlish room.

The young girl went to her desk, took her school homework from her bag, and started to work on it. I looked to see it was a math – no, it’s arithmetic for an elementary schooler, right? Seeing her serious expression made me feel like I was intruding, and I thought I should go somewhere – and then. A knock on the door and it opened up at almost the same time.

“Is it alright if I come in for a moment?”

The girl’s elder sister stood there. Holding some kind of paper bag in her hand, she held it out to the girl with a mischievous expression on her face. What came out of the bag was a small stuffed frog. It looked to be a keychain and apparently, she had had bought it for her younger sister somewhere.

The elder sister spoke to the young girl, who had a look of surprise in her eyes.

“You wanted this, so I bought it with the money I got from my part-time job today. How is it, are you happy?”

“……”

“Ah, could it be that you’re quite moved? Did your older sister live up to your expectations? You’re thinking that you really like it, or super love it?”

With her mouth half open, the young girl’s eyes merely twinkled, and she nodded in a panic, “Uwaa—So cute! You really are a good younger sister!”

After hugging her tightly with both arms, the elder sister caressed the young girl’s black hair.

After gazing at the sisters, I looked again at the stuffed animal in the girl's hand. Looking at it carefully, it was a frog with a heavily anthropomorphized expression. However, when I looked at that goofy expression, a voice sounded inside my head, “This is it.”

[[Image:Phenomeno-vol5-case00-3.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

--I see, couldn’t I enter inside this stuffed animal?

No, entering, or possessing, at any rate, couldn’t I assimilate with this frog somehow?

I hit upon the idea, and tried to squeeze myself into the frog in the young girl’s hands. Even though it should have been impossible for a large body of my size to fit into it, I was somehow able to do it. I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt as if I had unexpectedly lost my hands and feet, and I was enveloped in an acrylic odor that made up the material of the stuffed toy. However, I completely transformed into the stuffed animal.

The young girl still had her mouth slightly open, as she looked at me. And with her mouth slightly agape, she finally spoke in a hoarse tone of voice, “Thank you onee-chan.”

“Sure. Take good care of it.”

The elder sister winked as she said that, and left the room.

Having assimilated into the stuffed animal, I was left in the hand of the young girl. And, I was left exposed in front of the large eyes of the young girl. And, I realized why I had the idea of entering the stuffed doll. For a long, long time – to a heartrending degree, I wanted to be gazed through someone’s eyes. No, rather than someone, I wanted to be reflected in this young girl’s large eyes. I wanted her to fully accept my existence through her eyes, her perception.

“…Good afternoon.”

The young girl eventually spoke in a whisper.

Feeling deeply moved, I too, replied with “Good afternoon”. Of course, she couldn't have heard me. But the girl smiled, as if my voice had reached her. She then happily brought me up to her white, round and soft cheeks, and hugged me.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Frog – You are my friend.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The young girl said her name was M.

It was a proper Japanese name that began with M. However, it felt like it was a name that I shouldn’t use as someone who was dead. I don’t know why that was. It was an indescribable fear, as if calling her by her name would drag M to the world on my side. That’s why, I decided to call her using the first letter of her name.

M took me (who was now a frog) with her whenever and wherever she went. She’d attach me to her bag when she went to elementary school, and when she returned home, she would take me off of her bag and place me neatly in a sitting position on the desk right in front of her.

M was quite a talkative girl. However, she always took her time before she spoke, so her timing was a little slow for the surrounding conversations. At any rate, in this quick-witted household, she stood out. She didn't seem to mind it, but from time to time, she would get impatient, and at times like that, M would talk straight to me in her room, telling me what she really wanted to say. That was a happy time for me as well. My words didn’t reach M, but as if understanding the timing of my response, she spoke with me after taking pauses in between. She would talk to me about small troubles she would have at school, small complaints she couldn’t make to her elder sister or her parents. And I, of course, gave her my advice. Naturally, my voice didn’t reach her, but even so, I earnestly listened to her and supported her. In response, M would smile, as if she had calmed down a bit. She would sometimes say, “Thank you”. At times like that, I was happy to stay as a stuffed frog for the rest of eternity.

M was presently in the first grade of elementary school, and had a good friend in class who had the name “Kii-chan”. Kii-chan (whose real name I knew, but for the aforementioned reasons, will refer to her pet name) was a bright and cheerful child who took the initiative in leading the somewhat introverted M to places here and there. Her house seemed to be close-by, and she always came to M’s house to take her to school with her.

For example, the day after I had turned into the stuffed frog.

“M-chan! Good afternoon!”

On that morning, I heard Kii-chan’s lively voice, M’s mother came to the front door to greet her.

“Good morning, Kii-chan. Thank you for always. M will be down soon.”

They exchanged greetings, M asked her sister if she had forgotten anything, as she descended the stairs looking worried about various things. Of course, I as a frog, was securely fastened to the edge of her school bag as I swung back and forth.

“Good morning, Kii-chan--”

“Good morning, M-chan! …Ah, what’s that?”

With a sharp eye, Kii-chan noticed me and asked that.

“Onee-chan gave it to me as a present.”

“Woww—That’s great! It’s got a goofy face, but it sure is cute.”

“I haven’t named it yet, so, it’s Mr. Frog for now.”

“I see. Nice to meet you, Mr. Frog.”

--Nice to meet you too, Kii-chan.

After I finished greeting her, the two of them set out together as they walked towards their elementary school, and started talking about silly things along the way. About shows they watched last night on the television, or whether they had done their homework. Kii-chan was mostly leading the conversation, but when M would occasionally try to speak, Kii-chan would cease her machine gun-like talk for a moment, and lend an ear to M’s words until she finished speaking. As I saw that part of Kii-chan, I was convinced that this was the reason why M was so open to her.

“Did you know △△-Sensei is getting married soon?”

As the number of elementary school students with school bags increased on the path to school, Kii-chan changed the topic.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I heard she’s getting married next spring, and I heard her boyfriend is really good-looking.”

“Is that so? That’s great.”

“She looks really happy these days--”

I listened to their carefree conversation, as I gazed at the town from the corner of the bag. The townscape that flowed with the slow pace of an elementary schooler was quite picturesque in its own way. Although I had seen this scenery countless times when I wandered alone, it was the first time since I died that I saw the power lines, the fences of old homes, and the thick, lush flowering dogwood that peeped out from them. The sky too was sunny and clear, the summer air was hot as expected, but it was also pleasant.

--Ah, I thought I stopped feeling anything for the scenery, the temperature, the blueness of the sky, but that wasn’t the case. Was it all the work of a relaxed mind? Does that mean that the heart can still be moved even after death?

I glanced at M happily trotting along, and I felt deeply grateful.

It was all thanks to meeting this girl. I was finally able to breathe easy since I started freeloading in this girl’s house. If I had stayed like that on the street in front of the station, I might have ended up mushed, dissolved and scattered away sooner or later. No, I might have ended up as the type that curses passersby without a reason, the one that becomes a rumored urban legend and ends up exorcised by some medium.

No, no, no. What was I thinking?

Aren’t things A-okay like this? No, that was completely wrong. I couldn’t stay in M’s house forever. I had to die properly, and go to Nirvana. But I was stumped as to how to do that up until now, not having a clue on how to achieve that.

“By the way.”

Around the time the elementary school became visible, Kii-chan suddenly spoke with a hushed voice as she turned to M.

“Did you know there’s a boy who likes you, M-chan?”

“…Eh?”

“Ehehehe—So you didn’t know after all?”

“E, eh, who is it?”

“Well, should I say it out loud? But I was told to keep it a secret.”

Kii-chan happily teased her, but M looked at Kii-chan’s face in all seriousness. Looking at her face, I was struck.

“Yeah, I won’t say it after all. Because I promised to keep it a secret.”

“…So mean.”

M spoke somewhat annoyed – but that’s what I wanted to say as well. To stop at that point was mean, Kii-chan. If I were in M’s place having heard that far, I’d be unable to take in any of the day’s classes in my head.

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry. But I guess sooner or later, he’ll say it to you directly. Because that’s what he said. So look forward to it!”

“…Eh, being told that suddenly is embarrassing.”

“It’s fine if it’s embarrassing. You were born a beautiful woman, M-chan, so it can't be helped, can it?”

She spoke somewhat teasingly, but Ki-chan’s smile was sunny, as if wishing her luck from the bottom of her heart. Kii-chan soon started running after that, and M also started running as if chasing her. The two burst into laughter, as they swayed their bags while running to the elementary school.

(--Ah, this is nice.)

It was nice to live, to be able to fall in love and so on.

As I thought that kind of thing, I was violently tossed up and down together with the flute in the bag and other things.

Finding it unbearable, I slipped out of the frog for a moment. When I stepped outside for the first time in a long time, I was instantly engulfed with the gooey sensation of torment of crawling around in mud I had felt recently.

--Oh no.

I hurriedly chased after M, and returned once again to the frog swaying on her bag. Therein, I took a deep sigh of relief as I calmed my heart once more. It was the inside of the stuffed frog I had found unbearable and jumped out of just a second ago, but it was far better than being outside.

And – at that moment, I realized.

Just by getting out of the frog made my heart heavy.

I was enveloped in a feeling of despair, as if I was adrift alone in the endless sea of night.

--I see, could it be that for a ghost, to possess something might be…

A feeling of finding a small piece of wood while drifting in the never-ending sea. What I felt just now was a very strong feeling of forlornness. A feeling of despair, as if just walking was enough to crush me with negative emotions. What it all comes down to is -- That humans, whether dead or alive, might be beings that can’t stay alone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

A few days had passed by since then. Having not much else to do, my days were mostly spent observing the family.

For example, M’s father was, to put it briefly, a person with a strong heart.

No, the feeling I got was that he strove to keep his heart extremely balanced. When he came back from work, he was exhausted to an extent. However, the moment he opened the front door, he would always take a deep breath and smiled. He knew his smile would have a positive influence on his family. He seemed determined not to bring an ounce of the detestable things that ate away at him in the outside world back into his home. When I discovered that, I started to think what a cool guy he was. I felt the greatness of a person who was protecting something in the way he loosened his tie while his two daughters were clinging to him. Although he seemed to be a relatively accomplished businessman, he may not have been suited for such a job. Because on Sundays, he’d spend a large amount of time looking at magazines on model ships, and if there was an article on the sea in the newspaper, he would stare at it in a daze for who knows how long. It was a sad gaze, as if he had given up on something in the past, and yet at the same time, a gaze that suggested he still had something smoldering inside him somewhere. And despite that, when his daughters were in front of him, his face would return to being that of a father. The transition between the two was splendid, and I felt the strength in his graceful heart.

The mother was a truly cheerful person who loved jokes. She was the sociable sort, and her individual movements were energetic, as if she had done played sports for a long time. She was still a beauty, and I thought she might have been quite popular when she was younger. Her hobby seemed to be being a tennis mom, and she often organized meetings as the organizer. Was it because she worked at a friend’s accounting office? She arranged all her tasks in an orderly fashion, but – was unexpectedly careless in her character, she would put an empty beer bottle in the fridge, and there were times when she would give Leo food twice in succession. From what I saw, she liked being busy, and had a lot going on in her head, which made it difficult for her to keep up with the different processes, causing mistakes to crop up here and there. However, she wasn’t just a cheerful beauty. Her powers of observation were the keenest in the family – she was the most sensitive to changes in the physical and mental health of her family members. For example, when M was suffering from a headache in school, she returned home, back to her room and placed the bag there, and when she went downstairs to get some medicine, it would already be placed on the table. “How did you know?” M asked in amazement. “I’m your mother, after all.” She would answer with a smile like that of a sunflower. However, her unconscious intuition would be exhausting at times. When she would be alone, she would, at times, look depressed.

A(M’s elder sister who I won’t name due to the aforementioned reasons.) was a lively young girl in the first grade of high school. Since M was in her first year of elementary school, I calculated her to be 9 years older than M. She had played tennis since middle school and her grades were good, so she got into her current high school with a sports recommendation. She seemed to have been blessed with her mother’s bright cheery nature and athletic ability, and was quite popular at school among both boys and girls thanks to her club activities. She inherited the quick wit from both her parents, and seemed frustrated at times by the comparatively slow response of those around her, but was mature enough not to show it. However, she was troubled at her own clever nature, and was jealous at times of the innocent reactions her friends showed. Once late at night, she was in tears after a friend told her, “That’s why you got dumped.” Well, I didn’t pry too deeply into it… she was a girl of that age. She must be going through a lot.

The girl known as M who was surrounded by the three, was still only a first-year elementary school student, the purest of them all. She was the one closest to the dog Leo, and the one who diligently took care of the flowers in the garden. She was great at surmising the feelings of living things that couldn’t speak. That might have been the influence of spending a lot of time at home alone, due to the family environment of working parents and an older sister being who was often away from home for club activities. She was a child, who, as an individual life form, was in contact with all kinds of animals and plants. Her having detected my existence at first, might have been because of that disposition of hers.

But to ask her to be too accommodating was still too much.

For example, when I went out of the frog, M would sometimes glance at me. For an instance, I would be glad, “Oh, did you notice me?” But she would make an uneasy face. At times like that, I would panic and do my best to erase my existence. If I were to put it concretely, I would wish, “I am a stone”. That was the least considerate thing I could do in order to not break the peace I had now. I wanted M to acknowledge my existence one day, but it felt like everything would be destroyed if I tried to rush things.

That’s right – I was fine as “Mr. Frog” for now.

Just being by her side was good enough for me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On that day, M had been asking me since morning, “Say, what do you think?”

Of course, since I was the frog, sat neatly on the desk:

(I think both of them are cute)

That was the answer I kept repeating.

For almost an hour, I had been made to go along with M’s solo fashion show.

It was Sunday, and the family had planned for an outing in the afternoon. Her mother had told her, “Wear your best outfit,” and M had been struggling with that up until now.

“This one… or another one for sure.”

She said that as she threw off a white one-piece suit. However, among the six dresses she had changed into until now, it felt like that one suited her the best. I mean, It contrasted perfectly with her long black hair, well, it was little gaudy like a party dress, but to speak figuratively, it was cute like a princess in a foreign movie.

“I guess I’ll go… with this one?”

In the end the dress M chose was the third one she had thrown away, a fully white blouse together with a navy-blue skirt.

(I mean, I just told you that one was cute too.)

“But I wore this to my school entrance ceremony.”

M still didn’t seem convinced. Did she want to say that it wasn’t cute enough? Ugh. I had no idea on how to advise her on this.

As I was thinking such things.

“Are you ready--? Everyone’s waiting, you know?”

With a cheerful voice, A entered M’s room. A looked completely ready, already wearing a three-quarter length white shirt and a knee-length skirt. Her chest was daringly open, A was quite glamorous, and changed completely to give a mature impression.

“Oh, you sure look cute!”

“Really…?”

“…Hm? Something seems off?”

A put her hands on her chin as and after a moment of contemplation, rummaged through M’s drawers of her own accord, and eventually took out a red choker.

“Stay still for a bit.”

Saying that, she gently placed it around M’s neck and lightly adjusted it.

“Now, how do you look?”

Together with A’s playful voice, what manifested was – A white blouse, a navy-blue skirt, and a red choker.

Guwaa--- So cute.

But the same time I thought that – Huh? Somehow, seeing her in an appearance that strangely suited her all too well, a fragment of a lost memory floated up to the surface.

A girl with a tie…and a white blouse.

Black hair…darkness…darkness without end…darkness.

--A darkness plastered over so heavily I couldn’t even see my fingers.

And the facial features of that pale, well-ordered face that appeared in the darkness. Shining black---

A shivering cold instantly pierced through my entire body.

It was a face that appeared directly at the center of M’s face, with eyes that were empty. Hungry eyes, that seemed to have lost something, and were hollow now.

“…Yes, I’ll go with this one.”

However, my absentmindedness was drowned out by M’s voice, which sounded somewhat happy.

“Thanks, Onee-chan.”

“That choker really suits you.”

A nodded in satisfaction and picked up the small bag made of the same red leather, “Let’s go, Papa and mama are waiting for us.”

“What about Mr. Frog?”

“I, I’ll take him with me…!”

“Okay--”

In a daze, I was picked up by A, and attached to the cord of the bag.

And before I had time to sort out what I had just seen, I was taken out of the room.

The town on Sunday was filled with the smiles of happy people. The sound of children's laughter. The sound of lovers laughing. The cheerful conversations exchanged among friends. It was filled with an exciting feeling that was enough to enliven even a dim and hazy existence like me.

“Well, A, M, let’s go--”

Hearing their mother’s voice, A and M, who had been clinging to a variety store window, took each other’s hands and broke off into a run. Ahead of them was their father dressed in a navy-blue polo shirt and slacks, and their mother in a vivid one-piece dress, waving to them. A and M were smiling, and I, too, was excited, as if I became bound to the happy space of my surroundings. The strange scene that had crossed in my mind back in M’s room had completely disappeared.

“Clothes come one at a time, you know. Take your time to choose.”

The sisters obediently said, ‘Yes’, in response to their mother. Their eyes shone happily. Their father was already holding four bags and wore a slightly strained smile on his face.

“Are you fine with that?”

The mother suddenly asked the father that question.

“Fine with…?”

“You looked at it for a long time in the model shop just now, right? The model sailing ship.”

“Ah…No, not really… I was just looking it over because of how well it had been made.”

“It’s alright if you buy it.”

“Alright you say… but it was expensive.”

“Well, I guess I’ll get it for you as a present.”

He froze with an “Eh”, at those words.

“I just got my bonus, and the car inspection’s not for a while, it’s fine if it’s once in a while.”

“No, but…”

“It’s fine, how much is it?”

“…It’s 150,000 yen.”

“…”

“…I said it was expensive, didn’t I?”

The mother groaned, “Ungh”, for a while at the father’s words.

I was shocked. That was expensive. It was expensive, but if it was that elaborate, it's probably a full-scale model for hobbyists.

“It’s alright, I’m sure I’ll be able to get it one day.”

When their father smiled, both of his daughters clasped one of his hands.

“Did you decide what clothes you wanted?”

Looking at him as he asked his daughters cheerfully – I thought to myself. It's not easy being a father. How many things did he give up on for the sake of his wife, his daughters, his family as a whole? How much had he put off doing what he wanted to do?

After that, I looked around at the families going up and down the road.

A young father giving a ride to his small boy on his shoulders.

A smiling father desperately trying to calm his wailing daughter with a smile while leading her by the hand.

An exhausted father who had fallen asleep on the bench holding a lot of baggage while his family was off shopping.

I wondered if all the fathers in this world more or less went through this sort of hardship?

After working late from Monday to Friday, they probably just want to rest during the weekend. They must be trying their best in the weekday with the goal of relaxing during the weekend. But on weekends, that time is all taken over by the family that impatiently waits for the father’s stay at home. Perhaps it was the same with my father? Dammit, I still couldn’t remember anything, but… I wondered if I died before my father even though he must have done so much for me. If that was the case, I felt, extremely remorseful. I couldn’t even recall his face, but I was so ungrateful. As I hung my head down, M and the others who were unrelated to me moved ahead with smiles on their faces.

“I’ve decided. I want a new dress. For my club activities.”

In response to A, her father replied.

“Is that alright?”

“It’s quite expensive. A proper sportswear, that is. Be prepared.”

“That is scary.”

Her father smiled and looked in M’s direction.

“What about you, M?”

“I…”

M hesitated as she put her arm over her father’s hand. After the merciless demand from her sister, she seemed to waver in speaking her own wishes. But A helped her out, “This is the time to plead for what you've always wanted. It’s alright, Papa got a bonus after all.”

“A, you know it all too well.”

“Yeah, It’s because Mama is excited, after all.”

“Eh—not at all, not at all.”

“You are. You've been grinning while going through those accessory magazines these days.”

“I was only looking at them because I thought they were beautiful.”

Having lost the opportunity to talk as such conversations butted in, M’s father secretly whispered in her ear.

“You’re a kind child who puts up with things right away, but—it’s alright. I will buy anything for my daughters at any time. Although I don’t usually buy you two things because I don’t want you to think you can have everything in this world.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, that’s right. And don’t worry, today is a special day besides birthdays and Christmas where you can say what you want.”

“What… day is it today?”

M asked curiously, her father took a glance at her mother and sister arguing as always, and spoke in a whisper:

“…It’s a secret, alright? Actually, today is the day papa and mama met.”

“I, is that so?”

“Yes, though mama might have forgotten about it already.”

Her father silently began to narrate the story:

“Papa was the head of the yacht club in his third year of university you see, and there was a monthly meeting of the club's heads. When papa went to that meeting, mama came as a representative from the tennis club. Even though she was just a freshman, she was forced to go to the meeting because the head of the tennis club found it troublesome. On that day, it was the preliminary budget meeting for the upcoming year. Papa’s yacht club had a lot of expenses, and was on the verge of successfully negotiating a slight increase in the club’s budget, when I suddenly faced fierce opposition from someone. From mama that is.”

“…Uwaa.”

“It quickly became a heated debate. And papa didn’t know that mama was still only a freshman. It almost looked like a quarrel to the dismay of those around us. And you know because mama is clever, and very articulate, I was quickly put in an unfavorable position. Then – driven to the wall, papa said it: 『Do you have any idea how terrible the sea is? Do you know how fearsome it is? Say those things after you’ve gone out to the sea at least once.』Even now, I think that was immature of me… but, the sea isn’t something to be looked down upon. Encountering a small storm at sea is enough to make you wonder whether or not you’ll make it out alive, and the expression of the sea being scary at night isn’t enough to underscore its unfathomable depths, and papa knew the danger of not having proper safety equipment for those circumstances.”

“And how did mama react?”

“She looked bitterly disappointed. She looked like she was going to cry, and she kept glaring at papa.”

“…….Ooh”

“But after that…”

Her father muttered with a look of nostalgia as if gazing somewhere far off.

“A few days after that, mama suddenly barged into the club room, saying she was going to join the club.”

“Eh…?”

“She looked quite menacing – Ah, will you get the idea with menacing? She was very forceful; she had a certain air about her that neither papa nor his friends could say anything at all. Well, I let her in the club thinking she’d give up right away, and mama and papa then began club activities together, but... being sports oriented, she still attended the morning strength training sessions, and mostly without breaks, attended all activities. After about half a year, papa tried to ask her. Why did she quit the tennis club and join the yacht club? And--”

And, at that moment.

“Yes, that’s far enough.”

Her mother suddenly butted into their conversation.

Her face was flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m tired, let’s take a break! Let’s drink some tea!” She spoke in rapid succession as she walked ahead as if leading the way. M and her father exchanged smiles, and A smiled as she pushed them along.

The family settled down at a coffee shop located at the back of a department store.

The interior was adorned with an antiquated design, and about half of the plot had seating on the terrace. It was bustling with families and couples because it was the weekend, but M and her family managed to secure seats on one section of the terrace. There were six chairs around the round table, and I cunningly sat down on one of the seats. The family seemingly planned to relax there for a bit, go back shopping again, and in the end, go to a restaurant they had reserved beforehand in the evening.

At the table, topics unfolded in succession between A and her mother as always, as they laughed and giggled. The father let out a sigh of relief after finally being released from having to carry handfuls of luggage in both hands, M sipped some orange juice, while gazing at her family with a smile. I enjoyed the gentle quasi-sensation of becoming one of the family members.

Suddenly, a midsummer breeze blew across us.

In the clear sky, several cumulonimbus clouds appeared on the horizon.

--Ah, it's a beautiful day, isn't it?

The moment I thought that in a relaxed manner.

A part of the sky lit up as if torn apart. Even though there were no large clouds above me, clouds appeared as if they were gushing from a part of the sky, and from there, a single ray of light shone through.

(Ah…)

I slightly rose up, and my mouth dropped open involuntarily.

(That was – wasn’t that the final call I couldn’t catch last time…?)

I staggered up to my feet, and was about to move in its direction – when I took one look back in the direction of M’s family.

I looked at them as if to burn the picture of the happily family in my memory, and whispered:

(Thank you.)

Thanks to you guys, I finished things without becoming a spirit who curses the world without distinction. Thanks to the warm atmosphere you created, I feel I can go to nirvana. For the last time, I gazed once more at the young girl sitting deep back in her chair smiling and waving her legs back and forth. I closed my eyes partly as if caressing M’s beautiful face with my fingers.

(--You look happy. But you should be happier. Smiling really suits you after a--)

However, the moment I whispered that.

I felt someone’s scream roar inside my head.

At the same time, I was on the verge of remembering something very important – and I suddenly realized.

It was the strange feeling I had once felt.

What was that? I couldn’t recall at once, but – eventually, I realized it was someone’s gaze.

Right now, someone was observing me. In short, in this coffee shop, or in the streets in front of me, or in the building, there was someone who could see me.

I raised my head, and hurriedly looked around. It being a Sunday afternoon, there were a lot of passersby. However, no matter how much I looked, I couldn’t find the person who could see me among them. I tried to look up at the surrounding buildings, but there was no one at the windows, nor on the rooftops.

(…Was it just my imagination?)

No, something like that doesn't matter anymore.

I couldn’t miss my chance for that final call this time. Now was the time for me to properly depart to the other world.

With that in mind, I slowly walk towards the light that poured down.

Yet, the gaze pierced me again. And for some reason, I felt a chill. There was a familiarity that said, I'm tired of seeing beings like you, and if anything, there was a nasty feeling lingering in the air.

(--W… Who's there?)

I looked around once more, and this time, carefully checked each individual customer.

Then, my eyes were drawn to the customer sitting at the furthest end of the terrace.

A somewhat mature looking young girl sat there. Her black hair was around shoulder-length. She had a tomboyish beauty. She wore a gothic style black dress like that of a medieval aristocrat, and her long legs crossed. A black umbrella was propped up on the table, and her fingertips were playing with the hairs around her ears.

She seemed to be absentmindedly staring off somewhere, when she suddenly looked at me.

Then, she grinned. Her cold smile made me horrified.

(--Who, are you?)

The moment I whispered that, a lost memory cried out inside me. No… I knew. I had a feeling as if I knew her. Just by being close to her presence was enough to make me feel helplessly scared, and I certainly knew it once.

“Aren’t you going?”

Hearing that voice – I froze in place.

There was a considerable distance between me and her seat. And yet, her voice was no more than a whisper. That voice, clearly reached me right now.

“Why are you looking like a frog that suddenly lost its legs? If you keep dawdling like that, the light will disappear again.”

She chuckled and continued.

Those words, too, reached me clearly. But the creepy thing was – that this time, her lips hadn’t moved at all. Her well-shaped lips kept a soft smile.

(--Who are you? Can you see me?)

I tried to ask that question. However, those words were inside my mind. It was impossible for me to physically shake the air. That was supposed to be the case – but my words definitely seemed to reach her. The girl in the black dress distorted her white face and smiled once more, a smile that spelled coldness.

“Of course, I can see you. And I know who you are.”

Before I’d realized, I had begun to stagger ahead.

As if being dragged by an invisible chain, I moved towards the girl.

The girl in the black dress continued to gaze at me, and as she gently stroked the cup of tea with her long fingers, she whispered:

“Say, how does it feel to be dead? Have you had a little taste of what it feels like to be a ghost, the one you were so scared of?”

(Who the hell are you?)

I asked, as I stood beside her as if looking down on her. However, the girl ignored everything and looked up at the sky.

“Ahh—It disappeared. Even though it was your final call. Even though it might have returned you to the world where you belonged.”

With that, she sat back deeper in her chair. And squinted her eyes behind me – At M and her family who were happily talking to each other.

“Aren’t they such a nice family? They look so happy. It’s exactly the thing families in this world are jealous of: a warm and blessed household.”

I looked back in response to her words and looked at M and her family.

--Ah, I know that.

Even if you didn’t tell me, I know that all too well. I was in eternal solitude, unable to intervene in anything, or be seen by anyone. I was rotting away in a world where time moved at a snail’s pace. That family provided me tranquility for a brief period.

“Even if you didn’t tell me, you say? No, I know a little more about that family than you.”

The young girl declared as she wore a sarcastic smile.

“For example, the father is a graduate of a top institute, and is a capable trading employee at a foreign enterprise. He and her mother began dating when they were both in university, and although they broke up once, they reunited and married after they both entered the workforce. The daughter was born the following year, and after working overseas for seven years, he returned to Japan and was soon blessed with a second daughter. As the breadwinner of the family, the father succeeded in acquiring a house in Tokyo in his forties, and judging from the fact that he is still frequently headhunted by other companies, it is safe to say that his future is promising. His first and second daughters are both beautiful, and even their dog is pedigreed. It's the kind of picture-perfect family that everyone dreams of – however, despite all that.”

The girl in black, lowered her voice teasingly.

“Things don’t always work out so well in the world, do they?”

With those words, I turned away from M and the others, and looked back. I glared at the pale young girl who had at some point unfolded a black parasol and was twirling it on her shoulders.

…What is it? What are you trying to say?

“I don’t really have a nice personality, so let me spoil it for you right at the beginning. That family won’t make it to August happy as they are.”

“Around two weeks from now – On the 31st of July, they will all die.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

T-they will all die…?

(What the hell do you mean?)

I shouted out loud, but my words were so fleeting they were scattered by the wind. I'm not even sure if they spilled over into the real world. But it seemed this girl could hear everything I say.

"I don't like being on the ground. Let's go somewhere we can look down on the world."

The girl in black stood up and held out her white hand like the belly of a dead fish.

And once more, she sneered. Her lips twisted like that of a red pomegranate.

"If a lady holds her hand out, it's considered polite to respectfully support it from below, isn’t it?"

As if enticed by those words, I reached my hand out, and at that moment—

--*Whooosh* A raging wind blew through.

I unintentionally covered my face. The raging wind smacked me from all four directions, and before I'd realized, my body, which originally felt no weight, was lifted off the ground. I couldn't open my eyes. It wasn't so much the strength of the wind as it was fear. An absolute fear that pierced through my sensory organs, which had become so devoid of emotion. Together with a sense of despair of not being able to resist no matter what I did -- Why was it? A different emotion overflowing inside me painted over that.

Once….before… I had been in the midst of this sensation...repeatedly. The feeling of going against the warning voice in my head telling me to stop, and stepping foot into the depths of darkness. With my eyes shut tight, and being enveloped in a sense of anxiety as my knees shook – In that world that made my lower stomach twist and turn, I grabbed the hand of the girl dressed in black. The feeling was also somewhat nostalgic. Ah, that’s right. When I was in the midst of fear, I always clasped someone’s hand. There was someone always next to me, someone who I could never trust, and yet, someone more trustworthy than anyone else in the world. However, that person’s hand didn’t have the dreadfulness of this young girl dressed in black. She was cold, like a corpse, but peeling beyond the dozens of layers of despair, it felt like there was endless warm blood.

“We’re here!”

A clear voice like that of a young boy echoed—

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on top of a tall building.

It must have been one of the commercial buildings in front of the station. I looked around and I could see the café I had just been in below me. You couldn’t tell unless you strained your eyes, but M and the others were still there. The four of them were laughing and drinking tea together. Confirming the situation from the handrail, I let out a deep breath.

--*Clang* A sound rang out next to me—

I looked to see the girl holding a black laced parasol softly leap on top of the handrail. Her appearance with only one arm outstretched as she kept her balance looked innocent enough for her age.

“Ah, how nostalgic. I was playing around like this back then as well.”

…?

“You did it as well, didn’t you? You must have jumped off from there the same way I did.”

--What are you talking about?

As I stood there in a daze, unable to answer.

“…Hmm.”

She made a somewhat curious expression, and stood still.

“Oh, I see. It seems you are in an extremely unique condition. In the very top and very bottom – the front and the back. You seem to have absolutely no memories whatsoever.”

…The very top, very bottom? What are you on about? I have no clue at all what you’re talking about, but—Ah, you’re absolutely right. I have nothing. No body, no name, no memories… and even my emotions have diminished. Do you know who I am? What’s going to happen to me from now on? Why am I lost alone in the world like this despite being dead, and how can I end it all?

The young girl nodded once in response to my rapid questions.

“First, let me introduce myself.”

Then, while standing on top of the handrail, she curtsied by grabbing both edges of her skirt and raising them slightly.

“My name is Takamura.”

…Takamura?

“Written with the kanji of bamboo on top of the kanji for divine(篁) – well, I suppose those symbols mean nothing. I was merely called that when I was alive, it has no particular meaning to me right now.”

She muttered, sounding somewhat bored, thereupon she merely gazed at me.

“As for your name – let’s now say it out loud for now. If called by that name, you might end up taking form. For you people, the ‘name’ is what ties the target to the place, and if we do that, then all the trouble of peeping into this time period will all be for naught.”

…Hey, stop screwing with me. If making me remember my name is what gets me out of this situation, then hurry up and say it. Why are you tormenting me like this?

“Why? For what reason, you ask?”

In response, the young girl who went by the name of Takamura contorted her red mouth into a smile.

''“Because it’s fun, after all.”''

……..

“Isn’t it far, far more entertaining that way? Is there any other necessity for people to do something in this world?”

…This person was dangerous somehow.

Her way of thinking was fundamentally different from my own. It felt like the basis of the place she stood on was out of sync with the world of the living itself.

The cold thought made me unconsciously take a step back, when I suddenly realized.

--Huh? Did she say something about taking a peep just now?

“That’s right – Spiritual things sometimes transcend time and space, Mr. Nobody. Right now, you from the future are looking at the world ten years in the past.”

--Ten years in the past you say?

But with those words, I heard a sound like a block of ice melting in my head.

…Ah…was that it… was that what it was? The sense of unease I felt from the size of the television and the content of the news. The reason why I seemed to know all the information being broadcast on television. It wasn’t because the world was behind the times…. it was me who was present in the past?

“I’ll explain it for you, so do keep up.”

Before I’d realized, a shiny tea cup had appeared in the hands of the girl known as Takamura.

After taking a sip, she spoke:

“There is a chance that you might not be dead yet.”

…W, what did you say?

“I believe your brain is in a state where it judged – or rather, mistook you for dead. Well, if you were to return to your original world, you might truly end up dead. Whatever it is, it’s because you had once experienced this in the past. It became easier for you to connect with this place. And thanks to that, you were able to have a chance encounter with me.”

After smiling nostalgically, she made a silly face.

“I’ll say it once more – spiritual things sometimes transcend space and time, Mr. Nobody.”

With those words, it felt as if the earth suddenly shook. A warning sound blared inside me, telling me I shouldn’t listen to this girl any longer.

“In the first place, the human ego is merely the accumulation of weak signals inside the brain. And although invisible, there are countless signals constantly raining down on us in this world. From outer space, from natural materials, from electrical appliances – that’s how it’s filled with countless signals, and the humans with brains who can receive those signals are called ‘Denpa-san’<ref>Denpa means signals and the psychic receivers of those signals are called denpas.</ref> as the name implies, but that term is always used as mockery, right? No, to me, these humans are the species that have reached the next stage. In all likelihood, you will go through a life and death struggle ten years from now. And even though your body might still be alive, in the event that your mind receives the false information that you’ve died, people experience a phenomenon known as an out-of-body experience. There’s a way to consciously reach that point as well, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Because after all, what the mind believes becomes the entire reality of this world. However, humans have the useful mental condition of misunderstanding. In short, your main body is in the state of misunderstanding itself as dead. And your ego, the weak signals that have separated from your body – are, right now, accessing the information you wish to know most of all. That is to say, the vast data aggregate that sits at the center of the universe.”

--What’s that?

“They’re what’s commonly called the Akashic Records, but well, it doesn’t matter what they’re called. To put it simply, a single, minute part of the countless records of creation and destruction that have been etched into the record since the creation of the universe – you are accessing the data in the third planet from the sun, in far east Asia, Tokyo, July 2001, that revolves around a certain family.”

…No.

No, I understand the theory. But it’s unthinkable. It’s too absurd.

“If that’s the case Mr. Nobody, let me put it another way. The internet has rapidly become widespread in the past few years, correct?”

Takamura abruptly changed the topic at hand. With the long fingers of her right hand, she gestured as if operating an invisible keyboard.

“And it will probably evolve – nay, deepen, from here on. The moment I understood the gist of that technology, I thought to myself: Ah, humanity is headed further inwards.”

At that moment, a strange voice echoed inside my head.

“From here on, where is the human species heading?”

“Space? Another dimension? I think neither.”

“From now on, humanity is headed towards a more inner world.”

The words I had once heard somewhere some time ago, silently repeated inside my head. They continued to echo ominously inside my head, as if they were some kind of rhyming Kotodama.

“I can't help but feel that there is a strong similarity between the Internet and the spiritual world. I believe the protocols of the spirit world and the internet are very similar. The man known as computing’s Johnny Appleseed, the father of internet, J.C.R Licklider was also a psychologist. You are now accessing a vast amount of known information through the use of dark matter, which is known to exist but not confirmed. In short, all of what you are witnessing is past. Everything has ended. That’s why, no matter what brutal event befalls that family, there’s no need to be sad even if there’s a need to feel pity. There's nothing you can do about it; Everything has already ended from the point of your original timeline.”

--T, that was it.

What do you mean when you say that everyone in the family will die?

In response, Takamura raised her parasol, and spoke while skillfully maintaining her balance.

“That was a very, very strange incident – Publicly, it was known as the ‘The Mansion Hanging Massacre Case’. Even though ten years have passed since then, the real culprit is yet to be found, An inexplicable family massacre that shocked the world of the Heisei era.<ref>Between 1989-2019</ref> Someone broke into a peaceful family from somewhere, killed the whole family including a small dog, and suddenly disappeared altogether. People in the world have no way of ascertaining the truth of what really happened, and even those with a little knowledge of the situation may only be aware that ''a graduate student appeared out of nowhere and settled the case like a great detective in the classics.'' However, the real truth was different, completely different.”

Under the blue sky, the young girl dressed in black sneered.

“The real culprit is still boldly strutting somewhere in your original world ten years from now.”

“In the first place, this is not an incident people should concern themselves with. Despite that, you will witness the entirety of the horror that happened to that family back then from here on. Along the way, you will despair of everything. And as a result, the last remaining vestiges of your individuality might be obliterated. Well, that can’t be helped.”

Why? Why would I--?

“Because you wished it, of course. I believe it’s your perverse disposition, but well, that’s what human curiosity’s all about. It’s not something to be critical of in others. Even if you were able to retain your self-consciousness until the end, you wouldn’t be able to bring those memories back with you when you returned to your world, as they will amount to nothing more than weak signals. Because the amount of information would be overwhelming, far beyond your capacity.”

--If that’s the case, then.

If what this girl called Takamura was saying was the truth, then I would be someone on the verge of death ten years from now, and if I was nothing more than weak signals peeping back into the past – then going through the anguish of acquiring that information, and not being able to take it back, that would mean that all my actions would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?

No, Takamura shook her head at that point.

“That’s not necessarily what I’m saying.”

She smoothly changed her posture, and sat down on the handrail of the building. She crossed her legs on the other side of the building, spun around the parasol on her left shoulder, pointed down at the expanding world below, and spoke:

“Say—take a look at those people down there. Those mere specks are living their own lives with their own distinct individualities, don’t you think it’s strange for them to have their own distinct troubles? Whether they kill themselves, get killed, or live out their natural lives, death is just death. Ever since the universe was born 13.6 billion years ago, its essence hasn’t changed. Even though they live their lives crawling through worries and suffering that are actually mere trifles when seen through the eyes of another, they can’t even look down upon themselves and laugh. Be that as it may, you all who are nothing more than mere microbes when seen from space, have a soul that trembles when shaken. Something engraved on your soul that suffers through everything, might knock down this hopeless reality, even if only a little.”

The young girl kept a cold gaze at my face as she smiled, and quickly reached out with her white hand. And it literally stretched right up to my eyes, which were a few meters away from Takamura.

“Don’t disappoint me now.”

Her long, slender fingertips grabbed my hair in a single jerk. I was unable to resist, as if the thought of putting up any resistance whatsoever was stolen from me, my face was pulled right before the eyes of the girl in black.

“Two weeks from now. Just what will you scoop out when you see a certain family’s last moments, the hidden truth with your own eyes. I’m very interested.”

“Struggle, writhe, and thereafter, fight back – Show me a fightback so magnificent that I fall in love with you.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

<noinclude>

==Translator's notes and references==
<references/>

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| Back to [[Phenomeno: Volume 5 Prologue| Prologue]]
| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Case 00: Chapter 2|Case 00: Chapter 2]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Phenomeno: Volume 5 Prologue

2023-12-03T14:28:29Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

I had no motivation whatsoever to do anything at all.

I believe that happens to everyone. On a cloudy day, or at the beginning of the week, you just don't have the energy to do anything, and you feel as if you just want to lie down and melt away, is what you might call it. A feeling that the entire scenery in your vision is devoid of reality, and the sound of cars, the chirping of birds, and the sounds of people talking leak out from a world that has nothing to do with you.

That was exactly what I felt right now. My consciousness was vague as if a thin membrane had been stretched over me. As if there were two of me, two outlines overlapping with each other. Somewhere in the back of my head, I thought, “It would be quite dangerous if I stayed like this”, but when I thought that, my body didn’t move, and I couldn’t think of any other option except to just stay still. In the first place, if I did anything other than stay still, then something unthinkable would definitely happen. To begin with, the place I stood was abnormal.

That’s right – right now, I was…

I stood alone on the roof of a building somewhere, on top of the safety handrail.

A rusty handrail a few centimeters in width. At the end of the railing, just above the 90-degree bend, I stood stock still with my legs slightly wide apart.

--And.

Just what… was I doing in a place like this?

I’d been thinking about it for a while, but I had no idea. When I thought of it, I had no motivation to do anything whatsoever, so it was hard to get deep into my thoughts, but even so, I found it strange why was I here again, which was driving me crazy. At any rate, it had been almost an hour since I found myself standing on top of a rooftop handrail and thinking on it. About why was I in such a place.

The wind was blowing.

I could feel it.

I could also feel the rays of the sun. They gently shone down on me.

And underneath my feet – humans the size of miniatures walked on the footpath far below the building.

But did any of that matter? Each of them was probably out on some kind of errand, and even if that errand was insignificant and trivial to others, it was important to him or her—

…No. No, it was strange. That wasn’t the problem at all. What should be more troubling than the problems of the humans far down below was my situation looking down on them from a place like this. I understood that. So, back to the main topic, why was I here in such a place? When and why did I come to a place like this? …And then I finally realized.

When? Why? No, more importantly—

Who was I?

How old was I? Was I a he? A she?<ref>Here, the character is wondering how they refer to themselves, with the Japanese pronouns ‘boku’, ‘ore’, or ‘atashi’ form.</ref>

…I couldn’t remember anything. I had no memories. I couldn’t recall anything, as if a transparent membrane went down and became cloudy. No matter how far I scraped, they weren’t there, as if I were in a milky-white world. Nothingness. Everything that I should have accumulated, however small, was, right now, completely erased from within me. A sense of nothingness. Right now, I didn’t even have a sense of existence. I had understood that the wind had been blowing for a while now, and yet, it barely even ruffled my hair.

I vacantly gazed at the palm of my hand.

It was someone’s hand, slightly transparent. The fingers themselves were slender, but the hand was large. It seemed familiar. I must have washed my face with it, handled things with it, and tugged at someone’s hand with it – but those memories were not there.

Suddenly, I wanted to cry, so I covered my face with hands, yet the tears never came. My feelings themselves were weak. My emotions didn’t arouse spontaneously to the point where everything was inconsequential. I found no trace of my emotions beginning to swell, as if this was how it felt for feelings to fade.

As I covered my face—

Ah, that answer suddenly came to me.

…I see.

''I was already dead.''

For some reason, I ended up dead.

That’s why everything was weak. Everything was in the middle of disappearing. It takes a little while for the dead to realize that they are dead, is what I read somewhere – no, did someone tell me that? I’m sure I knew that story from before. I still couldn’t tell where I gained that information from, but it was probably correct. That’s right, I was already dead.

Hahahaha, a dry laugh escaped me.

Anyway, I made some progress. It was such a relief just to know who I was, or rather, my condition. After that, I looked at the spectacle spread beneath my feet once more.

It was some place close to a station building. On my left hand was a familiar (or so I thought) colored train running, and on my right was a large sign that seemed to be that of a department shopping mall. Countless buildings both big and small were lined up, and between them were cars, bicycles, and pedestrians going back and forth. Today, too, the world was normal. And it was no longer a world I was a part of. Even though I could see it right next to me, it looked to be a foreign country far, far away.

And… there was only one thing for a dead person to do.

Be it paradise, hell, the other world, or nirvana – whatever it was, it was to move on to the right place. They go somewhere that wasn't here. However, where that was, and how to reach there, I hadn’t a clue. I suddenly understood that it was the thing I had to think of next – but, would that be the thing my thoughts would be stuck on from now on?

No… that was it.

Was that the reason I came to the rooftop of the building?

The reason I was looking down while standing on top of a guardrail?

In the cold recesses of my brain, I heard someone’s voice.

--Die properly. You are still stuck halfway to this world.

After muttering these words…

I, or me, <ref>Same pronoun reference as before</ref> someone who didn’t know who they were – spread both arms, closed my eyes, kicked the handrail, and flew into the sky.

<noinclude>
==Translator's notes and references==
<references />

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| Back to [[Phenomeno:Volume 04, Afterword|Afterword]]
| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Case 00: Chapter 1|Case 00: Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Case 07

2023-12-03T14:21:05Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 07: The Portrait of a Lily==

I have few memories of my childhood.

No, that statement is bound to give birth to misunderstandings. Let me rephrase, my memories of childhood -- they're filled with problems surrounding a certain light -- perhaps that would be a better way to put it.

I later found out that the light was called a Biophoton. In the world, it's called an aura or a ring of light, the halo that's often depicted in Buddhist paintings. And I was able to see that light since childhood. It always shone alongside the outlines of a person.

Bright lights, Dim lights.

Swaying lights, Blurred lights.

Within them were red, white, blue, purple, and countless other colors; Since I was little, I think I distinguished people by the colors that entwined them, rather than their face, their clothes or their height. My mother was this color, my friend Chi-chan from kindergarten was this color, this color belonged to the man from the grocery store, that color belonged to the neighborhood kid who would bully me, and so on. I used to think that everyone was like that, and my carefree feelings led me to think that their colors were beautiful, but it wasn't until I was in the first grade of elementary school that I realized that I was the only one who identified people by their colors. I stupidly ended up talking about those lights to my classmate, and they shouted, "Shiina-chan, you're so creepy!" I got so startled that I stopped talking about it after that.

I asked my parents for advice, and they took me to an ophthalmologist. However, no abnormalities were detected in my eyes. I could see inorganic things with ease. But all living things were accompanied by some kind of light. In junior high school, the aura ended up becoming more and more prominent, and I suffered like a neurotic. I saw a psychiatrist as well, and had a neurosurgical examination. None of the results were abnormal, and none of the doctors could understand my suffering. From that time on, I gradually began to distance myself from my friends, becoming a girl who read books alone in the corner of the classroom. In this world full of light, books alone were my silent companions. They were able to give my heart peace and calmness. Perhaps it was because I continued to read in the dark, which had become such a stronghold of my heart, that my eyesight began to deteriorate. It got to the point where I couldn't even see the words on the chalkboard unless I wore glasses, and I thought that if I did that, I might not have to suffer from the auras of people that only I could see. I didn't want to wear glasses, but I still hoped that my eyesight would just about disappear.

And yet -- it seemed to have no direct relation to how good or bad my eyesight was. As usual, people were glowing, and the degree of glow was different for everyone. On the contrary, as my eyesight diminished, the colors of people's auras which had only been several were now so strong that I could distinguish dozens of different colors.

When I entered high school, I felt that power was at its peak.

Once, while I was commuting to school in the train, I was so overwhelmed by the light emitted from those around me that I lost consciousness. When I regained my senses, I was lying on a train seat, being cared for by many people. Many people had given up their seats for me during the overcrowded rush hour. I felt ashamed about that, and I also felt unbearably scared and resentful of my unexplained nature. There were many times when I thought that I would be better off destroying my own eyes.

And then, on a certain day --

"You can see them, can't you?"

That voice suddenly called out to me as I entered the school gates. I turned around to see a person clad in a gold-colored aura standing there.

No -- that dazzling glitter was different from gold. That light was mixed with a somewhat dull, purple color. I could also see something that resembled black smoke. I strained my eyes, desperately searching for the source of that person's light, their real body. That person was clad in the same black blazer uniform as me. A tall, slender female with an exceedingly beautiful face. Her eyebrows were arched in the shape of a crescent moon, and her eyes underneath were thin and long, full of affection. The bridge of her nose stretched out nicely like that of a foreigner, and her lips drew an alluring curve that even I, a woman, was shocked to see.

"Sorry for being so sudden. But I felt like I had to say it out loud. The lights you see -- they're called Biophotons, and all living beings have them. It's not really abnormal or anything."

"...Huh?"

"I should introduce myself first."

She smiled gently and held out her hand.

"Ayana Takamura. Third-year student."

I unconsciously squeezed her hand in return -- and was surprised at how cold it was.

Her hand itself was very soft, but I couldn't feel any warmth in it, as if it wasn't even alive.

"I can see them too."

".........Huh?"

"Come and visit me whenever you like. I'm usually in the literature club or student council after school."

I later found out that she was the current student council president, and head of the literature club. From what I heard in class, Ayana-san was very famous. Or rather, my classmates were surprised at me instead: 'You didn't know about Takamura-san?' Was their response. Regardless of gender, everyone became overzealous when talking about Takamura-san, as if they were fighting to be the first to talk about her. Her family apparently had a very long history, and that she was said to be descended from nobility. Excelling in both school and sports, she was a school record holder in track and field, yet despite that, she focused on her student council duties and the literature club. She's been elected as student council president for two years in a row, and in studies, she's ranked between first and third in her grade since she entered school. She's kind and friendly to everyone, and has the ability to handle the so-called "dirty talk" with the boys. Since her freshman year of high school, she seems to have received countless love confessions from seniors and boys of her grade, but has no romantic stories involving her, she's also popular among the girls as well. Why didn't I know about a super high school student like Takamura-san up until now? I wondered that to the point where I felt ashamed of myself.

I imagined a lily in full bloom on a hill where only dandelions grew carefree. As if this entire world had only her on it, Senpai<ref>Senior(at work or school) in japanese</ref> stood alone and indifferent.

Even though she told me I could visit her whenever I liked, there was no way someone like me could readily visit such a great person. It had been about a week since I first met Takamura-san, and my high school life continued as usual. Yet still, with Takamura-san's words in mind -- "You are not abnormal" -- they helped me keep calm through the days.

"Hey there, Kurimoto-san."

One day, as I walked out the gates to leave school, I was called out again.

In front of my eyes was a complex golden-colored person --- Ayana Takamura was waving at me.

"T--Takamura-san."

"Good afternoon. Are you doing well?"

For a girl, Takamura-san was really tall. Probably around 170 cm.

As a short girl, I was overwhelmed by her gaze as she looked down at me.

"Hahaha, yes. I'm fine."

I replied awkwardly, when I suddenly realized.

How did she know my name? The other day, I was so stunned by everything that happened that I couldn't even introduce myself properly.

Ayana-san proceeded to smile pleasantly and spoke as if she read my mind:

"I remembered your class badge and came to visit during lunch break. You weren't in class at the time, so I asked about the girl with the red glasses -- one of the kids in your class told me: 'That must be Kurimoto-san'."

---Did that kind of thing happen?

For some reason, my face turned deep red, and I apologized.

"I'm really sorry. I usually eat lunch on a bench out in the courtyard -- after that I'm usually in the library reading."

"It's not something you have to apologize for. I see – The library, is it? Do you like books?"

"Y-yes."

"I wonder what kind of books you read. If you can, how about we visit the literature club right now?"

"...Huh?"

"Let's have a cup of tea. I wanted to have a talk with you. Are you free?"

She smiled gently at me, and without thinking, I vigorously nodded.

The literature club room was on the second floor of the prefabricated club room building at the north end of the high school.

"Well, come in."

Takamura-san took a key out from her pocket and opened the door, invited me inside.

The interior was a neat and tidily arranged room about 16 sqm in size.

There were three bookshelves, and a four-seat desk in the middle. In the corner of the room was an electric kettle and a few cute-looking cups placed upside down. But anyway, I think I felt quite excited at that time.

"Please, have a seat anywhere you'd like."

'Y-y-yes', I replied as I hurriedly placed my bag down on one of the chairs, and sat down on the next chair, looking around in circles.

Takamura's scent softly drifted in the air, and it truly felt like this place was Takamura-san's castle.

I'd never used perfume before, but that alone made me feel as if I'd stepped into an adult space, as if I was softly floating in midair. While Takamura-san was making tea, I finally managed to calm down a little and carefully examined the club room.

The bookshelves were crammed with pocket paperbacks.

There were authors I knew, and names I'd never heard of before. There were books I'd always wanted to read, and whenever I'd find one of my favorite titles, I'd feel a little happy. All the bookshelves had a large shelf at the bottom, where the club magazines published by the literature club were neatly arranged. After I'd finished glancing over the shelf, I looked around again. The windows were tied with pretty and serene curtains, and on the wall were several posters by artists I didn't know.

And when I saw one of the posters--

I felt a chill, as small goosebumps creeped up on me. In the clean and mature atmosphere of the club room, the design of the poster alone seemed somewhat bizarre. In the picture, a white cloth was draped on a chair, and on top of the cloth, was a woman's head. You could call it creepy, but in the warm atmosphere of this room, that alone seemed to vividly stand out.<ref>The poster in question...https://www.fukkan.com/store/fk_item/item_file_name1/68321686/large/beksinskih1.jpg</ref>

While I pondered over such things--

"Sorry, I'm afraid I can only offer black tea."

Takamura-san placed a steaming white cup in front of me.

"N-not at all. It's fine. Thank you."

I gently take the cup in my hands, then--

"Are you curious about that poster?"

Takamura-san smiled as she grasped her cup with both hands.

"Eh, no...."

"That was made by Beksiński. Zdzisław Beksiński. A Polish painter, photographer and artist who was also passionate about computer graphics in his later years. I love his work."

"I-Is that so?"

Gently sipping the tea from her cup and nodding, Takamura-san continued happily:

"What is art? There are so many self-proclaimed artists in the world, but sometimes, I get the feeling that real artists don't exist anywhere. And I feel that the title of 'artist' should never be used to describe oneself. When your work comforts others, isn't that when you truly become an artist to someone?"

I was somewhat spellbound by Takamura-san's expression as she spun her words in an elegant manner. I didn't know what made a painting good or bad, but for the first time I was surprised to see a student who seriously contemplated the interpretation of paintings and art, like how an art teacher would.

"However, this much is true."

Thereupon, she unexpectedly lowered her voice:

"The depth of one's art is proportional to the depth of one's sorrow."

"...Huh?"

"They say that people act to fill in the void in their lives, but -- Bekcinski was unhappy, so his work is imbued with a special kind of emotion."

"Is it sorrow?"

I asked in reply, and Takamura-san nodded her head.

"That's right, this person's life was a series of despairs. In his youth, he bore witness to the Nazi invasion, and in his adult years, he experienced Poland’s turbulent political period. Yet he continued to draw despite all that, and at last, when his paintings were finally recognized, he lost his beloved wife. Furthermore, in the year that followed, his dearest son committed suicide. And finally, two days before his birthday, he was stabbed to death seventeen times by the son of his lifelong friend.”

“…..”

“Even after death, his sorrow didn’t end. Fifty-nine of his works were bought by a Japanese man, who then disappeared. The location of those works is currently unknown. They’ve disappeared into the darkness of this world, without even being able to be experienced through the eyes of people.”

In spite of the weather being quite warm—

I felt a faint chill, and Takamura-san finally spoke in a whisper:

“Maybe that’s why… it’s been said that if you see this painting three times, you will die.”

That moment, I felt the head in the picture turn towards me –

I felt a chill up my spine.

The eyes of the woman on the chair slowly turned towards me.

I couldn’t bear to keep staring at the picture any longer, suddenly averting my gaze, I noticed –

Senpai was staring my face.

Those eyes -- were empty, and there was a light in them that seemed to be devouring everything in sight, as if to fill that emptiness with something.

Startled, I clasped my hand in front of my chest.

“—Just kidding.”

Senpai suddenly smiled.

“It was just a joke.”

“…Huh?”

“I see it every day, but as you can see, I’m still alive. Sorry for teasing you.”

Takamura-senpai laughed with amusement, and at the same time, I let out a deep sigh of relief.

I secretly examined her expression once again, but her eyes had already returned to their usual shine.

She merely stared at the poster, pressed the cup against her well-shaped lips, and smiled.

----------

I became a member of the literature club soon after that.

I liked books, and I was relieved to be close to someone who understood my unique condition of being able to see people’s auras, but most of all, it was because I was charmed by the third-year student --- Ayana Takamura-san. She was someone who always gave me peace of mind. When I was confused about my future career path, she immediately replied: "Do what you love.”

“The thing that people love to do – Yes… the thing that they work on so hard that they forget to eat --- that is certainly the talent granted to them by heaven.”

Takamura-san often referred to the word ‘talent’ as ‘gift’.

I learned that in English-speaking countries, the word ‘gift’ took the meaning of ‘being granted something by heaven’.

“So, in a way - being able to see people's auras is also a gift of yours.”

She smiled at me.

“So, Kurimoto-san, what do you want to do in the future?”

“…Errr..uuhh…”

I hastily gathered the thoughts in my head.

“Well, I-I’d like to understand the things that I can see. Is it a sight-based phenomenon? A psychological phenomenon? Or some kind of cerebral phenomenon? I’m not sure, but at any rate, in the future I’d like to study in a place where I can specialize in such things.”

“That’s good. I’ll be cheering you on.”

Takamura-san smiled and patted me on the shoulder to encourage me.

After that, my life as a student changed completely.

I was still a bookworm, but I wasn’t just reading novels, I started reading a wide range of books – books on Psychology, Cognitive science, Auras in terms of the occult, and Ethnology. As my knowledge broadened, so did my interest in people. In myself, and in others. With that, I came to recognize that just as I was myself, other people were a group who established their own individuality. After all this time, I finally realized that everyone carried their own individual hardships, joys, and values. Perhaps it was because I was able to think like this that I started to talk to my classmates, whom I had been casually avoiding, and I think I became a little more active. I could still see people’s auras, but I was less likely to panic when I saw them. Of course, it was still scary, but not as scary as it had been.

“Say, Kurimoto-san.”

After school, I was organizing past club magazines in the literature club room when I was approached by Takamura-san, who was sorting through the shelves.

“Yes?”

“What do you think about this?”

Takamura-san held out her cellphone.

“Are you asking me about the cellphone’s design?”

“No, no. This message.”

Takamura-san laughed as she brought her cellphone close to my ear.

I heard something like a static buzzing sound, and a small bubbly sound you’d hear from an air pump in a fish tank.

“The reception is quite bad, isn’t it?” I answered, ‘Is that all?’ Takamura-san looked at me with amusement.

“You didn’t notice anything at all?”

While saying this, Takamura-san operated the cell phone and handed it to me again.

She seemed to set it up so that I could listen to it again from the beginning.

I pressed the receiver to my ears once again, and concentrated on listening to the sound in its entirety.

The bubbly sound and the electric buzzing sound. That really was all I could hear. I was about to say that out loud --- when I noticed. Beyond the noise, there was another sound; something else.

“…Huh?”

It was… a person’s voice. A slow, muttering voice, like a slow spinning record. A man’s voice. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it's definitely someone talking about something—

The moment I realized that, I got startled.

Before I had realized, the interior of the room had grown dark.

No -- from my eyes, from my brain, the blood was rapidly draining away.

This wasn’t good. This was – I’d experienced it before. It was similar to the anemia that happened when I was exposed to the auras of too many people. I might lose consciousness at this rate. Fearing that, I tried to move my ear away from the cellphone.

But --- my fingers couldn’t move. The cellphone stayed clung to my ear just like that. Was this the ‘paralysis’ that people often spoke of? Everything in my body stopped moving as if rejecting its owner’s command. All I could do was remain still as the man’s muffled words poured into my ear. The sound of bubbles, which was supposed to be coming from only one ear, was now coming from both ears, making me feel as if I were submerged in the deep sea, and I felt suffocated. No, in fact, I became unable to breathe.

“Ku…Gu….Guwaaa.”

In tears, I reached out for help.

Towards my senpai who had saved me from the suffering of seeing auras ---- Towards Ayana Takamura-san.

However—

Senpai stood there – she looked at me with the same empty eyes I had seen once before. Ayana Takamura-san’s expression was cold, and she gazed at me as if… as if she were devouring me, me who was unable to breathe, shedding tears and asking for help. I felt something resembling a fierce appetite in those wide, open eyes. She stared at me in silence, as if to burn the image in her memory: The moment of me being swallowed up by a muddy stream, and drowning to death.

“S…Senpai…!”

Even so, as I desperately reached out to her with tears in my eyes –

Finally, Senpai reached out to me.

She brought her hand in front of mine, and slapped it with great force.

The sound made the air vibrate sharply, and tore up something. In an instant, my body became able to move. I moved my ears away from the cell phone, and collapsed on the floor, desperately trying to catch my breath.

“Sorry, sorry. You alright?”

Saying that, Takamura-san gently massaged my back.

My breathing slowly returned to normal, and the scenery regained its brightness and color.

However, I had no clue as to what had just taken place.

“I guess this was too soon.” Senpai said and smiled quietly.

I would learn much later, that it was not a wrong number or something like that –

Takamura-san had gone to a place in Okutama where suicides occurred frequently, and simply recorded the sound there.

“They… exist everywhere.”

“I have no idea where they come from.”

“And they're very sensitive to the fact that they're being watched."

After a while, when things finally calmed down, Senpai spoke those words.

“Senpai, what are ‘they’?” I asked.

“Ghosts.” Takamura-senpai simply replied.

“I’ve been able to see them since I was a child.”

“G-Ghosts?”

-- Ghosts -- you mean the ones under the willow trees? <ref>https://www.japanpowered.com/folklore-and-urban-legends/the-spirit-of-the-willow-tree</ref> Or the ones that have a grudge with their hands pointing downwards…… that kind of thing?

Senpai smiled in reply, ‘I think it’s a little different’.

“Not all of them have eyes, hands, or a human shape. Some of them are mere white shadows, and some of them are just sounds. However, I believe they were all originally the same thing. They are thoughts, fragments, and residues of what was once a person. And what's more, the biophotons you see. I think that’s them too.”

“H…huh? Huh? B-but Senpai. The things I see are just lights and--”

Senpai then put her long fingers to her chin and nodded.

“Listen carefully, Kurimoto-kun. The world is truly multi-faceted. What appears square-shaped to one might appear a sphere to another looking from another angle. In short, what you perceive as mere lights, look distinctly human in shape to me.”

“…”

“Well, for convenience’s sake, I call them ghosts -- but I'm not sure how to formally define them. However, it’s perfectly commonplace for them to be everywhere. I wish I could introduce them to you, but they are timid in their own way, and I don't really know what they are thinking.”

Ayana Takamura-senpai smiled, poured hot water into a cup, and handed it to me.

“Drink this, and then take slow, deep breaths. Put some strength in your stomach. Don’t worry, the living are much stronger than the dead. As long as we stay strong, they can’t interfere with us.”

I was abruptly being bombarded with such unbelievable things one after the other, but one thing became clear to me in my confused mind.

The reason why Senpai’s existence stood out among the other students.

The reason why she alone had a detached atmosphere about her, as if she was looking down on the world.

It was because the high school girl known as Ayana Takamura stood face to face with the world beyond.

------

“There are things that come out of the living, things that have been scraped off and float around. Most of them vanish with the disappearance of the body, but there are a few that wander around in this world even after the body’s disappearance. You may not be aware of it, but the lights you see probably contain things that are no longer alive. And they’re very sensitive to being seen, to being perceived. In other words, it’s as if you're walking alone in the endless darkness with a seven-colored electronic billboard on your back.”

On a certain day, Takamura-senpai talked to me and handed me a piece of paper with something strange written on it.

“This will keep them away, it’s what you’d call a good luck charm.”

“…A good luck charm?”

“That’s right. I knew it since the first time I saw you. You were just like me, wandering in the same dark abyss I’d been suffering in. Topics concerning ghost phenomenon are mostly avoided in this country. There’s a tendency to dismiss the occult as mere fairy tales, and it’s difficult to even research it. But without a doubt, they are everywhere. They’re always there, watching us in silence. With a keen eye, they look for those who might perceive them, and they cling to them.”

I gulped at those words.

“Go on, then. Chant these words. And recite them every morning and night, and whenever you get a bad feeling.”

“…Y, yes.”

I nodded, and chanted those words out loud without knowing their meaning.

Written in Hiragana<ref>One of the Japanese alphabets</ref>, those words were easy to remember. They had a unique rhyme to them that made them audibly memorable. Repeating them just a few times was enough to soak them deep into my brain. They seemed to quickly melt into my bloodstream and run through my body.

However --- I think it was after that.

Strange things seemed to start happening around me.

In the morning, when I was brushing my teeth in front of the mirror, I saw someone standing behind me in my reflection. It was a transparent figure with long hair who smiled faintly. When I was lying down with one knee up, I felt someone’s hands on top of the knee. At night, when I was studying, a page of the dictionary which I hadn’t touched lay open in front of me. During times like that, I’d be so scared that I would recite the ‘good luck charm’ Senpai had taught me. I’d close my eyes and repeat it in desperation, strongly believing that it would be enough for them to leave me alone. However, the frequency with which something was hanging around me was only increasing.

In the daytime, I saw a person standing on top of a telephone pole.

On the ceiling of the room, a large face appeared.

The train window reflected an empty carriage without any people.

When I rubbed my eyes and looked again, things were normal.

However, whenever they materialized, a strange sound remained ringing in my ear.

Being at a complete loss, I consulted Senpai about it, who reassured me:

“There’s nothing to worry about. They had been clinging to you as they pleased up until now, so they’re desperately trying not to be torn off.”

“I-is that so?”

I believed those words.

With all my heart, I concentrated on chanting the good luck charm.

Eventually, my vision became darker and heavier, as if I were always wrapped by darkness. I became unable to tell the difference between yesterday and today, and time passed as I continued walking along an unending dark road.

But then --- on a certain day…

I noticed it during chemistry class in the lab.

The chemistry teacher, dressed in white, put an old ten-yen coin into the beaker, and poured in hydrochloric acid, a reducing agent and sodium chloride.

“Being soaked in these liquids, this ten-yen coin will be polished as a metal.”

The ten-yen coin immediately regained its original vivid and golden-looking color.

Holding that up in a happy way to the students, the look on the teacher’s face was just like Senpai’s when she was gazing at me. That look was very similar to the one Takamura-senpai sometimes showed. Somewhere In the depths of her vacant eyes, a glitter of ecstasy shone forth.

“Experiment.”

All of a sudden, that word flashed across my mind.

--Am I not the ten-yen coin in that beaker?

--Am I not the subject of some kind of experiment?

The moment I thought that, my body stopped moving. Just like when I was pinned down by Senpai’s gaze back then, I ended up becoming trapped in Senpai’s eyes who wasn’t even here. In the twinkle of an eye, I felt helplessly exposed as my individuality whittled away. But if it is some kind of experiment, what in the world is it about? What is Senpai trying to do by using me?

Holding my breath in, I thought about such things, when something suddenly appeared on the blackboard. An empty part of the blackboard with no writing on it became distorted into a murky, swirling vortex. The next thing I knew, the room had grown eerily dark, as my heartbeat quickened.

--I’m scared.

The inexplicable events that were happening around me were unbearably scary. Am I at the bottom right now? Or does this hole go even deeper? It felt like I was wandering down a horribly misguided path. And something was staring coldly at me while I was curled up in fear. That empty gaze that seemed to snatch away all my trembling emotions, it filled me with fear.

--But even though it was unbearably scary.

At that time, I could neither run, nor could I turn away. It was because somewhere in that gaze, I sensed the urgency of a baby crawling towards me. The urgency of an infant desperately reaching out for its mother –

--Is what I thought, at the time.

-----

During the early days of summer, Senpai remained absent for a few days from school.

From what I heard, her father had passed away. She was the most famous student in the school, so that sad news spread rapidly in all the grades. At that time, that news was treated as a sad matter worthy of everyone’s sympathy. When Senpai did return to school after a few days, there was a swarm of students who were worried about her as if it was their own personal affair. Senpai acted as cheerful as she could towards everyone, which helped her garner even more sympathy. However, not long afterwards, news spread of her private tutor passing away. One month afterwards, Senpai’s homeroom teacher committed suicide. As autumn arrived, I heard a rumor that a third-year boy who had been persistently trying to pursue a relationship with Senpai, jumped off the school roof.

I think that was around the time…

--Many people close to Takamura-senpai have died.

Such a rumor began to be whispered in secret. Of course, it was about Senpai -- the super high school student. There were still many who sympathized with her, and it was a small-scale rumor, so it took a long time for it to reach my ears, since I didn’t have a wide circle of friends.

And then, on a certain day—

“Shiina-chan, can I talk to you for a moment?”

After school had ended, Kotoka Suzumoto-san, the girl I got along with the most in class, came to talk to me. I followed her to the back of the school building, where she uncomfortably began to speak.

“Say, did you hear the rumor about our senpai in second-year, Nakajō-san?”

“Nakajō-san? No.”

I shook my head, and Suzumoto-san bit her lip in response.

She remained silent for a while, before finally making up her mind to speak.

“Shiina-chan is a member of the literature club, right? Makoto Nakajō-san was also a member for two years.”

“Was…? Ah-it’s just me and Takamura-san right now, so I guess that person quit the club?”

“No, It’s something I heard from my senpai in the Brass band club, but apparently… she stopped coming to school. I don’t want to make a big fuss about it – but she’s not in a normal state.”

“…Eh?”

“She only wears white clothes, shuts herself inside her own room, has talismans posted all over the walls, windows and the door. At any rate, she spends all day cowering in fear. She yells, ‘It’s over there, I can see it.”

Those words made something cold crawl on my back.

“Why would she -- Nakajō-san, was it? Why would she end up like that?”

“Well….”

Suzumoto-san hesitantly looked down and mumbled.

However, I somehow already knew what Suzumoto-san was trying to say.”

“Um… I heard a rumor saying it was Senpai’s fault.”

Suzumoto-san eventually said it out loud, causing my body to tremble.

“That’s why, I got worried about you, Shiina-chan. Takamura-san is a great and wonderful person – but, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

I smiled and said that – but…

Even after I parted ways with Suzumoto-san, I couldn’t get rid of the chill that lingered in my heart.

According to her story, only special students were allowed in the literature club. The only students who could join the literature club required special permission from Ayana Takamura, who had absolute influence over the school. Come to think of it, I did find it strange. Takamura-san was so popular, yet why were the two of us the only members of the club? There should have been a lot more people willing to join. However, according to Suzumoto-san, that was because Takamura-san silently selected members on her own. Even if someone wanted to join the club, she would casually decline them during the interview as the club head. ‘This club is going to be dissolved soon’, or ‘You’re better suited to a sports club’, were the usual reasons given for declining. In that sense, the fact that I had joined the literature club was something special, and for a time, I was secretly the object of envy and jealousy in the classroom.

--What does it all mean?

I thought to myself.

Was it because I could see people’s auras, like Takamura-san? Does that mean that my senpai known as Nakajō-san, who had stopped coming to school, could see them as well?

Takamura-senpai definitely has some strange aspects about her. Since I became a member of the literature club, I came to know of her extraordinary obsession with things not of this world. Her fascination and research into the existence of ghosts. She had a deep knowledge of the occult, both ancient and modern, and admired the works of Eliphas Levi in particular. But I thought that was just something that girls of this era liked. Or maybe that's what I was trying to believe. Perhaps it was the influence of having been saved by Senpai’s words after I’d been suffering from seeing biophotons since childhood. I tried to believe that interest in things like fortune telling and spirituality, was particularly specialized in the case of Senpai who had exceptional thinking.

But my steps were heavy as I left Suzumoto-san and headed for the club room alone.

--I too, will soon end up like Makoto Nakajō-san, won’t I?

Will I stop going to school, wear white clothes, and be frightened of something invisible?

--No.

The darkness in the presence that lies ahead spreads much further.

Now, I can feel the presence of what’s known as death right by my side.

It was not a death that would happen from old age decades from now. Rather, it was a premonition of a sudden death arriving in mere weeks. But strangely enough, death itself was not so scary. If the world of the living is this world, and the world of the dead is the world beyond – then for the past few days, I can’t say with certainty that my surroundings are this world. The boundary between the two worlds is dissolving and collapsing, and I don't feel the life force in anything that makes up this world. In the midst of people’s radiating light, I felt as if I alone had lost my light.

However, right now—

I didn’t think it was such a bad thing.

All humans must die someday. Without exception, they will die. The question is, were you a person who could become someone needed by someone else while you were alive? I had begun to think such things without realizing –

In a panic, I looked around. My surroundings were full of bright, laughing and bustling students, I alone felt dark and dull.

I dragged my heavy steps to the club room; through the window, I saw the lights of the room were turned off. I had heard about the location of the duplicate key, and before I bent down to retrieve it, I tried pulled the door open. The door wasn’t locked at all. I slowly opened the door, and a fragrant scent immediately drifted through the door, the moment I realized what it was --- I ran inside and closed the door.

In the dark club room, by the window-side, Senpai was sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette. With a vacant expression, a white ectoplasm-like smoke drifted from her lips. The sweet, thick scent made my head spin. But more so than that, it made me panic.

“S-senpai.”

A vacant looking Takamura-san looked my way.

Her face looked pale, whiter and more transparent than usual.

“Hey.”

“W-what are you doing?”

Senpai motionlessly stared out of the window in response.

I moved to ask once again, when –

“I’ve been thinking.” Muttered Ayana Takamura-san.

“About where… people go to.”

“…Huh?”

“From here on, where is the human species heading? Space? Another dimension? I think neither. From now on, humanity is headed towards a more inner world. But in a future where the individual world becomes shared and crowded, can individuality truly be established?”

“….”

“In a shrinking world, the idea of artificially creating a Mary – haha. The world is so twisted, isn't it? You don't even acknowledge the existence of ghosts, but you place more importance on the spiritual path than on humans. That's why things are going in unpredictable directions.”

I had no idea what was she saying. Anyways, I shut the window and spoke:

“Senpai, smoking will get you expelled. Doing something like that as the student council president is just…”

“…Right.”

“P-please put it out this instant.”

“I mean, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Takamura-san smiled silently.

“It’s fine if I stop being the student council president, I don’t care for any more prestige. I don’t even want to give birth to a child – Ah, a flesh and blood child, that is.”

“I-I don’t know what you mean. Anyway, *cough* It’s so smoky in here, if a teacher comes—”

“...So that’s it, you might have a child in the future. Sorry about that.”

Despite apologizing, Senpai showed no signs of putting out her cigarette.

The cigarette between her long fingertips was stretched so far out that the ashes were about to drop down.

“Adults are such assholes.” Senpai eventually grumbled.

“If being an adult means having to compromise, then I don't want to be an adult at all.”

“…”

“Don’t cause trouble for people. Cut off small, irreplaceable things in order to conform to society. To do so, lie and justify your actions. No matter how correct an opinion might be, eliminate anything that threatens a stable society. Or pretend to never see it. Ignore it as if doesn’t even exist. Most people do not see the truth. However, the countless things that have been eliminated are still there, despite not being seen.”

“Are you…”

For some reason, the words naturally came out of my mouth.

“Are you talking about ghosts?”

In response, Takamura-san looked at me in surprise – and smiled silently.

“I see. Ghosts are that as well. That’s right, It’s about ghosts.”

She chuckled feebly; her large eyes narrowed as she muttered:

“Ah, I see. That's why ghosts will never disappear from this world. Because people unconsciously acknowledge the existence of what they've been trampling upon.”

Enshrouded in the sweet white scent, senpai smiled.

“I can see their suffering. That's why I don't want to belong to the side that tramples on them. If I could reduce it to just one perfectly clear thought, it would be this: This body is a hindrance. Humans only believe the things reflected in their eyes. It is in the body that all bonds reside. That is why, I don’t need something like a body. That’s why, I want to erase this body tied down by bonds before my soul is corrupted.”

The smile on her face was transparent, like a dream- - it was as if she herself were a ghost, and my legs began to tremble.

“Say, Kurimoto-san.” Senpai suddenly spoke.

“Let’s take a photo together, shall we?”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve always hated photos, and I haven’t had one taken one in a long time – but, it would be nice to share at least one memory with you.”

Saying this, she brazenly stubbed out her cigarette against the window sill at last, and stood up. She grabbed the polaroid camera used for covering news, and left the room. Flustered, I chased after her, coming out into the courtyard, she called and stopped one of the students nearby, and asked them to take our photo. We lined in front of some large zelkova trees. Senpai put her hand on my shoulder while I was still in a daze. Her hand was soft, and her scent was wonderful as she leaned in close to me.

--The scent of a lily.

An inexplicable sadness swelled up in my heart as I thought that. I don’t know where that emotion came from. However, my feelings towards Ayana-senpai – sometimes of admiration, sometimes of fear – and finally realizing that I liked her so much that I didn’t want her to leave. I recalled the lily in the language of flowers. It represented purity and innocence. This person could see everything people unconsciously overlooked – no, the things people had to overlook in order to keep living.

How painful must that have been?

How it must have made her want to scream out.

If a person had to take in the thoughts of all those around them in their mind, they wouldn’t be able to keep their mind normal for even a single day. It must have been hell to be constantly exposed to the dark emotions that no one ever expresses. I could only imagine how painful it must have been for Senpai, who managed to cope with everyday life with her extraordinary mental strength and analytical skills. For a long time, I was troubled by the light that people gave off, and I wished that I could destroy my eyes -- but in my heart, I caught a glimpse of the path that Senpai had taken.

With a click, the shutter sounded—

Senpai thanked the student as she took the camera.

She took the printed picture from the polaroid camera which was still not fully developed, and looked up.

She squinted at the dazzling green trees of Koumei institute, and spoke:

“Someday, people will pay for what they’ve done.”

Under the white, dazzling sunlight seeping through the trees, she whispered:

“The violent revenge of countless thoughts that have been trampled for the so-called greater good of civilization will happen before our eyes.”

Those words were like an old forgotten prophecy. Like a melody that had leaked from the Akashic Records<ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashic_records</ref>, something no person could overrule, had rung out into the world.

After that, Ayana Takamura-san turned to face me once more, and handed me the photograph in silence.

In it, were two high school girls.

In the sunlight seeping through the trees, the two of them smiled like some kind of miracle.

“This is my last order as the club head.” Senpai spoke to me while I was looking at the picture.

“From this moment on, forget about me.”

“…Huh?”

She seized me with her clear, gentle eyes, and spoke:

“Forget what I said, what I did to you, my face, my voice, my scent, everything. Forget it all, and don't come back here again.”

-----------

Soon afterwards… Senpai disappeared.

The sudden disappearance of the student council president: It caused a panic in the school, and a missing person report was immediately filed with the police. Every nook and cranny of the school was searched, and I think the whole town was abuzz with commotion for a while. It was probably related to the fact with the fact that Senpai’s deceased father was a famous businessman who had been donating a lot of money to the school. The school went to extraordinary lengths to try and find her. However, a month passed with no sign of Senpai’s whereabouts. There was a rumor saying she committed suicide, but I didn’t know what it was based on, and from having known Senpai up close, albeit for a short time, I didn’t believe it so easily. She definitely said she wanted to erase herself – but I couldn’t help but feel that the word ‘suicide’ didn’t fit Senpai. She had a strong grasp on everything from where she stood, and a strong will to accomplish her goals.

Most people, including myself, can only see what lies in front of us, what is right next to us, and our own footprints etched behind us. However, I felt that Senpai was always gazing alone at something that lay far beyond in the distance. She had a kind of solitude that was similar to enlightenment, as if she was looking down on everything alone from a position much higher up than the clouds or the sky. For that reason, I felt that her actions would not be meaningless. The beauty of her actions would be noticed by many people only after viewing the record of her chess moves – is the image I had which was hard to erase. That was precisely why, no matter what, I couldn’t believe the rumor of Senpai ending her own life.

However, even after two months had passed, Senpai still didn’t appear anywhere.

And, as if becoming bound to Senpai’s words, my feet receded from the club room.

I couldn’t believe that Senpai was dead, but I also couldn’t feel her presence in this world – It was hard to explain this strange feeling. It was as if she was right by my side, but I also felt that I would never meet her again. At any rate, I stopped chanting the ‘good luck charm’ that Senpai had taught me, and before I knew it, I was no longer seeing strange phenomena.

And it was probably around this time, when…

The auras of people which had tormented me so much, disappeared entirely from my sight. It was as if Senpai had taken away all my mysteries, and the world became inorganic. It was not something I could immediately get used to, since I was used to seeing auras since I was a child -- but gradually, I began to distinguish people by their faces. It felt so refreshing, as if I had been reborn.

The seasons changed from winter, to spring—

I moved on to my second year of high school. Takamura-san’s class graduated, and it seemed everyone finally accepted Ayana Takamura’s disappearance. The school had been dark and depressed for a long time, as if it had lost its sun, but as if it was all swept away with the emergence of the cherry blossoms and the freshness of the new students, it was beginning to regain its peace.

But since then, strange rumors started being whispered in secret.

“Last night, I saw Takamura-senpai.”

Such rumors began swirling simultaneously everywhere.

There were many rumors, like someone who saw a shadow looking their way through the library window, or seeing a figure walking up the stairs of the school building, and it even involved a teacher who suddenly gazed somewhere and blurted out: "Huh? Is that you, Takamura?”

It was probably the numerous rumors that spurred me to do it.

On a certain day after school – I proceeded to the literature club for the first time in six months.

I opened the door with a spare key and at the same time, a nostalgic feeling poured out from within.

Nothing had changed.

Takamu-san’s scent still lingered everywhere, and the bookcase, table, and cabinet with the tea set were still there.

On a narrow vase by the window-side, there was a single flower, a lily.

It was, a black lily.

It was like Senpai: a lonely, solitary and beautiful lily.

The moment I saw that, I sensed a large void unfold in my heart. I felt like I wanted to cry, yet no tears welled up in my eyes, nothing but the wind swept through the sudden void in my heart.

Just beyond the window, the branches of a cherry tree grew in luxuriant abundance, swaying gently in the spring breeze.

The wind shaped itself in a spiral, causing the cherry blossoms to flutter in the air.

It made me realize that even if I didn't like it, the seasons were changing.

And it indicated that I alone remained left behind in the season Senpai was in.

--Why… are you sad?

Together with the cherry petals blowing against the window, I thought I heard someone's voice.

I don’t know, I answered quietly.

--I see, It’s your gift.

I choke up at that nostalgic, scornfully worded expression.

And when I realized that the voice belonged to the Takamura-san who lived inside of me -- I gasped.

I once again took a look around the club room.

I touch the desk, the window frame, the floor - all of it.

I traced the edges of window frame and bookshelves with my fingers.

--Isn’t it strange?

Everything is the same in here. It's been half a year since anyone came to this club room. And yet, there’s no dust, no stagnation in the air. And the strangest thing of all was that this black lily by the window-side that was in full bloom. How can this lily still be blooming when even the water in the pitcher dried up long ago?

When I realized this, my heart began to race so fast I could hear my heartbeat.

Could it be—

Could it be that in this room…?

No, in this school… is she still here?

Even though we can’t see her, is Senpai still here?

Something cold ran down my back.

I suddenly felt someone's eyes on me, and I turned around… to see the woman in the Beksiński poster on the wall… staring at me.

I shook my head, trying to shake off her gaze.

That’s when I found the notebook on the table.

It was written in Senpai’s handwriting, and titled: ‘Dictation -- or the research of texts or sequences of text whose meaning, when understood, can cause spiritual phenomena.’ As if drawn toward its long title, I touched the notebook, and at that moment, I was filled with terror. The notebook had the texture of human skin. I gulped, and sat down in the chair. In the light of the setting sun, I opened the notebook alone in the club room. There, in careful handwriting, were a series of words that made no sense at all.

『The inside of a mirror. The mirror’s bottom. What do you see in there? 』

『Why are you back? Why are you red? I'm lonely. It's so noisy. 』

『A black train. It's bright red. But it's fast. Because It's very fast. 』

It must be some sort of poem. I didn’t know what it meant, but when I read it, something felt distorted in the words inside. It felt as if a fire was burning in the back of my head, and I quickly turned the pages as I skimmed through it. But --- I stopped my fingers at a certain page. Therein was the ‘good luck charm’ that I had been made to chant repeatedly. And next to it, as an explanation perhaps, was a small note from Senpai.

--A taboo word that separates the subject from their guardian spirit.

That's what was written on there.

And at long last, I finally realized.

As I had thought, I really was being experimented on. Senpai had gathered the effects of these distorted words from countless books. The person who had stood between me and the world that I had been so afraid of, who had existed like a bulwark for me, was slowly disappearing at this moment. But I felt no hatred. Instead, what welled up in my heart was an inexplicable sorrow.

--- Kotodama<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotodama </ref> hide even more amazing potential.

--- The wasteful potential to clean humans who are garbage.

Cleaning…humans? Tilting my head in confusion, I turned to the next page, where I found a page filled with paragraphs of text. They were normal sentences, but the content within was anything but.

The story of how Senpai had a step-mother. Her step-mother, who didn’t cook her any dinner, only doted on her younger step-sister, what’s more, she was having an affair with the home tutor Senpai’s father had assigned her.

Of how her homeroom teacher, who committed suicide, was persistently trying to woo her despite having a wife and child.

Or how the third-year boy who had been after her tried to attack her after school.

And…

How a new life came to dwell within Senpai’s body.

Senpai bore a strong resemblance to her late mother, and in desiring that…her father -- her real father, kept visiting her room. He had crossed the line between parent and child since her middle school years.

–I’ve always hated photos –

Suddenly recalling Senpai’s words, I collapsed down on my knees. I almost threw up the bitterness that was bubbling up inside me, but somehow managed to hold it back in time.

Senpai was—

Senpai was not perceived as a daughter in her father’s eyes. She was the spitting image of her deceased mother. That drove her father mad, and made her the object of her step-mother’s envy. Senpai was never in the wrong – but, knowing that her mere presence distorted the world around her, she must have suffered for a long time.

I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart, which was on the verge of bursting – and managed to trace the words once more.

Let’s shift the distorted axis on which they stand a little further, is what Senpai wrote in the memo. Let’s replace the letters in their vision to taboo words. Little by little. Just a bit at a time. They will see it unconsciously, and it will remain as a seed in their heart. Eventually, the seed will sprout, and blossom. They’ll be swallowed by the weakness in their heart. Their minds will be buried by their negative consciousness. How easy it is to kill someone; all you have to do is change the direction of their mind just a tiny fraction. It’s fine if they normally turn their face away from what they don’t want to see. It’s fine if the pain of what they’ve trampled on always lies in wait besides them.

Senpai’s father, who poured his twisted love in her, fell down the stairs and broke his neck. Senpai’s tutor, who was having an affair with her step-mother, got caught in the wheel of a truck, turning into nothing more than pulverized meat. The homeroom teacher who was trying to woo her, slit his own throat with a kitchen knife, the resulting blood splatter reached all the way up to the ceiling. The male student who tried to assault her, jumped off the top of the school building, his head crushed deep back inside his body.

Right next to those grisly scenes, the image of Senpai, with her vacant eyes sprung to my mind. Thin as a paper doll, she stood lurched over with her dark, hollow eyes.

I snapped the notebook shut. Where am I? Who am I? I wanted to properly recognize that, so I opened the window. Sticking out my face, I pumped the spring air, full of life, into my lungs.

--There’s no doubt about it anymore.

Senpai killed people, and not just one or two. It was something that would remain hidden for eternity, as long as no one found this note. No, even if someone were to find it, who would believe such a thing? The idea of killing people through words. In this country, talking about ghost phenomenon is frowned upon. The occult is nothing more than children’s fairy tales, and it’s not even researched.

As I regained my breath, I looked down at the notebook again - and the moment I noticed the words inscribed on the back cover of the notebook, I got inexplicable goosebumps.

'''''--Hey, did you notice?'''''

Those words, with an unknown addressee, concluded the book.

I don't remember how long I was there alone.

I just sat back in my chair, holding the notebook in my lap, dumbfounded. The wind blowing in from the window had turned cold, and it was now completely dark outside.

I stood up feeling dizzy, and closed the window.

And…as I was about to turn on the light switch—

I suddenly heard someone’s voice close to my ear.

In a panic, I switched the light switch on.

However, the room remained dark as the fluorescent lights remained off. Despite this, I kept flipping the switch on and off again and again with my trembling fingers.

In the darkness, that voice continued to whisper in my ear.

--Humans are the embodiment of malice.

Those…were words Senpai once spoke.

The voice continued to echo around me as I kept clicking the switch.

“It’s best to be suspicious of what appears to be good at first glance.”

“People only act according to their interests, and they can be perverted in any way by their interests.”

“Sinful acts were unavoidable -- is how they justify it afterwards.”

“They pretend not to see the things they trample underneath.”

“Religion, music, novels, movies, paintings...”

“It’s all a business.”

“They're not there as a piece of a dream…”

“They only serve as a gateway for someone’s profit through the economy.”

“The only way to break free of this twisted world – is to erase the body.”

Senpai’s countless remarks replayed in my head like a chorus.

Or so I was trying to believe.

--Everything in this world is a lie.

The black miasma that fills the club room almost engulfs me.

I continued to feel someone's eyes on me. That gaze was right behind me. I was alone in the room, of course. But there was someone standing right behind me. A nostalgic tall figure stood there. But it wasn’t the person I knew anymore.

--I’m scared. But it was useless to try and run away. I somehow knew that if I ran, I would be chased for the rest of my life. It was already there. Senpai had strongly rooted herself inside me.

I balance my heart.

I catch my breath.

I put strength in my stomach.

“I—”

I can’t show any weakness. If I do, I’ll be taken over. I’ll be swallowed up by the bottomless darkness that was closing in right behind me.

“I think it’s not just malice.”

It took all I had to spout out those words.

“Because Senpai, you—”

Unbeknownst, tears had started to flow from my eyes.

“You told me to forget everything, didn’t you?!”

The person known as Ayana Takamura, knew where she stood. She knew where she stood, and she probably knew that she was in the wrong place. Yet, she remained there helplessly. She stood there, alone and isolated, wanting someone to understand her. She just wanted a person who could see things the same way she saw them. She had been searching for a long time, but she couldn’t find anyone who could stand there. No – she finally learned that she couldn’t let them stand there. That’s why she told me to forget everything.

What should I do? Senpai had disappeared. She ended up vanishing. In all likelihood, she was no longer a living being. How should I confront this thing that used to be Senpai from here on?

I found myself standing under the lights which had switched on—

I took out a plastic garbage bag from the cupboard, then threw the notebook inside, and the vase along with the black lily into it. I then ripped the poster off the wall while doing my best not to look at it, and threw that into the bag as well. I put the tea kettle in there, and everything that had a trace of Senpai’s presence. I thoroughly cleaned everywhere in the club room as if I were trying to erase all traces and signs, everything of the other world that Senpai was engulfed in.

I have to start over again. The only way to get rid of these inescapable thoughts is to overwrite them. This club, this school, must be reborn as an origin of hope. From now on -- I must face the monsters as myself. I must walk the depths of the other world with my body firmly tied to this world.

From here on, I must bear the abyss of the other world<ref> Ikaigabuchi, the name of the website she creates. </ref> -- for the rest of my life.

After using up all my strength to clean the club room, I ran outside.

Under the setting sun, I rushed away from the school without looking back.

--------

Under a clear, blue sky—

White smoke billowed from the incinerator up to the heavens.

Early next morning, I arrived at school before classes started, visited the club room again, and threw away the functional bookshelf. In its place, I set up an old bookshelf that was abandoned behind the library. I swapped all the books as well. I swapped all the curtains, the slippers, and everything else with things I had brought from home. I carried out all of the things with a strong trace of Senpai one after another, and brought them to the front of the incinerator on a cart. One by one, I threw them into the fire.

--Let’s disband the literature club. But if that's all that’s done, the club room will come back to life again when kids who are interested in literature appear. So, I should close the club and start a new one here at the same time by borrowing the name of my friends. A club that will put off any ordinary students wanting to join – That’s right, a club that gives the impression of being too complex to join would be good. How about something like ‘Journalism Research Society’?

(-- Constantly updating information, is that your gift?)

I hear Senpai chuckling under her breath in the blowing wind.

I ignore her voice.

Pretending not to hear anything, I throw the black lily in the fire.

(-- But… it will betray you someday.)

As I listened to that voice in the wind---

I took out that photo from the plastic bag, and put it into the incinerator while trying not to look at it.

It was instantly engulfed in the fire. In the churning orange flames, the polaroid photograph crumpled as it writhed in the heat.

“……..Goodbye……..Senpai……”

I heard my voice mixed in with the sobs, as if it were someone else’s. In the midst of the blurred and crumbling scene -- Senpai was still smiling gently.

----------

“It’s already…. been five years since then.”

With the long, long story finally over—

Krishna-san took a sip of iced tea, which was now completely lukewarm.

Even though it was early October, the sound of cicadas reached my ears, as if representing the unyielding summer that persisted.

In any case, I had no idea what I should say. It was my first time hearing this story, and yet somehow, I felt like I had heard it somewhere before.

“The reason I became involved with the world beyond -- well, it was because of this. I must continue to investigate. I have to keep looking into the traces of the faint ‘them’ that Senpai referred to. Their sorrow. Their delusions. I have to keep my mind steady so I don’t get swallowed up by it, and proceed with their classification. If I don't do that – then sooner or later, I’ll be swallowed by her eyes.”

Krishna-san spoke with a somewhat distant look in her eyes.

“I don’t know if what I’m doing is actually confronting things. Maybe I'm just running away. But by watching my Ayana Takamura-senpai up close, I learned that there was a world I could not step into, no matter what. I learned that there was a world right next to us we shouldn’t get deeply involved in. That’s why I felt I had to classify it. And that was the beginning of the website ‘Ikaigabuchi’.”

I squirmed and looked to the side, and saw Yoishi sitting there, expressionless as ever.

A few days had passed since Krishna-san had lost consciousness in the club room.

On that afternoon, Yoishi and I had been abruptly called up to the club room by Krishna-san, and while I had expected her to start lecturing us, she unexpectedly told us the story about her high school days. The story behind her Senpai who had disappeared.

“That was not Senpai’s only experiment involving taboo words. She had placed countless taboo words on stone monuments, the school anthem, and student council slogans that students casually looked at throughout the school. Most of them have now been corrected or removed. But I didn't know about that book mixed in with the other library books.”

The petite occult site manager spoke with a sorrowful face that was uncharacteristic of her.

The book she was talking about was of course ‘Rororo’. The book that bastard Sako had taken away, it seems the crazy person who put the book there was her Senpai. In the clock tower, in the cat, in the club room early in the morning, and in the library, I learned that the dark gaze that had been staring at me was apparently her.

“So, after that Senpai of yours disappeared, that’s when you met Sako?”

Krishna-san silently nodded.

“I told you before that I had been through a lot – well, even after I changed everything to new in the literature club room, I still continued to hear Senpai’s voice for a while. I ultimately met him through a priest who knew my parents. That was when I finally managed to stop hearing Senpai’s voice – but it still didn’t disappear completely. Just by living my life, my spine naturally distorts, and I start hearing Senpai’s voice again. That's why I've been getting my spine corrected on a regular basis. But the other day, Takita-san showed up unexpectedly. And he told me, ‘It's time to cut off the source.’”

“Cut off… the source?”

“He was trying to remove all the taboo words that had been left behind in the school – he was probably talking about ‘Rororo’. That’s what he said. He asked me to lend him any of the things left behind by Senpai. So, I offered him the notebook that contained the taboo words – but that’s when that photograph fell out of it. That photograph Senpai and I had taken together. I thought I had burned it properly – but… no, I don't know if the memory of burning it was my desire or not -- I just don't know anymore.”

As I stared at my lap in silence, Krishna added with a groan.

“Anyway, I think it’s best to leave it to an expert from now on.”

…An expert. In short, that means it’s up to that bastard Sako.

Somehow or another, I had understood most of the story--

But even after I had finished listening, something creepy still remained. That Senpai of hers, the mystery of what she was trying to do by laying out all those taboo words on campus – and the fundamental question of where she had disappeared to and what became of her.

I asked Krishna-san, and she just shook her head slightly.

“I don’t know. No… to tell you the truth, I don’t want to know. My honest opinion might be that I don’t want to think about it at all. I have a feeling that the moment someone figures out Senpai’s plan, is when it might actually be realized.”

I shuddered at her words.

That’s right – that book she wrote. It was titled: ‘Dictation -- or the research of texts or sequences of text whose meaning, when understood, can cause spiritual phenomena’.

“It's been five years since then. Takamura-senpai is probably not alive. But if you ask me if she has disappeared from this world, I can't confirm that. That’s because Senpai’s thoughts still exist everywhere in this school.”

After that, Krishna-san shifted her gaze to the gloomy, silent Yoishi sitting next to me.

“Yoishi Mitsurugi. I sense that you see a different world than most people. And that means it's different from what Nagi-kun and I see. It’s filled with things people shouldn't know. It’s filled with things that shouldn’t be talked about. That's why I warned Nagi-kun not to get involved with you. Do you have any objection to that?”

“…I don’t.”

Yoishi muttered.

“This person and I just can't get mix.”

“Well, it's true that the confused emotions inside me are encouraging that idea even more. In other words, you remind me too much of Takamura-senpai, someone who went too far into the other world and couldn't come back. That’s somethings that’s very sad. A person who has discovered the depths of the darkness. And someone else who has become connected with that person. Mutual involvement leads everyone to misery.”

“That’s true, certainly.”

Yoishi nodded while swaying her leather shoes one on top of the other.

From the window of the Beatnik Research club, cheerful laughter emanated from the students outside and reached our ears. A breeze full of life poured into the room. Feeling it on my cheeks – I also felt an immeasurable distance between myself and Yoishi, who was sitting right next to me. It’s true that I also felt that Yoishi did not stand in the depths of darkness by choice. Something unthinkable happened in her past, which turned her into this supernatural psychic antenna that everyone is pulled towards. But I also knew that I just couldn’t do it anymore. I still have a functioning sense of fear. In addition, I'm much more unqualified than others as an occult enthusiast, and a weakling to boot.

That’s why –

That’s why, it’s impossible for me to be your friend.

I failed to say those words out loud; all I could do was continue to look downwards.

How much time had passed—

The black shadow gently moved besides me.

Yoishi lifted her pale face, straightened her legs, and leaned forwards to speak.

“But – it’s already too late.”

With a start, Krishna-san looked up as Yoishi continued:

“Because after all, the subject of that missing Senpai’s experiment… is not you.”

“…What are you saying?”

“In your evaluation of the person called Ayana Takamura, you said this: She had a strong grasp on everything from where she stood, and a strong will to accomplish her goals. She also had no lingering attachments to her flesh and body.”

“What about it?”

“With respect to the various details you’ve given us this far, you still hold a very clear memory of Ayana Takamura. It's so vivid that I can picture it in my mind when I hear it. She provided you with just one escape route, and yet, you failed to notice it.”

Krishna-san’s face grew pale at Yoishi’s intermittent speech.

“Why did you tell us about her?”

“That was because….”

“Why do you still have the notebook?”

“That was… to research taboo words, just in case….”

Krishna-san’s voice grew hoarse, as Yoishi shook her head, ‘No’.

“Ayana Takamura told you to forget everything. Her face, her voice, her scent, all of it. You were supposed to forget everything the same time you burned all her belongings. And yet --- just now, you’ve spread her existence into this world.”

Those words made Krishna-san lose her voice, and my vision darkened.

Krishna-san hated the darkness that had swallowed up her Senpai, but she couldn’t hate the person her Senpai was. That was because of Krishna's kindness and compassion, the foundation of her humanity. I knew that this compassion served as the source of her strength. But –

“Humans are the embodiment of malice.”

Without showing any mercy, and with glee spun in her words, Yoishi continued.

“That of course, includes the person who uttered those words, Ayana Takamura herself. And right now, everything is going exactly how she wished.”

Somewhere far away, I heard someone’s laughter.

A laughter filled with delight echoed, indicating that everything was going according to their plan.

The laughter kept ringing in my ears; I shook my head, as if to drive it away. But the black fog that engulfed my vision grew thicker and thicker.

Eventually, Yoishi stood up on her own, and spoke:

“In the language of flowers, the lily represents purity and innocence – but the black lily means something else.”

[[Image:Phenomeno-vol3-case07.jpeg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

She slowly walked up to the door, where she turned to face us once more.

That pale face filled with ecstasy. Those dark eyes that shone with a bewitching glow. As if enjoying our speechlessness, she spoke:

“It means, ‘I curse you.’”

<noinclude>
==Translator's notes and references==
<references/>

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| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Case_08|Case 08]]
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Phenomeno:Volume 03, Afterword

2023-12-03T14:20:06Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude tag

== Afterword ==

As it appears, the story "Phenomeno" is a novel that relentlessly compels its writer to think about ‘death’. No, that comes naturally when depicting the ‘paranormal, and there is already a magnificent and well-known saying in this world: ‘Momento Mori.’

Having said that, the other day, I attended the funeral of an acquaintance of mine. Until that point, I had always thought of funerals as ceremonies to help give closure to the hearts of the bereaved, and that they were more for the sake of the living, than anything else. However, as I gazed at the image of the departed, I realized that a ceremony is necessary regardless of whether the deceased had religious beliefs or not. It’s the first time for anyone to die, and I thought for the first time that the departed might be thankful to have someone else clearly declare, "You are dead”. At a funeral, the most tearful part is when the coffin is carried out, when you are strongly reminded that this is goodbye, but that is when I tried to think of it as: "We’ll meet again, someday.”

I will surely die someday, and I don't know if there is such a thing as the afterlife, but saying this made me feel a little lighter, to imagine that someday I would be able to talk again with the ones who have departed before me. As if swearing that, I would do my best to live a life that I would someday be able to talk about without shame… Huh? So, funerals really are for the living, after all? Well, it seems my thinking is still lacking.

Now then, I really must thank Yoshitoshi Abe in particular this time. I would like to thank the professional illustrator for his great artistry, his favor, and an apology for drawing nearly 20 illustrations that were not commissioned. Even though Abe-san himself had decided not to use them, one in particular made me feel as if I had been violently struck. It showed the realistic suffering of the girl named ‘Ayana Takamura,’ which I had not yet seen. And it was also thanks to my editor, Katsushi Ota-san, who decided that I should revise the whole story by adding ‘The Portrait of a Lily,’ to what was originally supposed to be finished in a single volume, and to make it a two-part volume instead. Once more, I have to say that it was a pleasure to work with both of you.

And to all who have read this far:

Thank you very much, once again. I’m sorry that no matter how hard I search, I can't find any other words that are worthy of this -- but here is a sky-full thank you.

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| Back to [[Phenomeno:Case_08|Case 08]]
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| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Volume 4 Prologue|Volume 4 Prologue]]
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|}
</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Volume 04, Afterword

2023-12-03T14:12:06Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude tag

==Afterword==

Contests.

I’ve wondered why people are eager to take part in contests, but I think that in the end, don’t they do it because they want to protect their identity? People resolve themselves to compete when confronted with others who do not share their values, when that other person rudely intrudes in their domain. At times, that is done through violence, through exchange of arguments built on logic, and through acts classified through a certain set of defined rules in sports, but that has some element of excitement for the spectators. It is then sublimated into entertainment and highly commercialized, leaving not a fragment of the pure individual resolve made at the beginning to engage in a contest.

Why I first began to think on this is because I was weak at contests for a long time. I wasn’t a fan of lumping people into winners and losers. In that context, I was under the impression that the medium of ‘novels’ was almost limitless in its diversity, and similarly, that the feelings of each person who reads them is dependent on the reader, and that there’s no ranking of first place, second place – But, in today’s society, novels too, are subject to relative value, be it the month’s best sellers, Amazon sales rankings, or simply and purely in the number of copies in circulation, things one can’t always control.

Of course, there are writers in this world who have the motivation to become bestselling authors, and it’s not my intention at all to disparage them, even so, when they wrote the first word of their first novel, the person they had to fight was something hazy inside themselves. When they conquered the battle in that inner blaze of conflict, a novel materializes, which is then evaluated by society, becomes their day job, and somehow, before they know it, it becomes not a battle with oneself, but instead becomes a battle with someone else – no, I thought that would be fine if that were the case, but…I don’t know. However, in the end, things that are exposed to time and countless critics are the real deal. The tiny battle that is only for oneself may eventually grow to the entire world that involves others, and to the grand battle that transcends even time, or at least, those are the self-conscious immature thoughts I have.

And -- thinking that far.

I realized, Ah, so that’s it. In short, the reason the people want to compete, is to move forward, even if only a little, and it might be an instinct to confirm that they have moved forward. Not to protect their own identity, or to knock down others, or even to classify them into winners and losers – it may just be a ritual to confirm that you were born into this world and that you are indeed headed somewhere.

Well, the world is so full of uncertainties that even such a wild thought exercise is only applicable to me personally, but at any rate, the world may be interesting because it is full of uncertainties, and I would like to become a mature person who can enjoy it with a sense of freedom.

Well then, the Phenomeno series is entering the second part of the overall story from this volume.

Yoishi, Nagito, Krishna, Sako, Takamura – we ventured into the stage where the main characters have all become part of one larger flow after having walked their separate paths, and even as I exaggerate so, in the end, it’s a small fragment in an even larger world, but from the perspective of those who live there, it’s the one and only thing, and I too, want to quieten my heart and follow them.

Please allow me to write a word of thanks here.

Yoshitoshi Abe-san produced wonderful illustrations this time as well. I don’t know how to thank him for the cover, a profound expression of Yoishi that is enough to suck out the soul, but I’m also extremely glad to see Sako Takita in visual form. Thank you so much!

The director in charge, Katsushi Oota-san, the assistant director Moegi Hirabayashi-san. Thank you for assisting me with a smile and never scowling, even when I was rewriting so much.

And lastly, to all those who have read this far.

I believe it is a type of fate that we meet here, I will treasure it like a precious stone, and try not to betray it even if it is vague and will be diligent from here on as well.

Even if my fight against myself is a victory 51 times and a failure 49 times…I desire to show you my self that will crawl forward.

October 2013
Hajime Ninomae

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| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno: Volume 5 Prologue| Volume 5 Prologue]]
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</noinclude>

Volume 4: Epilogue

2023-12-03T14:11:06Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Epilogue – Or, The Beginning of the Case that began everything==

“I’ve thought about it a lot, I’ve thought about it over and over again.”

It was on a day near the end of the year. Before my last working day at the part-time job, I dropped by the Beatnik Research Society in the western club building, where Krishna-san, dressed in a bulky turtle neck sweater, caught me.

“I’ve thought about it an awful lot. I consulted with Takita-san about it, and then I thought some more, and after careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that it was the only way. But I was really troubled whether I should tell you about it or not.”

“Um, please calm down. What happened?”

“No, take a look at this. It would be faster if you saw it with your own eyes.”

Saying that, Krishna-san thrust her phone towards me.

Displayed on the LCD screen, was a message board from some website.

“Lost child…alliance? What is this site?”

“Yoishi’s fan club.”

“Huh?”

“I heard it from Takita-san. Yoishi was using the handle ‘lost child’ to post on some suicide website. And that she became the object of strange worship there.”

“…Ah. But she didn’t do that in order to kill herself or anything--”

And, as I was about to continue explaining, “Never mind that, just look,” said Krishna-san as she handed me the phone.

Having no choice, I took it and scanned over the website. It was a different site than the ‘Heaven on earth’ website from before, but it looked to be a message board with the same users on it. It was run by fanatical fans of ‘Lost child’ aka Yoishi Mitsurugi, and at present, there seemed to be a flurry of activity for some reason.

“There’s like a ton of posts right now. Did something happen?”

“It’s Yoishi’s posts. Her fans are in pain because of her posts – or rather, she’s become the target of a pitchfork mob.”

“A target?”

“It’s because of this – read these posts from the poster ‘Lost child’.”

In front of Krishna-san’s small fingertip was--

Lost Child: 【I think this might be my last post.】

There was indeed a post like that from ‘Lost child’.

I continued reading the following posts.

Lost Child: 【I might have found someone worthy of what’s called trust.】

…Ah. So this is why they’re mad…. It’s not strange that they’re mad. Yoishi – no, ‘Lost child’ had become the hope or the voice for those tired of this world, because she had ended up becoming the bulwark that barely stopped the suicide applicants from killing themselves. However, that was with the presumption that ‘lost child’ herself was infatuated with death, that she was their comrade – That ‘lost child’ herself was spouting words that conveyed a sense of hope was an unforgivable taboo in their eyes.

【You think that person is trustworthy?】【You’re being fooled.】【Come back.】【Let’s die together.】

Sure enough, such emotionally bare comments were posted one after another, but way down below, there was a denpa-like answer from the ‘lost child’.

Lost child:【It’s alright.】

Lost child:【If I’m betrayed, I’ll curse them.】

Lost child:【I’ll curse them until the next generation, and the generation after that.】

…Oi, she doesn’t mean me, does she?

An awful sweat appeared on my neck, I said ‘give me a break’ to myself, as I continued reading -- and I found lost child’s post under the rage filled posts of the mob.

Lost child:【However, that person probably won’t betray me to a fearsome degree.】

…….

Lost child:【Because they are a large box that could hold even the darkness of infinity.】

Lost child:【Because the box was far larger than I imagined.】

Lost child:【For a long time, I thought I had no one in this world.】

Lost child:【But now, I feel like I have some kind of connection.】

Lost child:【That’s why.】

Lost child:【That’s why, I will live.】

Those were the last words.

And that was Yoishi’s – no, Lost child’s farewell to that website.

“This…”

I looked away from the smartphone and towards Krishna-san once again, as the petite occult website manager nodded.

“Up until now, I kept telling you that Yoishi couldn’t be saved. That it was difficult for someone to return once they had been entranced by the darkness. I was worried that you too might end up becoming entranced by the other side. But you stubbornly kept at it. You never let go of Yoishi’s hand. You were resolved to rehabilitate her, and continued accompanying her to the countless paranormal things she could see. Even as your own mind relentlessly wore away.”

“…Krishna-san.”

“And this is the result. I believe she has indeed begun to change. And…”

“…And?”

Krishna-san raised up her red glasses, with her face was flushed redder than her glasses, she spoke with a look of extreme bitterness:

“Nagi-kun, isn’t this – love?”

“…Eh?”

“Hasn’t Yoishi Mitsurugi fallen in love with you?”

“…Eeeeeh?”

“In short, you know what I want to say to you, right?”

She spoke with a scary look on her face–

I gulped.

And, I thought a lot. I thought deep and hard, To the point where I had never even thought about an exam this deeply. About what had happened until now, about what would happen. The tiny things I could do, the tiny things I had to do – and, the things that couldn’t be done if it wasn’t me. I thought desperately, and thought some more, and finally nodded. I stood up straight, and announced my answer to the petite occult site manager I respected.

“I shouldn’t be living with Yoishi anymore.”

“…”

“No – if I’m going to live with her, I have to do it properly.”

“Then you know what you have to do, right?”

Krishna-san nodded, and suddenly slapped my back.

“Go then.”

“Yes.”

I ran off immediately.

I slammed the door of the club room open, and almost rolled out into the corridor as I ran.

Yoishi, whose winter vacation had already started, said she was going to the city library today.

That’s why, if I were to go to the Musashino public library, which was a few minutes' bike ride from the university, I could meet her.

I don’t know what I should say to her when I see her. But that’s the way it goes. This wasn’t something you should think about before speaking. You just need to properly say the things you feel in the moment. You should only convey your feelings with full sincerity.

I pedaled the mama bike furiously; it made a noisy grating sound as the chain was rusty due to a lack of maintenance. I cycled past the back alley from the western club building, and hurled towards the public library.

--I wanted to meet Yoishi.

--I wanted to see her face, which seemed to bear all the sorrows of this world.

With that tantalizing feeling in my chest, I whizzed by on my bicycle.

I passed several fallen leaves from winter trees as bystanders looked at me in astonishment. Ah, now that I think about it, it’s almost New Year’s. I planned to return home on New Year’s, but come to think of it, what was Yoishi going to do? Was she going to stay alone in the apartment? What is the real situation with her parents' house? If her parents are still alive and well, and if they found out that their precious daughter was staying in the apartment of a stranger – moreover, in the loft of the apartment of a strange university student, how would they feel? If it was my father, he would, without doubt, smack the living daylights out of both his daughter and the guy.

I shook my head after thinking that far.

It would be better if I asked her directly.

If, on New Year's, she didn’t have a place to go to, I’d ask her if she would come to Fujieda.

After thinking about it long and hard, she came to Fujieda in my dreams, but not in reality. She had met my sister, but not my father. And neither did she meet my mother who slept in her grave. That’s right, I wanted her to meet the real Peko-chan, Maru-yan and Ranbashi. I wanted her to meet all the wicked friends in my hometown.

--That’s why, I will live.

I recalled Yoishi’s post, her words made my chest burst with happiness; they made me want to scream out loud.

I grinned suspiciously as I continued pedaling, and before long, I saw the light brown brickwork of the city library building. I impatiently parked my mama bike in the bike parking, and ran to the entrance – Where I saw that prominent figure come out of the automatic door.

In a black Koumei school uniform, her long black hair danced in the wind. She was wearing a black coat on top of it today. It was the same coat she wore on the day we first met in the family restaurant.

“Heeeey, Yoishi!”

I shouted.

Wearing a somewhat lonely expression, Yoishi Mitsurugi looked my way.

When she caught sight of me, was it my imagination, or did I see a look in her eyes that suggested the lost child had found her family?

I vigorously waved my hand at her.

Then, I hurriedly closed the distance between me and Yoishi, who was looking at me.

But—

At that moment, Yoishi’s eyes wavered.

It seemed as if they had found something behind me, and widened.

I also ended up unconsciously looking behind.

It was Itsukaichi-kaido Avenue. And beyond that – one lane away on the road, I saw a familiar little figure.

Long and pretty pony-tails. The innocent type. Large eyes like that of a doll – It was the ghost photograph selling elementary school student, Akane Nanamori. She wore the same red school bag as that day, with her slender legs sticking out of her short, elegant skirt, as she walked straight towards us. Her cute facial features were the same, but—the Akane of today looked hollow, as if she had been stripped of all life.

“Ah…”

And I realized.

The road she was walking on wasn’t the pedestrian crossing.

Akane was walking on the roadway for some reason.

“…That idiot.”

At the same time, I saw it. On the crossing, a two-ton truck speeding into the intersection just as the traffic light was about to change.

Suddenly, I recalled how Akane had urged me to play the word-association game by twirling her fingers that day in the park. I recalled the innocent expression she showed me for an instant. I recalled those sad eyes that talked about causing problems for her mother.

I moved in an instant. At that moment, moving Akane’s body away from there was perhaps the only thought in my mind. I threw my backpack away right there, and ran onto the road as fast as I could.

--For an instant, I thought I saw something black hanging behind Akane—

Was it because I recalled the ‘Curse god’ Yoishi had talked about?

The truck driver’s eyes as they widened in surprise.

The bystanders with their hands covering their mouth.

A flock of chirping sparrows perched on a power line.

The trail of clouds fluttering high in the sky — and the hazy afternoon moon far above.

I felt like I saw a lot of things.

However, I don’t remember anything anymore.

Someone’s scream reached my ears – and with tremendous force, heaven and earth turned upside down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

<noinclude>

==Translator's notes and references==
<references/>

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| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Volume 04, Afterword|Afterword]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Case 12

2023-12-03T14:10:36Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 12: The Gravestone of a Sixteen-Year-Old==

When I suddenly aimed my light towards the darkness—

The pale face of a woman appeared there.

The woman, her hair half white, stared motionlessly at me with a hollow expression on her face. I could hear my heartbeat race a mile a minute. My repeated gasps echoed and melted away in the dark room. The woman’s face looked seemed to float in the air, and her eyes, which were slightly out of focus, looked as though they were seeing right through me at something unknown.

Even after I finally realized that the woman was a portrait hanging on a wall, my knees continued to tremble – and from the bottom of my heart, I wanted to cry as I thought about it every time: Why the heck am I doing something like this again? ‘Give me a break’, I groaned, turned the light behind me, and another pale face appeared in the pitch-black darkness.

“Eeeek……!”

When I unintentionally shrieked—

“It’s too bright.” I heard a voice so calm that I froze.

Yoishi Mitsurugi moved her beautiful face away from my light, and then silently passed me by without a word. The sound of her footsteps on the floor rang out in a creepy, creaking noise.

“H…hey, Yoishi. Wait for me.”

Yoishi was in her high school uniform today as well. I don’t know if you’d call it traditional or gothic, but it’s a uniform entirely in black with a black blazer and a black skirt, so when we come to search a vacant house late at night with no electricity, she would always completely blend in with the darkness.

“That was the first one.” Yoishi spoke somewhat happily. “And this is the second one.”

On the corridor wall where she aimed her light, was a painting. It was indeed a portrait. The same woman from before was depicted on it. The same clothes, the same hair, the same expression. Her creepy, somewhat out of focus gaze looking off somewhere was also the same, and the composition of the painting, which drew her from the top of her head down to her breasts was very much the same – but, something felt slightly off. Well, I guess that was to be expected given that they were two different drawings of the same woman.

I tried not to think too deeply about it, and followed Yoishi as she ventured further into the manor.

As I recall, no one lived in this abandoned mansion for about seven years now. A middle-aged woman who was a painter is said to have lived here. That being said, I felt that there were an unusually large number of abandoned furnishings you wouldn’t find in a normal household. Vases of a strange shape, animal shaped plates, carpets with bizarre patterns– in short, the things scattered here and there were things that only a person of a particular sensibility would enjoy.

“Where is the sixth portrait, I wonder?”

Muttering that, Yoishi crossed the hall with no hesitation in her step whatsoever.

“Why do people who see that portrait go missing? And does the sixth portrait truly exist?”

Her words, spun like a whisper, reverberated in the darkness, like a craftsman’s fingers had flicked a narrow and hard wine glass. At that moment I heard a snap from somewhere. It could have been from outside the house, or it could have echoed from the darkness right next to me. Either way, it seemed to me like someone invisible was rejoicing. And as always, I regretted my actions.

--Dammit, I shouldn’t have come here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a cold December afternoon -- the day before Christmas.

On that day, I had something on my mind, so I asked for the day off from my part-time job at the Italian restaurant. My boss and colleagues were half cold and half sarcastic, asking me If I had a date, but I still felt really sorry towards them. For some reason, the Japanese enjoy Christmas with great enthusiasm, even though the vast majority don’t believe in Christianity. Moreover, tonight was Christmas Eve, a time more exciting than the day itself. For couples in society, it seemed to be customary to have dinner at a fancy restaurant on Christmas Eve, and the Italian restaurant I worked at was coincidentally very well known in the neighborhood as one such place. Understandably, the reservations were jam packed, and the restaurant employees were probably about to be in for a world of pain from here on.

I easily imagined that would be the case when I submitted my shift, but – I had suddenly realized something. At a time like Christmas Eve, I imagined Yoishi Mitsurugi’s sad figure alone in the loft of my apartment, browsing occult websites. Wouldn’t it at least be better to buy a cheap cake, pop some party poppers and say, ‘Merry Christmas!’ with some stacked cups? She might not have any interest at all in the birthday of a saint who died two-thousand years ago, but even so, a sound high school girl wouldn’t be browsing occult websites on Christmas Eve. At least, not one I’d seen or heard of. And if I went to my part-time job, she would end up being reduced to one of those rare high school girls. That was far and away from the ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’ I had aimed for. Feeling that strange sense of duty, I took the day off, despite feeling sorry about it. After my supplementary lectures at university, I headed straight back to my apartment, when I realized – I didn’t exactly know what we should do on Christmas that would be enjoyable?

Should we have dinner at a fancy restaurant?

Or should we go to an area of dazzling lights filled with couples?

--It happened at that moment.

My apartment door suddenly burst open without even as much as a knock.

“Nagito, I’m glad you’re here.”

“…Oh, Ooki?”

The person grinning at the entrance of my door was my university batchmate from the art department, Mitsuru Ooki. He wore a worn-out T-shirt, a wrinkled thin jumper over it, and jeans with holes in them, his usual attire which looked to be quite cold.

“As expected, you’re at home even though it’s Christmas Eve.”

Saying that, Mitsuru Ooki shamelessly barged in without even waiting for an invitation.

“Do you know why I’m here?”

“I keep telling you, I’m not psychic. Why are you here?”

“You’re an expert on scary stories, right?”

“No, I’m not an expert.”

“Really? Aren’t you always reading creepy books in the clubroom?”

Those would be the basic occult-related material that Kirshna-san gave me. But I didn’t feel they were scary or creepy at all, probably because those research materials were academic or folkloristic in nature.

“Listen, Ooki.”

I began to explain to Ooki, who had sat down next to me with a thud before I’d realized.

“As far as the occult is concerned, liking it and being good at it are two very different things. It’s true that I do quite love to read and hear scary stories. But if you were to ask me if I was an expert, then my answer would have to be a hard no. In fact, I’d say I’m a coward compared to the countless occult maniacs on ‘Ikaigabuchi’, I’m a gutless person who’s especially scared of paranormal phenomenon and have no tolerance for it whatsoever, just by talking to me about a bloody woman who has a hollow gaze is enough to burn the image into my brain and make me have sleepless nights.”

“I know quite well that you’re a coward. But still, you have more tolerance than the average person, right? You know a lot of stuff, right?”

“I don’t have tolerance, nor do I know stuff, but I still end up getting involved in the occult, that’s the problem.”

“Well, that’s fine. I want to hear your opinion on something.”

Ooki then pulled the electric heater I was using close to him and began to speak.

“There is – or, I should say, there was -- a female painter by the name of Shizue Namikawa. She’s generally unknown, but from time to time, when her works are exhibited, they have a unique style, attracting interest and admiration from many experts.”

“By ’was’ – you mean to say she’s dead?”

“Yes. She’s been dead for a long time now.”

I felt something strange in the way he said it, and I too sat down on the floor. It seemed like it was going to be an interesting story.

“She was a strange one, for sure. I mean, artists are known to be strange in general, but she was especially strange. She learned how to draw oil paintings by herself after crossing the age of 30, never had any solo exhibitions, and only rarely ever entered competitions around the country. However, even if she won, she’d never appear in person. Eventually, there were over a dozen uncollected prizes to her name. Then, the other day, a person in charge of the competitions really wanted to hand her the prize in person, so he sent over someone to the address where the paintings came from. That house was close to here – but, it seemed no one had lived there for almost seven years.”

“…Huh? What does that mean?”

“It means that the painter known as Shizue Namikawa wasn’t in this world anymore.”

“Uh huh...”

A shudder crawled up from under my feet, and I repositioned my cross-legged legs.

“The organizers checked it with the city and found her death certificate had been submitted seven years ago in August when she was 41 years of age. She was married once in her 20s, but her husband passed away. She had no other relatives and it seems she lived alone for the rest of her life. The place of her death was inside that mansion. One morning, a neighbor called the police and reported her mailbox being full of circulars and mail, and her body was discovered inside. The cause of death seemed to be heart failure, as there was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. Since she didn’t have any relatives, she was cremated by the city, and her cremated remains are still kept in the city’s ossuary.”

“So that means that the person who sent the picture was someone who pretended to be Shizue Namikawa – Or does that mean it was Shizue Namikawa herself, who was supposed to be dead?”

I connected the story in an unscrupulous, yet exciting way, and in reply:

“Well, the latter possibility isn’t obvious to normal people.”

Ooki tilted his hand to his mouth, seemingly gesturing for something to drink. I reluctantly reached out for the electric water boiler, brewed a pot of tea, and handed it over to him. He took a loud sip and grunted, “Delicious,” before continuing his story.

“So that’s where the official story ends, but the problem comes after that. I was working part-time with the competition organizers the other day and heard it from them directly, it seems there were a lot of strange things about that house.”

“A lot, you say?”

“There are rumors that suggest someone might still be living there.”

“…Hm.”

In short, I guess they want to say that it’s Shizue Namikawa’s ghost.

But recently, I found that I was no longer afraid of the formulaic ghost stories. Was it because I became involved in ‘Ikaigabuchi’ and faced real ghosts? So I arrogantly put on an air of seniority as someone experienced in the path of the occult, and spoke:

“You see, Ooki. This something a person I respect said: ninety-nine percent of the ghost stories in this world are in this world are lies, delusions, and misunderstandings. Isn't there a hobo inhabiting that place or something?"

But Ooki went “Well, hear me out,” and began to narrate.

“You see, it happened just last month. All the competition organizers consulted together, and decided together with the city officials to enter that house. She was a local artist, and they thought that if she still had other paintings, they could hold a private exhibition as a memorial to her. So, as expected, they found quite a few intact paintings in the house. Among them was a quintet of paintings that were thought to be self-portraits were especially wonderful, so they were catalogued along with other conspicuous paintings, and arranged to be taken out at a later date. However, this is where things start to get strange. When the transporter came to pick up the paintings and entered the manor, he found six self-portraits instead of five.”

“Huh? Couldn’t it be a simple mistake?”

“Of course, he thought that was the case at first. But not only he was a transporter, he specialized in paintings. He had an eye for aesthetics far beyond that of an average person. He compared it to the catalogue, and as a result – determined that there really was one more painting after all, so he contacted the organizers to have them check again. Thereupon, the organizer’s appraiser visited the house once more, and confirmed that there was indeed one more self-portrait with the same composition as that of the original quintet. Having no other choice, he seemed to have rewritten the catalogue, however, one day, the appraiser went missing.”

“…..”

“Furthermore, the transporter who first discovered the sixth portrait is now missing too. He didn’t come to work for a while, and a missing person report was filed by his family. After that, the selection of the next person in charge became difficult, so the talk of the solo exhibition died down. Well, I guess everyone felt something creepy about the whole thing. The painter passed away seven years ago. Despite that, her works continue to be sent into competitions. The self-portraits that increased in number at the house. And before you knew it, people began to whisper. Isn’t Shizue Namikawa still inside that house?”

I unintentionally took a gulp, when—

“--How wonderful.”

I suddenly heard a voice, and looked up to see a white face peering in from the loft.

“A….AGGHHHHH….!!”

Ooki, who usually moves so boldly, or what could be called a dull dragging motion, immediately flipped over, and I panicked when I saw him.

“It's here! It's here! A ghost!”

“No, calm down Ooki.”

“AGHH, how can I stay calm? Can’t you see it? Or are you already possessed?”

“I can see her. I can see and hear her. It’s hard to deny that she’s ‘possessed’, but she’s not a ghost or anything. She has legs, eats, sleeps, and browses the internet, a flesh and blood human. Although she doesn’t take baths.”

“…What?”

Ooki, who had his face covered in a cushion, finally raised his head. Thereupon, the pure white, long haired high school girl with miraculous facial features slowly descended the ladder from the loft. No, describing her appearance too positively will lead to misunderstandings, so I should mention that she slept in the loft since she came back from her high school’s end-of-term ceremony today. Her black blouse was wrinkled, and her hair was disheveled in a shaggy way.

“She’s Yoishi Mitsurugi, my flat mate.”

“F-flat mate?”

Yoishi bowed her head ever so slightly. But it was so slight you wouldn’t notice it unless you were used to it, and Ooki surely didn’t notice.

“Why? Since when have you – Is she your girlfriend? And moreover, she’s a high schooler? Dammit, you cunning bastard, you've been enjoying Christmas Eve, haven’t you?”

He turned blue, and then red in a jiffy, what a busy guy.

“That’s not it. Even though me may look like we’re living together, to be honest, she’s parasitizing in the loft portion of my apartment. But anyway, forget about Yoishi and please continue.”

Ooki sat in the formal position for a while as he stared blankly at Yoishi, before eventually clearing his throat once, and drank the last drop of the now lukewarm tea.

“Umm, now where was I… actually, that’s as far as the story goes. In short, that’s how the story of Shizue Namikawa’s solo exhibition was put to rest, and all that’s left is a creepy rumor. Did the self-portraits that were supposed to be a quintet, really increase? What would happen if you were to see the sixth one? The person who told me was scared, saying they didn’t know. So, I came all the way out here to let you know, since you really love scary stories. If you’re thankful, then treat me to something. I haven’t eaten well in the past two days, so a beef bowl would be fine.”

--This bastard, he really did come to scrounge some free food out of me.

As I glared at Ooki’s sloppy face—

“Say, is it alright if I ask you something?”

Yoishi suddenly interjected.

“Does that self-portrait only have a face? Or is it from chest up or a full body portrait?”

Ooki answered, somewhat taken aback by the sudden question.

“Umm…. No, sorry, I didn’t ask that much.”

“Did anyone else see it? Are the appraiser and the transporter the only ones missing?”

“There were probably more people who entered the Namikawa residence, but those two were the only ones who appraised the painting… the others probably didn’t see the sixth self-portrait. I didn’t hear about anyone else disappearing.”

“—Hmm.”

Yoishi whispered that much as she fell silent. Eventually, she staggered up and went back into the loft. As she was climbing the ladder, I was worried her pants would be exposed through her short skirt, but Ooki too was an innocent guy who intentionally averted his eyes.

“…I know I’m late to say it, but she sure is beautiful.”

“Well, her appearance anyway.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“Where? There’s no other answer besides her springing out from an occult site, is there?”

“Springing out from?”

While we were talking in hushed tones, I heard the laptop computer being booted up in the loft, and the sound of vigorous keystrokes eventually started to emanate. Apparently, she was searching for something. And that clacking noise made me recall something.

It was the strange website Sako had told me about in exchange for the job I did. The shadily titled, ‘Heaven on earth’, was a website of negative people devoted to propagating negative words and deeds, in short, it was a site for assembling those who wished to commit suicide. And the person with the handle ‘Lost child’, who was treated as their queen – seemed to have been Yoishi. How I surmised ‘Lost child’ to be Yoishi was due to her deep spiritual knowledge, and her peculiar manner of speech. Words like “It’s strange,” and her unique way of ending sentences, which doesn’t conform to the speech patterns of girls in this day and age, and which was definitely not used in writing.<ref>Yoishi’s unique speech patterns throughout the series include adding the particle ‘Wa’ at the end of her sentences, which is what’s being referred to here. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%82%8F#Particle </ref> And even there, Yoishi a.k.a ‘Lost child’, spoke indifferently of death. And her unique views on life and death, as well as her spiritual knowledge were popular with those netizens who excessively glorified death. When ‘Lost child’ logged in, they started posting ‘Descent’ like a cult, as if some god had descended.

--What the hell was she was doing at a place like this?

At the time, I was shocked, disgusted, and a little aggravated. I didn’t know why I felt aggravated at the time, but for the time being, I read all past posts from ‘Lost child’ related to death on the website. And – what I found out, was that this site was a little different from the suicide websites that were currently popular. Rather than being a place to gather a suicide buddy or to encourage suicide, the atmosphere was more like that of a university seminar in a sense, with everyone discussing the afterlife and those who had found the answer left (or perhaps committed suicide?). And instead of a professor, the person leading the discussion was ‘Lost child’, a.k.a Yoishi.

To those who longed for death, ‘Lost child’ did not praise suicide, nor did she denounce it, she merely continued posting her views on life and death with indifference. But at times, her words had a strange gravity about them. As a result, the number of people like me who had been caught up in them had multiplied, and the site thrived as a result.

What will you do if someone triggered by your words really did commit suicide?

Or was that not a problem since the site was only for people who were suicidal to begin with?

I didn’t know. Anyway, taking a glance at her old posts, the feeling I got was that Lost child’s occultic posts were interesting for the moment, and that there was a strange equilibrium there, as if someone who came here to commit suicide was discouraged from doing so.

As I drew that memory in my mind—

I heard Yoishi’s voice saying, ‘hmm’, up from the loft.

“—Did you figure something out?”

“The name of the atelier is ‘Grave keeper’.”

“Grave keeper?”

“I found out when I saw the address, it’s a solitary place behind the Tokyo Metropolitan cemetery. Maybe that’s why.”

After that, Yoishi’s face suddenly peeked out from the loft, and I realized. Her eyes had that bewitching glow about them. The hollow glass bead-look in her eyes was absent, and instead, a dark colored light shone within.

…Oh shit.

What was I gonna do if she asked me to go there? Until now, I had thought that Yoishi was pushing ahead to the world beyond to regain the feeling of ‘fear’ she had lost for some reason or other. And I thought I’d sort of accompany her in this rescue operation. However, now that I had found out about that site – what if Yoishi yearned for death itself? Wouldn’t that change the meaning of the haunted spot investigations?

Yoishi then asked me something incomprehensible:

“Say, have you heard of Hilbert’s infinite hotel paradox?”

“Hilbe…what?”

“David Hilbert. A German mathematician who died seventy years ago. The twenty-three Hilbert problems he presented in 1900 led to the Riemann hypothesis, a theory that stands unsolved to this day in the world of mathematics – but leaving that aside. The problem is the theory of infinity he proposed.”

“…I don’t know what you mean, but, say, could you come down here to talk. My neck hurts like this.”

Me and Ooki still had our heads looking up at the ceiling. However, Yoishi ignored me and continued speaking while looking down on us.

“To explain it in simple terms, it’s a though experiment which states that there exists an infinity larger than any infinity. For example, say there was a hotel with an infinite number of guest rooms. But all the rooms are full. At certain times, a new guest will arrive. Because of the rooms being full, the hotel shouldn’t be able to accept any new guests, but the guest insists on staying. What would you do if you were the manager of that hotel?”

“…”

I looked sideways at Ooki who had a foolish look on his face. He shrugged his shoulders in silence, so it couldn’t be helped, I answered after putting my fist to my lips and thinking it through.

“What to do, you ask… but there really is no other choice here.”

“No, you can still allow them in.”

“Allow them in? But the rooms are full, right?”

I rebutted while raising my head, and Yoishi spoke while looking down at me.

“The answer is to move the guests to the adjacent room in order. If you did that, the first room will become empty, allowing a guest to enter.”

“…Hey, that’s cheating.”

I said something like that – when I realized.

“Ah…I see, so it’s a paradox because the number of rooms is supposedly infinite?”

“That’s right. You must be relieved after listening to the solution now. A hotel like that can’t exist in reality, it’s simply a thought experiment. it’s definitely never the case, but--”

Yoishi’s voice abruptly turned to a whisper, and a sudden chill came over me. It was as if the strong cold outside blew into my room alone. It felt as if something would once again shake the earth I stood on.

“But what if something similar to that did occur in reality? Right, for instance, in the atelier with the title of ‘Grave keeper’.”

“……”

“Say, do you want to know?”

I took a gulp and shook my head.

“I don’t want to know.”

----------

But -- in the end, Yoishi and I were once again at a place like this late at night.

Soon after that, Ooki left with a dumbfounded look on his face. Well, if somethings impossible for you, then it's best to give it up right then and there. A normal person would shake their head when asked something like "Would you like to visit the rumored artist’s mansion when the streets are dead late at night?". So, the abnormal Yoishi and I, barged into the creepy mansion late at night on Christmas eve with pocket lights in hand. We were wandering around the large mansion with the smell of old wood and a lot of dust.

“Brr…it’s freezing.”

The house was strangely cold, maybe because of a draft coming in from somewhere, or maybe because it had the creepy characteristic of a haunted place. It’s true that temperatures in Tokyo had dropped dramatically at the end of December, but it was so cold that even the tips of my toes were painful and numb.

As I looked at Yoishi’s slender figure moving ahead of me without even a coat–

I breathed into my hands while the floor creaked as I went. However, I couldn’t really concentrate on the haunted spot investigation today. That was surely because the suicide applicant website I learnt of from Sako weighed heavily on my mind.

--Why was Yoishi on that site?

Was she, too, drawn to the other world? Did it mean that she was more interested in the world beyond rather than just the paranormal? However, up until this point, it felt like she had many chances to die. And in those chances, she wouldn’t have to physically stop any of her biological functions. For example, in that dream mansion of mine, or in the underground labyrinth of the Koumei institute – I had thought that far, when it suddenly occurred to me. Huh…wait a second? Was I the one who destroyed all those chances? She had wanted to fall into the world of the abyss, and yet, was I the one who ended up pulling her back into this world? Was she actually unhappy at my actions?

As I ruminated on such things—

I heard a crack ringing out beneath my feet, causing me to raise one foot with an eeek.

A broken flower vase lay there. It seemed I had trampled on it with my sneakers.

I felt ashamed about mindlessly barging into someone’s home every time, but that’s how it was with searching abandoned places. There may be broken glass scattered about in the dark, and if by some chance that you were discovered, you’d have to make a run for it. That’s why I always apologize internally, “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” as I move ahead while wearing my shoes. Krishna-san always told me to have respect for the deceased – and though it was true that no one had lived here for a long time, this was once a treasured place where someone lived and spent their days.

I gently moved the broken pieces of the vase to the corner and bowed.

And at that moment—

I suddenly felt someone’s gaze behind me.

I turned around and aimed my light, to see the swaying shadow of ornaments. I felt like the shadows were one too many when compared to the number of furnishings. Suddenly, I felt a dull pain in the back of my ears, and a cold chill ran through my back and transmitted through the rest of my body.

“—S, say, Yoishi.”

I took a gulp and called out to Yoishi, who had already moved further down the hallway.

“I know it’s too late to ask now. But do you know of the Youth Protection Ordinance?”

However, Yoishi neither stopped in her tracks nor looked back.

“In short, society isn’t so lenient as to let a high school girl live together with a university student. You living together with me makes me culpable to a crime, and I’d lose the trust of society which I could never regain. In the first place, that apartment is for bachelors only, and it’s forbidden for two people to live there together.”

I regularly said that kind of thing to Yoishi, to the point where it was something she was fed up of hearing. It had already been three months since we started living together, and even though it was forbidden to get used to this type of life, the simple reason I purposefully talked about it in this pitch-dark place was because I was afraid. If I kept talking for now, my fear would diminish.

“You’re trying to look for a new room, right? I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but I’m only letting you stay at my place because you don’t have anywhere to go. You know we can’t continue living together forever, right?”

However, Yoishi continued walking without looking back, so I stomped past her down the creaking hallway, aimed the light at her face, and spoke:

“Hey, wait! Even if, hypothetically speaking, we must live together, there would still have to be manners and rules.”

“…..”

“You should properly dispose the bags of snacks and plastic bottles that you finish eating and drinking. Also, it's time to get those uniforms cleaned. I'm lending you my jersey to sleep in, so don't sleep in your uniform.”

“Ah, how annoying.”

“W-what did you just say?”

“Why must you always annoy me about it?”

Yoishi spoke as she focused her light at my face in opposition.

“Why…that’s, you….?”

I was about to say that it was a part of the ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi plan’ – before I held my tongue.

The plan was already in shambles, and now that I had seen that website, I didn’t see the point in what I was doing. That’s right – the reason I was feeling dissatisfied and irritated with that site was because of Yoishi’s handle, ‘Lost child’. She had used her real name, even on Ikaigabuchi up till now, yet why would she choose a handle name now? It was because she didn’t want the people she associated with in her daily life – being me in this case, to not know, and she wanted to be able to express her true feelings without reservation to anyone. Furthermore, did that mean that she didn’t want to tell me her true thoughts? That was too cold towards me, who had thought of her as a ‘war comrade’.

Even so, was there any meaning in me accompanying Yoishi to yet another haunted spot? And how much longer should I keep doing it for? Was I afraid that she would die? Was I afraid she would end up broken? Was it a sense of responsibility of not being able to abandon her after getting to know her?

Once I think I’ve abandoned something, it leaves an extremely bitter aftertaste. Even now, I was still worried about Akane Nanamori. Yoishi had said that the girl selling ghost photographs didn’t have long to live. It might be true because she said it, but Akane Nanamori was still just a young kid, who should enjoy a long, long life from now on. Even now, it weighed heavily on my mind, wondering if there was still a way to save her.

--As I thought such thoughts, Yoishi muttered.

“You’re surely the clingy type.”

“…Eh?”

“As soon as you become someone’s boyfriend, you’d be the type to spend twenty-four hours a day asking where did you go? Who did you meet? What are you doing tomorrow? What are you thinking? And so on. The clingy annoying type that interrogates and pries through each and every detail. As a result, the type who’d make things worse by depending too much on your girlfriend, who starts stalking her, and resorts to violence in the end.”

“….Y,y,y,you bitch.”

Without even knowing what others are thinking – that’s really all you have to say? You’d really say that to someone who’s in tears and accompanying you to a haunted spot? Without care for the place or the situation, I shouted:

“You! Don’t you think you’re a waste? You really are a fine person. Aren’t you really pretty? Isn’t the reason you stand out at school because you throw up and scatter a sour smell everywhere without care for your surroundings? If you took a bathed properly and acted normally – you’d be beautiful enough make ten out of ten heads turn in a crowd.”

“There’s no meaning to appearances. In the first place, isn’t the only reason you’re associating with me is because you think I’m so damn pretty? Isn’t the reason you go to haunted places with me is because you think I'm breathtakingly beautiful?”

…You, would go that far?

I was flabbergasted with my mouth open — when Yoishi suddenly stopped moving.

She looked my way, as her large eyes opened even wider.

“W-what’s wrong?”

I called out to her, when I realized. I noticed a shift in Yoishi’s gaze. I thought her large eyes were staring at me, but they were instead pointed at the side of my face – in short, they were looking right behind me.

“Wa—you, where are you looking….?”

I felt a chill down my spine as if I had been doused with cold water, and reflexively crouched, when—

“There it is.”

Yoishi aimed the penlight behind me. Having ended up crouching down, I timidly turned around –

That woman was there.

There, perhaps, was the self-portrait of Shizue Namikawa hanging on the corridor wall.

“This is the third one.”

After exhaling a deep breath, I too aimed my light there.

It was a framed self-portrait about 700 x 600 cm in size. Inside the wooden frame, that middle-aged woman was there. Her pale face was filled with what could be called a hollow expression, and both of her eyes were strangely slightly out of focus as she stared at me.

“The style of painting is changing.”

“…Style of painting?”

“The self-portrait in the drawing room right by the entrance had a somewhat realistic style. However, beginning with the second portrait, the emphasis was put on colors, and the primary colors are even more striking in this third one. The Fauvism-like uninhibitedness strongly permeates this work.”

As I cocked my head in puzzlement, Yoishi started walking ahead. Her footsteps creaked the floorboards of the dark, narrow corridor as she moved her feet towards the darker depths of the mansion.

Having no choice, I made to follow her, but the further I went, the less I understood the structure of this mansion. From the outside, it didn’t look like a large mansion, but instead seemed to be a long and narrow arrangement of rooms in the back. It was connected with the forest at the back of the cemetery, and the mansion was surrounded by thick and tall zelkova trees. That might have made it hard to get a full picture of the mansion. The ceiling was high, and it might have had an attic, but it was a single-story house in the style of a western mansion.

“This is the fourth.”

Eventually, Yoishi spoke at the center of the slightly open living room at the end of the hallway. At the end of her aimed pen light, was indeed a similar self-portrait in a frame. However, when I saw that picture, I gulped. This time, even as someone ignorant about art, I could tell. The style of painting was definitely different. The subject was drawn in a somewhat more distorted style, making it look like it was the work of a different artist altogether.

“I don’t understand it well, but it’s like that, right? The series of self-portraits are intentionally drawn in the same composition, but in different styles.”

“Right, intentionally done.”

Yoishi then repeated in whisper.

“And how much of it was intentionally done, I wonder?”

--How much? What did she mean?

Most of the things she spoke of were cryptic, but she then said something even stranger.

“Why did Shizue Namikawa name this place ‘Grave keeper’?”

“Huh?”

“To begin with, no one knows when and how the occupation of a grave keeper first arose. The most common theory is that it was created to protect the bodies buried in the ground from dogs and crows, but there are also other theories that it was created to protect the relics buried with the dead in the coffin - necklaces, rings, and other precious metal items. However, the commonality in those myriad theories is that the grave keeper is an existence that is the antithesis of a grave robber.”

Saying that, Yoishi turned back to me.

“Say, don’t you think it’s strange? In the age of burials, a hole was dug in the ground, and the body was buried in a wooden coffin. The wood would eventually rot and turn to dust. The same went for corpses. If that’s the case, a strange thing happens. Where did the space they had secured go when they disappeared with the earth?”

“No, where you ask – but the body and the coffin turned to dust, right? In short there’s no such thing as a space. It turned into dust as is, right? It all comes out even.”

“Maybe so.”

Yoishi answered somewhat happily, as if she had already guessed my answer.

“There must always have been a cavity between the corpse and the coffin so that precious metals and other relics could be placed in it. So, the total volume of the coffin crate and the body is definitely smaller than the total volume originally secured by the coffin's outer crate. In other words, after a certain amount of time has passed, the grave should be hollow underneath.”

No, but that’s…

Still, I thought. The grave might have indeed collapsed with the passage of time. It may have been the grave-keeper's job to pour earth over it again and stamp it back into place.

I was about to object with that argument – but stopped at the last moment when a thought struck me. Right now, I had that original thought inside me. I felt like it was the reason I stood her now. But what if I were to say it out loud and Yoishi would deny it all again completely with the theory of the world beyond? At that moment, the place I stood would surely collapse. Something would end up tumbling and flipping over. Not to mention the fact that this was a place the supposedly dead artist lived, and it was close to midnight. I should keep the last thoughts to myself and keep my mind safe—

That was the answer I had reached after wandering with Yoishi many times in the depths of the world beyond.

When I looked up, Yoishi wasn’t there anymore. I raised my light in a panic and moved ahead. She was standing in front of a door a little further ahead. She stopped while clutching the brass doorknob, which gave off a dull light.

“Is something wrong?”

I called out to her, and Yoishi turned her pale face towards me. And after that, she silently aimed the light at my back – at the path I had come from.

“…W,what is it? Was something there?”

Yoishi continued to stare at the darkness beyond with those dark eyes of hers, but—

“…It’s nothing.”

She shook her head in the end. And in a single breath, flung open the door.

*Creaaaaak* -- An unpleasant wooden creaking sound rang out in the surroundings, and I involuntarily shut my eyes. It was because I sensed something oozing out together with the dust from behind the door. However, I sensed Yoishi had moved ahead, so I slowly opened my eyes and took deep breaths as I followed her.

The moment I entered the room, an acrid smell pricked at my nose.

This… was that. The smell of turpentine oil used in oil paintings.

“It seems this was the real atelier all along.”

As Yoishi said, it was a space around 24 square meters in size. Illuminated by the light, an easel and a wooden stool stood out at the center of the room. There was a single window on the right side of the room, covered with thick, sooty curtains. On the wall to the left were several works of art, some completed, others that were obviously abandoned. And on top of those large and small canvases laid out on the floor – the painting was in the center of the white, plaster wall.

“This is the fifth portrait.”

Yoishi stated indifferently – but I didn’t know anymore. It was blended with countless colors to the point where it was only consistent with previous paintings in Shizue Namikawa’s outline, her hairstyle, and the strange look in her eyes.

“…Say, Yoishi. Just what was Shizue Namikawa trying to do? Why did she go to the trouble of drawing these paintings in a different art style?”

Yoishi responded in a whisper:

“Just as writing has an aspect of organizing thoughts, so does painting. Shizue Namikawa might have been trying to extract something by repeating the same motif again and again. If I had to say, I’d say that this is an abstract painting, but they are far from the cubism and expressionism of Picasso and others.”

With that somewhat difficult reply, Yoishi focused her light elsewhere.

“And from here on, if we were to find a self-portrait, it would be the sixth one in question, but—”

Yoishi then spoke in a whisper, ‘It’s strange’.

“…W, what is?”

“There are no other doors in this room.”

“Huh?”

“The rooms end here.”

Hearing that, I, too, aimed my light at the surroundings to confirm.

Sure enough, I didn’t see any other door besides the one we entered through. Which meant that this canvas hanging on the wall right might have been the sixth painting. Saying that, I crouched down, aimed my light, and checked the discarded pictures one by one. Yoishi soon crouched down next to me, and we both checked all the paintings together, but in the end, none of them were portraits, but rather, landscapes and pointillism.

“…It’s not here. So, isn’t that all there is to it? The rooms end here, and the sixth painting never existed in the first place, right?”

I spoke praying somewhat that that was the case – however, Yoishi had her arms crossed, and her fingers on her lips as she thought about something.

“It's not like those two disappeared because they found the sixth painting, it might have just been coincidences piled together. Those kinds of countless misunderstandings often accumulate and circulate in the form of a ghost story--”

“Wind.”

However, Yoishi suddenly announced that as she began to survey her surroundings.

“The air in this room is moving.”

She muttered, and began to walk around the creaking floor, eventually she moved one easel out of the way and crouched before the wall. She then began to feel around the wall here and there.

“Here – these boards are different from the wall. They’ve been painted with the same color so it’s hard to tell, but this might be a sliding door.”

She declared, and without waiting for my answer, she quickly began to move the stuff on the other side of the easel.

“See, there are signs that the floor has been cleaned of dust. It means that someone other than us has opened it recently.”

“Was it the people who disappeared?”

I asked with a gulp, and Yoishi replied:

“Say, did you feel a sense of discomfort when you heard your friend’s story?”

“…Eh?”

“For example – the fact that the transporter was the one who discovered the sixth portrait before the appraiser.”

Her words sent a chill down my spine.

The words Yoishi Mitsurugi always spoke. 『The real ghost stories had a sense of discomfort about them.』『A sense of discomfort as if something important has been skipped over.』

“How could the transporter find the sixth portrait even though the appraiser only counted five? Perhaps that was because he was a specialist in transporting paintings, so he persistently checked that painting in comparison with the others. In short, he felt the need to check the other paintings to make sure there wasn’t another self-portrait among them. Was that all the paintings there were? Were there any other rooms? And that is when he found this – and entered. And, without a doubt, it was the same for the appraiser who learned of the existence of the sixth portrait.”

As her words reached my ears, a terrible sweat broke out all over my body.

The cold air was rising, and a chill ran through my back – Yoishi traced her hand along the wall, found a small hole, put her finger in it and dragged it sideways. A terrible *screech* sound rang out, and beyond the darkness, an even darker darkness appeared.

It reminded me of the black of the black sea I had once seen.

And, in front of that pitch black darkness that was seemed to pull me in, I suddenly remembered.

Come to think of it, that time we played ‘Dear Nostradamus-sama’ in the club room, I – That’s right.

Didn’t I inadvertently take my hand off the ten-yen coin? It’s far too late now, but that didn’t cause any problems, did it? If something terrible were to happen from here on – no, wasn’t I already in the ‘abyss’ as Yoishi put it…?

“Say…Let’s stop.” I spoke at last as my voice trembled.

The portraits, which looked like pictures at first were taking a bizarre turn. As I checked them one by one in this dark house, I began to be seized with strange thoughts. It was as if this house was inside the mind of the painter – no, it was as if I was engulfed in the whirlpool of thoughts left behind by the painter.

The fifth painting was strange in the first place. If I were to end up seeing the rumored sixth one, I felt like something would end up happening.

“Well, it’s fine if you want to stay here.”

“….”

“I’m not forcing you to do anything.”

Yoishi spoke in the same snide manner as earlier, stooped over somewhat happily and ventured deeper into the darkness.

--Ah, that’s right.

I muttered somewhat desperately to myself.

It’s just like you said, one’s life and wandering around haunted places are all one’s own responsibility. I wish I could do the same. It’s something I think about every time, I always want to turn back one step short of the breaking point of my limits. If I don’t do that, then one day, my mind will surely collapse. I would someday be swallowed by the darkness of the world beyond.

--And yet – why do I always fail to do that? Why do I keep following the girl who’s entranced with the world beyond, who searches for the true face of fear?

That was surely because I thought of her as a war comrade. She came to help me in that dream mansion, the source of my greatest fear. I’m still here thanks to that. And – I realized something there. Something had happened in Yoishi’s past. Something so terrifying that the feeling of ‘fear’ itself was snatched up from its roots. That’s why I had made the decision to stand by Yoishi’s side, just like how she had done for me. Even if I couldn’t help her solve the fundamental problem, I promised myself that I would at least share half the burden she carried. Even though my commitment wavered at times, I still wanted to protect that much somehow, for as long as I existed. That’s what I always thought.

However—that was dependent on a condition.

That she, herself, treated it as a problem to be solved.

That’s why I was irritated when I learned she was hanging around that suicide website as a ‘Lost child’. I had been working hard for her rehabilitation, and yet, if she herself yearned for death, it would all amount to nothing. My actions, my resolve, my determination, would be nothing more than tilting at windmills, and moreover, Krishna-san’s words would turn out to be true: 「Those who are entranced by the depths of the darkness cannot be saved.」

I suddenly recalled the negative thoughts plastered over a portion of the suicide website.

Of course… there had been many times when I wanted to throw my life away. But there were just as many times I was thankful to be alive. I am sure that both feelings would come alternately in equal proportions in the future. I live my life with the hopeful expectation that If I could get over the tough times now, then better times would surely be waiting ahead for me.

But, seeing the countless words posted on that site, I realized how naïve I was. On that site were endless stories of parental abuse, the cold betrayal of close friends, and the relentless abuse of teachers. A feeling of loneliness as if the world was telling you that you are nothing, and filled with an emptiness that took away the color of this world. I, too, might one day end up envisioning death as a sweet fantasy when thrown into that whirlpool of despair. I, too, might end up wanting to run away from everything.

There is an argument in this world that people who commit suicide are weak. Even I think that sometimes. But the basic premise that all humans should know is—

That no one chooses death by nature.

There is a harsh reality in which people are driven to the point where they can only choose ‘death’. They stand on the edge. The slightest push would be enough for them to choose death.

And strangely enough, 'Lost child' was the bulwark keeping them at bay. No, they themselves were acting as a bulwark against each other. That might look like licking each other's wounds to an outsider who has never thought of dying. But still, they're keeping a balance at the edge. And that balance is in no danger of collapsing. For them, the collapse of the balance might be the push on the back they need to change their fate to death.

That's right -- could it be that they are... Always giving it a try?

Aren't they constantly ‘testing’ their fate in some way?

They always want to ask someone whether they're better off alive or not, whether it was alright that they were born or not, isn’t that why suicide applicant websites keep popping up?

Come to think of it, Akane Nanamori also said it when I asked her about Yoishi. That "She might simply be giving it a try." And "Because I'm the same."

That means that, in short…

"I want to get to know you a little better from up close."

At that moment, I finally recalled the line Yoishi spoke when she came to my apartment.

Those were the words she spoke. Was she ‘testing’ me by stepping deeper into the abyss, where there is no help? How far could I follow her -- How much of her darkness I could be exposed to before I would let go? Was that the thing she was desperately ‘testing’ up until now?

"—Dammit!"

I took a gulp and then – I shouted, “Dammit,” out loud, once more.

“This…goddamn idiot was…”

I cursed out loud and plunged into the mouth of darkness that lay in front of me.

“Hey, Yoishi, wait. I’m coming.”

However, I stopped in my tracks the moment I jumped in.

I thought Yoishi might have moved further ahead already, but there she was. It really seemed as if she had melted into the darkness with her penlight turned off.

….Heeey, don’t scare me like that!

I was about to say out loud, when–

“--Why?”

With her head hung down, Yoishi asked me.

“Aren’t you afraid right now?”

“…Eh?”

“You’re scared out of your mind, aren't you? And being scared is something that should be quite painful for a normal human. Why do you move forward in the face of that pain?”

That was—

Because I couldn’t leave you alone, or because I didn’t want to end up hating myself, or maybe because I was really interested in the occult. I could think of countless reasons, but I felt none of them were appropriate, so I said, “Shut up.”

“Waiting alone in a place like that is way scarier. I mean, telling me you’re not forcing me to do anything -- so you're saying that your occupation of my loft is not forcing me to do anything? With the words you utter by calculating the endurance of my occult-loving nature, aren’t you the one who always forces me in tears at the end?”

Giving those absurd arguments, I aimed my light at the darkness.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

I grabbed Yoishi’s hand, and continued forward.

To a somewhat hesitant Yoishi, I declared:

“Give up already.”

“…..”

“I might be annoying, and I might have the temperament of a stalker. But I’ll always be by your side.”

“…..”

“If you don’t want that, then work hard. The day you can smile cheerfully is the day I’ll stop being annoying.”

With those words, Yoishi gently gripped my hand in return.

And in the darkness-- we began to walk.

We began to walk towards the darkness, one that we might have to face in the near future.

“In all likelihood, I believe it leads to a barn.”

Yoishi eventually muttered and passed me by to lead the way into the darkness.

A moldy odor prickled my nostrils.

Something soft caught my face.

I realized it was a spider web and hurriedly brushed it off with my hand.

The darkness was immensely dense. A hole that seemed to lead to hell – no, it was the slope that connected this world to the next, Yomotsu Hirasaka.<ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yomotsu_Hirasaka</ref> I felt as if I was descending down that slope. Although I'm ashamed to say this so soon after speaking with such bravado, but I was already regretting it. …Ah. Just recently, I had managed to get through a situation like this. In the basement of the Koumei Institute, that infinite corridor where this world and the other world seemed to merge. Why was I wandering in such a place again after throwing snot everywhere and escaping death from the scruff of my neck? It was hard to believe that this place was in Musashino or Tokyo. I don’t think It was a place where people would live anymore.

“If there is a sixth portrait, it should be close by.”

As Yoishi finished speaking, the ceiling suddenly got taller. I felt the intimidating air around me suddenly decrease. When I aimed my light, I saw a space of around 13 sqm.

The floor was bare earth, and a worn-out spade leaned against the rough wooden planks that made up the wall. There was also a dirty stepladder. It was indeed a barn just like Yoishi had said, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief seeing traces of a place once inhabited by humans.

But--

I turned my face where Yoishi silently aimed her light, and my body froze.

There was a forehead there. A frame in the same shape as the previous five portraits.

And in the center of it – on a white canvas, was that woman.

Drawn in the same position, she looked at me with her distorted gaze. She looked at me, as if pleading something directly to my brain.

This was, in short—

“The sixth one.”

Yoishi declared with an ecstatic expression.

But – but, I didn’t know anymore. I don’t know if it could be called a painting. I never saw a painting in such a style. The outlines were so blotchy and crumbled that you couldn’t tell if it was a painting by Shizue Namikawa without prior knowledge. The area around her eyes was dark. It was so dark I didn’t know what kind of pigment was used to express such a black color, but her gaze was clearly directed at me. There was a passionate will pleading to me for something, with a darkness that was enough to pull me in.

“…How wonderful.”

Yoishi spoke with an ecstatic expression, however, I was, as expected, in tears.

The earth was shaking.

My knees were trembling to the point of making a sound.

--I didn’t want to be here anymore. Not for a second longer. That was the warning sound blaring inside me. I shouldn’t look at this picture anymore – and that it didn’t belong in this world.

Did she sense my body shivering relentlessly?

“Let’s leave.”

Saying that, Yoishi pulled my hand.

And then, as if to lead me above water from the deep ocean depths where I was about to drown, she pulled me, and ran.

And as if entrusting everything to the feeling of her cold, soft hand – I ran as well.

-------------------------------------------------------

The shadows of the tall zelkova trees stood in a row, the clear night sky spreading out above them.

I didn’t remember how far or where we had run to.

Before I realized, I was in a dense covering of grass thick enough to make me choke.

The chirping of insects reverberated around me. There, I repeated breaths deep enough to monopolize all the oxygen around me. I inhaled oxygen as if it were such a delicious thing, and I spat out all the ominous things trapped inside my lungs. I was freed from the feeling of being trapped, of something hanging right above my head, and the feeling of pressure as if my body was being twisted into something, a hollow smile soon appeared on my face, and I even let out a laugh.

“We can leave from here.”

I raised my head to see Yoishi standing in front of me, staring off into a dark thicket. It seemed that barn had an exit, and instead of going back all the way through the house, we exited straight out.

“---Where…is this place?”

I looked around once more as I asked, but Yoishi began to walk without saying a word; Flustered, I followed her.

Yoishi Mitsurugi bravely straddled ahead through the thicket. Even though it was a moonlit night, we continued on a path so rough I could only find it by shining a light at my feet.

The path gently sloped down.

How far are we going? I was about to ask, when my vision abruptly widened.

For a moment, I thought I had come to the sea.

However, when I looked closely, there were countless gravestones silently lined up.

Ah, this place is…

it seemed to be the southern end of the K cemetery managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan government, which had over 40,000 gravestones, and covered an area of around 650,000 sqm. <ref>Kodaira cemetery: http://www.city.kodaira.tokyo.jp.e.fj.hp.transer.com/kurashi/000/000127.html </ref>

Yoishi and I stood motionlessly under the dark sky facing the gravestones that stretched to the horizon.

The clouds moved in the pitch-dark sky.

The moon and stars peeked out.

Only a cold wind blew through them.

A winter wind blew across, as if raining down from the clear starry sky.

And it was faintly permeated with the aroma of incense permeated into the ground.

Right now, in front of our eyes, was an ending of one side.

Someone’s life. Someone’s conclusion. A tiny trace of someone once having lived in this world.

And – why was it, I wonder? I was standing right in the midst of countless graves, and yet, strangely enough, I felt no fear. All the people here, were dead. I was comfortable with death, and to die was to finally be at rest.

Eventually Yoishi slowly began to walk again, and I followed.

On both sides of the path were tall, overgrown weeds that had been untouched for many years – Suddenly, I saw many stones lined up in one direction.

“Ah…”

“It’s the section for those who have no one to mourn their death.”

Yoishi’s whisper unintentionally startled me.

Right, those were certainly graves – or what used to be graves. Some of them had already toppled over. Some had already decayed to the point where the epitaph couldn’t be deciphered. There were withered flowers in vases that had already broken down since who knows how long, and muddy cups of sake also lay scattered about.

“—Say, Yoishi.”

Trying my best not to look at the mass of graves with no one left to tend to them, I asked.

“Did you figure out that what happened in that house? Who was sending Shizue Namikawa’s paintings to the competition and for what purpose? And why was the sixth portrait in a place like that?”

“If you were to ask me who it was, there’s no answer other than Shizue Namikawa herself.”

“No…but Shizue Namikawa died seven years ago, right? That’s why it became a ghost story, right?”

“That’s not it.”

Yoishi declared without looking back.

“That was… future mail.”

“…Eh?”

“A system where you can post something to someone many years in the future. If you were aware of a system like that, you could send a mail to a competition after your death. The question is, why would Shizue Namikawa do that – and why did the sixth self-portrait originally not exist? There were only five self-portraits in the beginning, as had been originally appraised.”

“Wai--”

With a cold feeling as if something rubbed my neck, I asked.

“Wa-- wait a second. Didn’t we see it? There was definitely a sixth painting. It was hidden in some obscure place like the barn. It was so creepy that the people who found it got scared and disappeared--”

As I said the words out loud, a terrible premonition quickly began to grow inside me. The hill road we were walking on became markedly steeper.

Yoishi broke the branches that extended to her face, flung them at her feet and spoke:

“We proceeded to the back of that house from the entrance. We thought that the style of the paintings changed from the entrance as we moved from the entrance to the interior. But that wasn’t the case. Everything was in reverse; the barn was the entrance.”

“…The barn was the entrance?”

“I didn’t call that painting we found in the barn a portrait. I only called it the sixth one. And that was not even a canvas. When I looked at it closely, I understood – it was merely a window frame designed to fit the same frame as the other five self-portraits.”

“…No, wait a second… then, what? Are you saying that when I was there… I was only looking outside the window?”

“Yes. The only thing we saw outside that frame-like window was the scenery we see here now. And, if you saw something else besides this scenery--”

''“Then that, was something not of this world.”''

I suddenly felt something rear its head from one of the graves in my surroundings.

The sixth self-portrait—no, the window frame made to look like a canvas I had seen earlier, was drawn in my mind once more. The moment I recalled the hollow depths of those eyes, that gaze that pierced through my back – the air rang in my earlobes.

Just as my legs were about to wobble, the path abruptly ended.

It was – the main street that ran through the center of the cemetery. We were thrown out on the paved road wide enough for large vehicles to pass each other. I saw a sidewalk lined with black cherry tree trunks.

Yoishi silently continued on that sidewalk. A little further away, I saw a tower that looked like a memorial monument. It seemed to be the center square of the cemetery, and we proceeded to it. Eventually, we reached a fountain without running water, and Yoishi sat down at a nearby bench.

From there, I looked back on the road we made our way from. I could barely make out the roof of that house beyond the dark copse we had just passed through. If you saw it from here, you could tell. That house was located on top of a hill, overlooking the cemetery.

“Why did Shizue Namikawa call that atelier ‘grave keeper’? It probably stemmed from her life.”

As Yoishi quietly began to narrate, I sat down beside her.

“She didn’t have single relative. She was married once, but death parted her from her husband. She lost the family she had finally gained. I don’t know where her husband is buried, but the possibility is high that he is here close to her home in the K cemetery. Although I heard that this cemetery was popular and booked several decades in advance. That means she might have waited for a vacancy in the community cemetery. No, Shizue Namikawa must have been waiting for a grave to open up day after day.”

“No… I mean, you’re just guessing, right…?”

When I asked her, Yoishi slowly turned to face me. Her face, illuminated by the moonlit night, was pure white, and her eyes were filled with emptiness. However, there was a definite sadness in them.

“She learned to draw by herself around that time – which proves everything. She continued to paint and wait day after day for a grave to become vacant. However, she finally realized. Having no relatives, if she were to die – she would not be able to protect her husband's grave, even if she got one. Even though they met through a fated encounter, they would end up sealed in tombs that no one would care for. The tombs with no one to care for them should have been infinitely filled must have been nothing but emptiness for her.

Infinitely… filled---?

Thereupon, I finally realized.

“I see… you said it in the apartment. Some story about some hotel…”

“That’s right, Hilbert’s infinite hotel paradox – the thought experiment that there is an infinity greater than any infinity - applies precisely to this cemetery. Every day, someone dies. And they go to their graves. However, the land is finite, and the number of graves will one day be insufficient. When a grave has no left to care for it, it indeed becomes empty, but even if you stop thinking of the person in that grave, it doesn’t erase the existence of those within. They've been relegated to a realm beyond the reach of thought, but they definitely exist. And – perhaps, in her mind, graves with no relatives to tend to them were not infinite, but merely infinite because they were displaced.”

“Then… why did she use a future postal service to get her paintings in the competition?”

I tried to ask –

But somehow, I had already realized it. Even so, I wanted to hear Yoishi confirm it with her words. Yoishi gazed at me with a sad look, exhaled a white breath up into the night sky, and spoke the words.

“She allowed the dead to soar back into the world of the living as paintings.”

“……..”

“She lived as a grave keeper, and continues to be one even after death.”

Those words—

Endlessly echoed inside my ears.

“I don’t know whether Shizue Namikawa decided to protect the grave as a painter or became a painter to protect the grave. However, if she continued to send her paintings through the future postal service to competitions, whether or not they won prizes, the existence of the sender would be sure to be noticed. If a painting were to gain a bit of recognition, someone would one day visit her house. And her thinking probably was – that If there were many paintings left inside, then they might be kept for safekeeping somewhere. If they were kept by an appropriate organization, then as long as society existed, the safety of the paintings would be assured. And the longer it took for the paintings to be discovered and stored, the better. After all, the more pictures of the dead that are transcribed, the better. Because that’s the only way to return someone without any relatives back to this world. To gain time – that’s why she used the future postal service.”

No—that was madness.

It was a concept and action outside the bounds of common sense.

But—

I don’t know why, but now, here in the middle of this vast cemetery late at night, I understood her feelings painfully well.

Right, she was just doing what she had to do as a ‘grave keeper’.

“The idea of transcribing infinitely increasing number of dead on a limited canvas would indeed fail. However, we as humans are doing it, we bury an ever-increasing number of dead into limited graves and have yet to fail.”

“……..”

…I didn’t know. I had no idea. I never thought about it before. I had a vague idea that I would obviously be buried after I passed away – but, if I never got married, if all my relatives passed away, and in the instance of not having even a single friend who cared for me… my life might be labelled as one with no connection whatsoever.

I suddenly felt a fear different from that of ghosts, and let out a deep breath.

And then looked up at the jet-black sky.

Tokyo’s skyline had few stars in it, but—

In them, it felt like me and Yoishi were alone right now.

In the endless darkness that was ahead and behind, it felt like we walked together hand-in-hand.

“When I go to an art museum, I sometimes see a painting I can’t help but be fascinated by.”

“…Eh?”

I looked to my side, to see Yoishi swinging her legs back and forth, as she looked up at the monument.

“From time to time, it would make anyone halt in their tracks, and it’s not a famous painting. The colors aren’t gaudy, and the composition isn’t extraordinary – but still, it’s a completely fascinating painting. I thought it was because the feelings of the artist and my feelings matched… but could it be that the painting was not drawn by human hands?”

“…Hey, stop it.”

In a large quiet art museum with no one around--

The image of Yoishi from behind, standing face to face with a single painting, drew itself in the back of my mind.

The painting, with the dead seared into it, merely stares at Yoishi, and Yoishi stares back at it with an entranced expression.

“But – even so, I’m still fascinated with the possibilities of the painting that can be created in such a way. A painting is a true representation of one’s humanity on a canvas.”

With those words—

What Yoishi was about to say inside the mansion finally sunk into me.

Buried flesh would one day return to dust. And Yoishi said that there should be a space left behind. I thought it was the job of the grave keeper to fill that space, but – that wasn’t it. They were already there. No matter what the physical condition may be, the dead are still lying there, just not visible.

『The grave keeper is an existence that is the antithesis of a grave robber.』

Those words vividly came back to me.

And those grave robbers were—

All of us living humans, wasn’t it?

Finally arriving at that answer, I sank down deep into the bench.

I looked up at the black sky, so wide and so black that I felt faint – and took a deep, deep breath. I realized how small the field of vision a human like me had in the face of a universe large enough to swallow me.

…That’s right. The night skyline of Tokyo that looked to be painted black at first glance, actually had a lot of stars if you looked closely. They were always there, just not immediately visible. And the story of that something hotel was surely applicable to this universe as well. As long as the end of the universe could not be confirmed, its mass could be said to be infinite – and as long as there were stars that humans didn’t know of, they too could be called infinite. That was the exact opposite of Schrodinger’s cat, there could be infinite possibilities in this world; ghosts exist, as do UFOs, there might be ancient earthlings still dwelling on the surface of the moon, Nessie might exist on Loch Ness, Ogopogo in Okanagan lake, even father time, and even Hitogata<ref> https://pif.fandom.com/wiki/Hitogata</ref> might be real – Ahhh, to sum it all up.

“Well… it might be good if there’s one painting drawn by a dead person in this world.”

Yoishi nodded in response.

“Of course, everything is my guess, but…but if such a painting were to exist – no, if it were to exist for me, then…”

As I looked at her from the side – Yoishi spoke with an innocent face, as if an evil spirit had been removed from her.

“For the first time in my sixteen-year life, I have a feeling I would find meaning in this endless corridor-like world.”

“…Corridor?”

Her words were the final piece of the puzzle.

…Ah, so that’s why… you were using the name ‘Lost child’?”<ref>The pun here is that corridor is Kairou, and lost child is Maigo in Japanese.</ref>

The moment I asked her that—

“…………………”

“…………………”

After a long silence, Yoishi finally said, “Eh?” and she looked at me.

And in response I too said, “Ah,” as I realized.

…Damn it.

“W, why do you know that name…?”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. Umm, I heard it from Sako – no, I asked him, um, in short…”

I answered Incoherently, but Yoishi turned bright red for some reason.

“T, that handle was a mistake. Before I’d realized, I ended up with that handle, and started talking with it, and it would have been weird to change it after so long.”

“Well, if it’s a site like that, it’s not a particularly weird handle or anything.”

I consoled her for the time being, and then gently asked her.

As naturally as possible, trying my best not to sound reproachful.

“Say, Yoishi… Do you want to die?”

“…Eh?”

“I mean, that website – it’s for people looking to commit suicide, right?”

In response, Yoishi stared at me unblinkingly and said, “That’s not it,” and shook her head.

“No? Then what were you doing there?”

When I asked her that, Yoishi put her finger on her chin for a while as if lost in thought – and spoke:

“You could say -- it was for persuasion.”

“Persuasion? Who were you trying to persuade?”

“Someone who was already long dead, but didn’t realize it.”

“…Huh?”

After a while, when I understood the meaning of those words—

*Thump**Thump**Thump* I got goosebumps all at once.

“I found that site by accident. I was browsing it somewhat for a while, but there were posts on there that were obviously strange. A person who had left the words ‘goodbye’ a few weeks ago and disappeared began to talk about death again. Their expressions were somewhat distorted and inconsistent. At first, I thought it was another person pretending to be them -- but I suddenly realized. Ah, this person already ended up killing themselves.”

“H..Hey hey hey!”

“But it seemed the person in question hadn’t realized it. They spoke of ‘that world’ with the same enthusiasm as always. That’s why I tried to talk to them. And I was leading them to realize that they were already dead.”

“…No, leading them? You…”

“That’s right, I shouldn’t have gotten involved. They kept gathering one after another. Most of the time, half of the replies I had were from the dead. As I thoroughly defeated their arguments, the gallery ended up getting bigger, and yet those in the gallery would have no idea of the fact that I was trying to drive the dead away, and the handle of ‘lost child’ I had intended to use as a throwaway ended up completely set in place…”

As I looked at Yoishi pouting with dissatisfaction—

I felt my insides churn. Unable to bear it, I ended up bursting into laughter. Uhahahahaha, with my mouth wide open, I roared with laughter in the cemetery at night.

--That’s right. She was always like that. She would chase the paranormal, had her feet in the world beyond, peered into the abyss, and at the same time, she would help those who could be helped. If she met someone who was about to be swallowed by a world without hope, she would, in her own way, hold out a helping hand. Because she herself was a ‘lost child’. A ‘lost child’ who wandered this endless corridor, a ‘lost child’ that knew the pain of continuing to search for something to believe in.

And—

She wasn’t the type to use a handle name when talking seriously to someone.

She always spoke with her own name, even on the Internet.

And – Thereupon, I finally realized.

The reason Sako had told me about that site was… to inform me of Yoishi’s state as a bulwark on the site? That she had strangely taken on the burden on a site where suicidal people had made the decision to die?

Was he trying to tell me she wasn’t there because she wanted to die? And, that she herself was just a ‘Lost child’?

“Damn it… that bastard, making things hard to understand!”

Yoishi cocked her head in puzzlement, when--

I suddenly heard a gut-wrenching thud echo through the night sky.

When I looked up, I saw that the night sky was dyed with multicolored fireworks, as they scattered in a brilliant display.

I looked at the watch to see it was exactly midnight. In short -- this moment – was the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, Christmas had begun.

From there, the sound of fireworks went off one after another, *Bang* *Boom*. The sky in the direction of the station twinkled brightly, as if there was a countdown event going on somewhere. I heard boisterous cheers as well. And the fireworks that shot up to the sky in succession dyed the night sky in a colorful way, and scattered. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

“…Ugh, I can’t believe we’re a in a cemetery late at night on Christmas.”

I muttered in disgust, but – well, I guess that was typical of us.

As I looked at the blazing petals spread out in the holy night – I thought I’d say ‘Merry Christmas’ for the time being, so I turned to face Yoishi besides me, however, I froze on the spot.

She was merely swinging her legs back and forth, as she stared up at the fireworks.

Her white, beautiful face, dyed in the light of the fireworks, still had the youthfulness of a sixteen-year-old. Her eyes under her long eyelashes began to show a faint glint of will, and her straggling hair blowing in the wind caught her small nose rather than her large eyes, and she brushed it off with her pinky finger.

As I looked at her in fascination—

Yoishi suddenly turned around to face me, and tilted her head curiously.

That surprisingly cute gesture made my heart skip a beat.

At that moment, an unknown passion boiled up inside me. Oh shit, I thought to myself, as I laughed in order to brush it off, scrambled my hair, and after hesitating for a moment – reached out towards Yoishi.

I wrapped my hands around her soft cheeks.

And, as I looked directly at Yoishi who had a blank expression as she gazed at me –

I pinched the flesh of both cheeks and pulled them to the left and right.

So soft.

“Un…”

The corner of Yoishi’s mouth opened.

Her white teeth peeked out. It was an artificial thing, but it was definitely her smile.

“….pu”

“T...this is humiliating.”

“…Ah, emm, sorry. I just wanted to know what kind of face you’d make when you smiled.”

She brushed off my hand in response, and complained about something or other, but—

That kind smile that appeared for a moment made me feel like I was rewarded for everything.

--Ah, that’s it. The ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’ was a long way off, and it might not be possible for me alone to see through the goal, but – despite that, she was still only sixteen. If it took her sixteen years to become like this, it would be fine if it took her another sixteen years to get back on track. Life still goes on. There was no need whatsoever to be impatient.

Illuminated by the light of the fireworks in the middle of the cemetery –

I put these thoughts in my hand as I gently patted Yoishi on the head.

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==Translator's notes and references==
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Phenomeno:Case 11

2023-12-03T14:10:02Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 11: The Melancholy of the Planet==

…Ugh, why am I doing something like this?

I don't think I say that every time, but I still end up saying it. I keep saying: ‘Why in the world am I doing such a stupid thing again?’

It was midnight. Or at least I thought it was. That was because the world had looked dark for a long time through the old lattice door I was peeking out of. When I came here, the sun was still shining in the shrine. I didn’t usually wear a wristwatch, so I couldn't tell what time it was. I could probably tell if I checked my phone, but as I recall, Sako Takita told me with a smirk, "You probably shouldn't use that". When I recall his pale blank face, I felt anger rising from the pit of my stomach. Didn't that bastard saying, "You shouldn't use that", mean that I actually should use it. That's how much faith I had in that priest-cum-antique dealer, I finally flicked out my phone from my pocket, and turned it on. The strong light pierced my eyes which were adjusted to the dark; I rubbed my eyes and checked the time.

November 16th, 10:07 pm. Ugh…

It can't be. It was still only 10 pm?

I thought it would have been around 2 or 3 AM by now -- there was still plenty of time until dawn. Feeling fed up, I lied down. The old floorboards creaked, and the smell of old wood pricked at my nose.

I was in an isolated building that was detached from one of the old shrines situated on the outskirts of Okutama. I was lying all alone in that moldy, narrow space surrounded by shimenawa.

Well, to be precise, I wasn't alone.

I reached out my hand, and touched it.

The rough, black object less than a meter in diameter was an earthenware pot.

And I was supposed to spend the whole night with it.

That's right -- it was my job to stay with the earthenware pot until morning, and to answer the questions it would ask at some point.

"Huh? An earthenware pot asking questions?"

You might doubt something like that, and I found it strange as well. Or rather, it was a creepy story. Because according to Sako, on this day, the 16th of December, this earthenware pot is supposed to speak for the first time in 250 years.

It happened just past noon today. I was standing in front of a small wooden house in Kanda. The tilted plank at the entrance to the store had the words Kouroudou(Bone Tower Shrine) elegantly carved into it. Apparently, this was the Tokyo residence -- and antique shop -- of Sako Takita: Krishna-san's mentor on spirit-related matters and originally the chief priest of a venerable old shrine in Aomori.

“Oi, Sako. I’m here.”

When I opened the old, poorly-fitted sliding door, I smelled a moldy odor from within. The dark interior of the store was crammed with incomprehensible objects. A Buddha statue with one arm, a hanging scroll smeared with an unknown substance, a rusted box that seemed to have been dragged out of the ocean, those sorts of things. Having recently seen a similar scene in the room next to my apartment, I grimaced and called out, “Are you here?”. But there was no response, so I had no choice but to move ahead while avoiding the stares of the cryptic antiques. As I moved further back to the interior of the shop, I heard a voice muttering something from the floor above the shop.

“…Something like this is troubling to begin with -- It won’t make much money, takes a lot of effort, and in the unlikely event that it succeeds, you get nothing out of it.”

When I peeked in, I saw a man dressed in a blue kinagashi, whose appearance was like that of a handsome actor, but who was definitely removed from the world; He tilted his head in contemplation as he kneaded something.

“…Well then, what to do now?”

“Oi, Sako.”

I raised my voice a little, and he finally looked towards me.

“….Ah, it’s you. Ummm, What was your name again…. Ah, right, right, Yamamura-kun.”

“It’s Yamada. Nagito Yamada.”

“Eh? Did you change your name?”

“Why the hell would I change it?! What’s the point of that?!”

“Is that so? Well, alright then. So, do you have something you need? I’m a little busy right now.”

“Busy?! You’re the one who called me here!”

“Eh?”

“Don’t go ‘eh-ing’ at me! Have you gone senile? You rang me out of the blue while I was in the middle of my supplementary macro-economics class! You told me you had a job for me and to come straight away!”

Of course, I cut off the call at first. Not only was I in the middle of a lecture, but there was also the fact that I had nothing but bad experiences when associating with Sako Takita. However, he kept calling, telling me it was an urgent job, and that it would be a big problem if I refused. Not for him, but rather, for the world, so to speak.

“So, what’s this job that puts the world in trouble if I say no?”

When I asked him that, Sako placed his hand on the something large in front of him with a snap.

“It’s about this. I want you to keep an eye on this at a certain place for about a day. [[Image:Phenomeno-vol4-case11.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

“What is this jar?”

“It’s not a jar. It’s an earthenware pot of Tokoname ware.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokoname_ware</ref> There’s not a strict difference between a jar and an earthenware pot, but an earthenware pot is said to be one that can’t be carried around.”

“No need to explain. More importantly, I don’t know what you mean by keeping an eye on it… but is it something like that? Is there something inside?”

Sako stroked his thin beard and replied, “No.”

“Well, if you say there’s something inside, then there is, and if you say nothing is inside, then nothing is.”

“Stop talking in circles and tell me what’s inside! If it’s a ghost or a yōkai or something creepy, you can forget it.”

“Ah, it’s nothing like that. Sako narrowed his eyes in amusement. “The ''earth'' is inside it.”

“—Huh?”

“The earth you see, the earth. Third planet from the sun. Our home world.”

According to Sako, this earthenware pot came from the storehouse of an old family in Chiba, and judging from the document enclosed with it, it was apparently an ‘earth simulator’ created in the Edo period.

“Well, the intellectuals of that era mostly understood that the earth was round, but they didn't understand the principle by which it sustained and contained life. It was a time when people believed in Tsukumogami<ref>Tools that have acquired a kami or spirit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsukumogami</ref>, and that there were giant catfish<ref> Giant catfish that cause earthquakes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namazu</ref> under the ground. Even so, they were a people who somehow understood that everything goes through cycles and that everything perishes. This was probably due to the fact that the Hoei Earthquake<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Dei_eruption</ref>, the eruption of Fuji and other major tragedies of the era had just occurred. When will the foundation of this earth reach the end of its life? That's what some eccentric people were trying to find out. Having said that, a rangaku scholar<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangaku</ref> by the name of ‘Kigai’, who lived in the Kanda area, created this in 1763. According to one theory, ‘Kigai’ might have been the alias ‘Fukuchi Kigai’ of ‘Hiraga Gennai’<ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiraga_Gennai</ref>, the ‘extraordinary man’, but I guess that is questionable. Although it's not impossible, because the time period and the field of study was the same -- hmm? Too long of a story? Well, I'm almost done, so listen carefully. In short, according to this document that came with the earthenware pot, there is an earth floating in this jar that was created by 'Kigai'.”

“…A floating earth? How?”

“Who knows, I don’t understand it myself, but that’s what’s written here. It’s not yet complete, and it’s not supposed to be opened until the time is right. The time in this earthenware pot is moving 153,300,000 times faster than our time frame, and the earth inside is still growing…Ah, please don’t be shocked, I have no basis for it, of course. Well, I suppose it was a kind of alchemy for the time. From the document that was passed down, it seems to be made of various materials. But there is no scientific basis for it – Although…”

However, Sako then contorted his pale, actor-like face.

“There is one description therein that is of interest: ‘This earthenware pot will be completed five hundred years from now, but it will give its birth cry once in the hundred and tenth year, and in the two hundred and fifty-fifth year, it will ask a certain question. Please, future generations. Please answer it. Then, five hundred years from now, it will definitely be born as an earth.’ And so, I calculated that this year is the 250th year, and tonight is approximately the day it will ask that question.”

“A-are you kidding me? It really is a monster!”

“I already told you it’s nothing like that. Anyway, that's the situation, but unfortunately, I have an appointment tonight that I can't miss. That's when you popped into my head. But I know you're a little scared, and I understand your concern, so I've arranged a place for you. It's in the grounds of a historic shrine, where the enshrined deity is Yamato Takeru<ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_Takeru</ref>. I’ve created a ward there in case anything should happen. No harm will come to you.”

“You think that’s enough to make me believe you?” I shouldn’t have come, I thought, and was about to leave, when--

“I see. Then I have no choice.” Sako muttered unnaturally. “If you’re going to refuse no matter what – then maybe should I ask that girl. That black-haired, beautiful, young lady who resembles a bisque-doll. I’m sure she won’t refuse, and, well, it might get a little messy.

“…Ungh.”

“But she would surely end up opening it. That would mean all the hard work of our ancestors who have watched over it for the past two hundred and fifty years would all be for naught. It would be like breaking an egg that is about to hatch.”

“…So that’s what you meant when you said the world would be in trouble.”

I gnashed my teeth and looked back to see Sako smiling.

“How about 20,000 yen for the job? Just keep an eye on it until dawn tomorrow, and we’ll switch afterwards.”

…20,000 yen for half a day?

That much would help me greatly. I mean, since Yoishi barged into my apartment, I had to make food for the two of us, leaving me in dire financial straits. In addition, it might be my imagination, but be it about food, or shampoo, Yoishi seemed to have gotten cheeky recently. She’d says things like, "This spinach isn't boiled", "The meat we had the other day was fresh", "That shampoo smelled good", "My hair was silkier with that one", etc. Damn it, there are reasons why expensive things are expensive in this world. I wanted to tell her that if she was so picky about something, she should buy it herself, but if I told her that, she'd go right back to a life of snacks and not taking baths. “Even Elizabeth I, who was said to be a lover of cleanliness, bathed once a month,” she would say, trying to avoid the one bath in three days she was supposed to take. And with that, all my hard work up to this point would all be for naught.

But—having gone through the recent hopeless incidents with the girl selling ghost photographs and Shōko-chan, I’d almost completely lost confidence. What more could I do to keep Yoishi far away from the presence of the world beyond? I was lost in thought on that when I received the phone call from Sako. And that was probably when the idea occurred to me.

“Well, what will it be?”

As if prompted by Sako’s words, I nodded.

“Alright. I’ll take it—but, I don’t need money. I want you to tell me something instead.”

“Oh? What, exactly?”

Even here, the inner conflict inside me kept repeating: ‘No, don’t do that, but is there another way?’ But in the end, I said it out loud. The man who distorted his slender face like a white fox in front of me was undoubtedly the same as Yoishi – a dweller in the depths of the world beyond. Although I was reluctant to admit it, I had a feeling that the only one who knew what to do about Yoishi… would be this guy.

“What I want to know is if there’s a way to make Yoishi smile? I want to know if I can make her live a healthy, happy, peaceful life.”

“…Oh?”

“Tell me -- Is there even a slight possibility of her becoming healthy. Krishna-san always tells me that it’s not possible. But I can't help feeling that somehow it can be done. However, it’s not going well. Without even a hint of that, I feel like she’s stepping further and further into the darkness. Even so, I still want to see her smile. She should really be able to do that. But – I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Sako went ‘hmm’ in response, folded his arms, and carefully examined my face in an amused manner.

“You must be greatly troubled if you’re asking me.”

“…Shut up.”

As I glared at Sako, “I understand”, he eventually nodded.

“I have a bit of an idea about that. If you do this job well -- I'll look into it in the meantime.”

------------------------------

--And that’s how I got here.

I was in a shrine in the mountains, where the air was cold, and where the creepy sounds of mountain birds or whatever echoed.

Soon after that, Sako made some arrangements, and a bunch of weird people gathered around us, and I was put in a car with the earthenware pot and brought to this place. It was an old shrine with only a small altar at the back, located on a path next to the main shrine.

『Tomorrow morning, I will ring the bell here, alright?』Sako spoke as he closed the lattice door and stuck some kind of talisman on it. 『Until that time, no matter who comes or what happens, you must not peek inside the earthenware pot or leave this shrine – understood?』

And then, the people beyond the grate left.

Soon afterwards, the sun began to set, my surroundings became dark and eventually fell into complete darkness.

If I were to sleep, it would end soon, I thought, as I lay down on the bed, but the hardness of the floor made my back ache, and on top of that, the cold air seeped in from outside, not letting me sleep at all. I had no choice but to light the candle that had been arranged, and checked my surroundings once more.

It was a space around 24 sqm in size, with a draft blowing in. In the corner of the room was some simple food, a pot of hot water and a sleeping bag with a blanket. The only other things present were the earthenware pot and me.

The last signal bar on my cell phone kept blinking in and out; The antenna was almost completely out of range. Well, that was to be expected given I was in a shrine in the back of the mountains. In short, a life of complete confinement. Together with the ‘earth’ or something created in the Edo period. When confronted with such a surreal situation, anyone would ask themselves why they were doing such a thing.

However, I wasn’t that upset, perhaps because this was a holy sanctuary? Or perhaps because the earthenware pot was not filled with the dead or some cursed objects. I only felt boredom due to the slow passage of time. Even if this were daytime and I could look out of the grate, I would still be in a corner of the forest surrounded by a grove. It wasn’t like the scenery was anything special. Not to mention it was totally dark right now, and people who have experienced the forest on a night with no moon can attest to it being truly dark. A darkness so profound you can’t even see your own hands. In that darkness, you can hear the rustling of branches in the wind and the cries of wild animals here and there.

I took out my mobile phone again, because even though I had a candle, I was afraid that if I stayed idle, I would create a demon in my head anyway. I tried connecting to the internet, but the signals were too weak for a stable connection. I tried fiddling around with some apps, but stopped when I got anxious about the remaining battery. In the end, I laid out the blanket, and crawled inside the sleeping bag on top of it. As I stared at empty space, I whispered to myself, “I should have brought a book or something”. My voice faintly echoed in the draft and soon disappeared. I wanted to stimulate my eardrums with sound, be it through my own voice. Because there was no one else besides me who would speak.

That’s right – besides the sounds of the nocturnal birds and the rustling tree branches, there was nothing.

And this was the first time I had been alone for any extended period of time since Yoishi started living with me. For a sloppy individual like myself, living with someone always by your side was somewhat exhausting. Even in this strange space, I breathed a sigh of relief. I mean, I think everyone feels calm when they’re alone in the toilet. In the same way, I breathed in and out deeply as I savored my first private moment in a long time. Then, to pass the time, I thought about all sorts of things.

For example, why does an environment away from the eyes of others give people a sense of peace? Was it because they could re-examine themselves? Or was it because they can get away from the waves of overwhelming information? Or perhaps it’s because people are always conscious of other people’s gaze and are freed from them, even if they don’t realize it.

But if that was the case, how do married couples in the world get by? Was it relaxing to have someone one day suddenly intrude into your space? I asked myself that if that was the case, how was I feeling living together with Yoishi? But in Yoishi’s case, the situation was a little different. You didn’t really feel like she was there. So, when I'm dancing and forget that Yoishi was there, I’d suddenly realize that she was silently staring at me, and I’d blush, and say, "If you have something to say, just say it,” as if taking it out on her. I'm not sure if I'm dumb or if Yoishi has no presence, but at any rate, the fact that she's parasitizing in my loft in itself isn't that much of a problem. I just think it’s a problem socially speaking.

No -- perhaps Yoishi was purposefully holding her breath. Maybe she was quietly trying to keep a low profile, aware to some extent that she was a freeloader in my apartment. Come to think of it, the reason she didn’t buy any clothes or food was because she was trying not to put any of her possessions in my place? When she came to my apartment, the possessions she brought were next to nothing, it left me stunned and I asked her, “Is that all the things you have?” She just had her school uniform, a bag and a laptop. She might have brought a spare pair of socks or underwear (Or at least I hoped), but those possessions were so few for a girl her age it was hard to believe. I couldn’t bear seeing her sleep on the hard floor of the loft in the beginning and had to buy her a futon. In the first place, Yoishi was extremely patient. And even if there was something around her she was hopeful for, she would never say it out loud. She didn’t feel comfortable in this world, and she never even thought she could make it comfortable. It would have been better if I were a little more thoughtful, but I was unsure about those kinds of things. I had no idea what girls wished for.

I breathed a deep sigh.

I told Yoishi that I’d be working my part-time job today and that I wouldn’t be back until dawn, and to lock the doors tight, but—

“I wonder if she’s alright.”

It happened right then.

Suddenly, a strange smell caught my nose. Then I heard some kind of noise close by, causing me to jerk myself up. I held my breath, and focused all my attention on my ears. It wasn’t the wind. *Crunch* *crack*, it sounded like something was stepping over dead branches. Little by little, it slowly came closer to this shrine from the depths of the forest.

“…W-who is it?”

I lifted the candle stick with the candle, and peeked outside, but as expected with that level of light, it didn’t reach outside the grate. Only darkness spread out of the shrine as if it had just been painted over.

Suddenly, I blew out the candle. I realized that with the candle lit in total darkness, I’d be visible from the other side. When the candle went out, a dense darkness instantly enveloped the area. At the same time, the noise of the wind and insects which I had forgotten up until now came deafeningly close.

In the midst of that, the crackle and crunching sounds slowly drew closer.

And as it came a few steps outside of the lattice door – it stopped.

My teeth began to clatter. I was only a few meters apart from the source of the sounds.

It was without a doubt, peeking at me. And there was already a foul smell in the vicinity that was enough to make me cough. Was it a stray dog? Or a wild boar? Bear? I mean, despite it being in Tokyo, were there bears in Okutama?

No—

This was not an ordinary animal. I could feel a faint sense of consciousness. Moreover, it was something distorted, something rotten, something that resembled negative human emotions. And this nauseating smell was –

Could it be… the putrid smell of a corpse?

As soon as I realized that, sweat slowly began dripping my back.

At the same time, my body stiffened as I recalled countless creepy images I had seen on occult sites that should never come to mind. My throat became parched as I felt something pale and discolored staring at me from right across the grating.

『Never enter the mountains at night.』

I suddenly recalled the words of my late grandmother.

『Gods roam the mountain at night. You must not look at them; If you do, you will end up blind.』

Grandmother, who was always kind to me, always repeated that with a scary look on her face.

Well, of course I thought it was superstition. I thought that my family's respect for the mountains and the nature of the lumber business gave birth to such superstition. But now, alone and secluded in the mountains on a moonless night, faced with something unfathomable, things like science and common sense were easily swept away.

--Should I try and light the candle?

Such a desire arose inside me. The thing I was afraid of might simply be a plastic bag of trash that flew in from the wind. That might be why it smelled like that. I was about to move my hand, thinking that If I lit the candle, and held it up towards it, everything would be fine.

…Yes. That’s what Krishna-san always said. Ninety-nine percent of the paranormal in this world are lies, delusions, and misunderstandings. In short, ninety-nine percent of the fear that now occupied my consciousness was my misunderstanding. I mustered my courage and reached my hand for the matchbox. My fingers trembled and I ended up breaking a few matchsticks, but I managed to light the candle once more. And then held up the light to the grate. The flickering flame illuminated the other side of the grating–

However, there was nothing there.

Before I knew it, the unpleasant odor had dissipated as if scattered by the wind.

As I let out a deep breath, my cell phone, which was still in my back pocket, began to vibrate and I jumped up. I rushed to take it out and found it was my university classmate, Kanta Moriyama, who belonged to the newspaper club.

〈Yo Yamida. I’ve been trying to call you for so long. Are you working now or what? 〉

“Ooh, Moriyama, is it?”

I was thankful to the point of tears to hear Moriyama’s easygoing and cheerful voice right now. I gripped my phone with both hands as if clinging to it.

“Well, my job is umm… but more importantly, I’m glad you called.”

Moriyama was a guy who was a clear-cut, eloquent speaker whose appearance was like that of an actor from the golden period of cinema in the early Showa period. However, he was a bit of a celebrity in the western club building due to his Michael Jackson impersonations and his bad habit of making dad jokes that were unbefitting of a teenager, and which caused him great disrepute among the female students.

〈Huh…? It seems like the connection is bad. I can’t hear you properly.〉

“Ah, sorry about that. Umm, what happened? Is there something you wanted?”

〈Oh yeah. Your second foreign language was Spanish, right?〉

“Yeah.”

〈Please, if you have a notebook, lend it to me!〉

“………….”

The fear inside me was instantly erased thanks to his real life problems.

I nodded and said yes in response.

〈Ohh!! Thanks man! You’re a lifesaver! You’ll bring it tomorrow, right? I’m counting on you!〉

Moriyama was about to cut the line; I panicked and drew out the conversation for a little longer.

“Aah…. Wait a minute. Is there anything else you wanted?”

〈Anything else? Um, not really.〉

“No, well, I’m sure there’s something. Umm… Like is there a girl you like?”

〈*Eeek* Don’t ask me that out of the blue, it’s embarrassing!〉

I could vividly imagine Moriyama writhing and twisting his body on the other end of the phone as he shouted in a crazy voice,

〈There’s no one right now. I mean, those who do are lucky, aren’t they? I have an overflowing feeling of wanting to fall in love, but there are no girls around me to accept that feeling. And it’s painful when you see the world being painted in Christmas colors. Well then... 〉

“…Oooh, wait a minute.”

Moriyama and I weren’t close enough to have long conversations on the phone, but it was a different story right now. I was stuck here alone with the creepy earthenware pot in the middle of the dark until morning. If possible, I wanted him to stay on the phone with me until then.

〈Huh? You want to talk more? I guess it can’t be helped. So should I come over there right now? 〉

“No, I’m outside right now. In Okutama.”

〈Okutama?〉

Moriyama, who was also a struggling student, was about to hang up the phone, saying, “Are you kidding me? I don’t wanna make long-distance phone calls,” but I somehow managed to calm him down and pleaded with him to give me five more minutes.

〈What are you doing in Okutama in the first place? What’s your job there?〉

Having no other choice, I explained it to him. The fact that I was with an earthenware pot from the Edo period in a shrine that was like a hut detached from an old temple. And the fact that I had to watch over the earthenware pot until tomorrow morning.

〈Watching over an earthenware pot? Why are you doing something weird again?〉

“…No, this thing is supposed to talk sometime today or tomorrow.”

〈Talk? Uhyahyahyahya!〉

Being laughed at in a high-pitched voice, I again felt embarrassed at the ridiculousness of what I was doing.

〈Come to think of it, you were pretty knowledgeable about ghosts and yōkai, right? Did you read some strange book again? There’s no way an earthenware pot will talk.〉

“I-I don’t believe in it myself; I’m simply doing it for the money.”

〈Hmm.〉

After making some amused grunts, Moriyama said, ‘All right.’

〈Try and open it for now.〉

“…What?”

〈The lid of that earthenware pot. If you see what’s inside, you’ll know whether or not you’re being made a fool.〉

…He was right. I then nervously stretched out my hand and touched the rough surface of the earthenware pot. Sako had said it was from the Edo period, and it did seem old. The lid of the earthenware pot was closed shut with some kind of iron, but it looked worn with cracks in various places. If one were to thrust something sharp in it, it would somehow break.

〈In the first place, how could someone from the Edo period build something like an earth simulator? I’m sure there’s something else inside.〉

“Something else?”

〈Who knows – It could be a corpse or something.〉

He let out a strange chuckle as he said that – but it’s no joke.

--''Open it.''

Suddenly, I felt a voice from somewhere, and a shiver went down my back.

“…No.”

I shook my head.

“No way. I can’t open it.”

〈Why? Aren’t you talking to me because you’re afraid of that earthenware pot? You’re afraid because you’re not sure of what’s inside. It’s like you’re having a silent staring contest with a stranger until sunrise.〉

…That’s right. The more I looked at it, the more this earthenware pot seemed to look like it was around the size of a person. It felt like something was crouched inside, clutching its knees. Come to think of it, Moriyama was right, didn’t I read something similar before – that earthenware pots were originally made to hold corpses?

〈Try opening it and see for yourself. It’ll be a weight off your shoulders. Come on, come on.〉

Urged on by his cheerful voice, I timidly took out my apartment key from my jean pocket, when somewhere inside of my head, something rang out. A tiny, tiny warning sound for an uncomfortable feeling I had almost missed.

“…Say, Moriyama.”

〈What is it?〉

“How… do you know this is an earth simulator?”

〈…….…〉

“…I…didn’t tell you that, did I?”

〈…….…〉

I took a gulp, and asked the silent caller on the other end of the line.

“''Who''…are you…?”

The moment I asked the question, the call was cut off.

For a while I was stunned, as I stared at my mobile phone. The signal indicator on the LCD showed no signal. I closed my phone, and plucked at my hair. Was that really a call from Moriyama just now? No – Did I really even get a call in the first place? I was too afraid to check my call log. If Moriyama’s name wasn’t displayed there, I had a feeling I couldn’t stay in this place a moment longer. And that would mean I had backed off from this job.

As I was scratching my hair and thinking about it, my phone rang again.

With a start, I looked at the LCD screen to see ‘Shiina Kurimoto’ displayed on it. I felt the tension leave my body all at once, and I rushed to press the answer button.

“K-Krishna-san?”

〈--Nagi-kun, is that you? Oh, thank goodness, I managed to get through at last! Are you in Okutama right now?〉

“…Huh, h-how do you…?”

〈Takita-san told me about it…Damn it! Why did you take on such a part-time job again?! What kind of a thoughtless idiot are you?!〉

“…I, I’m sorry.”

She kept fervently cursing at me, and I couldn't help but apologize, but...

“…Em, Uhh, what does it all mean?”

〈You usually hate Takita-san so much, and yet you were oblivious this time. Listen carefully. That’s not anything like an Earth simulator, the contents are empty.〉

“…Huh?”

〈It’s probably a burial urn from the Kamakura period – in short, a coffin. It's just that it's been dedicated for so long to someone who was supposed to go in it, that it has a tendency to try and somehow make the living people around it enter inside.〉

“…Whaaaaat?”

〈It seems he hired you because he wanted to confirm if it was an item worth selling, He wanted to test its effectiveness by isolating it alone for one night with a living person.〉

“…T,T, That bastard!” I tightly gripped my phone reflexively, “In short, I’ve been taken for a ride again?”

‘It seems so’, came the deep sigh of Krishna-san from the other end of the line.

〈Listen up, I’m gonna tell you how to deactivate it right now. What makes the earthenware pot a magical object is the paper strapped across the lid and the pot. All you need to do is peel it off.〉

“…Paper?”

I drew the light of the candle close to the earthenware pot once more.

I see, the lid was indeed joined to the jar with solder, and there was an old, tattered piece of paper stuck on top of it. I felt I could easily scrape it off with my apartment key without too much trouble.

〈Yes, as long as that paper is there, that earthenware pot will have the nature of ‘confining something within it’. All you have to do is to peel it off. Do you have anything sharp nearby?〉

“I have my apartment key.”

〈Good, use that to open it.〉

I took the key backhanded and drew close to the earthenware pot, when I suddenly realized.

It was the call from something that claimed to be Moriyama. He, too, relentlessly urged me to open the lid of the earthenware pot. Feeling horrified, I looked up. I felt there was still something in the darkness beyond the grating, watching me.

“…Krishna-san.”

〈What?〉

“About Yoishi, did you come with up any good ideas?”

〈…Yoishi?〉

“Yes. Didn’t you tell me you’d try and come up with something?”

〈Why does it matter now? Hurry up and remove that pa--〉

“It does matter. It’s actually the reason I took this job.”

〈That’s-- I’ll tell you that after you’ve taken off that piece of paper--〉

“No, Tell me now.”

〈………….〉

A lukewarm wind blew at my feet.

The sounds of the tree branches being rustled about by the night wind outside of the shrine.

The call from Moriyama just now. And the call from Krishna-san right now. It made me recall something. A famous ghost story I had once heard somewhere – Ah, that’s it. This is…

“This is – Kibitsu’s iron pot, isn’t it?”

At that moment, the call was abruptly cut off once more.

I don’t know if that was because the signal was cut off, or because there was no call from Moriyama or Krishna-san in the first place. I didn’t even try to check. If it was really them, then they’d try and call again – and if it wasn’t them… Establishing that as a reality would shake the foundation of my heart. The paranormal is scary because of its vagueness, but in this situation, it would be best to keep it vague until morning.

I moved the candle to my feet, and covered the blanket up to my head.

I breathe. Just slow, regular, repeated breaths.

And I recalled the Okayama ghost story narrated by my grandfather when I was a child: ‘Kibitsu’s iron pot’. I couldn’t help but feel that that ghost story and the situation I was in right now were quite similar. If that was the case, then all I should do was wait until morning. Even if there was something in this earthenware pot, the only thing I should do was to be still as long as I was here. I believed that even if that were the real Moriyama and Krishna-san, it was not a relationship that could be broken by their dishonesty. Right now, all I needed to do to breathe. And to just do my best to wait for time to pass.

Just like how Karasu-san had told me—

As I breathed regularly and repeatedly, my heart became quiet and still.

I secretly took a glance at the old earthenware pot standing beside me. Then I thought of the thing that lay inside. Even if its contents were empty, or had an earth, or a monster – didn’t all of those possibilities begin to materialize once I perceived of them as such? Right, it was just like the so-called ‘Schrödinger cat’, it only exists once it’s observed. I was merely afraid of the fears I had created myself. That was what the paranormal was all about.

『Are you feeling scared right now?』

Thereupon, I suddenly recalled the words Yoishi would always say.

“…Aah, I’m scared.”

I muttered as I smiled in a self-tortured way.

『Say, how does it feel to be scared?』

When the Yoishi in my imagination continued to ask me that, I thought to myself.

Come to think of it – I had been trying to answer that question with the ‘fear’ I was feeling, but… that wasn’t it, was it? I think what Yoishi was really trying to ask me was not the nature of the fear I was feeling – but the process of actually getting there.

*Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing*

Thereupon, my phone rang out for the third time.

I took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button.

“…Hello?”

〈Where are you right now?〉

It was… Yoishi Mitsurugi.

No – it was something that spoke in Yoishi’s voice. I wasn’t confident anymore about who was calling me from the other end of the line. Maybe that’s what Sako was referring to when he smirked and told me not to use the phone. Because ‘something’ might try and tempt me.

However--

“…I’m in Okutama. I told you I had a job.”

I answered in a somewhat hoarse tone of voice.

Yoishi was silent, but eventually asked pensively.

〈Who is next to you?〉

--Who? Not ‘what’?

I thought it strange for a moment, but then I laughed. Yoishi was sharp on such things. She could see through to the truth more so than anyone in this world.

“Who do you think it is?”

〈It’s… not a person.〉

“That’s right. It’s an earthenware pot. I don’t know what’s inside, but I’ve been told not to open it.”

When I answered her as if beating her to the punch, Yoishi fell silent; I kept silent as well.

Would she tell me to open it as well? But if so, what would I make of it? The real Yoishi would open it right from the very start. If it was said that a monster was inside, she would definitely do it, and if it was said that you would be cursed if you opened it or that the world would be destroyed, she would happily do it without hesitation. That was the default mode of Yoishi Mitsurugi. That’s why, even if she told me to open it, there would be nothing strange about it. With that much, I couldn’t ascertain whether or not the real Yoishi was on the other end of this call.

〈That would be for the best.〉

--Huh?

〈You shouldn't open it.〉

Suddenly hearing words I didn’t expect, I asked back:

“I thought you’d tell me to open it…that’s weird.”

〈I don't know, but – that thing isn’t bad.〉

“…I see.”

For some strange reason, a strange sense of relief enveloped me and my body relaxed.

“Somehow – that’s the best thing I’ve heard since I’ve got here.”

From that point on, neither of us said a word, as silence reigned between us.

She was probably sitting alone on the permanently spread-out futon in the loft of my apartment. Plastic bottles and snack bags were probably lying scattered around her pillow. And some lurid image might have been displayed on her laptop screen. She might have been bored, her long eyelashes downcast as she fiddled with her long toenails, and her overly refined facial features being unmanageable for her as she had her head cast down.

“It seems there is an earth inside this thing.”

I finally broke the silence.

“It’s said to have been made by some weirdo like you in the Edo period. But it won’t be completed for a long time, 250 years from now, apparently.”

〈…Hmm.〉

“But it seems it will talk today. And It's my job to answer it.”

〈What will it say?〉

“Who knows. If it was me, I’d be like, ‘I’m hungry’, or something.”

When I said that, was it my imagination, or did I hear her let out a giggle?

“…Huh? Did you—laugh just now?”

〈…No.〉

“Is that so? You know it’s okay if you did laugh, right?”

〈I didn’t laugh.〉

Saying that, Yoishi said bye, and cut off the phone.

She hung up as if to say she had no more business with me, now that she had confirmed I was safe. I wanted to talk to her for a little while longer, but I guess it couldn’t be helped. I was already used to her cold behavior.

I breathed a sigh, and put away my phone. I then moved a little closer to the earthenware pot, and stuck my ear against its cold exterior. I thought I heard the roar of the sea from somewhere far away.

With my head close to it, I recalled the time I confined myself in the closet when I was a kid. Without even knowing the basics of biology, I was devotedly trying to warm an egg from the fridge. I placed it in a soft bag inside the closet, and spent countless hours warming the egg. By doing that, a cute chick would poke out its head one day, acknowledge me as its parent and become attached to me, being the first one to make eye contact with it. And then, I would call it something cute like Hiyoukichi and take care of it. Hiyoukichi would follow me everywhere, and I would put it in my backpack and take it to school. It might help me catch crayfish at the river. It might even wake me up in the morning with a peck of its beak. Hiyoukichi was supposed to be smart and pampered. I recalled grinning like that as I warmed the unfertilized egg.

I wonder if that was why—

This old earthenware pot that felt cold to my forehead felt like an egg.

And for some reason, I felt that what lay inside of it was not a chick – but Yoishi, clutching her knees. With her long black hair waving in lukewarm amniotic fluid, Yoishi Mitsurugi seemed lonely as she floated naked. Maybe it was because, she too, was surrounded by a thick membrane that rejected everything outside her. Right, until I observed it, I was free to imagine whatever was inside. It was much better to imagine that the unsociable Yoishi was inside, as she clutched her knees.

‘What's so funny?’ she would ask inside the pale, blue light of the amniotic fluid.

‘What do you mean ‘funny’? I asked in return.

‘Because you’re smiling at me,’ she’d say.

‘Sorry, somehow I just broke into a smile,’ I answered.

I replied that it was funny to see her worrying about so many things with that small head of hers.

Yoishi turned away, as if feeling offended.

Her long soft hair danced in the water.

I gazed at her beautiful pale profile from the side. And then I apologized.

I spoke with a kindness I didn’t quite understand, one that would surprise even myself.

And spontaneously, I succeeded in finally asked her:

“Say, how did you lose the emotion known as fear?”

In an instant—

The pale, blue world darkened.

I heard a hollow bang, the sound of something blowing up.

The dark world began to spin, like the sky on a stormy night.

With a tremendous rumbling sound, the darkness swirled around like a black cloud.

Beyond that, I heard it.

It was Yoishi’s voice.

An extremely feeble voice.

And then, Yoishi spoke of something terribly, terribly cruel.

Yoishi narrated the tale that made me want to cover my ears, that made me want to throw up.

She spoke and spoke and spoke and spoke.

When the long, long story finally ended – a purple world materialized.

Yoishi was floating in the amniotic fluid which had turned purple. Seeing my expression, she sadly declared that that was the reason why she didn’t want to tell me. I thought about saying something. But the words wouldn’t come out. My meager vocabulary ran dry like a desert in the face of a story where halfhearted consolation was meaningless. Even so, I struggled to say something. I struggled, because staying silent would mean accepting her darkness as it was. However, no words would come out. I bore the pain that made my stomach churn, and cursed my own incompetence. That was all I could do as Yoishi gazed at me apologetically.

Inside the earthenware pot--

Inside the amniotic fluid—

The naked Yoishi quietly closed her long eyelashes, as if giving up on everything.

“Yo, Yamada-kun.”

I jumped at that voice, and saw the sunlight streaming in from the other side of the grate. It seemed I had fallen asleep leaning next to the earthenware pot at some point.

“Well done. Apparently, the earthenware pot didn’t speak at all.”

Standing like a thin shadow behind the clear light, was Sako Takita.

His breath was white. He was wearing a black cloak over his blue kinagashi, with both hands in his pockets.

“Well then, it’s over now. Please come out.”

I rubbed my eyes when I heard his words, and spoke.

“What happened to the bell?”

“…Bell?”

“You said it yourself, that you’d ring a bell.”

“Ah, I said that, didn’t I? At any rate, things like bells are unimportant.”

“Go get it.”

I said it without standing up.

“The moment the bell rings is the moment this job is over.”

At the end of those words—

Darkness suddenly enveloped the area.

Without being surprised, I merely pulled the blanket up to my neck once more.

There was no doubt about it—

Yes, this was the famous ‘Kibitsu’s iron pot’.

It was an ancient ghost story passed down in the country of Harima – presently known as Okayama. A man who married the daughter from the Kibitsu shrine, but eventually betrayed her and committed adultery. The girl knew of her husband’s infidelity, yet continued to serve him faithfully to the best of her ability. The man eventually began to loathe even that behavior of hers, and disappeared together with his mistress. That was the breaking point for the girl who continued to believe and trust in the man till the very end, and she became a vengeful spirit. The man, who encountered a series of misfortunes after that, was frightened and begged an exorcist for help, he secluded himself in a shrine for forty-two days in order to chase away the vengeful spirit, but— you could call it fate or destiny, he was killed at the end. It was because he ended up being tricked by the cheerfulness of the vengeful spirit who fooled him into thinking it was dawn, and with only one day remaining, he opened the door to the shrine by himself.

I liked listening to that story from my grandfather when I was in elementary school, and I feel like that was when I started getting interested in ghost stories. And I managed to recall this story somehow. That’s why, I thought the calls from Moriyama and Krishna-san felt familiar. There was indeed a scene where the vengeful spirit in ‘Kibitsu’s iron pot’ disguises itself as one of the man’s acquaintances.

“…You think that’s gonna work?” In my dazed consciousness, I muttered. “…I don’t know who you are, or why you’re trying to make me open this earthenware pot, but this thing has already endured 250 years on its own. It still has another 250 more years to go, but it’s still on the path to it. I don’t know where it’s headed, but step-by-step, it’s walking its path. Do you not even have the forbearance to allow it to continue its journey?”

I whispered in the jet-black darkness.

The darkness didn’t answer back.

Dawn was never coming, was it?

Was I already lost in the midst of the world beyond?

in the midst of the endless dark world—

I heard a voice from somewhere.

『○○○○○○○○......?』

…Huh?

『○○○○○○○○......?』

…Ah…

…Was that it? After thinking for 250 years… the only question you finally came up with… is that really okay? Do you really want to know that…?

『○○○○○○○○......?』

…Ah, I understand. Being here with you in the 250th year of your life must have been fate, right? I apologize for my meager words, but I will answer you with all the sincerity I can muster.

“''It’s alright.''”

I spoke.

“Keep going. Don’t look back. I'll watch over you. No matter what mistakes you make, no matter how hopeless you are, I will always be there watching over you. Worst case scenario, we all perish together.”

In the darkness where endless silence reigned—

I thought I heard a clanking sound from the earthenware pot.

And I went straight to sleep as if I had passed out.

------------------------------

--*Riiing* The sound of a bell rings out.

The refreshing sound of a bell chimes in my surroundings, as if to wash my soul.

“Please wake up. It’s morning.”

At the sound of that voice, I realized that my left shoulder was aching inexplicably. At some point, I laid down on the hard floor using my left arm as my pillow. At the same time, my body was cold and I sniffled.

When I woke up, I saw that the grated door was already thrown open. The chirping of birds was comforting to my ears, and I stood up, as if enticed. I staggered outside the shrine. My eyes squinted at the pouring sunlight, and I breathed the clean mountain air into my lungs as much as possible.

“Did something interesting happen?” Sako asked with his hands still in his pockets.

“…Who knows.” I merely answered. I felt like it was all a dream, to the point where I couldn’t answer anything else besides that.

Hmmm, Sako smiled.

“It seems you got the answer you were looking for. Well then, shall we look forward to another 250 years?”

A sarcastic wrinkle was etched on his mouth as he looked back at the earthenware pot in the shrine. I, too, gazed at the black earthenware pot in the light of the morning sun. Even though I was with it for a single night, it felt like we had walked together for a thousand years, and I thought I’d pat it one last time before I left, when—

“Well then, please take this.”

I turned around, and Sako handed me out a piece of paper. I opened it to see some sort of URL beginning with ‘www’ written on it.

“What is this?”

“Your reward, of course.”

“No, I asked you how I would get Yoishi to…”

“And this is the answer. Or rather -- it’s something connected to the answer.”

After that, Sako told me even more incomprehensible things.

“I did a lot of research, and in all likelihood, Kurimoto-kun is probably correct.”

“…Huh?”

“I also believe it’s impossible to save Yoishi Mitsurugi-kun. However – that condition is only true, in the possibility that you are excluded. Whatever it is, it’s not words. Nor an item. Time is also a requirement. The one who abandons everything will eventually gain the most precious thing – but it is an old mythological theory.”

“Oi, I don’t understand what you mean.”

When I complained, Sako peered into my face and his cheeks contorted into a smirk.

“You know, this world is -- really, reaaaaally full of idiots, Yamada-kun.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s overflowing with garbage people who can only think of themselves, who can only think in a radius of about fifty centimeters, who live only in the present and curse everything they don't understand as trivial, boring and not worth existing.”

“A-are you talking about me??”

“…Eh? No, no, no, not at all.”

Sako chuckled as he clapped my shoulders.

“You might be a fool, but you’re not an idiot. Kurimoto-kun often asks you if you’re an idiot. That is a statement that can never be directed at a real idiot, and an idiot will usually never realize or imagine that they are an idiot to begin with. But I digress. Anyway, the only thing that can save Yoishi Mitsurugi is a person who can give up everything for the sake of others. Well, I have never seen a person who can do such a thing for a stranger. Well, that's right. If forced, I’d have to say someone like Jesus of Nazareth. Well, that's just folklore, and in any case, it's a mad story.”

When he finished talking as he pleased, Sako chuckled.

“I'll take you to the station,” he said, and with a plop, he pushed me from behind and started walking towards the entrance to the shrine.

After passing through the large Torii gate, the black wagon and men dressed in black that I had seen when I arrived were waiting for me. They deftly carried the earthenware pot back into the car and gestured me inside as well. I got in, and the wagon once again rocked along the mountain road. I thought they’d take me back to Musashino, but for some reason, I alone was dropped off at Okutama station. From what I understood, they had to take that earthenware pot somewhere from that point on.

“I think it’s better if you don’t know where that is.”

Sako gave me a creepy smile, and I complied in disgust. I was already completely exhausted anyway. I thought I’d go to sleep while on the Chuo Line and go home, but I was strangely curious about the piece of paper Sako had handed me, so I took out my mobile phone in the train and tried to access it for the time being.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to access it unless I was on a computer, but it seemed to be a website compatible with my flip phone. I managed to see it, but—

…Huh?

When I scanned through every corner of that site and understood the purpose and meaning of the page—

I ended up discovering a new darkness inside the darkness that was Yoishi Mitsurugi.

“Hey, how the hell is this a hint? That bastard.”

I was physically exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep at all with the new mystery that had appeared in front of me matched together with my anger towards Sako. In the end, I finally reached Mitaka station at last without even a wink of sleep. I staggered and dragged my heavy feet towards the station exit, going against the flow of commuters. I finished descending the stairs and made my way to the roundabout in front of the station, when I saw a familiar shadow.

“Welcome back.”

Long black hair and a black blazer uniform. It was Yoishi Mitsurugi, with a white scarf wrapped around her neck.

“A…Ah, I’m back.”

I merely answered mechanically, but I was strangely happy with the conversation. Welcome back. I’m back. What nice words.

Afterwards, we silently headed through the station roundabout in the direction of Koumei institute.

“You going to school now?”

“It’s bothersome.”

“………….”

“I really don’t feel like going, but...”

“But you’ll go, right? That’s admirable.”

Yoishi sunk into silence when I said that.

We continued to walk without exchanging a word.

But from time to time, I felt Yoishi sneaking a look at me. I somehow understood that she was trying to ask me something, and yet couldn’t. I wouldn’t speak of it until she asked me herself. That floaty, ticklish sensation in my stomach was fun for some reason.

“…What…?”

At last, Yoishi asked with a voice that was seemingly scattered by the wind.

“What did the earthenware pot…?”

“…Hm?”

“What did it ask?”

“Do you want to know?”

“…I’ll hear you out, just because.”

I tried to stop myself from bursting into laughter—

And answered her after a pause.

“It asked: Was it alright to have been born?”

Yoishi stopped in her tracks, and looked at me.

And I stopped as well.

“Surprised, right? I might have been dreaming, but it asked me that probably before dawn. That was the question it had spent 250 years refining and developing.”

Then, what did you answer?

The moment Yoishi looked at me as if to ask that question—

I realized it.

No—I had a feeling I realized it.

The reason Sako told me about that site.

And why I unexpectedly said those words to that earthenware pot.

…No, wait. I should probably think about it some more. I’m known to jump to wrong conclusions, and I was too tired to come up with the answer right now.

So, for now - I turned to Yoishi, smiled as hard as I could and said:

“What I answered -- is a secret between it and me.”

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==Translator's notes and references==
<references/>

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Phenomeno:Case 10

2023-12-03T14:09:30Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 10: The Invisible Friend==

Movies can change your life. It’s possible that a person, who was thinking of ending their life would, after seeing this movie, happily trot out of the cinema and go buy a flower for themselves—

A guy in my high school who was really into movies said that; I wonder how he’s doing nowadays.

The ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’ had gotten off to a hopeless start, but I was instantly comforted when I remembered this line and that film buff's boundless, radiating smile. I reassured myself, thinking I’d only just started. Having said that, I had realized something: The only thing besides the occult that brough a faint glimmer to Yoishi Mitsurugi’s eyes, was movies.

She’d sometimes wander off to the rental store, borrow a few films and watched them alone on her computer. What types of movies did she watch? …Well, it was obvious. She wouldn’t be watching anything like a teary-eyed drama about human relationships or a thrilling action adventure that made you scream with excitement. One day, she was watching a splatter horror film with intense concentration that had more blood 'splattering', rather than 'gushing', I asked her if she’d ever been moved emotionally by anything, and she looked at me with a curious expression.

“Animals… you said you had no interest in them. Then, look, what about kid stuff? Wouldn’t it be refreshing to be a child again?”

“The world of children is much crueler.”

Her words suddenly made me bitter as they reminded me of the incident from the other day, but I refused to back down.

“But even you might have kids one day.”

“I will not - I will never do anything to leave my genes in this world.”

Yoishi asserted flat out, without losing her expression.

I’m still a long way from seeing her smile, I thought, but when I heard that, I also had a deep feeling of relief somehow.

That was in a way, a declaration of Yoishi’s chastity, a declaration of her virginity. I think I was somewhat relieved to know she was a virgin. No, it wasn’t because I was into virgins or anything like that, it was just a sense of relief that the cause of her twisted nature was not a result of sexual abuse suffered at the hands of a close relative, like what might have been for Ayana Takamura, who disappeared in the underground place of the Koumei institute.

It's been about half a year since I met her. But Yoishi was yet to even speak of her family. It was actually difficult to ask her, since she was emitting a hundred-meter aura in every cardinal direction suggesting that if you were to ask about her family, she’d put a curse on you with all her knowledge. That’s why I didn’t ask, and I felt I would probably never have the chance to.

“But – saying that.”

It was also true that it would be a problem if I don’t ask some day.

After all, someone else's daughter was living -- or rather, parasitizing - in the loft of my apartment. Whenever I’d see Krishna-san, she’d persistently ask: “When are you going to resolve the situation?”, and moreover, this was not a normal situation.

I mean, was it my fault?

When I think about that day again, I still get angry.

In the first place, when Yoishi came to my apartment, it was bad enough that Karasu-san happened to be there. Karasu-san was from the old guard and a regular visitor to the occult site ‘Ikaigabuchi’. She was a beautiful woman whose age was unknown, and her actual profession was being a fortune teller, but she had a propensity to be too easy going or too mischievous, to think everything is fine as long as it's funny and to take no account of the trouble she caused to those around her.

She babbled something incomprehensible like:『There, there, it’s fine, isn’t it? It’s better to live together first than to get married out of the blue.』wearing a grin on her face; At that time, I was pinned down with my legs tied. During that period, Yoishi finished shifting her things in the blink of an eye. Even though I say she shifted her things, she took out from her bag what seemed to be the only possession she had brought along: her laptop, and threw all my stuff down from the loft, but that was the start of her life as a parasite in my home.

But they say, ‘There’s no use crying over spilled milk’, and it’s not in my nature to grumble about things that have already happened. Yes, even if it’s a misty hope behind the fog, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. It's all about action, determination.

Having said that, I was painstakingly working to improve Yoishi’s eating habits, and trying to change her life cycle to a daytime one every day. I made her clean up after herself, made her habitualize taking a bath, and hoped that one day – I could fill in the blank pieces of Yoishi Mitsurugi that existed inside me. I hoped that a day might come... when she would finally smile.

And thus, it was on a Sunday in December.

“Yoishi! Lunch is ready!”

It was in the afternoon that day, I had cooked Chinese style fried rice with lettuce and pork for two people and called out to Yoishi in the loft, but there was no reply, nor did she come down.

“Heeeey, Yoishi!”

I called out once more, but there was no reply; I clicked my tongue and climbed up the ladder.

There, I found her lying in her permanently laid out futon wearing her school uniform, she had headphones on and some sort of video was playing on her computer. It was a little unusual to see her excited with eyes wide open. I crawled up to the loft and stood next to her, wondering if she had rented a hit film, when I realized…

The LCD panel of her computer wasn’t playing a movie. It looked like some kind of amateur home video. It appeared to be an event at some kindergarten. It showed smiling children marching in a line in an auditorium-like building, with their parents around them, creating a very congenial atmosphere.

“What is this--? A video of someone you know?”

I asked, but Yoishi silently put her index finger to her lips.

“It starts ''now''.”

“…Huh?”

Yoishi unplugged the wire from the headphone jack, and the audio started playing through the computer speakers. I had no choice but to sit down next to Yoishi in my apron and peered into the screen with my face up close.

Mixed in with the noisy cheers of the crowd was the frolicking voices of the kindergarten children. The slight camera shakes and frequent panning of the camera in search of a subject truly did resemble a home video. The cameraman’s focus seemed to be the children in their yellow uniforms for most of the time – but at certain points, the camera was panned to the left as if they had suddenly noticed something. The camera wanders through the parents as if looking for something, or rather, someone. But after doing so for a while, the camera abruptly returns to the march of the school children once more.

“Why did it turn to the left just now?”

Yoishi operated the computer in silence and rewound the footage again.

The footage starts to play once more. The cheerful kindergartners. The smiling parents looking at the camera. And the camera suddenly pans to the left once again. It lingers for a while in search of a subject, then returns to focus on the kids in the front again—

“Huh?”

I suddenly noticed something strange.

“Show it to me once more.”

Yoishi rewinds the video once again. The video pans left from the marching school kids. In the far back rows of the parents --Ah, I knew it. There was a kindergartner dressed in a yellow school uniform and a hat. It was too blurry and far away to determine if it was a boy or a girl… but, that child alone stood still in the corner of the parents' section, with their head down, looking like they were the only one not taking part in the fun event.

“Why is that child… not taking part in the march?”

As I uttered that, Yoishi rewound the video again and played it back once more. This time from the point the camera panned to the left. It showed the figure of the lone kindergartner amidst the parents, and that was when I finally felt a sense of unease. For some reason, a shiver ran down my spine.

“…P-play it once again, please.”

After a few more replays, I finally realized what that was.

More so than I saw earlier, no, the more I replayed it…. The more different that kindergartner’s body leaned. It seemed as if their body was turning towards us slowly. At the same time a shivering cold took over me, and I remembered.

It was something I had seen on the internet, a famous ghost story among occult enthusiasts.

It began when a university film club snuck into a train station late at night to film. They wanted footage of an empty station, but after they finished filming and checked the footage, they somehow found a woman on the platform with an umbrella on the next platform across the tracks. The student who was director among them seemed angry on why no one had seen her during filming, but as they replayed the footage, someone noticed.

Why was the woman there alone at the station after the last train had departed?

Moreover, each time the footage was replayed, wasn’t the woman turning her body towards the camera, little by little?

Everyone laughed in the beginning, thinking such a thing wasn’t possible, but after ten replays, everyone started to go quiet. The woman whose back was clearly turned away from the camera, had turned her body far back enough that her face was visible. With long black hair and head hung down, her movements which indicated she would soon look up and face the camera, made everyone tremble with fear, and the film was sealed and burnt in a temple. After that, it was said that the film crew members met with strange accidents and died – I didn’t know the details. I think there might have been some embellishments as well.

Suddenly recalling that story, I panicked and stopped the video.

“….Ooo, Oi, Yoishi…This, it can’t be…?”

Yoishi, who was close enough to catch my breath, spoke happily.

“It’s the real thing.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yoishi called the rental store to check; It seemed that the person who rented the DVD previously returned it with the wrong disc, and the shop owner failed to check it, so it found its way here.

“What kind of person had this in their possession, I wonder?”

Yoishi eyes lit up as she asked, and after we gulped down the fried rice that had already turned cold, we rode together on the mama bike and headed towards the rental shop.

We arrived at the rental shop, a complex attached to a video game and book department. It was crowded with customers on a Sunday. I stopped my mama bike at the entrance and locked it, while Yoishi quickly headed inside towards the reception. I entered the shop belatedly and watched from a short distance, the young male shop assistant was apologizing profusely and seemed to be asking if she would like to borrow it again.

“I don't have time for that anymore.”

Yoishi shook her head, and then pressed the apologetic-looking employee, “Instead, I'd like you to tell me who rented this film before me.”

However, despite it being a mistake on the employees’ part, he refused, saying “I’m afraid we can’t do that.” Well, that was obvious as it was personal information. Yoishi persistently nagged him for a while, saying, "Do something about that", but the shopkeeper just bowed his head and refused to do so.

Eventually, Yoishi left the reception area, and I followed her.

As I approached Yoishi, who seemed to hide behind a pillar, she spoke:

“We'll see what happens here for a while. That employee is bound to contact the previous borrower to retrieve the original disc.”

“I see.”

We killed time by pretended to see a trailer of a new film on display on the monitor there, while keeping an eye on the employee from earlier, he soon started making a phone call somewhere while looking at his computer screen. After staring intently at the fingertips of the employee pressing the buttons on the push-button phone, Yoishi took out her phone and inputted some numbers. She then pressed the call button after the employee had finished talking and hung up.

--This girl could actually be a detective in the future.

I watched her in amazement, but as Yoishi said “Hello”, I involuntarily held my breath.

“Sorry for disturbing you once more. I’m calling from the video rental store again.”

I drew closer to Yoishi and leaned my ear into the phone to catch the voice from the other side.

〈…I told you I can't come today.〉

The voice from the other side seemed to belong to a woman. She spoke in a somewhat muffled tone of voice.

“Yes, I understand. There was something we forgot to mention – actually, the film has been booked by another customer, and if it's all right with you, we'd like to come and retrieve it now, so may we come over to your house?”

〈………………..〉

The woman on the other side briefly went silent as if troubled by the request.

However, she eventually consented with a small, muffled〈…Understood〉, “Is this address alright?” Yoishi asked as she gave her a random address.

Thereupon, the other party must have said 'no', and Yoishi immediately apologized.

“We’re sorry, it seems the address has been entered incorrectly in the system. Can you please inform us of the correct one once more?”

After that, Yoishi quickly jotted down the correct address she managed to wring out of the woman on a piece of paper. All I could do was watch on nervously.

“You’re… amazing.”

I said that to Yoishi after she hung up,

“Let’s go.” said Yoishi, and we immediately set off.

The address led us to a residential area near Shakujii Park, far north of Kichijoji Station. The area was densely populated with rather small dwellings via several small alleys, making it difficult to get a sense of direction.

Yoishi checked the address on the telephone pole with the paper in one hand, and continued walking. I followed behind, pushing my mama bicycle.

“Say. It’s alright to visit that house, but, what are we going to do about that DVD the person mistakenly put in there instead of the film? Isn’t it still back at the shop?”

“You receive the film and return it to the shop as the shopkeeper doesn’t know your face, and you officially receive that DVD instead. You then return it to this person again.”

“Ah…. I see.”

“If you do that, we can talk to that person twice, and watch it once more.”

“If possible, I don’t wanna see that again.”

As I told her that.

“It’s here.”

Yoishi stopped in her tracks.

It was— one of the small developments in a residential area. Strangely enough, even though it was broad daylight, the house seemed dimly lit. The plot of about 83 square meters was surrounded by a wall, and along the inside of the wall was covered thick with many dogwood trees that had not been touched for quite some time now. The nameplate on the rusty iron gate read 'Iizuka'. Peering inside through the spider-webbed gateposts, I saw a doghouse by the front door. But there was nothing inside – or rather, the entrance to the kennel was boarded up and nailed shut, which felt creepy.

“Huh… what a creepy house.”

I turned back to see Yoishi had her lips pursed together, her pale face seemed to be even paler. She looked like she was trying very hard to endure.

“H...hey, are you gonna throw up? Is that it?”

--Shit. I had forgotten to bring along a plastic bag since we had left in a hurry.

As I fumbled around both my pockets:

“…It’s alright.”

Yoishi muttered as she staggered to the sooty intercom next to the gate and pressed the button. A chime rang out from inside the house, and eventually a quiet voice came through the intercom speaker, “…Yes.”

Yoishi had a deathly expression on her face and didn’t say anything, so I had no choice but to answer in her stead.

“W…we’re from the rental shop that called earlier! We’re here to pick up the film!”

The front door opened inaudibly – And a woman who looked to be in her thirties appeared.

“…Please come in.”

“S-sorry to disturb you.”

Leaving me aside, I thought that Yoishi, dressed in a high school uniform would be nothing but suspicious, but the woman didn’t seem to care about that at all.

We took off our shoes at the entrance, went past the creaking, dimly lit corridor and were shown into a 10 sqm living room, where we sat down in front of a wooden table as indicated by the woman.

“I’ll bring some tea.”

While the woman was in the kitchen, I managed to get a look around the room. The ceiling wasn't so high, and an old, worn-out carpet lay spread on the tatami. There were several stains on the carpet, probably from children spilling on it.

Come to think about it, there were a number of stains on the tatami in the living room of my parent's home. I guess that’s how it is in a house with small children. However, it was as silent as the grave inside the house, as if there wasn't anyone else present besides that woman.

Nonetheless, it was dark.

Despite the curtains of the sash leading to the small courtyard being open, a gloomy darkness clung to the room. Was the room just bad at receiving sunlight? The warm winter sunshine continued to fall outside in the courtyard, but the room received none of that blessing.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The woman eventually brought two teas and an open DVD.

"...Here, I'm sorry. I ended up returning it with the wrong disc."

"Ah, yes, that seems to have been the case."

I said that while taking the disc from the woman, when "...Well then", she looked at me in the face.

Her emaciated face… shocked me. I checked her appearance carefully once more. Her face, without any makeup, was pale and had several deep wrinkles. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips looked parched. Even though she wasn't that old, there were many white streaks running through her shoulder-length hair.

--She was dead, while alive.

I shook my head in a panic as I suddenly thought such insolent things.

"Ah, ummm - - About the DVD you mistakenly put in. Hmm... that is..."

I looked to my side, puzzled as what to say.

"I have a question."

Yoishi, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly spoke up.

"Are you the one who shot that video?"

"…Which video are you referring to?"

"The video taken at that kindergarten."

In response, the woman's eyes opened slightly.

"…Did you see that one?"

"I'm sorry. We had to make sure of the contents."

"…How much of it did you watch...?"

"All of it."

Yoishi answered.

"We saw all of it, including the child who shouldn't have been there."

A chilling cold air rose at these words.

I gripped my knees as I sat in the formal position.

"...Is that so?"

The woman looked away from us, and her gaze focused downwards, as if she stared on the stains on the carpet. She stayed like that as Yoishi asked her.

"Who is that child, and what meaning does that video have? Actually, a lot of bad things have happened at our store since then. I believe you have an idea of the kind of things that are happening."

Yoishi had spoken that much, when--

"Mai!"

Suddenly, the woman turned and sent an ear-splitting scream my way, causing me to buckle reflexively.

"Go over there!"

After looking closely, I saw that her focus was behind us, and I turned back to see a paper sliding door closing behind me.

"…That was my daughter, I beg your pardon."

"....Ah, not at all."

Apparently, her child was in the next room.

"--Have you heard the rumor of the child known as 'Shōko-chan'?"

"Huh?"

I tilted my head in puzzlement at the unexpected question, as the woman continued.

"My daughter really loves that rumor in her kindergarten. She says it's a secret friend that the adults can't see and only the preschoolers know about."

"Is the child in that video that 'Shōko-chan'?"

Yoishi asked, but it seemed as if her question didn't reach that woman.

"One day, a lone frog was found stabbed to death at the end of the bamboo in the kindergarten's hedge."

The woman narrated the tale, letting her words fall to the floor.

"The teachers seemed to have been frightened and removed it, but after a few days, another frog stabbed to death was discovered. And then... they gathered all the children together and cautioned them not to do such poor things to living creatures. They didn't intend to go into who did it, but one of the children was brought to tears and said, 'I tried to stop it’. They then asked if he knew who did it, and after hesitating for a moment, he answered, ‘Shōko-chan’. However, there was no such child bearing that name in the kindergarten. The teachers thought it must have been someone’s nickname, but shortly afterwards, the child who told them the name had a traffic accident. The child survived, but the shock was so severe that he soon transferred to another school. After that, a strange rumor started spreading among the children: ‘Takuya-kun had an accident because he tattled to the teachers.’”

“Does that mean he got into an accident because ‘Shōko-chan’ held a grudge against him?’”

Yoishi interjected, and the woman nodded slightly.

“However, as I mentioned earlier, there were no children named ‘Shōko-chan’ enrolled in that kindergarten. Nevertheless, some of the old staff members knew the name, and there were stories from children of all generations: of children who were locked in the barn where entry was forbidden, or children who had burns on their stomachs, backs and other parts of their bodies that were not easily seen by adults.”

“That film—”

Yoishi asked her:

“Were you the one who made that video?”

“…Yes.”

“Were you trying to film your daughter?”

“…Yes.”

“Why did you turn the camera midway through to an irrelevant direction away from your daughter?”

“…That was… I somehow felt I had to point the camera in that direction… Yes, I unwittingly pointed my camera that way.”

“Do you think the child in the film present where they’re not supposed to be is ‘Shōko-chan’?”

“…I don’t know.”

“How many times did you see that film?”

However, the moment Yoishi mouthed those words.

I was horrified, as the woman suddenly grabbed her hair tightly and started to pull with enough force to tear it all off.

--Hey Yoishi. Stop it. Something's wrong with her.

I gently tapped Yoishi’s knee with the intention of telling her so, but she continued her interrogation without a care.

“Did you watch it until the child turned his head completely? Did you make eye contact wi—”

“A, …AAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The woman started screaming, and I shrieked back in fear.

But - at the same time – Yoishi sitting right next to me started making a strange noise.

“…B, Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgghhhh!”

The pale Yoishi suddenly began to vomit loudly on the spot.

“U-ooooooooooooo…”

Despite being screamed at from the front and the side, I still managed to catch Yoishi’s vomit in mid-air by holding out my hands thanks to my reaction speed, which was in a realm where it could be called that of a master or an expert. I somehow managed to protect the carpet in someone else's house from her vomit, but my hands were now filled with her warm puke.

“…I, I’m terribly sorry.”

I apologized to the woman, but I didn't know what to do from there. I had no idea what I was doing anymore, I was here in this creepy house, sandwiched between two denpas, with vomit in my hands. The woman who shouted for a while fell silent again, and Yoishi being Yoishi, didn’t care about the drool on her mouth, and continued to ask questions.

“You returned that film to the rental store on purpose, didn’t you?”

The woman looked up slightly at Yoishi’s question, but I looked at her, startled.

--On purpose? What do you mean, on purpose?

“You must have deliberately returned that film to the rental store. Was it because you were afraid of the footage of the schoolchild turning towards you every time it played? Because you felt something would happen if you looked at their face? No. Maybe you already made eye-contact with the child in the video -- and maybe, something already happened in this house. Perhaps something is happening to your daughter."

“…Please leave.”

The woman spoke in a frail voice.

“I think you’re better off not knowing any more than that. Besides -- you two are not from that store, correct?”

…Damn, we got caught.

I mean, wasn’t it obvious?

A high school girl school uniform who asks such sharp questions and then suddenly throws up in her companion's hands can't possibly be an employee from the rental store.

“Please excuse us.”

I apologized, stood up and kicked Yoishi on the knee with my toe.

It was an obvious signal that enough was enough, and that it was time to leave.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I went outside, I felt a dazzling sense of brightness.

The oxygen was thick, the sunlight felt warm. Above all, there was a sense of liberation, as if I had escaped from a monotone world and discovered a world of color. I wanted to take a deep breath, but the sour smell from the liquid on my hands prevented me from doing that. As I contemplated on what to do with it:

“If we don't hurry, it could get bad.”

Yoishi spoke that, and began to walk at a brisk pace. She still looked pale, but her gait was steadier than before.

“H, hey, wait a second! My bike! You push my bike!”

Yoishi tossed her black hair, turned around and tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Don’t act like you don’t know why. My hands are full because of you, the least you could do is push my bike.”

Yoishi then stood motionlessly in place as she stared at the vomit in my hands as if she had just noticed, and spoke:

“Are you a vomit maniac or something?”

“…Huh?”

“How long are you going to keep carrying that around as if it were precious material?”

“…Y,Y, You bitch. There’s no way anyone would carry this around because they liked it! If you’re gonna go around throwing up everywhere, then it’s your job to carry a plastic bag with you at all times! I mean, is this stinky crap something you can just casually throw everywhere? It's a nuisance to the neighborhood, so throw it in the toilet of a park somewhere! And wash my hands while you’re at it!”

Hearing my fervent speech go that far, Yoishi finally put her hands on the mama bike.

Although she seemed very reluctant to do so, we went to the toilet in Shakujii Park together. After dumping Yoishi’s vomit in the public toilet by the entrance, I thoroughly washed my hands with soap in the hand-washing area. Not having a handkerchief, I wiped my wet hands on the back of my jeans.

“Say, have you heard the term, Imaginary companion?”

Yoishi suddenly asked me out of the blue.

“Imaginary companion…? Ah… it’s that, right? A friend who only exists in your imagination when you're a kid, right?”

“Yes, also known as an imaginary friend. Children are in their own way, under pressure adults cannot perceive. Their minds have not developed resistance or anything yet, so they create the ultimate ideal, an imaginary friend to protect themselves.”

“I’ve heard about it before, so what of it?”

I asked that much, when I suddenly realized.

“….Eh? Wait, are you saying… that’s what we saw in the DVD?”

Yoishi shook her head and said ‘I don’t know’, before walking off.

“At first, I thought that was the case – but, I feel it’s different somehow.”

Her white face hung downwards as she moved away, I drag my mama bike in a rush to catch up with her.

“Wait, why is there an imaginary friend in the video?”

Besides that, according to the story that woman named Iizuka told us, the image of the rumored ‘Shōko-chan’ sounded more like it was the target of everyone’s fear. It was nothing like an ideal friend that appeared in order to protect a child’s spirit. On top of that, wasn’t it weird how all the other kids shared that image?

“Right, it’s weird.”

Yoishi muttered happily for some reason.

“That’s exactly what makes me curious.”

Her eyes were suddenly filled with vitality. They shone with such energy that it was hard to believe she had just vomited a few moments ago.

“Anyways, we’ve already lost twenty minutes. Let’s hurry up.”

“Hurry up…? What for?”

“We need to hurry up and make sure that video isn’t seen by anyone else.”

As I looked at Yoishi, who had already taken a seat on the back of the mama bike and was waiting for me to get on, I felt deeply dismayed.

--Oi, just how many times did we see that dangerous video?

Thereafter, we rode double on the mama bike illegally back to the rental shop, and as per Yoishi’s suggestion, I returned the movie that should have been returned originally and took back that creepy DVD with the kindergartner once more. The store employee put the DVD in a cheap case, as though he felt bad about giving it back bare-cased, but even so, it felt scary to hold the DVD with that creepy thing in it directly in my hand. Staring at the light bounce off the disc inside the case made me reluctantly recall that grainy video. A chill ran down my spine as I recalled the kindergartner with their head hanging down, and how, with each successive replay, their body slowly turned towards us and head raises up with each playback.

Despite that, I had no choice to take it with me, so I quickly made my way to the exit and thrust the DVD into Yoishi’s hands, who was waiting outside the shop.

“Here. So, what do you plan on doing with it?”

“I wonder.”

Yoishi gave an irresponsible comment, but—

Didn’t you take it back because you had some kind of plan?

“Say, what did you mean when you said that woman deliberately returned this DVD to the shop?”

“Same as you are now. She didn’t want to hold it for a long time, so throwing it away was the best option, and I believe she threw it away many times over. However, in all likelihood -- this ended up returning.”

“Ended up returning??”

“There are things in this world imbued with such a nature, like ’A doll that’s been loved for a long time’, or ‘A creation you put your heart and soul into’, Most of the time, it's just that the original owner hasn't quite let go of the old feelings in their heart and is calling them back."

That suddenly made me recall the doll memorial in the temple<ref> https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/october/doll-memorial-service-hokyoji-temple/</ref> I saw when I was on a school field trip to Kyoto. I recalled that in one corner of that temple, a smaller temple surrounded by shimenawa<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimenawa</ref> was built separately, where countless dolls were bunched together and how they stared coldly at me. I recalled the bundle of hollow stares that suggested they were no longer needed by their masters, and I remember running off reflexively.

“It would be best to seal it off somewhere.”

--Hey, don’t tell me you plan on swiping another shimenawa from a temple again? I had a bad feeling as I stared at Yoishi play around with the DVD in her hand by spinning it round, when—

“Oh, Nagi-kun-- and Yoishi-chan?”

Hearing a familiar voice call out my name, I turned around and saw Karasu-san there for some reason.

She was wearing what could be called her trademark black camisole with a fluffy fur shawl, twirling her car keys with her fingers, and had a broad grin covering her entire face.

“What are you two doing here on a Sunday?”

The female fortuneteller and longtime regular of ‘Ikaigabuchi’ asked me as she wore her beautiful black hair tied high on her head today. She was a tall woman by nature, and also a beauty with a flamboyant face. In addition to all that, she had a loud voice, which made her truly stand out. With her appearance alone, she gave the impression of a large sunflower blooming in full bloom, and we were instantly the center of attention from everyone around us.

“Us? What are ''you'' doing here?”

I asked back in a hushed voice.

“Me? Well, I’m just wandering around because it’s my day off, but…? Aaah… could you two be on a date? A date! I love it, I love it!!”

It’s not a date; Your voice is too loud.

I was about to say that, when she suddenly grabbed me with her arm and put me in a tight headlock. Under the fluffy shawl, my cheeks were buried in Karasu-san’s soft bust, and I could smell her nice fragrance. Locked in a headlock, I was dragged towards the parking lot.

“Say, say, say, Nagi-kun? Don’t you have anything to report to me?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“There you go again, playing the fool. You’re still living together with Yoishi, aren’t you? Which means… you’re together now, right? In short, it’s become that sort of thing, right?”

“…Huh?”

“Tell me, tell me, what did you think of Yoishi-chan's lips and all that?? That girl’s a little strange, but she's got some serious quality, doesn't she? Even as a woman, her eyebrows and eye shape make my heart throb, so I don't blame you for losing patience, but aah, damn, I'm so disappointed in myself. If I could meet a girl like that, I wish I’d been born a man!”

“—A-are you... are you nuts! What are you talking about?!”

“Oh my, you're all red-faced. After all, a 16-year-old girl makes a big decision and walks into a guy's house. Oh, the two can’t possibly still be platonic, right? I think that’s super unhealthy.”

“''Which'' one is unhealthy?! In the first place, if you hadn’t placed me in a headlock like this back then, I wouldn’t have been caught up as an offender of the Youth protection ordinance. Yoishi wouldn’t have started parasitizing in my house.”

I finally managed to break free of Karasu-san’s headlock and declared that.

“Be thankful, I arranged a special event in your springtime of youth.”

Karasu-san laughed as she cheerfully slapped me on the shoulder.

--It’s no good. Her pace might have made me genetically incapable of fighting back… is what I thought, when—

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Karasu-san stared at me and gave a puzzled look. She skillfully raised only one of her slender, well-groomed eyebrows and put her hand on my cheek.

“W, what is it?”

“You’re having trouble with women, aren’t you?”

“Trouble with women? Yeah, I’m having trouble with ''you''!”

I retorted scathingly, but Karasu-san replied with no, no, no, and started stroking my chin and cheekbones with her fingertips even further.

“This is—trouble with a woman far younger than me. And it’s not Yoishi either. Right—if I had to guess, I’d say a girl of elementary school age. It can’t be, don’t tell me you touched an elementary school girl. You know that’s a crime, right?”

“Of course not! I mean, you’re the one who helped a high school girl parasitize in the loft of my apartment, so please don't talk to me about crime.”

Ah, her fortune-telling was always like this. It was, how do you say: Out of focus? Unreliable? It wasn’t there when you needed it, and there were times when she would gleefully tell you of disasters that had already passed by. That elementary school girl she mentioned was probably the girl selling ghost photographs -- Akane Nanamori. That was already a bitter memory that remained within me.

“Well, be careful. These days, elementary school kids can be very mature.”

She spoke somewhat elatedly -- The carefree fortuneteller then waved a "Yoo-hoo" to Yoishi, who had remained silent for a long time.

“Yoishi-chan, how have you been?”

As if finally noticing her at last, Yoishi silently turned her eyes towards Karasu-san.

“My, my, Yoishi-chan is as cute as ever. Your deep eyes look like they could steal my soul, I can't help but adore them. I think I might lean that way!”

Even in the face of such cringe-worthy dialogue, Yoishi maintained a blank expression.

On the contrary, she waited for Karasu-san to finish speaking, before muttering:

“Is the apartment next door yours?”

“…Huh?”

“Next door to our apartment -- room 101. I heard you're using it as a storage space.”

“Ahh, that’s right, but… what about it?”

Karasu-san nodded cheerfully, and Yoishi asked a strange question:

“Who’s in there?

…Huh?

I looked at Yoishi’s face with my mouth agape.

Not ‘what’s in there?’, but ‘''who''’s in there?’

“Who, you ask, ermmm…. there's just a bunch of stuff in there…”

Karasu-san spoke somewhat evasively, prompting Yoishi to interrogate her further.

“That's strange. I can sense the presence of at least ten or so people in that room at any given time.”

Her words sent a shiver down my spine.

T…ten? Eh, what? What did that mean?

Astonished, I looked at Karasu-san to see that she too, was unnerved.

“......Oh, uh—that is, I mean….”

“What ''DO'' you mean?”

When I pressed her as well, the female fortuneteller finally opened up reluctantly.

“Actually...... There's a lot of items in that room with a shady history, you know, items that have been entrusted to me by customers.”

“Items with a shady history?”

“No, no, no, no, it’s not a big deal! It’s merely common stuff like ‘A mirror with a person trapped inside’, ‘a meat mask that can’t be taken off once worn’, or ‘a laughing doll’! But more so than being kept in storage, they are items that are sealed away because they can’t be touched presently – Ah, but Nagi-kun, you don't have to get all teary-eyed. They've all been spiritually treated. Nothing will happen unless you go in there and break the seal!”

“T-that’s not the problem here! Don’t seal such suspicious things next to someone’s apartment! No, I mean, please don't say such things in front of her right now!”

If it says ‘Enter and you will die,’ Yoishi would enter even if she had to kick the door down. If there was a sign that says you will be cursed if you open it, she would use any and all means necessary to open it.

As expected of her, Yoishi whispered:

“Show me that place.”

“…Eh?”

Karasu-san was at a loss for words; I shouted out loud as if moving her out of the way.

“No, no! Don't make things more complicated than they already are! We need to get rid of that DVD first!”

“That’s why, I need to see it.”

“…What did you say?”

“There might be something we can use.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

…Oi, you gotta be kidding me.
The moment Karasu-san opened the door to the storage room, I was already at my wits end.

As soon as we entered, I saw countless talismans stuck on top of the front door. They were also stuck above the door of the modular bath, and another in the cramped kitchen. For some reason, many of the talismans were old, and some were blackened as if they had been blasted from above with a gas burner. But the most bizarre thing about this room was that the partition door leading to the living room had been removed and was replaced by a thick, old shimenawa. You would never see such an impressive thing even at a shrine. And it was definitely not something you’d find in an ordinary rental apartment.

“…Karasu-san, please explain it to me.”

“You’ve seen it before, haven’t you? A shimenawa?”

“I understand that, I’m a regular user of ‘Ikaigabuchi’ too! What I’m asking is, why is there such a huge shimenawa in a place like this? It's strange, no matter how you think about it! This is just like the doll memorial in Kyoto…”

I said that much, and then, Ah, I understood.

…I see. So that’s why Yoishi wanted to see this place. This was a room built exactly for that purpose, a room for slowly purifying items that couldn’t be out in the world, items that had a certain history about them – Wait, this wasn’t a time to be accepting.

“K-K-Karasu-san! If you had something like this next door, you should have told me when you introduced me to this apartment.”

“No, because, you were in a very precarious situation at that time.”

“Being in a precarious situation means that I don’t have the right to make such a basic choice?”

I yelled out loud at Karasu-san, but I felt my voice being swallowed by the darkness behind the shimenawa.

There were countless boxes placed in the dark living room behind the shimenawa, but even I, despite having no ability to sense the paranormal, could tell. Something felt wrong. I could tell from that fact that although the light in the corridor was switched on, the living room right next to it was dark, as if it repelled the light. It was, how should I put it, otherworldly. The air itself was distinctly different. There was something so thick in the air that made me believe it was dangerous, to the point where even the gravity there might be different.

However, Yoishi took off her shoes, quickly went under the shimenawa alone by herself, and muttered “How wonderful” to herself.

“Right, right?”

Karasu-san nodded happily as she followed, and seeing Yoishi happily pick up the suspicious items one after another and stare at them as if she were admiring antiques made me think dark thoughts to myself:

--Hey, take a look. This is what a true occult maniac looks like. In internet slang, they're the ‘denpas’ who suddenly broadcast their occult fantasies to the world. Ever since the cat incident happened, some people in the western club building branded me as a ‘weirdo who likes scary stories’, but even that perception will be completely overturned when they find out about this kind of existence. I'm sure they will understand how normal, how much of a beginner I am in the unfathomable world of the occult -- I thought such thoughts to myself, while I waited in the corridor, refusing to go through the shimenawa by myself; I saw Yoishi in the living room lift something and ask Karasu-san:

“This is?”

“Oh, they’re opposite mirrors that were in the storehouse of a large landowner in Toyama. It is said that if you hold the two mirrors up to each other on the night of the new moon, you will multiply.”<ref> https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Kitagawa_Utamaro_-_Takashima_Ohisa_Using_Two_Mirrors_to_Observe_Her_Coiffure_Night_of_the_Asakusa_Marketing_Festival_-_MFA_Boston_21.6410.jpg</ref>

“What do you mean by multiply?”

“They say that your reflection in the mirror starts to take on a different personality. If you were to close the mirror in fear, the self in the mirror would remain there, and begin life anew in the world of the mirror. It is said that the mirror was originally used in a local brothel, but the details are unknown. Anyway, it's dangerous, so it's wrapped up nice and tight and can’t be opened.”

“Hey…Yoishi, don't open that thing, okay?”

I warned her from the corridor, but of course, Yoishi wasn’t listening.

“This cell phone is…?”

“This is similar to the story, ‘The Monkey's Paw’ by W. W. Jacobs. From what I’ve heard, it seems to be a cell phone found in the hands of a child who committed suicide, and if you were to press the call button on the phone and make a wish, the wish will be granted in a dubious way. Like getting into the school of your choice, but losing a leg in exchange.”

“And these shoes?”

“Ah, those are dangerous. A certain man is said to have crafted them from the skin of his wife. They seemed to have been at bad terms from the start, but the husband killed his wife and made shoes out of her skin so that he could trample over her, again and again. But it seems that shortly afterwards, the husband jumped off a building while wearing those very same shoes.”

…What the hell is that….? Why, why the hell is that thing here??

“This rope is…?”

“That is said to have been used by people who hung themselves in the dense woodlands. The local police and fire brigade found it when they made their regular patrols, but no matter how many times they cut it off when they recovered the bodies, people kept using it to commit suicide again and again for some unknown reason. It was as if the string was enticing them, so they handed it over to a local shrine, but the head priest there also ended up committing suicide, so after a series of events, it made its way here.”

…Wait, what the heck ''were'' the events happened that brought it here? Why the hell were so many dangerous things all gathered in the apartment next to mine? Now that I think about it, when I ran away from that ‘Wish-fulfilling house’, Karasu-san quickly introduced me to this apartment, but why was a cheap place so close to the university vacant up until now? Wasn’t it because it was a dangerous place?

Once a person starts thinking negative thoughts, those thoughts begin to growl and spin, faster and faster. I began to worry about the potholes in my life one after another.

I was in a situation where I was going in and out of the Beatnik Research Society, aka one of the largest occult sites in Japan, my apartment had a collection of cursed items next to it, and moreover, a girl resembling a vengeful spirit inhabited my loft. I'd become numb to the fact that Yoishi was close by because of everything that had happened, but this was definitely not a normal life. I tried to roughly recall the people I’d met since I came to Tokyo, since the ’Ikaigabuchi’ offline meeting, it’s been nothing but a string of dangerous people starting with Karasu-san, and in the ultimate form of Yoishi Mitsurugi. No, the ultimate of the ultimate was the evil priest, Sako Takita. He was undeniably the worst of the worst, and I don’t know if I’d go so far as to lump him with Yoishi, but anyway, the only sane ones are the Kurimoto siblings – no, wait, wait. Am I not being fooled by Krishna-san’s large bosom and baby face? Even ''she'' is clearly involved in the occult, and as long as she is the leader of ‘Ikaigabuchi’, she can be thought of as a major figure in the occult, right? According to Sako, she was ‘on the verge of breaking down once’, and even her eloquent younger brother, Yukihito Kurimoto said he had ‘died once’. Oooo…. oiii, does that mean that none of them are sane? Does that mean none of them are sane human beings of this world? If I keep on associating with them like this, I’ll surely be dragged to the world on the other side, won’t I? No, both of my feet are already immersed in the other si – Argh, look at them, your feet. Can you see them clearly? Is that the ground? Are your feet there? Isn’t it just an ink-like darkness, spreading outwards….?

“………………”

--No.

….It’s….dark.

Before I realized, I was standing alone and still, in the dark.

…Was it a blackout?

But when I reached out my hand, I found that the walls of the apartment that had just been there had disappeared.

…Hey, where is this? Yoishi---? Karasu-san?

I look around frantically, but no one was there. I didn’t even know if I was in a wide, or a narrow place. A sticky darkness alone enshrouded me, a lukewarm darkness that penetrated through my nose and through my mouth.

I grabbed my hair and was about to start screaming, when –

*SLAP*- I was smacked on the shoulder.

“--Yes, deep breaths.”

When I came to, I saw Karasu-san’s smiling face in front of me.

I had slumped down to the floor, and she was crouched beside me, looking at me.

“Take a dee—ep breath in, then hold. Yes, slowly let it out--- Repeat that three times.”

I didn't understand it very well, but I did what she said, I started to breathe better and calmed down. I looked down at my feet in a daze, they were still there. I was wearing gray socks, and sitting on the floor of the apartment. And the fluorescent light was there and all. I was drenched in sweat and there was a wall against my back.

“You'd better remember.”

Karasu-san smiled as she gently stroked my hair.

“Your fear most likely comes from forgetting to breathe.”

“Breathe…?”

“It’s probably the effect of your childhood asthma. If the fear inside you intensifies, then like now, make sure you're breathing properly. No matter what kind of paranormal lies ahead of you, you’ll definitely make it through somehow. As long as you're breathing properly, you're invincible. You're not broken at all.”

I felt my nose reflexively sniffle. That was the kindest look I’d ever seen from the ‘outrageously’ dressed Karasu-san. And that soaked into me like the sunlight on a warm spring day. It became a strong Kotodama, and strengthened the foundations of my heart.

“…Thank you.”

I unconsciously spoke those words of thanks out loud—

“No, you don't have to thank me. Maybe, so…”

Uhehehehe, Karasu-san laughed slack-jawed and my sense of security collapsed in an instant.

“—Let’s use this.”

I heard Yoishi’s voice and raised my head to see she was casually holding up the creepy rope from earlier.

“Use it… for what?”

In response to Karasu-san’s question, Yoishi took out the DVD from her pocket.

“This rope is a ‘sewing thing’.”

“…Hmm? What’s that?”

“It may be the final result, but it is tinged with the idea of ‘sewing’ the subject to the spot. Maybe the first person who committed suicide with this rope is still haunted by it, unaware of their death. Or perhaps the rope is still faithfully protecting the wish of its first master. The number of things clinging to this rope is so numerous that it makes it hard to fathom their true nature, and the only thing they’re staring at, is our necks.”

After uttering those horrifying lines—

Yoishi began to unravel the somewhat overtly thick straw rope, split it to a reasonable thickness, and began to tie it around the DVD from all four sides.

“…The rope needs something to bind to, and in this, there exists something to be bound to.”

The way she crouched on the living room floor, mumbling something with her mouth as she handled the rope, was, as expected, a ghastly sight.

“Shut up… Be quiet… It doesn’t matter what color it is.”

I heard such intermittent speech, but I had no idea who she was talking to, and quite frankly, that scared me. Eventually, something that resembled an object bound with rope rolled on the floor, and Yoishi sat down there as if her mind was at peace.

“It should be fine now.”

Yoishi muttered, causing Karasu-san to sigh in exasperation and shrug her shoulders.

“And so, the number of strange things keeps growing.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About a week had passed since then.

I had no idea what happened since then, and Yoishi didn’t talk about it either.

It turned out that the apartment next door was a haunted tool shack, but nothing strange happened. I didn't get paralyzed, or hear any strange noises, and I didn't feel any of the presences Yoishi mentioned. Maybe it really was like Karasu-san said, and the items had been spiritually treated. I was a little disturbed when I went to sleep at night as expected, but… well, if something abnormal were to happen, then the walking spirit sensor in my loft, Yoishi Mitsurugi would warn me about it – But now that I'd had time to calm down, a lot of things didn’t add up.

As I’m attending a lecture at university, I think to myself: What did it all mean in the end?

Assuming the kindergartner turning towards the camera in the video was ‘Shōko-chan', and supposing that the video was shot by that woman named Iizuka – Yoishi had said that the woman purposefully returned that DVD back to the rental store. Was it because something had already happened in that house? Did something happen to that woman’s daughter? Then—in short, what the hell happened to her? Was that the reason behind the immense darkness in that house? I didn’t know. Or perhaps it was better that I didn’t know -- but somehow, I wasn’t satisfied. Was it alright if we were the only ones that were saved? I couldn’t shake off those doubts.

I’m sure that was because -- the bitter memory of not having been able to save Akane Nanamori still cast a shadow over me.

Having said that—

After my lecture had finished, I got on my mama bike and headed towards Shakujii Park by myself.

For the time being, I intended to ask around about the rumored ‘Shōko-chan' in a nearby kindergarten.

I didn’t know how asking around would help. No, I’m sure the situation wouldn’t change. I understood that it was already over – or almost over. Still, I couldn’t come to terms with it unless I understood the end myself. If I didn’t get to the point where I was absolutely sure that there was nothing more I could do, I felt like something would swallow me up someday. I felt that leaving things in an ambiguous state would be an opening for the monsters to pounce on me. Krishna-san would say that I was an idiot, or that I hadn’t matured, but I was beginning to feel that this was what it meant to me to face the paranormal.

And the other reason—

The only other reason -- would be Yoishi.

It would be because of the ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’, the goal to see her smile.

I would definitely see her smile someday. I recently learned that when I muttered this in my mind, that strangely enough, I felt less afraid. To begin with, if I were to decide that Yoishi’s reformation was finished as she was now, then in all honesty, I couldn’t call it progress. It would just be a bunch of muddling around in the dark, trying to make things add up. That’s why, I had to act. Even if it was something I couldn’t deal with, I had to act in any way that I could. That was my resolve as a mere human being facing off against the paranormal. Besides, Isn’t that what Karasu-san told me as well?「As long as you're breathing properly, you're invincible」. I was deeply dejected hearing her laughter at the end, but even so, those words touched me more deeply than I had expected. It gave me hope that maybe it was true. Even when I was too scared to move, I still managed to make it through somehow. I had to make sure that I really was ‘invincible’ in the face of all kinds of paranormal.

“—Well then.”

I searched for kindergartens in the vicinity of the Iizuka household, and looking at the map search results on my phone, there were two kindergartens within walking distance of that house. If you were to consider the range with the bus service, the number of kindergartens would increase, but for the time being, I decided to check the ones close by.

In the cold wind, I turned up the collars of my pea coat and pedaled hard on my mama bike. Eventually, I reached Oumekaido Road, where I turned toward Shakujii Park.

I arrived at the Iizuka household shortly thereafter, but only gave it a fleeting glimpse before passing it by. It was still dark and gloomy, and it was hard to tell if anyone was there or not. The boarded-up doghouse was still there, and the curtains were closed.

The kindergarten was located less than five minutes away by bicycle. It was a cute building painted with colorful colors. There were many children playing inside the kindergarten, probably because there was still time before the end of the school-day.

I parked my bike by the fence and watched the children. It was a curious feeling: I wondered if I too, had such fun times once, giggling and running around half-buried tires and monkey bars.

The children, tiny in stature, were already developing their own individuality. There was a boy who was managing a group and leading a game, a boy who was in a world with only two girls, and there was even a gigolo-like preschooler who had several girls as his attendants. When you think about it, a kindergarten is the beginning of the outside world for most human beings. From here, they would experience the world outside the warm confines of family, they’d experience a world that was unjust and unreasonable in many ways.

Welcome to the real world.

Gazing at the children and uttering such strange thoughts out loud, which could neither be described as encouragement nor sympathy, I suddenly take notice of one kid in particular. That boy came right up to the fence I was leaning against, and looked up at me curiously.

“Yo.”

I tried greeting him.

The boy just gave a ‘yes’, and small nod in acknowledgment. However, he did not smile cordially from there. Apparently, this boy had acquired the individuality of not quite being able to fit in with the group.

That was just what I needed, so I asked him:

“There’s something I wanted to ask; Do you know the child called ‘Shōko-chan'?”

As soon as he heard that proper noun, the boy was instantly startled. So, he did know, I thought to myself. I smiled and said: “It’s alright.”

“I know her too. So, let’s keep ‘Shōko-chan’ a secret between you and me, okay?”

“…Okay.”

“Where is ‘Shōko-chan’ right now?”

“…”

“Is she here?”

I spoke and looked around inside the kindergarten.

The boy then shook his head in silence.

“Then… where?”

“…She was taken away by that auntie.”

“Auntie?”

“Mai-chan’s auntie.”

--Mai-chan? Huh….Wasn’t ‘Mai’ the name that Iizuka lady shouted when she yelled, ‘Go over there’….?”

“Is Mai-chan also one of your friends?”

It was right when I asked him that question. A woman in an apron who appeared to be a nursery teacher gave me a suspicious look and asked: “What is it?”, her watchful eyes were definitely on the lookout for any suspicious persons.

“Ahh, n-nothing...” As I stammered, the nursery teacher grabbed the boys’ hand and began to pull him away, “Let’s play with everyone.”

The boy looked at me regretfully, but muttered quietly.

“Mai-can… already died.”

“…Eh?”

“It’s because Mai-chan was good friends with ‘Shōko-chan’.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

--What did it all mean?

I was frozen still in that spot for a while, before I started pushing my bike, and thought to myself.

Mai-chan was already dead? I had easily assumed Mai-chan’s auntie to be that woman named Iizuka, but --- was the ‘Mai-chan’ that boy mentioned different from the Mai from the Iizuka family? Was this not the kindergarten where the rumor of ‘Shōko-chan’ originated from?

No…that boy knew about ‘Shōko-chan’. There was enough indication that the conversation was relevant. I don’t think it could have been a coincidence. In other words, the kindergarten mentioned in that woman’s story was that place. However, if that were the case – I felt a chill rise up. I had a terrible feeling of dread, so I jumped on the mama bike again. I pressed on the pedals as if something was rushing me.

--Wait a minute, let’s get everything straight. Let’s assume that Mai-chan’s mother was that woman named Iizuka…. 'Mai-chan' and ‘Shōko-chan' were supposedly good friends. Then ‘Shōko-chan’ was something dangerous. At the very least, it wasn’t human. However, if that boy was telling the truth, then ‘Shōko-chan’ was taken away by Mai-chan’s mother – in other words, by that woman named Iizuka. Does that mean that something called ‘Shōko-chan’ was in the Iizuka household right now? Damn it, I didn’t get it. In the first place, wasn’t ‘Shōko-chan’ supposed to be in the DVD, already sealed away by Yoishi? And yet --- And yet, that, what was this unpleasant feeling? What was this uneasy feeling of having looked over something important? Like an invisible puddle slowly drenching my feet.

At that moment – beneath my feet, something with a splash made a water pattern in the dark puddle that couldn’t have existed.

In an instant, I stopped my bicycle involuntarily.

“That’s right…..I….”

I didn’t see that girl named ‘Mai’ in the Iizuka household at that time.

I saw the paper door slide shut, but I didn’t see get the chance to see the girl properly.

A terrifying chill crawled over my entire back.

And then, all of a sudden – I heard the siren of a fire engine.

The kind of sound that resonated inside you when a fire engine is dispatched, if I recall, it was a warning siren linked with the accelerator. As if being guided by that sound, I started pedaling my mama bike once again. I stood up, pedaled as hard as I could, and went flying.

With each alleyway I turned, the sound of the siren kept getting louder from all sides. I was close. I knew the fire engines were all converging somewhere extremely close by. Eventually, I could see black smoke rising over some rooftops. Curious onlookers were gathering in sparse alleyways. They must have all come out of their houses after hearing the sirens. I pressed my way forward while avoiding them. And with each pedal stroke, my conviction deepens.

I turned down the last alley and flew into the street where the Iizuka household was visible, but a crowd of people was in front of me, so I couldn’t go any further. I parked my bike in the shadow of a telephone pole nearby and continued running from there.

“I’m sorry, please let me through!”

I shouted as I continued forward, but the police at the frontline were shouting angrily and pushing back the crowd, halting my progress. Even so, I could see it through a gap in the crowds. It really… was true. The windows of the Iizuka household were broken, and a black smoke bellowed forth from within. Even from a distance, I could tell how strong of a fire raged within, the fire hose from the fire truck had practically no effect.

“Ah……”

Bitter emotions escape through my mouth without forming words. It was the house I had just passed by. And the house I had entered just recently, albeit only once. The sight of it burning to the point of being unmanageable was just too much for me.

Right then, I felt something cold on my arm, and I turned around.

I looked back to see Yoishi, holding my hand. She had mixed in with the crowd; her pale face looked at me.

“I made a mistake.”

“What mistake?”

“I was wrong about ‘Shōko-chan’.”

Her words darkly distorted the landscape. For the time being, I led Yoishi away from the crowd of people. When we arrived back where I had put my mama bike, I asked:

“Are you telling me that it was ‘Shōko-chan’ behind us that time?”

Yoishi looked at me once, and vaguely nodded.

“But it’s a little more complicated than that.”

“…No, wait a minute. Explain it to me from the beginning in a way I can understand. Just what was ‘Shōko-chan’ anyway? I just came back from that kindergarten. I heard ‘Shōko-chan’ was taken away by that person named Iizuka. And that her daughter – ‘Mai-chan’, was already dead.”

I relayed the story I had heard from the boy in the kindergarten, and Yoishi gave a small nod.

“I heard it as well. Albeit a few days ago.”

“Then….”

“I don’t understand everything either, now that this happened, I can only speculate but – the only thing I can say is that ‘Shōko-chan’ was a living spirit."

A shiver ran down my spine.

A living spirt. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikiry%C5%8D</ref> It was – in short, a strong emotion that a living human unconsciously emits. Jealously, resentment, and excessive affections turn into curses that cause misfortune, but….

“By living spirit, do you mean to say it’s a living spirit of children? Is that the imaginary friend you mentioned before? But why would an imaginary friend of children be cruel to them?”

“That’s not it. It’s not from children.”

Yoishi’s clear eyes contained a glint of sorrow as she spoke.

“After giving birth and raising them all that time, kindergarten is the place where your children first begin to live with other people’s children. That is the first time that parents see their children through the lens of others. That is when they first start comparing their children to other people's children. Why can’t you do the things that other children can do? Why is that child more adorable? Why don’t you listen to me like those other children? Why, why, why – Yes, a kindergarten is the beginning of the outside world for children, but it’s also true for their mothers.”

“Hey…it can’t be….”

“That’s right, it’s always the adults who distort children.”

“….No way, then ‘Shōko-chan’ is….”

“—Yes. ‘Shōko-chan’ isn’t an imaginary friend of children. It’s an imaginary child of countless mothers.”

For a moment, the face of a child I’d never seen before flashes across my mind – It was the figure of the child in that DVD, slowly turning around towards me. The child slowly turns their face towards me, and looks up.

That fair, well-formed face, and red eyes look me in the eyes, and smile.

“The proper child who has all the ideal attributes not present in your own child – the child one yearns for. That’s what ‘proper Shōko-chan’, and the ‘yearned Shōko-chan’ originally was.<ref>So here, we have one of the interesting kanji puns that are not easy to translate. The syllables ‘Shō’ and ‘ko’ in ‘Shōko-chan’ are written in Katakana as ショウコちゃん throughout the case, but here, they are written in kanji forms as 正子ちゃん(Shōko-chan) and 憧子ちゃん(Shōko-chan). The kanji for 子(ko) means child, and the other kanji before ko are proper (正) Shō’, and yearned(憧) Shō’, so proper child and child yearned for. </ref> However, the girl transformed at some point. She transformed into the being that blamed her own child for not being able to become the ideal child. Eventually, that warped ideal child turned into an existence that blames and harms countless children - 'Harmful Shōko-chan’<ref> Continuing from the previous explanation, the kanji used here is 障, which has a meaning of hurt or harm, so harmful child. Interestingly the two kanjis here can also be read as Shōji(障子), which means paper sliding door, and which, if you can recall, first closed behind Nagito and Yoishi in the Iizuka household. </ref>."

“No… wait a second. A moment ago, you said it was a little more complicated, what did you mean by that? Why was that imaginary child taken away by Iizuka?”

“That woman, never had a child to begin with.”

“…Huh? Then who was the Mai-chan that died?”

With a somewhat cold gaze, Yoishi focused at one section of the crowd gathered at the scene of the fire.

It was a group of women who looked like young mothers around thirty years of age. Even though it was the scene of a fire, there was an atmosphere of enjoyment in the spectacle.

“I heard it from them. They said that woman was divorced by her husband. They said it was because she couldn't have children, but I don’t know if that was true or not. Whatever the case might have been, she lived alone since then and took ‘Mai-chan’ to the kindergarten every day for a walk. That’s how she became famous at the kindergarten, as Mai-chan’s auntie.”

“But… then that means that Mai-chan exists, right? She had a child, right?”

I made my counterargument, but –

The strange uncomfortable feeling from the story didn’t allow the goosebumps on my arm and back to go away.

“When you were standing in front of the house, did you notice what was next to the front door?”

Yoishi looked at me as if she could see into the depths of my soul, making me feel a horrifying chill.

Next to the front door – Ahh, I’m sure it was…

A doghouse. And its entrance was boarded up with layers of planks.

…The name tag on that was doghouse was—

“That’s right—”

“’Mai’… was the name of her dog.”

“Iizuka-san used to have a collar on her dog. However, that changed at a certain point. Just like the kindergarten kids, she knit a yellow school uniform for her dog, put it in a baby stroller, and started walking it. Those people laughed at her, saying it was creepy for her to treat a dog like a human being.”

Yoishi’s gaze didn’t waver as she pointed to the crowd of amused gossiping mothers who were watching the fire.

“I don’t know when Iizuka-san brought ‘Shōko-chan’ home from that kindergarten. But she ended up so far gone that she didn’t even notice that her dog ‘Mai-chan’ and been replaced by ‘Shōko-chan’.”

“………..”

“The thing she called ‘Mai’ back then was no longer a dog.”

I recalled the face of the woman I saw in that house, of Iizuka. I recalled her sullen eyeballs that made me reflexively think ‘She was dead, while alive’. And – when that woman shouted, ‘Go over there!’, the sliding paper door was indeed shut from the other side by something. That’s right, it was shut intentionally by something that had a will to do so. There was no chance it was done by a dog.

“But, then… what about that DVD? Didn’t Iizuka-san film that? And didn’t ‘Shōko-chan’ show up on it?”

Yoishi shook her head in reply, ‘That’s not it’.

“Iizuka-san, who had no child, couldn’t have been allowed to enter the kindergarten. And in this day and age, when outsiders are closely scrutinized, she should not have been able to attend a kindergarten event. That’s why, there’s no way that film was shot by her. And If that was the case, there could only be one reason why she would have that DVD in her possession. She was given that video by one of the mothers whose child did attend that kindergarten.”

Yoishi’s face contorted, as if she was on the verge of vomiting while looking at the crowd of mothers with their small children.

“And that was probably how it all began. Her own child’s sunny, happy day – and she passes it to Iizuka-san, a woman without a child of her own. At first glance, it seems like an act of sharing one’s happiness, but to Iizuka-san, it was without a doubt, a sad, painful, and miserable act. She might have tried returning it and throwing it away many times. On the other hand, she may have repeatedly watched that recording of children’s development with mixed feelings. Then one day, Iizuka-san finally noticed. The cameraman panned the camera to the left unexpectedly, and she saw the child that was not participating in the event.”

“…Ah.”

“Yes, in that moment, everything changed. Iizuka-san, unable to bear a child of her own, was granted the perfect child every parent idealized: ‘Shōko-chan’.”

A repeated view of the kindergarten event.

Then, the image tilts to the left.

A child who should not be there appears.

“But--”

I shook my head to shake off the image in my mind.

“But then, that’s just too sad for Iizuka-san, Isn’t it?”

“It is.”

Yoishi affirmed with her face pale, devoid of blood.

“I believe it started as a small matter born from a small act of malice. But, even after finally having gained a child, Iizuka-san was just like the other mothers. She, too, wanted to show off to everyone. She wished for the existence of the perfect child she had been granted, ‘Shōko-chan’, to spread far and wide into the world.”

“Ah—so that’s why she returned that DVD to the rental shop? That’s what you meant when you said she did it on purpose?”

Yoishi nodded in agreement.

“Children who were initially wished only to be born healthy, somehow become a product of their parents' egos. The tendency to give them unusual names, unusual hairstyles, and to dress them in peculiar clothing may all be substitutes for a perverted proxy competition by adults.”

‘But…’ said Yoishi, looking up at the house engulfed in black smoke.

“Children never grow up the way their parents want them to.”

The black smoke, which showed no sign of ceasing, bellows up into the sky as if mocking the firefighting efforts.

“Is it ‘burning Shōko-chan’ now? Or ‘laughing Shōko-chan’?”<ref>Continuing on from the previous kanji puns, Yoishi now uses 焼子ちゃん, with the kanji 焼 meaning to burn, and 笑子ちゃん, with the kanji 笑 meaning to laugh or smile.</ref>

When Yoishi muttered those words, I felt I heard a child’s laughter from the blazing flames.

And amidst the red, black flames that danced and wiggled, I thought I saw the figure of a red-eyed child standing still.

Unable to bear it, I looked away.

Besides me, Yoishi quietly stared at the group of women. They must have been the mothers who gave birth to the imaginary child, and in the light of the blazing red flames, they seemed to be laughing.

“Ughhh…..”

A bitter feeling welled up from the pit of my stomach, when—

Yoishi, standing next to me, plunged down first.

Her beautiful white face was twisted in pain, and she started vomiting.

As several people frowned and looked towards us, I gently put my hand on her back.

Eventually, Yoishi raised her pale face, and asked sorrowfully:

“Say—don’t you think having kids is scary?"

----------------------------------------

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==Translator's notes and references==
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Phenomeno:Case 09

2023-12-03T14:08:36Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Case 09: Dear Nostradamus-sama==

“Have you ever been on a date?”

It was on a sunny Sunday afternoon around the end of November. I had gotten up early, taken a shower, tidied myself up properly, changed into a clean pair of shirt and jeans, and after wallowing in indecision, finally broke the ice.

“A date is, well, going out somewhere alone with the opposite sex.”

I elaborated further in a somewhat restless tone, and Yoishi, who was doing something in the loft, looked down at me and spoke nonchalantly without expression, “I have”, leaving me flabbergasted.

“Huh…? Y-you have? Ah, I guess that’s right… You’re a high school girl after all. I mean, you might have even had a boyfriend or two in the past, but – it’s somewhat unexpected, no, sorry. Anyway, uhhh…”

Flustered and incoherent, Yoishi pointed her long index finger towards me, Koumei university institute first year, Yamada Nagito, who had just turned nineteen the other day.

“I’m always going places with you.”

“You idiot, those are creepy haunted spots! And what’s more, that’s definitely not something you’d call an exciting date!”

“I don’t know about it being exciting, but –”

After gazing at me with her large eyes, she muttered briefly.

“I had fun.”

My heart suddenly started pounding for some reason. I felt a heat around my solar plexus, where it began to squirm and writhe.

“No, ummm… It’s not like I didn’t have fun as well, and to be precise, there were some places where I was looking for a moderate amount of scariness – but anyway, what I'm talking about is a little different from that.”

--Why am I in such a panic?

I coughed once to clear my throat, and forced myself to return to the topic at hand.

“Anyway, let’s try going on a date.”

“…A date.”

“That’s right. The weather is nice, so you and I should go to somewhere, let’s hang out someplace fun for no reason in particular, somewhere that’s not a haunted place. I mean, it’s coincidentally my day off today, and I just got my salary; I can’t take you anywhere too expensive, but eating out or watching a movie is fine.”

‘How about it?’, I ask her again; Yoishi pondered for a while before giving a single nod and withdrawing to the loft. She seemed to be changing her clothes from the spare jersey I gave her which she’d been wearing at home recently. Eventually she came down from the loft dressed in her usual black blazer from the Koumei high school.

“You’re gonna go dressed like that?”

Yoishi nodded once.

“…You need to buy some clothes, too.”

“I’m fine with this.”

With a blunt reply, she stood up and left the apartment ahead of me.

-----

Ah man, how long had it been since I’d been on a date?

I guess the last time was when I had a girlfriend in high school. No, if you were to include that time I went shopping with the girl I was friends with, then it’s a little more after that. Come to think of it, Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas, isn’t it a big occasion for lovers, or couples who will soon become lovers? I mean, I don’t mean to say that the two of us are headed in that direction, however, if by some chance that should happen, since it’s Yoishi, she would probably continue to live shamelessly with me in my loft. And then to picture the two of us wearing Christmas hats and ringing crackers in front of the cake...but—

…Oh wow, we don’t look good together at all.

With my thoughts swirling on such matters, I became completely quiet. Of course Yoishi wasn’t the talkative type to begin with, so we walked around town looking like we had come back from a funeral.

“Let’s watch a movie.”

I suggested as such, Yoishi nodded and followed me in silence.

We barely spoke to each other in the theater, and after we finished watching the movie I commented, ‘That was entertaining, wasn’t it?’, to which Yoishi merely gave a small nod in acknowledgment. After that I suggested we drink some coffee and went around to a famous coffee shop, but the vicinity of Kichijouji station was packed to the brim on a Sunday, and we couldn’t get in because there was a long line of customers waiting outside.

“It’s crazy how many people are here.”

Saying that kind of silly line, I turned back to see Yoishi looking deathly pale as she staggered along.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…People.”

“People…? What about them?”

“People, people, people - vasovagal reflex.”

I didn’t understand well but, it seemed she was suffering a severe bout of dizziness from being in a crowd. Come to think of it, she seemed to be able to see the malice of humans as well as ghosts. And if she was exposed to a certain amount, she’d end up inverting it as a vomiting phenomenon. In other words, walking in the midst of this many people, she might start vomiting all of a sudden. Realizing that, I panicked, and started looking for the entrance to a restaurant we could enter.

Thankfully, we found a seat by the window that had just opened up on the second floor of a fast-food restaurant, I sat down as if clinging on to it, and sat Yoishi there.

“Are you alright?”

“…Ugh.”

“Don’t throw up in here, alright? The toilet’s right over there.”

“…Understood.”

I crossed my arms over the table and stared with a sigh at Yoishi as she lay collapsed on top of it, I then stood up from my seat to buy a drink for the time being.

The restaurant was so crowded on Sunday afternoon that it was a miracle that we were able to get a seat at all. Families with children, happy-looking couples, groups of excited girls. Anyway, the brightly lit restaurant with seating for around 70 or so people was filled to capacity, and everyone was truly enjoying their Sunday afternoon.

It definitely seemed a bit noisy, and it was difficult to carry a conversation without raising one’s voice in this situation -- but I wouldn’t say it was excessive. It would be best to wait here for a while until Yoishi recovered. At any rate, I ordered ice coffee, orange juice and apple pie for the both of us and climbed the stairs to return to my seat on the second floor.

However, when I reached the second floor, I saw Yoishi rise from her seat as she suddenly caught sight of something.

--What the heck is she doing?

As I held the tray and stare at the scene, Yoishi dizzily walks off somewhere. Her gaze was fixed at one point somewhere, shining brightly as if to suggest she had found something unbelievable. Of course, having walked the depths of the world beyond with her up to this point, I had a dreadful premonition. There was no way a ghost disturbance could happen in a fast-food restaurant on such a peaceful Sunday afternoon – but it’s Yoishi we’re talking about here. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for anything to happen.

Yoishi kept walking towards somewhere, and eventually bumped into a table with a thud. The three high school boys sitting there went silent all at once. All three had their mouths gaped open halfway as they stared at Yoishi. However, what flummoxed them was not her actions, but rather, her beautiful features.

“Wow, you’re so cute.”

“Why are you wearing a uniform on a Sunday?”

“Are you alone?”

They call out to her one after another in a casual tone of voice.

“That uniform is from the Koumei institute? It’s a private school, right? We’re second years in a government school, but how about you? What year are you?”

The guys who had outrageous hair styles like the main characters of an RPG game continued throwing questions at Yoishi without a care. Ugh, I let out an exasperated groan. They say you can't judge people by their appearances, but you can almost always judge a high school student of this age by their looks. They are probably the so-called "playboys" whose heads are full of this and that of the opposite sex.

“Say, you wanna go to Karaoke?”

The guy in the back, who had his collars opened up way more than necessary to flaunt off his silver necklace called out to her; I decided to move her away and was about to head over to the seat, when—

“…..Ug…”

“….Huh?”

“…Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgghhhh!”

Yoishi sparked all of a sudden. With an imposing stance, she vigorously spewed vomit and excrement containing a mixture of glistening gastric juice and whatever soft drink she had drunk this morning right down on their table.

“Aaaaaaggghhhhhhhh!”

The three of them shouted out as the surrounding clamor quieted down at the same time.

--Oh man, she’s done it now.

I reflexively looked up to the heavens, but it was already too late. The three high schoolers cowered and froze for a moment in front of the half-eaten French Fries covered in Yoishi’s vomit and excrement before immediately scrambling and stumbling their way out of the restaurant.

In the deathly silence of the restaurant, I moved without saying a word. I placed the tray on our seat, grabbed some napkins, and approached Yoishi, who stood stock still.

“Are you alright?”

I wiped the area around Yoishi’s mouth, but she was still staring off somewhere. Sadly, I had already gotten used to the sour smell. I borrowed a table cloth from the employee who had rushed over and skillfully wiped the spilled stomach juices and former soft drink when I came to a realization, ‘Ah, so that’s why’.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the age group of the three guys just now, was, in a sense, a mass of sexual desire. Yoishi must have been bathed in the malice aroused by the sexual desire to take a beautiful girl out somewhere, to do this and that to her and to be happy. I was convinced that that burst the dam of the vomiting phenomenon Yoishi had been holding back – but apparently, that was not the case.

“That girl…”

Eventually, Yoishi weakly pointed somewhere.

She pointed to a girl, still in her upper elementary school years, sitting alone in a four-seater in a corner by the wall.

“That girl? What about her?”

“She has no head.”

“…Huh?”

I looked again at the girl who looked like an elementary school student.

…No, she looks completely normal to me. It’s sounds obvious to say it, but there’s no way a person can exist without a head.

“The girl you’re talking about is the one sitting in the corner seat over there, right? The one wearing a red skirt, white shirt and colorful sneakers, the one who looks a little mature.”

Nodding in agreement, Yoishi gazes at the girl once again – but eventually gives a small shake of the head.

“I can’t see it.”

“….”

Now it was my turn to sink into silence. I turn to gaze at the girl once again, but regardless, she still had a head. I guess they were called ponytails, her long hair was tied at both sides of head, and beneath that was the cute face of a would-be beauty in the near future. She looked cheery as she jotted down something spread out on her desk.

[[Image:Phenomeno -- Vol4-case09-1.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

“Are you… feeling alright? Have your eyes gone bad or something?”

Yoishi staggered off once more when asked.

She went straight to the girl's seat and sat down across the table without saying a word.

‘Whoa, wait a second’, I thought to myself – but the school girl smiled cordially and greeted Yoishi. She was diligently writing on something laid out on her desk, and said something like, “Be right with you in a minute.”

Reluctantly, I headed towards the seat and watched the girl from behind Yoishi.

The girl in the elegant white shirt had countless pictures spread out on the table. Seeing them one by one made me feel cold somehow. All of them had some kind of unpleasant composition.

As I was thinking such things—

“This one is about a thousand yen.”

The girl happily jotted down something on the back of one of the pictures.

“This one is five thousand yen.”

She continued to write what seemed to be a price on the back of another picture. After she finished, she gathered the photos together in a shuffle, then looked at Yoishi, then me, and smiled with a grin.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you the Aizawa-san that sent me a mail?”

“Uh, no… we’re…”

I replied, not knowing what to say; The girl pointed at the seat next to Yoishi.

“It’s fine, have a seat. I’m used to people not using their real names. Which one do you like?”

It seemed the girl had mistaken us for someone else. After taking a glance at Yoishi, who still had her gaze fixed at the girl’s head, I sat down next to her for the time being.

“I have many pictures, all high quality. You see, it’s my policy to sell only authentic ghost photography.”

I kind of got the gist of things with that statement. She seemed to be an elementary school girl who was meeting customers through the internet or something in order to sell them ghost photos.

“Well then, please choose at your own leisure.”

Saying that, she spread the photos once more, and sure enough, they all had an unpleasant air about them.

There was one with several men and women smiling. One picture of a couple with the sea in the background. Another one with an old man looking at the camera while standing in front of an old dilapidated house. The subjects have black lines plastered over their eyes, possibly because they are missing something, or because they’re superfluous. Arms were completely missing in the middle, or conversely, another person's head was peeking out from the back of the neck. There were pictures with countless white balls of light -- or what were known as orbs.

But Yoishi took one mere glance at them and spoke:

“They're all common phenomena that occur with digital cameras. If you were to move your arm at the moment the photo was taken, it can look like it disappeared. This peeking head is an exposure problem, and these white lights are merely due to a smudge on the lens.”

The girl smiled happily in reply. “You know a lot, onee-san.”

“Sorry. The real thing – it’s only worth showing to those who know the value of it.”

The girl once again took a photo out of her bag, it was bizarre at first glance.

It was set in a rural landscape somewhere. A photograph of five men taken around the entrance to the mountain. Their faces were not obscured by black lines. And, the face of the second man from the left was… stretched as long as a horse. It was stretched out from the top as if it had been twisted by pliers – and yet, he had a broad grin.

“Of course, This person wasn’t deformed or anything, and he normally didn’t look like this. For some reason, only this picture was taken this way. However, a few days after this picture was taken, he died.”

“…”

Yoishi held the picture up, and gazed intently at it.

“Any others?”

“How about this one?”

The next photo she took out was taken in the living room of an old house. It was a tatami room with a table, a sunken hearth, and a chest of drawers. It wasn’t a very large room, but there was a red line running straight down the center of the room. It felt creepy, like blood was dripping down from the ceiling.

“Hmm…”

Yoishi pondered as she gazed at that picture, however, the fact that she wasn’t calling them out as fake creeped me out. I averted my eyes trying not to look at those incomprehensible photos.

“Is this one not to your liking either, Onee-san? you seem to be looking for something hardcore. All right, all right. Then, I’ll have to bring out the ace up my sleeve. However, it's best to be careful with this one."

...Hey, don't tell me there’s still more. As I unconsciously stood up a little, the girl takes out a study notebook from her bag, and from its pages, she takes out another photo wrapped in some kind of thin paraffin paper.

"This is a picture we all took when we played ‘Dear Nos.’"

"Dear Nos?"

"Ah, by ‘Dear Nos’, I mean Kokkuri-san. You summon ‘Dear-Nostradamus-sama’ in the beginning, so it’s shortened to that.”

The girl explained cheerfully, however -- "Kokkuri-san is that, right? A pseudo- séance that occult enthusiasts say should not be performed because It’s commonly known that Kokkuri-san rarely appears in actuality, it instead invokes low-grade spirits that wander around the area and cause hauntings. There were various versions of the name, such as ‘Angel-sama’ or ‘Cupid-sama,’ depending on the region, but the pattern of writing ‘letters,’ ‘numbers,’ ‘yes/no,’ and drawing a "torii" on a piece of paper, placing a coin on top of it, and asking questions was the same, I thought, but--

But, was it called ‘Dear Nos’ or something among the elementary school kids of today?

"By Nostradamus-sama, do you mean Dr. Michel de Notre Dame?"

Yoishi inquired, ‘As expected’, the girl smiled once more.

"But it's different. It's not that fortune teller from the past. Well, that person wasn't originally a fortune teller either, but—calling him Nostradamus-sama makes everyone believe him. Elementary school students really are gullible, after all.”

Aren't you an elementary school kid yourself? As my inner voice retorted unconsciously, I saw the picture, and at that moment -- an unpleasant shiver rose from beneath my feet.

It was set in a dimly-lit classroom at sunset. Amidst the rows of desks, a group of girls in their upper elementary school years were facing us. They were probably classmates of the pony-tailed girl in front of me. However, two of the girls had lost their eyes, while the remaining two had twisted, blurred faces. And -- what was it? Something resembling a black mist floated in the air above their heads. As I began to ponder on the black stain, the warning bells began to ring violently inside me with a loud riiiiiiiiiiing. I averted my eyes immediately. Don't think about it-- Don't notice it. This wasn’t that kind of thing.

"How was this taken?" Yoishi asked.

"I was the one who took it. It's because I can sense the type of places ghosts are at."

The girl gave an innocent smile.

"Kokkuri-san – you probably know that it's generally a game of low-class ghosts, but the thing that that manifested at that time, was something else. I still don't quite know what it was back then. Some of the girls I did this with are still absent from school.”

Yoishi remained silent, but I couldn't bear it anymore and asked:

“And you’re okay?”

“I was scared at first, but being afraid doesn’t change anything – and don’t you think just being afraid is a loss? I know when there’s something there. I can aim my camera there. So rather than staying afraid all the time, it would be better to swap the fear for a little money, right?”

“…”

“Say, won’t you buy it? I’ll give it you for just 10,000 yen, onee-san.”

Who would buy such a thing? As I thought that, Yoishi readily nodded, took out a ten thousand yen note from her purse and placed it on top of the table.

“You know when something is there, don’t you?”

“…Eh?”

“So, have you noticed the thing next to you?”

I was immediately startled by her words.

The girl was alone, of course. There was no one next to her.

I rose up involuntarily, pushing back the chair behind me which fell down with a thud. I turned around to pick it back up again, only to see that numerous customers were staring at me. A look of alarm, as if to say, ‘What are the guys who just caused a vomiting ruckus up to now?’

“I see – Onee-san is a person who can see.”

However, regardless of me, the two denpa girls continued their conversation.

“You can only feel them?”

“Yes. I know they’re there, but I can’t see them. What kind of person are they?”

“Their eyes are dark. I think it’s a woman. She's moving her slender hands constantly, fiddling with something.”

I found it unbearable to keep up with their conversation any longer, so I stood up and returned to my previous seat. I put the drinks I had left on the tray – and took a deep breath.

--Ugh, today was supposed to be a date. And yet, why did things turn out like this? It’s a Sunday for most people. A peaceful holiday where the sun is still out, shining warmly, just before the full-blown winter season. I went out in the morning, thinking we should do something fun once in a while, but before I’d realized, my daily life had lurched into occult territory once more. Was this my fault? Did I make some fatal mistake somewhere?

I looked at the seats of Yoishi and the girl, lamenting the absurdity of not knowing who to blame for such a situation, but the girl selling ghost photos was still staring at Yoishi’s face with her lips tightly-knit.

Yoishi, too, stared at the girl’s face, but her gaze barely moved at all, perhaps it was because she still couldn’t see the girl’s face. But – just what the hell did that mean? No matter where I looked from, I could see her face like normal. However, Yoishi, who could see things that were better left unseen, couldn’t see the girl’s face. Yoishi wasn’t the type of person who would lie, so I guess it was true, but – I had no idea what it meant.

Shaking my head, I had no choice but to return to the seat with Yoishi, the pony tailed girl, and the woman with no eyes I couldn’t see.

“Say, won’t you help me?”

The girl asked Yoishi as her voice trailed off.

“Onee-san, you know how to drive this thing away, don’t you?”

The girl who displayed a proud demeanor was there no longer, in her stead, was someone who was scared, as expected for a girl her age. Confused by the complete change, I looked towards Yoishi. However, she was still squinting in the direction of the girl’s face. Why couldn’t she see it? What was this phenomenon? It was like I was a philosopher, struggling with one of life's most difficult questions.

“Onee-san, tell me. What is this? Why is it haunting me? Is it because of this thing that I can tell when a ghost is there?”

“…Who knows?”

Yoishi finally looked away from the girl, and focused her eyes on the ten thousand yen note placed on the table. The movement of her gaze made the girl take notice of the money once more, and she moved to grab it, but – for some reason, Yoishi prevented her from doing so by placing her index finger on the ten thousand yen note.

“If you really want me to drive it away, it’ll cost you fifty thousand yen.”

…Whoa, whoa.

Her remarks made me drop my jaw.

The girl seemed sit stunned for a while, before eventually slipping out a giggle.

“I’m no match for you, onee-san.”

Her expression returned to mature one she had earlier, and spoke:

“Not this time. I'm not really bothered if there's someone next to me, and thanks to that, I can make some extra money.”

Saying that, she picked up the ten thousand yen note from the table, and held out the ‘Dear Nostradamus-sama’ picture in exchange.

“But you’d better be careful, because I think this is really dangerous. if possible, exorcise it properly, or burn it – Ah, maybe you don’t need to worry about such things, onee-san.”

Declaring that, she said, ‘Well, see you’, stuffed the remaining ghost photographs back into her bag, picked up her drink and left. I kept sight of the small girl from behind until she disappeared from sight, and then asked Yoishi, trying my best not to look at the seat next to the girl – in short, the seat where Yoishi had said a woman was.

“Don’t try to extort money from elementary school kids.”

“Why? She was the one trying to peddle ghost photographs to me.”

“Yeah, but fifty thousand yen is too much.”

“I think it’s cheap for a proper exorcism.”

…Well, I guess that might be true. In the first place, I’ve never paid for any exorcisms from my own pocket, and I had no idea how much Krishna-san, the manager of one of Japan's largest occult websites, ‘Ikaigabuchi,’ paid her investigators, or spiritual experts, for their services.

“So, you’ve done exorcisms before, huh?”

Yoishi gave a small shake of the head.

“…Huh? You were gonna charge her fifty thousand yen even though you can’t do it?”

“What happens to her is none of my concern.”

Saying that, Yoishi stood up unsteadily with the ghost photo in her hand.

“Once you have peered into the ‘abyss’, there is no salvation for you.”

“By ‘abyss’, you mean the world beyond? Wasn’t that the dream mansion for me? But you saved me back then.”

I spoke to the figure that was about to head somewhere, and Yoishi turned to look back.

“You were—”

“Wasn’t the girl really in trouble? She looked like she was about to cry when you told her there was someone besides her, right? She might have had a somewhat cheeky way of speaking, but she's still just in elementary school. Sure, she might be a little eccentric to be peddling ghost photos, but isn’t it natural to lend someone a helping hand if they’re in trouble right before your very eyes?”

Yoishi took a sigh in exasperation in response and spoke:

“You really are such a nice person, after all.”

“What are you on about?”

“There are those in this world you just can’t save, no matter how hard you try.”

“Then, why did you suggest an exorcism?”

Yoishi turned her back to me and spoke:

“I only wanted to confirm it.”

“Confirm what?”

“Confirm whether or not she truly wanted to be rid of it.”

Saying that, Yoishi took the ghost photo in hand to the smoking area separated by a glass window. The smokers inside were all aghast as soon as the uniformed high school girl brazenly walked in – she quickly said something to one of the guys inside, borrowed a lighter, and started burning the picture on the ashtray.

--Ugh… She just paid 10,000 yen for that picture.

I watched the scene in a daze, but when I asked Yoishi after she eventually returned to her seat, she simply replied:

“It wasn’t a good thing to have.”

-----

That night, I lay in my futon in the dark room, unable to sleep as I was tossed around by my conflicting doubts.

My thoughts swirled around the ‘abyss’ as Yoishi had called it.

『Once you have peered into the ‘abyss’, there is no salvation for you.』

If I recall correctly, she had said something similar back in the abandoned hospital incident. I had presumed that the ‘abyss’ she mentioned referred to the world beyond -- but that didn’t seem to be the case. I was once saved by her, when she descended to the mansion at the depths of my memory. If she hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t even be here thinking like this. It was a veritable ‘depth of the abyss’<ref>Ikkaigabuchi, the name of the website, or in other words: abyss of the world beyond</ref>, for me, a place where I wandered on the border between life and death --- but I wonder if that was even close to what she called ‘the abyss’.

After that, I thought of the elementary school girl I met today. I recall how the imbalance between her indifferent smile and her actions distorted the scene. Ten thousand yen for one ghost photograph, was it? I mean, when I was in elementary school, even five hundred yen was a lot of money. Even the New Year's money I received once a year at New Year's was almost confiscated completely. That’s why it certainly felt wrong for an elementary school kid to meet with adults through the internet to trade ghost photos for tens of thousands of yen. But – kids are kids. They will still have plenty of opportunities to get back on the right path, and I think it’s the role of society and adults to help them do so.

But – on the other hand, a voice inside me asks myself whether that was something that I, a mere half man, should be doing. In other words, it was hard for me, a halfwit, to find an answer even if I thought about it. If I were to run into that elementary school girl again somewhere, I had no concrete idea on what to do.

“…Ugh.”

With a sigh, I looked up at the loft where the light was leaking in from.

It seemed Yoishi was still awake. She was clacking away on the laptop she had brought with her. I had no idea what she was up to. She’s been at it for a long time now, maybe she’s browsing some grotesque NSFW underground websites that make Ikaigabuchi look like mere child’s play.

--Trying to rehabilitate her really is impossible, isn’t it?

Like Krishna-san had said all along, does that mean a large miracle is required? When I recall the cold words she spoke today, I lose confidence, and at the same time, I get this sick twisted feeling in my stomach. They were probably sound arguments, but I felt they were worthless opinions. They sounded like the kind of thing I would expect to hear from a small, narrow-minded adult, the type of person I despise.

Looking at the light coming from across the loft reminded me of that and irritated me, so I pulled the covers over me and closed my eyes tightly. But that didn't make me sleepy - on the contrary, it made me remember all the more.

If I remember correctly, Yoishi had said that she couldn’t see the girl’s face. No, actually, that was the beginning of the whole problem. I wonder if she’s solved that mystery yet.

In order to confirm that, I threw off the futon, when—

An uncomfortable feeling took hold over me.

The room felt unnaturally dark. No, it was obviously dark with the sole light coming from Yoishi’s laptop, but between the light from the loft and my bed, there was another darkness present, an invisible darkness of an unknown nature. Drifting there as if blending in the dim light – it was like a black mist, like black ink stained on a shirt --- I had a feeling, I had seen it before somewhere….

Ahh. I remembered.

It was in the ghost photo which Yoishi was supposed to have burned. The photo of the elementary school kids playing that Kokkuri-san-like game called ‘Dear Nostradamus-Sama’. I'm sure I saw something black like this in that twilight classroom scene.

I closed my eyes tightly. And then slowly opened them. However, it was still there. It wasn’t just my imagination or an optical hallucination. There was definitely something hanging in mid-air in that part of the dimly lit room.

Before I’d realized, the sounds of Yoishi clanking away on her keyboard had disappeared.

The world was deathly silent, absent of all sound.

“…Y, Yoishi.”

I couldn't help but let out that voice, when—

“I know already.”

I heard a voice from the other side of the loft.

“…W-what should I do?”

“Ignore it.”

...I-ignore it? That’s impossible…!

“It’ll disappear eventually.”

How long do you mean by eventually…?

I was about to ask, when I felt that black mist move. Its center wiggled in a vortex, creating a gap in the space. I think I smelled a damp scent wafting from there. An odor I had smelled somewhere before. It seems that smells are sometimes directly connected to memory. Completely disregarding any chronological order, they can suddenly materialize sights and visions seen in the past. That might have been the case this time. That nostalgic fragrance brought back the memory I least wanted to recall.

…Hey, stop it.

Sentimentality is a gap – and the wounds of a broken heart. I was supposed to be standing in my 10 sqm loft apartment, but somehow, I found myself thrown into my mother’s room at home.

The frayed tatami mats.

The ingrained scent of mosquito coils.

And standing in front of me, lay the sooty, old fusuma.

It opened slightly ajar once more, and from the darkness beyond, something peeked my way. I bite down on my clattering teeth, and pull the bed covers over my head. It was already over. Everything was over. I would never run back there again. I would live reality. I would plant my feet on the ground, and I would live my life, one step at a time – is what I kept repeating to myself over and over in sheer desperation, but the fusuma door continued to open.

The darkness opens its mouth, and something inside places its hand on the edge of the fusuma.

“…S…stop it, don’t come out of there.”

But – at that moment.

I felt someone’s presence, standing right beside me. As I held my breath, someone touched my shoulder, startling me. They lifted the futon suddenly and slipped into the futon.

“….E, EEEEEK!”

“Be quiet.”

It was Yoishi’s voice.

I realized her slick, long hair was touching the tip of my nose, and her cold palms were on my back. There was no rubbing, stroking or kind gesture from there on, but the palm of her hand had barely managed to hold back my mind from collapse.

Yoishi’s brow was right in front of my lips, and in the darkness, my foolish thoughts drifted to ‘Ah, she really does smell like this.’ My lower half began to stir sexually for a moment, but what struck me more profoundly was mystery of the life form. Even Yoishi was a lifeform who came into this world through the stomach pains of someone somewhere. Such an obvious fact came rushing towards me as if I had never thought about it before. A feverish body. Shoulders that rise and fall slightly with each breath. And the faint sound of her heartbeat – I match my heartbeat to the heartbeat of Yoishi as a life form. I match my breathing. I slowly breathe in, and exhale deeply; I repeat the process. We became so synchronized in the darkness to the point where it felt as if Yoishi was breathing in the air I breathed out. And that brought me a deep sense of tranquility. It made me feel like I was not alone in this world, it was like it was telling me that I didn’t need to suffer all alone.

The next thing I knew, the fear in me had disappeared. As I matched Yoishi’s breathing, my eyelids closed silently - and I somehow drifted off into a peaceful, relaxed slumber.

Looking back, I don't know if it was a dream or what.

However, when I woke up the next day, there was no sign of any black stain floating in midair, and Yoishi was asleep in the loft; it was the beginning of just another normal day.

-------------

It was three days later, on a Wednesday afternoon, that I bumped into that elementary school girl who sold ghost photography.

My university lectures had just finished, and I was walking out the school gates, absentmindedly wondering whether I should kill time at the Beatnik society clubroom in the western building until it was time for my part-time job, or just hang out at a bookstore... when a voice called out to me.

“Good afternoon.”

I turned my head in the direction of the polite greeting to see the pony-tailed elementary school girl from that fast food restaurant on Sunday, smiling at me with a red school bag on her back.

“I see that Onii-san is also from Koumei High School, Are you a university student?”

I was surprised as I answered her cheerful and friendly manner of speaking.

“Oh, it’s you, kid. So, are you from a school near here?”

“It’s not kid, it’s Akane.”

“Hm?”

“My name is Akane Nanamori. I’m a sixth grader at the first Musashino Elementary School.”

“Is that so – I’m Yamada. Nagito Yamada.”

I stood out like a sore thumb talking to a girl as adorable as a child actor on TV in front of the university gates. Students passing by glared at me like I was some kind of pedophile.

“So, was there something you wanted?”

“Yes, I wanted to meet that Onee-san once more. That black tie and blazer was the Koumei school uniform, right? I think I'll go to this school too. Girls wearing ties is really lovely.”

“I don’t know if it’s what you’d call lovely or not, but, well, the affiliated high school is past these zelkova trees, just down the road.”

Akane smiled once more and said, “That's okay.”

“More importantly, Nagito-san. Do you have some time?”

“Me?”

“I'd like to talk to you a bit more.”

I was a little startled to hear her say that with a big grin on her face. That’s how fearless this girl was. She had the kind of amiability that jumps into the middle of people's hearts without warning.

“Ummm… My part-time job starts at 5.” I spoke. “Well… it’s fine if it’s up until then.”

The two of us briskly made our way to a park in a residential area nearby. It wasn’t particularly a big park with merely a sandbox, swings, and gym bars.

I bought a bottle of orange juice and some canned coffee at the vending machine at the entrance, handed over the orange juice to Akane, and as soon as I sat down on a bench there, was asked:

“Are you going out with that Onee-san?”

“….Hrrrk!”

I had just taken a gulp of coffee, and involuntarily choked at the unexpected question. As I frantically tried to spit out the coffee that had entered my windpipe, Akane spoke happily, flapping her legs back and forth.

“A university student and a high school girl from the affiliated school. It must be nice have a date on a Sunday.”

“…No, that’s not it. That might have been what you’d call a date, but me and Yoishi aren’t going out.”

“Is that so? But when that onee-san vomited in the restaurant, you sure took nice care of her. And you even cleaned up after her properly.”

“Saw that, did you?”

“When you throw up that much, everyone’s bound to see it.”

…Well, that might be the case. I concede as I take another gulp of coffee to calm the cough that had finally subsided.

“But that onee-san is really beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Well, maybe.”

“I was mesmerized by her at first. Her black hair is so silky smooth and beautiful, and she really does look cuter with her straight-cut bangs not covering her eyebrows.”

…Her hair might have looked beautiful now because I was the one washing it every three days, but if left alone, it would become stiff and shaggy in no time. And in the case of her bangs, she cuts them herself, the reason being that it’s troublesome if they cover her eyes.

“Ah, but that might be because of how she is. She’s fair, and has a nice figure, and the black tie really suits her in a gothic style.”

…Well, she might have a nice ass, but her breasts weren’t all that much, and her black tie just looked to me like she was going to funerals every day, wait— What the hell was I thinking? I thought to myself as I saw Akane speak ecstatically, and began to wonder if Yoishi held such appeal.

“Yeah, she looked so nice, and I thought to myself: I want to be like that. And then she suddenly looked my way and threw up with a blarghhh! That really shocked me.”

“She has a habit of spontaneously throwing up.”

“But it seems like she’s been able to see ghosts a lot longer than me, that’s amazing.”

“You’d be better off not being able to see those things.”

“Huh? Is it possible that you can see them too, Naigto-san?”

I replied in the negative and shook my head in response.

“I've seen things that I thought might be like that, but that might have been just my imagination. There is a word called ‘schema’, which means that even a stain on the ceiling can look like a person's face if you’re afraid of it.”

Akane's eyes widened in admiration as I arrogantly repeated the second-hand information I had heard from Krishna-san.

“Ooooh, it seems like you’ve been through a lot, Nagito-san. Tell me, tell me, have you been on many adventures with that onee-san? Next time you go, take me with you.”

“No way. It’s not what you’d call an adventure anyway. I’m always getting myself dragged into an awful mess.”

“…Is that so? At any rate, when that onee-san threw up, you dealt with it so lightning fast, right, Nagito-san? It was like you were born to be a puke janitor.”

…Hey!

“I thought that was so sweet of you and what a nice boyfriend you must be. The last time I got sick and threw up outside - I got scolded a lot.”

“…Huh?”

Taken aback, I asked her in reply.

“You were scolded… just for throwing up?”

“I guess my mother must have been embarrassed. She was all dressed up that day, and someone throwing up must have been disgusting, right? One time, there was this girl in my class who got sick in class and threw up, and the teacher got very angry.”

“No, but that's your own kid's or student's vomit, right? There's nothing wrong with that. Everyone gets sick sometimes. It's a normal reaction of the body trying to get rid of impurities.”

Akane reacted with a hmm, and looked at me seriously.

“Nagito-san, you really are a nice person.”

“I don’t really think I’m especially nice or anything.”

“Say, is it alright if I ask you something?”

Akane suddenly turned to me and held up one small finger.

“Tell me three words you think of when you hear the word『family』.”

“…Family? Why?”

“Just do it! The things that come to mind immediately. Don’t think!”

She rushed me, waving her hands impatiently; That’s right, she was still in elementary school, I had forgotten that due to her mature manner of speaking. Realizing that fact once more, I decided to go along with her demand.

“I got it. Emmm… three things, was it? First is --『tree』. Second is 『help』.And after that is, uhh…”

When I tried to think of a third word, that dark room suddenly sprang to mind. The word 『Fusuma』filled my head with bitter memories. But I shook my head to get rid of it, and remembered my mother's gentle smile with her eyes partially closed, and spoke:

“『Relief』, I guess.”

Akane looked at me in fascination for a while, and said, “Oh, well.” She seemed to have guessed that I had replaced that last word in the end, I squirmed uncomfortably on the bench before repositioning myself and asked:

“So, what's this all about?”

“What do you mean by ‘tree’?”

“Ah, I guess I said that because my family’s in the lumber business.”

“Oh, I see. So the ‘help’ you spoke of next referred to helping out your family with their work since you were a child. Then we come to the ‘relief’ you mentioned. That one alone seemed somewhat artificial, but, it’s fine, I’ll let it pass. I’m sure the real answer lies within Nagito-san’s heart.”

“….Oof.”

“You see, the order of these word associations is supposed to go from ‘pleasant’ to ‘unpleasant’. In short, the most positive image of the family first comes to mind, followed by the most negative. Of course, there are children who think of negative words first. Like me.”

“…What did you think of?”

“Hell, Cleaning – Maze.”

Akane spoke those words, and grinned once more.

But this time, the smile was lonely, resembling a lost child desperately trying to find the place they belonged.

“Say.” I asked: “Why ‘Kokkuri-san’ – or was it ‘Dear Nostradamus-sama’? Why were you playing something like that? Were you searching for something?”

“Nothing, really.”

Akane spoke with indifference, as she swung both legs back and forth.

“Nothing? Then don’t do it. Nothing good comes from playing ‘Kokkuri-san’.”

“I know. But I was told in class that there are no such things as ghosts. They called me a liar. That’s why I had to prove it. There are many things that elementary school kids have to deal with.”

“….”

As I gazed at her lonely profile from the side—

Well, that’s true, I was convinced. When I think about it now, something like cliques existed in my elementary school years. There was definitely a world of children, A place that existed in the absence of adults.

“Then, were you able to prove it?”

“Yeah, they stopped calling me a liar.”

“…Is that so?”

“But…”

“…Hm?”

“They're all afraid of me now.”

Suddenly –

As she muttered that, Akane’s profile became perfectly transparent. I reflexively rubbed my eyes and looked once more. Her skin, her capillary vessels dissolved in the air, only the faint vestiges of the elementary school student known as Akane Nanamori remained—

I found myself reaching out with my fingertips and poking Akane a little on the cheek with a plop.

“Whaa…?”

“Ah, sorry.”

“…Y-Yamada-san, Nagito-san, are you a pervert? You prefer little girls?”

“NO! It just looked like you were about to disappear. I mean, it really did.”

“I won’t disappear! I’m not about to!”

“My bad. Sorry. No, you know Yoishi said— I mean that high school girl from the other day, she said she couldn't see your head, or something like that, so maybe I just felt that way.”

“…That onee-san said that?”

Akane then nodded in a strangely impressed manner and hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Say, is it alright if I ask you something?”

“…Hm?”

“That onee-san, is she dead? Did she die once somewhere?”

“…What?”

“I can tell. People like her. Because they’re cut off. Their body and soul.”

“Umm, well…actually…”

With my hands on my knees, I decided to ask her. I don’t know if it was something prudent to ask an elementary school kid, but I wanted to know the opinion of a person involved with the world beyond, whether it was an elementary school kid or a girl, no matter how trivial their opinion was.

“Do you think a person like that can be saved?”

“…Saved?”

“Ah, by saved, I don’t mean to sound outlandish or anything, I just wanna know if you can help them smile and go on with their lives?”

Akane started her answer with "I don't know, but..." and continued.

“I don’t think it's a problem that Nagito-san can do anything about.”

“What do you mean?”

“Unless that onee-san wants to be saved, it’s not going to happen.”

Frustrated, I ruffled my hair, and spoke:

“That’s the thing I can never be sure of. Is she giving me a sign that she wants to come back? If she really had no attachments to this world, she would have died long before I could do anything about it. But I can't help but feel that her attraction to the occult is a different kind of impulse. I don't think someone’s eyes shine like that when they’re rushing to their death.”

“Aah—”

Akane gave a mature smile in response and replied:

“She might just be… giving it a try.”

“A try?”

When I asked her that, Akane said ‘Yeah’, and gave a lonely smile in response.

“Because I'm the same.”

-------

Eyelids are such a marvelous thing: a thin piece of skin that separates your eyes from the world.

Without them, how restless of a world would people have to live in? When a person is tired, when they want to think things through without any obstructions, and when they end up face to face with things they don’t want to see – they are truly a reliable shield. A trustworthy partner that provides hearts and minds a brief shelter from the cruel realities that draw close without mercy. But nowadays, eyebrows are being treated rather unfairly by those who complain about their eyebrows swell up on some days, or those who wish they had double eyelids. To them, the eyebrows should have a thing or two to say: I am your shield, the last fortification that moistens your eyeballs, prevents impurities from entering, and maintains your peace. Only the warm rays of the sun are allowed to penetrate gently, but that is because of the sun's greatness—

I wake up every morning with this thought in my head, but on this particular day, the sun was a bit too strong. Regardless of how thin and cheap the curtains in my room were, wasn’t the light from the sun a little too strong?

Could it be that I’d forgotten to close the curtains before I slept? I wondered while rubbing my doozy eyes as I woke up, when I found two legs straddling me.

As I look up from the navy blue socks, I am struck by the curves of the white thighs and see -- a short black skirt. The exposed skin between the top of the knee high socks and the hemline of the skirt were perfectly formed, and though the undergarments weren’t visible, the chain of the white blouse, black tie and black blazer were of the distinctive Koumei high school uniform.

“It’s eight o’ clock.”

The sunlight bounced off the long, black hair from her shoulders, Yoishi looked down on me for some reason as she spoke.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“…Huh?”

“Since It was ruined midway through the other day.”

Yoishi said that as she tried to throw off the futon, I panicked and tried to stop her.

Hey, isn’t this development a complete reversal from always?? I was always the one fighting to wake her up after she had spent all night surfing the net, made her wash her face, made her eat, and if the situation called for it, strapped her to the back of my mama bike so that we could ride together to school.

“A date--? Isn’t it a weekday? What are you gonna do about school?”

“There are countless things in the world more important than school.”

She spoke with a serious expression on her face, making me feel it was useless to try and argue with her.

It couldn’t be helped, I thought to myself, as I grabbed a fresh pair of pants and shirts before heading in to the unit bath to change. There, I suddenly remembered, opened the door a little and spoke my mind.

“Say, it’s about that girl, the one who was selling the ghost photographs. Can’t you help her somehow? I ran into her the other day and had little chat, she’s not a bad kid.”

“You met her? Where?”

“She was hanging outside the university. So, I talked to her for a bit.”

“…”

“Anyways, it seems she was called a liar in class, so she tried to rebut them by playing ‘Kokkuri-san’ or something.”

However, Yoishi didn’t answer at all. I finished changing my clothes, and washed my face, applied water to my disheveled hair and fixed it up a bit, and when I came out of the bath, I saw her with her hands on her lips, lost in thought.

“Hey, Yoishi.”

Yoishi looked at me in a daze after I called out to her, and she spoke.

“Anyway, let’s go on a date.”

However, even though she said that, the place she took me to was the second district of Musashino’s Kichijoji Honcho, in short, the Koumei institute as usual. And moreover, it was the Beatnik research society club room in the western club building. It was, in a nutshell, the headquarters of the occult website ‘Ikaigabuchi’.

“W…why are you two here together so early?”

Shiina Kurimoto, aka Krishna-san, the leader and representative of ‘Ikaigabuchi’, with a baby face that looked like a middle school student, and owner of a voluptuous bust, asked us in astonishment, But I was befuddled as well. I had no idea how this qualified as a date, nor the reason why Yoishi had suddenly dragged me out here.

“Let us play ‘Kokkuri-san’ here.”

In response to Yoishi’s abrupt demand, both Krishna-san and I dropped our jaws at the same time.

“K…Kokkuri-san?”

I ask in return, and Yoishi nods in silence.

Krishna-san, who was using a computer on the work table, raised her trademark red glasses with her middle finger, and answered firmly:

“No. You know what ‘Kokkuri-san’ is, don't you?”

“Yes—'Kokkuri-san’ is what is known as a Ouija board in the west, a pseudo- séance that sometimes causes mass hysteria. Most of them are a kind of automatic writing caused by one of the members involved deliberately directing the movements, or by the involuntary muscular movements of the fingers, or through hypnotic states; but sometimes, they are prone to dangerous interference by low-level spirits.”

“If you know that much, then you know it’s not something I’ll allow.”

“This ‘Kokkuri-san’ will be a little different, and it might affect this person.”

Saying that, Yoishi grabbed me by the sleeve of my clothes.

“I may not be able to save him, so I'll keep you as insurance.”

......No, I didn't ask you anything about danger or insurance.

As I’m left dumbfounded, Krishna-san asks:

“What do you mean by insurance?”

“You know specialists who deal in exorcisms, correct?”

Yoishi spoke with a blank expression, causing Krishna-san to frantically grimace back in protest.

“They don’t have the time to get involved in such things. In the first place, they are lending us their help because they agree with Ikaigabuchi’s aim of promoting the segregation of ghosts and people. As long as it's not something urgent or of social significance...”

“This is one of the dangers that’s spreading now here in Musashino.”

Krishna-san went silent after hearing that.

“…What do you mean?”

“A pseudo séance known as ‘Dear Nostradamus-sama’ is beginning to become something of a fad among elementary school students; It doesn’t just summon any low-level ghost, but rather, a specific wandering ghost.”

------------------

A light-blocking curtain is an amazing thing.

When used, it gives a strange feeling of airtight closure, creating an otherworldly space. And the curtains in the Beatnik research room were excellent at blocking out the light, unlike the ones in my apartment. Originally, this place was intended to be used to verify archive footage, but the moment the drapes were drawn, it became so dark it was hard to believe that it was almost 9 AM, even blocking out the noise outside the window, leaving the room in complete silence.

In the dark room, Yoishi set up a candle she had brought in preparation in the middle of the round table. She then moved four chairs and arranged them around the table. There was one more seat than the number of participants, but it seemed that was part of this particular ‘Kokkuri-san’.

As me and Krishna-san sat around the table, Yoishi took out a scrap of paper of some kind from her pocket. When opened, I saw that it had the Japanese syllabary, numbers, a yes-no, and instead of a torii, it had a hexagram, the so-called Star of David, a six-pointed star with triangles crossing upside down - scrawled on it.

After all arrangements had been made, Yoishi sat down as well. She then proceeded to place an engraved ten-yen coin from the Shōwa era in the center of the paper and placed her own index finger on top of it.<ref>Here’s a visual reference for the paper with a red Torii gate drawn on it. https://www.scaryforkids.com/pics/kokkuri-san-02.jpg</ref>

[[Image:Phenomeno-Vol4-case09-2.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]
“Let’s begin.”

Spurred on by Yoishi, Krishna-san and I had no choice but to follow her lead, and we both placed our index fingers on the coin. After a deep breath, Yoishi began to speak.

“Dear Nostradamus-sama -- Thou who art linked to the gate of the swirling spiral, who art uninvited by fate, please preach to us with wandering Kotodama.”

Those appeared to be the words Yoishi had researched over the past few days by digging through the internet and visiting Akane’s elementary school.

“Those are some shady sentences.” I spoke.

“I believe the words don’t mean anything.” Yoishi whispered in reply. “What’s important is that they, on the other side, know they are being summoned.”

“Who do you mean by ‘they’?”

When I asked, Yoishi’s fair, well-shaped face, illuminated by the flickering candle-light, seemed to smile enchantingly. However, that gaze lingered on the seat in front of me – the empty one between Krishna-san and Yoishi, causing me to shudder in fear.

“Dear Nostradamus-sama -- Nostradamus-sama. Please appear here, preach to us the path with the wandering kotodama.”

As Yoishi continued to repeat those words in a low key tone of voice, it felt like the club room alone was being isolated from the world around it. It did become considerably colder recently, but the dry air had changed into something slimy – or should I say, the atmosphere of the room had become muddy, as if something cold and creeping began to hang at my feet.

However – Nothing was happening, was it?

As I was about to say that out loud…

With a thud, someone banged on the window from outside, startling me.

Krishna-san and I froze in place. The reason being that the Beatnik research society was located on the third floor. There was no way someone could have banged the window. It must have been hit by a ball or something. I wanted to make sure, but I couldn’t take my hand off the ten-yen coin, so I stayed where I was.

Suddenly, I felt someone’s presence cross directly behind me, and yet, I couldn't dare look behind me in the fear I would witness something unpleasant. On the other hand, I was afraid to look at the empty seat in front of me. Krishna-san being right next to me was a source of comfort, but the fact that she herself remained silent also scared me.

I came to realize that Yoishi’s mouth movements, which were repeatedly chanting the incantations with her eyes half-open, had ceased.

In the concrete clubroom, silence alone, was deafening.

The candle continues to flicker and sway, and I wondered…

…Wasn’t it strange? The other side of the window which was abuzz a moment ago, had fallen silent… No—there was a sound. I didn’t know how to describe it; it was like something was ringing in my ears. Like an uughh… or an ughoo… a muffled sound, like hearing someone’s voice underwater.

“---It’s here.”

It was the moment of Yoishi’s low whisper.

My finger moved with a twitch, and instantly, a cold sweat ran down my spine.

The ten-yen coin beneath my finger – was moving. No one was putting power into their fingers, and yet, the ten-yen coin twitched and wriggled as if it were a living thing.

“Don’t lift your fingers under any circumstances.”

Krishna-san nodded nervously at Yoishi's request, and I nodded back, holding back the tears in my eyes.

“Is this Nostradamus-sama?”

In reply to Yoishi’s question – there was silence at first.

Eventually, the ten-yen coin began to move sluggishly and stopped when it reached the position of ‘Yes’.

“I have a question.”

In reply, the fingers started moving again as if they were being dragged by the ten-yen coin – However, this time they stopped at ‘No’.

--No? Does that mean questions aren’t allowed?

Isn’t asking questions the main part of ‘Kokkuri-san’?

“I'd like you to tell me something.”

Yoishi asked once more, however, the ten-yen coin stayed firmly planted on ‘No’.

“Are questions not allowed?”

In response, it began to move once more. With a dragging sound, the ten-yen coin shifts sideways and stops at the position of ‘Yes’.

Is this what Yoishi meant when she said this Kokkuri-san would be a little different?

“Well then, can you do anything?”

The ten-yen coin stayed motionless for a while. Eventually, as if dragging and oscillating, it stopped at some letters, and moved, again and again.

『D』『I』『S』『A』『P』『P』『E』『A』『R』

“Is that about making someone disappear?”

In reply to Yoishi’s query, the ten-yen coin… moved to ‘Yes’.

--Making someone disappear, it can’t be.

“Does that mean – to kill someone?”

With a twitch, the ten-yen coin moved and slowly swayed at ‘Yes’.

My fingertips were now frozen stiff, and my palms were completely drenched in sweat. My eyes were glued to the ten-yen coin in front of me, to the point where I might inadvertently forget to breathe. Was this what you’d call a prank from of a low-class ghost--?

No, I recall what Akane had told me before.

She said she played this in order prove she wasn’t a liar. As a result, she became feared. Yoishi had said that ‘a specific wandering ghost is summoned’—which meant…no way. Did she actually end up summoning a real ‘God of Death’?

“Understood. Those were all the questions I had. Please return.”

However, Yoishi spoke that with her usual expression.

But—

With a rustle, the ten-yen coin moves to ‘No’.

“Please return.”

The ten-yen coin stayed firmly put at ‘No’.

Even though this was a predictable development in ‘Kokkuri-san’ type ghost stories, actually witnessing the phenomenon of involuntary return first-hand made me realize I would have panicked if I were doing it alone.

『D』『I』『S』『A』『P』『P』『E』『A』『R』

『N』『A』『M』『E』

Haa…haa….haaa…haa….

The ten-yen coin moves – and forms meaning. My breathing becomes ragged as I comprehend the words.

“So does that mean you won’t go back until you’ve made someone disappear?”

Yoishi asked in a clear tone, and the ten-yen coin drags towards ‘Yes’.

--Oooooh, Oi, what are we going to do?

In tears, I glance at Yoishi, then Krishna-san. I could see the sweat appear on Krishna-san’s forehead. Her lips were pursed tightly together, and she had at some point, taken her phone out with one hand. In all likelihood, she had looked up the specialists over at ‘Ikaigabuchi’ on her phone, her finger one button-press away from dialing their number.

However—at that moment.

“Well then—”

Yoishi spoke the words I could never have imagined.

“Well then, please make me disappear.”

……………………………………………

The ten-yen coin did not answer. Could that be because it was the first time this summoned entity had heard such a request? I felt a hint of something confused.

“—Stop it.”

The moment Krishna-san spoke that out loud—

…’Yes’.

The ten-yen coin under my finger formed a small arc on that spot.

I looked up in shock and saw that a black mist had been hanging over our heads for who knows how long.

Yoishi’s long black hair ruffles softly as it slowly sinks into darkness. Seeing that made my body feel an imaginary floating sensation. In the midst of the silence, as if time had stopped – Yoishi merely wore an expression of ecstasy. To be honest, I had no idea what had happened to Yoishi. I noticed more darkness spreading out from the darkness, and before long, the black mist expanded wide enough to envelop the upper half of Yoishi’s body.

“….Hey….Wait a minute….”

The mist continued to enshroud Yoishi. Her face -- her upper body, along with her arms outstretched towards somewhere else, they all continued to disappear.

“Nagi-kun, no!”

Krishna-san’s scream reached my ears, but I had already taken my finger off of the ten-yen coin. I stood up with enough force to throw off my chair and clung to Yoishi’s body, which was enveloped by the black stain-like substance.

“Hey, Yoishi! Stop messing around!”

However, the moment I embraced Yoishi’s soft body with both hands, a horrifying chill closed in on me. That was being transmitted through Yoishi’s body to me, and its root was – Yoishi’s outstretched hands, in short, something present inside the mist.

I saw –Yoishi’s outstretched arms, suspended in midair. I saw the thing her white hands were grasping.

It was black. Black and soft – threaded like someone's hair. Yoishi grasped it, as if putting her hand on its roots. And she pulled it out from the darkness. Without any mercy to the other side’s resistance, she dragged it over to this side. However – I couldn’t see anything. There was nothing in Yoishi’s hands. But for some reason, perhaps because of the way it was held as if it were wrapped in both hands, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a human head, and I thought I could hear the sound of a child crying out somewhere.

“Go back.”

Yoishi spoke as she pulled with all her might on what resembled a human head in her hands.

“There’s nothing left for you to consume.”

In the darkness -- did I hallucinate?

I felt I saw Akane Nanamori's head in Yoishi’s hands.

In mid-air, her pretty face was disfigured in a disheveled mess, and she was crying.

“You’re mistaken.”

And with those parting words –

Yoishi Mitsurugi collapsed audibly in front of my eyes.

--------------------------------------

“What on earth is going on, Nagi-kun?”

After informing the driver of the destination, that was the first thing Krishna-san asked after the taxi started moving.

“Ummm… where should I begin?”

Supporting the unconscious Yoishi with my right arm and feeling exhausted, I explained the events that had transpired thus far.

I told her about the girl selling ghost photographs in the fast-food restaurant. The fact that Yoishi had said she couldn't see her head. And about the photo of 'Dear Nostradamus-sama', the ‘slightly different Kokkuri-san' that the girl said was real. How Akane and her friends played it and the unfortunate result, etcetera, etcetera.

“…..Sigh. So that’s what it was.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Krishna-san breathed a deep sigh after she had finished listening to everything.

“No, I don’t understand any of it…. Just what did it all mean?”

Krishna-san pushed up her red glasses, which had slid down at some point, with her middle finger and spoke:

“In all likelihood, that girl has a knack for conscious out-of-body experiences.”

“Out-of-body… experiences?”

“That’s right, an ‘Astral projection’, so to speak. Recently, methods of intentionally separating the soul have been circulating on the internet, and if that girl uses the internet, it's not surprising that she knows about them.”

“Ahh, now that you mention it.”

I’d also read a thread on ‘Out-of-body experiences’. But if I recall, in the end, no definitive method was ever worked out, and only a few enthusiasts remained after being certified as trolls.

“That’s right. An out-of-body experience isn’t something anyone can easily do, and it is difficult to distinguish from self-hypnosis and lucid dreaming. In general, when it comes to self-hypnosis, it’s very dangerous for a novice to perform these experiments alone, in the absence of a person to dispel their hypnotic state. It depends a lot on the aptitude of the individual and should never be done willingly – I suspect that child did have that aptitude. I believe she's one of those kids who could do it anywhere at will to some extent.”

“Huh? Then, the Nostradamus-sama from a while ago was, in other words…”

“Yes, that child herself.”

Ah—

Exhausted, I finally understood. That’s what she meant when she said she had been called a liar and had to prove herself.

But…Wait a second. Then does that mean that black mist which turned up at my apartment that night was also Akane? Did she come to check our state of affairs? But – if that’s the case, then something doesn’t add up.

“…Um, Krishna-san. If that thing from before really was Akane herself, and if she is a kid who can do astral projections, then who was the one who took those ghost photographs she had? Could you press the shutter of a camera even if your soul was detached?”

“That girl was able to shift her soul slightly.”

As I tilted my head in befuddlement, Krishna-san shaped her small finger like a knife and held them against her neck.

“She must be a child who can detach only from the neck above like this and peer into the spirit world.”

“…Ah.”

I see. So that’s how it was.

“She has no head.” “I can’t see it.”

Yoishi had said so in the fast-food restaurant. So that was, in short, because Akane had left her head on the other side?

“In short, the child could have peeked into the world where the dead roam when she used her astral projection and identified their location.”

“But – But, if I recall correctly, Akane told me she couldn’t see them, only know they were there.”

“We who cannot see it can only imagine what kind of world it is. I told you once before that I used to recognize people by their auras when I was a child, but people were just a blur of light, and I couldn't even tell whether it was the living or the dead I was seeing. However, it is highly likely that my teacher Takita-san and Yoishi can see them more clearly. From there, it's a matter of individual disposition -- but it's possible that only the head of the girl which went to the other side in spirit form did not return.”

….Aah, I see.

I understood the Akane’s situation – but if that was the case, did that mean that Yoishi normally saw people in their spiritual form rather than their physical bodies? Is she always in daze because her mind can't cope with looking at their every detail, and whether willingly or unwillingly, she throws up when she sees something incomprehensible? Hey, hey, hey, what kind of world does she usually see......?

I felt goosebumps in my arms, and rubbed them, when—

“To put it frankly…”

Krishna-san added as she scratched her bobbed hair.

“No one knows anything about the world beyond.”

“…Huh?”

“For conveniences’ sake, the world is divided into this world and the next. Since time immemorial, It is merely something devised by the living out of a sense of regret for the dead. For those who believe in it, the afterlife does exist, and for those who don't, it's a fairy tale. But for example -- hmm, yes, it’s easier to understand if you think of the deep sea, thousands of meters below the surface. Only a tiny percent of the world and the ecosystems that exist down there have been established. For some scientists, it’s a world filled with even more mysteries than Mars. We know next to nothing, but we do know that there is life in the depths of the sea. And if we were to liken highly trained psychics to divers, they can only dive a few dozen meters into the shallows at most. As for what lurks thousands of meters under the sea, no one knows.”

Hearing that—

I suddenly recalled the scene I saw one day when I went to visit a remote island with my father. I remember feeling horrified seeing the color of the open sea from the ferry. On that sea, I clearly saw the moment when its color changed from blue to black. I later learnt that it was from that point, that the Suruga Trough began, but I was terrified at the time, feeling as if hell was opening its mouth. It was the first experience that made me realize that there was a world right there in this world that I could never enter, even if it took me a lifetime.

“One of the biggest reasons astral projections are considered dangerous is because there are cases where repeating them can weaken the connection between body and soul.”

Krishna-san continued speaking quietly.

“For that girl, it may have been like holding her breath and picking up a pretty marble from the bottom of a swimming pool just for the fun of it. However, after carelessly repeating out-of-body experiences, she might have become constantly out of phase, and then, perhaps – her head ended up disappearing from the neck up.”

“Is… Akane alright now?”

“I don’t know.” Sighed Krishna-san.

“In the end, it’s always a problem on our side. Around evening time, a few friends gather around a peculiar piece of paper. They address things that aren’t supposed to be there. Then three or more people put their fingers on a ten-yen coin. Ordinary people would have doubts at the onset about the ‘maybe’ in this situation. If you start believing even 1% of the time, that’s when the paranormal comes into play. In other words, what makes ‘Kokkuri-san’ so dangerous is that it is a form of séance that leads to a state of mind that is easy to connect with. From a probabilistic point of view, it's usually stranger that the ten-yen coin doesn't move. Everyone tries to move it in one direction or the other and immediately gives up on the direction in which it doesn't move, but sometimes the direction of movement just happens to match. It feels as if it moved regardless of one's intention. At that moment, the probability of paranormal existence jumps up in the mind of that person. Therefore, it is best not to play ‘Kokkuri-san’ if you are apt to believe in it -- And the real problem is the human mind that starts to think about playing games like 'Kokkuri-san'.”

Krishna-san's voice, which had gotten louder at some point, startled the taxi driver – but I recalled something. Three words Akane had mentioned regarding ‘family’.

Those were ‘hell’, ‘cleaning’ and ‘maze’.

She said the first word that comes to mind was ‘pleasant’, and the last word was ‘unpleasant’ -- What was life like for an elementary schoolchild who’s first thought when she hears of ‘home’ to be ‘prison’? Somewhere originally meant to be a place of safety to rest your body and mind, what would compel someone to feel as if it were a place to be lost and search for an exit?

“Children follow and believe their parents as though they are the only absolute God.”

Krishna continued to speak sadly.

“Whether that is right or wrong, it’s not something they can decide, as they only have an extremely narrow set of morals. I would like to hope the adults around her handle things wisely, but— from this point onwards, we're stepping into private territory, and that's not something an outsider can carelessly intrude into based on speculations, so it’s difficult. There are some things in this world that can't be dealt with by effort alone.”

Oddly enough – Yoishi said the same thing in the fast-food restaurant.

I've certainly witnessed parents beating their children badly on the street. I’m always confused about whether to stop them, or to overlook it. I wonder if that’s going too far as a part of their upbringing, but then I end up thinking that just might be my point of view because I’m not the parent. Maybe I'll understand that one day when I become a parent. Maybe the parents who beat their children are the ones crying on the inside. That’s what I hope – but, no matter how much I think on it, as I am now, I wouldn’t know.

“Well then, now it’s my turn to ask the questions.”

Suddenly hearing that voice, I look up to see Krishna-san turning towards me.

“Why is this taxi heading towards your house?”

“…Huh?”

“Why is this taxi, meant to be heading to Yoishi’s house, headed to your apartment? I have been wondering about this for a while now.”

…Oh no.

I was in a hurry and gave the driver my home address without thinking about it – it sounds extremely suspicious for sure. Sweat trickled down my clothes and I gently looked at Krishna's face. The petite, baby-faced occult website manager frowned, and her large eyes behind her red glasses glittered with a light that would not allow any lies.

“U…ummm…”

If I had lied at this point and said it was because I didn't know where she lived, things might have turned out fine.

But I wasn’t good at lying, and if the truth did come out some day, then this person’s trust in me – assuming she still had any left — would be lost to the very core. She would never take my words at face value ever again. I didn't want that.

“Uh… Actually.”

I started from the beginning. How Yoishi had crashed into my apartment for almost a month now, bringing along nothing more than a single bag. How I had been struggling with Yoishi, who was parasitizing in my loft and who ate, slept, bathed and lived wrong in every way, and that a lot had happened during that time and that I had finally decided on the ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’.

After I had told her everything:

“…In short, right after the incident with Takamura-san?” Krishna-san asked, dumbfounded.

“It’s already been a month… under the same roof?”

I nodded quietly.

Krishna-san let out a deep, deep sigh as she sunk in her seat.

For a while, only silence filled the interior of the car, and I felt the taxi driver's ears were becoming like Dumbo. It was really awkward.

“Ever since I first met you – we haven’t seen eye to eye on this.”

Krishna-san eventually muttered.

“I keep telling you it’s impossible to bring Yoishi back to this side, and you stubbornly continue to try, always putting yourself in danger.”

“……..”

“And it’s already becoming your life. I’m sure that determination was already solidified when you recently jumped off the roof of the school building.”

The fact that her voice did not contain anger, but more like she was letting loose, had the opposite effect of making my conscience ache.

“I’m sorry.”

When I apologized, Krishna-san spat out that it was nothing to apologize for.

“It’s not something to apologize for – but, there’s nothing much a girl can do when a boy has decided to do something, and that makes me a little sad.”

Hearing that timid line made me feel a deep sense of guilt and remorse, and I lowered my head. I suddenly felt a gaze and looked up and caught the eye of the taxi driver looking in the rear-view mirror. For some reason, I felt the taxi driver was saying this with warm, wrinkled eyes:

-- I'm glad you’ve met a nice woman, kid.

Did he mean Krishna-san – or was it this paranormal high school girl who was leaning over like a corpse beside me with her long black hair covering her face?

I had no idea.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Things can't go on like this forever, I'll try to come up with something as well.”

After helping me put Yoishi on my futon downstairs, Krishna-san said this and left.

“However, in the unlikely event that you do something strange or indecent to Yoishi – I will never ever ''ever'' talk to you again! I’ll revile you for the rest of my life -- no, for the next seven generations!”

She yelled out loud while blushing just as the door closed.

I wouldn’t do something like that – or rather, was she really going to live seven generations beyond my time, I thought exasperatedly as I saw her off.

It was still just past noon, and bright outside.

I absentmindedly gazed at the light pouring in from the window and realized that, in the end, Yoishi didn’t go to school today. She’ll probably end up being marked absent without reason.

In the first place, how did she explain her parasitizing in my loft to the school? The fundamental question is, where the hell are her parents? Tuition fees for private schools don’t come cheap, so who the hell is paying for her? The girl who was shrouded in all that mystery was right now comfortably asleep next to me. Seeing her eyes closed with a strangely cute expression on her face, it was as if she was replenishing the sleep deprivation caused by staying online until dawn, rather than collapsing from extreme mental fatigue, and that started to piss me off. I glared at her fair, well-formed face – but then I thought…

In the end, didn’t she manage to save that girl? Before, she said something like ‘What happens to her is none of my concern’, but at that time, the thing Yoishi had dragged out from that black mist-like thing was the head of that girl that hadn’t returned.

“It’s definitely not what I would call the smartest way of doing things, but this girl does turn up to help in the end.”

It was right when I said it—

“…That’s not it.”

Her long eyelashes twitched, and Yoishi opened her large eyes.

“Huh, you woke up? What are you talking about?”

I called out to her, and Yoishi replied with a dazed expression:

“I didn’t help anyone. That’s not something I can do. I was just curious about why that girl's head was missing.”

….Ah.

I was relieved thinking that everything had been resolved amicably, but there were still a lot of things left I didn’t understand. Yoishi threw up abruptly at that fast-food restaurant that time. I don't know if it was a ghost or malice that made her throw up, but it was because she felt something incredibly horrific there. Besides that, Akane Nanamori also said that when she pawned off that photo to Yoishi. That this photo was really dangerous.

“But what a pity.”

Yoishi spoke while looking up at the ceiling.

“That girl, doesn’t have long to live.”

Her stilted speech, painted my world dark.

“….D, doesn’t have long to live? What do you mean?”

“Combined with what you heard, the girl’s classmates doubted she could sense places where ghosts wandered and take their photos. And to prove that, she used Kokkuri-san. She probably summoned herself by herself.”

“Ah, I understand that much. So, the astral projected head of hers didn’t return, right? Then didn’t you pull something out of that misty thing? Wasn’t it her?”

Yoishi quietly shook her head.

“I couldn't see her head from the beginning, nor could I see a ring of light or anything that resembled a guardian spirit. This was very unusual. There's usually more than one entity standing over everyone's shoulder -- Did it already escape? Or was it consumed? -- There was nothing on that child's shoulder.”

“Oooo, Oi, consumed?”

…No, that was it. When we were playing ‘Kokkuri-san’, it was the last thing Yoishi said. ‘There’s nothing left for you to consume’. Who… was consuming what, exactly? If that wasn’t Akane, then what on earth was Yoishi talking to?

But then – I remembered.

Come to think of it, what was that woman sitting next to Akane in the fast-food restaurant? Yoishi had described her as a woman with dark eyes who was fiddling with something….

“Y-Yoishi…. What… did you see?”

I ask, opening my parched throat.

“What was the ghost of the woman you saw sitting next to Akane in the restaurant?”

“I called it a woman for convenience’s sake – but, that wasn’t entirely accurate. It’s face definitely resembled that of a woman. It had slender arms, but the torso was long and thin, stretching like a snake into the darkness beyond. Sometimes it comes floating up from somewhere at great speed and eats whatever is there. I believe it's using that 'Dear Nostradamus' as an entrance now.”

“…W, wh, what the hell is that monster? Why the heck did it suddenly appear?”

“In all likelihood, the hexagram used in ‘Dear Nos' is to blame. It’s the Star of David in the West, but - in this island country, it's more like a Kagome crest. It's an old belief in places like Shinshu. Kagome points to a 'Curse God'.<ref>Tatari-gami. https://yokai.com/tatarigami/</ref>"

“…C-curse God?”

“I’ve seen them several times before. But I didn’t know what that was. I tried to get that girl’s head back, but that was impossible. Maybe it’s not something possible for a human being to do”.

Those decisively hollow words… made my skin crawl.

I can feel the presence of something other than me and Yoishi in this room, something else was creeping in.

“As that child continued her astral projections, she ended up being marked. It’s often said that an astral projection is dangerous because it weakens the connection between body and soul, but that’s not the only reason. If something unfamiliar wanders aimlessly in front of you, then the things nestled in the 'abyss' will take an interest.”

After that, Yoishi gazed at me with her glass bead eyes, and spoke.

“You often ask me what I see. You ask me what the world beyond is like, but even I don’t understand it well. However – right now, I recalled something awfully similar.”

“That is…?”

“The sea at night. The dark, black – sea.”

“….”

“It’s too dark to see what lies out there. It’s so vast and so deep that it’s enough to overwhelm you. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of something peeking out of the water, but what that is and where it came from is something no one will tell you, and it’s not something one can know as long as they are alive.”

Those words made me recall Krishna-san’s words once more—

Before I’d realized, the dark sea appeared before my eyes. The rough sound of the crashing waves was right up close to my ears. I recalled the fear of being dragged in, of something huge staring back at me.

“S…say, Yoishi. If Akane had peeked in the ‘abyss’ you’re talking about – and if that black mist-thing that appeared in the clubroom at that time was the entrance to it – then how were you able to come back after being swallowed by it?”

In reply, Yoishi sat up with a curious expression on her face.

“Why, you ask…?”

And then, she told me, with a gaze that seemed to taste the despair inside me.

“Because, I’m---"

“Someone who's already been thoroughly consumed.”

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==Translator's notes and references==
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Phenomeno:Volume 4 Prologue

2023-12-03T14:07:35Z

Dreamer2908: Fix noinclude end tag

==Prologue==

Thanks to her tendency to suddenly throw up whenever she tried to pry into the paranormal that lay in the crevices of this world, I had unconsciously forgotten, but the girl known as Yoishi Mitsurugi, was a beauty.

“I thought I’d start by getting to know you a little better.”

With a line like that, she started living—or rather, parasitizing in my loft apartment for about a month now, and a lot of things have happened. So many things have happened that I now realized something basic.

She always looked like she was in a daze, but I too would often find myself in daze when looking at her profile. It was because I was overwhelmed by the length of her eyelashes, the depth of her eyes, and the beauty of her lips, which were shaped in a cheeky curve, though her nose was what somewhat small. Argh, it can’t really be explained well just by describing her features individually. Anyway, when they’re mixed in together with her black hair and her straight-cut bangs, it’s like they begin to take on a kind of fairy-like aura, and I think to myself:

What a waste.

That’s right, If I were to give an analogy, she was like a wild cat, untouched by human hands.

To begin with, her abnormality in not taking a bath was evident of that. She was so stubborn about it that if you were to let her be, she probably wouldn’t take a bath for the rest of her life. The dirt, sweat and odor on her body combined to form an awful stink and that’s why, on the second day of her parasitizing in my home, I forced her to take a bath. She looked truly annoyed and babbled something incomprehensible: “Frequent cleaning weakens an organism’s immune system”, but what’s really annoying is someone who’s unaware of their own stench to the people around them. Of course, I couldn’t do it with her naked, so I made her sit down in front of the bathroom sink in her school uniform, and washed her damned long hair twice. I rinsed it afterwards, applying the hair treatment I had bought, and carefully dried it with a hair dryer. Thanks to that, her black hair regained its original beauty, like pearls that spilled downwards, but it was a little funny to see Yoishi endlessly fiddling with her shiny, silky black hair with an iffy look on her face, as if it were not her own.

Speaking of ‘wild cat’, she usually had her arms on her knees, looking a little lonely as she gazed at something only she could see. If one were to see that scene alone, she would resemble a young girl who was dreaming, and in a sense, it could be a scene from a fairy tale. Yet suddenly, in an instant, she would realize something. That something was a faint sensation born in the border between this world and that one, a strange feeling that had been twisted by the malice of humans. She alone would notice these tiny scars that most people would live without noticing; She would raise her beautiful eyebrows, and whisper, “It’s strange”. Before I’d realized, I would find the ground swaying beneath my feet, and be inevitably thrust down to the world beyond, forced to run away with tears in my eyes every time.

That’s right, if you leave out the occult part, she’s like a quiet and inconspicuous sixteen-year-old girl. With a height of about 160 cm, she probably doesn’t weigh that much. I’d say she's on the skinny side, but her butt is in pretty good shape. If she walked with her chest up, she would look good in her own way, but since she was always hunched over with her back rounded and her head hung down, her beautiful appearance was rarely communicated to the world. She seemed to have no friends of her own age or sex at school -- Was it because she slept or read books in class? Or was it because of the barrier she set around herself that made her hard to approach? Was a cold wind blowing at her feet? Or was she carrying an invisible old woman on her back? Whatever the case may be, she always had a gloomy atmosphere surrounding her.

“Say, don’t you have some club activities or something?”

I asked Yoishi on a certain day.

I was concerned about her future, as soon as she got home from school, she started opening all kinds of creepy books such as, ‘A History of Medieval Execution Devices’, ‘A Genealogy of Homicidal Maniacs’, ‘Case Files from Unsolved Atrocities’. I thought that if she at least started club activities, she’d make friends, start paying attention to the way people looked at her, and that might change her in various ways – however--

“It’s meaningless.”

Yoishi retorted without even closing the book she was reading.

“I mean, student life isn’t just about studying all the time. I'm sure that having silly conversations with friends is something important that you’ll only be able to experience at this time of your life.”

She cocked her head to the side in response, as I continued to add:

“How should I explain this, having high school friends is like having a telepathic understanding, or like having a comradery with someone who you share meals with, something like having a blood fellowship with someone who can understand you without having to talk about it. I’m sure that it will be an important asset for you in the future.”

“Future…?”

“Yes, the future. Don't you have something you want to do in the future? I don’t know if you want to go on to university or get a job, but you’ve thought about it a little, right?”

“No.”

“Huh, no...? You haven’t even thought about it once?”

“Most of what we plan and worry about for the future, with all of its undetermined complexities, will be for naught.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

I tried to come up with some kind of rebuttal, but Yoishi suddenly began speaking something incomprehensible.

“It is said that a first-rate professional Shogi player can read 30 moves ahead in the beginning, and 500 to 600 moves ahead in the middle of a game - but even with that much, the difference between victory and defeat can be a momentary error in judgment, or a hole in one's thinking. That is to say nothing of this world, where countless people live.”

I thought life and Shogi were different, but, at the end of the day, wasn’t everything in life like a composed shogi problem?<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsume_shogi</ref> I didn’t know anymore, so in the end, I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t until much later on that I realized she had dodged my question.

At any rate, I don’t know if it was because she’d read countless books, but I was no match for her when it came to arguments. She would thoroughly answer questions that she could answer, but in situations like this when she decided (one-sidedly) that it would be safer not to answer, she would often brush me off like this. And the me of the time wouldn’t even realize that she was being evasive.

However, the signs came suddenly.

On a certain day, I found a stuffed toy of a frog dangling from the edge of her worn-out bag. “So, you like those kinds of things too, huh?”, I laughed. She glared at me and took off the doll and placed it inside her bag, but I was probably somewhat relieved at the time. No, you might even say that it gave me strength. It was a kind of hope: If Yoishi’s heart, which was completely stained pitch black, still had the mentality of attaching a stuffed doll to her bag, there was still some hope after all.

Thereafter, I started trying different things. Her meals always consisted of snack food from the convenience store and soft drinks in PET bottles, so I cooked her some stir-fried spinach as a test; She sniffed it incessantly for about a minute, before finally eating it. Without describing It as delicious or unsavory, she simply ate it in silence, without leaving any leftovers behind. She still wouldn’t take baths voluntarily, but when I called on her to take a bath once every three days, she would somehow manage to sit down meekly in front of the bathtub. She even started to clean up her own vomit when I told her to. That was without a doubt the training of a wildcat, but it was definitely accompanied by the sense that things were somehow moving forward.

The fact that a high school girl who I was not in a relationship with was parasitizing in my loft was certainly not something that I could be open about from a socially acceptable point of view. However, a hope was starting to bud inside me that I might be able to help her adjust into society: She who had diverged to the paranormal and away from the common sense of this world.

I would turn Yoishi Mitsurugi into a respectable high school girl.

Well, I didn’t exactly know what being a respectable high school girl entailed, but at any rate, shouldn’t Yoishi Mitsurugi be improving her lifestyle and habits so that she can smile and live more brightly under the sun? I’m sure that she would be cute when she smiles. I mean, she has all the ingredients. I’m sure it will be so adorable that it would be enough to remake the landscape of the entire universe. I wanted to see that smile—no, it didn’t matter what I wanted, at any rate, I was determined.

Yes, everything begins with determination and resolve.

And with that—

The ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi Rehabilitation Plan’ had begun.

---------------------------------------------------

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==Translator's notes and references==
<references />

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| Back to [[Phenomeno:Volume 03, Afterword|Afterword]]
| Return to [[Phenomeno|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Phenomeno:Case 09|Case 09: Dear Nostradamus-sama]]
|-
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Phenomeno

2021-08-04T15:17:47Z

Dreamer2908: /* Volume 2. Melting Fafrotskies */

{{Status|Active}}

[[File:Phenomeno 1 Cover.jpg‎|thumb|Phenomeno Volume 1 Cover]]

"Phenomeno" (フェノメノ) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ninomae Hajime (一肇) and illustrated by Abe Yoshitoshi. The series is complete with 6 volumes. There is also a visual novel based on the first chapter of the first volume in the series.

Other Languages:
[https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Phenomeno_-_Fran%C3%A7ais French]
[https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Phenomeno_~Russian~ Russian]

==Story Synopsis==
Yamada Nagito, a university student living away from home, needing a cheap place to live he finds out about a mysterious “House that grants wishes” on the market for a ridiculously low rent; he snaps up the house and starts living there. A few nights in he starts hearing strange creaking noises. Each and every night he’s assaulted by these torturous noises. The last straw is when he finds the number 7 carved into the wall, as if counting down to something. Yamada having an interest in the occult seeks help from a website he frequently visits: “Ikaigabuchi”, which specialises in occult topics.

==Translation==

===Feedback===

Visit the [https://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10488 forums] to give your feedback or discuss this series.

2021 Edit : Since the forums above are more or less defunct, use the following myanimelist Phenomeno forum thread to discuss and give feedback regarding the series. https://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=1786335

Or join the Baka-tsuki Discord.

==Updates==

* 2nd September 2012
** First two cases (chapters) of volume 1 translated.
*4th February 2014
** Extra story "Raven Notes" from volume 3 translated.
*3rd May 2014
** First third of Case 03 (last chapter of volume 1) translated.
*14th April 2020
** Bonus story translated.
*20 July 2020
**Translation of Case 03 resumes after six years.
*15 October 2020
**Translation of Case 03 complete.
*18 December 2020
**First part of Case 04 uploaded.
*29 March 2021
**Translation of Case 04 complete.
*29 May 2021
**Translation of Case 05 complete.
*27 July 2021
**Translation of Case 06 complete.

==The ''Phenomeno'' series by Ninomae Hajime==

[[File:Phenomeno 1 Cover.jpg‎|thumb|left|x120px]]

===[[Phenomeno:Volume_1|Volume 1. Yoishi Mitsurugi is not afraid]]===
*[[Phenomeno:Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Phenomeno:Case 01|Case 01: The Wish-Fulfilling House]]
*[[Phenomeno:Case 02|Case 02: Self-responsibility-type]]
*[[Phenomeno:Case 03|Case 03: Beyond the Fusuma]]
*[[Phenomeno:Volume 01, Afterword|Afterword]]
<br>

[[File:Phenomeno Volume 2 Cover.jpg‎|thumb|left|x120px]]
===[[Phenomeno:Volume_2|Volume 2. Melting Fafrotskies]]===
*[[Phenomeno:Case 04|Case 04: The hole in the clock tower]]
*[[Phenomeno:Case 05|Case 05: The Cat Mystery]]
*[[Phenomeno:Case 06|Case 06: Rororo]]
*[[Phenomeno:Volume 02, Afterword|Afterword]]
<br>
<br>

[[File:Phenomeno_Volume_3_Cover.jpg|thumb|left|x120px]]

===Volume 3. Shrinking Fafrotskies===
* Case 07: The Portrait of a Lily
* Case 08
*[[Phenomeno:Raven Notes|Raven Notes]]
<br>
<br>
<br>
===Volume 4===
* Case 09
* Case 10
* Case 11
* Case 12
* Epilogue

===Volume 5===
* Chapter 1
* Chapter 2
* Chapter 3
* Chapter 4
* Chapter 5
* Epilogue

===Volume 6===
* Case 13
* Case 14
* Case 15
* Epilogue
* [[Bonus story]]

==Project Staff==

*Project Administrator: [[user:Pakkit|Pakkit]]
*Project Supervisor:

===Translators===

:*[http://www.suiminchuudoku.net Suiminchuudoku] (inactive)
:*[[user:Pakkit|Pakkit]]

===Editors===
:*[[user:4digitmen|4digitmen]](inactive)
Editor required, join the baka-tsuki Discord to apply.

==Project Status==

Project Status: '''Active'''

==Series Overview==
:* 美鶴木夜石は怖がらない (フェノメノ, #1) - published 2012, ISBN13 9784061388291
:* 融解ファフロツキーズ (フェノメノ, #2) - published 2013, ISBN13 9784061388550
:* 収縮ファフロツキーズ (フェノメノ, #3) - published 2013, ISBN13 9784061388611
:* 四回廊事件 (フェノメノ, #4) - published 2013, ISBN13 9784061388826
:* ナニモナイ人間 (フェノメノ, #5) - published 2014, ISBN13 9784061388956
:* 美鶴木夜石は微笑まない (フェノメノ, #6) - published 2015, ISBN13 9784061399129

[[Category:Ninomae Hajime]]
[[Category:Genre - Horror]]
[[Category:Genre - Mystery]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]

Phenomeno:Case 03

2021-08-04T15:16:14Z

Dreamer2908:

==Case 03: Beyond the Fusuma==

===1===

I was in my dreams that day, too.

It was an afternoon right smack in the middle of summer, and I could hear cicadas somewhere. It was such a hot day that I could feel sweat dripping even if I were just sitting still, and I sat on the porch of the house, staring absent-mindedly at the garden.

At some point, the girl belonging to the house had taken a seat by my side.

She wore a white shirt and a drab skirt. I couldn't figure out what era this dream chose as its setting by what she wore. Still, I thought it couldn't be too far from my time. The girl couldn't see me in this dream.

That's why we didn't so much as exchange greetings. The girl stepped down from the porch, poured water into a small tub, and then sat next to me with her feet in the tub. She looked absolutely beautiful as she sat there using a small fan to send herself a breeze. Her black hair was carefully tied behind her, and the way she always had her lips closed expressed her upright personality.

The girl and I simply sat there in silence. The bamboo trees on the other side of the white wall swayed from the wind and made rustling sounds.

This world was peaceful, as it had no other sounds.

Or it should have been--

I had a feeling, which was closer to conviction.

A sad premonition that this dream wouldn't have a happy ending.

This one large Japanese-style building that was covered in a somewhat bluish tint.

At some point, I'd started seeing the dream of this house over and over again.

There were times I'd see a continuation, and other times that it seemed like time had skipped. But being a dream, I'd eventually awaken. That's why I'd slowly begun to enjoy these dreams -- but at the same time, I'd begun to feel sad whenever I awakened. Eventually, I'd come to realize that the emotions I felt were tied to the eventual sad conclusion that this mansion faced. I often saw the blue world stained red, the girl a bloody heap on the ground.

This was clearly a lucid dream. In other words, a dream that I am cognizant is a dream even as I dream.

Normally, dreams have unique attributes that make them stand out. lucid dreams in particular usually cause you to have an omnipotent feeling because you can cause anything to happen. However, this dream always gave me a nagging feeling of lack of control.

Why?

Shouldn't I be finding out?

And then I began investigating the nooks and crannies of this house.

The house in the dream had, roughly speaking, a cast of four. At the center was the girl, who smiled at everyone like a spring breeze, and there was also an old man of around fifty, presumably the lord of this house and probably her father. Furthermore, there there were two other men, who seemed to love the girl, and who also seemed to be her cousins. I also saw servants entering and leaving every so often, but we can probably put them aside. The house had a room roughly fifty tatamis large with a large pillar going right down its center that housed the houselord, and to its side was the girl's room, and then further than that were the rooms of her cousins. There was a kitchen, a parterre, a parlor, and a room for servants. I would answer yes it I were asked if it were large, but there were also plenty of houses around this size in the countryside from which I came. It didn't strike me as particularly uncommon, and so I simply wandered about.

Windows and sliding-screen doors held no meaning to me, given that I was like a ghost in this world. I could enter anywhere I wanted to if I wished. However, the more I roamed the house the more I had this bizarre and out-of-place feeling.

There was something wrong with this house.

I began to think that. And then I felt like I'd sensed this oddity before. And when I thought about it, I realized: it was like that house. The "house that grants wishes" that I'd stayed in when I first came to Tokyo. A house for the house that had been built by a heart-broken architect. It was the same sense of misplacement that I felt then.

That would mean.

That there should be a room that could not be entered via normal means. A space that had been deliberately sealed away.

I felt some misgiving, but I decided to look for that room, anyways.

However, I would always forget about that goal whenever the dream began, and only after gazing at the various events occurring in the house (such as an amusing conversation between the girl and her cousins, the houselord having trouble with the trees in the garden, such as when there's some trouble the servants need to take care of) do I eventually remember that room. And then I would begin searching, but time would run out and I would awaken. It was almost as if once I remembered the existence of that room, the administrator of the dream would kick me out.

Of course, in the end, it's still just a dream.

Not everything needed to make absolute sense. In particular, looking at the girl's spring-like smile makes me feel like such a room doesn't really matter at all. Was it wrong to just wish for the girl's happiness? Isn't it enough to just watch over the girl's beautiful mannerisms? There was always something nagging at me from the corner of my mind, but that's what I'd begun to think.

But, when I was rudely lying down on the porch and gazing at the girl pruning the trees in the garden, I heard a familiar voice from above.

"This house is quite amusing."

I looked, and for some reason, Yoishi Mitsurugi was there.

"Everything here was built to further seal off something that had already been sealed."

She whispered, as the dark eyes on her white face glimmered.

"You-"

I pointed at Yoishi as I spoke.

"You, what are you doing in my dream?"

----

I opened my eyes and found myself in a car.

I was in the back of a damn small light vehicle and about to be crushed by a number of bags.

I tried to straighten myself out and was shocked to find someone's fragrant, black hair right up at my nose.

I hurriedly pushed out with my hands, and that person lazily slid back over to the other side, like a rotten corpse.

"It- it was your fault!?"

I shouted, but Yoishi Mitsurugi kept sleeping as if she were dead.

"Shut up, Nagi-kun."

"You know, Fujieda should be a short drive off the highway."

"Don't blame me, the GPS told me to go this way."

I sighed. We'd done that exchange several times already in this tiny car.

Well, all of this is because I struggled with the first-semester exams at my university, and then I forgot to buy train tickets to get back home.

That was yesterday. After I finished my exams, I was sleeping like a log to make up for my sleep deprivation. And then my cell phone rang... my sister was on the other end.

"So, we're getting ready for the festival tomorrow. When're you getting here?"

My brain cells froze for a moment, and then pulled out some latent powers without any regard for how overheated they were from my exams, like a divine revelation, it came to me...

Krishna-san had certainly spoken about it, At the end of July, she was going to participate in the Ikaigabuchi offline meeting taking place in Shizuoka. Moments later I called Krishna-san and cried, please let me tag along.

And now, I'm being shaken around in this cramped car.

"That's why I tried to stop you."

Krishna-san said with an annoyed voice from the driver's seat.

"I'm not a good driver, and this car's an almost thirty-year-old can of junk. You're the one that insisted, anyways. I have so much stuff to bring to the offline meeting, so you're the ones making things worse. It's usually just fine when I'm the only one here--"

Sounded the cold voice from the driver's seat.

I looked up, and found Krishna-san glaring at me through her rear-view mirror.

"You made me miss what the GPS was saying."

Those words finally jostled my consciousness back.

The sunlight shone brightly through the car window as the car drove westward with full speed. I could see the Pacific Ocean expanding in my view, glimmering on the other side of the window.

That's right... we're in Krishna-san's old car.

And I was on my way back to Fujieda.

"This GPS is old, so it takes a really long time to get back on track once I miss the road. It's like it's punishing me for not paying attention to it."

Krishna-san, who was extremely poor with any machine other than a computer, desperately tried to adjust the GPS, but the old LCD display started to give even more inexplicable directions.

"It's because you bought such an old car."

I said with a somewhat teasing tone, and she quickly fired back.

"I was told this was a bargain, and I really liked the design, too."

"You get too empathetic over everything, Krishna-san."

"Shut up. If you're good to machines, your feelings will eventually reach them."

And then she looked back at us, at Yoishi, who slept between the luggage like a broken doll.

"It's pretty insane to try to fit both of you in there, you know."

"I agree, but you know, I'm not the one who dragged her in here."

And then, Yoishi whispered, still in a crumpled posture.

"You're the one that told me to come to Eboshi Mountain."

".....Huh?"

That moment, the car took a bounce.

For a moment it felt like my stomach was turning inside-out, but I frantically held that back. And on the side, I looked at Yoishi's face, and her usual pale face had become ashen-blue.

"Hey! You! don't puke here!"

"What?"

Krishna-san shouted back in a frantic voice, but by that time Yoishi had quickly opened the rear-seat window, stuck her head out, and vomited.

"Hey, you!!"

Astonishingly, a blue sports car that was driving right behind us zig-zagged. I think they probably managed to avoid the vomit with their nice judgement. After that, the sports car kept a large distance away from our car, Their intense glares toward us were actually hurtful.

After Yoishi finished vomiting, a little bit of drool still remained on her lips as she closed the window and went back to sleep. It couldn't be helped, I took out a crumpled handkerchief from my pocket. Don't get on a car if you have a habit of throwing up, I grumbled to myself as I wiped off her mouth.

I ended up meeting up with Yoishi Mitsurugi mysteriously early this morning. Me and Krishna-san were to meet in front of a room in the university. It was loaded with video cameras, tripods and computers. Over there, Yoishi aimlessly arrived.

"You- What are you doing here?"

Of course I asked her that question, but she didn't answer.

It was already summer vacation for the public, if we were any more late in our departure, the roads would be jammed with traffic and that would have been troublesome. For the time being I ignored the vacant Yoishi still standing there.

First, I loaded the goods into the car. The small car barely had a trunk at all, most of the front passenger seat was already occupied with Krishna-san's clothes and books related to the occult. That's why I loaded up the rear seat with cameras and other things, along with my own luggage.

I managed to cram it all in somehow and managed to make a place for myself to sit. But before I knew it, Yoishi was already sitting there. Naturally, I told her to move, but she just silently closed her eyes. No matter how many times I told her, she didn't move. Thanks to that, I ended up having to sit bending backwards in the middle of the luggage like a prawn.

Remembering this, I looked at Yoishi. After puking out the window she had deftly pulled a book out of her backpack, and was now staring at it in her lap.

"Hey, Yoishi"

I pointed at her clothes and asked, "Why did you come to school so early in the morning, while still wearing a school uniform even when it's summer vacation?"

"It wasn't early at all."

"Eh?"

"Because last night , I was in Tsukimori cemetery for a long time, that's my way back home."

"Ah... So you stayed out all night and arrived the next morning."

Or should I say, what's up with staying at Tsukimori cemetery all night and returning back the next morning.

As I thought that, I got confused and shook my head.

"Actually, it's fine. I won't ask what you were doing. It was probably some weird stuff anyway. But once we get to Fujieda, you must get in touch with your household. Don't worry your parents like that."

With Krishna-san in front of me, I said that, acting as the dignified senior.

"Where will the offline meeting for Ikagebuchi be held, I wonder?", said Yoishi while ignoring me and asked Krishna-san.

"In Shizuoka city, There's interesting research being announced about Konohanasakuya-hime<ref>Cherry tree blossom princess</ref>", answered Kirshna while driving.

"That was originally called a banana type myth in South East Asia, there are some unique Japanese descriptions that I can't accept. There have been researchers of Konohanasakuya-hime in Shizuoka for a long time. They are going to supplement those shortcomings by presenting a hypothesis, that's why I'm going."

Krishna-san seemed to be in an unusually good mood. Because her occult website Ikagebuchi was famous at a national level, offline meetings and searches of haunted places were being held monthly. I was only attending the meetings that were being held in Tokyo, as expected, I hadn't yet followed the forum threads of Shizuoka.

"A lot of things happened and I was restraining myself on attending offline meetings, but I've had a lot of interest in Konohanasakuya-hime, so I just have to attend the meeting."

"Is that so?"

Konohanasakuya-hime is about that, a female goddess from Mount Fuji whose had various theories about her deification. She married the grandson of the sun-goddess Hononinigi, gave birth to three children, one of whom was Hoori. He would be the ancestor of the Japanese royal family, even I knew that much.

"Your family's fire festival is also perhaps, derived from that lineage." said Krishna.

"Konohanasakuya-hime's, whose fidelity was suspected by Ninigi, gave birth in the midst of fire. That legend was used as a model for the often occurring fire festival everywhere... Or I wonder if it belongs to another legend altogether?”

"I don't know about the details, but the festival in our home town was originally dedicated to the mountain god. Making portable shrines, parading them downtown, and finally burning them. At that time, the electricity of the town is mostly shut off, leaving only the light of the iron basket fire. That spectacle, how should I describe it…? Beautiful, just like a dream.”

“I’m looking forward to it” Said Krishna-san while driving the car; her voice seemed to be in a happy tone.

I haven’t told my family about it yet, but in exchange for driving me back, I promised to let her stay at my house. Well, Krishna-san is polite and courteous; I don’t think she would be a problem at all, the problem lay with Yoishi.

That girl is completely unpredictable, if it was concerning her, even a chat over tea would turn into a ghost story. Especially, as my elder sister had said, this years’ fire festival is to be organized by us: the Yamada family. It would be nice if we could carry out our responsibility safely, I reflected, as I pondered over such dark thoughts.

“It’s no good.” Said Krishna all of a sudden, slamming down on the car’s GPS.

“I didn’t say anything…”

At that moment, an unpleasant thud sound was heard from the engine. Before long the car gradually slowed to a halt

“Even though we left with a full tank of gas…” mumbled Krishna in a timid tone of voice as she glanced back at us.

I looked towards Yoishi feeling she might be responsible for what happened. But Yoishi was reading a tasteless book on the medieval history of execution tools while on her knees as her eyes glimmered.

----

After the continuous struggle through the highway, on top of its engine stalling four times for no particular reason, the car finally reached my home. The sun had already gone down and it was evening time. We parked Krishna’s car in the field which served a dual purpose of being a place to cultivate and to store lumber. During this time, I saw the figure of my older sister in jeans and a T-shirt coming out of the front door of the house.

“You’re late, Nagi-suke! What were you doing, slacki-“

As she said that, my sister fell silent silent seeing the two strangers who had stepped off the car.

“Eh, this is..?”

“Nice to meet you.” Krishna-san introduced herself while politely bowing her head. “I’m Nagi-kun’s senior at university, Kurimoto Shina. I’m always being helped by Nagi-kun with various things.“

“Oh…is that so..?”

With that introduction, my elder sister replied in a polite and courteous attitude that I hadn’t seen up until now.

“I’m his elder sister, Akira. It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for looking after my little brother.”

After that, I pushed Yoishi -- You also introduce yourself, dumbass. Yoishi just stood there staring silently. It couldn’t be helped, I thought, as I introduced Yoishi.

“This is Yoishi, Yoishi Mitsurugi. Uhhh… “

What would be a good way to explain my relation to her?

“We belong to the same group with shared interests, right…?”

With Krishna’s impromptu commendation, my elder sister stared in amazement.

“Ehh, you’re still a high schooler, right?”

When asked that, Yoishi just silently raised one finger.

“A first year high schooler, is it?”

Yoishi nodded

Was that so? Even for me, this was my first time hearing about it.

“Even though you seem to be quiet, but you sure are very beautiful”. The candid line from my sister made Yoishi tilt her head slightly. I’m afraid any moment now, she’ll say something like, “Does that have any meaning?”

“Why! Yoishi-chan is a beauty, and Krishna san is cute as well, which one will be this guy’s wife? Or how should I put it…It’s not my place to decide, is it?”

What are you saying?? This person…

I stood dumbfounded glaring at my sister whose long and bright hair was swaying, Krishna-san decisively took a deep breath of air and spoke.

“It’s so scenic and beautiful around here, and the air is great to breathe; it’s a really good place, isn’t it?”

“Only because it’s the sticks”, laughed my sister.

“Anyway, it’s only my mother and father besides me living here, so we have a lot of rooms, please feel free to relax.” Saying that, she invited both Krishna-san and Yoishi inside.

While I was undertaking the work of carrying the luggage, I squinted at the base of the mountain, which was dyed in sunshine. At the entrance of Eboshiyama, the path to the temple already had a wooden structure constructed; a few adults could be seen working around there.

The cold wind blowing down from Fuji, and the hot wind rising up from the Pacific Ocean, entwined with the breath of the forest and blew a unique kind of wind in Fujieda. Being struck by the wind on my cheeks, I was hit with the realization… I was finally back; in my home town, where the fire festival would soon begin.

===2===

“Ah! Nagito!”

Welcome back, said my mother smiling fondly at me.

“Returned, have you?” remarked my father curtly while lying on his back.

Well then, I should talk about both my parents here a little bit.

After all, it was a story told to me by my dad who tended to boast about himself, but I want to tell one third of the story.

When my father was young, he was known to be an outrageous brat, if you were to put it in modern terms, a DQN <ref>a slang term used in 2channel for someone who is extremely foolish</ref>, Yankee, or one of those delinquents who teams up with other delinquents and roams the streets. In short, he was a hooligan. I don't know what I didn't like about it when I thought about it now, but he rebelled against a lot of things.

Fights won: 75, lost: 12. His influence reached as far away as Yaizu city. The name Kanto Yamada, made those near and far tremble with fear. Those legendary tales still seems to be talked about at neighborhood association meetings: He had eliminated monstrous catfish living the Kasuga pond; he caused ill-mannered sailors who had strayed into Yaizu city from abroad to go back to their home countries with just one glare, plenty of these kinds of iffy stories typical of the countryside.

My father was that kind of man, who after graduating high school, had no intention of inheriting the family’s lumber business. He spent his days lazily; drinking sake, gambling, getting into fights, with women, and acting violently. At last, it could be said that he finally drew the attention of the god from the shrine of three-god-mountain. From that day on, for causes unknown, he got a high fever and fell down, hives developed on his face, a rash on his arm and warts sprouted on his legs. So my father, who was always over-confident in his looks took a painful blow and prepared himself for a painful death. But, if he was going to die anyway, he would take forcefully take down the incarnation of the mountain god with him; my father schemed up something completely ridiculous like that, like he was going to live shamelessly and shortly anyway.

Uttering that line like a high schooler who had watched too many heroic movies, my father’s younger self grabbed some gasoline and a lighter and headed off in the direction of the three god mountain shrine. However, the shrine maiden was sweeping the temple grounds at the time, my mother: Nogi Tomoko. What’s more, my mother had only just enlisted as a part time apprentice, but still, she eloquently managed to preach to my father. You can’t have such a short temper and such, you are still young, behave yourself from now on, and such.
However, the self-proclaimed number one wild boy of Fujieda prostrated himself in front of my mother, the shrine maiden who was not even dressed stylishly. He’d come prepared for death, but instead ending up proposing to her at that place. This is what is known among us in the Yamada family as, the ceremony of the angel Tomoko causing Kanto’s submission.

Or rather, no matter how dubious this overly long story might be, it seems to have been the start of the romance between my parents. I don't want to go into too much detail about why they called her an angel Tomoko, even though she is a shrine maiden. Anyway, it’s been 24 years since then and they’re living a happy conjugal life here in Fujieda. I mean, my father pretended to be the domineering husband, but he was just so deeply in love with my mother.

“Have you lost a little weight?”

My father and elder sister had went to the living room to make arrangements for the visitors who had come from far away, at that time my mother asked stretching my cheeks with her hand.

“You’ve had it difficult in Tokyo, haven’t you?”

“Well, various things have happened”

I almost unintentionally blurted out everything that happened with me up until then, the fearful experiences I had gone through in Tokyo; I was on the verge of spilling it all: Being chased by the countdown of death and the fear of not having any place to run away to, the spine creaking fear I felt when we took down that unbelievable giant floating matter. Well, in the first place it stemmed from me being an occult maniac, but in this short time I’ve gone through consecutive perils which seem to have worn away my lifespan. I don’t even know how many times all I wanted was return home to Fujieda.

But… “ I don’t know if you heard from sis, but uh… First, the house I rented ended up still being occupied by the previous owner; then because of some difficulties I had to go to the hospital, when I was there I ended up being examined by a completely incompetent quack.”
I was bad at lying, and made up some sloppy falsifications. In the first place, saying something about being possessed by ghosts would probably not be believable. In any case, it’s not a problem now, everything is already over. Nevertheless, my mother still stared at me with a look of worry in her eyes.

“Sounds like you’ve had an awful time”.

“No, well, it’s not a big deal”. After that I sat up straight and apologized once again. “With that being said... I’m sorry mom, I was in the middle of writing letters and messages to you, but various things happened, and I ended up unable to send them. I’m fine, and I’m now back home.”

When I said that, my mother gently narrowed her eyes and laughed.

“I got that; you also brought along some friends, as well?”

"Aah… sorry, one of them is a person who helped me out, and the other is... someone who ended up getting attached to me. "

“Hah-? “

Ignoring my mother who was staring in amazement once again, I took that out of the bag. The thing I had bought from the western dress store closest to the station: A cardigan.

“I bought it quite a while ago, but it’s already summer. Well you can wear it when autumn starts and it get cold.”

“Even when you don’t have any money, is this ok?”

“I bought it from the first month of my part time job’s salary. Anyway, it was rather cheap.”

With that, my mother delightfully opened the parcel, and took out the cardigan.”

“It’s a nice color isn’t it, I’ll be sure to treasure it.”

I nodded, and at the same time wild laughter echoed in from the living room. My father and sister had probably used the pretext of entertaining guests to start pouring sake.
“Well Nagito, shouldn’t you also be there?”
“Aren’t you coming as well?” I inquired
“I haven’t made dinner her, you need to eat a lot, don’t you?”

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t eat a lot on the way here”. I laughed while standing up, “Then, we’ll be waiting for you”.

----

“You’re late, Nagi-kun!”

When I opened the Fusuma<ref>sliding door</ref> of the living room, I found the manager of the occult site standing atop a desk making an uproar. Her face completely red, she was wearing a hyottoko mask slanted on her forehead; the mask was originally a decoration piece in the living room.

“W-what are you doing Krishna-san?”
“Drinking, of course…The sake here is amazing. It’s my first time drinking pulpy sake which soaks into my stomach.”

“That’s great, Krishna-chan! Keep going like that!”

“Oh! We still have plenty of sake!”

With Krishna san like that, my elder sister and father vigorously poured more sake over flowing the cup. The big table in the living room was lined grand with sushi catered from outside. Empty bottles of my father’s treasured sake and my sister’s favorite beer were already emptied on the floor.

“Hey! Yoishi-chan, was it? You also drink some more!” Seeing my red faced sister tried to influence Yoishi, I stepped in.

“That’s unwise. She’s still a high school stu-“

“Don’t be so stuffy, Nagi-suke, I was in middle school when I started, right?”

“Right, because you are special”

“Wha- Hey! Special, you say?”

“You are exceedingly special, that’s why involving yourself with a docile girl like her is a little pitiful, it’s for the best!”

“Oh, I get it, well then Yoishi-chan, will it be cola, or some orange juice?”

Yoishi replied silently by pointing to the orange juice. While merely taking a sip of the poured orange juice to get a taste, she only silently looked around at the ceiling and walls of the residence.

“Hey, Krishna-san has been poured quite a few drinks already, right?” I quietly asked, sitting across from Yoishi.

“Probably”, replied Yoishi quietly.

“Be careful and don't drink with them, OK? My father and sister aren't bad people, but they have a habit of drinking a little too much.”
My father red in the face shuffled towards us. In his hand was the famous local sake brew: “Kurasui”

“Go ahead Nagito! You have a drink as well!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m still underage”

I tried hard to push it away from me, but as expected from a man of the mountains, he’s way more physically stronger than me. With his thick arms he forcefully grabbed my arm and didn’t let go.

“No, aren’t you around twenty years old by now?”

“Hey, at least bother remembering the age of your own son.”

Being drowned in breath smelling of liquor, we continued talking when the front door bell rang.
“Gooood Evening!”

The door opened and a familiar voice echoed in the hallway.

“Oooh!”

I recognized it by the voice, the bad company from my high school days had joined in.

“It’s good those guys came”, I somehow managed to get away from my father and headed to the front door to greet the guests. There, the nostalgic faces were all lined up. The eccentric square faced guy with the family surname of Marui<ref>A pun because Marui means round</ref>: Maru-yan. Then there was Ranbashi, He’d lost some weight and gotten taller; he was actually pretty strong in fights but usually well mannered. Finally there was the guy always making trying to look cool and only chasing women, Hirayama also known as Pei chan.

“Oh, Nagi, is it?”

“You’ve returned!”

“You haven’t changed.”

“You guys haven’t either, have you been well?”

I bumped our shoulders and arms with each of them in our unusual way of exchanging greetings; my elder sister then arrived.
“The appetizers are here!” And she snatched away the food Maru-yan had brought as a gift.

“Your sister is the same as always.”

“Sorry, there are a lot of guests today so she’s frolicking about.”

“Guests?” Maru-yan asked inclining his head slightly as the manager of the occult site appeared staggeringly from the living room. Kirshna-san was now wearing the Hyottoko mask completely over her face.

“Ooh, Guests, is it? No, wait, am I the guest?”

“Hey, who is that?”

“Ah”. I took off Krishna-san’s mask and introduced her to the rest.

“She’s my senpai from university, Kurimoto-san. Various things happened, and we drove here in her car.”

“Is that so?”

Being slightly taken aback, the three bowed their heads and greeted.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Marui.”

“I’m Hirayama.”

“I’m Ranbashi.”

“Ahh, I’m Kurimoto, I’m Shina. Before I knew it, I ended up being called a scary name like Krishna.” Krishna-san replied while bowing unsteadily on her feet. After that she smiled again as she spoke to me.

“Hey Nagi-kun, I’m a little relieved. I thought you were a complete loner with no friends, but you do have some friends who have common courtesy after all.”

After that I beckoned the three in.

“Ah please come in.”

With that, Krishna-san who was acting self-importantly, disappeared into the living room once again.

“It seems to be getting pretty exciting around here” said Maru-yan happily while taking off his shoes. All I could do was shrug my shoulders.

The first one to enter the living room, Ranbashi raised his voice in surprise.

“A female high schooler. There’s a female high schooler here.”

“What did you just say?”

“It’s true. It really is a female high schooler!”

These three raising a ruckus all of a sudden, I asked exasperatedly:

“You guys have surely seen high school girls up until last year, right?”

“You idiot, all men don’t understand the preciousness of it at the time. After graduating, I’ve come to appreciate the figure of a high school girl in her uniform. I’m in agony over the fact that I didn’t enjoy the springtime of my youth to its fullest.”

“Pei-chan, it’s fine so just take a seat.”

With that, even the usually reserved Ranbashi howled:

“She’s an angel! I’ve never seen a girl as pretty as her.”

But, even with such a ruckus being raised in front of her, Yoishi was sitting with a dreary face drinking orange juice. I introduced the Yoishi to the three.

“This is Yoishi Mitsurugi, she’s a member of the same circle as me and Kurimoto back in Tokyo, well, that sort of thing.”

“Oh, Yoishi-chan, is it? Good evening.”

Immediately after Pei-chan’s greeting: “Uwaaaaa--!” Maru-yan let out a shriek.

“Dammit, I should have also gone to university in Tokyo! Hey Nagito! Can you meet beautiful girls like this in the city all over?”

“Not really all over or anything like that!”

“But you… with these two…”

“Calm down Maru-yan. I’m saying they’re just my senior and juni--.”

“Square faced and fair spoken, you sure are cute…” Krishna-san came staggering in and put her hands on my shoulder as she tried to join the conversation.

“Hear that, Nagi? That's how I'm usually treated! You're always making fun of my childish appearance, but I'm actually quite popular, alright?”

“Yeah, you're famous and popular alright… among occult maniacs all over Japan, that is.”

“That’s just cruel, it’s like you’re trying to say I’m some kind of UMA<ref>unidentified mysterious animal</ref>. “

“I’m not trying to say that at all.”

“Hey Nagi-suke! How long are you gonna stand at the entrance? Sit down. Have a drink!” My sister yelled and dragged me to a seat in the center.

“Everyone! Here’s to Nagi’s homecoming!”

“Oh! Welcome back!”

“Cheers”.

“Hahaha”.

They all leisurely raised their drinks up in the air.

“Thank you, I’m back” I also raised my glass; the party became a mess immediately after that. My father began dancing; my sister started singing. In the corner Krishna-san started telling an impromptu ghost story. Pei-chan, who hated scary stories tried to escape, but Ranbashi, wearing a straight face, kept him tied down. My mother kept focusing on the dinner intently, and tried to make sure we didn’t run out of drinks. I didn’t even drink a drop of sake, but after a long time I got drunk on the atmosphere of my home, I watched over the scene with a feeling of lightness wearing a slight grin.

At that moment, I suddenly realized…Yoishi had vanished before I knew it.

“Damn, where did she go?” I looked around restlessly and…

“Oi, Nagi.”

Maru-yan came crawling towards me.

“Where’s the bath?”

“Huh? You wanna take a bath?”

“I’m hopeless”.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was knocked down by Kurimoto-san’s breasts.”

“Huh?”

“She’s gonna use the bath, right? I’m gonna confirm the location of the bathroom beforehand for that. There has to be a window somewhere.” Maru-yan spoke with a sleepy look in his eyes.

“You… were forced to drink some alcohol, weren’t you?”

“I drank…no, I didn’t drink...”

“Which one is it?”

“I don’t know but, I haven’t had such a fun night in a long time. Maybe I’m drunk on the night? No, I’m drunk on Kurimoto-san’s breasts and Yoishi-chan’s beauty.”
“Ah-- Where did that Yoishi go?” I asked diverting from the topic. Maru-yan pointed unsteadily towards the outside.

“She just left. Is it the bathroom? Is it??”

…No way. I don’t think she would go take a bath voluntarily like that. Pushing away the clinging Maru-yan from me, I opened the sliding door and went out to the corridor. I followed the path of the veranda out into the garden to find Yoishi standing out there alone.

“Yo, what are you doing in a place like this?” I called out to her back, but she continued staring at the base of the mountain. I put on sandals heading out in the garden and stood next to Yoishi.

“It’s because it’s the sticks, that’s why there’s so many stars.” But Yoishi, without answering, pointed straight ahead. It was the way to the three gods’ mountain shrine.

“What is… that light?”

“Aah, that’s the iron basket fire for the festival, they’re going to try and keep it lit until the day of the festival.”

“It’s moving.”

“Huh?” I too, strained my eyes around halfway up Eboshiyama at the glimmering light. Now that you say it, I do feel like it is moving.

“What could it be then? Could they be switching the iron basket fire?”

“Hmmm…”

I looked at Yoishi, in the moon’s pale blue light reflected on her cheeks; she looked even paler and transparent than usual. At this late hour, what was she doing here? A strange feeling came over me. I...I felt like some other color of paint had spilled into my own palette. No, that wasn’t to say it was an unpleasant feeling, but…

“My household…is quite noisy, isn’t it?”

“That’s right”, she replied without hesitation while continuing to look up at the base of the mountain, then quietly whispered. “But, this is where your precious roots lie.”

----

That night, I was in that blue world again. In that old and large Japanese style house, roaming about in that dream. However, for some reason Yoishi was with me from the start, it apparently seemed to be a continuation of the dream I had recently.

“Well, why are you here again?” I asked, and Yoishi replied with a shine in her eyes.

“To find the entrance to the closed room.” Like that, she began arbitrarily walking briskly towards the back of the residence.

“Oi, Wait, Damn it.” It can’t be helped, I chased after her; midway through, I ran into the daughter of the house and her clingy cousins who were following her around. They walked alongside the daughter, as if keeping each other in check while talking to her. Even someone like me, who was ignorant about love affairs, knew a passionate battle was unfolding between the cousins around the daughter. Nevertheless, it seemed that they still couldn’t see us. The daughter passed through without exchanging glances with me, the two cousins continued to gaze at the daughter as they left. Yoishi didn’t try avoiding the daughter and the cousins as they passed right through her. As expected, it seemed Yoishi too, was an invisible spirit in this world.

Why am I’m thinking such carefree thoughts? Wait a minute. I was originally searching this residence for a happy ending to this dream. Instead, I had ended up searching for the true face of the lurking omen that was present. And when I’m with her, doesn’t this ominous premonition accelerate even faster? My wild imagination was spurring me towards eerie events unfolding. And then wouldn’t Yoishi’s eyes glitter, and I would end up in tears like always?

--It’s not funny.

Panicking, I put my hand on the shoulders of the advancing Yoishi.

“Hey, wait. You go back, this is my dream. Don’t just barge in here with your shining eyes like you own the place.”

But Yoishi replied without stopping.

“My appearance in your dream, it’s not my fault.”

“….Oof”

“This is no more than a dream you willingly dreamed, with me in it.”

it was a fair argument to make, It was hopeless to try and refute that,

“Then I’ll say it: I’m hoping to lead this dream to a happy conclusion. Which is why I’m begging you, just don’t say creepy things, ok? Don’t start saying things like ‘It’s strange’ or anything like that again, ok?”

However, even within a dream, Yoishi was still Yoishi.

“Say, have you heard the story of a dream you can’t wake up from?”

In that usual manner of hers, once more her dark eyes began to shine, and doing as she pleased, began to tell a story.

“Once you start watching a repeating dream. The occurrence of the dream increases in frequency gradually, before long you end up not being able to return from the dream world, that kind of ghost story. Or when you wake up from a dream, you hear the sound of a dripping wet mop from somewhere feeling someone’s presence approaching you; or how about the manifestation in reality of something you saw in a dream; there are various patterns, but in the end, the dream encroaches on reality resulting in death is the common thread.

“H-Hey, Don’t mess with me. Are you saying this dream is that?”

“I don’t know, but there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

With that lowered whisper, a detestable premonition set in and I put myself on guard.

“In this mansion, there is no outside.”

“…Huh?” Now that she said it, I haven’t been outside this mansion before. The story always concludes inside the mansion.

“No, wait a minute, that’s because I always wake up at that time, if I walked there, I could easily go out, right?”

Well, let’s try it out then, Yoishi opened the fusuma<ref>sliding door</ref> close by and headed towards the garden. Passing by the two rooms, we headed out in to the garden. Past the courtyard, In front of the entrance there was a large plaza with many cars parked. Yoishi, without stopping, continued to the front gate. Before long, we arrive at a large wooden gate standing sturdily in place, bolted with the wood of the hinoki. I was unsure if I could shift it with my power alone. But right alongside it, we found there was a smaller side entrance, so I pushed it. But, it didn’t budge in the slightest. Feeling befuddled at that moment, it soon struck me: As an existence akin to that of a ghost in this world, a door didn’t actually mean anything. I could just as easily pass through it. Thinking that, I pushed my body against the door itself, but for some reason my body was repelled. Something made me feel that a strong will that I hadn’t felt before was there.

“No way.”

I took a few steps back, and dashed toward the door crashing into it with my full force. But with a violent thud, I was repelled back and fell down. I had been drifting in this place for so long, and yet, I realized that the laws of physics applied to that door alone.

“You can’t leave this residence. Right?” Whispered Yoishi questioningly while I was still lying down on the ground.

“Why is that?”

“Ordinarily a lucid dream is said to be one established by the ego. That dream world should be actively controlled and freely manipulated by the dreamer. But in this dream, there are two things you can’t control freely…” Yoishi’s dark eyes suddenly began to be filled with life – I put myself on guard.

“That is, the closed room and yourself…”

I was half expecting that.

Yoishi spoke with an entranced expression.

“This dream probably has a hidden meaning”.

===3===

In the afternoon, the temperature had already reached 35 degrees. The sunlight was hitting like a hammer today. It was scorching enough that it felt like my hair would burst into flames at any point. One a day like this, I thought, it was insanity to construct the pedestal to be used in the festival, but when I put on a towel around my head and joined, everyone was lively, I also got caught up in it and ended up joining them in the hectic work.

My town -- Nango Town, was one of the smaller ones of Fujieda City; but nevertheless, whenever this festival draws near, people gush out from nowhere and before you know it, the front of three mountain god shrine ends up being overflowed with people. The job of constructing the festivals’ pedestal is always given to the young men of the city, but like my sister said, it was said to be our family’s responsibility this year. But still, in actuality it was being done by all the guys from downtown who were free at the time.

Today too, the front of the mountain shrine was crowded, in that crowd, I could see many nostalgic faces; at that time I would stop working, greet and have a deep talk with them. Everyone was wearing a smile on their faces. The old lady from the neighborhood who brought refreshments was also pleasant; being in this kind of atmosphere, it really made me realize that the festival was near.

“Yo, Nagi.”

Being greeted from behind, I turned around to see Maru’s square shaped face.

“Seems like the pedestal has begun construction, it really feels like the festival is getting pretty close, eh?”

“That’s right” Wiping off my sweat with a towel. I inquired:

“What about Ranbashi and Pei-chan?”

“They’ve got work in the afternoon; they may come in the evening.” Is that so? Come to think of it, among the lot that I used to hang out with in our high school days, only me and Maru-yan went on to higher studies. I went to a university in Tokyo; Maru-yan to a local technical school. His family owns a small restaurant; he too liked to cook so he decided to become a chef.

While recollecting such things, Maru-yan abruptly began to examine my expression.

“Are you sleeping properly? You’ve got dark circles under your eyes”

“….Aah.” To be honest, I felt like I wasn’t getting enough sleep recently. I had pulled consecutive all-nighters during my exams, after that, I was seeing the dream with the mansion every night, Furthermore, searching with Yoishi in the dream day after day. By itself, the dream is a place where I can drift around comfortably, but she just wanders here and there going “It’s strange” or “How unusual”, saying creepy things like that and bringing me to tears even within a dream. Originally, my sleep time meant for me to rest but my brain had naturally become exhausting because of this.

However, Maru came to his own conclusions, and, smirking, commented, looking somewhere off in the distance:

"Yeah, well, if I lived under the same roof with two hotties like that, I wouldn't be able to quit fantasizing either."

“What?..”

As I followed his gaze, I saw two girls vying for the title of Japan's most obsessed lover of the occult. Krishna-san, dressed in a pink t-shirt with a piglet on it, was helping out with catering preparations. Yoishi, on the other hand, was loafing about as usual, tight white blouse and black tie of her school uniform standing out against the picturesque countryside.

“Are they staying for the festival?”

“I think so, since they didn't leave after the offline meeting.”

“So there's one more reason to look forward to it," Maru grinned.

“Say, is it alright if I visit you again today?”

“Sure, but why?”

“For Yoishi and Krishna, of course. Pei-chan wanted to come too, and it seems that Ranbashi is also interested in Yoishi.”

“Listen, Maru-yan” I said sighing and putting down the lumber I was carrying. “Give it up. You don't want to mess with them, especially Yoishi.”

“Why?”

“She’s not normal. How should I put it? When you listen to her speaking, you’ll end up shaking and crying, or like the feeling of your soul leaving your body. “

When I spoke of her like that, I remembered…
*Yoishi is not a living human.
*Anyone who comes in contact with Yoishi will die in seven days.
*Anyone connected to Yoishi’s ghost stories meets a terrible end.
That is… just like those rumors spread on the internet about Yoishi in the past, they were just made up exaggerations…those words I had refuted in the past were not much different from what I had just said. I shook my head and corrected myself:

“No, In short… she just has taste in slightly different hobbies from the norm.”

“Well, that’s fine, city girls are like that, and I wanted to get to know someone who’s a little eccentric.”

It’s like this guy doesn’t get it all. Well, I wasn’t much different back then… I didn’t believe the rumors on the net either, up until I prowled around a haunted place with her.

You’ll get cursed just by talking to her. If you meet her you die. Those kinds of rumors were spread because her speech had a strange pull. Like Kirshna san had said, her words contain things people shouldn’t know. But, I didn’t know how to explain that to Maru-yan who had no interest in the occult.

“Oh—Maru-yan” With long hair tied up like a pineapple, my elder sister appeared.

“Square faced as always”

“Oh, Thanks for the meal yesterday.”

“It’s fine, I had fun as well.” Saying that, with a whomp, my sister suddenly punched me in the gut. I buckled over instantly grasping for air.

“Say Nagi. I’ve taken a liking…”

“T-to what…?”

“Krishna-chan, she’ll make a good wife, don’t you think?” She boasted while using the broom in her hand as a cane, she’s only twenty two still a bachelorette, yet she acts like an old village hag match maker nodding to herself.

“That’s right? I’ve got to try, don’t you think?” said Maru-yan earnestly as if embarking on a new venture.

“You Idiot, A wife for Nagi here”.

“Why is that? This guy doesn’t seem to think like that”.

“Oh, is that so? Are you in the Yoishi faction then?” Staring in amazement, I waved my hands as if to say no.

“It’s really not like that with those two.”

“Don’t be shy now. I mean for a wife, it’s better for you to choose Krishna-chan. Someone like you who’s always in a daze… an older wife would be just fine. She was asking about the three mountain god to the head of the neighborhood association just now, and he was also buzzing in admiration about her -- that she was so young and so knowledgeable.”

That’s obvious. She is the manager of a huge occult website that earns tens of thousands of hits a day. According to Karasu-san, she is a person who has applied for collaborative research with professors of folklore at various universities.

“Compare that with Yoishi-chan, who’s rather eccentric”. With those words, I looked towards Yoishi, she was sitting near the shrine archway. And I was dumbfounded at what I saw. For some reason, Yoishi was digging up the base of the archway of the three mountain god shrine, with a seemingly smiling expression.
“Yeah… definitely a little weird”. Muttered Maru-yan as I rushed over to Yoishi in a hurry.

Her expression of ecstasy had been brought forth by digging out something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Oi! Don’t do stuff that’ll get you cursed.” I rapped Yoishi's head as she poked around the base of the torii with a sharp stone picked up from somewhere nearby.

“Ow! That hurt”

“Sure it did, now what were you doing there?”

“This place is interesting.” Yoishi looked up towards me. Her eyes were shining brightly, I quickly regained my composure.

“That’s fine; I don’t want to hear it.” But Yoishi continued speaking without a care.

“I wonder if everyone is aware. The torii is in this direction-“

“That’s enough! Stop it already!” I screamed. Was it because I had been out in the sun for too long? Or maybe because of a lack of sleep, or perhaps because of the hidden meaning in her words. I felt unsteady of my feet, as if gastric juice was welling up inside me. Don’t say anymore unnecessary things, is what I wanted to say. Menacing me in my dreams, and scaring me in reality as well, where was I supposed to run to?

“Why? It’s an important thing” Yoishi kept crouching down looking up at me with her dark eyes.

I stood there taking a deep breath, staring at Yoishi. Her school uniform had become crumpled already. The same white blouse had become wrinkled after being worn for a few days. Her hands were dirty from messing around in the dirt; she hadn’t taken a shower so her naturally long and beautiful hair was dirty again. As everyone was merrily going about their work with a smile preparing for the ceremony, she was looking up to me with an ominous gaze as if she were a lone, corrupted entity in all of this.

“Why are you like this?” I asked feeling dizzied under the strong sunlight. “Why do you always say things like that? Isn’t everyone having fun with the festival preparations? This festival only happens once every three years. It’s a small town but everyone adjusts their schedule for this day. So I’m begging you, just read the atmosphere. I’m not asking you to help or anything, just don’t get in the way. Don’t try and ruin things at least!” Oh, I think I may have overreacted. I don't know why I suddenly snapped at this girl who was younger than me. I should have stopped, but due to the lack of sleep, her tendency to do strange things that made people around her look askance, and the fact that I wanted to improve her situation just a little bit, I couldn't help myself. I had already crossed the line; it was too late to retreat.

“Why can't you live like a normal person? You have to go to school and learn to talk to people normally. Otherwise you'll have a very hard time later in life.”

Yoishi looked down in silence.

“What do you mean by normal?”

“Huh?”

“In this world, is there any worth in conforming?”

The darkness in Yoishi's eyes seemed eternal. More so than time at the Hachioji hospital; more so than the night at the reservoir, the darkness was even deeper.
"No- that is... There's many disagreeable people, so it's obvious, anyone who can't adapt to that will find living difficult, right?"

"Adapting? I wonder if that has any meaning" Yoishi stood up with her hands still dirty staring off somewhere. That back of hers looked slender and unreliable as always. Anyways, I was tired and irritated: of her, and her words. Tired from my exams, tired of my dreams, I had no energy to comprehend what her words meant.

“Anyway, just don’t get in the way of the festival.” I said over my shoulder as I left Yoishi and returned to the preparations for the festival.

--

On that night, it was a full moon. I was looking happily at the beautiful full moon’s perfect circle, holding the bat tightly in my hands. The location was the garden at the back of the house. Why was I standing here alone while being stung by striped mosquitoes? That was entirely Maru-yan and the others’ fault. After we had finished the construction of the pedestal for the festival, Ranbashi and the others had gathered at my house for a party at evening time. While helping out my mother, I was keeping an eye out for Krishna-san, who had an extremely anti-alcoholic constitution, as well as the underage Yoishi to make sure that my father and the others would not make them drink any alcohol. However, Krishna-san would get intoxicated just by the smell of alcohol alone, and after about 30 minutes, was once again dancing around wearing the tengu mask. The problem occurred after that.

My mother announced that the bath was ready and urged Krishna-san and Yoishi to take a bath first. That moment, I witnessed Maru-yan and Pei-chan’s suspicious behavior. After a while, they fled to the hallway. I had a bad feeling and chased them outside, catching them in the front door.

“Where are you two off to?”

“Nowhere-- just to observe the moon for a little bit.”

“Liar, you’re going to peep in the bath, right?”

When pointed out so bluntly: “Please look the other way, Nagito” Pei-chan exaggeratedly begged while putting his hands together and raising them over his head in supplication.

Not a chance. “Are you animals? Have you lost your senses?”

“Peeping is a man’s romance, a deed that humanity must carry”. Maru-yan came up with such absurd reasoning, I firmly shook my head.

“It’s no good; I’m going to stand guard until those two step out of the bath.”

“Well, we’re going home then”. Maru-yan quickly replied.

“How’s that? You can’t stop us from leaving.”

“Are you really going home?”

“If we stay here, we’d just be anguished and go crazy, it’s better to say good bye and leave here, right, Pei-chan?”

“O-oh..! That’s right. Let’s go back.” Exchanging looks in a strange way, nodding to each other in unison was too suspicious.

Oh, you’re leaving already? Replied my sister as the two bid their farewells and left. Seeing the two off in silence, I looked into the tatami room. Ranbashi was trapped alone with my father as he narrated his tales of heroism from his younger days. I could trust Ranbashi based on his personality. But those two wouldn’t possibly go home so obediently like that, I thought. With that, I returned to my room for the time being, and grabbed the wooden bat from my elementary school days. After that I thrust a flashlight in my pocket and went outside. I took up position in the rear garden on the north side of the house, and stood guard outside the window of the bathroom.

It wasn’t like I didn’t comprehend the feeling of wanting to peek in on women taking a bath, but I was indebted to Krishna-san, and I had said some harsh things to Yoishi in the afternoon; that feeling of remorse mixed in, is why I stood guard here alone. The bathroom’s window was slightly open, a few meters ahead of me, the light and the steam was drifting from there. I was relentlessly chasing off the striped mosquitoes that were coming close to me.

“I really am quite weak with alcohol.” Soon I heard her, the voice of Krishna-san.

“Hey, Get in already.” She called out to someone. Probably Yoishi, I thought. Incidentally, I had requested Krishna-san in the afternoon, to take Yoishi with her when she goes to take a bath at night. As far as I knew, Yoishi had not stepped into the bath even once since she had come here. I was afraid my family would say that to me as well, which is why I requested Krishna-san. If Yoishi couldn’t wash her body or her hair herself, it’s regretful, but would you do it? Is what I asked.

“Hey, don’t get in the bathtub so suddenly.” Came Krishna-san’s voice from the window, along with the lively sound of a splash and bubbles. I plugged my ears, but that didn’t stop the scent of the shampoo drifting in my direction. My mind gradually got stimulated. This is crazy, isn’t it like I’m the one peeping in this scenario? I fervently shook my head but, the image of those two naked was vividly being drawn in my mind.

“Those are what are called worldly desires, Nagito.” I heard a voice and looked around at the fence to see Maru-yan and Pei-chan’s faces peering in.

“You’ve arrived, have you…? You shameless lot…”

“The shameless one here is you”.
Brazenly, the two climbed over the fence slowly.

“Hey, don’t come in.”

“Be quiet, Nagito. Otherwise they’ll hear you.”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to come.”

“Silently, we’ll reach there. After that it’ll just be fun in our day dreams.”

One way or the other, they climbed down to the other side of the fence, and crouched over to my side.

“If you take one more step from there, this is going to roar.” I readied my bat. Ok, we get it, the two whispered. That moment, another splash, and the sound of flipping hot water was heard.

“Hey! I’ll wash your head, so look over here.” Spoke Krishna. Soon, the shampoo’s fragrant scent would once again drift our way. I turned around just then to make eye contact with Maru-yan and Pei-chan. Their faces were stretched outward to the maximum limit.

“Don’t smell it! Don’t listen!” I spoke as the two replied in unison:

“That’s impossible.” They blurted out in hoarse tones.

“It’s so good.”
“A woman is so good.”

“I can’t bear it.”

They kept repeating things like that and mumbling. Ah, I know! I know these things already. After all, I was trying frantically to suppress the squirming lower half of my body. So stop speaking already.

“However, I have a question.” Yoishi’s voice suddenly rang out.

“What do you need to eat, to get big breasts like that?”

“Hey…“

“Naturally, women's breasts swell. But your breasts are clearly outrageous”

“………..”

“I pressed my nose in a hurry. I felt like something warm was pushing up from the back of my nose. However, something red was already hanging from the nostrils of Pei-chan and Maru-yan.

“How should I know? I didn’t like my breasts becoming this big in the first place. I think yours are just about right.”

“Mine are almost non-existent”

“Isn’t that fine? Look, they are just fine. They fit in the size of a woman’s hand, just the right size”

I thought she was flat chested, so that’s what it was. I unintentionally pictured it.

“Is that so, I wonder? I’ve read somewhere that that an unmanageable size is the best.” Came Yoishoi’s rebuttal. “Oval in shape; white and lustrous, like ripened peaches, or watermelons about to burst. I wanted you to tell me if you had a secret method.”

At the same time as suppressing the delusions bubbling forth, I was cheering Yoishi on to give more descriptions. Suddenly, before I knew it, the maple in the backyard was shaking. Pei-chan was shaking it in order to endure something. Maru-yan was holding it back from shaking desperately. Both their faces were so flush they could burst.

“T-that’s enough! Stop it, this topic of breasts” With Krishna-san’s shy voice, the discussion on breasts was over. The sound of the boiling water became more furious than before, the steam and scent overflowed all the more from the window.

“By the way, why are you clinging to Nagi-kun?” Krishna-san’s inquiry brought about a temporary silence in the bath. That’s right, I recalled as I finally regained control of myself. Certainly, that is a problem. I did say I would show her Eboshi mountain, but at that time it was just a figure of speech, in the first place, mountains of this height were plenty in Tokyo.

“What? Is it inconvenient for you?” Yoishi’s words brought about another silence. Suddenly with a thump, I was struck at my side. When I looked, Pei-chan was glaring at me a dripping nosebleed. Oh, it’s like that, is it you bastard? He whispered. I waved my hands as if to say no.

“To begin with, was your coming here even meaningful? Did you have any interest in the three god manifestation fire festival?”
“I did have an interest, but perhaps a different aim than yours”.

“What’s that?”

“Originally, I heard that the festival started as a thank-you to the mountain gods of this whole area that flourished in forestry. However, if we assume that, there will be various inconsistencies.”

“…………..”

“I thought you realized it” ….What is it? What is this discussion? I was puzzled.

“Don’t pry into that, Yoishi.” Krishna-san spoke sternly. “The village has its own circumstances. In ancient places where people live, circumstances which outsiders can’t perceive, those kinds of things. Moreover, in that kind of process, the circumstances pile up. An outsider digging up that kind of stuff isn’t good.”

“Even if that was related to a curse?”

....What? What curse?

“That festival was not born out of thanks or reverence.”

“Even if that were true…” Krishna interrupted Yoishi’s words. “There are many festivals where the conditions changed after many long years. Now, it’s just a festival of gratitude. It’s only held to exorcise any impurity. Don’t speak of what was sealed here once in the past. This town… is tied to that fire festival.”

The conversation had completely become occult focused, my erotic thoughts quickly withered away. These two are always like this. After all, there was never a time when these two got along like young girls playing house with dolls. Nevertheless, standing in the same posture for a long time made my legs go completely numb. I unintentionally staggered from my spot. I ended up leaning on Maru-yan who, in turn pushed down Pei-chan.

“Owww!”

Raising that kind of voice, we fell down in unison. The bat I was holding also dropped down making a rattling noise and breaking the flower pot that had been left there.

“W-who is it?” Krishna-san’s voice roared from the bath, at the same time Maru-yan and Pei-chan dashed out of there. They jumped the fence like flying monkeys and disappeared on the other side. I tried to follow, but my legs were still numb, I made for the fence but my legs slipped and I fell again. This time, a different flower pot was broken.

“Oh! Hey, Yoishi!” When I heard Krishna's voice, I involuntarily turned around. There, in the wide-open bathroom window, stood Yoishi. She was staring intently at me, covered only up to her waist by the wall.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah... I... Well, it's...”

Despite the light coming from behind her back, which obscured all the important details, I could make out the outline of the girl's body. Her pure white skin and the flawless curves of her figure were capable of depriving me of sleep for years to come.

“Don't forget that if you peek,” she said, looking at me coldly. Something warm dripped from my nose.

“...someone might peek back.”

===4===

That night, I couldn’t sleep as Yoishi’s naked body kept flickering in my mind. Before I knew it, I was once again drifting in that blue dream world after falling asleep. Looking around me, now I could confidently say this place had become a second home for me: The old Japanese style mansion. As always, I began to wander lazily around the mansion. Yoishi was by my side on this day as well.

“Before we wake up, let’s find the entrance of that room.” Her dark eyes shined, with her usual black and white school uniform, she spoke with enthusiasm. Promptly taking the lead and walking forward, she opened the fusuma door completely and wandered around.

“Hold on.”

Still confused between reality and dream, I spoke out to her:

“That was….I wasn’t trying to peep in the bath. I was trying to stop the peeping toms from going there.”

“I don’t care.” Said Yoishi without looking back. “Why does this mansion have a room you can’t get into? Why can’t you go out of this mansion? I want to find that out today.”

….That’s right. This girl didn’t even have a general reaction of being embarrassed when seen naked. She only cares about paranormal events. Going on a trip without bringing a change of clothes, not taking a bath, vomiting everywhere, not helping out at the festival, digging around at the tori of the three god mountain shrine; that’s the kind of girl she was. I had completely forgotten because of that juvenile peeping scene at the bath. Breathing a sigh, I followed her.
The dark, chilly, heavily worn floorboards gleamed in the dim light filling the room. Without knowing why, I thought it was early in the morning just before the sun was about to rise. The air felt tense, as if prickling my skin. It was the first time it was nighttime in this dream. it wasn’t like the filter of a bluish 8 mm film I was used to, it felt as if I were drifting at the bottom of the pale blue sea. The air felt traced with stickiness, I rubbed my body to get rid of that feeling.

Without a care, Yoishi continued exploring the mansion opening the fusuma doors, I was looking into the rooms after her when suddenly, in one of those rooms, I saw the girl of the mansion sleeping there and became flustered.

“Hey, Yoishi! Everyone is sleeping, leaving the doors open like that is rude.” Yoishi suddenly stopped. And looked back at me and stared at my face intently.

“Did you just say something?”

“What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t leave the doors open for people who are asleep…”

“Where was someone sleeping?”

“Eh?” I took one step back and stood in front of the room the girl was sleeping in and pointed there.

“Isn’t she sleeping there?” Yoishi silently came to my side and took a look into the room. Then silently shook her head.

“I don’t see anyone.”

“Eh? But, the girl of the mansion is—”

Yoishi cut me off halfway: “People are living in this mansion?”

“….You never saw them?”

Ignoring my question, Yoishi continued, asking how many people there were in total.

“Uhhh…. The ones I know of are the head of the household, his daughter, two cousins. Also, the servants are also around here somewhere…”

“What are the characteristics of the head of the house? The daughter? Do the two cousins resemble each other?” Being asked questions in rapid succession, I explained the characteristics of the family as well as I could remember. Yoishi remained silent for a while listening with her hand on her chin, before long she uttered something cryptic.

“The two cousins may be pointing to something”

“The cousins?” I mean, weren’t they just supporting characters? The daughter had been firmly established in my mind as the main character in this dream. However, Yoishi had come up with something, Is that so? She muttered as she suddenly closed the fusuma in front of her. And she vigorously ran off from that place.

“H-hey, Yoishi!”

While I was still dumbfounded, Yoishi was running around the mansion, closing all the fusuma and sliding doors that had been left open.

“Hey, What are you doing?” She didn’t answer. Before long she returned again to where I was standing in front of the daughter’s room when she pointed to the door.

“Open the fusuma”

“Eh?”

“This time, open it with your own hands.” What is she saying? I wondered. Yoishi’s facial expression suggested she would keep silent and not move until I did as she said. It couldn’t be helped, as I turned to face the fusuma door.

Is this what they call a Kayou pattern? The blooming flower was thinly drawn on the fusuma with streamlined brushwork. Finally, I put my hand on the fusuma, but did not manage to grab it. My fingers slipped as they passed through.

--Ah, that’s right. When I think about it, I hadn’t opened a fusuma door in this dream before. I thought I would try to open it, but each time my fingers didn't work and the sliding doors just moved subtly, so it became troublesome and I passed through as it was. It was a dream after all, I didn’t think it was strange or anything. I was a spirit in this dream after all.

“Isn’t this hard?” I asked Yoishi, who silently opened the fusuma door again, and closed it again.

“It’s simple.”

“…Is that so?” Once again, I tried to put my fingers on the Fusuma. Like before, my fingertips did feel something but, they just ended up passing through and I couldn’t open the door properly. Without knowing why, a chill crawled up from under my feet. Yoishi could easily do something I couldn’t, she also couldn’t see the people in the mansion.

Did she perceive the dream differently from me? No… Thinking about it rationally, Yoishi was a part of my dream, and it would be correct to assume that the Yoishi in my subconscious was saying something weird again.

“That’s enough.” Yoishi nodded slightly. I shook my head.

“Wait. A little bit mor-“

“It’s fine. You can never open the fusuma”

“….What, did you say?” That shouldn’t be possible. It was just because I was lightly drifting around, that was why I couldn’t grab hold. As I was about to say that, Yoishi announced something strange.

“I'm sure that for you, the fusuma is not a thing you can open.”

When I heard those words –I heard a creaking sound from somewhere. It echoed from somewhere in the mansion is what I thought, but in fact, it echoed from inside me. A rustling sound that felt like it had echoed from afar, innumerable echoes ringing, and becoming louder, finally converging together. When I realized they had changed into someone’s voice.

Opening it is forbidden. This room belongs to「xxx」. Absolutely must not be opened. That voice, where was it from? Before I knew it, my knees where trembling furiously. It was incomparable up until now. Even in that strange house, even in that hospital late at night, they had not trembled so much.

“Is it scary?” I heard the usual line from her. “Do you feel fear now?” Those eyes, endlessly dark, filled with unending darkness. I trembled all over; I felt I was confronting something extremely ominous.

Yoishi is not a living human being. If you meet Yoishi by chance, you will die in seven days. Those who come across Yoishi’s ghost stories meet a terrible end. Those kinds of urban legends on the internet were vividly becoming real and cornering my heart and soul. The whole mansion quickly became distorted, and, that might have been because of my scream, I thought. This was not just my dream world: when my heart and soul became exhausted, this world too, would distort. But – Originally it was just supposed to be a dream. And yet, why did things become so fearful? If I wake up now… the usual everyday routine would be waiting for me, wouldn’t it?
However, I had been gazing at this dream for too long. And, this dream which already had Yoishi included in it had become a continuous story. Suddenly the word "possessed" crossed my mind. And I was reminded of the phrase a woman who had once been with Krishna said, "It's already gotten a bit inside."

I – looked silently at Yoishi’s face. Is she trying to destroy something important of mine? The moment I realized that, a chill ran down my spine. This blue world was just a dream. It was the same dream I had seen repeatedly, but I wasn't scared to see it. Rather, I had enjoyed wandering about. Certainly, I had felt the presence of a hidden room; it might have been an influence of ‘the house that grants wishes’. This kind of exhaustion hadn’t set in until, she appeared. That’s right; it was her words that had brought upon such hopelessness and distortion. Just by having something connected with her, is enough to manifest a door to the underworld. If she opens her mouth, that door is sure to open. You’ll end up seeing something you’re not supposed to see.

But,

“If, you really are scared…” Yoishi spoke with a different air than usual. “It would be better to not continue from here on.”

“…What?”

“If you continue from here on, you might end up seeing something you’re not supposed to see.”

“………….”

“The thing I can say for sure is that you have to open the fusuma door yourself to finish this dream.”

I didn't understand anymore. The tremors of my feet were even shaking the whole mansion. No, this blue dream world itself was shaking and distorting. It would be the correct decision to end this dream. It would be correct to end it without seeing something I wasn’t supposed to see.

However…

“….Yoishi, I can’t take it anymore.” I spat out. “I didn’t believe you were a cursed person, or that someone would die if they came in contact with you. But I can't do it anymore. I’m scared” I spoke while slapping my shaking knees. “I’m…scared of you.” I knew those kinds of words would usually hurt other people. But I really was a coward after all. I may have liked scary things, but I had no tolerance for them. I realized that I didn't have an inquisitive mind about the strange and unknown like her. My spirit, worn out by various things, was fragile and at its breaking point. It was as if my nerves had peeled out of my skin, on top of that, Yoishi’s words were painful. If I continued to listen to Yoishi, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something inside me would crumble and disappear without a trace.

“--I’m sorry.” I bowed my head as I apologized. “Please disappear, Yoishi.” Gripping my trembling knees, I beseeched the Yoishi in my dream. It was a dream I was dreaming willfully, yet, I didn’t want to see her shape anymore, I wished that from the bottom of my heart. Whereupon, something in the blue dream world began to shake; I slowly raised my head to see no one by my side. I looked behind and in the surroundings: Yoishi’s figure had completely disappeared. I let out an unsteady breath, and crumpled to the floor. More so than Yoishi disappearing, it was a sigh of relief that I was once again, in control my dreams.

That’s right… This was after all, my dream in the first place. With renewed confidence, I once again faced the fusuma door.

To end this dream, you must open the fusuma door with your own hands. Whether Yoishi’s suggestion was right or wrong, I had to do it, I thought. There was no reason to not open it. Why would I be scared of something like a fusuma? Why would I be scared of the presence on the other side of the fusuma? If I don’t open this door, I'll keep dreaming this dream for the rest of my life.

“I will end this dream.” I tried to persuade myself as I spoke those words. I placed my shaking fingers on the fusuma’s handle once again. I concentrated my fingertips on the slight texture of the flat surface. Taking a deep breath, I gradually poured my power into it. As if I was breaking an ancient seal, I poured power into my fingers. There was a slight hint of movement, and the fusuma eventually moved. At that moment, I felt an overwhelming light shining at the back, the sound of something breaking violently. However, that quickly passed by and in front of me, the fusuma opened. However,

--However.

“…..What is this?” Before my eyes, there was no trace of daughter’s tidied room from before. Neither the daughter, nor the futon was there. It was like a completely different room. The air pierced my nose; it was a dead room on the verge of collapse that looked like it hadn’t been used for a hundred years.

“…What is this place?” My voice shook; I realized the fear hadn’t gone away.

“That is….?” In the dark interior of the room, something was there.
Something was placed on the alcove at the back of the room. My brain felt completely uneasy about trying to understand what lay there. But I realized, Yoishi had said it: it was something I wasn’t supposed to see. However,

I had already opened the fusuma.

I will immediately end this dream. I will return to my normal life. That’s right, with all the courage I could muster, I took one step forward. The sound of the tatami mat bending echoed along with that of a creak similar to that of a person crying. I approached the alcove, and grabbed it.

In the dim light, what stood there was --- an old kokeshi doll.

A kokeshi doll, it had been left there for countless years, without being cleaned by anyone. The brush strokes depicting the soft corner of the eyes, I was about to recall something, when the kokeshi spoke:

“Even after I told you not to open it...”

----

“…Nagi-kun”

I heard a voice. “Get a hold of yourself, Nagi-kun”, it made me feel somewhat better; the moment I realized who it was, I finally woke up.

“Are you alright?” In the darkly lit room, the one shaking me was Krishna-san. “You were making a lot of noise like you were having a nightmare. Sorry I entered your room because of that” Saying that, she opened the curtain. The moon’s light seeped in; Krishna-san’s figure in her fancy sleep-wear became apparent.
“Did you have a bad dream?” She said, as she sat down on the bed, slightly putting her hand on my knee, I became flustered and pulled back my knee.

When I think about it, both Krishna-san and Yoishi were supposed to be asleep in the guest rooms in the first floor. My voice echoed from the room in the second floor – How much did I yell to reach that far?

“Don’t worry.” Krishna-san said with a smile, As if reading my mind. “Yoishi and I were in the same room, I woke up because she was grumbling in her sleep.”

It was my first time seeing Krishna-san without glasses. On top of that, she was too cute in those strawberry pajamas. She was reflected in the moonlight with her smooth bobbed hair slightly disheveled. My heart started beating fast, to hide that I took repeated deep breaths.

“Is there anything troubling you?” Krishna-san asked me. That straight gaze was fixed on the inside of my eyes, as if she could see right through me. I nodded, and began to open up bit by bit about everything that had happened until now. I started talking about seeing the same dream recently, about it being a lucid dream, about the large Japanese style mansion as the setting and it being a continuous story. About the family living there, about there being an unreachable room. Yoishi’s recent appearance in the dream, the dream rapidly becoming creepier due to her. However, while in the middle of my talk, I became sour. I know from experience. People's nightmares are not scary to hear. Rather, the more desperately we try to convey that fear, the more the listener will be disillusioned.

“Well, it’s that sort of thing, but – It’s not scary, is it?” Hearing me say that, Krishna-san crossed her legs and looked at me with a serious face.

“No-That is, not really a good tendency.” Hearing that unexpectedly serious tone, I unconsciously sat up straight.
“A dream is a chaotic piece of memory randomly constructed from your unconscious mind. And, in that dream, the room you can’t go into is – probably… A thing you unconsciously want to forget, that’s a high probability.”

“I was told something similar by Yoishi”, in my dream of course, I added.

“And yet, why did you open it?”

“…..Eh?”

“People are animals that can forget things they don't want to remember. And that especially goes for humans: who have this rare ability. It's an important factor in keeping a human sane. Digging that up as a joke is just problematic.”

It seemed Krishna-san was implicitly laying the blame at Yoishi.

“I’ll give you one stern warning.” With a strict, straight gaze towards me, Krishna-san spoke.

“Don’t associate with her anymore.”

“No, but it’s a dream—” Krishna-san cut me off quietly:

"Listen, Nagi-kun. I told you before. The spirits try desperately to seek meaning. They seek meaning because their existence is weak."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with my dream….?"
"In seeking meaning, many ghosts and Yoishi Mitsurugi are almost the same."

“……”

“Maybe she and you -- no, she and all human beings, are in a different place from the very start. Perhaps she is already in the world beyond while still living. We are standing in this world talking about the world beyond, in comparison: she stands alone in the world beyond while talking about the world beyond. That is exactly why her words are filled with gloom, causing fear and anxiety in the listener.”

That’s right, within the dream, the fear I felt was that I was going to be ‘taken away’ by her. To a place I wouldn’t be able to come back from, I wouldn’t be able to wake up again, I thought I would be dragged to the world on the other side. At that moment, above all else: I feared Yoishi. I was frightened by something that could be glimpsed in her dark eyes.

So that is what is known as the power of the world beyond.

“She seeks meaning in the paranormal. And her reason for seeking it must also have something to do with the other side. It's not a good thing for a living person to start digging into. There are some things people aren’t supposed to know.” With those words, I remembered that forgotten dark room. There was certainly something over there that made me think I didn't want to stay there for even a minute or a second. I scratched my head, and I asked:

“But –what should I do? How do I stop seeing that dream?”

It’s difficult, replied Krishna as she folded her arms. “If you are conscious of a specific dream, it will inevitably be easier to link with -- The best thing is to turn your consciousness towards something else, like a manga or a novel, until you fall asleep naturally.” With that she looked at me: “But regardless, you too are to blame for seeing the same dream repeatedly.”

“Eh?”

“Didn’t I tell you? You have no tolerance for the occult. In spite of that you’ve ignored my warnings recently. You choose to wander around in the depths of this world by choice. On top of that, doing exactly what a child like Yoishi tells you to do, that’s nothing more than reaping what you sow.”

“T-that’s cruel, please don’t say such coldhearted things.” Without thinking I grabbed Krishna-san’s shoulder, the petite occult site manager jumped in a shock and her cheeks turned flush red.

“A-anyway, as soon as the festival is over, I’ll take responsibility and take Yoishi back to Tokyo, You spend your summer vacation here in your hometown. Your mind and spirit is exhausted from living in Tokyo alone for so long! Got it? Well, Good night!” saying that rapidly like a machine gun, she got up and darted out of the room. For some reason or the other, it seems she realized that she was in a guy’s room late at night, on top of that in her pajamas.

I took a deep breath.

“But, you know...” I gazed at the half-moon from the window. “I was told not to associate with Yoishi ever again but… She’s here until the festival. Even though it’s unpleasant, I’ll end up meeting her somehow”.

To be honest, when I think about it, it’s not Yoishi who I’m afraid of; rather, it’s the words she spits out. For example: What I had been looking at with peace of mind up until now had turning it into something uncomfortable. Making me feel that there was no safe place in this world, that kind of despair. Her words were filled with these kinds of unlucky things.

On the other hand, to call her unpleasant -- I don’t feel that’s the case. She’s a little difficult to approach, and it’s not like I can just call her eccentric or anything.

“Dammit…I don’t know!” Why do I have to be so sleepless about Yoishi? Getting angry at myself with thoughts like that, I got up and left my room. I moved through the dark corridor, passing my sister’s room along the way, going down the stairs to the first floor. I poured myself a cup of water in the kitchen and drank it in one gulp. After idly spending time there for a while, I was about to return to my room, when I realized it…

The second floor, which was added around the time my sister started going to junior high school, had a Western-style structure; the first floor had my parents’ room, the tatami room and the guest room -- Everything was a chain of Japanese style rooms. I think they had been made in such a way to accommodate a large number of guests; however, all of the partitions were fusuma doors.

--You can never open the fusuma.

I recalled the words Yoishi had said in my dream.

“…It can’t be.” Feeling slightly nervous, I proceeded into the corridor, and stood in front of the guest room. Taking one gulp I stretched out my hands, and placed them on the fusuma. I could feel the dry touch on my fingertips. With that, my heart became stronger, and I put all my strength into them. The fusuma opened abruptly. The living room where the party was held the other day spread before my eyes. On the tatami mats, there was a large table, and in the corner, a Buddhist altar. On it, my grandmother and grandfather were smiling peacefully, it was the living room I had been used to since childhood.

“...... That’s right, didn't it always open like this?” Muttering that, I once again moved in the direction of the stairs, once more standing in front of my parents’ room. Taking a gulp, I put my fingers on the fusuma, quietly opening it.

“….It opens. It was just a dream after all, how ridiculous.” as I muttered that triumphantly, in that moment, I realized it.

In that dark room, there was no futon. It was the dead of night, but neither my mother nor father were present. The moonlight shining in from the window was clear and blue. This is, just like the mansion in the dream, dyed in pale blue everywhere. In that room with no one else, the sound of my heartbeat had started reverberating loudly. There’s no way, I muttered.

At that moment, as if being guided by something, my eyes were drawn to the inner part of the room. I noticed a closet was there, and the pattern that was drawn on that fusuma came into view, it was the Kayou pattern…

--You must not open it.
--This room belongs to「xxx」, that’s why you must absolutely not open it.

Remembering the voice I had heard in the dream – I staggered into the room. I recalled the story Yoishi had spoken of in the dream, about a dream you couldn’t wake up from. Things that happen in the dream begin to manifest themselves in reality, is what she said.

“No, it’s the other way around.” I said as if trying to convince myself. “I had unconsciously seen this pattern here, that’s why it appeared in my dream." I said that, standing In front of the design that was exactly the same as the one in the dream.

“That’s right, I’m sure of it. That’s why I should be able to open this one as well.”

Up until now I had opened two fusuma doors. Just like those two, it would be fine to try and open this one as well. But – my hands were shaking. My legs were as well, I couldn’t take one more step. Without knowing it, I was sweating. I couldn’t get close to the fusuma which was just a few meters ahead of me.

--It’ll be fine if I do it tomorrow, I thought. That’s right. I shouldn’t push myself. It’ll be fine if I open it tomorrow when it’s daytime.

But, the moment I tried to escape placing my foot at the entrance, I heard a scraping sound behind me. Something cold ran down my back, my legs became petrified.

--What is that sound?

I want to know. But, I don’t want to look. I’m not supposed to look.

My heart began to throb violently.

But, my neck was, slowly turning back.

I didn’t want to know the true identity of that sound, but as if it was being manipulated, my head turned back.

In the dark interior of the room – The fusuma, was slightly open.

It was just a few centimeters, a gap appeared, from which the jet-black darkness could be seen.

From the other side of the darkness, something was peeking at me.

While listening to my screams from somewhere – my consciousness… disappeared.

===5===
The sound of bursting fireworks reverberated from the other side of the window. The bright sunlight shone in through the curtains and illuminated the room. I opened my eyes – I was, on my bed. About to fall over at any moment because of my bad sleeping posture, I simply looked up at the ceiling in a daze.

“…Is this, reality?” I couldn’t make sense of what was real and what wasn’t anymore. Firstly, I’ll try to pinch my cheeks. It hurts. I couldn’t be convinced with just that, I repeatedly slapped my head. It hurts to a ridiculous extent.

Scratching my hair, I finally let out a deep breath. Standing up, I shifted the window curtains aside and peeked outside. Along the road, I could see many parents and children walking while wearing traditional happi coats<ref>Happi is a traditional tube-sleeved Japanese coat, usually worn during festivals. The usual happi color is blue, and the symbols of the festival or the participating association are depicted on the lapels and back in red, black or white.</ref>. I drew the curtains open fully, and opened the window. The summer breeze blew in, that dense hot air quickly woke me up. From afar, I could hear the sound of laughter and the traditional music. The sunlight was already strong.

I heard the sound of a flute drifting in through the wind from somewhere.

“It’s the festival.”

The day of the Fujieda three-mountain gods’ fire festival had clear weather.

But – The emotional uplift of the festival I was intimate with since childhood had been completely spoiled recently because of the dream I’d been having. How much of a dream was it? I had no idea. If the dream kept itself contained to that residence, then that’s well and good. I’m certain of that much. But afterwards, waking up in the middle of the night and speaking to Krishna-san -- was that part of the dream as well? And after that wanting to drink a glass of water and opening my parents’ room, what about that? And finally, I recalled the thing that was peeking from the fusuma, my body shivered. Unconsciously, I hugged myself with both my arms, and fell to the ground for a minute.

“….Something awful is going to happen to me sooner or later, isn’t it?”

Or rather, am I going to end up devoured by the dream if this continues?

The moment I began to worry –

“Nagi-suke! How long are you gonna sleep for?!” Suddenly, my sister’s voice resounded in from the lower floor, jolting my consciousness to attention. Surprised, I took a glance at the clock at my bedside, it was already past the agreed assembly time of 10’o clock.

“Dammit!” Sloppily combing my disheveled bed hair, I left my room in a rush. Galloping down the corridor, I thundered down the stairs, where I looked into my elder sister's bold eyes on the first floor, my heart suddenly loosened.

“Ah! Sis…”

My spirit, exhausted to its limit because of the nightmares of every day, needed a resting place. There had been a lot of creepy things happening in rapid succession, and I wanted to tell someone about it. I could have told my mother, but I didn’t want to worry her, my father wouldn’t take me seriously, but when I think about it, I think there is only one reliable relative here.

“Sis, please listen to me”. Uttering those words, in the spur of the moment, I extended my arms to try and hug her; instead I received a perfect punch to my stomach.

“Urgh”

“You’re slow, Nagi. How long did you sleep for?”

…Ugh. It’s painful. I can’t breathe. I mean, it really went in there quite deep.

“Everyone is already heading there, you hear? You’re supposed to carry the portable shrine too, aren’t you? Stop dilly dallying and hurry up then!”

Rattling on and on like that, my sister Akira was already dressed in an indigo dyed Hanten<ref>Hanten is a short winter coat with a black satin collar and an item of traditional Japanese clothing. Hanten is very similar to a happi with a warm cotton padding that allows it to be used in winter or at night during a festival. Hanten also often features a family crest or other designs.</ref>. A thin, narrow towel was bound tightly to her forehead, and black trousers going down to her slender legs. Looking at that figure, even a relative like me is fascinated and filled with vigou – no, it’s beautiful.

“…Sis” I said while holding back the pain in my stomach.

“It really suits you.”

“Ha-?”

I had intended to praise her, but for some reason, she raised her sharp eyebrows and glared at me.

“Why are you saying that at this point? Men have been swarming around me since forever.”

“Eh? Aren’t they your henchme…?”

*slap*

Without a moment’s delay, I was struck with the towel she was holding.

“You moron! Don’t call them my henchmen. They’re my followers. They’re good-for-nothings whose souls have been robbed by my charm.”

Good-for-nothings -- Isn’t that rating them rather poorly?

As I continued to be befuddled:

“So, you feel like carrying the portable shrine in that get-up?” My elder sisters’ eyes shined with anger.

“No, of course not. Where is my Hanten?”

“It’s in the drawing room, hurry up and get changed.” Ah, as I moved towards the living room, I remembered something and looked back.

“Sis, where are those two?”

“They already left for the mountain temple. Krishna-chan was looking very beautiful in her yukata”.

Well, that’s what I thought, the problem wasn’t with her.

“What about Yoishi? Did she, properly get dressed for the festival?”

My sister just shrugged “That girl is fine with just a school uniform.”

“I see…” I left to change my clothes right away.

It’s finally time I thought, as I pushed my foot through my trousers, I felt really excited about the festival happening. I put on my jika-tabi socks<ref>Tabi are traditional Japanese socks with a divided toe, worn with thonged footwear. Jika-tabi are made of harder and stronger materials and often have a rubberized sole; they look like boots of different heights and more like street shoes than socks. Like regular tabi, jika-tabi have a separate thumb so they can be worn with loose strap shoes.</ref>, and wore the hanten. Lastly I tied the workman’s apron, that’s everything. I hung the hand towel from my forehead and left the drawing room where my sister scrutinized me.

“….What is it?”

“Well, you look pretty good in it.”

“Right?”

“Oi! Don’t get carried away. Hurry up and let’s go” Right, I answered.

I wore my sandals at the front door and the moment I left, all traces of that ominous dream vanished.

The day of Fujieda’s fire festival: on this day, almost all the shops in the city are closed, instead people all gather around the festival float. They line up in the open air in great numbers, wearing matching happi coats. With the onset of mid-day, they bring down the portable shrine from the mountain shrine and parade it around town for the whole day. Around night time, the portable shrine, imbued with everyone’s wishes of a peaceful life hereafter, is burned in front of the mountain shrine. Those flames dye Eboshi Mountain in bright red, engulfing the town in a magical glow. That was, what was called the fire festival of the three god’s mountain shrine.
[[Image:Phenomeno_vol1-3_case_03.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

The scorching sunlight kept pouring down from high in the sky, the portable shrine was being paraded in the main street. The men wore black work aprons, while the women were wearing deep red ones, and they all cheered in rhythm each time the portable shrine was raised up in the air. The elderly, the young, men and women, waved traditional fans from the roadside, as they extolled the people holding up the portable shrines. They said their thanks to the portable shrine as the holders danced with it and moved forward. This was the tradition of my town, which has lived in forestry for generations. The carrying pole that was used to hold up the portable shrine, they were made from a warped Japanese cypress called the left cypress found in the deepest forest of Eboshi mountain. The mountain god is said to have passed back and forth there and bended it over on the way through, and is said to be an omen of good luck.

Maru-yan, Ranbashi and the other youngsters of the neighborhood together with me included in the second position as carrier, shouldered the portable shrine together. I took hold of the weight of the carrying poles as it dug into my shoulder, lifted it up, and chanted in unison with the parishioner of the three god mountain shrine. The voices reverberated from the roadside. Matching with the rhythm of the portable shrine, the mountain shrine festival becomes more energetic.

I heard a remarkable shout of encouragement, when I looked it was my elder sister was waving a large traditional Japanese fan. Next to her was Krishna, who wore an indigo-dyed yukata that matched my sister's hanten. They matched each other quite well. Next to her was Pei-chan, wasn’t he clinging a little too much to her? He was grinning while staring at Krishna-san, not even bothering to look my way. My father was already red faced, when the portable shrine passed by him, he looked at me for an instant, but soon someone in the neighborhood association next to him poured him a drink and he turned that way. Next to him was my mother. We made eye contact and she simply smiled. And then -- there was Yoishi. She felt out of place standing there alone wearing a white blouse and black tie; she was gazing intently towards me. In this joyous ceremony, she alone was intently wearing an ominous face. But I courageously raised my voice so much that I didn't care about that.
“Youseiya. Seiya. Yosseiya” I chanted, as if I was driving away the dream I couldn’t wake up from, as if I was dispelling every part of me that was clinging to her, I raised the portable shrine. The trees used to build this portable shrine were a gift from the mountain god. They are tempered thoroughly in difficult environments for many long years, finally coming of age. They are then cut down and used for lumber. Afterwards, with the skill and knowledge of the craftsman used, they become our shield from wind and rain. We had been repeating this long tradition since the time of our ancestos. And will continue here forth, as well. We thank the mountains that rise above the earth, thank our ancestors, and pray for sound health in the future. We give thanks for being brought to life.

I entrusted the portable shrine to the next carrier
“Ahh, it’s a good festival”. Said Krishna-san who finally came around, drinking the sacred wine she was supplied with.

“Having fun is the most important thing, after all.”

“But, they’re going to be burning that portable shrine from here on, right? That’s just a waste.” Krishna-san muttered, as she fanned me with a traditional Japanese fan.

“That’s right. Six months ago, the youth association and the parishioners of the mountain shrine did their best to make it.” I nodded while dripping with sweat; I wiped my neck with a towel. The time had already around five in the evening; the setting sun dyed the mountains in red. The portable shrine, which had finished its fourth round around, would soon be heading towards the front of the mountain shrine. There the tree has to be returned back to the mountain god, where it would be burned in a grand fire.

“At that time, the lights in the downtown will be turned off with only the light of the iron basket fire remaining, that is the climax. Because it gets so exciting, a lot of couples adhere to this festival.”

“I see. Literally what you call: smokes of love.”

Seeing Krishna-san being reflected in the evening sun like that, I suddenly got curious.

“Krishna-san, do you have a boyfriend?”
“……Eh?”

“Well, I asked if you have a boyfriend.” When I did so, Krishna-san’s face dyed redder then the evening sun.

“D-don’t say stupid things! It’s obvious I don’t have one!”

“Well, it’s not so obvious, is it? You’re already twenty, having one or two boyfriends is obvio-..”

“It’s not like that. I’ve never had any. In the first place, I don’t have time to do things like that. There are still many things I want to learn, so many books I want to read. You know the story about with the gardener who fell in love with the emperor's wife?"
"If that's how you want to put it, there's also a story about Confucius who tripped when posed with a love problem." I retorted immediately, demonstrating my knowledge of Japanese literature I had recently gained while studying for my exams.

“If you say that, then love is darkness <ref>proverb meaning love is blind</ref>, I’m busy with a different type of darkness.” We were both playing such a type of word game, when:

“Do you dislike long distance relationships?” Pei-chan butted in. “Dance with me in the main stage of the fire festival.”

“Ah… There is a dance?”

Laughing at a flustered Krishna-san, I nodded. “It’s like the dance at the Bon festival. It’s fine if you take it easy and match to the rhythm.”

“I’m in trouble then, it’s like I have no sense for music at all. I’m bad at things like Karaoke.”

Karaoke and a Bon dance are pretty different things, I thought, but seeing Krishna-san this flustered was funny, so I didn’t say it out loud.

“Anyway, I’ve fallen in love with you at first sight, Krishna-san. Please go out with me!” Pei-chan ignored my shocked stare as he lowered his head, at that moment:

“Don’t make me laugh.” Maru-yan barged in the conversation. “I was looking for you all over and here you were; it looks like I made it in time. Krishna-san, this guy is known as the number one playboy in all of Fujieda. If you wish to go out with a young man, then please go out with m—”

“Don’t get in the way, Maru-yan. I haven’t even received a reply yet, that’s unfair!”

“Shut up, you were trying to get a head start, you bastard…”

If Maru-yan or Pei-chan alone were gunning for Krishna-san, I would have had to try and protect her a little, but if the two of them were gunning for her at the same time, they would keep each other in check and it would probably turn out fine.

Anyway, what happened with Yoishi? I looked around restlessly and from a distance, recognized Ranbashi’s tall and thin figure walking vacantly.

“Hey, you happen to know where Yoishi went off to?” Ranbashi shook his head in silence and murmured something.

“What? I couldn’t hear you”

“I was given the cold shoulder.”

“…Huh?”

“I said good evening to her and tried to speak but --- she ignored me and went in the direction of the mountain shrine.”

His tall figure drooped down so low looked comical; I tried frantically not to laugh and asked him in return:

“Being given the cold shoulder? She probably didn’t hear you, that’s all.”

“No, she looked at me once so she should have heard me. Tokyo high school girls really are stubborn.” Ranbashi sighed deeply.

I ran off immediately to look for Yoishi at the mountain shrine. The crowd was overflowing in comparison with the afternoon; I couldn’t run anymore around the area of the Torii gate. Yellow peach-like lights were hung as if to guide people towards the mountain shrine, stalls lined up on both sides drew the attention of the people dressed in yukatas. Trying to weave in between them and moving ahead, I looked for Yoishi. But even when I managed to arrive at the mountain shrine, Yoishi was nowhere to be seen.

--After that, I went up the road approaching the shrine and was around the main shrine when, I heard a long and loud cheer behind me. It seems as if the portable shrine had arrived. The sounds of the cheers were echoing from a distance, I was pushed along with the flow of the crowd heading in that direction. Including the people from the neighborhood town, a large number of tourists might have been mixed in together. Out of all the times I had experienced this festival, this was the biggest crowd I had seen. Countless number of colored Yukata’s piled up – all chanting “Youseiya. Seiya. Yosseia.” However, within that crowd, was a face I thought I knew. I couldn’t immediately recognize who it was. Was it an acquaintance from my high school days? Or was it an acquaintance from much further back. Flickering figures of people, blending together, in that far away distance, that person once again appeared. When I saw that hair style, my heart rang out. It couldn’t be, I gulped. I pushed away the person in front of me as I ran. I chased after that person with all my might. “Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseia.” In between the echoes of those resounding voices, I ran with desperation. A richly colored phoenix enshrined on top of the portable shrine, shines brightly, dances above the crowds. Dissipating fireworks dye the sky. In the illumination of the dropping sparks, I saw it. It was a woman in a yukata with a dyed pattern of gold on a white background. Her long hair carefully tied up, lips softly pursed. And, next to that girl…two boys accompanied her. The two were speaking alternatively to attract the girl’s attention. I was convinced with the way they were paying attention to her.

“Why…is the girl from the mansion in this place?” I chased them desperately, but even though the three did not seem to be in a hurry, they gradually moved away from me. They were supposed to exist only in my dream. Or could it be that I had already seen them somewhere else? Was that the reason? Was that why they appeared in my dream? Moreover, I realized it. The person accompanying behind those three, was the head of the household, wearing a dark face. Behind him was that familiar long and black hair.

“Hey Yoishi, is that you? Why are you…?”

However, the five people seemed detached... They walked through the crowd as if they were illusions mixed in from another other world. Their figures becoming increasingly smaller.

“Wait! Wait a second!” I shouted.

“Oh, Nagito”. Someone grabbed my shoulders. When I turned around, my father was there laughing gleefully.

“You did well in carrying the portable shrine. Here, have a drink”
“Hey, let go of me, old man.” I replied, my father’s strength knew no limit when he got drunk. Dammit, in this situation, all I can do is find someone drunk to mingle with him. Isn’t there an acquaintance of my father’s here somewhere, I looked around, and there was my sister, looking even more red faced.

“Oh, so here you were” My sister came close to me saying that line, and without a moment’s delay, put me in a headlock. Even though she’s my sister, she looked pretty glamorous. My right cheek was tightly locked against her breast.

“It’s so much fun, the festival, isn’t it?”

“H-hey, stop it already sis. Let go already sis!”

“Say, Nagi. You think the same, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I think so but, there’s someone I have gotta go afte-“

“It’s fine.” My elder sis said that while still holding me firmly down under her armpit. “Just stay here.”

“…Huh?”

“Just stay here and don’t go back to Tokyo. That would be what’s best for you.”

“Stay here? What about my university?”

“University? I was against it, wasn’t I? You have everything here. Nature, people who care about you, the mountain god will protect you. That’s right; you just marry that Krishna-san, and live here. That girl will make a good wife for you. She’s the type who can easily give birth, I guarantee it.”

In terms of disposition, well, I agree, but --- isn’t that jumping too far ahead? The moment I thought I would say that out loud. My sister’s voice changed to a lowered one, as if reverberating from beneath the surface.

“But that other girl is no good, she can’t stay here.”

Hearing that shuddering voice like a man’s, my feet hardened. “Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya.” The reverberating chants of the fire festival echoed in my ears, as if they were heard from another world, as if they were faint ripples of waves. I felt the color in my vision quickly fading away.

“Sis, let go of me! Seriously!” I meant to shout that out. But, my voice wouldn’t come out. Breathing – was hard. Around me, the air was disappearing. As if I had dived into the depth of the ocean, the oxygen was depleting --- and, all that was left inside me was absolute fear in its primordial state. When I was a kid, I had tasted this feeling of despair too many times.

“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”. The festival was coming to a boil. Crowds of people were pushing up towards the mountain shrine.

“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.
“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.
“Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya”.

As if a Buddhist prayer was being chanted, it echoed all around me, and within those shouts:

“S-stop it!” With my full strength put into it, I wrestled free of my sister’s arm. Clutching my throat like that, I ran. My breathing – I couldn’t breathe well. Was it because I was feeling shaken? My asthma attacks had completely returned.

In a world that was rapidly deteriorating, I kept running. I desperately kept running, even though I was bumping into people. Even as my tears welled up, I kept coughing violently. However, the fresh air was not reaching my lungs in the least.

--Mother...

In a soundless voice, I shouted.

--Help me, mother.

That’s right. If that hand would rub my back, everything would turn out fine. These asthma attacks would always settle down with that.

--Where is she? Where is my mother?

Everything was hazy. Only the flames of the iron basket fire danced and flickered, as if they guided me. Black, red, white and yellow. In this hazy world, only that light flickered. It would take fifteen minutes to run to my house from the mountain shrine. On top of that, it’s not guaranteed that my mother will be at home, because it was the middle of the festival. Moreover, when I can’t see the landscape in this situation, how am I supposed to find my way to her?

--Nagito. In that instant, I thought I heard my mother’s voice, I shouted back in response. However, that voice too, was drowned out in the hustle and bustle of the festival.
Youseiya. Nagito. Nag--Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. --to. Nagito. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. –to. Nag—Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya. Nagito. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Youseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya.

“Mother, mother, mother!”

Within those repeated chants, I shouted in reply, I ran. I kept running. Dammit, move. Please get out of the way. I can’t breathe anymore. I’m -- going to end up dead. My legs got tangled, I was about to lose my balance and fall into the crowd when – I tumbled into the place that abruptly opened. It was subdued in darkness.

No—

In that place, there was no surface, just a floating piece of ground that continued to disappear --

In that murky, unending darkness, I was swallowed whole.

----

There was a quiet sound of the fusuma opening. Someone drew near, as if to hug my head, they embraced me. I rested my head on that person’s lap, and, I felt a warm hand touching my back, as if stroking it, as if massaging it, that warm hand kept going back and forth across. Before I knew it, I could breathe once again. I continued breathing with comfort. As I kept breathing, my heart calmed down.

I slowly raised my head.

With soft narrowed eyes, my mother was looking at me. Unawares, I had managed to make it back home. I was in my mother’s familiar room, and found myself lying on my mother's lap, using it as a pillow.
“Did your cough settle down?”

Being spoken to in such a kind voice –

It was a pretty pathetic thing for an eighteen year old but, my tears almost spilled over.

“Mother, I, I was –“

“Yes?”

I was always into strange and mysterious stories. I also had an interest in scary stories. I was frequenting an occult site. I really loved that creepy feeling and that world where common sense didn’t apply. And I only planned on enjoying that world from the outside. But, before I realized – I had crossed a line. If you take a peek, you end up being seen from the other side as well. I thought I knew that. But before I knew it, my feet had already stepped into Ikaigabuchi. I had crossed a distinct line that separates the dead and the living.

“Hey, mother.”

I thought –

“’I’ve been a weirdo for a long time.” At last, I spat out those words.

“….I, I was, In Tokyo, the first house I lived in, I realized I was not in control of myself. I was possessed by something; I later realized that as if it was someone else’s problem. Nevertheless, even after I was told not to go, I went to an abandoned hospital. I suffered through much more eerie things when I was there. Even if I talked about them, you wouldn’t believe the dreadful things I suffered through. However, thanks to the help of various people, I was able to survive. I was safely able to return back. But, I’m – once again, being drawn to somewhere. Towards that darkness -- towards something present in that darkness. I don’t know what that thing is. In that terrible dream I was dreaming for so long, I’m being drawn to something inside that fusuma. I can’t stop myself. I can hear the voice in my head telling me to stop. But, I think I want to try and sink in. I want to try and entrust my body to it. When I try and tell myself not to go, I still end up going. Why is that? I don’t know.”

In the middle of the conversation, my knees began to tremble, I stuttered between words. But my mother, without rushing me, just listened silently. Sometimes, my breathing became difficult but, I felt like I couldn't escape this suffering unless I spat it out, so I fervently continued speaking. All the doubts I had been holding about myself for so long, I confessed them all to my mother.

“No matter what I do, I end up going along with my heart’s desire to see that something present on the other side. Does that mean, In short, that I’m already swallowed by the darkness?”

That must mean –

I’m already --

“I’m broken, right?”

I spat out the dark and sinister thoughts that had been wriggling inside me for a long time, I knew that admitting them would destroy my core identity as a human being. But, I felt I couldn’t move forward if I kept fooling myself any longer. I feel like I’m going around in circles unless I admit that I’m scared of that possibility – Like Yoishi always did – I spat everything out.

After the long conversation was over, every part of my body was so weak that nothing even mattered anymore. Only the dim light provided comfort, and my back continued to be massaged, I wanted to sink into the darkness, I thought.
“I thought it was about time.” Suddenly, my mother spoke in a whisper.

“I knew that someday, a time would come where you would choose to walk your own path.” Not knowing the meaning, my startled body rose up.

For who knows how long, sitting next to me, was Yoishi Mitsurugi. Dark eyes, filled with a seemingly sad light, fixedly stared at me.

“W-why…are you?”

The embarrassment of being seen with tearful eyes as I made feeble complaints to my mother, quickly changed to anger. This is my place. It's the only place where I can recover as myself.

I moved my body, as if to signal her to get out, at that moment—

“That young lady is not a bad girl”. My mother’s silent whisper echoed in the room.

“She can surely exorcise your darkness.”

“--Eh?”

“From here on, Listen to her words carefully, and see things properly with your own eyes.”

Yoishi just sat there in silence, I objected.

“Her? No mother, you probably don’t know, but, this girl has a psychic power. With her, she might suddenly receive some strange message, in other words, she has no interest other than horror stories, she doesn’t take baths, she can’t read the atmosphere, she vomits everywhere-“

“Nagito, that’s not it”. My mother shook her head, and whispered once more. “That’s not it.”

“Only those who know the darkness know the value of the light.”

With those words, my mother... disappeared from sight.

After that, only the silence and the dark remained. My house was illuminated solely by the light of the pale blue moon. My parents’ room: There are still signs of my mother here and there, but this was a room with only me and Yoishi present.

“I—“

With that hoarse voice, I collapsed onto the frayed tatami mat. Why am I here? Where did my mother go to, she was just here… The festival – my father, my sister, Krishna-san, Maru-yan, Pei-chan, Ranbashi, where was everyone? I didn’t understand anything anymore. I couldn’t grasp hold of the situation. I didn’t know where I was standing. What is a dream? What is reality? I didn’t know anymore. Information was all mixed up in a jumble inside my head.

“No….”

Lying in the corner of my head, I found that cold ‘answer’. If I were to explain everything with a simple answer, I had already found it.

--I’m broken.

For a long time, I had already --been broken, from the start. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the phenomenon that had occurred so far.

“The act of giving meaning to the the thoughts of the dead in the reality in front of you is what is called a curse.” Yoishi spoke under the moonlight.

“In other words, a phenomenon in which you can think and move in only a single direction. That is to say, a very strong and firm curse has been placed upon you.”

--A curse?

“But – given that there is no malice there, I don’t know what to do. “

Malice? A curse? Ridiculous. She is trying to confuse me again. It shook the roots of my heart. Just hearing her words is enough to cause anxiety. She is trying to drag me down again somewhere.

“Listen to her words carefully from here on, and see things properly from now on with your own eyes.”

But, my mother’s words from a few moments ago were still ringing in my ears.

“What should I do?” I asked in a shivering voice. “Yoishi… what should I do?”

“To put it simply, open it.” The place Yoishi was pointing to, it was the Kayou patterned fusuma.

“That fusuma, when it’s opened by your own hand, everything will be over.”

But that moment, I heard the sound of footsteps from the hall.

“Nagi-suke!” The voice rang out. When I turned around, there was my sister, wearing her hanten dress. Behind her, was Krishna-san who was out of breath, my father and Maru-yan. Pei-chan and Ranbashi rushed in in soon after.

“Everyone….”

As I rose to my feet, my sister at the head shouted. “You idiot, Where did you go in the middle of the festival?!”

“No, I was…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to associate with Yoishi” Wearing a yukata, Krishna-san’s cheeks were swelled up. At the same time, everyone started speaking to me all at once. I had been possessed by the evil mountain god, according to my father. This festival is to save your spirit, said my sister. If I’m going to have a wife, it’s definitely going to Kurimoto-san, said Maru-yan. That girl is so pretty, said Ranbashi as he stared at Yoishi. Look, the portable shrine is coming, said Pei-chan as he laughed. “Seiseiya, yosseiya”, and then I heard the music from the festival. It was getting closer. I knew the portable shrine was coming close to my home. I was in a daze, just standing there and looking at everyone as the sounds piled on each other.

“It’s alright.” Yoishi whispered slightly. “They can never enter this room.” With those words, I realized that neither my sister, nor the others had stepped foot into the room. And with Yoishi speaking those words, they were all thrown into disarray at once, shouting something incomprehensible. I registered their words simply as noise; I couldn’t understand what they were saying. But, in this dim and hazy world, my nose smelled something. When I looked, I could see shadows swaying behind the sliding door, an orange light flickered.

“Hey, this house, it’s burni—“I was cut short when I saw it, in the direction of the hall. There was something fallen behind Ranbashi. It was a yukata with a white background. The center of the yukata was stained dark red. It was the daughter from that residence, completely motionless. Her stomach was split open, her entrails strewn all over. As if they were fighting over the spilled entrails next to her, the two cousins also lay there. Likewise, their navy blue yukatas were completely drenched. The two had stabbed each other with a sharp knife, dying together. A little further away, the lord of the mansion was also collapsed. His neck was lurched in a strange way. In my burning house, dead bodies and the festival manifested at the same time.

“It’s alright.” Spoke Krishna-san. “This is a mistake. They ended up mixed in this. That’s why they’re dead. But the next time you go to the mansion, the original outcome will be waiting for you.”

That kind of impossible to understand thing, was spoken from that usually logical tone of voice.

“The amalgamation has already begun.” Yoishi spoke.

“It is no longer consistent.” I dumbfoundedly looked over to Yoishi, who muttered while kneeling down. “If this were the real mountain festival, the torii should have been turned in the direction of south east in order to return what you received.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The iron basket fire should not have moved. That night, I told you that the iron basket fire of the mountain gods’ shrine had moved.”

“…What does that mean?”

“The fine details of the dream come from the limits of the dreamer's memory.”

“If someone from outside the dream influences it, it will change. If you pull it, it will come towards you. If you push it, it will pull you. If you shake it, it will shake.

…In short, what is it? What do you wanna say?

“I only wanted to try and press the point you were not confident about. That’s why: the iron basket fire moved.”

“Like I said already, that is—“

What did it mean?

Those words didn’t come out of my mouth. I already understood. I realized what Yoishi was trying to say. However, I was too afraid to accept the truth -- it would destroy everything.

“The curse that has been cast upon you – What should it be called? I don’t know the answer.” Yoishi whispered in a somewhat sad tone.

“But-“

“What lies behind the fusuma is not what you would call a mother.”

Something streamed along my cheek. I slowly wiped it with my hand and found it to be tears. Before I knew it, I had begun to stagger my way to Yoishi’s side. In my back, my father and the others shouted at me to stop. But, I slowly neared the fusuma in the back. Pushing my way through the frayed tatami, I stood in front of the Kayou-patterned fusuma, which stood solemnly in the darkness.

I extended my hand, placed my fingers on the fusuma – in the same breath, I opened it.

“…..It can’t be.”

On the other side of the fusuma I had thrown open, was the kokeshi doll I had seen in the dream. With soft, narrow eyes, an antiquated kokeshi. The kokeshi was clad in some kind of cloth.

Dragging my shivering legs, I neared the kokeshi, I grabbed the cloth.

“….It can’t be” I felt that voice didn’t belong to me. I thought I heard it from a tear in the corner of the world somewhere.

That cloth was –

The red cardigan I had given to my mother.

“You’ve been speaking alone in front of this fusuma for a long time.” Whispered Yoishi, who was suddenly standing by my side. “—saying mother, mother. That -- is the true face of the curse that has been cast upon you.” I heard a crack, the sound of the whole mansion grating. It sounded like the whole world was being squeezed from the outside.

“Nagi-suke! it’s all a lie. Don’t be fooled!” When I look back, my sister was outside the room extending her hand towards me. My father just smiled with wrinkles on the corners of his eyes, Maru-yan waved. Pei-chan and Ranbashi both laughed as if they were having fun, at the center, the petite Krishna-san extended her hand and yelled at Yoishi not to take me away. My hometown was there. Fujieda’s dense greenery came into view. The warm sun blazed down and the wind blew past my side. It was just like before, the peaceful hometown where I lived. Behind them, it was very bright. In contrast, there was only darkness behind me. There was only a dark colored girl besides me.

“You must choose.” Yoishi, said as she took my hand. “A world of comfort… or a world filled with pain.”

Don’t mess with me, what do I choose?

I shook my hand off as I shouted at Yoishi. But, no words came out of my mouth. Isn’t it obvious that it would be better to live in comfort? I’ve had enough of creepy worlds. I don’t have the resistance for it anymore. That’s right, unnoticed, I had started dreaming again. If I return to that side, I’d be able to return to my every-day life. What happened to the festival? It should still be halfway through. I had become exhausted from various things, and ended up in this dream.

But, as I stepped towards the bright world, I met eyes with the person standing furthest back, my mother who stood with a reserved manner. She loosened her cheeks slightly, and showed me a smile of contentment. With everyone desperately stretching out their hands out towards me, I had a strange sensation. Seeing me stop my legs:

“Hurry up and come here, Nagi-kun!” Krishna-san held out her hand again.

“Nagi-suke, you idiot, hurry up and get over here.” Shouted my sister.

“Your mother is here, right? What are you hesitating for?!” My father turned red in anger.

“Tokyo is impossible for you.” Maru-yan laughed as he tried to make fun of me.

“Bring Kurimoto back home with you.” Pei-chan waved with both hands, Ranbashi just kept staring at Yoishi, spellbound.

“Everyone…” With a hoarse voice, I struggled towards the edge of the room.

“Everyone, help me.” As I spoke that out loud, I was hugged tightly. Was it my sister, my father, or my mother, I didn’t know. But, I was in the midst of peaceful warmth. I am blessed. I am loved. I can live here in peace without any discomfort.

“That’s right.”

“This place suits you.”

“You made a mistake going to Tokyo.”

“Well then, let’s go to the festival.”

“That’s right, isn’t it the climax from here on?”

“Let’s make some noise with everyone.”

“Return back to how you were before.”

“Come back, Nagito.”

“Nagito.”

“Nagito.”

-Nagito.

A great many voices chanted in unison close to my ear. Each one of them accepted me. I could live with peace of mind here. If I were to ever fall down, there would be someone to pick me up. If there were fun times, there would be people who would be happy with me; if there were sad times, there would be people who would share in my grief. I would be a part of that, the me that would exist there would be the true me.

--Come here.

Amidst the many overlapping voices, I managed to squeeze out my voice.

“Ah, I’m coming. I’m going over to that side. But, Yoishi, as well—“

---She is not allowed. With that voice, I raised my head in surprise.

“…Why?”

---She will destroy this place, that’s why.

--She will destroy this peaceful world.

“Why… would she destroy it?”

-xxxxx

…What is it?

-xxxxxx

“…Can’t you answer?”

With my face becoming soggy with snot and tears, I spoke out.

“Then, I’ll say it.” I felt a shiver as my surroundings moved.

“That is --- she -- it’s because she doesn’t deceive. She has no restraints, nor taboos. She has no connection to god or devil. She’s never able to read the situation; no matter how inconvenient the truth is, she never runs from it, but instead, digs it up and exposes it.”

With those words, the grating noise of the world throbbed violently like a storm, banging in my eardrums. I couldn’t discern anybody’s voice anymore; their voices were mixed in with the chants of the festival.

“Seiya. Seiya. Yosseiya. Seiseiya. Yosseiya-” As I hummed along with the noises, I remembered.

The fire festival was—

A festival of purification.

To return everything to its original state.

--Nagito.

I didn’t know whose voice it was anymore, a profusely impatient voice struck my ear—

--Don’t get swallowed up by the nightmare.

--Hurry up and come back to the fire festival.

With those words, I replied: “No”, and walked away from there.

“Everything was in reverse.”

Without wiping away the tears, I spat it out:

“You guys – are just a dream.”

===6===
An innumerable bundle of light kept rotating. It became a spiral, then scattered, winding round and round as it made up the world. Finally, the light slowly came to a stop – forming the brand new wallpaper on the ceiling as I regained consciousness.

I realized it was the apartment I was paying fifty thousand yen in rent for, in Musashino. The blurred world gradually regained its features, and it was Krishna-san who first caught my sight.

“Are you awake, Nagi-kun?”

I took a long, deep sigh of relief; I knew I had survived an unfathomable abyss.

“You’ve been asleep, for three whole days.” With those words, I realized there was someone standing next to Krishna-san.

“…You idiot” It was my sister Akira, sobbing.

“I was contacted by Kurimoto-san, how dare you make me waste my paid vacation?” She blasted at me with her eyes filled with tears. Behind Krishna-san and my sister was Karasu-san. Next to her, was the Buddhist priest I knew from before and a stranger dressed in a kimono with a hakana. In my faint consciousness, I wondered if my apartment was over capacity.

“Everything is thanks to her, be grateful.” Krishna-san pointed at Yoishi Mitsurugi. But she was right next to me with her eyes closed as if she were dead. Her pale, transparent skin, had no trace of blood. She really looked like she was dead.

“She was the one who told us you wouldn’t wake up.”

According to her, Yoishi had once again come to my house around midnight. Why she did so, voluntarily, is because she realized that something abnormal had happened to me. She quickly contacted Krishna-san, came up with something, and was found sleeping next to my side ever since.

“If a catalyst with a strong disposition like hers didn’t intervene in your dream, you likely would have continued to stay asleep in that state.”

I began to understand my situation with Krishna-san’s words. I had been dreaming. I had been seeing a dream within that dream, and I was struggling desperately to wake up from that dream, And in order to end that dream, I was almost engulfed by the dream.

However, I still wasn’t convinced.

“Is this really... reality?”

The petite occult site manager slowly shook her head.

“I can’t guarantee that. Dreams are scary. They are tied deeply to human consciousness. In short, when you dive into the world of the deep subconscious, it’s basically impossible to conclude if it’s a dream or not. That’s why, lucid dreams are so rare. ”

I reeled in the threads of my hazy consciousness, and looked towards my sister.

“Sis..”

“…Yeah?”

“Mother is...—“

“…What about mother?”

“—I…killed her.”

As I spoke those words, the broken fragments of that dream became whole again.

“That’s, not true.”

“But…”

“That’s not true. That’s not what happened, Nagi.” My sister spoke as she took hold of my lying figure.

“You were convinced about that for a long time. Always blaming yourself – That’s why this happened.”

My sister told me everything:

When I was eight years old – my asthma wasn’t just infantile asthma, but Antitrypsin Deficiency, a disease that requires an early healthy lung transplant. For that sake, my mother who was the same blood type was recommended to transplant part of her lung. But, my mother who already had thin blood vessels around her heart, couldn’t withstand the operation. The transplant was a success but, my mother didn’t return.

“After the operation, you cried and cried, asking where mother went. I ended up saying it to you – mother is inside the fusuma.”

“…….”

“From here onwards, she will stay inside the fusuma but, she’s always by your side.”

--Ah.

If you hear it from someone, you would probably laugh it off as a silly story. But, at this moment, I began to recall the scene I had forgotten up until this point. That is: one evening, our living room was dyed in orange. I was in primary school, crying alone in my mother’s room. My sister came and hugged me tight.

--You can’t open this fusuma. My sister surely said that.

-If you open it, mother will die.

That lie, spoken in desperation by my twelve year old sister: saved the balance of my heart from collapsing. And, the rupture in my heart was stopped in a distorted way. My mother… wasn’t dead. She just couldn’t come out from the fusuma.

--That kind of warped understanding quickly took root in me and hardened. When I returned from school, I would stand in front of the fusuma and say my greetings. I spoke about what happened with me throughout the day to the fusuma. If anything troubled me, I would discuss it with the fusuma. And, I would be looked at in a sad way by my father and sister. But, that sad gaze, I interpreted it as it being my fault that my mother would not emerge from the fusuma. Eventually, I stopped caring about that gaze, and continued to talk together with the fusuma, freely and openly –We lived that kind of warped daily life, and now is the first time I feel how messed up it all was.

“Nagi-kun” Krishna-san peered into my eyes as she spoke.

“That’s what a person’s death is. It takes time to comprehend it. It took you ten years, but, there are still people who can’t accept it throughout their whole lives. And – that is a form of ghosts.”

Ghosts-

I was drawn to them, I chased them, and I involved myself with them -- the weak existence called ghosts.

It had all been a waste. That -- had already been present inside me, since long ago. Nestled close to my broken heart, it helped me

“That’s right.” Krishna-san nodded kindly. “Even thought it might be called a curse from its start, it never had any malice.”

Tears spilled down from my sister's big eyes as Krishna-san said that.

--There was never any malice?

Those words seemed to sink into my brain, when I suddenly remembered. I quickly got up.

“What about Yoishi? When is she gonna wake up?” I asked that as Krishna-san quietly looked towards the man in the back. An effeminate man dressed in a blue dyed kinagashi<ref>wearing kimono casually</ref>. He shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way. That detached manner made me remember. This guy… isn’t this bastard the one who Krishna-san called her master? He chanted ‘Out’ to me that one time I was in agony.

“Hey, don’t mess with me. Are you trying to save face like that as Krishna-san’s master?”

I stood up, and drew near to that guy.

“Nagi-kun, stop” Krishna-san stopped me in my tracks, but I didn’t completely settle down.

“So in short, Yoishi entered my dream to try and save me, right?” As I tried to get a confirmation, the man broadly grinned and nodded.

“Then it’s simple. You do as I say. Return me to that dream one more time. Take me to the place where she is. From there on, I’ll go and bring her back.”

“Hey now, don’t make unreasonable requests.” The man raised both his hands in an exaggerated pose as if giving up. “Do you even know what it means to link a person’s self-consciousness to a dream? Common sense doesn’t apply there. People can only ‘think’ when they know where they are standing. If it’s a normal person, it will be difficult for them to preserve their sanity, right? Besides that, you have already been made aware that the dream is a distortion. By now, your brain should be working on the restoration in a hurry. It’s basically impossible to find your way to the same place, and even if you were to do that, it would be recognized as a distortion once more, and the probability of you ever waking up again will be slim to none.”

“Then, what is going to happen to Yoishi? Is she just going to continue sleeping like this?” I yelled as my saliva went flying, Krishna-san took over.

“Listen to me, Nagi-kun. No matter how strong a catalyst is, it's usually impossible to establish your ego when linking to a person's dream. But she was able to do it. Due to the fact that she was able to do it, albeit with some luck, I was able to confirm to some extent, about the essence of the girl named Yoishi Mitsurugi.”

“Confirm? What do you mean?

“Perhaps we and she, the places we stand are distinctly different.”

Those words, made me feel déjà vu. Right, I had heard those words used somewhere before –

“What did Yoishi Mitsurugi lose? What was the cause that made her that way? I don’t know the reason. But she already stands in the world beyond. Alive in the physical sense, but dead in the spiritual sense, an existence synonymous to that of many ghosts.

--Yoishi, is not a living person.

The absurd rumors that were circulating on the internet, I recalled them.

“In other words, we are standing in the living world while talking about the world beyond, in comparison: she stubbornly, talks about the world beyond while in the world beyond. That’s why --her words shake us, who live in this world. That is wh--”

“Her words are filled with gloom, causing fear and anxiety in the listener, right?”

As I whispered that, Krishna-san stared at me in wonder. That’s right – I remembered.

I had definitely heard these words in my dream. That was – the moment I woke up in the blue room in the mansion. Krishna-san who had come to check up on my state had said the same words.

“The same lines were said to me in the dream by Krishna-san. And at that moment, I…I thought Yoishi had dragged me down into that creepy world. Because of her, the situation was headed in a worse direction. And…”

I waved my hands in a panic to Krishna-san who was speechless.

“No, it’s like I’m blaming you or anything. The Krishna-san in my dream that spoke those words was an illusion created by my weak heart. It’s just…I was really cold to Yoishi since she had come into my dream. At the end, I even became convinced that she was some sort of monster. Up until I was admonished by my mother, I really wondered whether Yoishi was some kind of monster, like the rumors on the net had said.”

But – That’s not it. If what that kinagashi wearing bastard said is true, she took an absurd risk when she arrived in my sub-conscious. Without knowing if she could make it back in safety, she walked with me together in my twisted world.

Why was that? Why did she do that for me?

“I have to find out why that was. Why did she do such a dangerous thing for me? I need to ask her directly.”

I spoke that with utmost seriousness, but…
“You don’t know why?” With a sharp glare, Krishna-san clicked her tongue.
“Young men really are hopeless, insensitive creatures. I’ve had enough then; I’ll say it in place of her. Why, did Yoishi Mitsurugi save you? It’s because you didn’t throw away that notebook until the very end!”

“…Huh?”

“You are essentially worthless, a foolish, unprincipled, weak willed, hopeless idiot. And yet, for some reason you still continue to thrust yourself into the paranormal, even sympathizing with the suffering of the dead. After sympathizing, you tried to walk together with it. You absolute moron! But that’s not something just anyone can do. A fool you may be, however, as a human that is a valuable quality, like that of a jewel. And a girl is extremely weak for that sort of thing.”

“……………..Ehhhh?”

“That girl, she helped you with super-logical methods so many times. Without even being a specialist on the occult, she spread those dangerous self-responsibility-type ghost stories in this world to try and save you. Why does she, who is extremely detached with the living, take such actions only for you? --- Understand that much, you fool!”

“N…now, wait a second.”

I—wasn’t that kind of outstanding human. I was just an indecisive, illogical, warped asshole. In the past, I suffered to the point I thought I was gonna die, that’s why I ended up having sympathy for that boy from the notebook. I just knew that the pain would be lessened tens of thousands of times just by having someone by my side.

“I understand that, but as a human being, your respect-worthy nature is a double-edged sword. If you continue doing things like this, you’ll only have a few more years left to live.”
“….Eh?”

“I once told you that you were not suitable for having an interest in the occult, but I said that out of utmost concern for your nature. As long as you have that nature, you will continue to be involved in the affairs of the other side. And no matter how much you try to stay in this world, you will be dragged to the other side, whether you want to or not. That's why I kept telling you not to get involved with Yoishi, that's what it means to confront a girl standing in the world beyond.”

At long last Krishna-san stopped to catch her breath, and took a big gulp of tea from the plastic bottle next to her, draining it, and turned around to face me once again.

“But are you still resolved to get involved with her?”

“……..”

“To save a girl like her, a half-hearted resolve won’t do. If you do things half-heartedly, both of you will end up destroyed. You must step forward, and confront her with the determination of putting your whole life to it. If you do that, a miracle might happen.”

“Wait a minute, Kurimoto-san.” Behind Krishna-san, the kinagashi wearing man shrugged his shoulders. “Shouldn’t you be stopping him?”

“I know it already! But I’m sorry, it’s useless! It’s like I’m not even here! Since I’ve met him, Nagi-kun has never listened to what I said.”

….Stop, it’s painful to be talked about like that by such a tearful face, but, as I continued to be heaped upon by Krishna-san’s passionate criticism – I kept thinking about only one thing in the back of my head. That is, the words I yelled just before I woke up from the dream. Yoishi doesn’t run from reality -- I was able to get out of there by saying those words to some strange thing that tried to confine me in a dream world.

“In the first place, it’s harsh to think that she doesn’t want to return to this world", the kinazashi man whispered as if he were humming a song. As usual he was acting as if it were someone else’s problem.

But his words struck some part of me like a bolt of lightning.

…That’s right, her not coming back, wouldn’t it be a betrayal of the conclusion I drew, those words I uttered about Yoishi in those last moments of conflict? If she didn’t come back, wouldn’t that mean she ran away?

And at that moment, I finally saw what it was that I should do. Why did she go through all the trouble of descending to the depths of my dream? I understood the real reason.

“Only those who know the darkness know the value of the light, right?”

“….What did you just say?” Krishna-san tilted her head, I replied, ‘No’, and shook my head.

After that, I lay down once more. I rested both my hands on my stomach, deliberately wearing a smile, and forcefully said.

“I’ll be back, and I’ll definitely bring her with me.”

----

The blue world was filled with white smoke. Sounds of crackling fires bursting here and there, the smoke rose up in the air. However, because it was a dream, it wasn’t hot at all.

It couldn’t be helped that my vision was bad, for the time being I tried my best to remember the layout of the mansion while moving towards the interior.

That closed room --- I ran as fast as possible to the daughter’s room. Fallen down all around were smoldering pillars and fusuma doors. I kicked them away as I continued forward, before long I could see the white blouse in the back, Yoishi’s slender figure was visible. What was she doing, playing around with that kokeshi, while everything continued to burn around her?

“Hey, Yoishi. Let’s go back.” I called out to her from behind, Yoishi continued to stroke the kokeshi and whispered:

“Why did you deliberately give birth in the fire?”

“What did you say?”

“Konohanasakuya-hime was distrusted by Ninigi, why did she do such a thing?”

“How should I know? It was such a long time ago”.

For now, I put my hand on her arm and motioned for her to get up and she said. “Undoubtedly, she thought about disappearing for a moment.”

I stopped my hand at her words.

“Being suspected by the person she loved, Konohanasakuya-hime lost her place in this world.” Yoishi raised her face in the direction of the burning flames. Beyond the fallen sliding doors, was the courtyard of the mansion. And there, the daughter of this mansion was looking up at a plum tree, as if she couldn't see the burning flames. Her eyes squinted slightly; she gently stroked a small flower bud on the verge of blooming. And – next to her, the two cousins were there, looking up at the plum tree with a gentle expression I hadn’t seen before.

“Why didn’t I realize it before?”

I sat down next to Yoishi, and spoke my thoughts out loud.

“Is that…me?”

The two who were fighting over the daughter, the faces of both cousins --- they were just like identical twins, with the same eyes and ears everywhere. You could say if it was a face I was tired of looking at -- my own face.

“One of them protects the daughter.” Yoishi spoke, “And, the other you who tries to kill her.”

That moment, I finally realized it, who it was the daughter’s face resembled. That’s right – it was the face of my mother. It was an illusion carved from my memory that beautified and rejuvenated her.

“That’s right – the family that lives in this mansion is based on the emotions inside you."

“Then…” I pointed. “Who is the man looking at the daughter and the cousins from far away?”

“I think he represents your family which can’t support either one of you.”

Finally the scattered pieces began to come together.

The daughter pours her love into all these people. One cousin is the part of me that wants to live on, even after gaining my mother’s lung. The other cousin is the part of me that won’t accept that. To the bitter end, they quarrel over the daught—no, my mother. However, the head of the household, who can support neither side, and only stand there from a distance bewildered – That was -- an exact microcosm of my home from back then.

But now, all four of them were smiling together, looking up at the plum tree. It was a sight I should have seen some day. But, it was an illusion where the family members were smiling without being distorted.

“This place is comfortable to live in.” Yoishi spoke as she stared at that sight.

I stood up in silence and I put my hand on Yoishi’s shoulder.

“Let’s go back, Yoishi.”

I gazed at the mansion, whose outline grew more and more ominous.

“This is my dream. I created this world to avert my eyes from the pain of reality.”

But Yoishi didn’t move an inch. With her white hands, she gripped the kokeshi doll tightly, and whispered in a hoarse voice.

“You…Perhaps you should have lived the rest of your life here without ever opening it.”

My breath stopped at those words.

“There are things in this world that you shouldn’t willfully see.”

And with those words, the scattered parts inside finally took shape. This girl --- she and I really are the same. Yoishi, like me, is carrying something warped inside her as well, and had probably been suffering for many years because of it. That’s why, she could understand my pain and suffering; when I felt the pain of the boy from the notebook, could she have felt my pain?

I remember Yoishi’s forlorn figure.

I remember her thin back that seemed to carry all the sorrows of the world alone. I distorted my memories, and was able to live in comfort. But, she neither ran, nor sealed them away, and continued to carry it all on her back. That – must have been unbelievably heavy, she must have been unable to walk normally. And -- in the middle of that lonely journey, with her feet stuck into the ground –

Her heart may have died.

That is why: even while she still lived, it was as if she stood in the world beyond.

“Yoishi – you…”

Those words spontaneously spun from my mouth.

“What the hell – killed you?”

If it wasn’t for this strange place, I probably wouldn’t have asked that. And I probably couldn’t ask her again. However, at that moment, the words came out of my mouth spontaneously.

That idiotic question of mine --- twisted Yoishi’s lips into a tearful shape for just one moment.

As she was about to speak through the gap in her lips – in the dark recesses of her eyes, I saw something.

The instant that silhouette emerged, every part of me was filled with fear.

On the other side of the dark colored eyes, a black figure wriggled.

That ominous something -- twisted and turned as it gradually molded itself into shape.

It was – a black haired girl.

Her dark colored hair fluttered, with her white face and beautiful features, she--

Somehow looked similar to Yoishi but -- the aura was definitely different. With a faint smile, that face seemed to be filled with the malice of this world, it was horrifying.

-- You kill people because it’s fun. People can’t stand suffering faces. If you press them a little, people break so easily. It’s so fun to break happy people. Is it fine if I press you just a little? I'm going to press you to make this world so much fun--

Those red lips opened, and began to spit out many twisted words.

“—Absolute evil.”

In the pale blue world, my faint words echoed in silence.

“That’s why, whenever I feel malice, I vomit.”

Yoishi’s slender legs shook, as she spoke weakly.

“When my heart dies, it’s in an instant – Without any warning, when I’ve realized it, it’s already dead.”

The Yoishi from before: The Yoishi who happily leapt into whatever monstrosity that lay before her, that girl wasn’t present here now. In front of me was just a girl acting appropriate for her age -- broken in spirit. Yoishi’s well-shaped eyebrows were warped, her large eyes filled with clear tears that were on the verge of falling.

“I don't know what it feels like to be scared anymore.”

「 “Are you scared?” “Do you feel fear now?” “How does it feel to be scared?”」

I recalled those past words of hers—

Before I knew it, I was hugging Yoishi’s slender body tightly. I embraced that slender shoulder and arms, as if to confine her inside me.

“It’s alright now – I’m sorry.”

This girl was -- a warm corpse. When she would spit out words, they would be accompanied with the scent of death. That kind of Yoishi, had seen something she wasn’t supposed to see. She found out something that she shouldn’t have, and as a result, was swallowed by the deep darkness. And thus, she lost the emotion known as fear.

--Once a person knows the depth of the darkness, they will end up possessed by those depths.

She said that once in thr past. That was in fact, about herself. She was going after the paranormal in search of her lost feelings of fear. Just as I was drawn to my mother out in the darkness — even if I were to burn myself sooner or later, she too would jump into the flames of darkness.

“There is no malice present here.” Yoishi murmured, transparent tears overflowed from both her eyes.

“Even if you say we should go back – no matter how much I look for it, I can’t find a reason to return.”

It’s harsh to think that she doesn’t want to return to this world – I recalled that kinagashi wearing bastard’s words. Countless emotions were overflowing inside me, sweeping away and tossing about. I was powerless, an incompetent bastard who couldn’t even save a single crying girl in front of me. What should I do? What should I say to her? A person like me, is there anything I could say to Yoishi? Was there anything I could do? Without a shred of logic, could my crappy words move her heart in the least?

--That’s right, I reached my hands out in desperation, and there...

“I’m still alive.” I whispered those words which were just on the tips of my outstretched hand. “And you too, are still alive.” I said something completely nonsensical while looking straight into Yoishi’s eyes.

“For you, living itself might not be what you want; I don’t know how heavy the burden it is that you’re carrying, and, I can't even say that I really understand. Neither can I carry the tremendous something that you are burdened with.”

But, together with those lines which I did my best to squeeze out, I felt a thin, thin, faint light shine in from the far away heavens. And that tightened something in my stomach at a tremendous speed. I could feel it, the power being transmitted to both my legs.

“But from now on, I’ll stand by your side. I’ll always stand by your side, and share half of your burden. From here on I’ll stand in the way of any malice that’s pointed your way. Anything that would want to kill you would have to go through me first. To sum it all up, as long as I’m alive, I will never let you be killed.”

“…….”

Yoishi looked at me astonished, I’d really done it now, I thought. But, I would have to take responsibility for my illogical words now. Now, I’d have to be armed with the theory of the lifetime. I don’t know if these words would become true or not, something ridiculously heavy is now entrusted to me. I frantically turned over my little storehouse of knowledge, scampered to the bottom, and, in the nick of time -- caught sight of that legend. And then I worked out an interpretation.

“Listen, remember that story you said a while ago, about Princess Konohanasakuya-hime?”

“…….Eh?”

“You said she wanted to disappear, but according to legends, she didn’t disappear. She purposely gave birth to a child in the fire. If she were to die, she wouldn’t be able to give birth. Why is that? Maybe you don’t know why, but I do. Konohanasakuya-hime's thoughts in the fire were like this: Within me there dwells a new life that's eager to come out. There is a life that desperately wants to be born from me, me who decided to disappear from this world. That moment, didn’t she decide? To walk along side that life -- she realized that taking that path would be more painful than dying. That’s why Konohanasakuya-hime’s personification: the Fuji mountain and cherry blossom are beautiful. They touch the hearts of us Japanese.”

“…..That logic is a failure.”

“Aw jeez, just shut up, don’t object. I know it already. It’s what I think. Nobody knows the truth of what happened back then. That’s why, in short – “

I pushed myself to the limits, and brought it to an end with the worst and strongest nonsensical words.

“From now on going forward, you walk with your head held high.”

The moment I announced those words, I heard a terrible sound close by. I narrowly pulled Yoishi towards my side as the wall together with the beam behind her collapsed. As I held Yoishi’s head in my arms, I also had a sniff of her hair. She’s like that in my dream as well, isn’t that a little strange?

“What is strange?”

Yoishi inquired, but I just shook my head, as if to say no.

“When we get back, take a bath.”

Yoishi slightly tilted her head away and replied as usual, I don’t like baths, as she stood up.

And it was the moment a different burning beam fell down.

“Come on!”

I promptly pulled Yoishi’s hand, and we ran from there while holding hands. My left hand gripped Yoishi’s, with my right hand I protected myself the sparks of the collapsed pillars, and we ran out of the room. However, as soon as I came out into the corridor I realized, the collapsing mansion was enough to completely destroy my sense of direction. Clicking my tongue, I ran to the left side where the fire was weaker. The mansion wasn’t like a vast labyrinth. If I were to just run in a straight direction, we’d be able to get out of here. If we just follow the fence from there, we should arrive at the main gate. However, perhaps it was because the mystery of my heart had been solved and the mansion had served its purpose, the structure of the mansion became so chaotic that the directions of top, bottom, right and left were vague. The stairs were connected with the kitchen; in front of the toilet was the storage room. The tatami mats continued for eternity. The corridor was winded into a spiral shape.

“Damn it, which way?”

On top of that the sparks were falling rapidly from overhead, burning my skin. They weren’t hot, but they were inflicting a dull pain, and seemingly erasing my existence.

--Dammit, It’s impossible.

A voice inside me said that, and I shouted back.

“It’s not impossible. This is my dream.”

Like hell am I gonna end up killed in my own dream. Like hell am I gonna stand being killed by anyone.

I yelled that as I clasped Yoishi’s hand as tightly as I could and kept running. The white darkness spreads before me. I was quickly covered in smoke and couldn’t even see my fingers.

-- The probability of you ever waking up again will be slim to none.

I faintly remembered the words of that kinagashi wearing bastard, but I shook my head and cleared away any such thoughts. I’ll definitely get back. Back to that apartment, back to Tokyo. And back to Fujieda, this time for sure, I’ll take back reality. I’ll rebuild my distorted and trampled memories. I’ll take back the everyday life the way it was supposed to be. But – I still couldn’t see the exit anywhere. Wherever I looked, the rubble from the mansion blocked our path. The pillars of fire rose relentlessly.

It might really be useless, after all.

It was that moment when I raised my head in weakness.

From the white darkness, someone’s hand held out towards me. It was a small hand. Because of the smoke, I couldn’t see whose face it was. But for some reason, I eagerly gripped that hand without any hesitation. Under the guidance of that hand, I ran out of that flaming corridor with Yoishi. The walls were crumbling, beams were falling down. Even if it was regrettable, this mansion was close to its demise. Yet despite that, I didn’t know how much further we would have to go.
However, however... strangely enough, the hope in my heart which had begun to disappear just before was still there. Without hesitation, it guided us -- this small hand. I didn’t know why, but it was trustworthy. Even though I had suffered through many creepy experiences up until now, yet I still concluded that. Why was that? Running with all their might, I caught glimpse of the feet of the child right in front of me. And because of that, I realized it. At this child’s feet, was a white sneaker tied with blue shoelaces.

The moment I realized who that child was, my vision suddenly blurred.

“Over there.”

The place ahead Yoishi pointed at, was the collapsed gate burning down.

--It was the exit.

I felt I’d be able to manage somehow or another when I reached there.

But the moment I thought that, the tiny hand grasping my left hand disappeared. Becoming flustered I looked back, her was there, enshrouded in smoke. Gently waving his hand in my direction and faintly smiled. I waved my hand in response with as much power as I could muster, at the same time, the mansion collapsed with the sound of an iceberg breaking.

We ran.

The main gate was already open.

The thick latch was lying on the ground, broken.

I let Yoishi pass through there, and looked back – that moment…

--At the entrance of the crumbled mansion, I realized someone was gazing my way. Dimmed with the white fog, my feelings burst forth seeing the beloved figure.

“Mother.”

The world was crumbling – shrinking rapidly. At the end of this white world -- I cried at the top of my voice.

“Thank you.”

“And I’m sorry.”

“I was running away. I was protected and behaved like a spoiled brat.”

Even as my voice grew dim, I continued to yell.

“But, I think I’ll carry everything by myself now.”

“The things father and sis were carrying for me.”

“I'm gonna live my reality.”

That’s why.

That’s why--

No matter what I did, my tears continued to fall, and I couldn’t utter those words.

I felt the soft power of Yoishi’s fingertips being poured into my left hand.

With a flood of emotions, I cried my heart out:

“Goodbye, mother.”

---

The first thing I perceived was the warm sunlight from the window. I was in my apartment. I was in my futon – And, I recognized the smiles of Krishna-san and the others; being hugged by the petite site manager, Karasu-san and the others all at once, I knew I had returned alive. By the way, this didn’t include that kinagashi wearing bastard, of course. I was dumbfounded as the Buddhist priest hugged me with a scary smile, anyway, Krishna-san’s master which was supposed to be that smug bastard, after he performed hypnosis on me, seemed to have left at once. Well, I suppose that’s for the best.

Anyhow, I tore off from the lot, quickly rose up, and examined the face of the sleeping Yoishi next to me. Yoishi was still sleeping then. With her fingers crossed on her stomach, she was lying down, as if she wasn’t breathing.

Was she able to come back?

The abyss of the world beyond and this world. – The absolute boundary, from the ‘abyss of the underworld’.

The moment I thought that, Yoishi, slightly opened her eyes. And – let out a sigh, speaking in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

“It was comfortable there.”

===Epilogue===

I understand, it’s true that in this world you have to be cautious like you’re cautious when exploring haunted places. In the shadow of fun things, lurk painful and difficult things, they are all present on the path we choose – This time, I learned that painfully. There may be a clear spring at the end of a narrow road. There may be a beast waiting at the end of a big, bright road. It's up to you to choose where to go on that crossroad, since nobody knows what lies ahead. Even if you keep your ears open, keep your eyes open, and try your best to think, you may make mistakes. But, it’s wrong to blame yourself or the people around you when that happens. Rather it would be better to enjoy it. I’m sure that way life will be—

“….It would be brighter that way.”

Leaning back on a bench in Tokyo station, I was thinking those kinds of things absentmindedly. My exams ended safely, I’d be going back home with my sister. I’d return to Fujieda, press the reset button on my life. It seemed the main gist of the events had been discussed by my sister and father. My father just took a long sigh as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and only said, ‘is that so?’ At any rate, I hadn't even visited my mom's grave until now, and that was a bad sign of filial piety. That’s why… I’d planned on talking about the many things that happened up until now.

“Hey, Nagi-suke!”

Suddenly, there was a shout so angry that people in a hundred meter range turned around in unison.

“You bastard, sitting on that bench all self-important, don’t act so carefree –dammit!”

I timidly turned to face that direction -- Bento, magazines, tea, souvenirs, and other stuff I didn’t know, was being carried in large quantities by my sister, twenty year old Akira Yamada. She tossed back her long, dyed in deep red, fluffy hair, and gave me a vicious stare.

“Making a lady carry heavy things like this, while you recline back on that bench, what are you thinking, ya bastard?”

“I-I’m sorry.” It's almost a conditional reflex now. I stumbled forward, and rushed towards my sister’s side.

“Listen! I even ended up paying for your substitute train ticket. I'll add that to the moving expenses from the other day, so you pay me back in full, alright?”

“….Yes.”

I hoped she would at least be a little nice to me after all that had happened, but that was actually a naïve view. In any case, there was still one week left to return home, so it was fine, she said. And without considering the fact that it had only being her second year in her company, she excitedly applied for a paid vacation, and decided to stay in my apartment until the day we returned. She took care of the food and laundry, but she took over the loft area where I slept, my right to choose the TV programs disappeared, and took away my right to the freshly drawn bath. I was only able to finish this trial because I was working in the family restaurants that open late at night.

As expected of the leader of the ladies: Akira of the Dawn, who was famous in Fujieda in the past.

“Come on, guys, grab all these. You owe me money for lunch and tea, right? Get a part time job and pay me back, ok? There's no interest for up to 3 months, but after that, I'll start charging 10% interest a month.”

….A demon. She’s a demon.

Does she realize that I'm a struggling university student with no allowance?

After shoving a total of six bags on me, my sister asked:

“So, you still haven’t realized it?”

“….What?”

I asked in return, and she clicked her tongue a little and ruffled her curly, bright hair.

“That's why you’re called a fool. Mind your surroundings a bit more.”

I look around and I see someone plodding around on a bench near the stairs, playing with their feet. In that familiar uniform of white blouse and black tie, was Yoishi Mitsurugi.

“I-it’s her, why is sh—“

“Hurry up and go, just remember, you have about two minutes until the train leaves. Keep it short.”

For all those thoughtful lines, she still thrust the luggage on to me while she went ahead and boarded the train. It couldn’t be helped; I staggered my way to the bench Yoishi was sitting on while carrying the luggage.

“Hey.”

I called out to Yoishi, she raised her face slightly.

“What are you doing in a place like this?”

Yoishi didn’t reply, and continued to look vacantly in the direction of her feet.

“Oh, I see, You came to see me off? Maybe you were worried we might not meet again.”

I took a seat next to the silent Yoishi – I intentionally put on a smile and said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be back. I’ll definitely return to my house, and open the fusuma, without fail. No matter what’s on the other side – I’ll accept it, and come back.”

I felt a pang in my chest at the end, but I spoke that much in one breath to hide it.

“But, you know, really-- it's all just like a dream.” I whispered that and Yoishi turned my way.

“Ah, I’m talking about it being a dream in a figurative sense, there’s still so many things that I can’t piece together. When I get back home, my mother won’t be there, I still…haven’t accepted that completely.”

I was supposed to say things as smoothly as possible - but how pathetic. I ended up saying something unexpected to Yoishi.

“If it’s about your mother, she’s here.”

“….Eh?”

Yoishi slowly took out something wrapped in white cloth from her bag. She gently unwrapped that with both her hands and it was – an old kokeshi doll. At that moment, an unspeakable chill spread down my spine.

“---Ah, You, That is…”

“It’s a trophy.”

Yoishi Mitsurugi’s tucked the kokeshi back into her bag again, her dark eyes shined with happiness.

“Show it to me once again, there’s no way that...”

“I refuse. This is something I brought out, after all.”

No, there’s no way it could have been that. She’s probably just trying to scare me with a similar kokeshi doll she found at a thrift store or something. That has to be it – I try to think like that, but it’s Yoishi after all. I couldn't think about the possibility of such a creepy thing happening calmly, so I stopped myself from pursuing it. After all, I was in a period of mental rehabilitation. I couldn’t afford to be shaken mentally right now.

“So, did you come all the way to Tokyo station just to show that me?”

Yoishi sank back into silence in response. I was at a loss for words, too, because I didn’t know how much I could ask in such a short amount of time. We just wasted the rest of our time there, as if we were playing the role of a new couple who were going to say farewell soon.

Before long – the announcement of the train departing echoed on the platform.

“Well… I’m going.”

I stood up, and Yoishi followed in silence. . As I walked to the entrance of the train and was about to push the bulky bundle of paper bags into the doorway, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Koumei school, first year highschooler, Class A, Yoishi Mitsurugi, 16 years old.”

Surprised, I turned back, Yoishi was standing still in a posture with her hands clasped behind her back.

The train bell rang – I panicked, and got on the train.

“Next time, if we meet again...”

Yoishi spoke. But that moment, the door closed, but she continued to speak. I tried hard to read the movement of her lips. I never studied lip-reading in the first place. But, miraculously her words reached me.

I’ll become your friend.

Yoishi said with a somewhat nervous expression.

“You're kidding me.”

I laughed.

I frantically waved to her as I looked out of the window of the moving train.

I don’t know if that was enough to convey it to her.

In that case, I'll come back as soon as possible. She was wearing a forlorn look on her face as she came to see me off. So I'm going to convey this to her:

We’re not friends, we’re war comrades.

------------------

<noinclude>
==Translator's notes and references==
<references />

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</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Volume 02, Afterword

2021-08-04T15:13:36Z

Dreamer2908:

== Afterword ==
Around the time I was writing this afterword, a heavy snowstorm hit the Kanto area. The trains stopped, the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway was closed, and the capital was harshly criticized for being weak and not used to snow by many people, and in a panic, I too rushed out to buy a shovel to shovel the snow! However, it had been a long time since we've had snow, so snow shovels were sold out of everywhere.

By the time they finally filled up the stock a few days later, both my appetite for buying them, as well as the snow, disappeared. But I realized an obvious fact: The value of an item comes from the fact that it is there in a time of need.

I first learned about the mysterious ‘Fafrotskies’ phenomenon from the movie ‘Magnolia’. The first time I saw that famous last scene, I felt physical disgust and a strange sense of relief at the same time, the reason for which was that the impossible phenomenon was the rain of salvation that was needed by many characters to wash away their hopeless conflicts in life. And, once again, I felt as if I had been taught a lesson by the snow. Of course, this is my own subjective view.

Now, this volume, "Melting Fafrotskies" is the first volume of two volumes, and will be followed by the second volume, "Shrinking Fafrotskies" which will be released soon. This story was supposed to be a one-volume story, but it ended up being expanded entirely because of my lack of skill, However, the editor in charge, Katsushi Ota-san was very helpful:

“You can take your time! Let's go for two volumes!”

It is also true that those words helped me. Thank you very much! If I may say so, there is a certain secret connected in both volumes, so I would be delighted if you could remember the story of "Melting" until the release of the second volume. And once again, Yoshitoshi Abe-san provided us with wonderfully painted illustrations. I can't tell you how much power the illustrations gave me in these short paragraphs, but please let me treat you to another delicious cup of coffee! Thank you very much! And to everyone who has read this far. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. There would be no greater happiness than to meet you again in “Shrinking Fafrotskies”.

Phenomeno:Case 06

2021-08-04T15:12:56Z

Dreamer2908:

==Case 06: Rororo==

『Am I the one reading the book? Or am I the one being read by the book?』

It was on a Monday afternoon in October when I picked up a piece of paper with these words written on it. It was lying in front of the student bulletin board; I had gone there to get information about class cancellations and noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground.

“The hell is this?”

If you look at the text alone, it seems somewhat philosophical, like a poem of an excessively self-conscious student. I didn't pay any attention to it at the time, and I quickly tucked it into my pocket as an acquaintance approached me. I wasn’t particularly interested in it or anything, thinking I’d just throw it away in a trash bag later. However, a few days after that, I was in the main auditorium during a lecture on Introduction to Political Science, when I noticed that something was stuck on the edge of the compartment of my desk. It was a page of a notebook that seemed to have been torn out, and when I picked it up and unfolded it, I found the following:

『I see, The book was the origin.』

I remembered the meticulous handwriting. Coincidentally, I was wearing the same jeans that day, so I felt around in my pockets and found the piece of paper that I had picked up in front of the bulletin board. I compared the two, and it was exactly as I thought. It felt like a continuation of the note I had found earlier.

But is that really possible?

The possibility that the same person will pick up two scraps of paper that some student randomly threw away, Am I too much of a romantic to believe that it was more than mere coincidence and instead, a fateful event? The thought briefly flashed across my mind, but I still didn’t pay it too much heed at the time.

The moment I started paying it heed, was when I was headed to the western club building, and bumped into Yoishi Mitsurugi , who was heading home from school -- somehow or another we ended up going to a coffee shop where we talked about it.

“This person is no longer alive.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, I believe they’re dead.”

Startled, I stared at Yoishi’s pale face, she was taking a sip of milk tea as if she had said something trivial. I then asked:

“H-hold on a second. You’re saying a dead person wrote this?”

“That’s not it, I’m just saying there’s a chance they died after they wrote it.”

“Even if that’s the case, that’s damn creepy.”

I said so, but Yoishi looked more vacant than ever.

A black blazer and a black skirt. A black tie on a white blouse. Navy blue socks and black leather shoes. In the beginning of October, the Koumei affiliated high school changed to winter clothes, and I didn’t know whether to call her winter uniform stylish or funeral attire; Her dark eyes shined as she gave a vacant look. Her black hair, which was originally beautiful, was somewhat unkempt, and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept at all.

That’s right, the reason why I invited her to this coffee shop was because I saw her wandering around like a ghost as usual. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask her, about the clock tower and about Miiko, but they were all thrown away to the wayside the moment I saw the way she walked out of the main high school gate, it was as if she were drifting in the sky. So, I called out to her, "Hey, I'll buy you a cup of coffee," grabbed her by the arm and dragged her here. Anyway, I was worried because it felt like she didn’t care if she disappeared from this world.

“You still haven't solved your problem, have you?”

“I don’t think it can ever be solved.” Yoishi muttered as she rested her chin on hands to cover her mouth.

I shrugged my shoulders, and for some reason, looked around the coffee shop.

The coffee shop was in front of the station on the second floor, and although it was my first time coming here, it was a quiet store with a relaxing atmosphere. A modern bossa nova was playing in the background, and all the interior decorations, such as lights, tables, and clown figurines, were all antiques.

Maybe I’ll come back here to read a book next time, I thought to myself.

“But, it’s strange.”

Suddenly hearing that voice, I turned to face Yoishi who was looking down at the two scraps of paper I had handed her.

“If this note is a memo to oneself, then there's no need to cut it off, and if it's a message to someone else, it's too all-encompassing.”

“Well, that’s true.” I nodded.

“Look, isn’t it by some kind of poet? Lately, I've been hanging out a lot in the western club building, and there are countless guys composing their own poetry. Especially in the A wing of the Humanities Club, there are a lot of aspiring creators who have a creative fever that can’t be stopped.”

“Did any of them die recently?”

“You’re gonna stay obsessed about the dead guys to the very end, huh?”

I asked humorously, yet Yoishi nodded with a blank expression.

“After all, Kotodama are words packed with feeling.”

I felt a hint of something cold in her words.

“…Kotodama,<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotodama</ref> you say?”

“That’s right --- The words we normally use without concern also have the characteristics of a curse. Have you ever heard of taboo words? Like Kameari was originally called Kamenashi,<ref> A place in Tokyo that had its name changed for being unlucky hundreds of years ago. For more details: https://japanthis.com/2014/04/07/what-does-kameari-mean/) </ref> or how parking numbers and room numbers in hospitals avoid using the numbers four and nine – Originally, the people of this country were prudent in the words they used, and the sounds they produced. They feared that anything spoken out loud would one day come to pass. Compared to that, contemporary people are rather callous in the words they use.”

“Well, let’s leave aside the problem of contemporary people.”

After rebuking Yoishi, who had suddenly started to get fired up, I asked her once again.

“How do you connect that with this note? And the guy writing it being dead?”

“After all, these words are trembling with power.”

Those words gave me goosebumps, completely filling me with horror.

“Trembling --- what?”

“They’re trembling. The letters themselves are shaking. They are shaking as if wandering around for a way out, as if searching for a destination. The more a person's soul is put into a text, the more it trembles with power as a kotodama.”

“No -- but this could have just been written by a living person with a tremendous amount of emotions put into it, right?”

“No…”

Thereupon, Yoishi suddenly looked behind me.

“Over there.”

“—Huh?”

“A man around your age. I don’t think he’s a vengeful ghost.”

“W-what are you saying?”

Flustered, I turned around.

But there was no one there. Just two old ladies sitting in a seat behind me, chatting happily. ‘Hey, don’t scare me like that’, I was about to say, when Yoishi quietly continued.

“A striped T-shirt and jeans. A grave look on his face. Short hair. He appeared there ever since you started talking about the string of words on that piece of paper. He’s been staring at the paper for a long time.”

Yoishi’s eyes shone with amusement as she looked over my shoulder.

--Hey, are you serious?

Immediately, I began to feel the raw presence of someone behind my back, and I sat up. You gotta be kidding me. I don't want to get possessed just because I happened to pick up a piece of paper.

“Yoishi, I’m leaving.”

I picked up the receipt and said that, but Yoishi was still calm as ever sitting back in her chair as she spoke:

“There might be something he wants to tell us.”

“Don’t drag me into it. You’re the one who can see him, so you go ahead and ask.”

“I’ve rarely been able to talk to ghosts. Mostly, they’re just there.”

Yoishi continued to stare behind me while she spoke. She’s probably trying to read the ghosts’ facial expressions and gestures, but it’s downright creepy because I’m right in her line of sight. I couldn’t stand to keep sitting in that seat anymore, so I moved next to Yoishi. In short, we were both facing that striped shirt guy. I slowly traced my eyes to where Yoishi was looking at. I thought I might be able to see something vaguely, but I couldn't see anything. The only thing that happened was that the two old ladies turned to look at us, startled by the suspicious pairs of eyes gazing at them. This is bad. They’re gonna complain if we don’t stop.

“H-hey Yoishi, let’s just go.”

“Wait, he’s saying something.” Yoishi abruptly stopped me.

“…Eh?”

“He keeps muttering something…repeating the same words with his mouth.”

However, Yoishi's gaze was now completely focused on the two ladies who had been sitting behind me earlier, and they were giving us a very dangerous look. A fearsome gaze, as if to say, ‘You wanna fight? Bring it on.’

“S-sorry. We’ll leave right away.”

Right away, I preemptively apologized to the two ladies. When –

“---Ro, ro , ro.”

Yoishi uttered the bizarre words with a look of delight.

“He's repeating, ‘Rororo.’”

-----

In the end, what did the note mean?

What the hell is that ghost with the striped shirt?

And what did he mean when he muttered the word ‘Rororo’?

All of this remained a mystery, and several days passed.

I haven’t met Yoishi since then. As always, she left me with nothing but cryptic and creepy information. And of course, she didn’t even say a word of thanks for the treat. No, that would have been fine, but what about this unconvinced, hazy feeling I'm left with? To keep that note with the strange words written on it, or to throw it away, either choice is terrifying.

However, that afternoon – this time, I ended up finding a notebook.

The place I discovered it was in a large common room on the second floor of the university's student hall. It was placed on a round table by the window, sitting there all by itself. I was helping with posting updates on "Ikaigabuchi" at the Beatnik lab during my lunch break, and missed lunch as a result. I had free time right around third period when class got cancelled, and was washing down some Anpan with milk – when that notebook strangely allured me.

I looked around in all directions. The common room was exceptionally large. It was so large that many of the clubs that didn’t have their own club rooms used it as a gathering spot. But at that time, perhaps because it was the middle of third period, there were only a few groups of students huddled together in sparse numbers. No one was near that table by the window side.

After thinking about it, I stood up and moved my chair next to the table. And I took the notebook in hand. It was an elegantly looking, dark-red colored notebook. It was sold for around 300 yen at the campus store. But when I opened it and saw the first page, I was horrified. It was written in the same meticulous handwriting.

“…Damn it, stop messing with me!”

Getting flustered, I threw away the notebook, and looked behind me.

Of course, there was no one there, that guy wearing the striped shirt Yoishi spoke of might have been there, but I couldn’t sense his presence. And yet, even if he keeps placing creepy things everywhere I go, there’s nothing I can do for him.

“Hey, if you have something to say, go to Yoishi. I can't hear or see what you're saying.”

I must have looked like some kind of lunatic to the other students, muttering such things by myself. But I couldn’t help it -- what scares you, scares you. I was about to get up and leave – when I caught a glimpse of it.

On the last page of the notebook I threw away, there was a name – ‘Kouhei Niijima’.

Yoishi was right.

After that I proceeded to the student affairs office, informed them about the notebook I had picked up and tried inquiring about the guy called ‘Kouhei Niijima’. The staff member who dealt with me was a man over forty, who gave me a strange look at first, then changed to a somber one, and informed me. That student is no longer with us, he spoke in a hushed tone of voice. “Because he passed away last month.”

Judging from his manner of speaking, Kouhei Niijima apparently committed suicide. Of course, he didn't give me any details as to why or where. I had no way to ask any more questions. I said a word of thanks and left the student affairs office at a loss.

That note really had been written by a person who had died.

There were signs that a few pages inside the notebook had been ripped out, and that matched with the first note I had found. The question was, why did it manifest in front of me in its entirety? And the words Yoishi had mentioned: ‘Rororo’, what did they mean?

In the early afternoon, I sat down on the bench in the courtyard. There, I opened the weathered, dark-red notebook. Rather than using it as a schedule notebook, Kouhei Niijima seemed to be have been using it more to write casual notes. Passing my eyes over the descriptions on the first page, I found out that he was a freshman like me, belonging to the Japanese Literature Department. His hometown was Hirosaki in Aomori, and on the first few pages, he laments endlessly about being homesick and how he couldn’t make any friends.

Before I realized, I had become absorbed in reading the notebook.

Kouhei Niijima was working part-time at a convenience store. He couldn’t hide his peculiar Aomori accent, which often made the customers laugh, but troubled him. He seemed to be somewhat introverted, and didn’t hang out with any of his colleagues from work. Even in the university’s linguistic class, he didn’t have any people he was close to, and was always hanging out at the library. The books he had read and his brief impressions on them were jotted down. I knew about Osamu Dazai and Shuji Terayama, but when it came to Yojiro Ishizaka, Ujaku Akita, and Zenzo Kasai, well, I wasn’t particularly a literary enthusiast so I didn’t know those names. According to the description, apparently all the authors were from Aomori. As if he were nostalgic for his hometown, Kouhei Niijima seemed to have collected and read their writings.

His day was almost entirely made up of waking up at the boarding house, going to university, and either going to his part-time job, or spending time in the library. There was no account of him going anywhere for fun, or talking with anyone. Just the things he ate, and the books he read, that was all. With the impressions I got from his meticulous handwriting, the loneliness of his life was vividly depicted in my mind. I myself felt anxious the first few weeks after I moved out of Shizuoka. There were so many people in the city, and I didn't know any of them. I was always threatened that Tokyo would be a scary place to live, and in fact, looking at the unending crowds in front of the station even at night, I felt that time passed differently than back home. However, I had ‘Ikaigabuchi’. A group of like-minded people who spent twenty-four hours gleefully discussing some paranormal thing or another. Even if I didn’t get along well with anyone in my class, and even if I didn’t belong to any club, as long as I could read the bizarre stories there, my loneliness would be alleviated. But Kouhei Niijima didn’t seem to use the internet, and although he had a cell phone, he hardly ever seemed to use it. I guess books were his only friend -- I sighed. Well, I guess there is meaningfulness in spending the first period of your life with nothing but solitude and literature as your friend, but I don’t think I could do it. If you kill yourself after all, that meaningfulness will never flourish.

As I continued flipping through the pages, feeling somewhat depressed, in the middle of the notebook, I found a page with a single line written.

『I met her today.』

There was just one line on that page.

In the dull accounts of the notebook, that line out stood out.

Hey, hey, hey, is it suddenly turning into a love story?

Even if that’s the case, these notes are from someone who committed suicide. I thought it would continue to get darker and increasingly depressing, but that line captivated my interest. However, mentions of the ‘girl’ didn’t increase from there on. There were only occasional mentions of greeting her, or making eye contact. I found myself rooting for Kouhei Niijima the more and more I read. Like, ‘Hey, hurry up and talk to her already!’ Even in his somewhat detached writings, I felt that Kouhei Niijima was taken in by that ‘girl’. Finally, after a few pages, I saw an account that said that the girl had an interesting way of thinking. Then it concludes by saying that she is indeed an extremely interesting girl. I was already skimming vigorously ahead, chasing mentions of the ‘girl’. At any rate, she seemed to be a slender, beautiful girl, and she seems to be intelligent -- but the whole picture is a bit vague. It was hard to infer whether Kouhei Niijima was indifferent or whether the girl had no distinctive features. Then, without any particular event happening with her, the accounts continued in a matter-of-fact manner, until I finally landed on a blank page. When I turned the page, I found that one had been torn out.

“…What the hell is this?”

I uttered, and then remembered: ‘Oh, right’, I took out the two scraps of paper from the notebook I had picked up earlier.

I matched the torn parts to the notebook, and it looked like that the latter scrap I picked up with 『I see, The book was the origin.』had been written first. But when I compared the contents of that scrap of paper to the contents of the previous page, it was quite incomprehensible. I mean, the notebook is like a bunch of random memos jotted down, so it’s filled with parts which don’t make much sense, but I felt that the appearance of that ‘book’, was too sudden. Continuing a few pages after that, the book didn’t make an appearance again, it just alternated between the girl, his part-time job, and the food he ate. And then, another ripped page appeared. I matched the remaining note, 『Am I the one reading the book?』It matched perfectly. However, that too was incomprehensible. Neither the book’s title nor his impressions were written down. And that was Kouhei Niijima’s last entry. Only about a third of the notebook remained, the rest of which was blank.

“The book is the origin… the origin of what?”

I closed the notebook, and looked up.

Before I had realized, the palm of my hand had gotten sweaty, I wiped it on my jeans.

I was so immersed in the world of the notebook to the point where I had forgotten where I was for a moment.

Nearby, on the lawn of the campus courtyard, a group of students were laughing loudly. They had a lot of tennis bags next to them, so I surmised that they belonged to a tennis group. The bitterness etched in the notebook, and the cheerful laughter of the group members was in complete contrast to each other.

And -- that just made Kouhei Niijima's loneliness all the more apparent.

What lay in the palm of my hand, was the life of a man who was already dead. It was the fragment of a man who, until a month ago, was living, worrying, eating, and reading.

Kotodama – why did Yoishi say those things? But she was right. There was still a hint of him in here. If you’d open the notebook, his presence would linger in the air. But Kouhei Niijima, there might be something you want to say, but, It’s impossible for me. I’m a special kind of coward. I've had this happen to me before, and I suffered greatly for getting too emotionally involved.

“…I’m sorry.”

Apologizing, I softly put down the notebook on the bench.

Immediately, I stood up and walked away without looking back. I shoved my hands in my pockets, and took a few steps as I were running away, and then – a voice called out to me.

“Hey, you there.”

It was an overly-familiar voice, one I‘d heard somewhere before.

“You forgot your notebook.”

…Damn it. I was found out.

With those sorts of regrets, I turned around--

And there was a somewhat familiar figure of a tall and lanky man. He was dressed in a cool, indigo-dyed kinagashi, and with a smile on his white, smooth face, he was looking at me.

“Ah, you’re—”

“Yo, it’s been a while.”

The man approached me with a grin, picked up the dark-red notebook I'd intentionally left behind on the bench, and held it out to me.

“What a coincidence to see you again.”

His white face was set like a kabuki stage actors’, and he was stroking his thin, shallow beard. And his seemingly friendly smile reminded me of something akin to physiological disgust. I felt a chill, as if I had seen a fox in human form during broad daylight.

That’s right, it was the man who had once guided Yoishi and me to the world of dreams. He seemed to be Krishna-san’s teacher, a dweller of the world beyond.

“W-what are you doing in my university?”

The man in Japanese clothing replied with a grin as he kept his hands in his pockets.

“What? I'm just here looking for something.”

“Something?”

“A book.”

My heart thudded painfully at those words.

“I’m searching for a mysterious book in this school. It’s called ‘Rororo’ -- and it seems, if you read it, you’ll die.”

His words -- caused my vision to go blurry.

------

“Long story short, this school is distorted.”

The man wearing a kinagashi peered at me with fox-like eyes and declared.

“It’s hopelessly distorted. I don’t know if everyone is aware of it, but it was probably that way since its foundation. Well, I guess it’s not fair to blame such old distortions on you students here in the present...”

The man, who had been yammering on and on to that point, suddenly stopped speaking.

“But hey, this sure is some good coffee jelly!”

We were in the university coffee shop on the second floor of the students’ hall.

I couldn't say no to the man's pushy invitation, so the both of us came here.

“I mean, for a coffee shop in a university, this is first-class. Not only are the fresh cream and ice cream perfectly proportioned, but what’s more, you can really taste the flavor of the coffee in the jelly. I mean, as long as there’s ‘coffee’ in the name, it's the least you can do, but how many coffee shops just ignore that?”

It was already his third coffee jelly. He complimented her so many times, that the old lady from the coffee shop wearing the white, triangle bandana kept blushing like a schoolgirl.

“You're a nice man, but you're also a smooth talker.”

“No, no, not at all, this really is delicious.”

The man smiled at the old lady amiably and continued by adding:

“To do what is obvious and to do it well. It may not stand out, and it’s not something that’s instantly appreciated, but I think that’s where the foundation of human beauty lies. To think that there are women in this university who do such a great job. It's truly a wonderful thing.”

“Would you like one more? It’s on the house.”

“Oh, thank you, so very much.”

“Hey!”

That's right when I butted in.

“Enough with the coffee jelly already. Tell me, why is our school distorted? What the hell is up with that book called ‘Rororo’?”

“Now, now, please just calm down.”

He then took a last sip of the coffee jelly somewhat regretfully, and took out something from his pocket.

“I still haven’t introduced myself properly, yet.”

He presented me with a pure white business card. In black letters, what lay printed there was:

【Sako Takita, Chief Priest of Okitachi Inari Shrine】

I flipped it over to see that there was no address, nor phone number. It was all very suspicious.

“Okifuto…Katana? Sakyo?”<ref>Reading some Japanese places and names in kanji can be difficult which is why he is confused here.</ref>

“Sako Takita, Okitachi Inari Shrine.”

Saying that, the man ---- Sako Takita, took out another business card and handed it over to me.

【The owner of the antique store: Kouroudou, Sako Takito】

This one had the store’s phone number and address written on it.

“This one is another title. I guess it works better in Tokyo.”

“Hold on a second. You’re a chief priest, but you’re also a businessman?”

“Well, there’s no reason why a chief priest can’t run a business. It’s tough running a religious group these days. Especially shrines with no parishioners, they’re barely scraping by. Some of them have even opened up fancy sweet cafes on temple grounds.”

With a look of contentment, Sako then took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He let out a carefree puff of smoke and I panicked.

“Hey! Smoking isn’t allowed here.”

“Ah, is that so? Then is there a place where it is allowed?”

The old lady in the coffee shop, who seemed to have taken a liking to Sako, said the veranda would be fine, and pointed to a seat at the back of the room.

Sako stood up, took the ashtray the old lady handed out to him, and quickly moved to a seat in the veranda. It couldn’t be helped, I sighed, as I followed suit.

“Hmm, this is a pretty good university.”

While gazing at the rear garden, bristled with tall trees, Sako leisurely smoked his cigarette.

“As expected of a historical school building in Musashino. The greenery of the zelkova trees dazzles in your eyes, and the serene construction of the school buildings all give me a sense of gravity and history. And aren’t all the female students so lovely? I’m quite jealous.”

A few female students were sitting at the edge of the balcony, all staring at Sako’s kinagashi dress in amazement. Moreover, being praised face to face by a cunning fox-like smile was doubly effective. The female students exchanged glances with each other, whispering in glee.

“Look, just get to the point.” I sat in the chair in front of him and grumbled.

“You’re a hasty one, aren’t you?”

Sako gave an exaggerated sigh.

“As I said before, It’s a distortion. This school has been messed up since its foundation. It was incorporated through conglomerate funds, and a Christian religious organization was also involved in its founding, so it may be difficult for many issues to come to the surface, but – don’t you see? It's unstable, isn't it? It’s a building built up with the wrong foundation which was then continually expanded. That's why the atmosphere here is so grim and why there are so many suicides.”

My heart raced at those words. The word ‘suicide’ was bitter to swallow, as I was immersed in reading about the fragments of Kouhei Niijima's life just a little while ago.

“For example… Can you see that?”

Sako suddenly leaned over the railing and pointed somewhere. It was a bushy area at the back of the library. A dimly lit place of evergreen trees about the height of a man’s waist.

“What’s wrong with that place?”

“Look carefully, can’t you see anything in the hedge?”

I squinted my eyes, and sure enough, there was something in the bushes: whitish, and stone like – what is that?

“Not many students or even faculty members here know about it, but that’s a memorial tower.”

“M-memorial tower?”

“I believe it’s from around sixty years ago, just after the end of the Pacific War. It was built to memorialize a boy who died at this school. But look at it now. It’s wrapped in such thick bushes that I can’t even get close to it. Anyway, I don’t like this kind of thing. If you build a memorial, you should honor it, and if you don't want to honor it, you shouldn't build it in the first place. Surrounding the cenotaph with a hedge, it’s like you’re sealing up the past.”

…That’s right. I mean, I didn’t even know there was a memorial tower there, and if I hadn’t been told, I wouldn’t have noticed it even if I were here till graduation.

“Anyway, I don't want to speak ill of this school in front of the current students, but this school does not properly treat the dead. Instead of directly confronting what happened, they just pretend it never happened, and repeatedly try to cover it up. Even if you put a lid on it, the truth doesn’t disappear.”

With a gulp -- I asked:

“So then, what exactly is that dangerous book called ‘Rororo’?”

“Hmm...”

Thereupon, Sako leaned back deeply in his chair. He took a puff from his cigarette, then smothered it out in the ashtray, then intently fixed his eyes on me.

“Have you heard about taboo words?”

“…Eh?”

“Judging from your expression, I can tell you have. That’s right, there are words in this world that drive a deep wedge into people's thoughts and unconsciously control their actions. If words that empower people are the yang, then taboo words are the yin.”

“No… It was about that, wasn’t it? Like Kameari being called Kamenashi, or the numbers nine or four not being used by hospitals, because they were bad luck or something, right?”

When I conveyed Yoishi’s words to him, Sako gave a faint smile.

“That’s right. There are simple ones like that, and then there are more sophisticated ones. The ones that you can recognize just by looking at them or hearing them aren’t as threatening as taboo words. The ones that pose a problem are those that you don't even perceive as taboo words when you see or hear them.”

“Don't even perceive...?”

“It unwittingly traps us in a maze of thoughts and amplifies the negative thoughts within us. It is a word that is best not to know. And I believe that ‘Rororo’ is probably a book that particularly consists of dangerous taboo words. Words that are better left unknown.”

“W-what the hell is such a book doing in this university?”

I asked in a voice that was beginning to tremble, and Sako just shook his head, ‘Who knows’.

“Someone must have put it here. At first glance, it’s indistinguishable from other books, but it was secretly mixed in among the ordinary books in this university’s library. However, if you were to read it once, you’d be bound by the taboo words. You wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the writing, and end up being dragged inside the world of the story. In the end, you’d lose sight of the border between reality and fantasy, and be taken to the world beyond.”

Sako’s low voice seemed to drift in the air, and I grabbed my knees firmly. I felt If I didn’t keep a tight grasp on my spirit, I would be taken somewhere bizarre.

“That book has a certain peculiarity. The person who reads it would continue to repeat a single thing until their demise: ‘Rororo’. That's why the book was conveniently named ‘Rororo’. It’s strange, isn’t it? What does ‘Rororo’ indicate, exactly? Why do you end up muttering ‘Rororo’? You have to read it to find out, but if you do, you'll die.”

He then chuckled, took out another cigarette and lit it with a match.

The scent of the ignited cigarette, together with a strong, sweet aroma drifted on the wind.

“…So?”

“Hmm?”

“So why are you telling me all this?”

“I’d like you to help me. That book is in this school’s library. I know where it is, and I just need you to bring it to me.”

“…What the hell are you saying?”

“The school administrators knew about the existence of that book. Well, they might have been skeptical, but they were trying to pretend it didn't happen every time. However, there have been so many suspicious deaths at this school that they finally decided to do something about it. In other words, I was called here by someone at the top; my task being to retrieve the book.”

“W-why does it have to be me? I mean, does Krishna-san know about this?”

“If it's about 'Rororo,' then she doesn't know. The fact that there are so many suicides - well, I don't know what she knows because I'm not her, but she's smart. I'm sure she's sensed it.”

Thereupon, Sako brought his face towards me and spoke in hushed tone:

“But you know, I don't want her to be involved this time. Because she's been on the verge of breaking down over something like this once...”

“Huh?”

“Five years ago, you see. She got too involved, and it nearly destroyed her. That was the first time I met her.”

--Nearly destroyed?

--A person like Krishna-san?

“T-time out. Having me do something dangerous like that is impossible!”

“What? It’s no problem. You just have to avoid reading it.”

Sako spat out such irresponsible bullshit.

“For better or worse, I'm deeply involved in the Shinto priesthood, and everything I wear, the words I say, and the way I behave is heavily tinged with the influence of the divine. There’s a high possibility that just getting close to it will purify the spirituality of the book. This time, I merely wish to retrieve it. The book as it is. Who placed such troubling taboo words in the book, and why? Everything needs to rectified from the source.”

“No, I refuse. There’s no way I can do it. In the first place, My –”

In a trembling voice, I shouted without care for my surroundings.

“My mind is still in the rehab phase!”

No, it was a little too late to say that. Up to this point, I'd been involved with the Clock Tower and the Miiko Incident, two incidents that were related to the world beyond. Before I realized, I’d been associating with Yoishi as if it were completely normal. And If I were to go and get this book that ‘If you read, you’ll die’, I’m sure I’ll exceed some kind of limit.

And in response –

“Did Kurimoto-kun tell you that?”

Sako gave a pleasant smile.

“Rehabilitation of the mind, huh? Yeah, that sounds like something she would say. Kurimoto-kun seems to be very protective of you.”

I don't know if she’s protective of me or not, but at any rate, I was the completely wrong person for the job, so I firmly shook my head and refused.

“You’re going to refuse no matter what?”

“Yes, there’s no way I’m gonna do it.”

I nodded vigorously, and then Sako eventually spoke, as if he recalled something.

“Well, it can’t be helped, I guess I’ll just have to ask that girl.”

“That girl?”

“Hmm, what was her name again? That pale young lady with the dark hair, who looks like a medieval bisque doll?”

“Hey…wait a minute. Are you talking about Yoishi?”

“That’s right, Mitsurugi Yoishi-kun. How nostalgic. I wonder if you still have the pleasure of meeting her.”

I silently glared at Sako, who quickly corrected himself.

“Or in your case, should I say…displeasure…?”

“The hell did you say?”

“She’s interesting. Truly interesting. I don’t hold that much interest in people, but she's the most interesting person I've met in the past six months. I guess you could compare it to the mystique of holding an old and used… religious magic item ---Ah, that was rude. I don't know how to say it, but due to my profession, I have a bad habit of looking at things in terms of whether they can be used as a catalyst or not.”

With eyes resembling a thousand-year-old fox, Sako gazed at me and then spoke:

“Say, could you ask her to do a favor for me?”

----------

“Screw that bastard!”

In the coffee shop on the second floor in front of the station, I fumed to myself as I poured in a large amount of milk and sugar into my coffee.

After what happened, I had stood up and stormed out of there and headed straight for the station. I still had some time before my part-time job started, so I decided to head to that coffee shop again. It was only after I had entered inside was when I remembered that this was the place where that ghost in the striped shirt -- Kouhei Niijima had been, but it was too late to go back out now. However, I was relieved to see that the atmosphere in the store was as calm as ever and there were quite a few customers. For the time being, I took a seat by the window, far away from the seat I had taken the other day, and was fuming by myself after I recalled Sako’s words.

To begin with, it’s just wrong to ask Yoishi to collect that book. If she knew there was a book that would kill her if she read it, her eyes would light up, and she’d declare something like: ‘Oh, how wonderful’, and end up insatiably reading it to the last line in no time. In the end, what if she ends up dead like Kouhei Niijima? Will that bastard Sako take responsibility? Already, Yoishi is standing out even less than usual. She’s always brooding by herself, and it felt like if I were to take my eyes of her, she could disappear from this world.

“But you know…”

I looked down on the palm of my hand holding piece of paper, and sighed.

It was handed to me by Sako. In it were written instructions on how to ascertain which book is ‘Rororo’ in the library and such. According to him, the book is on a unique spiritual level and can thus be recognized.

“It's surely not a good thing to have a book like that in the library forever.”

I muttered to myself and held my head in my hands.

Kouhei Niijima, a student from the country-side like me, committed suicide on a certain day.

Kouhei Niijima, who had few friends, who was fond of spending time in the library, died after leaving a description about a certain book. In short, Kouhei Niijima, who committed suicide, found the book that Sako’s looking for: ‘Rororo,’ the book that kills anyone who reads it. Thus, he got bound by some sort of taboo words and ended up killing himself, is how it all happened, right?

Words that bind people --- I'm not sure if that's possible, but I don't have enough arguments to deny it at this point. The ghost Yoishi saw was muttering ‘Rororo’ with its mouth. Supposing the two of them didn’t conspire to scare me beforehand, there was no way it was a coincidence.

Unable to think straight, I sighed and gazed out of the window.

The weather had become worse while I was on the way here, and it was raining already.

On the arcade street in front of the station, a lot of shoppers were drenched from the sudden downpour. In the eaves of a commercial building, a few people were taking shelter from the rain, looking up at the sky. And among them, I suddenly caught sight of a girl, wearing the uniform of our affiliated high school. She was a tall and slender, a beautiful girl with a somewhat dignified look. I checked my watch. It was still 2 pm. Aren’t high school classes still on? I wondered, but oh well, I looked away. In the first place, my institute is distorted. I'm going through a lot, and everyone is going through a lot. If I intervene in other people's affairs every single time, it’ll be too much for me to bear.

But speaking of distortions, Sako also mentioned that there were many suicides. I’d heard a couple of rumors about that, too. The first one happened while I was back in Fujieda for my summer vacation. A girl from our university killed herself in a boy’s bathroom somewhere. Another incident that supposedly happened a few years ago, was when a housewife from a neighboring town came all the way to our university grounds and burned herself to death. But I didn’t witness either of those incidents, and neither did any acquaintance of mine. It's just one of the rumors floating around within the school. But if what Sako said is true, and the school culture is one where everything is swept under the rug, then few students would have heard about it.

"This school is distorted."

Sako's words seemed to express what I had vaguely felt about this university. Everything ended before it even began. I can't help but feel that same sense of isolation. Then there's some person who deliberately created a book that would kill you if you read it, and placed it in the school's library. For me, that's the kind of crazy behavior that’s enough to make my heart turn cold.

"It seems... I ended up entering an unpleasant university."

Before I realized it, those bitter emotions had once again surged up inside me. Thanks to Krishna-san, I had begun to believe that this university was a place where people were responsible for themselves, and I could enjoy myself any way I wanted as long as I kept myself together -- all that had transformed into bitterness, as if I had just discovered that someone had kicked over a new bike I had just bought.

I recalled the emotion that Yoishi detested enough to make her vomit: the 'malice' that humans carry.

That dark feeling, which once killed the heart of Yoishi Mitsurugi.

"Because she's been on the verge of breaking down over something like this once...”

And I recalled Sako's words at the same time.

Does that mean that like Yoishi, something terrible happened to Krishna-san in the past? Does it mean that there was an incident that would have caused her heart to collapse? Sako had mentioned that it happened five years ago. And that that was the time when he and Krishna-san first met.

Let's see, Krishna-san is twenty years old right now -- so it would have been around her third year of junior high school or first year of high school. About the same age as Yoishi is now. What the hell could have happened back then? I hate to imagine that Krishna-san, who's so wise and strong, could be so easily broken. To me, she's like a Bodhisattva<ref> (Buddhist term) bodhisattva; one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha</ref>, a Mary, a guardian angel. Just knowing something once existed that was enough to drive her to the verge of collapse, it makes my stomach feel as heavy as if I'd swallowed concrete.

I shook my head, and then…

I felt someone’s gaze upon me, and when I looked up, I noticed a high school girl sitting directly across from me in the seat where Yoishi and I had sat on the other day. Even though she was sitting down, she looked as slender as a model. Her shoulder-length, short haircut looked very appealing.

“…Huh?”

I looked outside the window once more.

Wasn’t she the girl who was just outside taking shelter from the rain? I wonder if she came inside this coffee shop because the rain didn't look like it was gonna stop. I stole a glance at her once more; she looked out the window as if to turn her eyes away from me. There’s no doubt about it. It’s the same girl with the Koumei school uniform. Her white blouse and black tie were slightly wet, and her bangs were still sticking to her forehead.

The young girl ordered something from the store employees, and then silently took out a book. After that she quietly kept looking down at the book. I also took out my textbook on Introduction to Economics, which I hadn't even read, from my bag and opened it. I felt like if I didn't open a book in response, I wouldn't know what to do with my time.

In fact, for some reason, I kept stealing glances at her.

How can I explain it? --- I thought she was really beautiful. It was partially that, but also because I felt that this slow passage of time was beautiful. Outside, the filth of the city was gently being washed away by the rain, and inside the store, the sound of mellow piano music drifted in the air. The image of a young girl looking down at a book with an intelligent gaze was very picturesque.

Whether she was skipping school or not, I concluded that it was the proper thing to do. It’s fine if it’s only once a week, and maybe I need to have this kind of time too. And then, all of a sudden, the thought came crashing down on me.

The reason why Kouhei Niijima couldn’t speak to the ‘girl’ in the library.

Perhaps he was in the same state of mind as I am now.

Kouhei Niijima must have seen a certain girl in the library. That girl was also always in the library, and she might have been somewhat lonely. And a library is a place that carries a unique atmosphere. The scent given off by countless books. Books that had been carefully read for a long period of time, and the quiet fervor given off by the people who concentrate on the words within. In this world, vivid romantic fantasies are just a hindrance. However, they do notice each other. They notice each other, but they don’t want to destroy that beautiful, harmonious world. That border that lies between the two, how should I say it? I feel like it’s a sparkling jewel in the crown of life.

In fact, if you were to ask me if I could talk to the beautiful girl who was so focused on her book in front of me, I would say that it was quite impossible. It was like a fear at the idea of mixing a foreign substance like myself into something that was already perfect.

--So that’s how it was.

I finally realized.

Kouhei Niijima wasn’t cowardly, or introverted -- he was undoubtedly, more sensitive than most people. The moment I realized that, the tip of my nose twitched. I felt the clumsy and sincere nature of the deceased Kohei Niijima, I felt we could have been friends, and although it was too late now, I regretted his death.

“You left too soon…”

I muttered in a tone that was a mixture of sorrow and affection. When –

Some kind of words, reached my ear.

When I checked, it was the young girl, muttering something with her lips. It could be that she was so engrossed in the book that she was unconsciously mouthing the lines of the characters in the story. Or, it could be that she found a phrase in the book that struck a chord in her heart.

I just gazed at her with a pleasant feeling.

I admired the movement of her lips, her long eyelashes that were cast down.

Eventually, she looked up. Her eyes met mine head-on. It was so natural, though, that I didn't feel the need to look away. I ended up staring back at her as if I was entangled in her eyes. Her eyes… were exceedingly black, and in the depths of those black eyes, I felt there was another, deeper color. How many shades did black have? I wondered, when I suddenly noticed.

Her lips moved. She kept murmuring something slowly. And then, the words reached me.

What were those words? I couldn't remember anymore.

And I would later find out that around this time –

A large number of tadpoles had rained down on Kichijouji station.

------

"What are you smiling about, Nagi-kun?"

The next day, during lunch break, Krishna-san looked at me and asked.

"Eh? Is that so...?"

Stroking my own face, I realized I was in a pleasant mood. Why was it, though? I wondered, and it came down to the beautiful girl in the coffee shop yesterday. 'Oh, it's nothing', I muttered in embarrassment. Krishna-san didn't care for the subject anymore and was already taking out a lot of materials from the cabinet. For some reason, there was a tremendous amount of clutter in the usually neat and tidy club room.

"Did something happen?"

I asked, and Krishna-san replied with a disgruntled look.

"Well, a lot of things. But the main problem is the incident in Kichijouji yesterday."

"...Incident?"

"You didn't hear? It happened again, this time in the north entrance of Kichijouji station, a large number of tadpoles were seen hopping on the street."

"R-really? Is it the strange rain again?"

"We won't know if it's the real thing until we investigate. At any rate, be it a harbinger of a natural disaster, or an omen signaling the end of the earth, this kind of situation has brought out the trolls en masse on the message boards. The server is overloaded with all these mixtures of fact and fiction being posted. I can't even finish updating the damn site with the article you translated for me."

Continually grumbling about such things, 'Ah, where was it?' Krisna-san now began to rummage through the shelves.

"What are you looking for? I'll help."

"No, it's fine. This is a personal thing."

While saying that, 'But it's been so hot recently', Krishna-san wiped the sweat off her face with the towel around her neck. Her faintly flushed face was still childish, healthy, and cute as ever. The light blue checkered short-sleeved dress also looked really good on her. I guess I was relieved to see Krishna-san looking the same as always. I decided to casually broach the subject that was weighing on my mind.

"Um, is it ok if you ask you something?"

"...Hm?"

"It's about your master, the guy who came to my house before -- the one who lives in Aomori, is always wearing a Kinagashi, and is always acting smug with a smooth face."

"Oh, you mean Sako. What about him?"

"Is he someone you can trust?"

Krishna-san pushed up her slipping red glasses with her middle finger, and chuckled.

"Well, he's quite an odd one, but he's trustworthy."

"Which part, exactly?"

"Hmmm..."

The petite occult site manager folded her arms and pondered.

"When I think about it, yeah... There were many times when he offered me a treat but I ended up paying up instead, there were many books I lent him that he never returned, and there have been times when I was peeked at while in the bath."

"Wai--Peeked at? What do you mean?"

"Ah, it's not like that. See, I sometimes stay at Takita-san's shrine for spine correction. They have an open-air style bath over there."

In a panic, Krishna-san tried explain things, but jealousy flared up inside me in the face of her petite, yet voluptuous body.

"I-Isn't that completely untrustworthy?! Krishna-san, are you sure you're not being deceived? Aren't you being targeted as a woman?"

“No, you can trust that person when it comes to ghost related matters. The Okitachi Inari Shrine, where Takita-san is the chief priest, has been famous since ancient times for its ability to ward off evil spirits, but he himself is not from the original family of priests. In addition, he not only studies Shintoism, but all kinds of exorcism methods from all kinds of sects. In other words, um ...... The reason why he's so odd is probably due to his strict training."

"So, he's just a twisted man, after all."

"Well, I guess you could say that... but why are you asking about Takita-san, anyway?"

"E....Eh, That's--"

Being asked in reverse, I hesitated. And I remembered that bastard Sako not wanting to involve Krishna-san in this matter. I suppose it would be better to keep the fact that we met on campus yesterday a secret.

"Well... You see, now that I've become a member of 'Ikaigabuchi', I ought to know what kind of person the website's boss calls master."

"Ah, I see."

Krishna-san nodded, and then cast her eyes downwards.

Her face seen from the side, staring silently off into the distance, was seemingly sad, gentle, and wore a somewhat strange feeling of transparency. I wondered if I had asked something wrong, but at the same time, behind those eyes, I felt I caught a glimpse of Krishna-san that I didn't know, and I almost moved my hand to reach for her shoulder. I was about to shake her slender shoulders and blurt out something inappropriate like, 'Please don't keep secrets from me.'

However--

"A long time ago, another personality almost took over my body."

Eventually, Krishna-san muttered in a slightly trembling tone.

".....Huh?"

"That personality was extremely overpowering, to the point where I almost lost my true self. That person helped me back then -- well, at any rate, if he wasn't there for me back then, I'm sure I wouldn't be here talking to you like this. And then, I regularly have the airways in my spine adjusted. It's said that that's where the ghosts come in through.”

"What..."

What --- kind of incident was that?

I was about to ask, but those words failed to leave my mouth. That's just how dark and somber Krishna's face looked right now. For some reason, it reminded me of the remains of a fruit that had completely dried up into a crumbly heap. What was once a juicy, ripe fruit will always rot away once it leaves its roots and becomes abandoned. Right now, Krishna-san was perfectly healthy, but even this person was a living being, and her health was maintained by a precipitous balance -- such strange, tearful thoughts welled up inside me.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

She must have noticed the worried look on my face, as she smiled.

"I'm fine now. The only problems I have now are eating too much in my three meals a day, and when I feel ghosts close by, my heart is strong knowing that the living are much stronger. I'm no longer so weak as to be deceived by them anymore."

Then she patted me on the shoulder.

"You're the one I'm worried about."

"...Huh? Me?"

"Yeah. You seem to have adjusted to the university quite well, but keep in mind that you're still in the process of rehabilitation. You need to look at the world more broadly, not just the occult. Make friends, find a girlfriend, indulge in food, scenery, movies, books and music. Anything is fine. Move your heart with emotion."

"Move... my heart?"

"That's exactly right."

Krishna-san gave a broad grin.

"Everything that adds flair to your life will definitely strengthen your heart and make it stronger,"

Her soft smile filled my heart as if it were spreading throughout.

---------

When I left the club room, I was filled with courage.

After receiving Krishna-san's words – coupled together with a feeling similar to enlightenment I received at the coffee shop yesterday finally took shape in my heart. I felt as if I had peeked into a part of Kouhei Niijima’s heart, and with resolve, I had finally decided to help Sako out. Help him in retrieving the book that would kill you if you read it – ‘Rororo’. But that definitely wasn’t for Sako’s sake. It was more of a feeling of wanting revenge.

Kouhei Niijima.

A first-year university student like me, who came alone from Aomori, lived his life earnestly without the support of any friends, with the books in the library his only friends, and in his last days, ended up encountering some kind of cursed book. If things had been slightly different, I might have ended up just like him. But, despite both of us having come from the countryside, I had the occult by my side. I had ‘Ikaigabuchi’, And even when I found myself in the depths of the other world, I met Krishna-san, who was always strong. It was something I couldn’t help but love, and I met a good person along the way. That’s why, I was able to crawl up from the bottom of the deep darkness that time.

I don’t know what Kouhei Niijima wants to tell me, but being linked by fate, I ended up picking up his note. Shouldn't I at least accept that? Shouldn’t I at least lend a helping hand in finishing off that book once and for all? As for ‘Rororo,’ Sako said it wouldn’t be a problem as long as you didn’t read it. I don’t quite trust him, but he knows how to remove the book from the library, and right now, I’m the only one in this university who can do it. If I just let it be, that book might kill someone else again. With those kind of fired up emotions serving as my motivation, I had finally arrived here, but –

“Man… I’m just an idiot.”

I muttered to myself as I wriggled in the pitch-dark space where it was impossible to even twist my body.

It was almost 10 pm.

In this dark and narrow space, my determination quickly began to waver. I was at the Koumei institute library, inside a locker in reading room number four, and I was desperately holding in my urge to pee.

What the hell was I doing in such a place?

Okay, let me answer that.

I arrived at the library feeling a strong sense of duty, and that's when I took my first proper look at the paper Sako had given me. And therein, I found a sentence, telling me to perform the ritual at night. Apparently, for a novice like me, it would be half as effective if I did it in the daytime. I should have looked through it earlier, but I originally had no intention of going through with it so please let's not get into that.

However, sneaking into the library late at night was not such a trifling matter. The security guards would be roaming about, and on top of that, at the entrance of the library, there's a machine which checks you in with your student ID. It was made so that anyone affiliated with the institute, whether they were university students or high school students, could enter the library, but in my case, it was very troublesome. Even if you go inside and hide somewhere to wait for the library to close, you'll be found out since there's a record of your entry.

Well then, what should I do? After racking my brain, I carried out the plan. Just before closing time, I used my student ID to enter and break into the number four reading room where the guard had just finished checking the door. There, I unlocked the window, left and held up my student ID to the machine at the entrance, and left the building. That's how I cleared my entry record. That made it as if I wasn't inside. After that I waited for the library to close, and clambered up the window to sneak back into the number four reading room.

Well, so far, so good. But even though I had taken the day off from my part-time job and snuck in after nine o'clock, there were still people in the library. The super-serious librarians were working overtime for some reason. So, I had no choice but to kill time by hiding in a locker in the number four reading room– but, I made the bitter mistake of not using the toilet beforehand.

“Arghhh…”

It was past ten o’clock, my urge to pee was already at its limit.

I slowly opened the door of the locker. I held my breath and peeked at my surroundings; all I could hear was a pin drop silence. It seemed the librarians had already gone home. I proceeded to open the door of the number four reading room as well, after confirming once again that there was no sign of anyone inside the library, I rushed across the corridor towards the toilet at the back of the entrance.

“…Ahhh.”

My mind felt at peace for a while as I listened to the raw sound of my urine trickling down.

I finally felt comfortable and was in a daze, but then I finally realized the reality of the situation I was in.

I was without a doubt, in a toilet, late at night.

What’s alarming was the fact that I was most creeped out by ghost stories set in a toilet late at night.

Ghosts are said to gather around watering places. Also known as a bathrooms. The famous ghost stories like Hanako-san<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanako-san</ref>, Aka Manto<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aka_Manto</ref> and Kashima san<ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teke_Teke</ref> are all set in the toilet. I don't know if that's the reason why, but toilets at the dead of night are exceptionally terrifying. The sound of water always dripping down from somewhere, and the light blue wall tiles along with the mirror next to the washstand scare me for no reason. But what scared me most of all --- were the three toilet stalls in the back. Their doors were all open, but I absolutely did not want to look inside.

As my thoughts drifted on such things, I started to worry about what was behind me. Delusions ran through my mind about a blue face staring at me from the toilet stall.

With tears in my eyes, I vehemently did my best to shake off the thought,

Emptying my mind, I desperately tried to think happy thoughts -- however, I still ended up recalling it. I recalled the story of a female student killing herself in a men's restroom during the summer vacation.

--Hey, that surely didn't happen here, right?

To begin with, the mysteriousness of a female student dying in the men's bathroom is eerie. It strangely stimulates my imagination about the darkness of the dead person's mind. Yoishi once said it as well. That the real ghost stories have a subtle lack of cohesion. There is a sense of discomfort in them, as if the important parts have been skipped, and the only thing that makes up for it is a theory based on the other side.

...You've gotta be kidding me.

Doesn't that mean it has all the ingredients for being the real deal?

I felt impatient at how long it was taking me to pee, and then proceeded to run out of the bathroom without even washing my hands. I ran straight down the corridor to reading room number one without looking back, relying on the light from my cell phone to guide me.

"Let's just hurry up and get this over with."

However, in front of reading room number one, when I thrust my hand in my pockets to take out the piece of paper Sako had given me, I realized. It was gone. The paper was gone.

"Dude, are you serious?"

Without that paper, what did I struggle all this way for?

Even when I turned both my pockets inside out, I found nothing. I checked every part my wallet. Nothing. Neither was it stuck anywhere in Kouhei Niijima's notebook. The only thing I could think of was that I dropped it somewhere. In the locker, or in the toilet. And I really didn't wanna go back to the toilet.

I was alone and teary-eyed as I thought about it, when --

"I never get tired of watching you."

Hearing a sudden voice from behind me, I jumped.

"At that rate, you'll never have a boring life."

As I fell down, I looked behind me and saw -- Sako Takita.

His indigo blue kinagashi melded into the darkness, and his white face alone remained eerily visible. I don't know where he came from, but there he was, his smooth face had a smile of satisfaction as he held small penlight.

"W...why, are you...?"

"Why? I came because you refused, after all. Ahh, that window from reading room number four really helped, by the way. So that was thanks to you."

He spoke in in a relaxed manner, and held his hand out to me. I stood up to brush his hand away and yelled at him in a low-key manner, taking into consideration the fact that it was late at night, and we were trespassing.

"...W, what the hell?! If you could have done it yourself then why didn't you do it from the start?!"

"It's no joke, it would be best if you were the one to do it. Didn't I say it? I carry a heavy trace of the divine. There’s a high possibility I might end up purifying that important book."

"Oh, and about that. I wanted to ask you about that. Why is it a problem if the book is purified? Wouldn't it be better if that kind of dangerous book were to be purged from the earth?"

In reply, Sako looked at me with a look of disbelief.

"Wouldn't that be a complete waste?"

"Huh?"

"A book that kills you just by reading it, that's not a book that's created with ease. You need to have extensive knowledge and overflowing love for the curse of taboo words to be able to create it. It's in the highest order of magical artifacts, and it's a precious thing that the creator himself risked being affected by. Well, in fact, it might well mean that the creator is no longer alive.”

…No longer… alive?

“Someone who used to be in this school. Someone of very intelligence, whose sense of right and wrong was distinctly different from that of normal humans. There’s a psychiatric condition known as antisocial personality disorder, and the author of the book ‘Rororo’ is definitely someone who fits that description. Sometimes called predators, they appear in the world as lust killers, but you can never identify them by their appearance. In fact, they appear more normal than your average joe, and they blend in with their surroundings. As a general rule, they are very intelligent. They can be people of high social status who have attained respect in the world.”

After all that rambling, Sako spoke in a hushed tone of voice:

“They have high self-esteem, and are self-centered. No remorse, no feelings of guilt, apathetic, no empathy. They are talkative and friendly, but they cannot take responsibility for their actions.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“A certain scholar proposed that these are all common statistical characteristics of people who have antisocial personality disorder. But well, after all, that's just their narrow definition.”

Or rather, doesn’t that description fit you to a T?

I thought I’d say that out loud, but thought better of it. But you know... if you were to remove the friendly part, I feel that Yoishi also fits that description. She was definitely not normal, but I didn't feel comfortable in calling her abnormal.

In any case, Sako put one hand in his pocket and started walking away.

“This school is distorted. Did that person create the book because it was distorted? Or did it become distorted with the appearance of that person? In all probability, I think it’s the former, but whatever the case may be, that book is dangerous. It's not something that should be kept in a library used by countless students for any length of time."

Saying that, he quickly disappeared inside reading room number one.

The university library was one of Koumei institutes’ oldest buildings, a massive stone structure with one basement and three floors above ground. Reading room number one was the largest reading room in the library, and according to Sako, the book made up of taboo words known as ‘Rororo’ was hidden in with the other books here somewhere.

I opened the wooden sliding door and entered inside to find the vast room dimly lit.

The eastern side was lined with windows, the curtains were all drawn, as was expected now that the building was closed. The center of the room was lined with long wooden tables, and the west and north sides were covered with high bookshelves that extended all the way to the ceiling. Fluorescent lamps hung from the tall ceilings, but if I had to guess, it was probably a dimly lit place even during the day. However, the reading tables had a warm light for each seat, which made it easier to concentrate on reading books.

"It seems like a pretty good place, doesn't it?"

Sako spoke in a carefree tone as he stroked his thin beard.

"Hey, let’s hurry up and get this over with!" I called out to Sako from behind, 'Please just wait', he replied. The somewhat unreliable priest and antiques dealer was excitedly shining his light on the bookshelves here and there.

"Oooh, they have 'The Hundred Headless Woman' by Ernst. There's also ' A compendium of bizzare ghost literature from the Edo era' <ref>https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%88%9D%E6%9C%9F%E6%B1%9F%E6%88%B8%E8%AA%AD%E6%9C%AC%E6%80%AA%E8%AB%87%E9%9B%86-%E6%B1%9F%E6%88%B8%E6%80%AA%E7%95%B0%E7%B6%BA%E6%83%B3%E6%96%87%E8%8A%B8%E5%A4%A7%E7%B3%BB-%E9%AB%98%E7%94%B0-%E8%A1%9B/dp/4336042713</ref> by the national publication society. They even have 'The 120 Days of Sodom' by Sade. I wonder if there's anyone who understands the value of having such a collection in a private university. Say, would it be a bad idea if I quietly took a few of them after we've finished?"

"Don't ask me." I retorted, as I once again looked around at the giant stacks of bookshelves.

I took a deep breath. To tell the truth, I didn't dislike the atmosphere of the library. I don't read as many books as a bookworm might, but even so, I find my heart strangely calm when I'm surrounded by the scent of countless books. I was filled with emotion, a feeling of respect I had for the ocean of knowledge that stood neatly lined before me. Of course, there were many, many more books that existed in the world. And it was an amount that no human could ever read through in a lifetime. It was similar to the feeling I got when I thought about the universe. A feeling that reminded me of how utterly finite the nature of my existence was. And 'Rororo' was somewhere in this universe of books. A dangerous book, with dangerous taboo words planted all over its text, that would kill you if you read them. Some kind of psycho<ref>Word used here is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denpa</ref> purposely mixed in that cursed book with the other books in the library.

"---Well then."

I turned around hearing that to find Sako had shifted the table at the center of the room to make a space a few meters square. He was squatting there, taking out what looked like a small water bottle from his pocket and proceeded to gently sprinkle the place with water.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a barrier, for now."

He spoke as he switched to a seiza<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza</ref> posture, and moved his fingers in a practiced manner. As I watched his flowing gestures, I finally got the sense that he was indeed a priest. I couldn't help but feel the 'divinity' the guy spoke of.

Before long, his resonant words began to echo quietly in the reading room.

They were ritual incantations<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norito</ref>. As I listened to them, even my spine straightened, and the atmosphere around me turned somewhat solemn.

"Please take it."

After he finished his ritual incantations, Sako handed me another piece of paper. I took out my cellphone, switched on the flashlight and focused it on the paper to see: "Agyousansagyougo", words I couldn't make heads or tails out of.

"This sutra is one of the mantras of the Shingi Shingon sect<ref>Buddhist sect, https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/Buddhism/Shingi%20Shingon%20sect.html; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingon_Buddhism</ref> and is said to make it possible to see the strange and mysterious."

"You're a Shinto priest and yet, you're using sutras of the Shingon sect?"

Sako smirked at my sarcastic comment.

"Being bound to one religion is foolishness. If you were to ask me, religion is a form of science, the fruit of mankind's wisdom. I humbly bow down to what is effective, and I am not afraid to adopt it without restraint."

Ah, now I understand.

This guys' insincere nature seems to be borne from that.

"Now, come over here. Spread your legs as wide as your shoulders, relax, and please recite the words three times with your eyes slightly open. Eventually, you should be able to discern the wondrous 'Rororo' in your vision. In this dim forest of countless books, only that book should stand out as a white one."

Sako then took out a small black bag out from his pocket.

"Once you find the book, please place it inside this bag."

"Say...Does it really have to be me...?

"Of course. Didn't you hear me before?" Sako clicked his tongue, narrowed his eyes slightly and added: "Do you get it? When you find the book, you must absolutely not open it. You must not read even a single letter. If you do, it's because you're extremely weak-minded, and the taboo words will instantly take hold over you."

"Hey, don't scare me!"

"Well, even if anything happens, I'm right here. I'll deal with it right away, so please don't worry about it."

Sako smiled broadly as he spoke -- but I mean, this guy was completely untrustworthy.

That's what I thought, but I had originally sneaked into the library late at night to do it alone. I had no choice, so I strengthened my resolve and stood at the place Sako was pointing at. I stretched out my legs as I was told, took a deep breath and relaxed my body.

"It was three times, right?"

"Three times. Do it slowly… draw the letters in your mind one by one."

I took a deep breath once again, and spoke out those words three times. "Agyousansagyougo, Agyousansagyougo, Agyousansagyougo." After that I took a gulp, and examined my surroundings.

The deathly silence inside the room was deafening. Somewhere in the dimly lit room, I thought I heard a cracking sound, but it might have just been my imagination. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. However, no matter how long I waited, and no matter how many bookshelves I looked around at, I couldn't see any white book standing out.

"Please recite it once more."

Being urged on by Sako, I recited it three times once more, 'Agyousansagyougo'.

But as before, I saw no change in my surroundings. The area remained as dark as if ink was dissolved in water, with only the occasional sound of a car passing by echoing from somewhere in the distance.

Still, -- This unpleasant feeling, what is it...? It's as if I've somehow gotten lost on a different road. Like I've stepped into someone else's shoes without knowing -- and it was as if someone, somewhere was laughing at my actions. Thereupon, a giggling voice behind me literally did reach my ears.

I turned around to see it was Sako. His white face was becoming eerily distorted by the light of the penlight he had left on the desk.

"...Hey, what the hell are you laughing about?"

However, Sako's skinny body merely continued to shake slightly. The muffled laughter that echoed through the dimly lit reading room was both eerie and upsetting.

"Hey! Stop fucking kidding me!"

Sako spoke at long last.

"Why, you really are a nice person after all."

"The hell are you talking about?"

“Fujieda’s clean nature has produced an infinitely simple soul like yourself – Ah, please take it as a compliment. In the near future, I'll have to put together a study on the influence of climate and nature on the mind --- Ohh, we’re getting a good crowd.”

…Getting a good crowd – of what?

“For some reason, they gather here late at night.”

His voice had turned cold.

I could feel the muddy, stagnant air hanging over the area.

"To tell you the truth, I had another job here besides retrieving 'Rororo'."

Smiling like a puppet who had abandoned his emotions somewhere, Sako spoke:

"The job in question being... to exorcise them."

...To exorcise--Hey, it can't be!

There was something there at the place Sako was pointing at.

"...The students that killed themselves in this school."

At the same time he uttered those words --

I noticed the presence of countless people in the surrounding air.

The two of us should have been the only ones in the reading room, but now the presence of countless people could be felt.

The number of people were ten, twelve -- no, it was much more. About as many as there would be packed here during daytime. I couldn't see anyone, but what felt like countless sounds of breathing hung in the air.

"Well, would you look at that? I wonder if that hideously burnt woman committed self-immolation. That one drooling over there must have hanged himself. The girl with the wide cut in her neck there, she must have slit her neck with a knife -- hmmm, were you the one who died in the men's bathroom? Getting caught up in a love affair, you threw away your life; what a complete waste. Even though you had such a lovely face. Even though you had your whole life ahead of you."

As if he were addressing each of the dead individually, Sako's words unavoidably made them manifest inside my mind. All of them were wandering around me in a dense atmosphere, as if they were sorrowful, empty, and in general, painfully appealing for something.

"H-hey....What the hell did you do to me...?" My voice shook as I asked.

"In the first place, you shouldn't go around chanting words you don't know the meaning of."

Sako sneers with a smile. I glared back at him as if to say that he was the one who told me to do it -- when I saw that Sako's eyes were now shining bewitchingly. It was different from the faintly glowing eyes of Yoishi. It wasn't a ghost or something vague, but something clearly ominous -- That's right, it was like a fox spirit that lived on a different plane of this world.

"Regrettably, the number of ghosts here is just too great. That's why it would be quicker just to gather and exorcise them all in one go. Say, don't your shoulders feel better now? The feeling of something heavy being lifted off your neck? Doesn't your body feel slightly lighter now?"

I put my hand on my shoulder as he continued to ask me this.

At the same time, a deep regret took hold of me. Why the hell did I come to such a place this late at night? In spite of Krishna-san warning me that my mind was still in a period of rehabilitation, I was here with this guy who I trusted much lesser than Yoishi.

“To tell you the truth, the phrase is one of the mantras of the Mikkyo<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajrayana</ref> lineage, it’s a sutra that unties the bond between a person and their guardian spirit. Look at the old man standing behind you right now. He’s your guardian spirit, the one that's been protecting you for so long.”

In a panic, I looked at the place Sako’s gaze landed at. However, I couldn’t see anything. I desperately strained my eyes, but all I could see was a stack of inconspicuous books appear in the dim darkness.

“You can’t see him? Well then, let me explain. He’s probably your ancestor from several generations ago. A man with very genteel wrinkles reflecting a life lived on the straight and narrow. But now, his wrinkles are contorted in sadness. He laments, ‘Why did you chant such a sutra?’ Regardless however, his figure is slowly fading away.”

“…H-hey!"

"Most ghosts aren't actually aware that they're dead, but they're aware of the fact that they've lost something very important. This feeling of loss creates a void inside them. And thus, they try to fill that void with something. That is, in short: a physical body, and that's why they possess people who are on the same wavelength. However, the living have reliable guardian spirits by their side to protect them, so they can't possess anyone they wish. That's why, I apologize -- but I had to prepare a mere vessel with no guardian."

My breathing was becoming ragged. I couldn't clench my teeth.

So that's it. The vessel he's talking about -- is me.

"You end up sympathizing with everyone, that's why you fulfill the requirements of a high-quality vessel."

I tightly closed my tear-filled eyes.

Losing my guardian spirit, I had no one to blame but myself, as I gritted my teeth in desperation.

More so than the fact that I had been deceived by him, I hated myself for trusting him. With all my heart, I felt sorry towards my ancestor who had protected me for so long. It was the same terrible thing I did to Miiko. Without realizing I was receiving someone's kindness, I ended up repaying their kindness with ingratitude. I didn't change. I never learned from my mistakes. Yoishi said it in the coffee shop. The people of this country were originally prudent in their use of words. That the people in the present day used words too callously. And yet, I had ended up chanting words I didn't know the meaning of, just doing what I'd been told, an irredeemable goddamn idiot.

And yet still, Sako's cheerful voice reached me.

"Oh, so many have gathered already. I understand, you all want a body. You think you'll be able to escape the suffering if you only had a living body. Well, please don't be so hasty. Normally, one body per person would be preferable, but fortunately, the vessel present here is a truly outstanding one that once managed to call down wandering ghosts that filled the sky."

Dredging up my past wounds, Sako turned to face me once more, his lips contorted in a sneer.

"That's right, be it once or twice...It's all the same, isn't it?"

As that terrifyingly gentle voice was about to snap something inside me --

"So noisy."

In the dark world, that somewhat irritated voice echoed.

"The library is supposed to be a quiet place for reading."

That voice is...

The voice that sounds like a wind chime on a windless summer night...

--Yoishi.

I recalled her pale face in a strangely nostalgic way, but I just couldn't open my eyes right away. My knees were shaking with fear, and I was doing my best just to breathe. I couldn't even muster up the courage to move a single fingertip or eyelid. To begin with, what if I opened my eyes, and instead of Yoishi, I end up seeing something I shouldn't? Something creepy? It would definitely be all over for me then. That's when my mind, which had been muddy and in rehabilitation to begin with, would collapse.

"I've been listening to the conversation about mid-way through, and I'm wondering if you're really that stupid."

"....What?"

"It's troublesome, so I'll only say it once."

But in my dark world, where I had shut my eyes tightly--

That voice sounded somewhat kind.

"You being you, means your guardian spirit won't abandon you so easily."

"No...but... I'd already chanted that thing that was like an incantation."

"That, was a lie."

"...A lie?"

"Everything's in reverse. That kind of sutra does not exist. 'Agyousansagyougo' is just a series of phonetic characters – without doubt, they were used as taboo words to destabilize your mind.”

Hearing those words spoken in indifference, I slowly managed to open my tear-stained eyes.

Beyond the hazy darkness, her figure emerged.

Yoishi Mitsurugi… was there. With her long black hair, and doll-like beauty. Dressed in the dark uniform of the attached high school, she sat on the edge of a table, her pale face gazing quietly at me.

“Y…Yoishii…”

My voice was already a snotty, teary mess.

“B-by lie, do you mean…? Is my guardian spirit still there? I didn’t commit a dishonor?”

Yoishi silently nodded in response.

“What do you mean by phonetic characters? What was it all about?”

Yoishi looked at me somewhat annoyed, and said:

“You still don’t get it? 'Agyousan-sagyougo' simply means the third syllable of agyou and the fifth syllable of sagyou.” <ref>A little difficult to explain and translate. The Agyou and sagyou part of 'Agyousan-sagyougo' refer to syllabary columns of the Japanese syllabary table. The two being used here are ‘agyou’ which is the "a" column of the Japanese syllabary table (a, i, u, e, o), and ‘sagyou’ is the “sa” column of the Japanese syllabary table (sa, shi, su, se, so). The ‘san’ at the end of 'Agyousan’ means the third syllable and ‘go’ at the end of sagyougo' means the fifth syllable. So it literally means the third syllable of agyou and the fifth syllable of sagyou. if you see what word comes up when you add the third and fifth syllables, you get ‘uso’, which means lie in Japanese. And exactly how Yoishi refers to it when she first calls it a lie. Pretty clever wordplay. </ref>

…Huh?

The third syllable of ‘agyou’, and the fifth syllable of ‘sagyou’…Huh?

“…Lies(uso)?”

I turned my gaze back towards Sako as I held my trembling knees, he was merely concerned with stifling his laughter.

“It’s what they call a nocebo effect.”

Yoishi stood up, and walked up to me.

“For example, being made to believe that a non-existent fire is burning your hand, resulting in a burn scar, or if you're blindfolded and given a light pain at the tip of your feet while being made to hear the sound of dripping water, you'll be made to think you're bleeding and you'll really die. It's a psychological phenomenon where the body manifests what the mind believes -- an elaborately constructed 'taboo word'."

"Just as I expected."

Sako's voice was mixed in with laughter as he spoke:

"I was so close."

I was completely befuddled. I mean, how much of it all was a lie? I understood that the story about the incantation making my guardian spirit leaving me was a lie, but was the ominous presence that hung over the reading room just my imagination? No, more so than that, what about the book that kills you if you read it: 'Rororo'? And what about the guy who killed himself, Kouhei Niijima? Was it all, just a part of Sako's lie?

I asked in a trembling voice to Yoishi, who was staring at her surroundings -- and then her eyes began to shine, as if she had just noticed it for the first time.

"There's a lot of them. So many."

That somewhat happy look on her face -- it made me shudder in horror.

"...H-hey, Yoishi. I don't get it. Explain it to me properly."

I took out the notebook I had stuffed in my back pocket and held it out. I opened the notebook Kouhei Niijima had left behind in front of Yoishi.

"It was just like you said. The guy who wrote that memo -- Kouhei Niijima, he was dead. He was just...interested in this girl here in the library. He was just in love. Why did he end up killing himself? Isn't the cause this 'Rororo' book this asshole's been talking about? Isn't that why there are so many suicides in this school?"

Taking in the torrent of questions with her dark eyes, Yoishi opened the pages of Kouhei Niijima's notebook that I held out to her, starting from the beginning. Tucked inside were the two notes that I had first found torn up. While Yoishi read them with the light from her phone, I scowled at Sako's white face as much as humanly possible. It’s scary that there are ghosts here, but it's even scarier that this guy was trying to bring them all down on me. I mean, is this guy a sociopath? Or a living demon? I glared at his white face with such thoughts, but Sako merely wore a thin smile on his white face and waited patiently for Yoishi to finish reading the note.

"...Hmmm."

Eventually, Yoishi muttered out loud, so I quickly asked her:

"Look, I need an explanation that makes sense. Did you get it? Why did Kouhei Niijima die? And what the hell was he trying to tell me? That 'Rororo' thing he muttered about, that's the 'Rororo' book, right?"

Yoishi stared at Sako. Sako shrugged his shoulders slightly, and after that, she stared at me. Finally, she spoke in a voice that sounded like she was making fun of me.

"You really are so naive."

"...What the hell are you saying?"

"That's why you were conveniently used as a catalyst."

"T-this bastard!"

--Yeah, I know already. I know it so well it makes me sick to my stomach. And I'm sorry for my stupidity. Even a fool like me finally understood that this bastard Sako was trying to bring out the countless things here by using me as bait. However, the problem was the original reason for the sticky air in the reading room, which was making it hard to breath even for someone like me, who couldn't see ghosts. Why does this school have such a closed-off air about it? How did a guy like Kouhei Niijima end up committing suicide? Was it all because of the book called 'Rororo'? And like Sako said, was there really some sort of crazy psychopath who wrote that book?

When I asked, Yoishi silently shook her head.

"That's not it."

"...What?"

"What you don't seem to realize is that this person was, after all, the second one to use you."

--Huh?

"Well, that's true." Sako gave a complacent smile once again.

"I said it, didn't I? Being possessed once or twice, It's all the same."

...Huh? Hey! What the hell are these two maniacs talking about? Once or twice is the same? I don't get any of it. Or should I say... I'd always assumed Yoishi was my ally, but was that really the case? Isn't she herself, like Sako, a walker in the depths of darkness? Wasn't she the type of person who never read the situation and would expose everything, no matter how cruel the truth might be? In the midst of this darkness being surrounded by the presence of countless creepy presences, isn't it just that the number of demons that I thought was only one has now grown to two? Ah -- that's what it looks like. The glow in Yoishi's dark eyes is growing. From now on, she's going to spout some decisive words. And those words will undoubtedly crush the foundation of the reality I believe in. They'll turn everything upside down.

"Y-Yoishi, wai--"

Wait, wait a second.

I was about to say -- but...

Yoishi's large eyes widened, and with an expression of ecstasy, and one without mercy, she declared it out loud:

"You've already been possessed for a long time."

"...Ugh."

I groaned out loud. Yoishi's words caused an intense surge of vomit to rise from the pit of my stomach. Now I became aware of a heaviness in my body that I hadn't noticed for a long time.

"It's... It's really him then? Kouhei Niijima?"

"No."

With a bewitching light in her eyes, Yoishi shook her head.

"A far, far more wicked ghost than him."

The reading room, which was already dimly lit, seemed to grow even darker.

The ground shook violently. My footing suddenly became unsteady. I desperately put strength into my lower body to cling to the world of the living. I grit my teeth, trying not to get caught up in the rapidly intensifying atmosphere of the world beyond.

"Just now, you said that the deceased Kouhei Niijima was in love."

"....W-what about that?"

"What kind of person was she?"

"What kind -- It's written right there, isn't it? She was tall, intellectual, shoulder-length hair, a bookworm --"

"Where does it say that?"

"..."

"This notebook has no description of any woman."

I felt a rush of goosebumps at her words. I recalled the uncontrollable presence inside me that had once thrust me down into the depths of terror.

"What...are you saying...?"

"The depiction of the girl that took shape inside your mind unnoticed -- that is the real form of 'Rororo'."

All of a sudden--

口口口口口口口口口口口口......

I definitely heard those voices. A series of countless, muffled human voices. And, I already knew what they were saying. It was – ‘Rororo’. Each and every one of them were muttering in unison with their mouths: ‘Rorororororororororororo’, like a prayer to Buddha<ref>The word used here is Nenbutsu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nianfo </ref>.

Someone – somewhere, was laughing.

It was the thing clinging to the old woman in the clock tower, the one that took the name of Miiko and lived with me, the one that stared at me through the frosted glass in the club building, and the one who jumped off the school building and disappeared -- Those countless fuzzy fragments of memory melted at that moment, and were reconstructed into the coffee shop on that rainy day, with the tall girl quietly reading a book.

Now, in this microcosm of the library, it was just me and the slender girl. In a space surrounded by bookshelves, the girl was sitting a little further away, simply staring at me. Her shoulder-length hair swayed slightly. Her white face, devoid of any expression. And her eyes, which had seemed so intelligent, looked like mere holes. She continued to stare at me with those eyes that were like dark, bottomless wells.

Those eyes were nothing but darkness.

An entrance to a world that, once peeked into, could never be left again. And the second I felt as if I saw something beyond the darkness ---

“Hey, are you feeling scared right now?"

Yoishi asked me.

“Is this scary?”

Yoishi asked with her pale, shapely face drawn so close to mine that our noses were almost touching.

The expression on her face - her eyes – she was in pure ecstasy. I'm sure this is how excited Schliemann must have felt when he finally found the ruins of Troy, which had never left the realm of legend.

With that monstrous look on her face, as if she was about to eat me --- I finally became convinced.

I can't do it. I can't stay with her. To be near the girl named Yoishi Mitsurugi, is to stand face to face against the world beyond.

However, Yoishi looked around and shouted with glee.

“It’s all going crazy! Everything in this school is going perfectly, completely, 100% crazy!”

With eyes wide open and an ecstatic look on her face, she declared to no one in particular.

“J-just stop it already!”

I shouted and tried to push her away, when –

Something began to fall down.

The universe collapses, the bookshelves collapse, and a terrific amounts of books collapse. Works of Stendhal, Shakespeare, Ozaki Kōyō and Maeterlinck, dance in the air – Les Miserables, The Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, Iliad and The Gold-Bug, all dance. The mushy dogma in countless other books I'd never read was raining down incessantly like a stream of internal organs. The ceiling collapsed, giving way to an open gray sky, but even that sky ruptured. Countless books, a rain of words, poured down in a torrent aimed right at me. However, the polished, well-crafted words of those countless authors were somehow distorted. As soon as I noticed that the polished words had lost their original luster, had turned reddish-black and reeked of decay, I felt a surge of gastric juices well up inside my stomach. In this world where I couldn’t tell night from day, nor which planet I was on, I perceived the truth of the things that kept falling to and rebounding from the ground in succession. They weren’t books. They weren’t words. They were countless fish. They were frogs, nails, and pieces of meat. They were old coins, and birds with whitish feathers. All of them were squashed by the impact of the fall, staining the ground in red. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses. Corpses – Only corpses that had finished their lives rained down to fill the entire horizon. Decomposing into blood, flesh, and bodily fluids, all signs of life had disappeared. One after another, they continued to explode at my feet, as if to declare that living things are nothing but sacks of blood. That graphic and thunderous sound continued to ring out.

In that nightmarish world on the verge of collapse – someone’s mere laughter continued to echo.

Did that laughter belong to the person who had set up ‘Rororo’ in this room? Was it Yoishi? I didn’t know anymore. In this warped world, countless voices kept reverberating. I heard someone’s scream from somewhere, and the moment I realized it was my voice –

"Shall we leave?”

A sharp voice rang out, and my arm was grabbed by Sako’s cold hand.

At the same time, I started running like crazy. I had no idea where I was running to. At any rate, I must have gone back the way I came, running out of reading room number one onto the floor and down the corridor. But I'd like to think that the thing I saw when I ran out of the reading room number one was a hallucination caused by my clouded consciousness. In Yoishi’s hands, running right behind me, was an old black book. And, as if trying to snatch back that book, a long white arm stretched out from the darkness.

--------------------------------

The next thing I knew, I was in the courtyard of the university, beneath the radiant moonlight.

I was standing there, pumping oxygen into my lungs as hard as I could. My knees hurt like hell, probably because I hit them hard on the corner of the table when I left. While rubbing my knee, I continued to repeat the process of filling my lungs with fresh oxygen and expelling it. I felt as if I had just completed an underwater dive, probably because I had been unconsciously holding my breath the whole time. I think that was because I felt like I was letting something nasty into my body just by breathing while in the library.

“…”

I thought I heard a muffled voice close to me, and when I slowly turned around, there was something there. At first, I thought it was a black garbage bag, but it was a human being. Sitting on the bare ground, looking miserable with their head dropped down.

“Y—Yoishi…?”

The figure looked up slightly at my voice.

Her long hair moved smoothly, and her pale face stood out under the moonlight. Yoishi Mitsurugi looked absentminded, as she turned her beautiful, cold face like that of a western doll towards me. And then, moving her lips slightly, she said:

“It got taken.”

“…Huh?”

“That book. Even though I was the one who found it.”

Those words finally brought me back to my senses, and I looked around in a panic.

In the pitch-dark university courtyard, there was only silence; Not a single person in sight. Besides the sound of insects chirping from somewhere, it was intensely quiet.

“What happened to that kinagashi wearing bastard?”

Yoishi looked at me as if she were clicking her tongue.

“He vanished.”

“Vanished?”

“Like I told you, he stole the black book from me and left somewhere.”

…T-T-that foxy bastard.

He's the type of guy who scares people to death, and when he gets what he wants, he says goodbye with no explanation. Isn’t he an adult? Isn’t he supposed to be a fully-fledged member of society? Is he really worthy enough to be Krishna-san’s mentor? I was shaking my dizzy head and moaning bitterly out loud at the same time, “That’s right”, Yoishi said, agreeing with me.

“It's so deplorable to rob a girl of a book she hasn't read. He should have at least asked if he could borrow it after I’d finished reading it. It's really irritating when he said, ‘Adieu’, and left."

“No, about that...”

I interjected, being as fed up as I was.

“You’d die if you read it, okay? Even If you've already got one foot in the world beyond, you'd get dragged there in the blink of an eye.”

Yoishi silently turned her dark eyes to me. As expected, her expression seemed to be saying, ‘What's the problem with that?’ I sighed and asked her once again:

“Well anyway, you helped me out back there – but, why were you there in the first place?”

“Why, you ask? I was reading, of course.”

“No, it was dark. I mean, the library was already closed.”

Yoishi stood up unsteadily. She lightly brushed the dust off her skirt and walked feebly through the dimly lit courtyard toward the main gate.

“I was in there since lunchtime, trying to read a book.... When I finally opened the book, I couldn't concentrate. The thoughts that were stuck in my head were interfering with my thinking, and each letter in the book looked like nothing more than a pattern. I had no choice but to continue reading, and before I knew it - I fell asleep.”

“Y-you fell asleep?”

“It was quite a deep sleep, actually.”

“No…just wait a minute. You were asleep all that time? From noon till now -- in there?”

Yoishi nodded in silence.

…No, ughh. What’s up with the security in this library? You mean to tell me they just locked up the facility even when there was a person asleep on the reading chair? What about the entry record? What was the point of me going to all the trouble of sneaking in without leaving a trace? And having to endure the urge to urinate for so long in the locker?

“I woke up a few times, but I hadn't been sleeping well lately, so I figured it was fine. But then, just as I was getting the deepest sleep I'd had in a long time, you guys started making a racket.”

Yoishi muttered somewhat resentfully, but there was still something persistent that was bothering this girl. So that’s why she didn't notice anything when I was having such a scary time? Oh, that’s right. After all, ghosts being everywhere is normal for this girl’s world, and I don't know what it is, but her problems are probably all that matter to her in that world. Other problems are just trivial to her. I guess she just happened to wake up and saw me there, teary-eyed and upset.

I thought that as I glared at the back of Yoishi, who was walking ahead of me in a daze.

It’s a characteristic of the antisocial personality disorder Sako spoke of. I think it was about having excessive self-esteem, being self-centered and a lack of empathy, or something like that. It's a trait that fits perfectly with the psycho that went to the trouble of putting a book in the library that was made up of those taboo words, and it's a trait that’s terribly true of Sako himself -- But still, in some respects it reminds me of this black-haired girl walking right in front of me.

“That’s the definition espoused by Robert D. Hare, isn’t it?”

Yoishi suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked back.

Damn it. It seems I unconsciously muttered it out loud. Slightly embarrassed, I asked: “You know about it?”

Yoishi nodded, and added:

“Indeed, every single aspect of that definition applies to me.”

I was at a loss for words when she easily admitted it to me.

“I’ve always felt constantly inconvenienced by the insular atmosphere of this school.”

“No…you see...”

I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject.

“I don't know if it was a sociopath or what, but is it true that there was such a dangerous person in this school after all? And did they put a strange book in our library? Why did they do that? What was their objective?”

Yoishi looked at me closely and then… asked me:

“Do you really want to know?”

Her pale face stood out under the pouring moonlight, and it terrified me—

Behind Yoishi, I watched the night sea spread out endlessly.

The boundary between the sky and the horizon is unclear, an infinite world spreads out in darkness.

And somewhere in that limitless expanse, an unfathomable presence lay hidden.

The incomprehensible - people sometimes call it the occult. I've always been thrilled by the transcendental atmosphere of ghosts, UMAs<ref>Unidentified mysterious animal</ref>, and out of place artifacts<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-place_artifact</ref>, but this time, for the first time, I had terrible goosebumps at the very thought of human beings. It was fear of an act more twisted than what the word "prank" could even begin to cover: Mixing in a book that would kill you if you read it amongst ordinary books.

For example, digging a small pit on a snowy day to lure your friends in. I used to do that when I was a kid. It was fun, and I used to roar with laughter when my friends fell in. But that didn’t have an iota of murderous intent. It's because I wanted to see my fallen friend jump out with a smile on his face. I couldn’t possibly imagine it my heart pounding in excitement at the possibility of someone dying.

That's what I was thinking, when –

“Predator, serial killer, antisocial personality disorder. Those words are just labels.” Yoishi muttered in a whisper.

“It's easy to dismiss them as abnormal but, statistically speaking, in every age, there's always been at least one person in every class who has a desire to destroy the status quo. The fact that the probability of their appearance does not decrease in any era has even led to a belief among some who think it is a manifestation of population control genes. People who hold thoughts beyond comprehension are simply classified and tagged as such by those around them."

"No, I don't know about tags and labels, but that's still not normal. Laughing at other people's misery, doing all that just for the fun of it, that's--"

Suddenly, it hit me.

No...no. Isn't that the true nature of human beings?

Haven't humans always been irredeemable, self-righteous creatures filled with malice? I recalled the arrogance of the human species in removing the reproductive functions from their pets for their own convenience, something I had thought about during the Miiko incident. At the same time, my conscience began to denounce me for my own past mistake. The mistake of abandoning the proposal I had made after being broken hearten, 'Look who's talking', it mocked.

"That's right."

Yoishi nodded slightly.

"People are selfish, but they also have a hypocritical mental circuit known as a conscience, which subconsciously creates a sense of atonement for the things they have trampled upon. It can be said that this creates ghosts in the minds of people in every generation. And perhaps the taboo words embedded in the book 'Rororo' have the function of raising that negative circuit to the extreme. Those who read it would be caught unaware and endlessly be made to believe that their lives have no worth, and finally, their own conscience would kill them."

Yoishi kept muttering such things in a detached manner, but --

I realized, after all this time...

"Huh--Wait a second! What, what about me? Is that thing gone? You guy said I'd been possessed for a long time, right? It's gone already, right?"

Yoishi just stared at me with her emotionless eyes--

And abruptly turned away and started walking again.

"...Hey. Just wait a second. You're not going to deny it?"

As I stared at Yoishi's distant figure, I realized something even more important.

Come to think of it, I had, without warning, ended up seeing that girl in that coffee shop, and without being dragged into something by Yoishi. Even now, if I close my eyes, I can clearly imagine the entire shape of her face behind my eyelids. If she was a ghost, then that means... it can't be--

"It can't be…"

My feet stopped moving then and there. I desperately clapped my knees, which were about to collapse, but I couldn't take one more step. The dark sea of night behind Yoishi immersed my feet. The rough sound of the waves enveloped me from somewhere.

"It can't be, does that mean... that I've been able to see ghosts for some time now...?"

If you hang out with a psychic, your ability to sense the supernatural will strengthen. Krishna-san once said that the ill-natured feeling of 'knowing' makes people connect with the world beyond. So, does that mean that since I arrived to Tokyo and went to places with Yoishi Mitsurugi, that I've become tinged with her strong magnetism relating to ghosts, is that what it means?

"There's one thing I forgot to mention."

From the darkness beyond, came Yoishi's voice.

Looking up wearily, in the dim darkness up ahead, the unearthly shadow spoke in a voice that sounded like a wind chime.

"There's something I misunderstood."

"...Huh?"

"Their world always surpasses my imagination, and the more I peek into it, the more I realize the depth of its darkness. Their words are muffled and incoherent, and I couldn't understand them no matter how many times I heard them."

--So, what does that mean?

"Now that I know, it doesn't make things any better, but - the word that dead young man was muttering was not 'Rororo'."

--Stop it! Don't listen to her anymore! Cover your ears and get away from this girl right now! Before I could even react to the warning coming from the back of my mind, her voice filled with ecstasy reached my ears.

"It wasn't 'Rororo', it was --- 'Run away'."<ref>Word used here is nigero which is telling someone to run away and also a similar sounding word in this context.</ref>

With those words spoken with joy—

Yoishi walked off into the darkness. My feet were stuck as if sewn to the ground, and I stared at her disappearing figure for what seemed like forever. For an instant, I caught a glimpse of what I thought was the emaciated dead clinging to Yoishi’s back with their thin hands -- I quickly rubbed my eyes.

Alone, I stood there, petrified, even as the darkened university building came back into view.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of relief as the strength drained from my body. I knew the truth behind this numbing feeling of pleasure, it was as if I had finally overcome a deadly threat to my life.

“How absurd…”

I whispered, my voice quivering.

The idea that she and I were war comrades was downright absurd.

Right now, from the bottom of my heart, I was... truly relieved that Yoishi had disappeared from my sight.

But the ground I was standing on was a gentle slope. And I knew was that if I made any mistakes from here on, the slope would become irreversibly steep.

“I can’t… do this anymore.”

I tell myself, wiping the tears from my eyes with both hands.

She and I were confronting completely different things. I selfishly believed I had finally understood her, but I had completely failed to grasp her true nature. After all is said and done, Yoishi and I were two beings who lived in worlds that could never intersect. I still had my feet firmly planted in this world, and even if I plant one foot in the other side, she already stands with both feet there.

It’s not… too late.

If I continue walking with her, the path ahead will surely lead to the world beyond. I'm not prepared for that yet. I still want to live in the warmth of this world.

I turned to face the direction opposite from where Yoishi had disappeared, and kept on running without looking back.

==Epilogue==

“…………..Huh?”

I opened the door to the club room and saw—

Krishna-san and Sako were locked in an embrace. The two of them were huddled together in the middle of the club room, with the tall Sako completely wrapped around the smaller Krishna.

For a moment I was at a loss of words, moreover, I felt so agitated that I even lost myself.

“…S, s, sorry for intruding!”

Flustered, I closed the door and leaned against the concrete wall of the hallway, repeatedly pumping oxygen into my lungs. Shaking my burning head, I tried to shake off the sight I had just witnessed, but it wasn't going to happen.

--Why is Krishna-san and that guy…?

The reason I came here was to once again declare my intention to part ways with Yoishi to Krishna-san. I was there to say that I finally understood that it was like playing an impossibly hard video game for me to get involved with her. And I would also take the opportunity to report Sako’s actions: how that bastard tricked me into going to the library late at night, and at the end, how he tried to turn me into some kind of vessel for countless somethings.

However, all such feelings ended up vanishing in an instant.

That's how confused I was by what I just saw. Two people hugging in a club room in broad daylight…that means, it’s that sort of thing? Did they cross the line between teacher and student? Oh my god, I’m such an ignorant dullard. When I think about it, it's pretty remarkable that Krishna-san, who’s extremely weak at dirty talk, would go to Aomori for an overnight stay. She even told me that she had been peeked on in the bath, that means it was that sort of relationship all along. In fact, Krishna-san is an unmarried, fully-fledged woman who will turn twenty-one this year. It's not surprising that she might have a boyfriend or two. But – despite all that, be it the benefactor who saved her life -- of all people, it had to be that guy?

I slumped down in the hallway, dumbfounded, unable to think of anything else.

What is this feeling of emptiness?

Where was the wind that blew through my chest coming from? And where was it headed?

No, the problem was not the wind. It was the hole the wind was blowing through. What was it, I wondered, that had gouged out my chest? In my mind, Yoishi had gone over to the darkness. She had a certain cuteness about her despite that, but still, I couldn't follow her to the other side. I didn’t have that resolve. I managed to fill that void by thinking of Krishna-san's smile.

I could immediately imagine her as a child, with that immature, lovely and innocent face. Her big eyes and the sparkling light of innocence within. Whenever she got angry or upset, her smooth hair would bob up and down and a nice scent would always tickle my nose. Ah… she was always an angel. She was my guardian angel. That she should fall into the hands of that demonic, monstrous fox-like guy-- is this the bitterness of life? Is this what you would call absurdity? At that moment, I thought I heard a voice saying, ‘Hey, you there,’ but I must have been imagining it.

“…I guess I’ll quit.”

I mutter to myself, and finally make up my mind.

"That's right, I was only let into the Beatnik research society when I forcefully tried to get in, I wasn't admitted as a staff member of Ikaigabuchi. That was, after all, because Krishna-san didn't wholeheartedly agree with me joining. My fervent speech back then inadvertently influenced that kind person, and that's how things ended up this way. I'm a heavy burden to her, and hardly any help. Even though she told me to stay away from Yoishi, I totally ended up getting involved with her anyway, three incidents in a row, starting from the 'The Clock Tower', 'The Cat Monster', and 'Rororo'. And on top of that, I've been targeted by some kind of troublesome ghost that I don't understand. I... really am an irredeemable..."

"Hey, you there."

I thought I heard that voice again, but I failed to recognize anything with my ears as well as my eyes. I was so devastated by the enormity of what I had lost, and furthermore, I even lost sight of the path that should have been right in front of me, but regardless, the voice continued.

"Hey, I'm speaking to you, the one wearing the misspelled English T-shirt slumped in the hallway. I don't know what happened, but please cheer up. I've been there, too. At your age, you've probably got more problems than you can handle, but they're usually not a big deal when you look at them with a calm head. Why don't you try and act a little more dignified?"

"............."

I vacantly raise my face to see that the door to the Beatnik research room was open, and there, holding a drooping Krishna-san in his left hand looking down on me with a grin was Sako Takita.

"Y-you..."

"Save the greetings for later, Yamada Nagito-kun. Say, could you rearrange those chairs over there for a minute? Kurimoto-kun needs to be laid down."

"L-laid down? What are you going to do after laying her down? What kind of nerve do you have to make me help you with something like that right now?"

Sako gave me a cold gaze, and then breathed a deep sigh.

"You really are a fool. Can't you tell just by looking? Or are you someone so heartless without even a shred of compassion to help out someone who's done so much for you? Kurimoto-kun is unconscious. Can't you see that I'm asking for your help?"

At those words--

I stood up in a panic. And finally understood the situation.

"K-Kishna-san!? You lost consciousness? Wai--What happened? Please, stay with us!"

"Oh, she'll be fine. She just got a little shocked and will probably wake up soon. More importantly, you'd better set up some chairs over there, so she can have a place to lie down."

I did as I was told and ran into the club room, setting up a simple bed-like space by lining up a pipe chair and some other chairs. Sako easily carried Krishna-san in his arms and gently laid her down there.

"Sako, What the hell happened?"

"Well, it's a long story -- but I guess it's because she saw something unbelievable."

"Something...unbelievable?"

With those words--

In the humid club room where the cicadas were still chirping noisily, something chilly rose up.

"It's this."

In Sako's hands, there was an old, worn out photograph.

Was it possibly some kind of creepy ghost photograph? I braced myself -- but, what Sako was holding out was a perfectly normal photograph. A scene cut out from somewhere on campus. A picture of two high school girls huddled close together in front of a large tree. A petite girl and a long, slender girl are smiling as they stand shoulder to shoulder. I don't have to strain my eyes to see it. The petite girl was Krishna-san. A shy smile peeked out from behind her red glasses, dressed in the Koumei high school uniform, she was looking this way.

But, the other girl.

The moment I saw her, my blood froze.

--It's her.

The girl I had seen in the coffee shop -- tall, intelligent, with the beautiful face. Her hair around shoulder-length, her eyes had a strong light in them, and her lips were shaped in a mature smile.

"Hey, hey, hey, Sako! It's her. She's the one I saw!"

I excitedly pointed at the picture.

"You and Yoishi both scared me into thinking that this girl was a ghost that only existed in my mind -- but look! She really does exist. Hahahaha. I knew it. The girl I met at the coffee shop didn't look like a ghost at all. She has legs, and a shadow....Just like in this picture, she was wearing the Koumei school uniform, and quietly reading a book in the coffee shop, and--"

"N-no way!"

At that moment, a nostalgic angry voice sounded directly below me.

“T…There’s no way you could have met her! There’s no way… you could have met that person—"

Startled, I looked down to see the petite occult website manager feebly glaring at me.

“Krishna-san! You regained consciousness?”

“---I’m fine. More importantly, did you really see that person?”

Looking pale as she dragged half of her body up to the chair, Krishna-san asked me as I reached out to her.

“….U..Uhhh. I’m sure of it.”

“--What about Yoishi? Was she nearby?”

“U…ummmm…”

Letting out a deep breath at the sight of me, Krishna-san laid back down again with a heave and folded her hands over her face.

“Even after I told you not to get involved with Yoishi Mitsurugi, yet you…”

“Actually, I came here today to tell you that. From now on, I’m never gonna meet Yoishi—"

“It's already too late.”

She spoke plainly and dismissively, then proceeded to ask Sako while peeking through her fingers.

“Takita-san, what should be done now?”

“Well then…”

Saying that, Sako turned to me with a faint smile on his face.

“First of all, Let's start with a very fundamental contradiction that you haven't noticed. Listen here, Yamada Nagito-kun. Take a good look at this picture once again, and see if you notice anything.”

“…Huh?”

“In this photo, the two high school girls look to be on good terms. And as you can see, on the left is Kurimoto-kun. She is now a university student, and she is wearing a high school uniform in this photo. Unless your shrewd understanding leads you to believe that Kurimoto-kun has a hobby of cosplaying, you would know that this photo is from the past, right? Yes, to be precise, this photo was taken five years ago, right here within the Koumei educational institution.”

“…Five years ago?”

That number brought back an unpleasant memory.

As I recall, five years ago—

Didn't this bastard once say that Krishna almost broke down once?

“That’s right.”

Sako smiled, his long, slitted eyes narrowing like a thread.

“And this tall girl smiling next to Kurimoto-kun… immediately after this picture was taken, she ended up mysteriously disappearing from this school.”

“…Huh?”

“She disappeared without a trace. Without even leaving a body behind, her bag was left in the classroom, and she never even went home. School officials, friends, neighbors, police, and the mass media all tried desperately to find her at the time, but there was still no sign of whether she was alive or dead. That’s right, she literally vanished from the face of the earth, as if she had been spirited away by the gods<ref>Kamikakushi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_away </ref>. Even now, after five years, she still falls in the category of ‘being actively searched for’ -- but if we think about it realistically, it would be more natural to assume that she is already dead.”

Those words made me feel a nebulous chill, like something cold was creeping at my feet.

“But, I mean, uh, look – there’s all sorts of high school students, right?”

I spoke, trying to chase away the creeping feeling.

“Maybe there was some guy she was going out with and she ran away with him or something, or maybe some bad guy tricked her or--”

“Of course, such a possibility was taken into account at the beginning of the search. But she didn't have any boyfriends at the time, and her purse, pencil case and other stationery were not missing. Even the shoes she used to go to school with still remained in the shoe rack at the entrance.”

“Then she must still be somewhere in this school, right? Maybe she's locked up somewhere that's hard to find, and is still waiting for hel—”

I was about to say that much, when I finally realized. Five years. Five years have already passed. If this girl was looking for help somewhere – then it was unlikely that she would be still be alive.

“It seems you finally understand. Every inch of this school has already been searched, and even the police dogs failed to find anything. To sum it all up, realistically and scientifically speaking, her physical body doesn’t exist here anymore.”

Sako’s words–

And that seemingly happy, warped, white face of his - reminded me of something. Words that distort my stance, the darkness that spreads behind those eyes and shakes the foundations of what I believe.

Yes – it reminded me of Yoishi Mitsurugi.

It was the same feeling of something shaking and slipping away, just like when that black-haired girl talked about ghosts.

“A girl that shouldn’t be here anymore, and you…where did you meet, I wonder? Even If the girl who disappeared five years ago is still alive somewhere, what are the chances that she's still wearing the uniform she wore back then? How likely is it that a girl of this generation, growing mature every day, would still look exactly the same as she did back then?”

Aah, it’s getting darker.

The world, now, is becoming ever darker. Sako’s words, and his empty eyes, gripped my heart coldly, and his thin, smiling face appeared like a monster fox on a moonless night.

--Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Suddenly, the word comes up in my mind again.

I don’t know if that word is correct or not. But right now, the person called Sako Takita, was an inexplicable existence to me. He was well versed in all kinds of mantras, an advanced user of taboo words, a half-hearted guy, a liar, and yet, he was also a calculating man who worked everything to his advantage. And despite all of this, I never felt any sense of responsibility from the man himself. He was an incomprehensible monster that I sincerely hoped to never see again.

“I don't really want to push you too hard right now, but...”

[[Image:Phenomeno-vol2-case06.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

Sako waved the photo in his hand and spoke:

“For the record, this photo was supposed to have been burnt up five years ago.”

“……”

“I was sure Kurimoto-kun had properly extinguished it from the world. But for some reason, it was once again discovered in the club room. I believe that Kurimoto-kun's mind, which is stronger and more graceful than most people's, couldn't stand to do it, because this slender girl and Kurimoto-kun had a rather special relationship.”

He spoke happily, and then:

“Say, Yamada-kun… Yamada Nagito-kun.”

Sako handed me the photo.

“What happened to this girl five years ago -- and where is she right now?”

In a world where I slowly bleed away.

The mature girl in the photo smiles quietly.

In the clock tower. In the eyes of the cat. In the club room at dawn. And, in the coffee shop –

That hazy figure, standing lurched over, was right now… in front of me.

The girl sneers. She turns her deep hollow eyes towards me and moves her red mouth.

Enshrouded in the scent of the world beyond—

She declares:

--A t l a s t, w e m e e t…

-----------------

<noinclude>
==Translator's notes and references==
<references />

</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Case 05

2021-08-04T15:11:22Z

Dreamer2908:

==Case 05: The Cat Mystery==

As a stereotypical student living in poverty, I’ve developed several cost-effective dishes, but the one I’ve taken the most liking to is the Hundred-yen ramen. Made from cheap noodles, cheap eggs and cheap bean sprouts at the cost of a hundred yen; the aroma of pepper and sesame oil was really appetizing. It was my specialty. It's a little tricky to make in my single room apartment with a single burner stove, but once you get used to it, anyone can make it while everything is still piping hot.

I was following my usual routine that day, I did my work translating research materials on the Fafrotskies phenomenon, then I returned to my apartment to prepare a meal before leaving for my part-time job in the evening. I was sitting in front of my dining table with a steamy hot bowl, put my palms together in thanks, and was just about to take a bite when I heard a knock on the door.

I looked towards the door, and it burst open by itself, revealing the grinning face of Mitsuru Ooki.

“Yo, Nagito! There you are.”

“Oh, if it isn’t Ooki. What brings you here?”

“That looks delicious.”

“Well, I ain’t sharing.”

“That’s alright, I’ve eaten already.”

Saying that, Ooki brazenly took off his shoes and entered inside. Taking the large bag off his shoulders, he flapped the T-shirt around his neck, causing his pungent body odor to waft throughout the room.

I frowned in the middle of my dinner, and glared at Ooki’s blood-red face.

Mitsuru Ooki was a freshman like me, an acquaintance who I met in the western building of the university.

It was mid-September and the university was still on summer break, but I was extremely busy spending my days in the western building translating English research materials. One day, when Krishna-san wasn’t around, I had left the door fully open to allow the fresh air in, and this guy, dripping in sweat staggered in. My first impression was that he was a weirdo, but after talking to him I found out that he was also a scholarship student, and like me, one of the few poor students from the countryside at our campus, who also lived alone – From then on – the conversation went well. During the summer vacation, this guy was drawing paintings silently alone in the art club room, and when he’d get lonely, he’d come to where I was, and then I started going to the art club room as well. Soon after that he started showing up to my apartment uninvited.

Mitsuru Ooki certainly had the personality of an insolent and rude guy who was used to scrounging off of others – but this guy still had a dream of becoming an artist. Whenever I would ask him about Housui Yamamoto or Johannes Vermeer he would get so fired up that I’d get fed up listening to him. And I liked this kind of guy. In fact, I would say that meeting people like this was what I was looking for.

“So, what brings you here?” I asked him while sipping the ramen.

“You sure have a nice room, as always.” Ooki spoke as he took a scrutinizing look around at my empty room.

“Is that supposed to be sarcasm?”

“No, I really do think that. The best part of this room is that there’s nothing in it. Not even a TV or a computer. Just a dining table and a few books. Young men should hold pride in their poverty.”

Ooki said that with a happy tone. Certainly, when I visited his apartment, it was a 7.5 sqm tatami room with nothing but oil paints.

“Well, that’s all fine and good, but do you already get why I’m here?”

Ooki smiled complacently as he asked me that. It’s annoying that this guy believes I’ll understand what he wants to say just with a smile. I’m not psychic, I won’t know unless you tell me directly.

“I’m not lending you any money.”

“I’m not so feeble minded as to ask money from you.”

Ooki then grabbed his bag, unzipped and opened it. A meow sound suddenly emanated from the inside, and I braced myself.

“I want you to take care of her for a few days.” He took out a cat as he spoke.

Moreover, it was a white cat with quite an adorable face.

“You were keeping a cat?”

“Actually, I found her about two weeks ago. Her name is Miiko.”

“What’s with that name? Anyway, It’s a problem for me. Pets aren’t allowed here.”

“It’ll be alright, it’s just for a few days. She’s well behaved and barely ever makes a sound.”

“Didn’t she meow just now?”

“It almost never happens. It was just because I’d kept her in my bag for so long, it was a meow of relief.”

“No, I can’t do it. Cats aren’t allowed.”

I spoke firmly, but the white cat had already left Ooki’s grasp, sniffed the aroma of its surroundings, before eventually her nose twitched at the bowl of ramen I was holding. After that it scrambled up to my lap in a friendly manner.

“See? She likes you already.”

Ooki spoke with a complacent smile as always. It's been a long time since I'd felt the soft touch of a cat, and the faintly sweet smell of a beast stirred my heart.

“It’s a problem. I can’t keep a cat.”

But Ooki was acting as if he didn’t hear me.

“Actually, one of my relatives from my mother’s side passed away, so I have to go back home. I’ll probably return in two days, so I want you to take care of Miiko while I’m gone.”

Then he patted the white cat's head and smiled contently once again.

“You’re fucking kidding me.”

“Got it, Miiko? Remember to behave, and take good care of the house.”

The cat meowed in a quiet and lovely way at Ooki’s remarks. That face was really quite lovely. After that, I couldn’t really say anything anymore.

----

Cats.

Their bodies are soft and warm, and they’re so cute that you want to rub their cheeks when they purr in your arms. In the modern world, everyone recognizes that they are a rival for dogs as two of the most popular pet animals in the world. I'd always been a fan of animals in general, so I'm more than willing to take care of my friends' pets. I wouldn't usually mind, but there's a reason I'm a little daunted by cats.

It was back when I was in the sixth grade at primary school.

We had a female cat called Momo.

Momo was originally a cat that my older sister, who was in her third year of junior high school at the time, had found; she was a pretty smart and friendly cat that got along well with humans. She was already an adult cat by the time she came to our house, but she learned where her litter tray was at once, and quickly learned what not to do – If you’d get mad at her once she would never do it again. She would rarely ever meow, and she’d humbly appeal for food with her eyes whenever she wanted to eat. My sister, the one who found her, got busy around those days -- dying her hair red, forming a gang of ladies that would later terrorize the Fujieda area, so in the end it was mostly up to me to take care of Momo. Out of everyone in my family, I think Momo felt the most attached to me.

And in those days, there was a girl in my primary school that I liked.

Her name was Saki-chan; she wasn’t particularly beautiful or anything, but she was kind to everyone, and she was always smiling. You could say she was my first love. The first thing I’d end up doing in the morning when I’d get to class was to look for her, no matter how far away she was, I could recognize her laughing voice. In those days, I naturally didn't understand what love was, and I agonized over why I was suffering so much. Anyway, all I knew was that it was not something I could discuss with my sister or any other family member. That’s why, I felt I had no choice and started talking to Momo about it.

After I came back from school I’d straight away go and lie down on the balcony with Momo, I started by telling her “There’s a girl called Saki-chan”, and “It’s painful in my chest”, “I wonder if she hates me?”, those sort of things, When I thought about it now, I must have been a pathetic sight talking so devotedly about such embarrassing things, yet Momo gazed at me kindly and silently.

And then on a certain day – I ran across Saki-chan while going home from school, we both swung our school bags, talked about childish things as we walked the path alongside the paddy fields. And that's when I suddenly saw Saki-chan’s hair glittering golden in the setting sun. Isn’t she actually very beautiful? And then, the fool that I was, said it out loud.

“Saki-chan is beautiful!” I shouted that out loud -- what were my feelings back then? How should I describe it? I felt that the profile of Saki-chan’s face that I saw from the side was miraculously beautiful, but it wouldn’t last for forever. For this one moment, many things meshed together perfectly to show the world the true value she possessed. And if I didn’t scoop it up now, it would disappear. That’s right, wistful—was a perfect match for how I felt in that moment.

However, in society that would normally be interpreted as a love confession, and girls in the sixth grade were much more mature than boys.

“What do you mean?”

She asked me in a somewhat troubled tone, and I had nowhere to run to after that. That’s why I answered her honestly even as my voice shook.

I liked Saki-chan, I’d liked her so long, and so much so that I couldn’t sleep at night.

There is nothing more painful than the feelings of love held by a primary school kid. I wondered what would happen after I confessed. Even if she shared my feelings, we weren’t allowed to marry by law, and there would be a long, long path to adulthood from here. In that process one would gain, and lose various things as well. There would be all sorts of joys and sadness, and many changes one would go through. At the end of what seems like an infinite amount of time for a child, will that innocent love remain unchanged? Even primary school students have some sense of the difficulties that lie ahead. No, it’s because they are primary school students, that they feel it even more so. That’s why, I don’t know. After hearing my confession, Saki-chan spoke.

“I am normal.”

After that, she hung her head down, and restated in a small voice.

“From here onwards… being normal would be for the best.”

“Yeah, Hahaha”, I laughed in response, despite the sharp wound I received from her words.

Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Those words were all I could muster, and I ran home from there.

Even as I ran, the tears never stopped flowing. The only thing I was sure of was that tomorrow would never be the same as today. A gap that could never be bridged had been created between me and Saki-chan; we would never be able to talk normally again, thanks to my foolish confession. Only a feeling of despair remained, as if the only girl that I had felt closest to in the world had moved to the furthest place.

I barged in to my home crying my eye’s out, and immediately ran to my room and started cowering and crying again; before I had realized it, Momo was there, by my side. She kept staring at me with an affectionate gaze. Suddenly I realized that Momo was a female. Just with that alone, I was saved from the feeling that there wouldn’t be any females appearing around me anymore besides my family.

“Hey, Momo.”

My face soggy with tears, I reached out and stroked Momo’s chin and spoke.

“Marry me someday.”

For a moment, Momo stared motionlessly at me, then suddenly let out a cry.

A meow.

That was an extremely rare thing to happen.

For this reason, I thought Momo had accepted my stupid proposal.

I got happy, hugged her tightly, and smiled through my tear-stained face.

...Ugh, embarrassing. Just by recalling this much, makes me so embarrassed it makes me want to jump off a cliff and spill my spinal fluid against the jagged rocks below. But there is an even worse ending to this embarrassing story.

In my second year of high school, I finally got a girlfriend.

She was a first-year junior, a girl who had joined the basketball club as a manager. She was somewhat blunt and had a tendency to speak out boldly, even to her male seniors, but I think that quirk of hers was liked by everyone. She would speak to me frankly: “You’re an idiot”, or “You need to practice cutting in more”, she would arrogantly point out. That's why, unlike the other girls, I was able to say things like, "Shut up!” and “You just stick to your own damn job”.

And on a day like that, I stayed behind in the gym to practice my three-point shot, she came by and suddenly spoke “Your hand placement is bad.” We had just lost a practice game, and one of the reasons for our loss was that I missed a three-point shot at a crucial moment, so I was feeling deeply responsible. That’s why I unintentionally ended up yelling out in anger, “Shut up.”

However, she didn’t stop.

“You only need to shoot it with one hand, but you keep using both hands most of the time.”

“I know that, dammit.”

“I already told you that in spring, but you still didn’t fix your game.”

“If I could have fixed it sooner, I would have done it a long time ago.”

“You don’t seem like you want to fix it.”

“The hell did you say?”

I dropped the ball down and glared at her; without backing down she glared back at me in defiance.

“How would someone like you know that?”

She pursed her lips tightly as she replied:

“I know it because I’ve been watching you for a long time.”

‘Watching you for a long time’, Feeling a strange indication in those words, I got flustered.

After that I ignored her, and began to practice my shooting once more.

“You really are an idiot.”

Leaving me with those words, she ran off.

Well, I’ll leave out the details --- but after that, we started to become aware of each other’s feelings, and we started dating. I was the one who confessed to her. All she did was nod her head in a shy way; then when I realized that for the first time in my life, I had made a "girlfriend," I hopped back home and reported it to Momo straight away.

“I made a girlfriend.”

Momo merely raised her eyes.

“She’s a little arrogant, but she’s not a bad girl.”

I spoke somewhat embarrassed, but I was grinning broadly as I said it.

In fact, I kept bragging on about her after that. That part of her is cute, and such; when she smiles, the pit of my stomach feels all warm and fuzzy, and such. All those foolish words of mine, Momo kept listening to them in silence. At this time, I had completely forgotten. The fact that I had once proposed to Momo. And that on that day, at the end of my absolute loneliness, I had been saved by Momo's consent to marry me.

Most people would agree that the early period of a relationship is like heaven on earth. I was one of them as well. Every day was fun, it was like I was slightly floating about thirty centimeters above the ground, frolicking around like a fool. I kept reporting about those days to Momo. Momo looked up at me with her clear, slightly orange eyes and listened intently to what I had to say.

And then finally, it was less than a week later.

I felt Momo’s cry from somewhere while I was asleep and woke up. In the dark room, Momo wasn’t present. I thought she had gone off to drink some water, so I dozed off again.

The next morning, I discovered Momo’s body getting cold in the kitchen. I took her to the vet in a panic, but he told me that it was probably just her life expectancy.

According to the vet, Momo looked to be around twenty years old. I didn’t know anything. Without ever getting ill, Momo already had a previous owner and was surgically sterilized, never having copulated. In any case, she was a cat that didn’t cause trouble for others, and I never worried about how old she was, or what kind of disease she might have. I felt she would keep on living forever.

And finally, when I was burying Momo in the yard – I suddenly remembered.

I had proposed to Momo.

And she had accepted.

Didn’t Momo -- live this long as though she were my wife?

Momo -- who would refuse to eat anything until I had eaten, who would come up into my futon when I went to bed, and purr happily. Whenever I called out to her, she’d immediately come running from anywhere, and would hear out any story to the very end.

I was…I was…I was—
So boastful in telling her that I had a girlfriend.

I was going on about it almost every day. And that’s why, Momo lost the place she belonged, and died, right? Of course, she’s just a cat, right? A person would naturally laugh, it was just simply her lifespan. However, despite being saved once by her in the past, I had forgotten that and kept saying things that betrayed her every day – then, I cried and cried and apologized.

After that, I began to avoid cats, even stray ones on the street. It was a mixed feeling of nostalgia, guilt and fear, and I was too scared to even look them in the eye. The reason being that sometimes cats would look at you as if they are thinking deeply. They would seem to be walking much closer to the truth of the world than I was. The look that says, "I know exactly what you're thinking”.

Whenever I saw a cat in town, or at someone’s house, I’d think to myself…

Momo must have resented me, right?

Did she think I betrayed her?

I’d always thought that if she did, I couldn’t blame her.

That’s why –

To this day, I'd never kept a cat after Momo, and I thought I'd never keep another one in my life.

------------

Miiko was actually, a pretty adorable cat.

Like Ooki had said, she rarely made a fuss, would only ever meow while eating, expressing her happiness. She was pure white, her long tail was always pointing up towards the sky, and was quite thin. However, she wasn’t thin because of poor health, but being well-knit gave her that sort of nice physique. And, you couldn’t really tell from her name, but Miiko was indeed a female. Momo was brown with a white streak, so she didn’t resemble this pure white cat in any way -- but still, the sensation of having a female cat near me reluctantly reminded me of Momo's existence. However, Miiko was quite good at keeping my attention, which helped dispel my past trauma.

If I held out my finger, she’d come over and sniff it. And just like that, she’d rub her face on it. No matter where I’d be sitting, she’d come over and get on my lap; Forcefully curling up just after. She’d always sleep with some part of her body in contact with me, and when I stroked her, she’d purr happily. When I’d be leaving for university or my part-time job, she’d follow me up to the door seeming lonely as she’d look up to me, but she wouldn’t make a sound. When I’d return, she’d welcome me happily in an adorable way, and I gave all her all the love I could.

I got fussy about the nutrition and taste of her foods, I got her a litter box, and I even ended up buying her one of those cat teaser toys. My already meager spending money just about disappeared, but that was okay. I’d just ask Ooki to pay for everything when he returned. In the end, my life started revolving around Miiko, but—

But the promised two, three days passed, and Ooki didn’t show his face.

----

At the end of September, my second semester had started, my daily life became even more hectic than usual. I had wholeheartedly swallowed my senior's advice to take as many credits as I could in my first year and ended up taking a boatload of classes. I was doing my part-time job at the Italian restaurant in order to pay for my living expenses and fulfill my debts. The formality of having to attend beatnik society meetings, and in the shadows of that, posting articles for the occult site Ikaigabuchi. In particular, more than half of the Fafrotskies literature was yet to be translated, I felt I had become a staff member of the English literature club rather than an occult website.

“Hey, Nagi-kun. Don’t push yourself too much.”

Unable to see me suffer, Krishna-san said that to me every time we met.

‘I’m fine’, I’d reply with a laugh as I shrugged off her concern. It was definitely tough on my body, but my heart felt fulfilled. I took heart in the fact that my life had finally truly begun. No, maybe it's more like a sense of relief that I finally have a foothold in Tokyo, a place where I didn't know a single person. In any case, a person is able to breathe deeply only after they have a place where they belong.

There was no development regarding the Strange rain in Musashino, and there weren’t any new stories about anything raining down. In the end, we still didn’t find a solid reason for that occurrence. Though I could surmise a somewhat sinister guess as to the reason the blood was falling around the clock tower, but –

Anyway, my everyday life was so busy, I didn’t even have time to think about that.

And then, on a certain day…

I was dragging along my mama-bike towards the school gate as I was about to leave, and I noticed Yoishi Mitsurugi in her school uniform. I checked my watch and saw that it was apparently end of the school day at the high school as well.

Yo -- I thought I’d call out to her – but my feet stopped. Come to think of it, Krishna-san had made me vow not to associate with Yoishi. That was the condition she put forth for letting me join the Beatnik research society, but despite that, I ended up exploring the clock tower with Yoishi just the other day. And at the end, it leaned violently towards the terrifying world beyond, whose presence I ended up feeling right next to me. No matter how you put it, it’s not good to learn even a little bit about that. Shouldn’t I take care of myself just a little bit more?

Thinking that, I watched Yoishi as she kept her distance from the group of high school students leaving the school.

Ugh—She was walking along gloomily as always. Her shoulders drooped down, she kept staring at the ground as she walked. She’s like a human black hole that drags you to a world of darkness when you look at her.

---Come to think of it, could something be troubling her?

That day, I did end up telling her that I would speak to her in a bright place somewhere in the daytime. As I stared at her lonely figure, which stood out from the countless high school students laughing and acting cheerfully, I remembered that, clicked my tongue, and ran.

“Hey, Yoishi!” I called out to her.

“…Oh”, She turned her pale face towards me and gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

“Hey, how have you been?”

“…”

“…Well, I guess you’re not doing so well.”

That day, on that night -- the thing I saw in the gym storehouse.

The moment I looked back at the end, the feeling of something peeking out at me from the hole in the clock face.

And Yoishi’s words, “After all, there were two people inside.”

When I recalled those words, I could feel something cold crawling up my back once again.

There were many things I wanted to ask her, but even so, when I looked at Yoishi’s dark and gloomy figure, I couldn’t bring myself to say them.

In the late summer’s sweltering heat, I was rendered speechless as I got swallowed up by the atmosphere around her, as if she was trudging through a world of absolute zero.

Then –

“You have the stink of an animal.” She spoke abruptly.

Is that so? Flustered, I sniffed my clothes.

Out of all things, it was completely unexpected of her to be complaining about someone’s smell.

“I’m taking care of someone’s cat.”

“Cat?”

“Yeah, she’s white and pretty cute. Do you wanna come see it?”

If a cat were to snuggle up to her lap she might feel better. Thinking that, I had unintendedly said that out loud, but – when I think about it, she’s a high school girl. Inviting a girl her age to my apartment alone is problematic. I thought that, but Yoishi nodded silently in agreement, and began to follow me. She might actually be a cat lover; I assumed that and spoke.

“Miiko is actually a medium-sized cat, but she gets along great with people.”

“Hmm.”

“Have you ever kept a cat before?”

“I haven’t.”

“Do you have an interest in cats?”

“I'm not interested in animals in general, humans included.”

With that flat retort, I was about to say, ‘Oh, that’s right, your specialty is ghosts, after all’, but I gulped down those words.

“Well, just try stroking her. She’s soft and cute.”

After I told her that, Yoishi and I rode together on my mama-bike and reached my apartment.

Whereupon we arrived at my apartment and I opened the front door with my key. But Miiko, who usually dashed up to me the moment I arrived, was nowhere to be seen. Huh? I wondered as I took off my shoes and entered inside my room to find her rounded up into a ball in the back of the room.

“Miiko, I’m home?”

I called out to her but she was acting different than her usual self.

Rather than being afraid of something, she stiffened her body as if on guard against something.

“Sorry for intruding.”

Yoishi muttered politely as she entered my room, at the same time, Miiko growled as her fur stood on end.

“Whoa… Whoa, Miiko… It’s alright. This girl is named Yoishi.”

I tried to hold her up in my arms, but she offered unusual resistance and darted off to a corner of the room.

“Are you being haunted by something?” I looked at Yoishi and joked.

“Perhaps.” She nodded without much emotion in her voice.

I thought I’d comment – but, for the time being I boiled some water. After serving tea to Yoishi, there was nothing more to do but sit under the same roof in silence – just me, Miiko and Yoishi. Miiko kept staring at Yoishi from the corner of the room. I too was starting to feel a little creeped out by how frightened she was. I mean, what the hell is she dragging around?

“Don't you think you should at least get an exorcism or something?”

I couldn't bear the silence any further and said so, but Yoishi just sipped her cup of tea in silence.

“I mean look, you’ve been hanging out a lot at haunted and other dangerous places, after all. And on top of that, you’ve been seeing things, right?”

“There are some I can and can’t see.”

After muttering something like that... Yoishi suddenly gazed at me.

“Say, I wonder if cats really can shapeshift.”

These words pierced deep into my heart.

“Cats just open the door, but the monster cat<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko </ref> closes the door at the end – that legend is often spoken of, but to begin with, why did they start saying that cats transform into monsters in the first place?”

Yoishi kept speaking with indifference.

“Is it their fickle nature? Or their uncanny eyes that shine in the dark? Or is there another reason altogether? In China it was said that if a cat was kept for three years, it would transform into a monster, and in some regions of Japan, it was decided that a pet cat would be killed after seven years. There’s a famous legend that says that older cats start to speak in human tongues, and in the illustrated Sino-Japanese encyclopedia from 1712<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakan_Sansai_Zue</ref>, it is said that when a cat starts to lick oil, a strange phenomenon begins. But in any of the anecdotes, there is no basis for a cat to be able to transform into a monster. Not even in "Saga no Yozakura" or "Saga Kaineko Den,"<ref>:https://books.google.com.sa/books?id=9pk-CgAAQBAJ&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Saga+no+yozakura&source=bl&ots=MkQu2mo0OB&sig=ACfU3U36iiCDjGQcC2sUokt2IEc2XWoikQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUtrmvyvPvAhV6WxUIHazXD2wQ6AEwEHoECBUQAw#v=onepage&q=Saga%20no%20yozakura&f=false</ref> which caused an uproar and were famous as cat monster media. Cats are described as being able to transform from the start. Strangely enough, this is the case all over the world.
The more Yoishi spoke, the more Miiko growled from the corner of the room.

Well, certainly, there are a lot of cat related legends and ghost tales around the world.

Bakeneko<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakeneko)</ref>, Nekomata<ref>(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekomata)</ref>, Cat Sith<ref>(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat-s%C3%ACth)</ref>, Kasha<ref>(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasha_(folklore))</ref>, Gotokuneko <ref>(https://yokai.fandom.com/wiki/Gotokuneko)</ref>, Kinkabyou<ref>Kinkabyou(Golden flower cat)</ref> – Those were all the ones I could remember for the time being, however, I suppose those legends came to be because cats have been around humans for a long time. They've shared so many stories with us that they've become a part of our folklore.

I spoke those thoughts to Yoishi -- That’s right, she nodded.

“However --- for this reason, cats are full of features that can inhabit the human heart.”

After chatting about such things for a while –

Yoishi stuck out her finger towards Miiko, who was cowering in a small corner of the room, but Miiko didn’t sniff it. Poor thing, she's scared out of her mind.

To even scare cats, she’s the real deal when it comes to being a walker in the world beyond.

As I began to think about such ominous things again, Yoishi suddenly looked towards the corner of the room.

From there on she abruptly began crawling on all fours and moved closer to the wall.

“Say, what is this?”

What Yoishi was pointing to curiously was a hot water dispenser.

“What do you mean? The hot water dispenser? It’s to keep the boiled water from getting cold.”

Hmm, replied Yoishi as she then pointed to the stand type vacuum cleaner I had just bought.

“And what is this?”

“It’s a vacuum cleaner.”

“And these?”

“Those are all purpose hangers used to hang laundry with – wait, don’t you know what these things are? What kind of house do you live in, anyway?”

“What kind? An average one room apartment.”

“Huh…wait a minute.”

I stared at Yoishi’s face as I asked.

“Is it possible… that you live by yourself?”

Yoishi silently nodded.

What about your parents, I was about to ask, but, I desisted from doing so.

And the scene drew itself in my mind quite spontaneously.

No desk.

No clothes.

No cooking utensils, not even a curtain.

The view of an empty room, as if someone had just moved in. Yoishi lay coldly on the floor, illuminated by the moonlight. The image of Yoishi, living such a daily life as if it was normal, without feeling any pain – or rather, by cutting off all her emotions -- spread in my mind as if it was almost certainly true; I hesitated to inquire any more about Yoishi’s personal life.

--Something’s been troubling you; did you manage to take care of it?

Maybe if I had asked cheerfully, everything would have been solved easily.

But the person I was at this moment, just couldn't do it.

This girl has some kind of unique – extremely unique, family environment.

For some reason or other, I had a feeling about that. In the past, something happened to her -- Fear, the organ that’s supposed to feel it, died somehow. And in search of that lost forgotten emotion, she abandoned herself to the mysteries of the occult. That's what I learned in the depths of my warped dream. What in the world was it, that robbed you of the feeling known as ‘fear’? But I couldn’t inquire that from Yoishi, who was right in front of me. I was hopelessly afraid to step into it. It was almost like it was as close to the word forbidden as you can get, something impossible for a person like me to get involved in, an absolute barrier that I would never be able to overcome.

‘To save a girl like her, a half-hearted resolve won’t do’, I recalled Krishna-san’s words.

And yet, here I was, having brought Yoishi over to my apartment. Even though I was told not to associate with her, I ended up doing it anyway.

I suddenly realized that Yoishi had finished her tea and was idly staring at her cup.

I took the empty cup from her hands, stood up, washed and cleaned it, put in a tea bag, and poured in some more hot water from the dispenser.

After I handed it to her, Yoishi quickly took a sip and simply muttered, “Delicious”.

-------

Yoishi Mitsurugi went back home right away after finishing her second cup of tea.

I'll get ready for my 5 o'clock job, prepare food for Miiko, and clean the bathroom. When I patted her head, Miiko had started to be coy and sweet to me again, probably because Yoishi was gone.

“She’s always difficult to deal with, so please forgive me.”

Miiko just raised her eyes in response.

I patted her on the head once more and left for work.

At any rate, I'm still a struggling student, and I still have to earn my keep.

I was working at the Italian restaurant part-time at an hourly wage of 870 yen, five hours a day, and about five times a week. Even after doing that much, I only managed to make around 100,000 yen per month. But despite all that, this job was fun in its own way. At first, I had applied for the position to help with living expenses and to get some free food, but now I was quite fond of the time I spent there. The restaurant was just under a ten minute bike ride from my house, located just a ways off from Kichijouji station. My main task was to assist in food preparation, doing everything from peeling garlic, chopping tomatoes, preparing herbs, replenishing all sorts of seasonings and washing dishes. Well, long story short, I’m doing various chores in the kitchen, but if I’m late, I get shouted at, and if you slack off, you’re likely to get your ass kicked. When it gets busy, I have to go out to the dining area. That’s how I learned about the history and taste characteristics of Italian wine and how to skillfully use a sommelier knife to pop the cork. The manager was tough on the part-timers, but he was much tougher on himself, he fervently researched on Italian food every day and the restaurant flourished as a result. Particularly around early evening time, the restaurant was a veritable battlefield. There was no time to relax, and I had to move fast, almost by conditioned reflexes or else I wouldn’t be able to handle things. The high school girl who was a senior to me at work would often insult me, saying I was in the way, and there was a lot of incomprehensible Italian being spoken in the kitchen.

But I got used it by now --- I think. It’s way better than a part time job with a lot of free time. Anyway, time passes by in the blink of an eye as ‘It’s closing time, thanks for your hard work!’ rings out from within the store, I can’t help but feel a little moved whenever that happens. In the dimly lit restaurant with all the lights off except for the spotlights, I see the cooks opening a bottle of wine for tasting and saying, "Good work!”, it makes me really think, Dammit! Chefs are so damn cool. I often end up wondering I should just quit university and aim to be a chef, but, I think of my parent who paid a high cost for my university fees, and it would be bad if I didn’t at least graduate.

Well, anyway, after finishing an exhausting day of fulfilling work, I was going back to my apartment late at night as usual. And then, as always, while enjoying the pleasant night breeze pedaling back home on my mama bike –

Was when I noticed.

Someone’s cold, emotionless gaze.

I stopped my bike, and looked around.

I was in the middle of a residential area; it was late at night so there were only a few houses that still had their lights on. The street lights are bright, the moon beautiful and there’s no creepy atmosphere. But I could feel someone’s gaze clinging to me from somewhere.

“Is it just my imagination?” I wondered. I’m sure I must be feeling that way because I ended up meeting with Yoishi in the afternoon. Her creepy presence is still lingering somewhere within my unconscious. After the recent incident, I mostly stopped using the shortcut to my apartment that was next to the sports ground. I hated seeing that clock tower aka earthen storehouse even from a distance, so I did my best to return through a well-lit street. I knew I definitely had to stay away from dangerous places. I had learned my lesson on how to deal with the occult.

When I returned to my apartment and opened the front door, Miiko quickly came running to my feet. She snuggled her face up against my jeans and continued purring.

“Hey, you seem to be in a better mood now.”

I stroked her face, then took off my shoes and changed into more comfortable clothes.

As I washed my hands and face, I heard Miiko starting to eat her food. Waiting to eat after I return, she’s just like Momo from back then -- I thought to myself, as I watched her continue to eat in delight. Suddenly I realized, the area around where Yoishi had been sitting in the evening was faintly wet. When I crouched to confirm, a stripe of water remained, as if it had been wiped with a cloth whose water hadn’t been wrung out properly.

“What the heck is this?”

Could it be that Yoishi, had once again been dripping wet like that one time? Or could Miiko had drunk some water, and slept here with her jaw wet? In any case, I didn’t pay it too much attention at the time, gently wiped it off with a cloth and went off to take a shower. I dried my hair, and my eyelids soon became heavy, without eating dinner, I went and lied down.

When I got in my futon, Miiko also joined me. Even though it isn’t cold at this time of year, she was like Momo in that she liked the warmth of a human. I tucked Miiko inside the futon and opened the mystery book I had borrowed from the library -- when I noticed something. The bookmark I had stuck inside had changed its position. It had moved further ahead from where I had left off, I had almost read a spoiler.

“I guess I forgot to put the bookmark back.”

I returned it to the point I had read up to, when my eyes fell on the page but—

I felt extremely exhausted.

Without even turning off the lights, I fell into a deep sleep.

Outside my apartment, I thought I heard the sounds of cats moaning together in heat.

----

“Did you go off to a strange place again?”

It was when I showed up at the beatnik research lab after my lectures were finished the next day. As soon as I saw her face Krishna-san said that to me, and I vigorously shook my head in response.

“No, I haven’t been anywhere.”

“Is that the truth?”

Krishna-san’s big round eyes glittered behind her red glasses as she glared at me with suspicion. For a moment, I thought, “Oh shit”, to myself as I panicked.

Huh…? Is it about the clock tower?

I thought so, but I’ve met up with Krishna-san many times since then. If she was talking to me about that, she would have told me much sooner.

“I don't like it. Am I being possessed by something?”

I daringly spoke out in a cheerful tone, Krishna-san pushed up her glasses, and stared at me with a serious expression.

“No, it’s a somewhat strange sensation – Different from being possessed directly. It's like you're alone in the middle of an abandoned building, and I'm staring at you from a distance, and then I find someone else staring at you from the top of an old building.

Those words filled me with horror. Her words kind of described the clinging gaze I had felt last night.

“D-don’t scare me like that. You certainly can’t see ghosts, right?”

“That’s true.”

Krishna-san gave a deeply regrettable shake of the head.

“Biophotons, at best. I’ve seen things that resemble ghosts a few times, but you could call it something else entirely, and as someone who runs an occult website, it’s certainly shameful, but I’m not someone who sees ghosts everywhere.”

She then took off her red glasses, and began to wipe off the dirt with a cloth and added.

“But recently, I’ve begun to think of it as a blessing in disguise. If I could see them all the time, I might end up turning out to be like Yoishi. Well, I don’t know if she turned out to be that way because she could see them, or if she’s able to see them because of how she turned out to be.”

“But can you tell if someone’s possessed?”

Krishna-san nodded with a very serious look on her face as she replied.

“I think I can sense it. And right now, I don’t think you’re being possessed by anything. I know that, but…. Ummm… I wonder what this feeling is?”

“I don’t really feel like my shoulders are heavy or anything, and I haven’t been having any strange dreams.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess it’s fine then.”

She said somewhat unconvinced.

“It’s not really nice to pry, sorry about that.”

Krishna-san put her glasses back on and gave a sweet smile.

After that she said, ‘well then’, as she puffed up with pride and changed the subject.

“The second half of semester classes are about to begin, and it's a critical time for the Beatnik research society as well.”

“…Huh?”

“Next month, during the Koumei institute school festival, there’s going to be a Mary festival. We have to organize it as part of the Beatnik society, and on the other hand, we can’t take a break in posting updates on Ikaigabuchi. In short, we have to finish translating the Fafrotskies research material within two to three days.”

“T-Two to three days?”

“I’m very sorry to ask you to work even harder after everything you’ve done so far, but it’s a reality of the schedule.”

Well, even if you say that –

Right now, no matter how hard I work, I can only manage to translate a page per day. There are still dozens of pages left. Moreover, the mystery of the Fafrotskies phenomenon has only deepened even after I’ve been working so tirelessly on the translation, making me question if it’s even worth it, and slowing down the pace of translation lately.

“Well, you know, the occult is the occult precisely because of its incomprehensible nature, that’s the fascination around it.”

Krishna-san spoke as if she read my expression.

“I still don’t have a complete picture of the Strange rain phenomenon --- but somehow, I do know one thing.”

“…Huh?”

“The Fafrotskies phenomenon, which has been documented countless time since before the common era – a phenomenon in which something impossible suddenly falls in an unlikely place. Those falling objects include small animals such as fish and frogs, large animals like alligators, and even giant creatures like whales have been reported. Not only that, but there are also reported precedents for blood, nails, mere meat, coins and hair. It's hard to see the truth that should be at the center of the story because it's an extremely wide range --- but, isn’t there a truth hidden somewhere that we’re overlooking in between the seemingly vast variety of falling objects?”

“Which is?”

“According to those who follow conventional wisdom, the Fafrotskies phenomenon can be explained scientifically through the mass outbreak theory and the tornado theory among other things, but the mass outbreak theory is based on the natural condition that the life form cannot occur in the vicinity of the site - and the tornado theory is based on the assumption that the falling objects will be of the same kind.”

“…Oh.”

“In short, even within the cases we’ve been translating, if the falling objects are not of the same type and if the site fulfils the condition for having an outbreak of the life form, in that case the possibilities of it being a paranormal event is low.”

I understand. Of course, it’s a conversation to be had after finishing all the translations, but if we statistically leave out all the cases that have even the slightest scientific explanation, we would only need to research the ones that can’t be explained.

Thereupon, I decided to ask Krishna-san something I had been curious about.

It was about that story Yoishi had muttered in front of the clock tower.

“Krishna-san, what do you think about ghost stories with the warps in space-time?”

“…Warps in space time?”

“You see many of them on the net, right? You pass through some place and when you come back, you’re in a different world. Multidimensions and parallel worlds, you think those sorts of things really exist? And if they do --- could a hole to one of those multidimensions open in the sky, and strange rain fall from there?”

“I see.”

Krishna-san put her finger on her small chin as she pondered.

“The pioneer in the study of the Faftrotskies phenomenon, Charles Fort advocated a similar a theory as well, that a ‘Super Sargasso Sea’ exists above the sky. The possibility of parallel words is certainly an interesting theory that has not been ruled out by modern physics, but, there’s not enough evidence to connect it to the Strange Rain phenomenon.”

Krishna-san then muttered with a look of nostalgia on her face.

“Now that you mention it, didn’t that person also mention something similar once…?”

“….Huh?”

“No, never mind.”

Krishna-san cleared her throat and smiled again.

“At any rate, isn’t it just fascinating? There are certain areas and ideas we can only hit on because we researched such a vast number of cases. A journey to the unknown begins from a single step, as they say.”

...Wait, wasn't that 'a journey of a thousand miles'?

That said, part of me feels like "journey to the unknown" actually fits her better.

The reason why this petite occult website administrator named Shiina Kurimoto does not seem to be gloomy in her research of ghosts is probably because she continues to hold fascination in this unknown. And that's exactly what I was trying to do. I also wanted to keep feeling something akin to excitement and hope in the occult. There was a part of me that would rather have things left ambiguous. If a day might come where science advanced to a stage where things like the composition of ghosts and their origin would be revealed, I’d end up thinking of them as completely boring. Isn’t it good that they’re so vague? I’d end up thinking to myself.

And—

And in that respect, me and Krishna-san are distinctly different from her.

Yoishi Mitsurugi would dig up and expose everything. Even if there was a reason for something to be sealed, she’d end up exposing it in broad daylight. No matter how brutal the truth would be, she’d step into any forbidden territory with her dark, shining eyes, and as long as we are attracted by the unknown, we can’t help but feel an irresistible gravity in her words and deeds. That’s why Krishna-san told me not to associate with Yoishi. I’m sure that Krishna-san herself must have felt drawn to the presence of the world beyond that clings to Yoishi. But it's a ticket to a deeper world where you can't come back if you go too deep, and you have to put a stop to it somewhere.

“It’s fascinating, is it? I understand.”

Well, if it’s just that, I’m convinced. I felt as if I had realized the basic attitude I would need to take toward the occult from now on.

“I got it now! Then let’s finish it in two days! I’m gonna stay overnight in the club room today!”

Krishna-san became flustered at my enthusiasm.

“Wait, I mean, it’s good to be enthusiastic and try to do it faster, but you don’t have to go that---”

“No, just leave it to me. It’s fascination, after all!”

Completely regaining my motivation, I slapped my chest.

Being a woman, Krishna-san had a curfew, commuting to school from her home. It seemed her father was strict in such matters, unless it was a something serious, he wouldn’t let her stay overnight somewhere else. So, if I, as a man living alone, doesn’t persist here, then who else is gonna do it?

“Ugh…In that respect, I’m really jealous of you being a guy who lives alone. I've always wished I was a guy myself.”

“It’s fine. I mean, even after you’ve returned home, you’re still working on updates for ‘Ikaigabuchi’, after all.”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

“Besides that, if you were a guy, I’m sure that would make Ikaigabuchi fans all over the country weep in sorrow.”

“…Eh? No… I don’t think that’s true…”

I laughed as I patted the shoulders of Krishna-san as she squirmed in a small voice.

That part of her was quite cute, but above all else, I was happy that my stance towards the occult had been clarified. I was feeling quite ecstatic.

That’s why, I ended up overlooking it.

That night --- That strange ‘gaze’ I had felt.

And even now, I could still feel that dark gaze staring at me from somewhere.

I wish I could have at least discussed it properly with her back then, but –

It was already too late.

-----

The western building was crowded as ever late at night.

I returned once to my apartment after my part-time job to look after Miiko, and returned to the club room once again.

In the three-story concrete building, I could see the windows of the club rooms, most of the lights were turned on. Originally, the club building in my university was supposed to close at 10 pm but, that rule was difficult to enforce. In particular, Building A, where all the club rooms for the humanities department are located -- a place where idiots with inexplicable dogmas belonging to the drama, film, newspaper, art, radio, and other clubs would spend their days discussing theories of culture and art.

Mitsuru Ooki, who had entrusted me with Miiko, was also of course, one of them. Culture is born at midnight, he would always say.

“...In the end, I guess I ended up joining those idiots.”

As expected, my body felt heavy after working for so many hours.

I muttered to myself as I parked my mama-bike in the bike parking, but that feeling somehow went away when I saw how lively the club building was. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to continue translating without sleeping, and that I won't be able to continue with lectures, my part-time job, and translation the next day. But, once a man says something, he has to go through with it. I recalled my father’s favorite pet phrase as I entered the club building in a light mood.

I bought a canned coffee on the ground floor and went up the stairs. Crossing the noisy corridors, I unlocked the doors to the empty beatnik club room and entered. With the late-night radio as my companion, I was going to devote my full time to translation work from then on.

With powers of concentration I wasn’t even able to display during my exams, hours passed by in the blink of an eye—

At the break of dawn, I thought I heard a cat’s voice, and I looked up.

Light had begun to seep in from beyond the window. wherein I heard what felt like a cat fight. Loud Meows, and growls; ah, what the hell? Are they mating? I laughed to myself. Momo, who I kept in the past was castrated, so I never saw it first-hand, but I heard seeing two cats mating is a pitiful site to see. My high school teacher, who was a cat lover, told me, "You can't let children see that.”

--I guess I’ll have to get Miiko castrated someday too.

I suddenly thought that to myself. And, I wondered, if I had kept Momo from when she was a kitten, would I actually have chosen to castrate her? I stopped my hand for a moment and thought about it while listening to the dreadful cat growls coming from outside the window - but I couldn’t come up with an answer.

Castration is an act of selfish convenience for humans. It’s such a cruel thing for the creatures living in this world to be deprived of their right to bear and raise children. It’s true that modern society cannot afford to let cats do that every day in residential areas in their season of heat. But that is for the convenience of humans, not for the happiness of cats. We love cats, but we are cruel to them. No, it’s just not only cats, it’s the same for dogs and other animals as well. We exterminate them to the point of extinction, and when it gets to the point where they’re in danger of extinction, we start their conservation. From their point of view, they would probably say that it’s all for the convenience of humans.

Sometimes, when I see a gruesome incident on the news, I suddenly feel like quitting humanity. And that bitterness develops into aimless self-questioning, eventually leading to dark and gloomy criticism of humanity. Even so, a half-hearted person like me can never figure out what should be done. Just being depressed means you won’t ever be able to move forward. That’s why, for the time being, I guess I’ll just have to be as sincere as I can to the ones I met through fate, which is Miiko for me right now.

“After a while, I have to go back home and feed her.” I squinted my eyes at the morning sun as I muttered to myself.

Ooki didn’t show up on that day as well.

He might be relaxing at his parents’ home after a long time or something. What was he going to do about Miiko? I wondered, but it was true that I was able to concentrate on translation thanks to her.

However --- two, three days later, the translation was yet to be finished, and there was no contact at all from Ooki.

“The hell is up with that guy?”

His absence had been pushed to the back of my mind since I’d made a big deal of finishing the translation work that I had yet to finish, but it’s been a week already. I got worried, and visited the art club at lunch break on the very same day.

“Is that guy Ooki around here?”

I tried asking but, all the club members there just shook their heads.

“Now that you mention it, we haven’t seen him around for a while now.” Was all that they said.

Could he have possibly decided to drop out of university altogether? I worried, but he was an artist by nature. That was impossible to deny.

Even though I carried reservations about his disappearance, I was busy with my own life.

I was going to my classes, my part-time job, helping out with posting regular updates on Ikaigabuchi. And I was staying overnight in the club room almost every day, I would often doze off on the beatnik study’s table, then Krishna-san would come and wake me in the morning.

“That’s enough. I’ll do the rest.”

Unable to just stand by and watch, Krishna-san said that, but I insisted.

“Just let me finish it to the end, please. I’m fine.”

“But if you keep going like this, you won’t be able to attend classes anymore. That was never my intention, it would be inexcusable to your family,.”

“I’m fine, I can keep attending class.”

“But you don’t look fine.”

“I’m alright.”

I put on a brave front, but I was dozing off during lectures, continuously making mistakes in my part-time job and earning recrimination as a result. But despite that, I was making good progress with the translation, and work on posting updates was going smoothly as well, and in between, I’d return back tot the apartment and take care of Miiko. I’d try to return to my apartment at least three times a day to check on Miiko, and every time I did, she would happily jump up to me each time, and that was the only thing that kept me going.

When I hugged her, she would lick my face, and her sweet smell soothed me to the point where I almost swooned. It’s like we’re a married couple. I imagine her as a devoted wife who married into poverty – We are poor, and love is the only thing we have.

No, no, no—

What the hell am I thinking?? She’s a cat. It’s not a good thing for Miiko to be treated like a human.

[[Image:Phenomeno-vol2-case05.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]

“I still can’t get in touch with Ooki at all.”

Returning to my apartment between classes and work, I lay sprawled out alongside Miiko as I told her that. Miiko stared at me as if she understood what I was saying,

“Well, it’s because he’s a careless guy, he’s probably slagging off somewhere, but just wait a while longer.”

I informed her as I played with her through a cat teaser toy.

However, I was beginning to have a feeling that I would continue living with Miiko like this.

Life at university is like that. Unlike middle school or high school, everyone suddenly finds their own path to follow one day and ends up disappearing.

Mamiya from the linguistics department got crazy about surfing before summer vacation, in the morning. If he knew there was gonna be a good wave coming in, he’d leave for the sea clutching his surfboard in hand, before long he quit university and ended up working at a surf board shop along the seashore. Okamura from the film studies department seemed to have gotten a part time job at a movie set, he slowly stopped coming to university, last time I heard he dropped out during the summer vacation.

“He’s an artist, so I dunno.” I muttered as I turned to face up at the ceiling.

If Ooki doesn’t come back to university, will I have to keep her?

Well, I guess that’s not such a bad thing after all, I thought to myself. Reflected in my tired, weary eyes, was Miiko staring back at me with kindness, like Momo had once done. I was experiencing that after a long time, the tranquility of someone’s protective gaze watching over me as I slept.

That’s why, I thought it was probably a dream.

Sleeping next to me was, a woman. Dressed in white, watching over me quietly as I slept as she were my wife. I’d never married before, and it wasn’t something I could Imagine, but it felt like the oft-reported happiness of a newly married couple.

--Eventually…

*Diiiiiiiiiiiiing* *Diiiiiiiiiiiiing* I suddenly woke up hearing the alarm ringing from my phone.

“…Damn it.”

In a panic, I washed my face, cleaned Miiko’s litter box and prepared her food, and stroked her face.

“I’ll see you later. Sorry, Momo.” Saying that, I left for my part-time job.

“Yamada, you don’t look so good.”

Even the manager even said that to me but I replied with, “I’m A-okay”, as I gave a bright smile, and went off to change into my uniform.

It was the second opening of the day in the evening as it suddenly started to get crowded. From there, it's just the tension of the job that gets me through it. “What is your recommended wine?” “We have some excellent Barolo available today.” “Hey Yamada, we’re almost out of garlic.” “Yes, On it right away!” “This spaghetti aglio is too spicy.” “I’m deeply sorry, we’ll make it again for you right away, sir.” “This isn’t the dish I ordered.” “I'm sorry, sir. I'll be right with you.” “It was delicious.” “Thank you very much, I’ll be sure to convey that to the chef!” Voices flying around, voices, voices. Mixed in with the aroma of olive oil were emotions, excitement, angry voices, echoes of laughter. All I could do was desperately keep up with them, and before I knew it, closing time had arrived.

In the night breeze, I ride my mama bike back to my apartment with a pleasant sense of fatigue.

When I opened the front door, Miiko ran up to me and started clinging to me.

As I picked her up and stroked her, I suddenly felt something strange about the room. What was it? I thought but couldn’t come up with anything. It seemed like nothing had changed, but something felt slightly different since the time I left. While Miiko was eating her cat food, I went close to the wall to change the sand in the litter box, when I finally noticed it. The peeled off poster on the wall which I had been neglecting due to my busy schedule had been fixed.

“Huh….? Err, the pin on the corner did fall off, and I picked it up, but I didn’t… stick it back in…right?”

I tilted my head in puzzlement, wondering if I had fixed it unconsciously. I had no clue.

For the time being I spent another thirty minutes with Miiko, and stood up again. One way or another, I want to finish the translation work by today. If I could finish that, I’d be able to free up a lot of time in my life.

Under the moonlight, I pedaled my bike towards the club building.

The lights were on in western club building as usual. I climbed the stairs up to my club room. I unlocked the door and turned on the lights inside, On the top of a neatly organized table, I found Krishna-san’s personal laptop, which could be called the data bank of ‘Ikaigabuchi’, and a bundle of manuscript copies on top of it.

“…Huh?”

I noticed. There were a lot less manuscript copies than when I had left the club room in the evening. There were only about five pages left. And, there was a small note there.
{To Nagi-kun.
There were only a few pages left but I couldn’t finish them! I’m really sorry, I’ll leave it up to you!
--Shiina Kurimoto.”}

While reading that memo, I wondered…

Krishna-san had been undoubtedly working hard because she was worried about my health. Moreover, she translated the Fafrtoskies case from the 1600s, which was the hardest in terms of English literature used. What remained was a comparatively easy present-day document. If it’s just this much, I could finish it by the morning if I work hard enough.

“Didn’t she leave it to me on purpose, though?”

The thought occurred to me. To let me taste the feeling of completion, of having made it through all the way to the end, Krishna-san must have intentionally left me with the easy part - the most appetizing part of the work. She’s capable of doing anything, after all, the thought of that moved me to tears. But, well, it was still pretty hard with my English skills - though it was true that I felt pretty encouraged.

“Alright.”

Flexing my neck, I sat down on the desk and began to work on the last part. I opened the text editor on the computer, and with a dictionary in one hand, translated sentence by sentence, and typed it. English is not my forte or anything, but I have learned a lot from translating so far. Even in long, incomprehensible sentences, if you can find the subject and verb you can somehow manage it. I also learned that words that are not in the dictionary are often adjectives made up by the author. Morning is ‘Morning’, but when I saw it written as ‘morn’, it confused the heck out of me -- but apparently, it seemed to be used in the context of ‘Morning like’. I got the hang of it in this place as I diligently struggled with English. Maybe human beings really do make an effort when they can envision things. I didn’t even turn on the late-night radio which I usually listened to, and absorbed myself in work. I diligently identified the subjects and verbs, and then translated them as if I were expanding my world from there. And then finally, as the sun had begun to rise – I finished translating everything.

As I typed the last sentence and saved, I leaned back against the chair, extended my elbows and exclaimed:

“…I’m dooooooooone.”

The sunlight pouring in from the window, felt like heaven. Where was the feeling of sleepiness I had been feeling lately? My body, which had been as heavy as iron, was feeling so light that I could go out to play right away. I stood up and turned on the radio to hear an unfamiliar western song play. It was a country-style song with a guitar as the main instrument, and had a steady and distinctly cool bass sound. And in order to further savor my feeling of fulfillment, I headed outside to buy a canned coffee. Leaving the radio turned on, I locked the door and trotted down the hallway. The lights still shined through about half of the club rooms on both sides of the hallway. I would occasionally hear laughter from within. Some of them were playing instruments. Some of them were washing their faces in the bathroom, probably after an all-nighter. Seeing those kinds of sights absent-mindedly, I arrived at the lobby on the ground floor, I bought a canned coffee from the vending machine, and sat down on the bench.

Why is it that the air in the morning feels so clear? There’s a saying that it purges the darkness, but I once again keenly felt how great the strength of the sun’s light was. In an instant, the traces of yesterday are painted over. It washes away all the impurities and makes me feel like I can step into a new day.

“I guess this university isn’t so bad.”

I muttered to myself as I let the bitter sweetness of the coffee soak into my tired body.

A somewhat closed-off university for the elite. A place filled with the same kind of people. With a prejudiced attitude, I had labeled this university as such; now I saw a different side to it. But that’s not it. There are as many truths as there are people, and the world is always multifaceted, that’s why it’s supposed to be interesting. I’d been looking down on this place based on one aspect alone.

Maybe it was because I was from the countryside; I think I felt lonely in the city’s university, where it’s difficult to form a small and tight-knit community. Superficial associations, superficial smiles. I felt disgust at such things. But that's not the case. Nothing in university, nor in a city filled with good and bad people, is prepared from the start. Anything and everything has to be chosen by your own self. The place you belong, your job, your friends, your way of life.

And right now, I'm sure I'm feeling this way because of this western club room building. This concrete building, where you can devote yourself to something. People who are into painting, people striving to train their guitar skills, people devoting themselves to editing movies. People who are just drinking sake while debating art and their world views – and probably some couples flirting in a club room somewhere.

Still, there are only people here who do what they love.

Liable to themselves, they do what they like.

I was never even able to notice such things when I was just taking lectures, leaving the university immediately afterwards, and going to my part-time job. In that sense, it was all thanks to Krishna-san and the occult. I’ve been through a lot since I came to Tokyo, but thanks to ‘Ikaigabuchi’, I’ve been able to live without boredom. People everywhere, their futures broaden when they have things they like. Bonding over shared interests, it really gives people's lives something precious... Yeah, that already sounded like amateur philosophy drivel, so I just brought the canned coffee to my lips once more.

“…Huh?”

I suddenly felt as if I heard Miiko’s fawning voice from somewhere, and stood up.

No, that can’t be. Miiko is in the apartment. The sound just now must have been from a stray cat somewhere.

And, I heard it again.

This time it was screams, as if two cats were violently fighting each other.

Come to think of it, I've been hearing a lot of cats in heat, fighting with each other lately. I guess that’s how things are at the end of summer? Thinking that, I stood up. And then, was immediately startled.

--There is, no sound...

The silence was deafening around me. I went outside through the ground floor, and looked around the entire club building. All signs of human life had completely disappeared from the club building. As if someone had pressed the mute button on a TV remote, sound had disappeared from the world all together.

Shaking off the bad feeling, I walked back inside the club building. Immediately afterwards, I climbed up the stairs. Before reaching the Beatnik club room on the third floor, I was sure of it.

I was the only one in the building.

The club building, which had been so noisy a few moments ago, now just felt like an empty concrete box. Unknowingly, I began to run. I was running up the stairs to the third floor and then in the corridor. I tried to knock on the clubrooms with the lights still on. But there was no reply from anywhere.

My heart started to beat faster, and in the terrible silence, my ears were ringing.

“…Calm down, calm down and just breathe.” I told myself, catching my ragged breath.

And I continued forward in the corridor with no one present.

All the club rooms still had their lights turned on.

The only thing that remained was the feeling that people were making noise until just now, but there was no one in sight.

It was like – just like, the Mary Celeste incident. The mysterious incident that occurred in the Atlantic sea had been recreated in the western club building. Unbearable fear engulfed me, and I stopped in my tracks to think. Is this a dream? Night after night, I’d been fatigued doing translation work, and did I start dreaming in the club room unawares?

As someone who had once experienced an extremely realistic lucid dream, that was my first suspicion.

Once again, I’d lost sight of the boundary between dreams and reality—

No.

No, no, no--

I frantically brushed off the thought that popped in my head. Acknowledging that would be dangerous. The moment I would acknowledge that, everything would begin to collapse. I'd finally started to stand and walk on my own, but my life itself would no longer carry on. I'm supposed to be cured by now. I’m supposed to firmly stand tall on my own two feet. The childhood curse was lifted, and I was sure that I had already firmly grasped reality, a reality that I could walk towards. All my instability was born from that inconsistency in my memory, the thing that was messed up from the start, and which was supposed to have been fixed properly. But in the darkness inside my head, which was so dark that made me want to look away, that had begun to glow dimly. No matter where I looked, it was the only thing that seemed to be true, and its presence grew heavily.

That was, in short –

The doubt, that I had not yet been cured.

But to acknowledge that, would be unbearably scary. The fear of being uncertain about your own existence. An absolute fear of there being a domain inside me that I couldn’t control, of an unknown darkness squirming inside me.

That moment – I heard something.

It was a western song. It was coming from the club room. From the Beatnik research society – that’s right, it was the song from the radio I had left turned on. Suddenly, my spirit, which was on the verge of collapse, rapidly regained its strength.

Get yourself together, man. So what if everyone had disappeared? That’s a possibility that could always happen, right? It could just be that they all went back home at the same time.

Finally regaining my composure, I ran to the front of the club room. Then, at the door, I took the key out of my pocket, with my trembling hands, I was about to insert it into the keyhole, when I realized.

Behind the frosted glass of the yellow door, the shadow of a person flickered and swayed.

“…Krishna-san?”

I unconsciously muttered that, but my hand on the doorknob stopped as the alarm signal inside me reverberated loudly.

--No, it’s not her.

This figure does not belong to Krishna-san. It was someone a little taller, and thinner. Awfully thin. In the first place, Krishna-san doesn’t come to the club room at this time.

Then…who is it?

A gulp of saliva falls down my esophagus, and a nasty sweat runs down my armpit.

I felt helplessly afraid, but I couldn’t avert my eyes away from there.

My eyes naturally drew themselves to the figure behind the frosted glass.

I knew it was the figure of a woman. Her clothes were white. She stood in a very peculiar manner, leaning at a slight angle, swaying slowly. It felt as if she were a paper doll, flowing in the wind. Her eyes were unnaturally hollowed out, as if an empty hole stared at me.

---It’s her.
---She’s the one… who’s been watching me all this time.

I became convinced of this, as tears welled up in my eyes.

Only the sounds of the song from the club room, and my heartbeat, echoed in the corridor.

It’s slipping away. Something is noisily slipping away.

And I knew this feeling all too well.

In that house that made me anxious. In the abandoned hospital in Hachiouji. And – in that clock tower.

The feeling I felt in all of them, the feeling of the world slipping away, drifted from behind the door.

---The real thing makes you feel uncomfortable.

Yoishi’s Mitsurugi’s oft repeated words.

It felt like they were seeping in.

That’s right, I couldn’t feel any life from the one behind the frosted glass.

“…W-who is it…?”

It was the moment I whispered in a shaky voice. The shadow suddenly moved. It approached me, and then it put its hand on the frosted glass and peered intently at me through the glass. The area around her eyes were truly dark and hollow.

As I recoiled backwards, the girl spoke:

“Meow.”

-----

The sound of someone’s footsteps.

Breathing. A noisy conversation.

The hustle and bustle reverberated in my whole skull, waking me from my slumber.

It seemed I had lost consciousness. I was slumped over in the corridor, my body lying spread-eagled.

A couple of female students with badminton rackets in hand were looking at me with disgust. I could feel the cold, hard concrete floor on my back. Slowly getting up, I could feel the gritty dust clinging to my hands.

I grunted and stood up, and the female students moved away.

I checked the time on my wrist-watch, it was still seven in the morning. Those girls likely came to the club room for morning training. They probably thought I had passed out drunk in front of the club room or something.

The noise had returned in the club room building.

I could hear the chirping of the birds outside, and from a far-off distance, I could hear the enthusiastic shouts from the members of the sports club being zealous in their morning training. For the time being, I brushed off the dirt clinging to my T-shirt and jeans, and turned around to face the Beatnik research club room. I unlocked the door and checked inside. The place looked exactly the same as before. The lights were still turned on, and the computer had switched to sleep mode. A cheerful pop song was playing on the radio.

There was no one inside.

The woman resembling a paper doll was nowhere to be seen. I shut down the computer, grabbed my bag and staggered out of the club room.

Pedaling in a meandering manner, I quickly biked back to my apartment.

I opened the door; without a moment’s delay, Miiko coiled around me.

I hear her small meow, and I bury my face in her warmth and sweet scent. I savor the feel of her fur as it calms my anxious mind. But at the same time, I remembered. I was reminded of the paper doll-like woman from this morning, didn’t she also ‘Meow’? And before that as well. Didn’t I hear something that sounded like a cat’s voice when everyone’s presence disappeared?

An uneasiness assailed me as I looked around the room.

I felt something in the room had changed once again since I left.

I entered the room just as Miiko began to eat her food, looked around at everything from the low dining table to the small bookshelf -- and then I realized. The position of the books had changed. I'm not a particularly meticulous person, but I’ve been arranging my magazines in order of size. That's simply for appearance’s sake, not classified by type. Instead, they were now arranged according to publisher type. Is it a coincidence? Did I just half-mindedly cram them in there and they turned out to be like that?

From then on, I opened a drawer in a cabinet next to the kitchen.

Inside, there were supposed to be just disposable chopsticks and seasonings, but the disposable chopsticks were grouped together and the seasonings were organized by type.

My head started to feel dizzy, and I opened the door of the modular bathroom to wash my face anyway.

And there, I saw it.

There were signs that someone had taken a bath.

Shampoos, conditioners, and other products that I only remember placing haphazardly had been neatly arranged. A towel that was messily hung on the towel rack was now hanging in a tidy manner. The hair that should have been clogged up in the drainage was now gone.

It was as if -- someone else besides me lived here, and everything was different.

In a daze, I stepped out of the modular bathroom.

And I stared at Miiko, grooming herself after she had finished eating.

Perhaps feeling my gaze, Miiko also looked up at me.

Then, with gentle eyes reminiscent of a new wife --

She gave a complacent smile.

-----

I took the day off from class.

I pedaled my bike as fast as I could towards Ooki’s apartment.

It’s already been more than ten days since he entrusted me with Miiko. No matter how you look at it, it’s been way too long since I’ve had contact with him, and there were a lot of things weighing on my mind.

What’s been happening to me lately?

A sense of uneasiness, as if I’d ended up in an ominous series of events. I thought it was all just my imagination, and that I’d get through it, if I just let it be, but it really does seem like I’m caught up in some deep shit after all.

Someone’s traces in my room. And the figure of the paper doll like woman in the club room. And what Krishna-san spoke of, the presence of a gaze staring at me from afar. Somewhere along the line, I had felt that feeling too, but I tried to ignore it. Because I thought it was the same thing I felt whenever I would read a scary story. But did it all have something to do with it? Did everything connect to a root cause?

No – no, I should have realized it by now. And even when I admitted it to myself, I knew that I couldn’t solve it on my own.

All of the strange things that have been happening to me lately. They all started with a cat’s voice. The cat in question being, Miiko. Everything began after I started taking care of Miiko.

“Say, I wonder if cats really can shapeshift.”

Yoishi’s words sprang to mind.

Did that mean she figured it out from the start?

The fact that Miiko was an existence that brought about some strange phenomenon.

No – no, that’s not true.

That’s not true, I can say it with certainty.

Even if Miiko’s not a normal cat, she’s definitely not a monster cat. She holds no malice towards me. Because, she’s the reincarnation of Momo. Because this time, she was born again to be my wife.

Now I was on my way to Ooki’s apartment, and in my bag, Momo -- no, Miiko, was crammed inside.

If Ooki was in his apartment, I’d give her back to him.

I wasn’t giving her back because of fear. If she inherited Momo’s memories after being reborn, there are lots of things I want to say to her. There are things I have to apologize for. But regardless of that, in this life right now, she is Ooki’s cat. If he doesn’t feel like keeping her anymore, then I’ll think about it, but if he still wants to keep her, then there’s nothing more I can do.

I can’t make anymore mistakes. She’s a cat, not a person. I had once ended up making a promise to give a cat a human’s happiness. That can’t happen. A cat deserves happiness as a cat. I failed to make that distinction, and that’s where everything went wrong.

Eventually, I arrived at an old apartment constructed from wood that was on the verge of falling down.

It was Ooki’s boarding house. I had visited him only once before, so I only had a faint memory of the address, but I somehow managed to make it. I walked into the common entrance of the building which was way older than my apartment building. Good afternoon, I greeted from outside. There seemed to be a few signs of life in the apartment, but no one came out.

“Sorry for intruding.”

I humbly call out, and take off my sneakers before entering. Stepping on the creaking floor, I head towards the stairs in the back. The interior was dim even though it was the afternoon. The narrow corridor is only wide enough for one person, just like an old-fashioned boarding house. I could hear the cicadas cry from outside. It was the only thing that reassured me that there was a connection between here and the outside.

As I examined the door to Ooki’s room on the second floor, I heard a sound from the inside.

“What? He’s here, after all.”

With a sigh of relief, I moved to knock on the door, when…

--You’re going to throw me away?

I heard a woman’s voice from somewhere.

In a panic, I frantically checked my surroundings.

--Are you going to throw me away again?

I shook my head at the voice.

“…No. That’s not it.”

I looked around once again, but there really was no one in sight.

I was alone in the dark corridor. And right now – my feet were trembling. They trembled enough to make the floor creak. Inside the bag I was holding, it felt like the weight had increased tremendously.

With my shaking fingers – I motioned to open the zipper – but then, I stopped myself.

--I shouldn’t look at the thing inside my bag.

It was the voice of my instincts warning me.

Without knowing why, something told me that what was inside the bag was neither Momo, nor Miiko—but the woman I had seen in the club room -- the one with warped, black eyes.

----

In the end, I couldn’t even knock on Ooki’s door.

I staggered back to the university carrying the bag with Miiko inside.

The sun was already high in the sky. I chose a less crowded part of campus and sat alone on the edge of the lawn.

I put my fingers in my hair, and tore my hair out. Not knowing what to do from now on, I unconsciously took out my phone. There was a message on my phone. It was from Krishna-san.

《Congratulations on finishing your work. You’ve done well.》

I should have felt jubilant at being praised, but my heart remained still and heavy as iron.

My dead cat has returned to me.

I thought about replying that way, but decided not to.

I don't know where to begin the story, and Krishna-san might recognize Miiko as a monster cat and start working to exorcise her. But I felt that wasn’t true. She hasn't done anything wrong. She simply returned to be by my side, to fulfill the promise she kept with me.

A light breeze blows past me.

I guess summer has ended, I surmise as I look up to the sky.

In front of the main school building, lots of students were laughing as usual. They were all dressed in clean, trendy clothes, laughing happily together and having fun as if they alone exemplified youth. It really wasn’t the kind of atmosphere I could join in straight away, but even just being around so many students, I felt the fear clinging to my body slowly dissipate. After watching them for some time – I finally gathered the courage to open my bag.

I took a single breath, and outstretched my trembling fingers – towards the zipper.

And in a single breath, I opened the bag.

There was no such thing as a monster inside.

Nor was there any sign of the slanted woman.

There was only Miiko, who pushed her face out of the bag with a small meow.

Miiko wasn’t smiling anymore.

She merely looked up to me with a single-minded look of trust on her face.

With a sigh of relief – I stroked Miiko as I inquired.

“Are you… Momo’s reincarnation?”

I felt like an idiot. If she were to answer ‘That’s right’, what would I do then?

But I couldn’t help but ask.

Miiko merely looked up to me with clear eyes. She neither made a sound, nor spoke.

It really must have been an auditory hallucination back then. I had half-heartedly tried to return Miiko to Ooki, and my reluctant heart had ended up hearing that auditory hallucination.

But --- all of a sudden, I felt it again, a gaze.

It was that gaze. The gaze that had been haunting me lately, as if I were confronting an unfathomably deep hole.

--Where is it? Where is it… coming from…?

I tried to trace that presence as I looked around me, and… I noticed it.

On rooftop of the building of the main school building, someone was there.

It was a thin, young girl. She was tall, wearing white clothes. Her shoulder-length hair danced in the wind. She was swaying like a paper doll. Her face was too far away to make out, but --- but the edges of her eyes were dark and hollow. Only the area around her eyes remained unnaturally dark. But I knew that those hollow eyes were fixed on me.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, I felt as if the girl smiled – and it was the next moment.

Without warning, the girl… jumped.

Gradually, As if in slow motion.

Like a dream, she falls down to the ground from the roof.

As I reflexively flinched and looked away -- I heard a crunching sound.

I couldn’t move from that spot.

It was as if I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened in front of me.

Someone had jumped. From the roof. I heard a crunching sound. The sound of something being crushed. The sound of something bursting. However --- no one made a commotion. The students continued to laugh, as if nothing happened. They were laughing and murmuring, as if there was something fun going on. Apathy. Indifference. insouciance. Even though someone fell. They paid no attention to events that didn’t concern them. To the very end, they shut themselves in their community. A community that I, and only I, could not enter. That's not true, is it? Even though someone fell down, why isn’t anyone coming to help?

Feeling a cold isolation -- I timidly turned my eyes to face the spot where the girl had fallen.

However, there was no one there. There was no body. There was no blood. That spot was just a stone floor with not a single piece of trash on it.

“…What…?”

The scenery blurred. I stared at the crowd of students, feeling like I wanted to cry.

--Something… was wrong with me.

It's not that they're coldhearted, it was I who was messed up.

It’s all because I’m not normal. It’s because I still haven’t been cured. That’s why, I couldn’t associate with those guys over there. It wasn't their fault, it wasn't that they were bullying me, it was just me who was broken.

I heard a voice say, ‘Meow.’

As if to gently comfort me, by saying, "It's okay.”

And then, I finally realized.

“So that’s why, huh?”

I spoke to Miiko – or rather, to the white cat reincarnation of Momo.

“So that’s the reason you are white?”

--A garment with a Saiwaibishi pattern. <ref> Traditional Japanese pattern. http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/h/hanabishimonyou.htm_)</ref> A white short sleeved kimono. <ref> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosode</ref> The Uchikake that was worn-- <ref> https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/culture/Uchikake.html </ref>

It reminded me of the only wedding I’d ever attended, the traditional Japanese wedding<ref>https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2015/8/17/traditional-japanese-style-weddings</ref> of my paternal cousin.

My cousin was so beautiful, with a silent joy and a trace of nervousness on her white face.

Momo’s pure white fur, served as a white kimono.

To become my wife. To be my bride. To be my companion for life. And thenceforth, share in all my hardships. And if that wish couldn’t come true – she had demonstrated that she would simply die again.

Something inside me, something that was barely holding me together, broke away.

“Alright, I get it.”

I declared to that white kimono wearing woman.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I remember my promise.
I was about to say those words – when...

“Momo-chan isn’t thinking that at all.”

Hearing that familiar voice – I looked up, and saw -- Yoishi Mitsurugi.

In her usual Koumei school uniform, her black tie was swaying in the wind.

With her usually sickly pale face, her dark eyes shined, as she quietly started at me.

Miiko immediately began to growl as she leaned out of the bag.

But Yoishi didn’t care, as she bent forward.

“Get out.”

She brought her face right in front of Miiko’s, and asked.

“Who are you? What are you trying to do?”

With each word, Miiko growls became louder and angrier.

“You seem to be interested enough to live together and observe him – but why is that?”

However, I perceived it. Miiko wasn’t making a voice out of precaution or fear. Miiko was…laughing. She opened her red mouth in delight, as if she had found a being of her own kind. Yoishi continued to speak as if they had known each other for many years.

“Yes, that’s true. This person will certainly join his heart with anyone. Be it the living or the dead, as long as there's room for compassion, he'll do it. He can’t abandon others to their pain. Even if it has nothing to do with him, he can’t use that as a justification. That’s why he gets involved. That's the interesting thing about this person, he's helplessly foolish.”

I didn’t know if I was being praised or disparaged harshly -- but I continued to stare at Yoishi.

“However, if you intend to associate with this person any longer, I won’t show you mercy.”

Yoishi paused for a moment, gave Miiko a cold stare, and said:

“This person is a friend candidate of mine.”

---Friend… candidate…?

The hell is that? I wondered, as Yoishi suddenly outstretched her hands.

In the next moment, *Slap*, Yoishi slapped her hands in front of Miiko’s eyes with great force.

In an instant –

I felt something break. As if time quickly began to move again, a feeling of warm air seeping out of a crack in the ice. And then the strange air cleared up. Somewhere along the way, I realized that something heavy must have wrapped itself around me. Even Miiko gave a blank stare, and stopped growling.

“It seems that Nekodamashi<ref>This is a sumo term meaning to slap your hands in front of your opponent's face to confuse him. In this case it’s also a pun because neko actually means cat in Japanese.</ref> is really effective.”

“…Nekodamashi?”

I remained dumbfounded at Yoishi’s words – before long, Miiko began to look around her surroundings restlessly, and started struggling to get out of my bag.

“H-hey, Miiko!”

However, it seemed like Miiko didn’t recognize me at all. As if she were surrounded by strangers she’d never seen before, she couldn’t understand why she was shoved into a bag. She squirmed and wriggled, eventually slipping out of my arms, and ran off somewhere at breakneck speed.

““H…hey, Miiko!”

In a panic I stood up, and Yoishi spoke to me.

“That cat’s probably not named Miiko.”

“Huh?”

“I think it’s just a stray cat.”

“No, what are you saying? That’s Ooki’s cat I was taking care of…”

“That’s not it.”

“I shouldn’t have kept ignoring her, that’s why the girl ended up turning her eyes to you.”

“…Huh?”

--A girl? Turning her eyes to me?

“Something resembling a stain that remained in this school. And the other ghost inside the clock tower.”

With those words, I recalled the thing I'd seen that night when I'd left the clock tower -- something clinging to the old woman's leg. ‘Because it’s funny, isn’t it?’ The whisper like voice reverberated in my ears once more.

“It certainly is a slightly troublesome ghost.”

Yoishi spoke with a sigh and turned back. Just like that, she put her hands in her pockets and walked away, looking somewhat pained.

----

It was a few days afterwards.

I couldn't find Miiko no matter how hard I looked for her. Afterwards, I went to visit Ooki’s apartment again. I had lost the cat he had asked me to take care of. I was going to get down on my knees and apologize. As a token of my apology, I had even bought an expensive package of sweets with my full allowance this month. However, when he opened the door and came out, Ooki said something unexpected.

“Hey Nagito, it’s been a long time.”

“…Huh?”

“Well, I’ve been cooped up in here for a while now. I've been working hard on finishing my artwork for the school festival in the fall.”

I looked inside, the small room had an easel with an incomplete painting, countless art supplies on the side table, and it was filled with the pungent smell of turpentine and painting oil.

“Look at this. It’s gonna be a masterpiece, don’t you think? It's been a while since I've been on a roll like this.”

“Uh…Yeah it’s good, but… I wanted to talk about Miiko.”

“What the heck is Miiko?”

“…”

The conversation didn't go well, and I somehow took the long way around to find out that Ooki hadn't been to my house that day. In fact, he bluntly stated:

“I didn't leave my cat with you, and I never had a cat in the first place.”

…No, wait a minute.

Then who was the Mitsuru Ooki who came that day?

And worse yet, what was the Miiko he gave to me on that day?

“Do you think I even have the composure to take care of a cat? I might end up eating it if I get careless.”

He laughed at me with a dumbfounded look on his face; I tilted my head in contemplation and left Ooki’s place.

I returned to my university right away, and encamped outside of the affiliated school’s gate.

If I didn’t get an explanation from Yoishi, I’d be having nightmares about cats in my dreams.

Eventually the high school classes ended, and I found Yoishi coming out with her head dropped down, as always, she had the aura of death around her. I rushed over to her and started interrogating her.

“What the hell was that all about? Do you even know?”

With a vacant gaze Yoishi looked at me and spoke.

“Oh, it’s you.” She muttered her usual line.

"Don't 'it's you' me. And at least tell me your phone number for once. Why do I have to wait outside the school gates every time I want to meet you like some kind of flunkey?"
Yoishi silently took out her black phone in response and displayed her phone number on the screen. Ohhh, I hurriedly typed it into my own phone and rang her number once.

“That’s my contact number.”

I told her, and then I felt pathetic, wondering why I finally did it after all this time.

“Anyway…that’s all and good. But about that cat. That white cat named Miiko. Ooki told me he never owned it, but what does it all mean?”

Yoishi then replied in a bothered tone of voice:

“Didn’t I tell you? That was just a stray cat.”

“No…surely, that’s not true. That cat was named Miiko, or rather, it was really Momo…”

I was mid-sentence when I suddenly realized.

That time – she definitely said: “Momo-chan isn’t thinking that at all.”

“Y-you, how did you know that name….? I mean, how did you know the name of the cat I had when I was a kid?”

“Because, you’ve always had a brown cat with a white streak by your side.”

“Huh?”

“I saw most of her memories: That she was called ‘Momo,’ that she often used to sleep by your side, and how much you cherished her.”

“I…is she here, now?”

When I asked her that, Yoishi shook her head quietly.

“She disappeared to try and get rid of the girl inside that cat. The Nekodamashi was certainly effective, but Momo’s help from the inside was essential.”

Saying that, Yoishi began to walk away.

--Wait a minute.

To get rid of? What do you mean she disappeared to get rid of the girl?

Confused, I ran ahead of Yoishi and turned around to ask:

“Hey, what are you saying? You mean to tell me that Momo’s been next to me ever since she died?”

Yoishi gave a small nod.

I --- I….

I never even… had the faintest clue. Why couldn’t I notice her existence in the least? Shaking my head in complete disgust at my own insensitivity, I once again asked:

“Say, Yoishi. Tell me…”

There were many things I didn’t know, like the troublesome ghost inside of Miiko, and why she was gazing at me. But right now, there was a thing I had wanted to know far longer than anything else. No, it was something I needed to know.

“Didn’t Momo…didn’t she resent me?”

Yoishi stopped in her tracks. Then, after looking me straight in the eyes, narrowed her eyes slightly and said:

“The only thing in Momo-chan’s mind, were treasured memories.”

“…”

“She said that she loved you. That you always treated her like a person, not a cat. From the bottom of her heart, she was happy to disappear for your sake.”

…Damn it all, it’s no use.

The moment those words reached my heart, I forgot that I was standing in front of Yoishi, and... I burst into tears.

--------

<noinclude>
==Translator's notes and references==
<references />

</noinclude>

Phenomeno:Case 04

2021-08-04T15:10:28Z

Dreamer2908:

==Case 04: The hole in the clock tower==

It’s dark. The air I breathe in stabs at my nostrils. I don’t know if my surroundings are narrow or spacious. In any case I’m inside a room. It’s an ancient room that hasn’t been ventilated in years; stagnated air drifted all around me. And if you were to ask me where I was, all I could say was that I didn’t have a clue. At any rate, all of this is a blur, a vague impenetrable space where the inorganic and organic are directly connected; in other words, it's probably a dream I'm having.

That summer – even though I recall it like that, it’s barely been a month since then, we’re still in the middle of summer now, and my memories from childhood had been restored properly. You could say it was a curse, a distortion of memory that was hard to believe if you heard about it. I became aware of that thanks to the help and kindness of many people, and after straddling the line between this world and that world, I returned alive. I managed to retrieve my correct memories. Since then, I've been able to get a good night’s sleep, and I stopped dreaming - or so I thought.

“So, after a long time, it’s this kind of dream.”

I raised my voice in a whine inside the dream. I've heard that people usually dream, no matter how many times they say they don't dream. It’s just that they don’t remember, which could mean that I might have been dreaming as usual all this time. It had been a long time since I felt this feeling: the realization that I was inside a dream.

It was cold and pitch dark; I couldn’t see anything at all. I felt I was enclosed by ancient wood and a large amount of dust. I touched the floor with my hands and felt a rough and stone-built texture. And, this dream was filled to the brim with a nightmare characteristic --- There was no doubt about it. Something terrible is going to happen from now on.

“….Hey, give me a break.”

I couldn’t help but raise such a feeble point of view.

Dreams – they themselves have already become a trauma for me.

“When you dive into the world of the deep subconscious, it’s basically impossible to conclude if it’s a dream or not.”

I recalled the words of Krishna-san. But, the dream I’m having right now, was not a melding of reality and dream like the one before. My consciousness was much clearer than before. I obviously understood that this was a dream. However, even if this was just a one-off nightmare, I didn’t want to dream anymore if possible. Having to once again taste that feeling of not being able to return is so terrifying that I feel like my knees are going to collapse.

It was that moment.

From one part of the dark room, I heard a cracking sound. At the same time, I noticed it… the smell of mothballs, similar to the smell of mothballs when you open an old chest of drawers, wafting through the air. I slowly turned my head, and faced that direction. Two meters ahead of me to the right side. In that darkness, someone was there.

“W….Who is it?”

I strained my eyes but, it was too dark to make out anything. That slender figure was facing away from me. They were standing stock still with their face turned towards the wall. That person wouldn’t move at all. They didn’t reply. Was it a woman, or a man? Was it a young person, or an older person? I didn’t know. Something in the shape of a human being, which could not convey any emotion, stood still.

Once more, I heard a sound.

This time, it was a heavy clanking sound, as if two metals were bashing against each other.

That moment, a light shined in from somewhere. A few meters ahead of me, I saw a light similar to that of a full moon. I felt fresh air pumping in from there. I ran. For the time being, I’d had enough of this darkness. With those thoughts, I stumbled forward and desperately moved my legs.

---What is that person standing close the wall?

---Why am I in this kind of dream?

Even though I knew it was a dream, but the events of the past amplified the fear in me. At any rate, my mind was blank -- without thinking anything, I ran towards that light. Beyond the hole, I saw a blue sky. The air was so clear and thick with oxygen that it was hard to believe how good it was, and as I drew closer, it was like I had just finished an underwater dive. In spite of all that, I took a glance behind me.

Before I knew it, the person close to the wall was looking my way.

That face was contorted with delight, and there was a pleasure in it, like things were going the way they planned. It was, maybe, a fraction of a second. The moment I perceived that distorted emotion, I was attacked with an incomprehensibly deep regret. But that didn't stop my body from moving, and I kept rushing ahead into that round hole that gave me a glimpse of fresh air and the outside world. If I shouted there, I could call someone, I thought to myself. I could call someone who could help me get out of here. I rushed ahead with that hope.

The moment I felt the hard, cold feel of the mud wall around my neck --- I knew what the true nature of that regret was.

I heard something sliding down with a vigorous crunching sound.

My head was chopped clean off, together with my consciousness.

“…Ughoooooh!!!!”

I woke up from my dream with a groan.

I took a deep, long breath, realizing my body was soaking wet. My heart was still beating so hard, I could hear it clearly. Repeating my deep breaths, I removed the vestiges of the dream still clinging to my consciousness. Then, the carefree announcement of the train conductor reached my ears. He repeated in a nasal voice, "Arriving at Odawara soon”.

In my ears, in my consciousness, the hustle and bustle returned. It was the middle of the summer, the merry voices of children, and a salary man-like voice brazenly using his cell-phone inside the train. I opened and closed my sweaty palms a few times, and looked around. I was in a bullet-train bound for Tokyo.

“Calm down, It was a dream…Just a nightmare. It was different from that dream.” Shaking my head, I muttered to myself.

The glistening sun poured into the landscape flowing outside the window. In the distant horizon, a giant column of clouds rose up. Even though the air conditioner was working inside the train, the unrelenting heat from outside the window kept pouring inside.

It was the last half of August.

I was in the bullet train headed back towards Tokyo.

“I guess I read a little too much of ‘Ikaigabuchi’ yesterday.”

I had decided to return to Tokyo yesterday morning.

It was in the morning after I had finished eating breakfast with my father and sister; I was drinking barley tea and watching TV. When the newscaster announced with a frown:

“In Musashino disctrict, Tokyo, the phenomenon of fish falling from the sky has once again occurred.”

---What? Surprised, I turned up the volume of the television; it seemed a large number of sardines had fallen down in Inokashira park this time. Last time it was Isaki fish in Musashisakai station if I recall correctly. I heard that was only juvenile fish. They didn't say if the sardines were juvenile fish or not, but the news was accompanied by an expert who said it may have been because of a local tornado caused by extreme weather. Well, that makes sense from a common sense point of view, but the occult fans around the nation have a different perspective.

Impossible things falling down from the sky --- That is, what has been observed since ancient times: the supernatural phenomenon known as『Strange Rain』<ref> Whirlwinds accompanied by rain which also drops strange objects such as fish</ref>. Known as an omen of a natural disaster, it was actually a famous supernatural phenomenon among us.

A few days ago, when I heard the news of the Isaki fish falling down, I thought:

---Isn’t something intriguing about to begin?

Since that incident, after my memories had been changed fully, I had been keeping my distance from occult topics, but then decided to access Ikaigabuchi after a long time. The forum thread on the board that was at the top had quickly reached over a hundred replies; there was a tumultuous uproar and a heated debate over the strange rain phenomenon that had occurred in Musashino.

Ah, isn’t this great? Joining an occult discussion after a long time, my heart was feeling excited. At first I thought it was dangerous and I should cut off my access to the site, but my mind had recovered more so than I thought. I wasn’t feeling that wobbly shaking in the place I stood. I didn’t feel that sense of hopelessness, as if the world I believed in was falling apart. It was just a doorway to an exciting adventure into unknown territory. Hadn’t I already gotten better? Didn’t the foundation of my soul harden well enough already? From that point on, I started reading articles on Ikaigabuchi everyday as usual. I burned every corner of the articles in my retinas to make up for time lost. Krishna-san had been diligently updating the site every day. When I was reminded of her petite body and lovely face, my love of the occult filled my heart even more.

When I was at my parent’s home, I was definitely at harmony. My old friends are kindred spirits, and even when I'm asleep, I’m served with food. But unfortunately, it's just not exciting enough. Time there just moves too slowly. Above all, I’m missing that dazzling ghost factor that I was basked in with my move to Tokyo. In the first place, it was problematic that I was taking time off my part-time job; even if I wasn’t living there my apartment still cost rent. And on top of that, I still owed my sister the rent money.

I should return to Tokyo soon.

I kept thinking that, but, it was still me after everything that had happened. I had been dithering about and not making a decision, and then this incident literally fell down again.

The Tokyo Musashino incident was a continuation of the strange rain phenomenon. I couldn’t stand still any longer. In the first place, summer is supposed to be all about ghost stories. In the time I’ve spent here in Fujieda, there were exciting ghost stories happening on Ikaigabuchi every day. This is painful. I want to be involved. Something exciting should happen to me!

….So, I packed my bags at a speed that would have stunned my family, and the next day I jumped on the bullet train.

I arrived at Tokyo station, going straight to Mitaka. I got off and, without even stopping by at my apartment, I headed straight towards Koumei university with a souvenir in my hand, and barged into the building on the western side.

“I’m back!” With a big smile on my face, I opened the iron door; at the same time I heard a cute scream from the inside, and saw Krishna-san fall off from her chair.

When I looked, next to the fallen Krishna-san, were two chairs; on one of them was a washtub, next to that was a side table with several empty ice cups. There were several drinks lying on the working table, besides that there were several handheld fans, and some water balloons lying on the floor.

“Huh? What were you doing, Krishna-san?”

“T-that’s what I should be asking you, what are you doing here?!” Krishna-san pushed up her trademark red glasses that were about to slip off, then hastily adjusted the bottom part of her exposed one piece dress. If I were to guess from that red face—Aha! Apparently, she was enjoying the summer in a very informal outfit.

“I see, you were lying back on the chair, with your legs on the back of the other chair, and your feet soaked in the washtub?"

“S-s-shut up! Why are you here? Did you already return from Fujieda?”

“I had too much free time.” I replied with a smile and dropped the large quantity of luggage on the floor.

“F-free time?”

“Ah, this is a souvenir for you, It’s from my sister and father.” I took out the packed souvenir, before Krishna-san quickly began to spit out a torrent of abuse.

“No, I don’t need something like a souvenir. Besides that, what do you mean you had free time? Didn’t I already tell you that the free time, was meant to be extremely important for you? Altering your out of sync childhood memories is a lot more serious than you think!”

“No, I’m fine now. I can properly open the fusuma, and I also went to visit her grave, all the distortions have been completely fixed in order and taken root in my heart.”

Saying that, I stood up straight, and once again bowed to Krishna-san.

“Everything is thanks to you and the others. You have my deepest thanks.”

I really, really thought that from the bottom of my heart. Now when I think on it, for a long, long time, I felt as if I'd been dreaming about it. And because of the discrepancies in my memory, I realized I had somehow raised a ghost inside me, and became drawn to the world of the occult.

“No-no, it’s not like I really did anything.” Krishna-san was caught off guard at my deepest thanks and stammered her words.

“I only ascertained the line; there is a line in this world that people mustn’t cross. I only warned you because were about to cross it.”

“That’s exactly it.”

“Eh?”

“About that, I decided to write this.” Saying that, I took a letter out of my bag. Written in a word processor, It was my application for joining the club.

“A-application?”

“Yes, it has my proper signature and has a seal attached. As of today, I’m joining the Bee research lab. No, rather than Beetnik research – I’m becoming a staff member of Ikaigabuchi!”

“N-no…. wait a minute.”

“No, I’ve already thought about it thoroughly. Even after all that, I'm still drawn to the occult. I'm fascinated by not only ghosts, but also UFOs, UMAs<ref> Unidentified mysterious animal</ref>, perpetual motion machines, cursed artifacts sent through time travel, and all sorts of other wonders – Or should I say, I've come to realize that I love these mysterious phenomena.”

“Oi, Nagi-kun. You’re not liste--”

“No, please just listen to me. I don't want to be scared like that anymore either. I know what happened probably pushed my mind to its limit. No, I think it did go over the limit. I’m saying that because I understand that fear very well. But even after all that, after my mind has been properly arranged, I’m still drawn to the paranormal. I found myself trying to peer into the deep and unfathomable world. And that scares me. I know that there is a part of this world that I shouldn't be involved in, and yet the fool in me still tries to get involved. They say that you have to die to be cured of stupidity, but if that's really the case, then I'm going to have to die. But, my life is a precious thing given to me by my parents, so I can’t die that easily. Then, what should I do? I thought desperately and found this answer.”

Saying that, I handed Krishna-san the white piece of paper.

“In short, It would be best for me to be next to Krishna-san!”

“….”

“For example, you know that occult topic about the moon being artificially built, right? About the moon being in fact, built by aliens as a monitoring satellite for earth, its insides being hollow, the dark side of the moon hidden from earth’s view having a landing base for UFOs -- that kind of exciting rumor. Now, I know you're raising your eyebrows in disapproval at me, but just listen to me for a second. There's no way for us ordinary people to verify that no matter what we do, right? That’s right. We can’t verify it, and that’s why our imaginations are stimulated and we get excited. But say, I win some kind of fortune and gain some authority, and I charter a rocket to go to the moon. Then I’d look around every nook and cranny. As a result, What if it turns out that the moon was not actually created by aliens, but was a relic of a very advanced civilization of prehistoric humans? Yes, it’s 65.5 million years in the past. If I found out that the descendants of a small number of moon-dwelling, super-ancient humans who survived that "K-T boundary", where an asteroid struck the Yucatan peninsula in the Cretaceous period and wiped out nearly all life, the descendants of the super-ancient humans who live on the moon are the ones in the UFOs that are often spotted around the world. I’d probably shout in surprise, but at the same time, I’d certainly feel lonely. The hope that there may be intelligent life beyond this distant, vast universe, and the idea that they might have come all the way to earth, overcoming the dizzying infinity of space, would be shattered. I think I’d also feel disappointed, knowing that it’s impossible to go to the outer galaxy, after all. Ah, if that's all there was to it, it would have been okay. But say, you’re at your home, and before you knew it, there would be foreigners dressed in black wandering around your house, and the next thing you knew, you’d be kidnapped, and those people would be Americans or Russian agents in collusion with these super-ancient humans, and then they’d be like ‘hahaha, you’ve learned a bit too much’, and then you'd be brainwashed, or secretly buried somewhere deep in the ground, or electronically disassembled by some bizarre device, what would you do? I'm sure my final thoughts before death would be: Ah, how lucky I was to be able to fantasize about the mysteries of this world! Why didn’t I realize the greatness of having the courage to stop there? As the scenery would fade in front of my eyes, I’d surely lament that. And then surely….surely at the end I’d recall Krishna-san’s face. That person warned me of all sorts of things. If you peek from this side, you will be end up seen from the other side -- I was admonished over and over again. That was correct, I’d say with a single tear dropping down --- Ah, I’m sorry, I got a bit too empathetic with myself and shed a tear ---- uhhh, In short, that’s how it is. Krishna-san knows that the world of the dead is always around the corner. Even though you’re concerned about that, you’re still probing the boundary line as a living person while also maintaining control of yourself. You make sure not to step into a place that shouldn’t be stepped into. Didn't you once tell me that it couldn't be helped that I had an interest? That wanting to know is one of the best qualities of a person. But for me, that quality was dangerous, and yet I still wanted to know, and I don't know why anymore. That’s why… I thought I would try to be by your side. I will stay away from anything you deem as being dangerous. I won’t look at the things you say not to look at; I won’t read the things you tell me not to read. So, it’s fine if you just let me help you with whatever I can. If I leave your side, I’d end up messing with things I shouldn’t have messed with. In order to not do that --- this is the only thing I can do!”

The next thing I knew, the petite occult manager’s face lay near before my eyes. With our noses almost touching, Krishna was just staring at me with her cute, half-open mouth.

--Am I, an idiot?

I suppose so, but these thoughts were also words that I had already asked myself time and time again in my head. When I lived in Fujieda for a month, when I became determined to return to Tokyo and left my home, when I was headed to Shizouka station, when I was riding the bullet train, when I was headed to Mitaka from Tokyo station, and finally, the twenty minutes I spent walking from the station to this club room. So I thought, and thought, and thought, and finally spat out these words. Certainly, my fervent speech was hotter than the air coming in from the window, though, they might also have been fervent enough to melt iron.

After a while--

Krishna-san cleared her throat, and silently whispered:

“In the first place, do you have an interest in Beatnik literature?”

“What?”

“Ostensibly, this is a place to research Beatnik literature. After mastering that topic, I run Ikaigabuchi as a hobby. If you're going to join this club, you're still going to have to learn about beatnik.”

Krishna-san then started shoving old books in my hand from a cabinet.

“I'd tell you to read from Herbert Hankle first of all, but you should read these before next week.”

It was the collected works from authors who represented the Beatnik generation: Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac.

“I…I have to read all of these?”

“That’s obvious, there’s more material to read as well.”

I flipped through the flimsy, yellowed pages, and felt dejected. They were all really thick and the letters were small.

Damn --- I saw Krishna-san’s slender figure rummaging through the cabinets looking for more books to give me.

“W…Wait a minute? In other words, are you giving me permission to join?”

Krishna-san pushed up her glasses with her middle finger as she replied.

“It can’t be helped, right? The director doesn’t have the authority to turn down someone who wants to join the club, and I know well enough that the people who like this genre aren’t the type who would listen.”

She looks at me coldly and adds:

“That’s right, a fool like you who excels at delusions without knowing your place, it’s better for you to remain within my sight, or else I’d be troubled.”

“Then, then – does that mean I can help you with posting updates on Ikaigabuchi?”

I asked with my eyes glittering excitedly.

“No, there’s a condition for that.” Krishna-san abruptly raised one finger. “You must never look at anything unless I tell you it’s ok to look at.”

“Of course.”

“You must immediately inform me if you notice anything remotely strange.”

“That helps me too.”

“And – this one is the problem.”

Krishna-san looked at me after a pause. She glared at me with her big eyes, and opened her mouth as if she had decided.

“Don’t associate with Yoishi Mitsurugi anymore.”

“…With Yoishi?”

“That’s right; you’re not in contact with her, right?”

“No, no… not since then.”

It was that day, when I said farewell to her at Tokyo station. I didn’t know any way to contact her in the first place. I didn’t know her phone number, or her email, or her address. The only thing I remember is, her being a first-year in high school.

“Then it’s fine. Before, I irresponsibly told you that if you wanted to associate with her, you should put your whole life into it -- I take that back. When you officially become a member of the club, the safety of the club member will be the responsible of the club director.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no doubt about it, she sees ghosts. We stand in a different place than her. When you associate with her, you are inevitably involved with the affairs of the world beyond. And that is definitely---“

With her large eyes, Krishna-san looked at me and declared.

“---Not a world you or I can deal with.”

----
Yoishi Mitsurugi, the high school girl with long jet black hair, skin as white as pottery, possessing beauty akin to a western doll. A girl with the bizarre quality of responding to all kinds of monstrosities and amplifying their horror. What you would call a denpa<ref>Japanese slang which means psychic receiver of signals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denpa</ref> in terms of internet slang. Suddenly spreading her crazy occult delusions into the world, causing problems for those around her -- she’s that kind of denpa.

I associated with her, I tasted bottomless fear, but as a result, I was able to confirm the correct place where I should stand. Her powers of concentration are not normal when it comes to the occult, to the point of being left speechless, however, if she hadn’t been close to me at that time, I would have stayed held down, swallowed by that deep darkness, unable to return back.

At the same time, I could understand Krishna-san’s concerns.

She is, in one way or the other, extraordinary in many terms. She doesn’t know how to adjust; neither can she read the situation like a normal person could. Generally speaking, her own curiosity is the foremost priority, and she holds no care nor concern for other people’s feelings. Things like taboos hold the same meaning as broken down doors in front of her.

However, it was a fact that Yoishi and I hadn’t contacted each other even once since then, Come to think of it, her writings had disappeared from the bulletin board of Ikaigabuchi, which I had started browsing again recently. I went back and read all the posts from quite a while ago, so I'm sure of it. It was as if she had sunk into the sea of the internet, and all traces of her had vanished.

“She might have stopped posting, but maybe she’s still looking at logs.” I muttered.

For the time being, I decided to return back to my apartment.

Speaking of Yoishi, I recalled her last words when I reached Tokyo station.

“Next time, if we meet again...”

She had said with a somewhat tense expression.

“I’ll become your friend.”

Those were the words spoken after the train door had closed, so I’m not sure if that’s what it was. But I really feel that those were the words she frantically uttered with her lip movements. I mean, what did she mean when she said we would become friends. You don’t become friends after declaring it out loud like that, right? Usually, you’d end up hanging out with someone after getting along with them, you go through various things with them, you feel a sense of respect for their values and spirituality, and before you know it, you’d become friends -- No, it's not even worth talking about such things so seriously. Put simply, just hanging out with someone is enough to be able to call them your friend.

Whatever it is, she’s eccentric in all sorts of ways, and she’s beyond compare in terms of her peculiarities.

After all I(without holding any grudges towards Yoishi), was fed up of the feeling of the world beyond she was dragging me into. After all, only gazing at the occult from a slight distance away was enough excitement for me.

I kept thinking thoughts like that alone as I walked, before long I was in front of my apartment building in Tokyo. The scorching sun had completely drenched my T-shirt in sweat. For the time being, I should put away my luggage, change my clothes and head over to my part-time work place for greetings – it was the moment I was at my front door.

“Hey- Nagi-kun”

I turned to face the seemingly happy face, in front of the corridor was a glamorous beauty dressed in a black camisole.

“Ah, Karasu-san. Long time no see.”

It was the self-proclaimed fortune teller, one of the seniors of Ikaigabuchi, Karasu was her handle name. Of course, I still didn’t know her real name.

“You’re back then? You seemed to have tanned pretty well.”

“Oh, the reason I’m tanned is because I’ve been helping with all sorts of things: like weeding, washing the car, wholesaling lumber. In other words, I was worked hard by my father and sister, and ended up running away.”

That's what I said, but Karasu-san wasn't even looking at me anymore. I found her crouched at my feet, she started tearing the wrapping off the paper bag containing the souvenir.

“Ah, that souvenir was for my boss….”

“Wow—this is a green tea rice dumpling with chocolate paste! Super, super, super delicious! So soft and moist! I'm so happy--! It's true what they say: the friend to have is a neighbor who has a warm countryside home.” Saying things like that, Karasu-san threw a bite in her mouth. That’s right -- this person was my neighbor, my benefactor who introduced this cheap apartment to me. With pretty black hair, age unknown, a nostalgic beauty but, she also had other peculiar idiosyncrasies; even Krishna-san couldn’t control her words or actions.

“It’s so delicious – I can’t stop – “

“Hey – Karasu-san! You’re probably way richer than me, so stop leeching off of poor students like me already.”

“So cruel! I’m not leeching! It’s so sad to see a guy eating alone, so I’m going through all the trouble of eating with you!”

“Then, at least prepare your own meals. Isn’t coming to a person’s house with just a bowl strange enough? In the first place, your house isn’t here, isn’t it located in the high-rise apartment complex with a huge terrace in front of the station? The apartment next door is nothing more than a meaningless storage space for you, so please don't come to my place this often. Besides that, it’s a nuisance for you to be wandering around this neighborhood in that getup of yours.”

I said, pointing to the camisole that was revealing part of her plump white breasts.

“Oh? So you’re embarrassed? There’s no need for that, don’t act no reserved. It’s not as if I want to fool around with a fresh bumpkin boy who ran away from the sticks.” Karasu-san laughed in a foolish way as she clapped me on the shoulders.

“But you know—“, the black haired fortune teller spoke, as soon as she had finished gobbling down three more dumplings. “Even though I said you ran away from there, the real reason is that, right? You got curious about the strange rain and rushed back here, right?”

“…….”

I became silent after being seen through so easily; Karasu-san smirked.

“We have similar interests, after all; you don't have to be a fortune teller to know that. Say—that is quite interesting, isn’t it? Right now Ikaigabuchi is in an uproar. Me too, If I knew the place where it’s going to happen next I’d rush over there.”

Come to think of it, I had been so occupied with getting Krishna-san’s permission for joining the club, I forgot to ask her about the important ‘Mushashino’s consecutive strange rain incident’. I asked unintentionally, “About that strange rain incident, is there anyone who saw it happen? The scene of the fish raining down?”

“No, there was someone who uploaded a picture taken in front of the station crammed with fish, but that was after everything was over. I want to see the moment everything was raining down.”

“Eh, so there isn’t any new information or anything?”

“Presently, we don’t know anything beyond what was reported in the news. There’s very little info on the net as well, Krishna-chan might have some ideas, but, that girl doesn’t speak out until everything is clear.”

“…That’s true.”

So I guess I'll have to wait until the manager of Ikaigabuchi makes an official comment about it. Well, as I’ve officially became a staff member of the Ikaigabuchi today, I’ll be able to get the information a little sooner. As I once again recall about that important position I gained today my expression loosened.

As I grinned, thinking of bragging about it to Karasu-san, she quickly gulped down her fourth dumpling and spoke:

“But, there’s a similar story at your school.”

“Huh?”

“You see, strange rain is famous for raining mummified fish and a large number of frogs, but it can also rain blood, right? So, a while ago on Ikaigabuchi, I read that that there’s a place like that in Koumei institute. Ehh... If I remember correctly… it was near the clock tower.”

--Clock tower?

--A rain of blood?

That sounds like an interesting story.

“W-where is that? That clock tower?”

“I don’t know, I’m not a student. Isn’t there one? A clock tower?”

“I’ve never seen it before. Or rather, this is my first time hearing about the existence of a clock tower.”

“Hmmm…? Well, I really did read about it.”

As I looked at Karasu-san, who was tilting her head in contemplation, I once again pictured the inside of the university.

The university I was attending: Koumei private university.

Established originally as a girl’s school, incorporated as a missionary school. It has a long history, dating back to the Meiji era. It’s famous for the beautiful zelkova trees that lead to the main gate, and I learned after I entered the university that it was known to the public as a university for the prestigious class. All the faculties are located side by side on the campus, and with the high school attached to it, it is quite a large institute. The buildings are arranged around the old main building, with the student’s hall on the east side. On the west side are the buildings of the arts and sciences faculty. Beyond that, sandwiched in between the zelkova trees, is the clubhouse building. To the north are the library, the science department building, and the multi-purpose hall. And on the far side of that is supposed to be the school sports grounds, But –

No, there’s no such thing as a clock tower anywhere.

“Hmm...... Was it the clock tower that you can't open? Or maybe it was a sealed clock tower? Anyway, there's a hidden room there, and there was a creepy incident there a long time ago, so there's blood raining around the clock tower.”

“Come on, try and remember it properly, Karasu-san.” I urged excitedly.

"Ah---perhaps," spoke Karasu-san while licking her Daifuku-dusted fingertips. “That place, has already been classified as an S rank.”

--

An S rank classified haunted place.

It's a haunted place that is said to be especially dangerous on the occult website Ikaigabuchi. On Ikaigabuchi, there are usually four ranks classified from rank A to D; In fact, the S ranking does not officially exist. The rankings themselves are investigated and determined by Krishna-san and the spiritually trained experts on a daily basis, with the main purpose of the site being to promote the separation of people and spirits, but if a place is currently dangerous, the article itself is deleted from the site as it’s a place that people shouldn’t know about.

--The rumored S-rank haunted place… in my university?

The information I gained from Karasu-san, greatly excited me. A huge event was occurring at the same time I returned to Tokyo. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a staff member in the first place, so I could encounter such spots that I would never have known about if I had only been a lurker on the website.

But-- when I went to the club room the next day and asked Krishna-san about it, she stared at me with the most horrible look in the world, “I don't know who told you that story, but…” she said, glaring at me with a terrifying look. “There's no such thing as a clock tower on the campus, and no such article about a rain of blood that was ever published in Ikaigabuchi.”

“…Ugh.”

“You may get all excited by yourself, but you should know better, Nagi-kun.”

Her words were cold enough to freeze a laughing baby’s face; I nodded in a panic.

“Generally speaking, the Fafrotskies phenomenon is not that rare and has sufficient scientific explanations to not be classified as an occult occurrence.”

“Faf…What is that?

“Fall from the skies, abbreviated as the Fafrotskies phenomenon. In short, it’s about the strange rain; the paranormal phenomenon in which fish, frogs, and other impossible things suddenly fall from the sky to a point on the earth's surface.

“Ah…the scientific explanation is like that, right? The tornado theory, or that one about abnormal increase in animal reproduction rates?

“You seem to know about it already. The Musashino incident is the same, if you roughly take a look at past cases worldwide; there are actually very few people who witnessed the rainfall directly. In short, it's mostly an accumulation of post-event phenomena, where there were supposedly a lot of impossible creatures in an impossible place. I said it before, didn’t I? Ninety-nine percent of ghost stories out there in the world are lies, delusions, or misunderstandings.”

“So, the cases of strange rain near Musashino are in that category?

”The temperature of the sea surface has been rising due to the abnormal weather in the past few years. The shift of the earth's axis caused by frequent earthquakes may be affecting the ecosystem. It wouldn't be surprising if there was an abnormal increase of a particular type of life in a particular place, or if it was simply a truckload of fish that collapsed.”

…Oof.

“But even so, the situation has caused such a big uproar that we can't rule out the possibility that some real ghosts might be involved – So we need to start gathering as much material as we can and investigate.”

With a thud, she handed me a large amount of A4 papers. It was so much that even as a man, I staggered when holding them - but when I looked up, there was more on the work table in the back.

“W-what is this?”

“It’s material from the middle ages about the Fafrotskies phenomenon that was in the British Library. I asked an acquaintance over there if he could send me some materials, and this arrived today. I thought it had been digitized, but here it is. We have to translate all of this as soon as possible.”

“Translate…all of it?”

“Of course, and we can’t just upload it to Ikaigabuchi like that, we also need to add the summary, analysis and give our own opinion on it.”

“T-thanks for the hard work.” I blurted out without thinking; Krishna-san raised her eyes in disgust.

“Why are you acting like it’s somebody else’s problem? You said you would become a member of Ikaigabuchi, right? From now on, you and I are going to do it together.”

“Ehhhh?”

“Go all out, Nagi-kun. Go at it like crazy.”

As expected, Krishna said this without much effort - but when I thought of the endless work involved, I practically fainted right there.

-----

My life in Tokyo suddenly got a whole lot busier. Half of it was having all my free time consumed with doing translation work in my room, and the other half was my part time job. As soon as I gave my greetings at my work-place, I was told to go straight in and start my shift right away, as if I were making up for lost time. Basically, from the time I woke up in the morning until evening, I was face to face with Krishna-san, grappling with a mountain of research materials in the scorching hot club room without air conditioning, and from the time the sun went down until after midnight, I was at a stone-built Italian restaurant, smiling laboriously.

Day after day, I wiped the sweat from my face with the towel hanging around my neck, and with a thick dictionary in one hand, we both worked hard to translate the English documents. It was the first time since I studied for my entrance exams that I had to deal with such a huge number of English letters. Or rather, that time was still way easier compared to this. Roughly speaking, most of these documents were written in a literary style, occasionally the meaning of the English words used from the Middle Ages wasn’t even written in the dictionary. Some of the phrases are uniquely British, and every time I read them, my hand stopped. The bulky English-English dictionary was handier than the internet or the library. It was so difficult that even Krishna-san, a literature major, groaned, and my willpower, as an economics major, had already broken down a while ago.

--This is just impossible.

I don’t know how many times I uttered that line. It was still only around August; the summer vacation was still on. Outside the window, gigantic columns of clouds rose up in a nice pattern, and the sun shone in brightly. The city was full of girls in light dresses, and it was unbearable to spend time indoors, passing up the chance to experience all the youthful events like the beach, pools, and fireworks displays.

I thought that, but I naturally swallowed those words when I saw Krishna-san in front of me, her lovely eyebrows twisted into a frown as she scratched her head. If a girl was working this hard, a guy like me couldn’t give up so easily.

And, at the same time -- I finally realized something.

Up until now, this person has been doing all this work, all by herself. All of the extensive and in-depth articles in "Ikaigabuchi," which we, as occult fans all over the country, used to just read and enjoy, were surely the very fruit of this girl’s blood, sweat and tears.

Anyway, seeing Krishna-san raised my dipping morale, and I continued to frenetically go through the research materials. Waking up, I’d head to the club room straight away, translating diligently until evening. After that, I’d work at the Italian restaurant until late at night. I’d peel the garlic, wash the dishes and also serve as a waiter. I’d stagger home at closing time, sleep like a log, and go to the club room straight again the next day. The next day, and the day after that, repeating the same thing over and over again.

The only saving grace in all that was when I’d return back home to my apartment after work, plop down on my futon, and take a peek at Ikaigabuchi on my phone. As usual, everyone there was chatting cheerfully about ghosts.

--God damn it, it's so comfortable not knowing the hardships of others.

That's what I thought, but that reflected me until now. Just a few months ago, I was just a user of the site like the rest of them. Even though Krishna-san is busy doing translation work with me, but she still never misses posting daily updates on Ikaigabuchi. Knowing firsthand how hard it is to do, I can only groan.

As always, Yoishi’s whereabouts were unknown. I had a quick look around the busy forums, but I still couldn't find her posts anywhere.

“…I probably won’t meet her again, will I?”

I felt lonely as if a wind was blowing through my chest somewhere.

My summer vacation passed by in a flash.

-------

It was quite dark in there.

Was it cramped or spacious around me? I couldn’t tell. However, my conscious was unusually clear, It’s a dream again, I thought. I could smell the dust and the staleness in the air. A closed space with no exit. This was the dream from the other day. I softly strained my eyes to my right side, and sensed someone standing over there facing the wall. I still had no idea who it was.

What was this dream anyway? Dreams are more or less a fragment of the scenery that you viewed sometime in reality. But I don’t remember ever visiting such a place in my reality.

The moment I thought that, I suddenly felt something foreign on my shoe. I jumped back as I stepped on something squishy on the sole of my foot. However, the place I moved to also had the same squishy stuff. It was everywhere I moved my foot to. What the hell is this?

Crouching in fear, I touched that strange material with my hand and shuddered, it was the carcass of a fish. The floor was covered with countless fish carcasses, and at the same time, the rotten smell of fish decay struck my nose, making me cough violently.

---W-Why fish?

Did they appear in my dream because I was researching Fafrotskies phenomenon?

While I was in a panic, I heard another clattering sound somewhere. A few meters ahead of me, Light like a full moon peeked out. Anyway, I don't care where, as long as I can get away from this rotten air. Anywhere is fine as long as I can get away from this creepy place. With that thought in mind, I stumbled through the fish carcasses, covering my mouth and nose, and I started running again. The moment I poked my face out of that round hole, I breathed fresh air into the bottom of my lungs as much as I could, and felt relieved – then I suddenly remembered.

Back then, there was someone alongside the wall, laughing.

Laughing, as if things happened were happening exactly how they expected, and that delight showed in that laughter, I heard a swishing sound.

--Ah, it’s happening again.

My head was chopped off at full force.

I'm told that a severed head remains conscious for only a few seconds before oxygen runs out from the brain.

Maybe that's why - I saw it. The vision from my falling head, I saw countless somethings, and heard countless somethings.

But-

The moment I woke from the dream, I forgot most of them.

The only thing that remained with me, along with the disgusting sweat that soaked my body, was –

Someone's shrill laughter. The voice was full of malice, hearing it felt as if something disgusting was crawling up from the bottom of my stomach.
-------

With the advent of September, the number of students in the school increased by a lot. The university is on a long summer vacation until the end of this month, and whether they are bored or not, the campus is filled with happy students who are enjoying their summer vacation and are tanned quite well. In the lawn, in the courtyard, in the cafeteria, everyone was dressed fashionably and laughing like they were enjoying their youth.

On the other hand, my life didn’t really change. More than half the research materials still needed to be translated. I honestly don't care about Fafrotskies anymore when I see the crowd of healthy students laughing and acting boisterous. I felt miserable staying in the hot club room translating creepy events of past.

Looking up at the glittering sky, I thought to myself:

--Ah, I’m already eighteen.

When I was a kid, I thought being eighteen would be a lot different. I feel like I'm not quite the university student I imagined back then. I feel like I'm being crushed by a nagging conflict: the impatient feeling of not being sure if I should keep going the way I am now, and on the other hand, not knowing what else to do.

On one hand, I’m not sure if I want to become a fashionable student enjoying life. From the time I entered the school, I had the impression that everyone was indistinguishable from each other. It’s ridiculed as a "rich kid’s university" in the public, this may be because our university is a place where children from well-off families gather. And mixed within them was me, a bumpkin boy with a supposed inferiority complex. Anyway, I felt that something in this university felt strangely closed.

The students here try way too hard to be efficient. They don’t try to work too hard. Anyone who tries to stand out too much is avoided. They introduce good part-time jobs to each other, enjoy mixed parties in moderation, and teach each other how to take exams for each professor based off of information passed down from the seniors.

--Ugh, What is a university supposed to be, anyway?

A place you’re supposed to study, right? It's a place where you can envision what you want to be in the future and accumulate the knowledge and skills to achieve it. Just going with the flow will mean you end up becoming nothing, you guys.

I muttered those kinds of warped thoughts to myself, even though I’m not a particularly studious student myself. In actuality, if I keep going on like this, I'm the one who's going to end up just going with the flow. They’re not bad people or anything. They just generally don’t try hard. They know their place well. They’re enjoying their days while still being responsible in acceptable limits.

But – But, isn’t that just boring? is what I end up thinking. I still don't know what the kind of person I’ll be in the future. That’s why, I have to be reckless. And like that, I’ll go through bitter experiences, and find out what my limits are, and to sometimes go beyond those limits. I end up thinking: Is there any meaning to living a life without adventure?

--Everything ended before it even began.

Before I realized it, I had termed this university’s culture like that.

And as such, the thing that was now supporting me was ‘Ikaigabuchi’.

Countless fans of the occult gathered there, and countless paranormal events were recorded there. Sure, you didn’t really feel that you were a part of youthful events of any kind, but even as I continue my days of frantically translating English research materials with the respectably petite administrator, I feel like I’m moving forward. Like I’m part of something – like I have something to dedicate myself to, and I guess that was the peace of mind I could escape to now.

That’s why; I didn’t notice that the defensive instinct inside me had kicked in already. I had ignored the dangerous fact that I had been having a series of similar dreams in a short period of time – That night, that fact came home to roost.

-------

It happened late at night, when I was on the way home back from my part-time job.

In the flow of the lukewarm wind, I was pedaling my granny bike silently past a store in front of a certain train station, leaving the residential area behind me. My apartment is located behind the university, further along the park, and that day I was going along the narrow path between the university and the auxiliary high school—

--When I suddenly felt something on my cheek.

--It’s raining, is it?

I stopped my bike, and looked up. There were no stars in the sky, but there were a few clouds and the sky was mostly clear.

It was a dark street sandwiched between two fences. Beyond the fence on the right-side wall was the sports ground of the university’s affiliated school. On the other side of the left side wall was building number seven of the university. Building number seven belonged to the department of science; they were different from us humanities majors, and had to stay late doing experiments almost every day. Even though it was so late, the school building was still lit in places.

That’s why; I thought it might have been water from the air conditioner.

A drop of water might have been carried over by the wind from an outdoor air conditioning unit from building seven somewhere.

But, I wiped my cheeks, and checked the palm of my head, and thought: ‘Huh?’ It was dark, so I couldn’t be certain but, I felt there was some color tinged to it. I took out my phone, pointed the light at it, and at that moment – I shook in fear.

It was blood; the scarlet liquid stuck to my palm, appearing slightly diluted as it mixed in with the sweat on my face.

--W--what the hell?

Flustered, I wiped my hand on the back of my jeans and checked my surroundings once more. I looked up in all directions.

--Why did something like blood rain down?

I rubbed my face once again. It really was blood on the palm of my hand. The blood feels light, even sticky, like it's pulling a string. It definitely wasn’t paint or something like that.

With bated breath, I looked up once again at the university building. There was no one in the brightly lit window of building number seven. There was no trace of anyone on the rooftop. Even if it was somebody’s prank, I couldn’t see any sign of the person who executed it.

On that hot, sultry summer night, something cold slipped under my feet.

It was then, that I remembered the story Karasu-san had mentioned, the story I had almost forgotten.

In Koumei institute, there’s a place where it rains blood.

There’s a clock tower there, and it is said to have been sealed up due to something creepy that happened in the past.

Where the hell is that?

Does it have anything to do with the ‘strange rain’ incident at Musashino?

But I never saw anything resembling a clock tower in this university anywhere, and Krishna-san had denied that rumor from the start. And right now, there was nothing resembling a clock tower anywhere around h—

It was at that moment.

I caught a glimpse of something behind the wall that blocked the space between the second sports ground and the road.

--What is that?

Was something like that at the sports ground before?

It was the top part of a long, narrow structure that resembled a tower.

The next thing I knew, I parked my bike there and unconsciously wandered near the fence, and outstretched my hands. I crawled up the wall and sat down, examining the structure.

“…Hah”

Feeling relieved, I let out a sigh of relief.

It was the reddish-brown roof of the gym storehouse. I'd been inside that thing before: during gym class. Inside, it's just a dusty place where soccer balls, mats, and gymnastic vaulting horses are crammed together. I was only surprised because I saw only the roof part, which I was not used to seeing.

“I guess things aren’t as scary as they seem.” <ref>The Japanese expression used here literally means ‘ the ghost, when examined closely, is withered silver grass'</ref>

But when I took another look at the building from bottom to the top, I shuddered.

“…Eh?”

I hadn't noticed it up until now, but there was a withered old clock in the upper middle part of the building. A large sooty dial which was almost the same color as the wall, it had a minute hand and an hour hand. The second hand was missing, so I couldn’t immediately tell if it was working or not.

No way, it can’t be –

But, doesn't that look like a clock tower?

My blood froze in my veins, as I gazed at the long, narrow building standing deserted in semi darkness; this time another suspicion sprang to mind.

Come to think of it, didn’t Karasu-san mention something about a hidden room present in the clock tower…? Something about a creepy incident happening there in the past?

That gym storage room building was pretty long and narrow. It's as high as a two story – no, you could say, a three story building. But I already know as I’ve been in there. There is no second floor. The ceiling inside was definitely high – but still, the ceiling wasn’t as tall as the height of the building. In short, there could be an entrance to a second floor somewhere. As I started to think about things like that, I began to feel that the warehouse inside was smaller than the impression I got from the outside. You could just say the outer walls were thick but, I began to increasingly feel that the gym storehouse was a creepy place.

Suddenly…

Feeling a strange gaze on me, I looked up… and noticed it.

The dial of the clock tower.

Around the number four.

There was something dark and hollow there.

At first I thought there was something stuck to it, but it seemed to be a hole. Right between the middle of numbers three and four, there was a dark hole around the size of a human head. Seeing it sent a chill down my spine. Like I shouldn’t keep looking at it, as if something was peeking out from the other side.

Could that be the fabled clock tower in the rumors? And if so, Krishna-san saying ‘No such thing exists’, Could that have simply been because she didn’t want me to get involved?

--My mind was still in rehabilitation, I had ended up coming to an extremely dangerous place.

“…This is dangerous.”

The moment I had finished warning myself-

“Why is that clock always late?”

Unexpectedly hearing that voice again, I almost fell off the fence.

“In a closed space where students are supposed to be under control, there's not a single good thing about being late.”

The voice was coming from just below.

On the other side of the fence, from the darkness facing the sports ground.

When I looked -- someone was there, leaning against the wall.

Wearing a white blouse, black tie—the uniform belonging to the Koumei institute. And that long dark hair, she seemed to meld in perfectly with the darkness. Her pale face was illuminated by the moonlight.

“Y-you, Are you?”

I asked timidly from the top of the fence.

“--Yoishi?”

The girl turned her pale face towards me, with an artificially cheerful expression.

There’s no doubt about it. Emotionless, bisque doll-like beauty; Eyes like glass beads. Is it just my imagination? She seems like she’s lost some weight. Or should I say, that person who has refined her gloomy aura is without a doubt -- Yoishi Mitsurugi.

Yoishi stayed silent in the darkness as she gazed her eyes toward me, eventually letting out a grunt. “It’s been twenty days, seven hours and forty-two minutes.” She muttered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“W…what are you doing in a place like this?”

This, is really Yoishi. Or should I say, is she alive? No, she just spouted something about it being twenty days and something in hours so she must be alive. But then, what’s up with this rotting look? Has she finally lost her mind completely? In the first place, with time and place being what they are. And on top of all that, I had just been showered in some creepy blood. Generally speaking, I was unsure if what I was seeing was of this world. That’s why, I asked her again.

“Hey, do you hear me? I asked you a question, what are you doing here at a time like this?”

Below me, Yoishi muttered a few words in response. “I’ve been thinking.”

“….Huh?”

“I knew I couldn’t find the answer no matter how much I thought about it. But even so, I had no other choice, so I kept thinking about it. But then, someone spoke to me…. I ignored them at first. But they were persistent. I replied to them. But they were still bothering me. So, I walked away to be alone--.”

Yoishi then looked up to me with intense curiosity.

“So, what exactly are you doing here?”

“I was the one asking you.”

Ah-Is that so, she nodded with a vacant look in her eyes as if she understood.

“The person I spoke to, was already dead.”

That low whisper instantly made me cower and sent goose bumps up my spine.

“Hey! What are you going on about?”

Still feeling shocked, I jumped down to the sports ground, and stood up again, staring once again at her pale, gloomy face.

It was without a doubt, Yoishi Mitsurugi.

Her pale white face with its too-perfect proportions was frightening in its sculpted beauty, all wasted on her, and her ever so slender frame had slender arms joined to it.

The warm summer night breeze blowing across the sports ground ruffled her black hair. Without even trying to hold it down as much, she intently stayed dark, gloomy and silent. It was as if, at this very moment, summer had ended, autumn had been skipped over and the ice age had arrived. Her frozen beauty was still the same, but her uniform was so wrinkled; I imagined she had slept with it on, and her long, supposedly beautiful black hair was so coarse that I wondered how many days she hadn't washed it. Riding on the wind, a slight acrid odor drifted my way.

In short,

Yoishi Mitsurugi hadn’t changed at all. She doesn’t take baths. She was still living with one foot planted firmly in the world beyond. Or should I say, she’s become even more ragged -- as pitiful as a stuffed doll abandoned at the wayside for many years.

“….Y-You, That’s enough already!”

Maybe it was a reaction to the fact that I was scared out of my mind, or maybe I was just angry that I'd been startled suddenly in an unusual way. Even though it’s our first meeting after so long, all I could feel was an irritating anger.

“Have you been eating properly at all? Did you take a bath? Have you just been wandering around creepy places since then? Around graveyards or haunted places?”

During my successive questioning, I realized something.

Come to think of it, this place itself fit the bill of a creepy place. There’s a clock attached to the gym storehouse – and didn’t she say something about a clock earlier?

“So, what were you going on about earlier? What were you saying about the clock being late?”

When I asked her that, she nodded in reply.

“Is that about the clock on the gym storehouse?”

“The gym storehouse?”

“That one over there.” I pointed to the old, long and narrow building I'd been staring at.

Yoishi nodded once and simply restated.

“You mean the clock tower.”

“….And?”

“That building is curious. The structure itself is strange but, the strangest thing of all is that the clock there is always late.”

“W-wait a second.”

I stopped Yoishi from rambling on endlessly and asked her.

“You -- just now, you called it a clock tower.”

“No matter how you look at it, it’s a clock tower.” Yoishi looked at me with curiosity and nodded.

Oh my God. She was dead on. The clock tower Karasu-san mentioned actually existed. And the phenomenon of blood raining down, as I just experienced earlier, was probably real too!

I spoke, “Yoishi, it’s over. Let’s just stop. Or rather, for one reason or another, it’s now forbidden for me to meet you. I can't just keep waltzing off to some creepy place with you anymore.”

“Well, it’s not as if we arranged this meeting beforehand.”

“Er, that might be true, but…”

“I was here first, and you arrived afterwards. I can't be blamed for that.”

--Ahhh! She has a comeback ready for anything I say.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. I don't know what's bothering you and I don't know how long you've been standing there, but I can give you some advice somewhere where there’s daylight. Now you go home, too.”

But it was as if Yoishi wasn’t listening to anything I was saying.

“Say, did you read the ghost story about the warp in space time?”

“…Huh?”

“It’s a story you hear often, people who go into a manhole, walk a while and exit from another place, only to find that the world slightly differs from the one they came from, or about elevators that stop by themselves on an unlit floor in the middle of the night and take you to a slightly different world when you get off. In that world, you might have a younger sister who is not supposed to exist, or a close friend who now acts like a complete stranger.”

Of course, I'm a bit of an occult enthusiast myself. I’ve read lots of stories of that kind. They’re very entertaining, I would even go far to say they’re my favorite kind. But, what does that have to do with the situation right now?

“Many of those space-time warp stories are often dismissed as discrepancies in memory ---but what if multiple worlds did in fact exist. And, if that doorway were to open somewhere in this world for some reason. It wouldn’t be strange to think that they could open in the sky.”

“C-could you be possibly talking about the strange rain phenomenon?”

Yoishi nodded in agreement.

“…No, be it multidimensions or whatever. Then, what about area around that gym storehouse…or should I say, the clock tower; what about blood raining there? Are you saying there’s a door to a multidimensional world there?”

Yoishi stared at me for a while before asking me:

“….Blood?”

“Oh, that’s right. It fell on my face a while ago. It already faded a bit, but here.”

I thrust out the palm of my hand before Yoishi. And then explained Karasu-san’s rumor to her about blood raining around a clock tower somewhere in Koumei institute, and I told her about this blood falling down on my cheeks a little while ago. There wasn’t really much trace of blood left on the palm of my hand, but a black stripe was still perceivable if you looked closely. Yoishi silently drew her face near my hand, and sniffed the scent. Is she a dog? I thought, as she finally nodded and spoke.

“I can certainly smell hemoglobins and sodium chloride.”

“R-right? Why did something like blood fall down? Where did it fall down from? And—”

I looked up and froze, just as I was about to ask about the hole in the clock face I had discovered.

The hole in the clock tower dial had disappeared. Only a white board remained between the numbers three and four.

“Huh…? There was definitely a hole there just now—”. The moment I said those words…

“Did you see that hole as well?”

Goosebumps crawled on my skin, at the sound of her somewhat happy voice.

When I saw, Yoishi Mitsurugi’s eyes had suddenly begun to shine.

“The Fafrotskies phenomenon, the blood rain around the clock tower, the clock being late – there’s an origin behind all these phenomena. But the primary factor may not be necessarily understood by humans.”

While being horrified by that dark shine which had already become nostalgic, at the same time it also brought back the days of cruising the depths of the underworld with her that had already faded into the deep recesses of my memory. For the first time in a while, my whole being was now enveloped in a sense that something was slipping away. This world and the world beyond are becoming connected, a feeling I could never cope with, a feeling of despair that death was creeping in–

This was bad.

Everything would simply slip away from this point on.

No—w-wait a minute, time out! Time out!!

But…Yoishi already had her face so close to mine that I could practically feel her breath on my face.

“Say…”

“…..”

“Wouldn’t you like to go there? To the clock tower?”　

----

--Damn it, why do things always end up like this?

Regardless of Krishna-san emphasizing the fact that I shouldn’t associate with Yoishi, yet here I am, at the dead of night, going out on another strange adventure with Yoishi.

The two of us headed towards the clock tower, the sports ground was as dark as the night sea. However, to be honest, I would strongly argue that this was out of my hands. Just like Yoishi said, we didn’t really plan to meet or anything. It was an accidental encounter, so to speak.

--I can still…turn back.

I should still be able to return to my usual peaceful world. All I have to do was immediately turn heel, tell Yoishi I’m really quitting, see you later, ciao, and then hop on my bike and race back to my cheap apartment. I’d forget Yoishi’s mutterings, crawl under my futon and forget everything. However, despite my internal conflict, my feet continued to simply follow in Yoishi's footsteps. At this very moment, there's some kind of creeping chill in my body that refused to disappear, but it still didn’t stop my feet.

“I've heard that building’s history dates back to before this school was founded.” Without turning back, Yoishi continued to narrate.

“Originally, this land seems to have been donated to the school by an influential local. And that building continued to be used by the school since then.”

“So, was it originally a clock tower?”

“The students in the affiliated school seemed to have called it as such.”

So that means – Krishna-san, who I’m sure graduated from the affiliated school, knew about it. Which means, that I was indirectly kept away from the paranormal. In short, that is an S-ranked haunted place that I shouldn’t be looking at.

As if to affirm that fact, Yoishi’s eyes were shining.

“That place is quite dangerous.”

…..I’m sorry, I’ll be leaving after all. By the time I had finally made up my mind to speak those words, we had already reached the clock tower.

On the front of the building was a sign that said ‘Koumei Institute Athletic Equipment Storage Area,’ and next to it, was a brightly colored cone. Dirty rugby shirts lay scattered about, there was also a cooler box forgotten by some club. However, the original foundation of the building was built from stone, on top of that was wooden construction. The wall coated with old plaster stretched out. It’s pretty worn out, yet when you look at it carefully, it’s a blending of Japanese and Western Styles, reminiscent of the early Meiji era buildings that you see in books- indeed, the outward appearance of the old clock attached to it makes it befitting enough to be called a clock tower.

While Yoishi was wandering about tampering with the edges of the foundation, I kept staring at the old worn-out clock. If you look at it from here, it’s actually attached quite high up. It was stained in white, and looked as if it had assimilated with the surrounding walls. You wouldn’t even notice the clock with just a quick glance.

Moreover, looking at it again from up close, there surely didn’t seem to be any hole in the clock face.

I could have misjudged it from back then, but Yoishi did ask, ‘Did you see that hole as well?’ That means, Yoishi must have seen it as well….In short, what does it all mean?

“Move.”

Being ordered so suddenly, I looked to my side and there was Yoishi Mitsurugi, brandishing an iron rake used for sports ground maintenance like a great sword from a fantasy world.

“…W-woahhh!!”

As soon as I jumped out of the way in a panic, Yoishi swung downward with great force.

A sharp sound rang across the silent sports ground, and the old door bolt was easily smashed into pieces. While I stood there dumbfounded, Yoishi opened the door, and boldly entered inside. A guard might have heard that noise, I wondered as I followed fearfully. It was dark inside. Without saying a word, Yoishi took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. The light from her phone dimly illuminated the surroundings and the familiar room came into view; it was a dusty place about 27 sqm in size. Covered with mud walls, rotten air clung to the place. I don't know if it's from used gym equipment or something specific to the building. Maybe it's both.

Yoishi randomly moved aside mats and portable basketball hoops out of the way so she could see the mud walls. She muttered ‘Hmm’ as she pointed the light towards them. I don't know what it was, but I was already scared out of my mind. It wasn't so much from this place, but rather my thoughts were dominated by that idea that I had just had a while ago. The ceiling of this room was way too low as compared to the height of the building.

Maybe it was because I had confirmed from close up, but that thought had begun to fill me with more and more anxiety.

“…Say, Yoishi.”

I made up my mind ask the question.

“Could this place have a second floor?”

“Of course, there is.”

“Eh?”

“Because it’s a clock tower, after all.”

Yoishi posited that because it’s a clock tower, there’s a clock, so there must be a room for its maintenance. But, the creepy feeling nesting inside me was about something else. There are no stairs leading up to that maintenance room or whatever in this building. Even if there was a second floor, the entrance itself being sealed was what scared me. But Yoishi spoke in an exasperated tone.

“That’s what we’re here to find, after all.”

After that, she stared at a thick beam about three meters above…

“There must be a way up somewhere.”

Saying those kinds of things, she began knocking here and there on the wall.

It couldn’t be helped, I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight, and started walking around, knocking on the walls nearby. When I looked at it again, the walls, the floor, just about everything was pretty antiquated. It wasn’t at the level of being completely worn-out and filthy. But still, It's such an old building that it makes me feel uneasy to be here, making me wonder if it’s used up all its years of durability. There were several layers of cobwebs in the corners, and the wooden frames of the pillars smelled as if they were rotting.

“Here.”

Eventually, I heard such a voice and turned my head to see Yoishi, without even trying to keep herself free from the dust, she moved a worn-out, crumbling vaulting box out of the way and was tapping on the back wall.

“It's blocked in here.”

Indeed, it was the only part of the old wall that was made of brand-new mud wall. Yoishi looked over her shoulder, without hesitation, she lifted the top of the vaulting box and threw it against the wall with all her strength.

“H-hey…”

Before I could even stop her, she slammed the vaulting box against the mud wall again and again, until a crevice appeared. Furthermore, she once again brandished the iron rake she had used to break down the door from earlier and drove it into the wall, using it to forcibly widen the crevice.

“That hurt.”

Saying that, Yoishi passed under the gaping wide hole to somewhere else.

Preparing myself for the worst, I followed her. I passed under the crumbling wooden frame, when I focused the light from my cellphone, I saw a staircase spiraling upwards along the outer wall.

“Say, why do you think the entrance was sealed?” Yoishi muttered as she steadily ascended up the stairs.

“To keep people like you out, obviously.” I retorted, ‘That’s not it’, replied Yoishi.

“There’s another purpose in keeping the entrance sealed. It’s to keep whatever is present inside from getting out.”

I shuddered at those words, and then I remembered.

When was it exactly? I fervently rummaged through the recesses of my memory – and I remembered.

That’s right, it was back when I was in elementary school.

One of my classmates lived in a temple, and we were all sneaking into his house at the time.

“Behind our main temple, there’s a storehouse that we’re not allowed to open. I’m sure it’s because a monster lives there.”

That kid used to brag about that in class at every opportunity, and there were no such elementary school kids who didn’t have an interest in that kind of thing. So, one day after school, we all decided to meet up around midnight and explore that storehouse. I brought my bat, that kid brought his air gun. Other guys with more extensive knowledge brought things like salt, and for some reason, one guy brought his deceased grandmother’s memorial tablet. Each of us carried our preferred protective equipment, and we snuck into the temple at night.

In the midst of the darkness, the dark storehouse stood eerily, I don’t know how many times I was about to suggest we return home. However, no one said anything, perhaps because of our pride as men. At last, the kid from the temple brought a crowbar from his house, and began to break down the sturdy padlock to the storehouse.

Eventually, the padlock fell down to the ground with a thud, and we timidly opened the door.

Taking a peep, it was pitch dark inside. Rotten air oozed out from inside. But I think all of us felt it. More so than the rotten air, there was something invisible, something evil -- it felt as if it was stroking our hands and necks. We got scared and decided to first send in a stray cat that stuck around the temple. Just bringing the cat close to that place caused it to let out a tremendous wailing sound. That sound made us lose our nerve, and eventually the kid’s father heard the commotion and came running.

It was the first time I was scolded by another person’s father.

“Things that are sealed, are sealed for a reason.”

We were scolded severely, and the kid’s father, who was the head priest of the temple, lectured us about it and chanted sutras at us in the main hall until morning. Now when I think about it, it’s a good thing we were stopped back then. The memory of that time, the feeling of something seeping out of the storehouse, was rapidly coming back to me here on the stairs of this clock tower.

Certainly, it’s just as Yoishi said, those wooden frames were just too thick to only be blocking the stairs. What would they do when they needed to repair the clock tower if it was sealed up so tightly? It was too exaggerated to just be protecting against intrusions from pranksters and the like. Every time the old wooden stairs would creak, my hunch of something bad happening worsened.

“It’s here.”

In the dim light up ahead, I heard Yoishi, in a somewhat lively tone of voice. Sure enough, as I reached the top of the stairs, she was waiting for me, in front of a wooden door.

“I’m going to open it, but is it alright?”

I looked at Yoishi, wondering why she would ask a question like that at this stage.

“Would you stop if I asked you to?” I retorted while forcing a smile.

“Why is the clock late? The answer to that question is probably not very pleasant.” Yoishi muttered.

“Huh?”

“It’s quite dangerous from this point on.”

Yoishi chewed on the nails of her left hand. That seemed to be a habit of hers whenever she got excited.

“What exactly is dangerous?”

“Malice itself lies within.”

Her eyes shone as she finished speaking those words.

Before I could even say, "Let's not do that then", Yoishi opened the door without hesitation, as expected.

The interior was even darker yet, filled with the pungent smell of dust.

I directed my flashlight inside: it was even smaller than the storage room below, a vacant space about 18 sqm in size. The ceiling is shaped in the same way as the conical roof, and there were old wooden chairs and an old blackboard on the wooden floor. However – there was something in that room that was creeping me out.

It was as if something was coiling around the back of my neck.

Like a creepy, slimy arm was grabbing my ankle.

This feeling, I felt like I'd experienced it somewhere very recently.

--And I suddenly remembered.

It’s that dream. I had been confined in a dark, narrow place somewhere, and when I tried to escape, my neck got chopped off. The moment I recalled that, I remembered the voice of the person laughing in the dream, which I had forgotten up until now. A voice filled with joy, uttered as if everything was going according to their expectations.

Yoishi had said that malice itself lies in here.

What exactly is malice?

Why is it necessary for something like malice to reside in the clock tower in the first place?

I noticed my knees had begun to tremble, I felt like I could sense the presence of that someone from my dream, standing still right next to the wall besides me. Was that dream a premonition of the future? Was that dream about right now? Here in this room? Something would call out to me, and then just like my dream, my neck would be chopped clean off?

--Y-you’ve gotta be kidding me.

The moment I got cold feet and reflexively moved to run –

It was slightly two meters right of me.

I felt someone’s presence, and was slowly turning my face in that direction—

“Don’t look.” Yoishi whispered in a silent, sharp tone. “Pretend not to notice.”

Thanks to that voice, I barely managed to stop the movement of my neck.

However, at the periphery of my vision, I ended up seeing it.

Japanese clothes, I thought. A glimpse of the arms – thin, as withered branches. I knew it was looking my way. I desperately turned my face away. Then I stopped my breathing, pacified my heartbeat which was racing like it was about to explode, and I tell myself, as hard as I can:

--There’s nothing there, it’s just my imagination. I didn’t see anything at all.

But my knees were trembling with fear. Sweat trickled down my back and under my arms.

Yoishi proceeded to the back of the room as if nothing had happened.

There, she pushed and banged on the wall.

“The clock is on the backside of this part.” She muttered.

“….I-is that right?”

I’ll join in the conversation. I squeezed out a shaky voice as if to show that we were the only ones present.

Soon, a metallic clanking noise echoed inside the room.

At the same time, I felt the air stream out of the room, and I saw something some kind of light above Yoishi’s knee. It was the light of a house far away in the distance. Right next to Yoishi, there was a hole cut out in a circle about the size of a person's face, just like the one I had just seen in that dream.

“This was the hole you saw earlier.”

Yoishi crouched down and put her hand on a rim, which was drawn back so close to the floor that I could barely see it.

“You can close it, and open it, with the lever here.”

“W-why is there such a thing there?”

Yoishi slightly tilted her neck quizzingly in response to the question.

“Maybe it’s used to adjust the hour or minute hands. Or perhaps there’s a different reason altogether. However—”

Yoishi questioned me as if she was peering into my eyes.

“Can you, look out from here?”

---Look out, from there?

No, that is…

“It’s strange, isn’t it? There’s no other place to check if the hands of the clock are moving. Having said that, it takes a lot of courage to check the minute hand from here. I mean, if you were to do it carelessly...”

Yoishi made a cutthroat gesture as she drew her fingers across her neck.

“The moment you look out, your neck might get chopped off by the clock outside.”

--Ah! Isn’t that…what happened in my dream? Didn’t my head already get chopped off twice in the dreams?

“That’s right.”

Rather than a reply to my thoughts, Yoishi said that as if she was announcing it to the entire room.

“If an ordinary person saw this hole open within this hermetically sealed, stifling room, they would generally end up looking outside. After all, the only other window in the room lies in the ceiling far above us: a skylight that can’t be opened. In short, the structure was made so that fresh air could only come through from here.”

It’s just as Yoishi said.

It was of a nature that I would like to call the architect’s malice.

“Anyone would stick their head out of this hole, and it would always get caught by the minute hand, slowing down the clock.”

Huh…?

“W…wait a minute. Whose neck got—”

“What time is it, according to your watch?”

I looked down to check my wristwatch on Yoishi’s query.

It was 12:51 am.

Yoishi checked her own watch in reply and nodded.

“Mine is the same. So, the clock outside is five minutes late, which means that the minute hand is at 45 minutes or so.”

I had no idea what she was going on about.

“The hole we saw outside was located between three and four. In short, if one were to look out from here right now, the minute hand wouldn’t be falling down on one’s neck.”

“…No.”

“Let’s take a look.”

Before I could even tell her to stop, Yoishi went down on all fours, with her back towards me, she pushed her face outside the hole towards the light.

That's when I definitely heard it.

A sound like "drrng!", seeming to ring out from the whole room, something neatly clicked in place. For a moment, the back of her body twitched, and then eventually, Yoishi stopped moving.

“Y—Yoishi?”

Even though Yoishi’s body was there, her presence had disappeared.
[[Image:Phenomeno vol2-1 case 04.jpg|Height in pixel|thumb|]]
It can’t be.

If the minute hand, had fallen down just now…

Then that sound just now, was Yoishi’s head being chopped off by the minute hand outside.

I checked the time once more.

It was 12:52 am right now. That means there’s no way the minute hand would had fallen down on Yoishi’s neck.

Even though there was no way for that to happen—

I was too afraid to touch Yoishi’s body, which was right there in front of me.

What if I pull her out and she has no head?

What if her decapitated head fell down on the sports ground?

In the dimness, her pale arms and ankles were covered with dust, and stretched out on the floor, like a puppet with its strings cut off.

There I was, about to scream… Doing my best to catch my breath.

Because of Yoshi... Because she was here, I was able to endure the frustration of wanting to run away up until this point.

It was because of ‘Yoishi Mitsurugi’, the guide who formed an ambiguous connection between the spirit world and reality, that I was able to make it this far—

I felt as if I heard someone laughter, and just when my fragile, delicate, and meager spirit was finally stretched to its very limit.

“That felt good.”

I was trying my best to keep my mouth shut, and that voice reached me.

At the same time -- Yoishi Mitsurugi , who had been as motionless as a corpse, pulled her face out of the hole and stood up.

“…Y-you’re..”

I couldn’t speak straight away.

Yoishi slightly tidied herself up and spoke, “Let’s go.”

With the same calm gait she displayed when we arrived, she moved towards the stairs. I rushed behind her.

Closing the door, we descended the creaky steps.

Without looking back, I arrived at the bottom as if nothing had happened, just like Yoishi.

We slipped through the broken wooden frame back to the gym storehouse. And then, we arrived outside.

I was so used to the darkness that even the dim light of the sports ground seemed bright to my eyes.

The outside was like a different world. The sky, the clouds, the greenery around the sports ground; it was like it was overflowing with a surging life force. The air felt amazingly good. I inhaled it to my lung’s full capacity, and took several deep breaths. At some point, I wiped the sweat from my brows, put my hands on my knees, and exhaled deeply on the spot.

“—What…the hell was that all about?”

After getting far enough away from the clock tower, I was finally able to speak.

“What?”

Yoishi’s white blouse dazzled as she walked in front of me.

Was the second sports ground this big? I wondered as I was suddenly attacked by dizziness.

“That second floor…no, the thing you called malice, what the hell was it?”

“For more details, I guess you'll have to ask your teacher, but I’ll say this much: That building is neither a gym storehouse, nor a clock tower – originally, it was an earthen storehouse.”

“A-an earthen warehouse?”

“That’s right, the clock was installed later… it was unmistakably added after the school was built, I think.”

Yoishi stopped walking around the middle of the sports ground, and turned to look back. I stopped in my tracks, but didn’t dare to look back. I couldn’t bring myself to look at that building again right now.

“When I was young – it was around this time of year. I visited my grandmother in the countryside, and played with my elder sister until the evening.”

...What is she talking about?

Holding down her hair which fluttered in the wind, Yoishi spoke to no one in particular.

“It gets dark quickly in the countryside, and the people quickly disappear, so we took a shortcut to get back to my grandmother’s house. We weaved our way through the path between people’s houses.”

Rather than speaking with me, Yoishi continued to whisper as if she was gazing somewhere far away.

“It was as if we’d become lost in a world of cicadas, their cries filled the air everywhere. I remember it was so loud it was almost deafening. And when we passed by the back of one of the biggest houses in the area—I heard a voice, as if mixed in with the cries of the cicadas. It was from the storehouse of that large house. A terrible scream with words that didn't form any meaning – A string of miserable, resentful, aberrant words -- Immediately, I clung to my elder sister. It was an elderly voice, that of a woman. After that, a hand touched the skylight of that storehouse. A thin, pale arm. That arm suddenly grabbed the iron grill of the skylight. It was probably the hand of that old woman. After that, we heard a voice once again. Putting your mother in a place like this. I’ll curse you, I’ll curse you all. It was as if – that arm itself was speaking.”

A pale, thin arm.
A trail along the countryside at sunset.

And horrible words from a curse.

If you experienced it when you were young, it would be intense.

“I can kind of understand now. An old woman with dementia must have lived there. The man from the house must have locked his mother up. That's the nature of an earthen storehouse. You could call it an Edo era prison cell. I've heard that noble families and wealthy merchants around the Meiji era had them. Whenever a delinquent or mentally ill member of the family appeared, they would be confined inside it. And --- that was…” Yoishi pointed towards the soaring building tower behind me. “That was originally an earthen storehouse with the characteristics of an Edo era prison cell.”<ref>For more info: https://japanthis.com/2017/11/30/kura-japanese-storehouse/</ref>

I finally understood it. The thing that was standing besides me back then. The glimpse I had caught at the edge of my periphery, someone who wore an old, weathered kimono. I wondered if it was an old woman.

“That hole was likely used to insert food through, and it might have also been used to retrieve excrement. However, when I peered out of that hole, I realized… A room you could never leave. You could never leave it, and yet, you could breathe in as much fresh air as you wanted. A hole you could use to experience the air of the outside world to the point where it would drive you insane.”

“So, that’s the malice…”

I barely managed to speak out in a hoarse voice, and Yoishi nodded.

“It might have been set up by a family member to deal with an older relative who had lost their mind. They didn’t want to take care of the old person, and they don’t want them to live however long they please. It would be better off if they had died sooner in an accident – the building was filled with such thoughts.”

My God. How sad would it be? What kind of curse is a life wishing for the death of one's parent as they break down?

There’s the legend of a mountain where old women are abandoned<ref>: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubasute)</ref>. As long as people are growing old -- be it the present or the past -- I'm sure there have always been problems relating to an aging society. My grandfather and grandmother both died one day suddenly; we were all shocked, and very saddened. But I suddenly thought: Wasn’t that actually a blessing-in-disguise? To be able to depart this life while still bearing the love of one’s family, isn’t that the greatest happiness? I reflected on such unbearable thoughts.

Presently used as a gym storehouse, referred to a clock tower, and used as an earthen storehouse in the past --- that long and narrow, dark shape. I found myself staring at it with complex feelings.

“…Huh?”

I felt a strange feeling of discomfort.

I was still overlooking something important.

“That’s right.” Yoishi whispered in response.

“That explanation is insufficient to explain everything about that building.”

When I looked, Yoishi’s eyes were wide open, and behind those glittering eyes, I thought I saw a glimpse of someone.

“The explanation for why the hole keeps opening up is insufficient. Even if you were to say it’s because someone is confided there, normally, it should stay open after being opened once, there’s no reason it should close again.”

“Oh….”

As sweat dripped down from my cheeks to the bottom of my chin, Yoishi continued to speak.

“Malice accumulates, and becomes a contagion. A place tied down by malice, becomes a habitat for those who hold malice.”

--That’s right.

The first time I noticed there was a hole in the clock face, it was in the place of the number 4. Now, there’s no hole there because Yoishi operated the lever when she stuck out her head. However, if that were the case – a contradiction arises.

“I wonder what you're expecting."

Leaving me with those words, Yoishi turned back, and began to walk away.

“W-wait a minute, Yoishi!”

Flustered, I chased after her, and in a trembling voice, asked her:

“A while ago, we entered the clock tower and for the first time, used the lever to open the hole, right?”

“Yes.”

“Which means, there was no hole before we entered.”

“True.”

“Then, in the beginning, the hole in the clock face we saw from the fence…. who--?”

“That’s why I told you, pretend not to notice.”

Yoishi simply shrugged her shoulders.

“After all, there were two people inside.”

With those words, a spectacle that I shouldn’t have seen unfolded in every corner in my head.

An old woman with disheveled hair. A cloudy, unfocused gaze and a seemingly sad expression.

And, someone clinging to those thin, wire-like legs of hers. It had hollow, empty eyes; its crimson mouth twisted into a broad sneer. It displayed an expression of pure delight on its face, as if everything was going well.

--Because it’s funny, isn’t it?

I thought I heard someone’s voice speak that in the midst of the night wind.

As I stared at Yoishi’s form fading away in the distance, I became unable to move.

I forced down my saliva, deeply regretting that I didn’t stop when I should have. And then, I heard a voice — you better stop while you can.

The world beyond had manifested right beside me. The entrance to the afterlife had opened its mouth before me, not knowing the existence of which would have let me lead a much, much happier life. I was painfully aware of that. However, I ended up aware of the fact that the entrance was there, So what should I possibly do now? Once you end up becoming aware of it, you’ll become involved. From here on – and for the rest of my life. That’s what it means to associate with Yoishi. As long as she stands in the world beyond, associating with her means getting involved with the world beyond. You'll end up knowing things you don't need to know. I should have known all these things, and yet—

I’d been through hellfire and brimstone, and I was finally able to stand on my own two feet, and yet—

The magma that made me want to cry out broke through the bottom of my heart – but, I turned to look back.

It stood still as a long and narrow shape on the sports ground.

It existed as a gym storehouse for me, a clock tower for Yoishi, and was an earthen storehouse in the past.

And, situated at number 4 of the clock face.

A hole had appeared there before I had even noticed – and something… was peeking out.

------------

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Phenomeno:Volume 2

2021-08-04T15:09:15Z

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Hello, Hello and Hello:Volume 2

2020-03-22T01:05:42Z

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{{:Hello,_Hello_and_Hello:Volume_2_Afterword}}<br style="clear:both"/>

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Hello, Hello and Hello:Volume 2 Illustrations

2020-03-22T01:03:05Z

Dreamer2908:

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Hello, Hello and Hello:Volume 2 Illustrations

2020-03-22T01:02:47Z

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume20 FinalChapter

2020-01-29T02:28:46Z

Dreamer2908: /* Part 6 */

==Final Chapter - Return to the Academy==

===Part 1===

After experiencing the final battle in Astral Zero—

Kamito and company stayed at the Divine Ritual Institute's shrine for a week and a bit. Only after borrowing the sanctuary's hot spring to completely recover from fatigue did they return to the human realm.

The entire student body of the Academy mobilized to welcome the return of Team Scarlet.

Compared to the reception half a year ago when they qualified to enter the Blade Dance, attitudes were completely different.

Claire and Rinslet, formerly the problem children of Raven Class.

Ellis, always compared to her foster sister as captain of the Sylphid Knights.

Fianna, who was ridiculed as the Lost Queen after losing her power of the spirit contract.

No one was going to regard these girls with prejudiced eyes of the past anymore.

Even Kamito, who was shunned as the only male elementalist—

"Oh, it's Kazehaya Kamito!" "How unbelievable. The Demon King of the Night actually saved the world..." "Wait, that's too rude, you should call him Lord King of Lust!" "Yes, that's right, Lord King of Lust..." "Awesome, Lord King of Lust." "In that case, Lord King of Lust, I—"

(...W-Why is my reputation the only one that's unchanged!?)

While walking down the flying ship's gangway, Kamito rolled his eyes and retorted in his thoughts.

...It seemed like things were even worse than before.

"Come on, Kamito, chest out and head up high."

Seeing Kamito like that, Claire gave him a push from behind.

"After all, you have much to be proud of."

"Tonight, comrades from the Sylphid Knights are apparently holding a big party to celebrate."

"Now that is something to look forward to."

"But I have to be a downer first. They're apparently going to resume classes tomorrow."

Claire spoke seriously.

"Eh, really... We haven't kept up with classes at all..."

"H-Hmm, we must hurry and make up for lost progress..."

"I will have you know that I have been studying seriously. I shall teach the rest of you later."

"Oh, thanks."

"Yes, that would be helpful..."

As soon as Kamito and company got off the flying ship, a huge number of students crowded around them.

Amid the tide of people, Kamito looked up at the clear blue sky.

(Back to student life again, huh...?)

Through Greyworth's designs, he had come to the Academy, and entered the Blade Dance only because he wanted to find Restia. Now he had no more reasons to stay at the Academy.

However—

(...Graduating here wouldn't be half bad, I guess.)

Standing under the blue sky was the school building under reconstruction. The dorm of Raven Class.

This was the place where he and his companions belonged, the place he had protected.

—That night, during the celebration party and gathering of spirits, Kamito got drunk for the first time in his life.

===Part 2===

"...Mmm... Ughhh... Ooh..."

The next day, under sunlight, Kamito opened his eyes.

...What a headache. It looked like he had fallen asleep in his uniform last night.

Due to insistent pleading from Ellis with Rakka and Reishia joining in, Kamito had borrowed a princess maiden outfit from Fianna to perform a blade dance. That was the last thing he remembered.

Although the spirits at the party looked quite happy—

...Kamito was sure he would not have done it if he were not drunk.

Raised by the Instructional School, Kamito had never been drunk before. By circulating divine power through channels in his entire body, he was able to eliminate alcohol.

But this move did not work against the Dragon Wine brought by Leonora. This was wine prepared for spirits.

The party even welcomed the grand arrival of the Dragon King, who urged Kamito to drink Dragon Wine by the barrel. Unable to refuse the king of Dracunia, Kamito drank to his heart's content, and that was how he ended up like this.

Without any recollection after the fact, he had managed to return to his room in the Raven Class dorm and collapsed asleep.

(What the hell was I doing...)

Just as Kamito clutched his head in bed, plunged into self-loathing...

Boing. Boing.

He felt something soft against his stomach, like a water bag.

"...!?"

Kamito hastily lifted his blanket. Just as he suspected, inside was—

"...E-Est!?"

The naked kneesocks sword spirit had secretly made her way into his bed.

"Est, didn't I say you can't get into bed...?"

Kamito placed his hand on her silver-white hair and reminded her again.

He knew he was always indulging Est, but he ought to be more strict during times that demanded it.

"No, Kamito—"

However, Est expressionlessly shook her head.

"Last night, Kamito was the one who carried me into bed."

"...Is that for real...?"

Kamito's face twitched.

...He had no idea at all. Although his memories were very hazy, after performing a blade dance in a princess maiden outfit, he had apparently gone to bed while holding Est in sword form without letting go.

Back during his days at the Instructional School, Kamito had frequently gone to bed hugging Restia in sword form. Perhaps that childhood habit had reappeared without him knowing.

"S-Sorry..."

Kamito brought his palms together and apologized to Est.

"Not only that."

"Huh?"

Hearing Est grumble softly without any expression on her face, Kamito could not help but ask.

"While you were asleep, Kamito, you kept tugging at my kneesocks when I turned into human form."

"...I-I did that!?"

...Crap. He had no memory of it at all.

(...No, I think I had a dream playing tug-of-war with Est.)

Her clear violet eyes stared unerringly at Kamito.

"Kamito... You have a lot of pent up frustration, right?"

"...Ohhhhhhhh, Est, I'm the one at fault!"

Kamito immediately prostrated himself on the bed as fast as he could to apologize.

Even if it had happened without conscious intent, he never expected himself to do something like that—

...No wonder Est was angry.

"No, Kamito. I am your sword. If it is your wish... So be it."

Est swept up her draping long silver-white hair and stood up.

Her pale skin, as white as fresh snow, was displayed before Kamito's eyes without reserve.

Her cheeks were so red that one could hardly believe they belonged to a sword spirit with steel affinity.

"...E-Est!?"

Kamito could not help but hold his breath.

He watched as Est hooked her kneesocks with her thumbs and began to pull them down.

When she reached the ankles, she paused for a moment, looking up at Kamito.

"...Are you sure you're okay with removing your kneesocks, Est?"

Faced with Kamito's doubt, Est nodded.

"Yes, Kamito. Please witness my all—"

She lightly lifted her feet and removed her kneesocks.

Toes as smooth as pearls.

Her adorable bare feet, white and tender as milk, were completely exposed this moment.

"...How... is it, Kamito?"

Still in a posture with her bare feet raised, Est shyly turned her gaze away.

Probably due to extreme embarrassment, her shoulders kept shaking.

"U-Uh, very cute... So pretty."

Kamito stared intently and replied. Est instantly withdrew her feet into the blanket.
[[image:STnBD V20 BW09.jpg|thumb]]

"Uwah, do not stare like that."

"I-I can't?"

"...It is not like you can't."

Timidly, Est brought her bare feet out from the blanket again... So cute.

"I-I do not mind, if you touch a little."

"Eh—"

"Special permission. After all, I am your contracted spirit—"

Est turned her head to the side and gently extended her petite legs.

"Est..."

Kamito held his breath and timidly stroked Est's toes.

A soft sensation. Cool to the touch.

"Uwah... That tickles, Kamito."

Est screamed softly.

...Why? Est was normally so adorable already, yet she seemed even more adorable now.

Perhaps there were some lingering effects from the Dragon Wine drank last night.

His head in a haze, Kamito tried to scratch the sole of Est's foot.

"K-Kamito, no... Uwahhhh!"

Est shut her eyes tightly and gripped a corner of the blanket.

Just then—

"Fufu, you look like you're having a lot of fun."

"Uwah..."

Suddenly, jet-black feathers blocked Kamito's view.

He looked back, only to see Restia standing there with her jet-black wings outspread.

"R-Restia!?"

"Darkness spirit—!"

Est hastily hid behind Kamito's back, concealing her bare feet.

"Oh dear, I'd like to have a look at Miss Sword Spirit's feet too..."

Restia chuckled and controlled her wings deftly, trying to lift the blanket.

"...! Darkness spirit, do you wish to be destroyed?"

"It's just a little look."

"No."

With Restia trying to catch her, the completely naked Est hugged Kamito, refusing to let go.

"H-Hey...!"

Just as the three of them were wrestling on the bed...

"Sheesh, why is it so noisy this early in the morning... Hold on—Huaah, w-what, w-what are you doing!?"

Arriving to wake up Kamito, Claire froze.

Scattered black feathers. Completely naked Est. Kamito, hugged by her tightly. Even Restia, due to the tussle on the bed, her dress had slid down to her shoulders.

"Y-You, you lot..."

Her voice was shaking.

The twintails instantly burst into flames.

"W-Wait, there's a reason for this—"

Kamito stammered.

...Even if he wanted to explain, he could not come up with anything convincing to explain the current situation.

"Y-You lewd beast, turn into charcoal!"

For the first time in a long while, the sound of Fireball exploding returned to the room.

===Part 3===

"...Seriously, making so much noise early in the morning."

Rinslet, dressed in an apron, spoke with exasperation as she looked at the scorched and blackened hole in the wall.

Due to the explosion in the room, Kamito and company had gone next door to eat breakfast at Rinslet's room.

...Oh well, this was somewhat comforting in how it was a return to their everyday life.

That being said, there was something wrong with returning to everyday life through a room explosion experience.

"Yes, seriously. How many times must you turn the dorm room into charcoal until you're satisfied?"

In the same room, Fianna glared at Claire.

"...~! I-It's all Kamito's fault, doing that spirit sandwich!"

"Kamito-san, what is the meaning of this?"

Rinslet pouted after hearing what Claire said and glared at Kamito.

"L-Like I said, she got the wrong idea!"

"Kamito-kun, my, how energetic you are early in the morning. That's nice."

Fianna was cheerful, with a malicious smile on her face.

Est and Restia had turned back into sword form.

Restia aside, Est normally turned into human form at breakfast time in the past. Probably because she was still embarrassed from baring her feet earlier, even the toasty aroma of bread could not bring out any comment from her.

"...Uwah, everybody, good morning~"

Still in her pajamas, Carol rubbed her eyes and got up.

Seeing Rinslet setting plates on the dining table...

"M-Milady, allow me to help!"

She said hastily. However, Rinslet shook her head.

"Do not worry, just sit down there."

Saying that, Rinslet motioned to have Carol sit down on the chair next to hers... Still indulging her as always.

"I made a breakfast that is easy on the stomach due to the drinking last night. As it so happens, I gathered high-quality vegetables from the Spirit Forest."

"Wow, it looks so delicious!"

Seeing the food on the dining table, Claire's eyes were glowing.

Wild mushrooms with vegetable salad. Walnut bread fresh out of the oven. Warm black tea. Fresh milk and homemade butter. Fruit yogurt too.

Although the dishes were a tad simple, every ingredient had been carefully selected.

"Please enjoy, everyone."

"Yes, thanks for the food—"

Kamito politely brought his palms together then tore off a piece of freshly baked bread.

The bread was piping hot, giving off a toasty aroma that filled one's nostrils.

"Meow—"

Scarlet was at his feet, giving him a longing look. Right now, she was perfectly capable of awakening as Ortlinde, but the hell cat spirit apparently enjoyed a cat's life of unfettered freedom.

"Scarlet, that's rude. Learn from Fenrir."

Seeing that, Claire scolded her.

Fenrir was sitting properly on the floor, panting and drooling.

"Oh no♪ Butter has dripped onto my chest."

"...!?"

Fianna made a troubled expression and looked at Kamito beside her.

Kamito could not help but glance over, only to see a piece of melting butter in her cleavage.

"Kamito-kun, could you help me take it out?"

"Ah, no, well..."

Facing the princess who was asking him passionately, Kamito stammered and hesitated. Just then...

"Scarlet, lick her clean."

"Meow—!"

"Kyah!?"

Scarlet pounced on Fianna's chest and licked the butter furiously.

"Wait, that tickles... Ahhh, I hate you, Claire!

While twisting her body, Fianna glared at Claire angrily.

===Part 4===

While having breakfast in a lively gathering, Kamito and company began to discuss the future.

"The situation on the continent, ahmm... I think there will be many changes."

"...Yeah."

Listening to Claire speaking while eating bread, Kamito concurred.

The Elemental Lords, corrupted by Otherworldly Darkness, had all been freed by Kamito.

Due to the complete destruction of the Gate, Astral Zero should not come into contact again with the world origin. Likewise, Angels belonging to Otherworldly Light were probably not going to descend again.

With the Holy Lord and the Darkness Elemental Lord gone, only the four Elemental Lords of fire, water, earth and wind remained.

Although Belphal and Lode Gear were back to normal, freed from the the Holy Lord's control, their power as Elemental Lords was greatly diminished. Currently, they were merely powerful individual spirits.

Perhaps, the job of Elemental Lords as rulers of the world had come to an end too.

In that case, perhaps the relationship between Astral Zero and the human realm would change dramatically.

Teleported to Ragna Ys, the Holy Capital had vanished from the human realm. Having instigated chaos across the continent, the Holy Kingdom of Lugia was going to be monitored by the other countries from now on. Records of violating numerous military agreements, the conspiracy in Ordesia and Des Esseinte's covert operations, etc, were presumably going to be publicized. Incidentally, the leader of the monitoring team was reportedly Virrey Branford, the special operative knight of Numbers.

"...By the way, how is it going with studying the lecture notes?"

Just then, the topic shifted from the continent's situation back to the Academy.

To be honest, matters on this front were far more important for Kamito and his friends.

"We already won the Blade Dance, I can't believe it doesn't count for academic credit, that's so mean."

"That goes without saying."

Claire remarked helplessly.

"We have to find a way to make up."

"Yes, Mireille and Milla will be enrolling in elementary school next year. I have no wish of being held back a year and humiliating myself in front of my sisters."

Mireille and Milla Bassett were apparently entering the Eluor Elementary Academy at the imperial capital this year.

A prestigious school for nobles, it was also where Claire and Rinslet studied during their childhood.

Like Carol, Milla was apparently entering as an accompanying maid. Unlike Carol, Milla was very reliable, so with her there, there was probably nothing to worry about.

“Come to think of it, Mireille will become our underclassmen.”

“Yes. Once Judia’s eyes are healed, I expect she will study at the academy too.”

Rinslet nodded happily.

“I’m so glad Judia will recover.”

“It is all thanks you, Kamito-san.”

Judia’s blinded eyes were reportedly recovering rapidly. Most likely, it was because the principal body of the Water Elemental Lord, who had struck her with a curse of ice, was gone.

“Speaking of which, what will happen to Laurenfrost territory?”

Fianna asked.

“I shall inherit it after graduating from the Academy.”

Rinslet shrugged and replied in response.

“To be honest, my wish is to open a restaurant in the imperial capital, leaving the territory to Judia or Mireille to govern. Yes, I already came up with a name, the White Wolf Pavilion.”

Under the dining table, Fenrir barked.

“A restaurant opened by you, Rinslet, will surely be very popular.”

“Yes, all of us will go and eat there.”

Saying that, Claire nodded vigorously.

“Say, Fianna, are you really not planning to become queen?”

Seeing the conversation topic shift to her, Fianna shook her head slowly.

“The Emperor’s health has improved. Besides, I am not suitable either.”
“Really? I think you’d make an excellent queen—”

“Thank you. These kind thoughts are enough for me.”

Fianna smiled wryly.

According to her, the imperial council’s authority in the Ordesia Empire had increased currently. Many of the Numbers were also going to be changed with fresh personnel. While he was recuperating at Ragna Ys, Virrey once asked Kamito if he wanted to join the ranks of the Numbers, but of course, Kamito refused.

“What about you, Claire, so you’re not returning to Elstein?”

“I have already decided my career direction.”

Hearing Fianna’s question, Claire replied resolutely.

“I remember you saying you wanted to become a teacher at the Academy, yes?”

“Indeed.”

“A teacher, huh? I see.”

True, in addition to a serious personality and excellent grades, Claire was also very good at teaching others.

...Being a teacher might be quite a good match for her.

“Originally, I wanted to entrust Elstein matters to Nee-sama—”

Saying that, a hint of gloom flashed across Claire’s face.

After the decisive battle at the Holy Capital, Kamito and company had stayed at the hot spring on Ragna Ys. However, Rubia soon disappeared.

“After all, Rubia-sama always liked her solitary ways—”

Just then, Fenrir stood up and went “woof.”

“Oh, it is almost time.”

“Being late on the first day will be bad, let’s hurry.”

Finishing his cup of freshly brewed black tea, Kamito stood up from his seat.

===Part 5===

After swiftly getting prepared, Kamito and company passed through a beautiful garden on their way to the school building.

“The damaged school building has been completely restored.”
“Yes, I heard that the Academy received plenty of donations from within Ordesia.”

“The courtyard is even grander than before.”

Passing by the church that served as the Sylphid Knights’ base of operations, they happened to encounter Rakka’s rock spirit clearing away the emptied barrels of alcoholic beverages that had been consumed during the party last night.

“Hello, Mr. Hero—”

Rakka greeted without reservation.

“You showed a lot of good stuff to everyone last night.”

Next to her, Reishia chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I can’t remember much of it...”

...What the hell did I do?

Just as Kamito was cringing inside...

“G-Good morning, Kamito—”

Ellis appeared in her uniform.

Probably because she had just taken a bath, the tip of her ponytail was still moist.

“Ellis, you resumed your morning training the first day back?”

“Yes, with my esteemed sister. We did spear training.”

Saying that, Ellis smiled wryly.

“I can’t believe you...”

Claire was speechless.

“Rakka, I am sorry for leaving cleanup work to you.”

“It’s okay. You just got back, Captain, so relax and rest.”

Rakka smiled and waved her hands.

“By the way, Captain, did you store ’’that’’ properly from last night?”

“...Ah, yes, of course.”

Hearing Reishia, Ellis nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

“Store what?”

In response to Kamito’s question...

“Your crossdressing blade dance from the party. The Captain has been very working hard recording it.”

“R-Rakka!?”

Rakka answered without thinking, causing Ellis to turn bright red in the face instantly.

“W-Wait a sec, what is going on here!?”

“Uh, umm... Well, uh...”

Ellis avoided eye contact while scratching her cheek.

“Isn’t there a spirit crystal that can store images from before your eyes? That’s probably what’s being used to record crossdressing Kamito’s blade dance, right?”

“W-What?”

“Reishia!?”

Ellis panicked, her secret exposed.

...Kamito had no memory of it all. So Ellis even did something like this.

“Ellis...”

Kamito stared at her.

“...U-Uh, I simply wanted to collect, as a precious memory, the sight of Ren Ashbella-sama dancing before my eyes. That is why I could not help but...”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she explained awkwardly. Although she looked quite adorable, Kamito was determined that such a living record of his dark history could not be allowed to exist in this world.

“Destroy that spirit crystal. Now.”

“N-No!”

Ellis shook her head repeatedly.

“I was really hurt by the fact that you hid your identity of being Ren Ashbell-sama. C-Can I not keep just a little record of my idol!?”

“Hmm...”

…She had a point. Kamito felt guilty for hiding things from her for so long.

Ellis was Ren Ashbell’s loyal fan and had even joined the fan club in the Academy. Seeing her all teary-eyed, Kamito sighed.

“...Don’t let anyone see it, especially Greyworth.”

“Yes, of course! I will treasure it as my own personal memory.”

Hearing Kamito’s answer, Ellis instantly smiled with radiance, nodding again and again.

...Seeing such a happy smile on her, Kamito felt compelled to keep his word and not take back the permission he had granted.

"I am so happy for you, Captain."

Rakka patted Ellis' shoulder.

"Excuse me, everybody, we are going to be late."

Rinslet frowned and reminded them.

===Part 6===

“Okay Ellis, see you later.”

"Yes."

Parting ways at the corridor with Ellis, who belonged to Weasel Class, Kamito and company entered the classroom of Raven Class.

It had been many months since they last attended a real lesson here.

After defeating Velsaria to qualify for representing the Academy at the Blade Dance, Team Scarlet had spent most of the time on training. The next time they returned to the Academy, Kamito had lost his memory due to the shock of losing Restia. After that, there was the expedition to Laurenfrost then the rescue of Fianna, oh well, it was certainly a long story—

"Let's sit there."

Kamito and company sat down in the back row and opened their textbooks on spirit language.

"Looks like the textbooks will need a major overhaul."

"...Yeah."

Reading the textbook, Claire murmured quietly and Kamito concurred.

After all, the Holy Lord, leader of the Elemental Lords, was gone, while the rest of the Elemental Lords had also lost the incredible power they used to hold.

Also, Kamito's team had conveyed many truths to the Divine Ritual Institute, including that of the Otherworldly Darkness and the Angels, the Spirit War six thousand years ago, the existence of Ren Ashdoll the Darkness Elemental Lord, the inside story of Demon King Solomon a thousand years ago, as well as the spirit Iris and Sacred Maiden Areishia, etc—

Although they had no idea how much the Divine Ritual Institute was going to disclose, research in spiritology was definitely going to undergo momentous change.

"I heard that the Divine Ritual Institute intends to add milady's pancake recipe to their curriculum."

"I am not surprised. After all, those are the pancakes that captivated an Elemental Lord."

Hearing Carol talk happily, Fianna concurred.

"They are just ordinary pancakes..."

Looking a bit troubled, Rinslet cocked her head.

"Speaking of which, we need to report about my sister's and my flames."

The Otherworldly Flames that the Elemental Lords had stolen in the ancient past and passed on to the human race.

Claire apparently intended to research those flames thoroughly before she graduated.

"Also, there's Scarlet's sisters and details of the Spirit War, there's so much I want to research—"

At her feet, Scarlet meowed.

"—You lot, hurry and sit down."

Just then, Ms. Freya entered the classroom.

Standing at the stage, she rolled up her materials to tap the lectern.

"Ah, allow me to introduce a part-time teacher today."

She cleared her throat and spoke.

"Part-time teacher?"

Claire and Rinslet exchanged a look.

"Perhaps there is a shortage in available teachers."

Fianna wondered.

...She was right. The Millennia Sanctus' attack on the Academy and the demon spirit summoning incident caused by Astral Shift had definitely injured many teachers. In addition, reconstruction of the imperial capital had also drafted a great many accomplished elementalists, hence there were shortages everywhere.

—Just then, a woman dressed in a suit arrived dashingly before the lectern.

"—Starting today, I, Ren Ashbell, shall be working here as a teacher. Pleased to meet you."

It was a woman with long beautiful crimson hair. She was wearing a scarlet mask—

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"

Claire's voice resounded across the entire classroom.

===Part 7===

At the cafeteria space outside the school building...

Due to the unlimited supply of free bread provided to students, this was a popular place to hang out.

After waiting for and meeting up with Ellis after her elementary spiritology class, Kamito's group were at the cafeteria, questioning the masked teacher.

"...! Why are you here, Nee-sama!?"

"It was at Dame Greyworth's request. Claire, your collar ribbon is messed up."

However, Rubia was completely unfazed and even relaxed enough to adjust Claire's ribbon for her.

"Where did you go? You made Claire so worried."

"I borrowed a military ship from the Theocracy and sent the Instructional School orphans back to their homelands."

Rubia replied.

"After all, the war is over. There is no need for Team Inferno's continued existence."

"I see..."

''How nice, to have homelands to return to'', Kamito thought. Previous to this, there had never been a single child who could return home after being taken to the Instructional School.

Children of unknown origins were reportedly staying at a facility in the imperial capital for the time being. Specialized in intel gathering, Lily was devoting her full efforts to investigating the girls' homelands.

"May I ask why you are wearing a mask?"

This time, it was Fianna's turn to ask.

"It is not like I can show the true face of the Calamity Queen. I shall continue to borrow your name, Kamito."

Indeed, the world's impression of her still remained at the point when she had participated in the Blade Dance as the masked elementalist Ren Ashbell, leader of Team Inferno.

"My lessons are very strict. Do not expect me to go easy on my own little sister."

Rubia spoke solemnly to Claire while picking up a piece of freshly baked melon bread.

"Y-Yes, Nee-sama..."

Claire nodded with a nervous expression. Just then—

"Oh—, it's Onii-sama!"

Accompanying the familiar voice was a patter of light footsteps.

Kamito looked back, as was surprised to see Muir Alenstarl dressed in the Academy's uniform.

"Why are you here, Muir!?"

"She said she wanted to study here, so I had spoke with Dame Greyworth."

"Look, "

Muir spun on the spot, causing her skirt and ash-gray hair to flutter up.

"I see, ah..."

Considering Muir's psychosocial development, attending school at the Academy might be a good thing after all. Though given her age, she ought to be going to Eluor Elementary Academy instead—

(...Once Mireille enters the Academy, they could very well become good friends.)

Just as he was thinking that...

"—Over here."

"Leonora—"

This time, it was Leonora approaching them with her dragon greatsword hanging at her waist.

Due to an exchange activity between Dracunia and the Academy, Leonora was apparently going to be staying here for a while.

Last night, she had clearly drunk as much Dragon Wine as Kamito, but right now, she seemed totally unaffected. Impressive as ever, a princess maiden contracted to a dragon spirit, blessed with an especially resilient body.

"The food at the student cafeteria here is extremely delicious. I like it."

Leonora sat down at the same table as Kamito's group.

This brought quiet cheering to the surrounding tables immediately.

Back when the Academy town was attacked by swarms of demon spirits, the Knights of the Dragon Emperor had come as reinforcements and repelled the enemies. Thanks to that, Leonora was extremely popular at Areishia Spirit Academy.

"The morning training is over?"

"Yes. The students here are quite good."

Leonora nodded. She was currently a blade dance instructor at the Academy.

"Kamito, I wish to be your partner if any chance should arise in the near future—"

Staring straight into Kamito's eyes, Leonora smiled fearlessly.

With Greyworth teaching her the Absolute Blade Arts, the dragon knight was clearly getting stronger and stronger.

"If it is a blade dance you want, I am ready for you any time."

"Blade Dance of the Night?"

"...! I-Idiot, of course I mean in the daytime!"

Kamito could not help but choke.

"Engaging in a Blade Dance of the Night during the daytime, what a pervert you are, Kamito."

Leonora blushed, fidgeted and murmured.

"W-Wait a sec, what are you two chatting about!?"

"L-Leonora-dono, that is too immoral!"

Claire and Ellis spoke out.

Next Leonora cleared her throat and regained composure.

"—By the way, I have good news to convey to all of you."

"...?"

Faced with Leonora's sudden change of the subject, Kamito and company exchanged looks with one another.

"What do you mean by good news?"

Leonora took a light breath and said:

"—The next Blade Dance has been confirmed."

"Ehhhhhhh!?"

Claire and the others exclaimed in surprise.

"...Blade Dance, are you for real?"

"Yes. The Dragon King told me."

No mistake. Leonora nodded.

"But didn't they just finish holding one recently—"

"This Blade Dance is apparently related to the reorganization of Astral Zero."

"I see."

Fianna nodded with a pensive look.

With the Holy Lord's demise, the relationship between Astral Zero and the human realm was beginning to change. Through the Blade Dance festival that connected humans and spirits, they were probably trying to explore the path forward in building a new relationship.

"Blade dancing to bring joy to all spirits in Astral Zero instead of a kagura ritual offering to the Elemental Lords, huh?"

A great idea perhaps, it might bring vitality back to the continent that had been ravaged by war. Kamito wondered if the one who had suggested the idea was Water Elemental Lord Iseria or the festival-loving Volcanicus.

"The time will be half a year from now."

"Time is tight, we'll need to reconsider new team tactics."

"Claire, it is not certain yet whether it is a team battle."

"The regulations will apparently be the same as last time's. As the captain of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor, I look forward to a rematch against Team Scarlet."

"Yes, we are not going to lose!"

Claire and Leonora shook hands lightly.

"Muir can join Team Scarlet!"

"No. A team has a maximum of five members. Find another team to join."

"Eh—!"

Muir pouted unhappily.

(...A Blade Dance, huh? It feels so nostalgic even though the last one wasn't that far back.)

Looking up at the sunny blue sky, Kamito muttered in his thoughts.

Princess Linfa and Shao Fu of the Quina Empire, Luminaris whom he had fought at the Holy Capital, surely they were going to enter again, right?

"We must not be complacent even though we were the victorious team last time. I heard that a male elementalist calling himself the Demon King's successor has appeared in the Theocracy. He is quite good, they say—"

"...I have a feeling he's not a stranger."

A look of annoyance appeared on Kamito's face.

But times had changed. Claire and the others could probably win easily even though they faced such a tough battle in the past.

"Kamito, using divine power of darkness is forbidden. The spirits will be displeased."

Rubia reminded him ahead of time.

"Yeah, I know."

He had no intention of using that power to begin with... After all, it placed too great a strain on his body too.

"I am so looking forward to it."

Fenrir barked.

"It is almost time for afternoon lessons—"

"Yes, let's go."

Saying that, Claire got up from the table.

Just as Kamito was about to leave and follow her.

"Kamito—"

Rubia stopped him.

"Hmm?"

"Who among them have you chosen?"

"...!?"

He looked back, only to see a mischievous gaze from Rubia who had taken off his mask.

It was his first time to see such an expression on Rubia's face.

"Although I think you should simply choose my sister, if you really cannot make up your mind, remember I am an option too—"

Kamito did not know if she was joking or what—

With a chuckle, she turned around and left.

===Part 8===

"—Oh my, it's already time to prepare for the next Blade Dance. I really can't retire in peace."

From the window of the headmistress' office, watching the scene below, Greyworth shrugged mildly.

As soon as the Blade Dance was announced officially, the Academy had to arrange a special program centered on the theme of tournament matches. Things were going to get busy, presumably.

Putting that aside—

"—Looks like the lad has found where he belongs."

Looking at her disciple walking among his companions, Greyworth grinned.

"Oh dear, are you preparing to retire? ''The'' Dusk Witch?"

Just then, a gust of wind blew while black feathers floated down.

With jet-black wings outspread, the darkness spirit landed on the room's windowsill.

The two of them had witnessed the whole journey of Kamito's growth.

Although these two had not always been on the same side, they got along with familiarity like old friends.

"...No way. I still have to watch this Academy's development a while longer."

"Is that so?"

Restia turned her gaze to outside the window, gazing tenderly upon Kamito.

The boy, whose heart used to be closed tightly, had found the place where he belonged—

(...Perhaps my mission was to guide him to ''this place''.)

Whispering softly, Restia smiled serenely.
<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume20 Chapter9|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume20 Epilogue}}</noinclude>

This title is too long!:Volume3 Chapter6 2

2019-10-05T08:09:43Z

Dreamer2908:

==Chapter 6-2 - June 19, I strangled him==

I'm a high school girl and a rookie voice actress, currently strangling my classmate who is my upperclassman and a Bestselling Light Novel author.

This is my predicament at the moment.

"Really comfy and cold. I feel that I can forget a lot of things. I'll be happy if you keep it at for a longer time."

Sensei clamps my hands down from both sides, saying this,

He appeared to be really comfy.

Like a child being coaxed.

I couldn't remember the face he showed the last time I strangled him.

Thus, I was going to remember his expression.

To remember this comfortable expression.

I didn't know the reason at all.

 
 

"Hm, you're asking me 'why do I forgive you'...but I don't know how to get you to understand…"

Once I saw that sensei was finally going to answer the question, I heaved a sigh of relief. I was calm. It felt like my hysteria a while ago was all a fake.

This posture of putting my legs on the bedside, leaning forward massively, and reaching my arms downwards on the person lying on the bed--

Certainly was naturally. Soon after, my waist will ache.

But since sensei hoped for me to do so, I decided to endure this posture until he let go go of his warm hands.

I was going to end everything on this day.

The days of suffering, which lasted more than a month, was going to end.

I never had a proper meal. I had only a bento for lunch, and nothing else.

Miss Akane just said,

"If the room attack succeeds, let's go for a barbecue to celebrate tonight, shall we?"

It seemed she knew where the 24 hour shops were.

In this peculiar situation, I was imagining two people wearing paper aprons, enjoying themselves. I couldn't believe what I was thinking.

 
 

"I will hear whatever you have to say."

While continuing to choke sensei, I told him,

"Tha-thanks. I don't know if I can express this well…"

Sensei tried to think, and before I knew it, he eased the strength in his hands. I guess he couldn't focus on his neck anymore.

I should be able to remove my hands from his neck if I wanted to, but I didn't. Since he said these icy hands were very comfy, I would continue putting them on his neck until he told me to stop.

My waist will hurt, but so what?

"Erm, I--"

I heard sensei speak,

"I think I'm the type of person 'who won't care even if I die'. So I think."

I couldn't understand.

But if I did not try to understand, I would never know the answer.

To understand his words, I tried my best, and asked,

"Erm...sensei…you're the type who thinks 'my moment of death is just a matter of destiny', right?"

"Well, you can say so, or maybe not…"

It's not much of an answer, but I wouldn't give up.

"I'm going to ask what may be an unpleasant question, but please tell me, sensei--did you try to kill yourself before?"

I made up my mind.

I prepared this question in mind, for I thought perhaps there was a need to.

As I had vented to sensei in that fanmail, I had tried to kill myself a few times, and searched for ways to kill myself on the internet.

But I never tried them before (and I never failed).

I never had the urge to do so.

So, even if sensei was to answer 'yes'--

I couldn't agree with the idea that 'even if I nearly got killed, I can still forgive'. No, I didn't want to agree with it.

I never had the thought that 'it doesn't matter because I once tried to kill myself', and never once did I intend to have such a notion.

 
 

Sensei was momentarily taken aback, and simply answered.

"Failed a suicide? I never did, you know?"

And then, he continued,

"No matter what happens, I do think living is a wonderful thing. I have no intention of killing myself at all."

It didn't seem like he was lying or acting.

I didn't think sensei was the type to lie.

While sensei lied in the infirmary and the AV room, leaving aside what was said, it sounded too fake to me.

"Then--"

Why are you willing to forgive me easily even when you were nearly killed by me?

I swallow these words I was about to say.

For I had asked those words before.

I recalled the events that transpired in the audio visual room,

"Sensei...do you remember the words Endou-sensei said when helping with the pamphlets?"

"Hm? --Erm...how I ripped off from the Siege of Iwaya Castle?

Why would I be thinking about that? No,

"No! What I mean is that 'Endou-sensei found the 'Vice Versa' author's view of life and death is a little weird'."

"Ah, you're referring to that. Yes, I do remember."

"What do...you think…?"

"I find that it's correct."

Throughout this ordeal, this was the first time I found everything to be suspicious.

Sensei seemed rather calm.

It seemed he had decided how to answer my question.

And I got the feeling that 'though he won't lie, he would try to avoid answering the question directly'.

I didn't know what he was thinking. Since I didn't, I could only ask.

But the questions I had prepared beforehand appeared to be useless.

What should I do?

What should I ask?

Such were the developments, and I went this far, but I couldn't think of anything.

My mind was completely blank.

 
 

While I was in this 'pinch'--

<em>"Think of something!"</em>

I was suddenly reminded of the face of the person who proposed to me.

It was just for a moment, but I remembered the words he said,

 
 

"Sensei--"

I decided to ask this terrifying question,

"Sensei, were you once nearly killed, before I tried to?"

"Eh?"

He squeaked in surprise,

"Eh, erm--well…"

Once I saw the wavering look in sensei's eyes, I was certain he had such an experience before.

He was once nearly killed.

Not once, not twice.

After such painful experiences, he was already numb to being nearly killed.

 
 

So--

When was that?

Where?

By who?

I had a rough idea of sensei's past.

For he himself told me this on the train.

Back then, I did not think he was lying.

But in his words, there was a place he did not want me to enter.

And it nearly got him killed.

When was that?

Where?

By who?

 
 

No--

Even if I did know, so what could I do?

What could I do if I was to pursue the painful past he was unwilling to talk about?

I understood something.

I knew that sensei had a past he was unwilling to tell others.

And thus, his abnormal action after I did that.

Isn't this enough? Thus, I got it--

All I needed to next was to apologize, I suppose.

While I was feeling a breeze of relief in my heart while having this thought--

"Really comfy and cold. I feel that I can forget a lot of things. I'll be happy if you keep it at for a longer time."

I clearly recalled the words sensei just said.

Why would I remember that?

Why was it echoing in my mind?

Why--

"Eri-chan."

I heard my name being called,

"Hey--"

I,

"Answer me--"

Blurted out,

"Sensei,"

What was,

"Were you--"

On,

"Once--"

My,

"Nearly killed--"

Mind,

"By aunty?"

Just say no.

Just say no.

Just say no.

 
 

"That's weird...did I mention this in my fanmail reply?"

 
 

Say no--

 
 

"Maybe I did, I forgot…"

 
 

Say no--

 
 

"No...probably not...no way I would have...erm, Nitadori, how did you know? Are you--an esper or something?"

Sensei gave the sheepish look of someone whose prank was discovered. Looking back at him, I recalled the conversation I had with Miss Akane,

<em>“Do you think someone who was once a devil can become an angel?”</em>

<em>“Certainly, and the reverse holds true too.”</em>

 
 

"The first memory I had in life--"

I was seated on the chair, slumped like a corpse,

"Was when I was strangled by mom."

I watched sensei describe his past vividly. He let my hands go, and prompted me to return to my seat, sitting upright himself.

"I cannot recall...whether it was when I was two, three...or four--the only thing I remember well is the feeling. The area around my neck felt really warm with her touch."

Sensei was being his usual self.

No different from when he was on that train, answering my questions, he was describing his past.

Of course, since he was doing the same thing.

"As for this part, I don't really remember, so it's hard for me to explain, but mom often told me "You cannot go out today". I didn't know the reason, but whenever that happened, there would be a snake-like bruise around my neck. Back then, I was really surprised, wondering what happened."

Sensei chirped on, as though narrating the movie he had seen the previous day.

"And soon after, the bruises didn't appear as often. I guess the skills improved."

Sensei's not a mirror, so I didn't know the expression I showed.

"I remembered one day, the last time I was strangled. I didn't know when it was, probably around five, but this time, I remembered it really well. I would sleep at night, since I was a child, so I slept at around eight or so--"

I don't want to hear this.

That was what I earnestly thought from the bottom of my heart.

<em>"What's with those eyes? Acting cool?"</em>

<em>"Are those natural? So disgusting."</em>

<em>"Are you local or Asian? Choose one!"</em>

<em>"Your eyes aren't small. Did you correct them with operation? Being rich sure is nice."</em>

And then, I recalled the rude words others had said before, and felt that they were all child's play.

No matter what I remember in the future, surely there is no way I will be as terrified as I am now. It felt as though the aching graze was stabbed at.

"Once I went to sleep, I felt that the sides of my neck was warm. I initially thought I was dreaming, but soon after, I could somehow open my eyes, and see that. In the dark house, my mom, who said she was going to work, appeared before me. Then the world quickly turned dark, and I really went to sleep--NItadori, please get me the tea over there. I'm really thirsty."

Sensei maintained the same tone the entire time, whether it was when he was narrating his near-murder experience, or when he asked me for tea.

In a robotic manner, I took out the unopened tea PET bottle from the convenience store bag, and handed it to sensei.

"Thanks. You can have some if you want. The water bottles aren't opened."

And then, sensei heartily took about three gulps, before capping it.

"When I woke up, it was already morning. I had a vague feeling of someone slapping at my face, and when I opened my eyes, a police officer was before me, and that took me by surprise. Mom was around too, crying really hard. I wasn't sure what happened. "Did you know of anyone who came by? Did someone touch your neck?" but the police officer said to me."

Everything sensei said was real--

At the very least, I had a feeling sensei was being truthful with what he remembered.

"So I answered, 'no, I don't remember'. Of course, I was lying. Then the police officer told me, 'your mother assumed you were killed by someone. She was anxious'. Ah, so I was nearly killed by mom. She strangled me a few times when I was asleep. That day, she really tried to, thought that she succeeded, and then went to work to fabricate an alibi, even calling the police. But I never died. Ever since then, since that day, I never felt the warm of the fingers on my neck. I was raised normally, started school, reading...and you know the rest, so I'll cut the rest--Nitadori?"

"Yes."

I was listening.

"Ah good. I thought you've fallen asleep with your eyes opened."

I could never do anything that convenient.

If only this was a dream, so I thought.

"Ahh, that's how it is. Your deductions are really amazing, Nitadori. Really amazing. I don't know how much you know...but it does seem like I manage to answer your questions successfully, so I guess that's it. To be honest, I never intended to discuss this, and I was thinking of something rude, like 'if I don't say it, how do I try to bluff my way through'? Good thing I did say it. It feels good."

Sensei said. He looked really lively,

"So ever since then, i was never nearly killed by mom, and I guess it'll never happen again. After getting this apartment, I was finally able to lock my room, and it's a little relieving. I can sleep peacefully like this. Maybe there's a part in my heart that thinks 'mom is scary'."

Sensei said with nonchalance.

And so I understood why he locked the door the previous day.

I also understood the reason why he spent quite the heft price to rent that apartment.

And then, it was a day late, but I understood.

That when aunty showed the excitement that shocked sensei, that too was an act. I did not realize it.

How long has sensei's mother been acting?

Sensei himself did not realize the sinking feeling in me, and continued on,

"But! Don't tell anyone else what I told you! Ah, I know you'll keep my secret, so this worry is unnecessary. Yep."

As for why sensei's mother tried to kill him--

I had no idea.

As a single mother, perhaps the child was a huge burden to her? Or did she hate to raise her child? I could think of a few possibilities immediately, but it didn't matter.

I didn't want to know.

No matter the reason, trying to kill someone was an unforgivable act.

Unforgivable--

"Sensei."

I stumbled to my feet.

"I'll use the toilet."

"Eh? Ah, yes."

I passed the bed, and went to the toilet.

Over then, I knelt at the latrine--

And puked.

I did not eat anything, so all I spat all was a shockingly yellow, sour stomach juice.

I was feeling unbearable, uncomfortable, and wanted to ease myself as I puked, but I could not excrete anything other than some stomach juices. It had been a while since I had this feeling.

My body was creaking, groaning, yet I continued to vomit

"Hey--you alright?"

The door wasn't locked, so I could hear sensei's voice from behind, a warm palm on my back,

"Nitadori! Don't vomit when there's nothing in your stomach! They say that stomach fluids can corrode the throat and teeth! Calm down! Okay?"

He rubbed my back gently as he said this,

"Ahh…"

I weakly collapsed upon the icy tiled floor.

I slowly lifted my head, a trail of tears flowing from each eye, and the nausea vanished as though washed away by these tears.

"Rinse your mouth properly! This cup isn't used!"

Sensei opened the tap, let the water flow, and handed the cup to me,

"For you."

I slowly got up, and received the cup,

"Thank you."

I answered an obviously worried, flustered sensei, and brought the water to my mouth.

After some rinsing, I slowly spit the water back into the basin, and refilled--I repeated this motion many times.

Finally, I drank some water. It appeared my throat was cleaned.

"Thank goodness--the towel hanging there can be used. Take your time to calm down."

Sensei said, probably having seen my face in the mirror. He exited the toilet.

"Sorry for saying some things that made you uncomfortable."

And finally, he apologized.

But there was no need.

Sensei did not close the door as he left the toilet, probably out of deliberation.

 
 

After wiping my mouth and face with a towel, I lifted my face--

And found a terrible looking person on the vast mirror.

This girl's scowling, and the irises of her eyes were different.

Once I saw that foolish sight, I laughed.

And the person laughing in the mirror laughed back at me.

 
 

The reason why I felt so nauseous--

Was that at that moment, I really hated sensei's mother.

She wanted to kill, no matter her reason.

And then, at the next moment, I recalled what I did.

Was I not the same?

Did I not try to kill sensei before too?

And for such a trivial reason.

I had no right to hate sensei's mother.

And of course, she and I should be reproached, hated.

But sensei forgave me with a smile.

 
 

Did she realize that sensei already knew about?

If she did, would she be tormented, just like me?

It not, will she continue to be tormented for the next ten years and so?

I did not know the answer--

But I felt I understood what she was thinking when they decided to move houses.

Surely she would never try to kill again.

Just like me now.

 
 

I was really opinionated.

How foolish was I as a person?

How selfish was I as a person?

Since then, somewhere in my heart, I thought,

"Surely sensei forgave me because he likes me."

I thought that to sensei, I was a 'very special' person.

I was really too pompous.

 
 

That wasn't it.

And I knew it.

To sensei, I'm not the 'special one'.

In this world, sensei's the 'special one'.

His first memories in life were actually about how he nearly got strangled to death by his mother?

Sensei's life was way beyond what I could imagine.

 
 

"Why, you ask? Because I like you, so that means I have to forgive you, right?"

I was a hopeless idiot for hoping he would say those words.

I seemed to have made one too many wishful thinking, unable to accept the cruel reality as a result.

Maybe it's because I enjoy daydreaming a little too much.

That daydream's 'Vice Versa'.

This fantasy story saved me when I was in peril.

 
 

"What do I do…?"

I muttered to myself in the mirror, with this pitiful voice.

I no longer needed to act.

I would no longer mutter the spell 'time to play'.

I asked the mirror,

"Is there...a next spell?"

I felt the one quietly smiling back at me on the mirror was saying this,

"Think about one for yourself."

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[This_title_is_too_long!:Volume3_Chapter6_1|Chapter 6-1]]
| Return to [[I%27m_a_High_School_Boy_and_a_Bestselling_Light_Novel_author,_strangled_by_my_female_classmate_who_is_my_junior_and_a_voice_actress|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[This_title_is_too_long!:Volume3_Chapter7|Chapter 7]]
|-
|}

</noinclude>

This title is too long!:Volume3 Chapter6 1

2019-10-05T08:08:31Z

Dreamer2908:

==Chapter 6-1 - June 19, I was strangled by her II==

I'm a high school boy and a bestselling light novel author, strangled by my classmate who is my underclassman and a voice actress.

This is my current predicament.

June 19th, that Thursday night.

I was in that hotel in Tokyo, the place I visited for the umpteenth time.

This space wasn't so big, but didn't need to be so. I was on the single bed, leaning my back on the wall, pillow and bolster.

I had my computer placed on my thighs that were extended forward. As it would heat up, the gentle heat would reach me through the jeans, like a kitten. I never had one, so it's just my imagination.

In this image, I was working on the manuscript of 'Vice Versa'.

A small television was placed on the edge of the table, the corner of the room. It's showing the NHK news at 9pm. They had been discussing the FIFA World Cup all this while.

Stored in a plastic bag next to me was a packet of consomme potato chips, 4 PET bottles of water and tea, and a sweet bun for supper.

Of course, the potato chips and two bottles of tea were from Nitadori. I intended to consume them on the return trip.

Everything else was bought by me when I visited a convenience store close to the hotel after I checked in. The bag containing the potato chips was bigger, so I stuffed the rest of the items inside.

This was the hotel I enjoyed staying in, and it was close to the Dengeki editorial branch near Iidabashi station.

Over the two years and so, whenever I visited Tokyo, I would be staying here, (except when at the end of year party). I took medical leave the previous week, but I had been staying here for ten consecutive Thursdays, so I did remember the appearances of the receptionists.

Surely they would have remembered whenever I checked in.

"Hey you! What happened to you last week yo!"

It wouldn't be weird for them to say that to me. But they didn't.

Also, I can imagine the ones on the other side of the counter discussing 'the high school boy from the countryside living here every Thursday, sponsored by a publisher'.

Will I be dubbed 'Thursday-kun' or 'Thursday Boy'? Anyway, I don't want to be called that on the streets.

 
 

On this day, while on the trip to Tokyo, I forgot something really serious.

The senior authors dubbed the period right before deadline or way after that as the 'carnage period'.

"In a little carnage period."

"Next week's gonna be a carnage. Don't ask me out."

"Got out of the carnage period! Let's go Karaoke!"

They would use this term. That's what I learned at the end-of-year.

And during the two and a half hours from dusk to night--

That was a period of carnage to me.

I was really anxious. This was the one thing I was most apprehensive of with regards to writing.

How did I forget to write that short story?

I had a note on the desk, a 'tasklist', and I pasted it there. My smartphone calendar had this task recorded to.

And I forgot them all. I really forgot everything from my mind.

In this moment of crisis, the editor called me on the train. I really got saved.

If he had not contacted me--

For example, if he had contacted me only now, I would have faced a worse moment of carnage.

The content I had to write was decided, and the structure was completed (in my head), so I was able to complete it on the train, as I was able to focus.

I might be boasting, but i did feel this was a really interesting short story.

It's a comedy.

While Shin and Sin were in Reputation, they carelessly fell off a cliff. Shin died and revived, and in three days, was reunited with Sin. Before they met, Shin was treated as a god by the indigenous tribe living at the bottom of the valley.

I finished the final touches eight minutes before the train reached the terminal, and made it presentable to the editor. I sent the mail with the attached files through the smartphone internet as I sat on the train.

It's not a price to begin with, but I never got the chance to take to Nitadori at all.

And I never had the time to eat the potato chips on the train.

Nitadori and Miss Kamishiro got off the train first.

 
 

So for two consecutive days, Wednesday and Thursday, I never heard Nitadori, or Stella talk about that 'important thing'.

In other words, I did not have to hear her out.

This allowed me some relief, but there's still the following week. While we wouldn't talk in school, we would still meet. In fact, I couldn't escape at all, and I'm just pushing the problems behind me.

But even so, at least--

I wouldn't have to be so worried.

So I started to relax. After a while, I changed into the pajamas prepared in the room, and intended to sleep by twelve latest, to prepare for the After Record.

Right before bed, I started to relax, with the TV airing as the background music, and enjoy the moment of writing a novel

While I was feeling completely satisfied, I heard a knock on the door.

 
 

At first, I had assumed the knocking was from the neighboring door, or opposite.

There was no way anyone would visit my room at this time. It never happened before.

But after hearing the door knock again, I had to recognize that it was a knock on my door.

What's going on?

With laptop in hand, I got up from the bed. I shut it, and placed it on the table by the window.

And then, I switched off the TV using the remote control.

My shoes were placed at the door of the room, so I inserted my feet into the room slippers.

And then, I teetered towards the door, where someone was calling for me.

After the third knock, I approached the door, and was about to take a step forward.

"Coming."

I responded.

As there was a peephole in the door, a door scope, I decided to check.

It would be bad if it's a killer awaiting me.

No, in the movies I watched, once the house owner peep through, there'll be a gun pointed, and fired. I will die if my right eye's shot through.

But that's very unlikely. So I bent down, guessing that it was the hotel staff, and looked through.

And then, I spotted the one nocking.

Black hair, light green glasses.

Nitadori.

Why Nitadori?

Isn't she living at a relative's?

How did she know about this hotel and room number?

I had a lot of questions on my mind, and pulled the horizontal sliding lock.

I opened the door, and affirmed that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. It was Nitadori.

Was I right to imagine her as a 'killer'?

"Good night sensei. Sorry for the sudden visit."

Nitadori said with a frozen look, and nodded hastily. Her long hair flowed. It's definitely her voice.

Her attire was different from when we were on the train. Home clothes, maybe? She was dressed in pants with large pockets at the thighs, along with a three-quarter sleeved shirt, looking really relaxed.

I then knew it was Nitadori, but I did not understand why she visited.

"W-Why?"

I was quietly taken aback, but I asked slowly.

"I could smell some very nice horse sashimi smell from this room, so I came running here from my relative's place. Let me have some!"

Would she say such a thing? So I wondered.

"I have something to discuss. I couldn't talk on the train."

She did not mention that hose sashimi.

Till this point, I understood everything.

But how did she know where I was?

"And you know this hotel and the room…"

"You mentioned the hotel name before."

"Ah…"

Speaking of which, I did. That was probably when I first talked with Nitadori on the train.

"But...the room number?"

I was really surprised, and asked,

Surely no hotel staff would inform others of my room number.

Even if the person asking's my acquaintance, the hotel staff will merely call my room if needed. She can't possibly enter the suite level either.

"Erm...I'll tell you that later. Mind letting me in?"

Nitadori asked as she answered,

"Erm, alone?"

And in response,

"Impossible."

Answering me was Miss Kamshiro, standing to the right of the door, poking her head in from a place I could not see. She stood by the side like a shinobi.

She was holding a device a little bigger than the phone. Nitadori said,

"I shall answer your question then, sensei. This is a sensor. This room is giving off a strong consomme scent, so we know where you live."

Th-that's impossible...but, I guess it might be possible with Miss Kamshiro's secret weapon…?

While I was feeling dumbfounded,

"That was a joke. In fact, I placed a microchip into the potato chips bag. If it's within distance, I can determine the location. The battery's running out, so rest assure."

Miss Kamishiro answered. She's as scary in various ways as usual.

"Milady decided to stay in a double room with me here. I told her aunt that she would be with her colleagues till late, and that we decided to stay at a hotel near the studio."

"I see."

So at this point, i finally got something clear about Nitadori. This 'staying at the relative's place' part was real?

"Can I--come in?"

Nitadori asked again. I was thinking it was impossible for me to refuse her.

Thus, on this day, I had to face Nitadori (or Stella). I steeled myself.

Since Nitadori was so desperate to question me, I assume she must be feeling furious. I didn't know

We couldn't just discuss on the corridor. While the room's small, I could only invite them in.

With Miss Kamishiro around, there shouldn't be any problems.

"Of course, come in."

I said, and held the door with the left hand, backing up.

Nitadori passed me by, but did not enter the room.

She merely took a step forward, stopped right at the door, and reached her right hand out for the handle.

At that moment, I was taken aback, and then I understood that she did not want to enter the room without me entering first. Thus, I moved my left hand away.

I then entered the room, as she hoped, and turned back to see Nitadori follow suit.

After that, Miss Kamishiro was about to enter through the door--

"Eh!"

But Nitadori suddenly shouted, and barged into Miss Kamishiro on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

I looked over at her, giving an awkward cry.

Miss Kamishiro, who was suddenly attacked, severely lost her balance. However, she did not trip over. She stumbled a few steps back, and was barely able to maintain her balance.

This action alone was enough to force her out of the room.

And Nitadori reached her hand out, closing the door slowly.

Miss Kamishiro's face was blocked by the door, and the door get a crisp sound as it shut, and locked itself.

"..."

I might have been taken. Nitadori turned her head around, and smiled at me,

"Sorrry to startle you."

Right behind her, I could hear the forceful twist of the door knob. Of course, it wouldn't budge.

[[File:Toolong3271.jpg|thumb]]

I thought Miss Kamishiro would be screaming, but she never did.

Of course, she probably knew she would be disturbing others, and immediately stopped doing so.

"Is this fine?"

I asked.

"This is fine."

Nitadori answered with a different intonation.

 
 

I had a thought.

Nitadori might have something very important to tell me.

That she would not say in front of Miss Kamishiro, if possible.

I understood everything till this point.

As for what she wanted to say however, I did not know.

"Understood...I'll hear you out. It's inconvenient to talk standing up. If you don't mind, have a seat."

It might the first time in my life that I used the expression 'it's inconvenient to talk standing up'. So this is also applicable in real life. I'm a little moved.

"Thank you. Yes, it seems so."

Nitadori answered, and this time, she moved forward, passed me, and into the room.

Huh?

All I had to do was to reach out, exert some force on the door, and it'll open.

I brooded, and wanted to say that since it's Miss Kamishiro outside, things should be fine. I did not open the door, and gave chase after Nitadori instead.

I felt that if I opened the door, I would have wasted all of Nitadori's efforts and determination. I was scared of what she would say to me, but I did not open the door.
Nitadori went deep inside the room, quickly turned the chair at the windowside desk around, and sat down.

This time, she did not follow the usual routine of tying her wig, and draping it forward.

Instead, she sat down, placed her hands on her chest, and in a fluid motion, ripped off her wig.

Once she took off the black wig, the real hair beneath the net--the faint brown hair, almost grey appeared before me.

She quickly rolled up the wig in her hands, and placed it next to the phone on the table. Then, she immediately took the net off with one hand, and let her delicate and short hair flutter gently.

She then removed her glasses, and gently laid it beside the wig on the table, She then widened her right eye with her left fingers, and reached her right fingers into the eye.

It might look scary, but I knew what she was doing. She was removing the colored contacts beneath her glasses.

Once she took it off, she casually dumped it into her pocket.

I suppose it was a customized colored contact lens.

I had good vision, and never wore one, so I was unfamiliar with them. However, is it okay to keep contact lenses like this without storing within solution?

Then, I realized that she intended to abandon it.

I did not know whether it was because it was close to expiry, and she intended to discard it after taking it out, or to give up everything she could use to show her resolve.

Nitadori was turning into Stella.

Or rather, the opposite.

She was reverting back to being Stella. However, I did not know the intent behind this.

Was it more of a 'since it's late at night, I'm changing back', or 'to show my real self and interrogate this person before me?

I stood still, and Stella turned towards me.

She was staring at me with her grey right eye and brown left eye.

Once I clearly saw the difference in eye colors, I found them to be really strange, yet really beautiful.

 

"Please have a seat, sensei."

Stella said tersely.

"Ah, erm, eh, yes."

I did some suspicious gestures as I wondered where I should be sitting. So I could only sit on the bed, close to her.

"Heyo!"

I gave a good ol' fashioned grunt to hide my anxiety, and sat at the side of the bed.

After that, I found myself less than a meter away from Stella, who was on the chair.

Though we were closer while seated on the train, she was always shoulder to shoulder. I never once st facing her.

Again, I had a new experience, an uncomfortable one.

Stella once looked down.

Whenever she talked, she would typically look at the other party in the eye. I was wondering if she was asking me to take the initiative, but probably not.

Stella placed her left hand on her left thigh, right before her eyes, and she was tapping her white slender hand atop the pocket there.

It was big, and probably had the capacity to store lots of things; however, it looked really flat. There might be a lump even if the pocket contained a smartphone.

At the same time, i could hear the friction between the hand and the fabric, along with the no-so-strong air-conditioning. I didn't know what this ritual meant, but Stella repeated the same motion over and over again.

Thanks to that, I had some time to think.

After some consideration, I got an answer.

I didn't know what Stella wanted to say--but at this moment, I should apologize first.

Give a proper apology like a man.

On the train, I was thinking 'if she's angry, I'll apologize'.

This overly pessimistic, reactive attitude just won't do.

So I decided to apologize first. Don't people say that attack is the best defense?

"Phew."

Stella took a short sigh, and then moved her left hand away from her thigh.

I saw her lips curl into a blissful smile, and thought of a metaphor, that a beast would grin before its prey.

She lifted her head slowly, and took a quick breath. She was about to speak.

No way will I lose.

I spoke up.

It's mano-a-mano, like a quickdraw duel in a Western flick. The first to shoot wins.

I took a deep breath.

I once saw a saying that when gunmen have a showdown, there would be occasions when both would fire at once.

During such situations, only a gunshot can be heard.

This was the situation that happened to both of us.

Both Stella and I said the same thing, at the exact same moment.

We were completely in sync.

I hastily lowered my head as I spoke, so I did not see the expression shown on Stella's face.

As I slowly lifted my head, I saw Stella lifting her head too.

In other words, we both apologized and lowered our heads at the same time.

If we were any closer, I might have knocked Stella in the head. That was very close.

We both lifted our heads, and our eyes met.

"Ah?" "Eh?"

What we said next was different. However, intent-wise, it was the same.

With stunned looks, we stared at each other.

I had the immediate urge to say something--but I stopped myself.

"Why?"

Good thing I didn't say anything. If I did, I would have spoken at the same time as Stella.

"Please talk." "Please talk."

And we were in unison again. Surely both sides must be feeling awkward by now.

 
 

I listened to Stella, and said,

"It's nothing...I wanted to apologize, so I did…"

"Why?"

"Ah, because I thought you're angry."

"Why"

"You see."

Stella's tone was utterly terrifying, so I blurted in response. I wanted to respond, but I sounded so arrogant, and I immediately regretted my words.

"No, I'm angry because you're saying that--"

Stella refuted, and stopped.

"You have no need to apologize at all, sensei!"

And then, she hollered.

Eh? Really?

I was completely overwhelmed by her, and so I thought.

"I came here to apologize!"

She said with utmost vigor. It appeared she was livider than whenever Meek was misunderstood.

But even so, I could not understand the reason at all.

"Eh-eh? Erm...huh? Erm...what's going on? Did you do...something to me, Nitadori?"

I was waving my hands with intrigue, utterly speechless, and completely sweating, but I barely managed to respond. Nitadori then widened her eyes.

Her right eye was a grey hue, her left brown. The whites around the pupils widened.

Her slightly opened scarlet lips were quivering.

I had been thinking nonchalantly that if she was utterly seething, she would be so furious that she would end up transforming.

"..."

Stella got up from her seat without uttering a word.

She immediately brought her face and body towards me.

"Eh?"

She grabbed my shoulders, and shoved me down.

"Huh?"

My head and back crashed into the mattress. Of course, it didn't hurt.

Just like this, I ended up lying face up on the bed instead of seated. My posture was a little crooked, and everything beneath the knees were beyond the bed.

One second right after I was looking at the ceiling of the hotel room--

My vision was covered in a shadow, and I was being strangled.

Once my neck felt an icy sensation, I could hear Stella right atop my face, saying this,

"Why!? Why!? Why?--I! Did this! To you!"

She did not exert more force onto the neck.

I would say she was 'touching' my neck, rather than choking it.

If 'this thing' meant choking me back on the train, she's not doing this now.

This was simply 'touching the neck', not choking it. She could have exerted more strength into it,

Even so, her icy hands stroking my neck seemed to have removed much excess heat from my carotid artery, and I felt that it's comfortable.

"I! Tried to! Kill you!"

I was lying on the bed, and my neck felt comfy. I had relaxed completely as I heard Stella yel at me.

"I peeked into your manuscript! I was livid that Meek might die, so I tried to kill the person who did that!"

My eyes were facing the light, so I was able to see Stella's face, that her large eyes were brimming with tears.

I remembered this expression before; I saw it on the train.

Unlike the train ride though, Stella was not wearing glasses or contacts, and showed no malice on her face.

"I thought of killing you once! Even so! Why don't you hate me? Why aren't you hating me? Why did you forgive me immediately? Why were you willing to shield me?"

I heard her express her thoughts, and I thought, sorry to her, but "Let's hope the neighbor won't hear these shouts".

If this happened, what would happen?

I really hoped the hotel walls were sufficiently thick.

If the building materials are worse than I thought, let's just try to pull a fast one by say we're just practicing for an act, ahaha".

 
 

But even so, Stella (or Nitadori) was worrying about this trivial thing...she's probably been brooding over this ever since then.

To be honest, I'm really sorry.

I just felt that it was a good thing i had just apologized.

"Please! Tell me! WHy--"

"Erm."

Slowly, I stopped Stella from shouting further.

"Erm, it's fine not to yell like that. It's okay, calm down, alright?"

I tried to say so. This should be gentle enough, right?

"O-okay…"

Stella replied tersely.

Looking at her eyes, I found that she was on the verge of tears, but she managed to rein it in, and the rain-like tears did not drip upon me.

I felt that her hands were slowly leaving my neck.

I reached my hand out, and clamped Nitadori's hands down on the sides of my neck.

"Hii!"

Upon hearing the shriek, I knew that I scared her, so I said,

"Ah, sorry. But I hope you'll touch my neck a little longer. Your hands are really cold, really comfortable."

"..."

"Really comfy and cold. I feel that I can forget a lot of things. I'll be happy if you keep it at for a longer time."

I did not want her to be terrified, so I begged her.

I did not want her to be any more terrified than she was, but at this point, it was too late.

But even so, I was troubled.

She asked something really unexpected.

Could I ask?

Could Stella understand if I didn't explain everything?

But even so, could I just act a bit and pass it off as some hysterical nonsense?

I didn't think it was the right thing to do either.

What should I do?

If I got choked to death, she could run away, but things wouldn't end up this well.

What should I do?

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[This_title_is_too_long!:Volume3_Chapter5_4|Chapter 5-4]]
| Return to [[I%27m_a_High_School_Boy_and_a_Bestselling_Light_Novel_author,_strangled_by_my_female_classmate_who_is_my_junior_and_a_voice_actress|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[This_title_is_too_long!:Volume3_Chapter6_2|Chapter 6-2]]
|-
|}

</noinclude>

Apocalypse Witch

2019-09-30T07:10:40Z

Dreamer2908: /* Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:ApocalypseWitch_v01_cover.png|thumb|300px|right|]]
'''''Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty''''' (アポカリプス・ウィッチ飽食時代の【最強】たちへ) is a light novel series written by Kamachi Kazuma (鎌池和馬) and illustrated by Mika Pikazo. Kamachi Kazuma is also known for several other light novel series, most notably the [[Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index|Toaru Majutsu no Index]] series.

==Alternative Languages==
The ''Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty'' series is also available in the following languages:
*
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

==Story Synopsis==

==''Apocalypse Witch'' by Kamachi Kazuma==

===Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty ([[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume_1|Full Text]])===
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both" />

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Kazuma Kamachi]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Apocalypse Witch:Volume 1

2019-09-30T07:09:16Z

Dreamer2908:

{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter3|Chapter 3}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter4|Chapter 4}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue}}
{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword}}

<noinclude>
{{SimpleNav}}
</noinclude>

Apocalypse Witch:Volume 1

2019-09-30T07:08:11Z

Dreamer2908: Created page with "{{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations}} {{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue}} {{:Apocalypse_Witch:Volume1_Chapter1|Chapter 1}} {{:Apocalypse_Witch:..."

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign

2019-06-24T12:02:18Z

Dreamer2908: /* Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 10 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|thumb|300px|right|]]
'''''The Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign''''' (未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン) is a light novel series written by Kamachi Kazuma (鎌池和馬) and illustrated by Igawa Kazuki (依河和希). Kamachi Kazuma is also known for several other light novel series, most notably the [[Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index|Toaru Majutsu no Index]] series.

''The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign'' series is also available in the following languages:

*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign ~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Russian)|Русский]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version)

==Story Synopsis==

Summoning ceremonies can freely call forth even "those which lurk in the depths beyond the gods". One boy has top-level abilities even among the cutting-edge summoners who can use those ceremonies.

He is Alice (with) Rabbit aka Shiroyama Kyousuke.

But this strongest boy summoner has a single fatal weakness.

Certain "cursed words" spoken by girls: "Help me."

When Kyousuke hears those words from Meinokawa Higan, a girl brought to the verge of death, he throws himself into a city where three great summoner forces clash!

==Recent Updates==
* November 27th, 2018 - Volume 9 Completed
* March 11th, 2018 - Volume 8 Completed
* June 25th, 2017 - Volume 7 Completed
* March 4th, 2017 - Volume 6 Completed
* December 25th, 2016 - Volume 5 Completed
* December 4th, 2016 - Volume 4 Completed
* September 3rd, 2016‎ - Volume 3 Completed
* July 24th, 2016‎ - Volume 2 Completed
* June 11, 2016 - Volume 1 Completed
* September 29th, 2014 - Blood Sign teaser project begun

==''Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign'' by Kamachi Kazuma==

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/c0uwfdbpwirja9m/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_01.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening1|Opening X-01: Lazy Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening2|Opening X-02: Tense Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter1|Stage 01: I Don’t Do That Anymore]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Rabbit is Alice’s Guide]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter3|Stage 03: Travel Back in Time to Approach the Truth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter4|Stage 04: There’s No Meaning to It]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Certain Parting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Certain Meeting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 2 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/p9o8q82vu26bxf7/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_02.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v02_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening1|Opening X-01: Rainy Days Don’t Have to be Boring]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening2|Opening X-02: Inside A Block’s International Airport]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Rumored Rainy Girl and Librarian-chan]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter2|Stage 02: Summoners Fight in the Shadows Behind Strange Phenomena]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter3|Stage 03: A World Void of Death, but Not a World of Happiness]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter4|Stage 04: Even If It Isn’t Right]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending1|Ending X-01: After the Nice Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending2|Ending X-02: Nevertheless, We Cannot Reconcile Our Differences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 3 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/dg4easlbd113c9x/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_03.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v03_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening1|Opening X-01: Let’s Settle This Once and For All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening2|Opening X-02: Midair Battle, Altitude 5000m]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Transfer Student in Early Spring Signals the Collapse of the School]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Scheming and True Beginning of the Girl’s Backdoor]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Rabbit Guide and the Liar Cat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter4|Stage 04: Revenge and the Plan for Perfect Vessels]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending1|Ending X-01: The Girls’ Slight Hope]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Demonstration of the White Queen’s True Character]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 4 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/4tiqav8o8utq59i/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_04.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v04_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening1|Opening X-01: Immediate Game Over]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening2|Opening X-02: Another Infiltration Mission]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Cutest Escape Game in the World?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter2|Stage 02: There Will Certainly Be Consequences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Elegant Throne which Invites That Queen]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter4|Stage 04: Who Made the Original Request?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending1|Ending X-01: Waking From a Dream]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending2|Ending X-02: It’s Game Over After All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 5 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/xsg6ivkn2vyvum6/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_05.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v05_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening1|Opening X-01: A Stage Play Called a Miniature Garden]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening2|Opening X-02: Peel Back the Outer Layer to Reveal Another]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter1|Stage 01: Named Summoners, the 15 Children]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter2|Stage 02: A Certain Boy’s Warm Days, Both Sides]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Door to Hell, Who Will Unlock It?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Calamity was Named, the Secret War]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Single Soul that Survived]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Demon’s Contract Leads to a Starting Point]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 6 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/uzazgcrthcac7o3/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_06.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v06_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening1|Opening X-01: Double Attack Onee-chans (Extra Serving)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening2|Opening X-02: Hopper the Wizard and the Small Key]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Bloody Hand Makes a Wish Upon the Tanabata Stars]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter2|Stage 02: Insane Believers Never Ask for Anything in Exchange]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter3|Stage 03: Another Who Escaped Hell and Overcame Death]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Strongest Summoner is Infatuated with the World of Man]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Bouquet for Your Enemy at the Hilltop Grave]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending2|Ending X-02: When You Place the Rope Around that Alluring Neck]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 7 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/n2dkddi7ygyc1bi/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_07.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v07_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening1|Opening X-01: Aimless Trip to an Unmanned Station (With Nowhere to Stay)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening2|Opening X-02: One-Way Ticket from Strongest to Hell, Unreserved Seat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter1|Stage 01: Original Joruri Method Artificial Vessel, Meinokawa Aoi]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter2|Stage 02: An Enemy Named Olivia Highland]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter3|Stage 03: Doctor S Awaits the Hunter in the Shadows of a Legend]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Blossoming White Flower Shines Even in the Moonlight]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending1|Ending X-01: Mission Accomplished, But For Whom?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Mental Leeway to Enjoy the World's Destruction]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 8 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v08_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Beginning of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening2|Opening X-02: Window-Shattering Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter1|Stage 01: Welcome to the Media Celebrity Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Treasure Chest is in the Frozen Undersea World ]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter3|Stage 03: Extraterrestrial Battle Against Intelligent Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter4|Stage 04: Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending1|Ending X-01: Do Not Underestimate Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending2|Ending X-02: The End of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 9 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v09_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Cowardly King Defeated]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Opening2|Opening X-02: The White Queen’s First Battle?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage1|Stage 01: A World of Ruin Indulges in Chaos]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage2|Stage 02: Stand Back Up and Return to the Starting Point]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage3|Stage 03: Not Even Coughing Up Blood Is Enough]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Stage4|Stage 04: The Truth About “Brother”]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Ending1|Ending X-01: Light the Fuse]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Ending2|Ending X-02: Find a Way Out of Certain Doom]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 10 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v10_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Path to Doomsday]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening2|Opening X-02: A Dance on the Precipice of Death]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage1|Stage 01: Across the Seven Planets and Twelve Constellations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage2|Stage 02: This is the Chosen Final Stage]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage3|Stage 03: The True Enemy Was With Us All Along]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage4|Stage 04: Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending1|Ending X-01: Who Sits in the Queen’s Throne?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Age of Awakening Has Arrived]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Appendix|Summoner Name List]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Crossovers==
{{Toaru:Crossover3}}

{{Toaru:Crossover4}}

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン (10 September 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866861-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(2) (10 January 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869164-2)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(3) (8 August 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865310-7)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(4) (9 January 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865660-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(5) (10 June 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892116-9)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(6) (10 December 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892550-1)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(7) (9 June 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-892951-6)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Kazuma Kamachi]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume10

2019-06-24T12:01:49Z

Dreamer2908: Created page with "===Novel Illustrations=== {{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Illustrations|Illustrations}} {{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial}} {{..."

===Novel Illustrations===
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Illustrations|Illustrations}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Prologue|Prologue}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Path to Doomsday}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Opening2|Opening X-02: A Dance on the Precipice of Death}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage1|Stage 01: Across the Seven Planets and Twelve Constellations}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage2|Stage 02: This is the Chosen Final Stage}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage3|Stage 03: The True Enemy Was With Us All Along}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Stage4|Stage 04: Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending1|Ending X-01: Who Sits in the Queen’s Throne?}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Age of Awakening Has Arrived}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Afterword|Afterword}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume10_Appendix|Summoner Name List}}

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9|Volume 9]]
| [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign|Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima

2019-04-07T12:41:25Z

Dreamer2908: /* Volume 22 - The Legend of Zero / ゼロの神話 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|300px|thumb|Vol.One Cover]]

The ''Zero no Tsukaima'' series is also available in the following languages:
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima - Français|Français (French)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Deutsche Version|Deutsch (German)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ Indonesian Version|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Italian Version~|Italiano (Italian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Korean Version|한국어 (Korean)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Russian Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Vietnamese Version|Bản dịch khác của tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Alternative version)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
Visit the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/index.php Baka-Tsuki Project Forum] to discuss this series and other information from Baka-Tsuki.

== Updates ==
It is with sadness that we report that Noboru Yamaguchi, the author of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' passed away from cancer on April 4, 2013. However, MF Bunko J has announced that the series will be continued based on the author's notes before his passing, according to the [http://zeronotsukaima.wikia.com/wiki/NewsMisc Zero No Tsukaima Wiki].



*December 5, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 has been completed.
*September 20, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 Chapter 1 - Chapter 8 has been completed.
*January 22, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Volume 20 Chapter 9]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Volume 20 Epilogue]] completed
*January 21, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Volume 20 Chapter 8]] completed
*January 16, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Volume 20 Afterword]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Volume 21 Afterword]] completed.
*January 14, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Volume 20 Chapter 7]] completed.
*January 13, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Volume 20 Chapter 6]] completed.
*January 7, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Volume 20 Chapter 5]] completed.
*January 2, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Volume 20 Chapter 4]] completed.
*December 25, 2016:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Volume 21 Chapter 1]] completed.
*August 17, 2016:
:::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Volume 19]] completed.

Older updates can be found on the [[Zero no Tsukaima news archive|ZnT news archive]].

== Translation ==

=== Translators Needed ===

'''Baka-Tsuki is desperately looking for translators for this series.''' If you would like to help translate this series, please post in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5610 here], and we will help you get started. Thank you.

=== [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration]] ===
Translators are requested to mark all the chapters they are translating on the [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration Page]] according to [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline#Translation Management|Translation Management]] section of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline|Project Specific Guidelines]].
=== Format Standards ===
Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in [[Format guideline|Format/Style Guideline]].

Some of these chapters are translations of the '''Chinese edition''' of the novels, which are known to have some minor mistakes compared to the original Japanese text. If you have access to the originals and you spot an error, '''please feel free to make the corrections yourself''' - this is a Wiki which means it's meant for anyone to fix things (and if you screw up, we can revert back your changes if all deem necessary). We can see the corrections you make, so just go ahead instead of hiding or waiting for permission.

[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Guideline#Naming_Conventions|Naming Conventions For ZnT]]

=== Joint Collaboration ===
This Project began as a [http://www.baka-tsuki.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=246 joint collaboration] with the following groups:
* [http://kh.beyondeternal.com/ Kawaii Heavens] (who also worked on the manga version of this series)
::*Volume 1 (all chapters)


*[http://www.k-neko.net/ Kuroneko]
::*Volume 1, Chapter 1
::*Volume 1, Chapter 2

== <span class="plainlinks">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Familiar_of_Zero ''Zero no Tsukaima''] series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4895 here] and the PDF version [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4745 here].'''

=== Volume 1 - Zero's Familiar / ゼロの使い魔 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Insert and Back Cover|Insert & Back Cover]]
*Kingdom of Magic
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - I'm a Familiar]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise the Zero]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Legend]]
*Gandálfr
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Familiar's Day]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Kirche the Ardent]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Tristain's Arms Dealer]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Staff of Destruction]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 2 - Albion of the Wind / 風のアルビオン ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots2_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Secret Boat]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Her Majesty's Melancholy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Childhood Friend's Request]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Port City - La Rochelle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - A Rest Day Before Leaving]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The White Country]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Prince of a Dying Country - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Eve before the Final Battle in Newcastle - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - The Final Battle - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book / 始祖の祈祷書 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots3_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Lineage of Zero - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise's Lovesickness]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Love Triangle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Arsenal and the Royal Family]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Treasure Hunting]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Dragon's Raiment]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Colbert's Laboratory]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Declaration of War]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Void]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 4 - The Water Spirit of Oath / 誓約の水精霊 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots4_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito Goes Shopping in the Triumphant Town - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Sailor Outfit and Louise's Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - Tabitha's Secret - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Strength of a Love Potion - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Water Spirit - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Ring of Andvari - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Reunion with Falsehood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Confrontation of Sadness - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 5 - Tristania's Holiday / トリスタニアの休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots5_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story1|Story 1 - The "Charming Fairies" Inn]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story2|Story 2 - The Encounter with the Flame and the Friendship with the Wind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story3 - MTL|Story 3 - Tristania's Holiday - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 6 - The Ruby of Atonement / 贖罪の炎赤石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots6_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Homecoming]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Cattleya - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Duke de La Vallière]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Commanding Officer Guiche and Officer Cadet Malicorne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Flame of Twenty Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Sortie - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Illusion at Dartanes]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Atonement of Flame - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 7 - The Silver Pentecost / 銀の降臨祭 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots7_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Temperature Difference between the Two]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Fairy - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Priest of Romalia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Secretary and the Emperor]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Ancient City of Saxe-Gotha]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Truce - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Reason to Fight - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - King of Gallia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Rout - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Place of Courage]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 8 - The Serenade of Nostalgia / 望郷の小夜曲 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots8_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Each End of the War - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito's Morning - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Golden Elf - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Visit of the Priest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Disappearing Gandálfr - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Nations Conference - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Users of Void - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Myoznitnirn - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Swordsman - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Epilogue - MTL| Epilogue - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 9 - The Ball of Twin Moons / 双月の舞踏会 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots9_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Louise's Fear - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - The Elf of the Forest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Meeting and Parting of the Users - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Chevalier Title - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ondine Knight Corps of the Water Spirit]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Feelings of the Queen]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Solicitation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Ball of Sleipnir]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi / イーヴァルディの勇者 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots10_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Elf]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Anxiety and Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Queen and the Knights]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Siblings]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Imprisoned Six]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Settlement of the Past]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Old Mansion of Orléans]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Alhambra Castle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Postscript|Postscript]]
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 11 - A Duet of Recollection / 追憶の二重奏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots11_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Von Zerbst]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Queen and the Duke]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Karin the Heavy Wind]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Vallière Family]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - New School Term]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Private Lesson]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Pope of Romalia]] - MTL
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Jörmungand]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Reunion in Westwood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Heart of the Duet]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 12 - The Fairies' Holiday / 妖精達の休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots12_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Prologue|Prologue]]
*Story 1: New Student from the White Country (Albion)
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*Story 2: Knight Corps of the Water Spirit, Charge!
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Story 3: Right to Use Saito for a Day
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 13 - The World Door of the Holy Country / 聖国の世界扉 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots13_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Romalia]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Saito's Decision]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Aboard the ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Two Knight Corps]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Persuasion of the Pope]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Long Spear]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - World Door (MTL)]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Meaning of the Smile]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 14 - Aquileia's Saint / 水都市の聖女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots14_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Flowerbed Squadron's Rebellion]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Third Annual Enthronement Ceremony]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - An Elven Gandalfr]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Capital of Water]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Six Thousand Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tiger Highway]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Aquileia's Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Steel Tiger]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Memory of the Bond]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

===Volume 15 - Labyrinth of Oblivion / 忘却の夢迷宮 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots15_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Carcassonne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Knight Contest of the Sandbank]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Shaken Mind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Jewel of Fire]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Honeymoon]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tabitha's Long Night]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Henrietta's Diplomatic Plan]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Coronation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Exit of the Labyrinth]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 16 - The Tea Time of Des Ornières / ド・オルニエールの安穏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots16_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Reward of the Campaign ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Searching for a Residence ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Henrietta's Melancholy, Louise's Anxiety, Saito's Promotion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Mother and Cousin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Saito Chevalier De Hiraga Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Daily Tea Time ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Eléonore's Academy  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Basement of the Residence  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Secret Meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Elemental Siblings  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 17 - The Soeur of Dawn / 黎明の修道女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots17_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Saito's despair ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Flight  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Meeting and Comrade ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Sulpice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - First meeting with Jack ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Damien and Lord Gondrin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Soeur Louise ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Josette's Resolution ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Two Canes, One Crown ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Garden Party to Celebrate the Enthronement ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter11|Chapter 11 - Bonds ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 18 - Spirit Stone of Destruction / 滅亡の精霊石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots18_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Lovers ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Fouquet and Wardes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Josette's Garden Party ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Strategy ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Confession of the Pope ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Spirit Stone of Destruction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Our Home ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Elf of the Sahara ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Chance meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 19 - The Founder's Round Mirror / 始祖の円鏡 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots19_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Summary|Summary]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Maidens of Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Assault ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Abduction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Rukshana's Oasis ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ali's visit ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Second meeting with Bidashal ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision and Romalia's Choice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Two Prisoners ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Confrontation with Ali ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Escape ]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
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===Volume 20 - Holy Land from Ancient Times / 古深淵の聖地 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots20_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Boat for Two ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Mother Sea ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Last Spear ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Council ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - An Elf's Longing ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Joint Committee on Holy Land Restoration]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Onward to the Land of the Elves ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Breaking Through Barricades]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Work of the Devil ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
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=== Volume 21 - The Truth of 6,000 Years Ago / 六千年の真実 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots21_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Mystery of the Holy Land ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - Suicide Attack to Adyl ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - The Elven Tower ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - Lífþrasir ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - Break-Out ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Free City of Eumenes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - The Truth from 6000 Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Founder's Void ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Dreadful Plan ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - Raid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - Reunion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Volume 22 - The Legend of Zero / ゼロの神話 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots22_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 1|Chapter 1 - The Magi]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - The Dream of the Runes]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - Louise's Determination]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - The Cruel Reality]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - The Nuclear Submarine]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Prison Island (Château d'If)]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - A Wavering Heart]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Rescue Mission]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Legend of the Void]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - The Escape]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - The Familiar of Zero]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 12|Chapter 12 - The Choice of the Saintess]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 13|Chapter 13 - The End of the Void]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 14|Chapter 14 - The Return of the Hero]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Memorial Book ===
[[image:Znt memorial.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 1|Eight Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 2|Louise’s Room 1 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 3|Five Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 4|Louise’s Room 2 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 5|The Birth of Louise the Zero ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 6|Louise’s Room 3 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 7|On a Certain Day for a Certain Maid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 8|Louise’s Room 4 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 9|Master and Familiar - Saito's Mischiefs ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 10|Louise’s Room 5 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 11|Louise's Tart ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 12|Louise’s Room 6 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 13|Tiffania's Troubles ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 14|Undisclosed Character Design Collection]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 15|Volume 21 - Volume 22 Plot by Teacher Yamaguchi Noboru]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 16|From the Author]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 17|Illustrator Comment]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

== <span class="plainlinks"> Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabitha no Bōken series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Side Story Volume 1 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険===
[[image:ZnTSS1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story1|Story 1 - Tabitha and the Pterosaur]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story2|Story 2 - Tabitha and the Vampire]] (35%)
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story3|Story 3 - Tabitha and the Assassin]] (~20%)
*Story 4 - Tabitha and the Magic Doll
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Side Story Volume 2 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険2===
[[image:ZnTSS2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Story5|Story 5 - Tabitha and the Gambler]]
*Story 6 - Tabitha and the Minotaur
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 ExtraChapter|Extra Chapter - A Day in the Life of Sylphid]]
*Story 7 - Tabitha and the Bird of Paradise
*Story 8 - Tabitha and the Naval Port
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Side Story Volume 3 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険3===
[[image:ZnTSS3 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Story 9 - Tabitha and Sylphid
*Story 10 - Tabitha and the Old Warrior
*Story 11 - Tabitha and First Love
*Story 12 - Tabitha's Birth
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

<br style="clear:both" />

== <span class="plainlinks"> Kaze no Kishihime by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Spin-Off Volume 1 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫 ===
[[image:ZNTso1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Prologue|Prologue]]
*Chapter 1 - Karin Goes to the Capital 
*Chapter 2 - Sandorion 
*Chapter 3 - Lord Jervul's Mansion 
*Chapter 4 - Dormitory 
*Chapter 5 - Four vs Four Duel 
*Chapter 6 - Philippe III and Grand Duke Eustace 
*Chapter 7 - Three Knights and Karin are Honoured with the Audience 
*Chapter 8 - Sandorion's Past 
*Chapter 9 - De Ville's Confrontation 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Spin-Off Volume 2 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫２ ===
[[image:ZNTso2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Prologue
*Chapter 1 - Report for the King 
*Chapter 2 - Dream Place of Memories 
*Chapter 3 - Secret Meeting 
*Chapter 4 - Eustace's Manor 
*Chapter 5 - Dark Truth 
*Chapter 6 - Darsini the Vampire 
*Chapter 7 - Karin's Infiltration 
*Chapter 8 - Duty of the Knight 
*Chapter 9 - King's Decision 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both" />

=== Zero no Tsukaima: Single Side Stories ===
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:SingleSideStory Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::* Wardrobe of the Past 

== Project Staff ==
=== Translators ===
*Project Manager: [[user:Teh_Ping|Teh_Ping]]

'''ACTIVE'''

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::::*[[user:Nidema|Nidema]]
::::*[[user:SaiyaJedi|SaiyaJedi]] <- aka "SaitoFromEarth"
::::*[[user:Sushi-Y|Sushi-Y]]

=== Editors ===
This is the Project Editorial Team.
They will regularly patrol the projects to prevent vandalism & make sure the guidelines are implemented. If you have any inquiries about certain edits please contact any one of the members.

'''ACTIVE'''
::::*[[user:Bygghandel|Bygghandel]]
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::::*[[user:Silimir|Silimir]]
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::::*[[user:Andiyar|Andiyar]]

== Series Overview ==
*'''Main Series'''
* Volume 1 - ''Zero's Familiar'' (June 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111058
* Volume 2 - ''Albion of the Wind'' (September 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111447
* Volume 3 - ''The Founder's Prayer Book'' (December 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111966
* Volume 4 - ''The Water Spirit of Oath'' (March 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112369
* Volume 5 - ''Tristania's Holiday'' (July 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112901
* Volume 6 - ''The Ruby of Atonement'' (November 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840114493
* Volume 7 - ''The Silver Pentecost'' (February 25, 2006)ISBN 978-4840115018
* Volume 8 - ''The Serenade of Nostalgia'' (June 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840115421
* Volume 9 - ''The Ball of Twin Moons'' (September 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117074
* Volume 10 - ''The Hero of Ivaldi'' (December 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117661
* Volume 11 - ''A Duet of Recollection'' (May 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840118590
* Volume 12 - ''The Fairies' Holiday'' (August 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840119009
* Volume 13 - ''The World Door of the Holy Country'' (December 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840121101
* Volume 14 - ''Aquileia's Saint'' (May 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840123198
* Volume 15 - ''Labyrinth of Oblivion'' (September 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840124188
* Volume 16 - ''The Tea Time of Des Ornières'' (February 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840126649
* Volume 17 - ''The Soeur of Dawn'' (June 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840128070
* Volume 18 - ''Spirit Stone of Destruction'' (January 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840131537
* Volume 19 - ''The Founder's Round Mirror'' (July 23, 2010) ISBN 978-4840134545
* Volume 20 - ''Holy Land from Ancient Times'' (February 25, 2011) ISBN 978-4840138215
* Volume 21 - ''The Truth of 6,000 Years'' (February 25, 2016) ISBN 978-4040681184
* Volume 22 - ''The Myth of Zero'' (February 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040690841
* Zero no Tsukaima Memorial Book (June 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040692333
*'''Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabatha no Bōken'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117265
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840120586
* Side Story Volume 3 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (March 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840127271
*'''Kaze no Kishihime'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (October 23, 2009) ISBN 978-4840130530
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (March 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840132466
*'''Others'''
* Wardrobe of the Past (August 27, 2010 - appendix bundled with Monthly Comic Alive's 2010-10 issue) ASIN B003ZB098O

[[Zero no Tsukaima:Series Overview|ISBN information]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:MF Bunko J]]
[[Category:Noboru Yamaguchi]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Ecchi]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Full Text

2019-04-07T12:40:59Z

Dreamer2908: Created page with "===Novel Illustrations=== {{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations}} <br><br> {{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Prologue|Prologue}} <br><br> {{:Zero no Tsukai..."

===Novel Illustrations===
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Prologue|Prologue}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 1|Chapter 1 - The Magi}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - The Dream of the Runes}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - Louise's Determination}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - The Cruel Reality}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - The Nuclear Submarine}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Prison Island (Château d'If)}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - A Wavering Heart}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Rescue Mission}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Legend of the Void}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - The Escape}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - The Familiar of Zero}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 12|Chapter 12 - The Choice of the Saintess}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 13|Chapter 13 - The End of the Void}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 14|Chapter 14 - The Return of the Hero}}
<br><br>
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Epilogue|Epilogue}}

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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|-
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Full_Text|Volume 21]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Return to Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Leviathan:Volume 8 Chapter 2

2019-02-04T01:55:58Z

Dreamer2908:

==Chapter 2 - The Rune of the Mother Dragon==

===Part 1===

The temporary lodgings for Hal and company—A historical site on the Moon.

The "front side" from the Earth's perspective.

The Moon's rotational period and orbital period were both roughly twenty-seven days. As a result, the Moon always presented the same face to the Earth.

The back side, normally unseen, was pockmarked and very ugly.

The front side, always facing the Earth, glowed white with a tranquil sense of beauty.

A rotational period of roughly twenty-seven days meant that daytime persisted for fourteen days on the. Similarly, nighttime also lasted fourteen days.

Roughly twelve hours had passed since Hal was taken to the lunar historical site.

It was daytime throughout this duration.

Hal and his companions spent the night at the tower they had chosen randomly. Hal was to alone on the top floor while the two other girls used the area downstairs.

At the moment, Hal was taking a stroll alone in the historical site.

He was walking like normal, unaffected by the weightlessness in space or the Moon's gravity that was one-sixth of the Earth's. What a place far removed from common sense.

"A rune that gives birth to all pure-blooded dragons, huh..." Hal muttered to himself.

The dragon birth ritual conducted in the Plato crater on the Moon. Seeing it in progress with an eye of magic, Hal had also sent Akuro-Ou to investigate.

From what was reported back, it was a magic symbol in the form of an infinity sign that gave birth to countless Raptors.

"Right, I had asked Hinokagutsuchi before how dragons were born. Back then, she cackled at me and avoided giving a straight answer."

Did they lay eggs or give birth to live young? Speaking of which, was there a distinction between male and female?

Hal had asked what would be fundamental for any species, but Hinokagutsuchi glossed over the issue, deeming it "too complicated" and that he would understand eventually, so the matter unded up dangling unresolved all this time.

Back then, he had just gotten to know the self-styled devil.

But this time, Hinokagutsuchi mentioned a term.

The Rune of the Mother Dragon—

"She's finally doing things different from her usual style."

The former dragon queen was providing information, a rare act indeed.

Hal was quite intrigued by her intentions. Furthermore, he also wanted to investigate that "Rune of the Mother Dragon"...

"Hmm?"

He was suddenly jolted out of this thoughts.

The Rune of the Bow in the center of his right palm was telling him that his complementary rune was approaching.

"Haruomi, lend me a moment of your time!"

"You! I knew it."

Princess Yukikaze had flown in from the sky above.

Riding her magic wand, the surfboard, she arrived like the wind.

By the time Hal noticed, she had already caught him by the back of the collar, forcibly dragging him onto her surfboard.

Princess Yukikaze, dressed in a one-piece dress, was right beside him. In other words, they would be considered riding together.

"Woah!"

Hal immediately fell flat on his bottom against the surfboard.

He did not think his sense of balance was good enough to stand properly on this unstable means of locomotion.

"Hahahaha, how unsightly!"

"What choice do I have!? This obviously isn't meant for two riders!"

The princess' laughter was so lively that Hal could not sense any intention of mockery from her. Hal grumbled in response.

The magic surfboard swiftly ascended vertically, easily overcoming the Moon's gravity—exceeding Mach 8 in speed.

Underfoot, the white moon gradually receded.

Kept out of harm's way by imperishable protection, the princess and Hal did not feel any burden, but...

"Where the heck are you taking me!?"

"I have something to discuss, so accompany me for a while. I shall show you my residence!"

"Ehhh!?"

Their altitude was probably over a hundred kilometers.

Hal and the princess were headed towards an asteroid. Orbiting the Moon, it resembled an oval disc, large enough to place the entire Old Tokyo Dome.

Princess Yukikaze seemed to be his fated rival.

Including today, only two days remained for his recuperation before his duel with this girl—

Once he could catch his breath, Hal's first words were a complaint.

"There's no need to go all the way to this kind of place, if all you want is to talk to me."

"It is quieter here and the view more beautiful than below. I like it here."

There were ruins on this asteroid too, filled with plain stone towers.

But different from the Moon, there was also an elegant building here.

It was a castle built with a transparent material with a faint blue tint—ice. Its roof was sharp like an ice pillar, tapering off like a cone.

The silhouette of the "ice tower" was reminiscent of a delicate ice sculpture.

The castle featured a great hall that seemed to be for receiving audiences. In this place where the floor, the walls and pillars were all transparent as ice, Hal faced Princess Yukikaze.

"Then why not bring us here from the beginning?"

"Ridiculous. As the saying goes, boys and girls must not sit together after the age of seven. Even if it is you, Haruomi, since you are a man, how could you possibly live under the same roof as me?"

"But you clearly left me together with Juujouji and Asya..."

"?"

Princess Yukikaze blinked.

She apparently could not comprehend the meaning of Hal's words.

Princess Yukikaze looked like she regarded the Japanese girl and the master-class witch, who was also a Tyrannos like him, as "cats kept by Haruga Haruomi." She probably did not see those two as individual persons.

Just as Hal felt stunned, thinking "nothing less expected from a dragon king"—

"Allow me to have a look at your face."

The princess suddenly closed in face to face.

Hal's height was almost 170 cm, definitely not considered tall. Even so, he was still taller than the princess, who stood roughly 150 cm tall. The white dragon king even stood on tiptoe.

"The color in your complexion has improved. It appears that you have listened to me and rested obediently indeed."

"All thanks to you."

"Praiseworthy, Haruomi. Keep this up in preparation for the day of the duel."

Princess Yukikaze nodded happily.

The princess' face was right before his eyes. Though her age was estimated to have surpassed a thousand, her facial features remained child-like.

Hal felt a vigorous beat of his heart.

So near. Their noses were almost about to touch. This distance was like that time with Juujouji Orihime.

Badump badump. His heart raced faster. By the way, Princess Yukikaze was truly adorable.

(Just like her name, she's really like a snow fairy.)

An uncharacteristically romantic comment rose up in Hal's mind.

He did not harbor the slightest impure thought towards the beautiful maiden of a dragon king. However, this excessively cute member of the opposite sex had suddenly drew so near to him, despite being a member of dragonkind.

This was the reason why his heart raced.

(Crap. How should I put this...? I already have Juujouji, I can't feel something for another person—)

Hal tensed his face and deliberately feigned an unfazed attitude.

"Oh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Haruomi, I did not know you could make such a manly expression."

"Of course, I am a man after all."

"Well said. Fufufufu. To think an anomalous Tyrannos like you would possess manly mettle, I am quite surprised—and pleased."

"Wondeful. In fact, a gentleman's pride is one of the things I brag about."

Juujouji Orihime had seen through it in an instant.

The fact that Haruga Haruomi's facial expression would tense up particularly whenever he entertained lecherous thoughts.

However, in certain ways, Princess Yukikaze was even more innocent than the Japanese witch.

Hearing Hal's answer, the princess partially closed her eyes with satisfaction.

"Is that so? Then keep up your efforts, because it is your duty to maintain the image that I prefer."

"Eh? Why is that?"

"Did you forget the promise!?"

Hal widened his eyes. Princess Yukikaze pouted.

Even though she was pouting childishly, it only felt like another charming side to her. Beautiful maidens were truly in a class of their own.

"Did I make some kind of promise to obey you?"

"Indeed. It was that night when we first clashed as the successors to the Bow and the Arrow, I must have told you—"

"Oh that time before the summer vacation. Genbu-Ou was part of it too."

His first battle against Princess Yukikaze was almost three months ago.

That time, Hal had defeated Genbu-Ou, a gigantic minion with a length exceeding a hundred meters. True Genbu-Ou, wielding a goddess' power, had emerged from the gigantic turtle, plunging Hal into a difficult fight...

Hal suddenly remembered.

That night, Princess Yukikaze had rushed over to tell him:

'Haruomi, ours is a relationship where a decisive duel between us is inevitable. If I defeat you and you're fortunate enough to survive—'

'You can become my minion.'

'If you turn out to be a warrior capable of surviving an encounter against me on the battlefield... A reward of this level would be richly deserved. Do your best, Haruomi!'

Indeed. Like a demon king who would tell the protagonist to "join my side" before the final battle, Princess Yukikaze had issued a one-sided declaration to him.

"Do you remember now?"

Princess Yukikaze grinned.

"Naturally, the necessary condition is that you survive instead of dying after the duel... You are the man who bears the fate of becoming my servant. In that case, becoming the type the master prefers—"

"Is my obligation—So that's what you mean?"

"Precisely."

"That doesn't really count as a promise to me."

"What did you say!?"

"Because you left without waiting for my answer."

"Grr."

"Well, it's true that it's a pretty good deal, offering me my life in exchange for my allegiance, but I've got my pride too. Wagging my tail and agreeing to someone's one-sided offer, that'd wrong for a man, right?"

As for his honest thoughts...

Of course, becoming the beautiful dragon king's slave would be a thousand times better than getting killed. He definitely hoped the princess would hire him. Hal valued his own life more than dying for pride, but if he were to confess truthfully—

Princess Yukikaze would probably scold him "No manliness at all!"

It would be scary too if Princess Yukikaze said "I changed my mind" when he actually lost, hence Hal intentionally went contrarian. By creating the best impression possible for the princess in preparation for his ''moment of defeat''—That was the gist of his calculations.

(Well, I don't think she's the type to get angry just because I talk back to her.)

Since he understood the princess' personality, he boldly said, "Besides, it's a bit much to make a promise before he duel with the assumption that I'd lose. What if you happen to lose... What do I get from you?"

"I, Princess Yukikaze, would lose to you, a mere Tyrannos?"

"Yeah."

Princess Yukikaze glared at him, causing Hal to secretly break out in cold sweat.

She was not genuinely angry. The princess' slightly displeased eyes made Hal a bit scared, but he decided to feign courage as much as possible and chose his words carefullly.

"Because it's a match, right? An unexpected situation might arise, no—"

Hal declared assertively.

"I will definitely make it happen."

The usual Haruga Haruomi would not have been able to speak like this.

Perhaps it was because these lines were completely contrary to his usual self. The assertive words easily rolled off his tongue. Since he was merely taking his usual self and acting in an opposite manner, he was able to instantly come up with he needed to say.

(I guess this is what actors feel when they ad-lib on stage.)

What a frivolous self production.

As for the response from Princess Yukikaze, who belonged to a race of natural born warriors—

"Well then, Haruomi, the day that I, Yukikaze, loses to you shall be the day when I become your minion!"

Like a noble warrior, she declared gallantly.

Sure enough, the princess was still too young. Her naivete was a bit adorable.

"Got it. But personally, I'm a bit put off by the idea of taking in minions, so I won't collect on the deal if I win."

Hal had no wish to force a small girl to become his servant or slave.

Spurred by morals and a conscience, Hal offered the princess a slightly hypocritical answer... Although the main reason was because he could not imagine the situation after the duel with the princess at all.

However, the seasoned warrior who had lived over a thousand years did not seem quite impressed with Hal's conservative response.

"What lax conditions. Are you trying to offer charity to me, Yukikaze?"

Hal hastily explained himself to Princess Yukikaze, who had stiffened her expression.

"Th-That's not what I mean."

"Hmph. Accepting generosity from a mere Tyrannos would only humiliate me. In the event that I, Yukikaze, were to lose—Go ahead and treat me as your possession, do not hold back!"

"Huh—!?"

"Naturally, there is no reason for me to lose to a brat like you!"

The angry dragon king maiden asserted sternly.

Hal anxiously wondered "did I go too far?" but immediately changed his mind.

Whether or not this conversation had taken place, Princess Yukikaze was not going to go easy on him. Doing this was not going to make things any worse for Hal.

Princess Yukikaze's personality was straight as an arrow.

Rather, the problem was—

(Although I made a cool speech just now, my chances of winning are minuscule no matter how I think about them.)

That being said, that was no excuse for sloppy battle preparations. It was time to discuss ''that'' with her—Hal changed the subject.

"Say... Isn't there a certain crater on the Moon with a huge rune of Ruruk Soun is carved on it?"

"Oh?"

Princess Yukikaze, who looked like an angry sulking child just a moment ago, changed her expression instantly.

With a profound and knowing smile, she gazed upon Hal.

"What sharp eyes you have, to think you noticed that already."

"I'm not that amazing. That thing gives off a pretty weird presence and occasionally creates a great many Raptors."

"Fufufufu. That symbol is apparently named the Rune of the Mother Dragon."

Princess Yukikaze replied matter-of-factly.

"The polar opposite to the dragonslaying runes we use, it is a seal for giving birth to dragons."

"How surprising. You seem uninterested in that. Seeing as it's so close to this palace, I would've thought it was yours for sure."

"If one had to attribute ownership, it would belong to all of dragonkind."

The princess spoke in a tone of solemnity, fitting for a dragon king.

"I simply wanted to establish a base near the Moon. Only after settling in this castle did I learn that the Rune of the Mother Dragon had manifested in that location."

"I see..."

After learning the term "Rune of the Mother Dragon," Hal was now able to find information about the birth of dragonkind from his magic wand, the magic gun. In the universe, there was apparently a number of celestial bodies like the Moon, carved with ''runes for giving birth to dragons''.

After operating for several centuries, Runes of the Mother Dragon would exhaust their energy and enter dormancy for tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

Once the power of conception recovered, the rune would reappear on the celestial body's surface—

The infinity sign on the Moon had gone through a long period of dormancy before reactivating in July of the year 1999 CE. Indeed, that was the year when the dragons returned to Earth. Dragon kings and elites, who had left Earth or went dormant, became active in concert with the rune's revival...

What a huge inside story. However, this was none of Hal's business right now.

He shrugged and said, "Then it's fine if I go investigate the rune, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Because it isn't yours, right?"

The princess glared at him, causing Hal's heart to skip a beat. There was intimidating wrath in the girl's eyes.

"Haruomi, do not forget that I, Yukikaze, ordered you to rest properly. It would not do if you delayed your recovery due to unnecessary matters. The days before our duel are running out, you know?"

"That's exactly why I need to go investigate. I might end up finding something—That could come in handy when I'm fighting you."

"What?"

"Rest is the priority but I still want to make a final struggle for the duel."

For the sake of the imminent duel—Hal put these magic words to use.

"Hmm."

Hugging her shoulders, Princess Yukikaze fell into deep thought.

"After all, the Rune of the Mother dragon is merely a symbol for creating dragons and cannot be employed in a battle between a dragon king and a Tyrannos."

The princess sounded like she was criticizing Hal, but did not persist in stopping him.

She respected Hal's opinion. Since the princess had spoken so, the rune probably could not be used as a trump card on the battlefield, but—

Hal had many of his own ideas.

(A dragon king... surely wouldn't think of this.)

He decided to try it out first. The adorable dragon king princess suddenly issued orders.

"Go if you must, but you have to return to me after you finish your business. Should I see any slowing trend in your recovery, I will force you to rest obediently even if I must tie you to a bed!"

She clearly thought of Haruga Haruomi as a pet or a plaything.

===Part 2===

"My, aren't you enjoying your chat with Princess Yukikaze?"

"Asya, why are you suddenly saying this?"

"Haruga-kun and the princess sounded so happy when they were chatting. The tone was quite cheerful."

"You too, Juujouji!?"

"It even led to the princess declaring 'I will become yours' to Haruomi... Orihime-san, he's unforgivable, don't you agree?"

"Seriously, it gives me this vibe of 'who does Haruga-san think he is, getting so carried away?'"

"You're head over heels when talking to the princess."

"I-I was desperately handing the princess for the sake of the mission, okay!? Besides, how do you know I was head over heels if all you heard was my voice!?"

"I knew it when I heard a different tone of voice, unlike your usual pretenses."

"Asya-san is correct. Just now, you were acting different from your usual self."

"W-What choice did I have? I was trying my hardest to chat with her, trying my best to divert the princess' attention."

After chatting with the princess for a long time...

Hal bid her goodbye and returned to his companions. He took out the cellphone he had been carrying secretly and used audio recording software to replay his conversation with the princess for the two girls.

After listening, both the childhood friend and Juujouji Orihime started to reprimand him.

"I can't believe I used my precious battery power to record the conversation. There's no way to recharge cellphones here, you know..."

He had originally hoped to save time on explaining by making a recording, but it turned out to have the opposite effect.

In any case, Hal put his feelings in order and said, "No matter what, the princess agreed, so we can strut about and travel on the Moon. It'd be problem if she dragged me away in the middle of the investigation."

"Going to the princess after investigating, right...?"

"After all, the princess ordered you to return to her..."

"Conversation is over! We don't have much time left. Let's get on with our work."

Further squabbling would affect the mission coming up next.

Hal said to the two girls who had finally settled down.

"Head straight to the crater to investigate that Mother Dragon rune."

The task of climbing the Plato Crater would require Earthlings to prepare a spacecraft, but Hal was able to skip such a step. He used the Ruruk Soun rune of Teleport.

"We arrived in an instant..."

"Because it's teleportation."

"I can't believe I'd come to somewhere like this by relying on Haruomi's magic... Half a year ago, I never would've thought of this," said Asya poignantly.

Just earlier, Hal and his childhood friend were still in a room inside the stone tower.

But now, they were standing on a vast land of white. White—dry sand as far as the eye could see. They had finally arrived on the surface of the moon.

"Doraemon's Anywhere Door would definitely be convenient if it actually existed, but the joy of traveling would instantly diminish to zero. Speed and fun are mutually exclusive."

"This time, we're taking the practical route."

The two of them were wearing casual clothes from Earth.

They did not have access to channels for purchasing spacesuits worth over a billion yen apiece. Neither did they need to buy them. Using the power of Tyrannoi, they summoned imperishable protection—A colorless and transparent barrier to cover the body.

This protection normally manifested in the form of a pearly glow, but because Asya commented "I don't care about it during battle, but... The color of our protection gets in the way when we're investigating," so they tried erasing to color.

Although it made for less ambiance, prioritizing practicality was the point here. Hal nodded and took a casual step forward.

"Uwah!"

He was startled. With just a tiny step, his body floated up lightly.

"Even with imperishable protection, we're still not completely free from the effects of low gravity."

"This is a defensive ability to begin with. It's still better than hopping around like astronauts. We simply float a little."

"It's fine as long as you pay attention. But ahead of us..."

After examining the place carefully for a while, Hal and Asya summoned two runes of Ruruk Soun.

This simple arrangement signified "Flight."

Hal levitated into the air. He had never undergone training for moving around on the moon, but with this, he could fly anywhere he wanted. The gravity, one sixth of the Earth's, no longer affected him.

"I see, so you use it this way, huh?"

Murmuring, Asya stared at her right hand.

On her palm was the Rune of the Chain, a symbol similar to the "巳" kanji. The master-class witch and native Earthling swung her right hand—

She summoned the same "Flight" runes as Hal.

Whoosh. Asya likewise floated into the air, flying effortlessly next to Hal.

"Impressive as ever, Asya. You're able to use Ruruk Soun magic now."

"I can only use the ones involving a few runes. Unless I get more familiar, I most likely won't be able to use magic that'll be useful on the battlefield."

Once again witnessing how much of a prodigy his childhood friend was, Hal felt quite impressed. However, Asya herself merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"Unlike you, I don't even have a magic wand yet."

"On the other hand, I think you're more amazing for using magic without a wand."

The two of them started moving to their destination using flight magic.

The flying was quite stable. Even if they were holding cups in their hands, the water inside would probably just tremble slightly.

However, they were actually flying at up to four or five hundred kilometers per hour.

After all, too slow a speed would be no good for flying around inside a crater with a diameter of a hundred kilometers. For human standards, this was extremely amazing high-level magic. Without a leviathan's assistance, even master-class witches could not achieve this.

However, Hal said, "From the perspective of dragonkind, this magic is even easier than radio calisthenics... Probably like 'lighting a match.' Thus, I don't think this will accelerate my transformation into a dragon."

Conversely, one could also say—

Haruga Haruomi had already become this close to being a dragon.

Hal deliberately kept this last comment to himself. Asya did not pursue the matter either, probably out of consideration. It was just like in the past when Hal avoided broaching the subject of Rushalka's lifespan running out.

"By the way... Your earlier loss of appetite seems to have recovered. What was the reason after all? You've been acting strange lately."

Hal had not had a chance to spend time alone with his childhood friend for quite a while. The duel against Princess Yukikaze was also coming up soon. Perhaps he should get this cleared up first.

Worried that it might affect his coordination with Asya, he made his decision to ask about ''that''.

"Do you remember? Take for example the time when we were alone in that hotel in New York..."

"!?"

Before the battle against Dragon King Hannibal at New York, his childhood friend had kissed him. Furthermore, she had told him something profound. This scene, which had caused Hal much agitation lately, was like a fish bone stuck in his throat.

It caused him to think "Huh? Does Asya actually feel that way about me..."

Hal thought it might be a boy's tendency to consider themselves more attractive than they actually were, common during puberty, but what if it was not the case this time?

When he cautiously asked, his childhood friend reacted emotionally.

"W-What are you talking about, Haruomi!? Recently, my magical power has been in a poor state. There are even times when I don't remember what I've done. Did I do something in front of you!?"

"Eh? Is that what's been happening?"

"That's right! So I'd be very happy if you could be generous and forgive me for my mistakes!"

"I see..."

The one who had acted suspiciously was now very nervous and panicking.

Hal felt it would be bad to pursue the matter any further, so he stopped.

Asya immediately raised another question, "Putting that aside, there's something that bothers me about your dragonification. While I was away, weren't you merging with the Crimson Queen?"

"Don't worry, the others helped cure me."

"That's precisely it. How did they cure a body that had dragonified completely?"

"!?"

Hal's heart instantly went cold.

"Th-They didn't tell you?"

"They didn't. There wasn't enough time last time so I know nothing about the details. Orihime-san did mention to me that Luna and Hazumi-san helped and it apparently took a lot of work."

Apparently, his childhood friend was not aware what Orihime, Luna and Hazumi, the three young maidens in a state of nudity, had done for Hal when he had turned into a red dragon.

"Having become a Tyrannos myself, I'm quite curious."

"Relax. I already know how to cure you if you turn into a dragon in the future."

"W-What do you mean by that!?"

The trigger for Haruga Haruomi's recovery was apparently rooted in lust.

In that case, Asya's was "gluttony" of course. Fully satisfying human desires was the key to avoid dragonification.

Thinking he would explain this later, he told Asya, "I'll explain in detail to you later... Right now, let's prioritize the mission."

Using flight magic, Hal and Asya arrived near the center of the Plato Crater whose diameter was a hundred kilometers.

On the surface of the moon, a couple hundred meters below them was an infinity symbol, roughly five or six kilometers wide and half that in length.

This was apparently the Rune of the Mother Dragon.

Its color was black. On the moon's white surface, it was particularly striking.

However, humans without magical sight could not see it. Were it visible, the observation center on Earth would have discovered it long ago.

In any case, they had flown for roughly ten minutes in total.

The two of them finally arrived just above the edge of the infinity sign.

"This comment is like a very old gag now, but I'm reminded of the Nazca Lines."

"Indeed. Weren't we seven when we went to look at the Nazca Lines together—Hmm?"

Just as they descended rapidly and were about to land on the surface of the moon...

Hal widened his eyes. To encounter an acquaintance here out of all places. Given that unique manner of dress, Hal could not have recognized the wrong person.

"Uh, fine," Hal muttered in a grumbling voice. "I shouldn't be surprised this guy ran all the way to the moon."

Hadn't he said before?

'So long as it is to see you, Tyrannos and dragon king, I am willing to venture anywhere, not just on Earth but even the far ends of the sea of stars.'

The man who kept his word was named Sophocles.

Too dark a complexion to be Caucasian. Too deep set his facial features to be oriental.

Of indeterminate race, yet he was undoubtedly a handsome man. Like Hal and Asya, the mysterious man was dressed in a manner that completely ignored their environment in space. In his case, he was wearing a black suit under a black coat.

Alone, he was standing on the white moon.

===Part 3===

"Long time no see, young man."

The instant Hal and Asya landed, Sophocles greeted them.

His voice was reminiscent of rusted metal.

Still, it was a beautiful voice, deep and magnetic. Combined with his cool and handsome face whose expression barely changed, perhaps he might prove popular with housewives if he were to act in television dramas.

However, this man had sided with dragonkind despite his human identity.

Lowering his voice, Hal said to his childhood friend, "Although I'm in no position to criticize, this is truly a bizarre situation for us to have a normal conversation despite being on the moon."

"Because he's using magic, just like us. Look."

Asya was looking behind Sophocles' back.

Three runes of Ruruk Soun were hovering in the air, signifying "transmit my voice yonder." This magic allowed one to communicate in all conditions.

In fact, the same runes were present behind Hal and Asya too.

After leaving the ruins to visit the true surface of the moon, they had used this magic in order to communicate to each other through the vacuum of space where sound could not travel.

Hal shrugged and responded to the strange man in black.

"You keep showing up after every incident. It really doesn't feel like a long time to me."

"Wonderful. I would like to maintain a long relationship with you, if possible."

"Hard to say. Despite how I look, I'm someone who could end up dead any moment."

Sophocles calmly spoke to Hal, who was harboring pessimism towards his own future, "Do not put things that way. Even if you have encountered a few problems, you have made astounding growth in a few short months, charging along the road towards dragon kingship. Given your ability, asending to the throne just like that would also be—"

"Hmm—"

Smiling wryly, Hal looked back Sophocles who was goading him earnestly.

Why? Despite clearly looking like an ascetic with strict self-regulation, Hal always wanted to address him as "the devil" from the first moment he met him.

"I think you were being disingenuous just now."

"Oh?"

"Come on, you've spent thousands, tens of thousands of years observing the Road to Kingship. I'm sure you've noticed long ago, right? I'm actually unsuitable to becoming a dragon king at all."

"Fufufufu, what are you talking about?"

Sophocles seemed to smile.

But his cheek merely twitched a little, so it was hard to be certain if he was actually smiling.

"Without anyone's guidance, you have climbed the dragon king ladder step by step, rely on your own exclusive methods that no one can imitate. How could someone like you be 'unsuitable'?"

"But I don't have any cheating methods available to me anymore."

With a sense of helplessness from having exhausted everything at his disposal, Hal declared lightly.

"My body is probably turning into a dragon soon. But perhaps because I'm lacking in wild instinct or something like that... Once I turn into a dragon completely—turn into an intelligent beast—I might not be able to continue using petty tricks like before."

Yesterday, Hal had turned into a dragon in the middle of his fight with Galad.

Taking on the form of ferocious monster, he had fought the silver dragon—and was easily driven back. Hal completely lacked the wild quality that would have made the difference in that situation.

"A dragon's nature... The qualities of a ferocious wild beast are completely incompatible with the cheap tricks of a lowly commoner like me. I'm civilized to the core. In this sense, Asya over there could very well have more potential to become a dragon king..."

"Hmm. That girl, yes?"

"I met you only yesterday. Thanks for your help."

Asya said she had met this strange man inside Pavel Galad's barrier.

It was soon after she discovered the flint. Apparently, under Sophocles' guidance, his childhood friend had become "dragon king-like" Tyrannos.

Hal asked, "How did he help you?"

"When I was trapped inside Galad's barrier, Sophocles opened a path to the ground surface. That's why I was able to get back to Tokyo so quickly."

It was the moment just before Pavel Galad had survived, turning into a monster to wreak destruction.

Asya and Rushalka had used the Rune of the Chain to deliver the final blow against the silver dragon that was on the verge of death. Had Asya not arrived, Hal did not know if he would still have a chance to visit the moon.

"Also, I used a trick when inhering the Chain."

"A trick?"

"You know, right? When trying to steal someone's dragonslaying rune, even if the owner is dead, the chance of success is still pretty low."

"Yeah. Hinokagutsuchi said the probability was less than 40%."

"When guy cast a spell to raise the chance to around 70%."

"So that's how you managed to inherit the rune!?"

"Although it boils down to luck in the end, raising the probability from below 40% to more than 70% is quite a lot. It was a huge favor."

"I see."

Pavel Galad had revived himself, going as far as to remodel his body that was supposed to have died.

Hal's childhood friend's cold chain had severed Galad's obsession. Having one question resolved, Hal brought up his next biggest doubt:

"Did he propose some kind of condition in exchange for doing such a big favor for you?"

"Umm... Nothing at all."

Asya stared at Sophocles from the side, totally suspicious of him.

"He said 'With every additional Tyrannos in this era, I become one step closer to my wish.' But we can't have me turning into a dragon too, so I don't really want my power of dragonbane to grow stronger."

"I said this yesterday. That does not matter to me."

Sophocles' tone of voice was quite sincere.

"Holders of dragonslaying runes do not always progress even if they thirst for power. Conversely, there also exist those who become immensely powerful and approach the dragon king throne without any intention of becoming king. This young man is an excellent example. Everything depends on destiny and a person's talent."

" "..." "

"Regarding the birth of Tyrannoi, all I have ever done is offer them chances."

Hal and Asya silently stared at Sophocles.

They felt like they could almost see a "devil's tail" behind him, but this strange man remained the same as always, looking so honest, speaking every word from the heart.

Even though his actions always felt like there was some ulterior motive behind them.

"However," Hal switched the subject and spoke to Sophocles.

He wanted to understand more about the true nature of the man who served dragonkind despite his human identity.

"I can't believe you even picked a witch like Asya... the sworn enemy of dragonkind, to become a Tyrannos. Do you have any principles at all? What is your intention?"

"You have misunderstood something," asserted Sophocles calmly.

The man who seemed extraordinary despite the ordinary suit he was wearing remained expressionless.

"For the game revolving around dragon kings and runes of dragonbane... The Road to Kingship, I serve as a facilitator. This does not imply that I am dragonkind's servant at all."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Allow me to rephrase. I am not dragonkind's friend. Rather, it is the opposite. Whether now or in the past, I have always been trying to help the beautiful planet that nurtured mankind—as well as the humans living upon it."

Sophocles pointed at the brightly shining blue planet in the distance.

Despite being on the moon, his every action was no different from how one would behave on Earth, but Hal and Asya were in no position to criticize others in this regard.

Sure enough, this man possessed extraordinary magical powers as well.

"Haruga Haruomi. I believe our aspirations are the same despite our differences in standpoint."

"Oh my, that can't be possible."

"Please. You and I—We are kindred in a certain sense, you know?"

"How so?"

"For example, I have a rough idea as to why you came over to observe the Rune of the Mother Dragon. On the other hand, dragonkind—especially dragon kings—would find it impossible to comprehend."

"I don't believe you." Hal scoffed at Sophocles. "Or maybe you used magic to read my mind?"

"No, I simply tried to imagine your intent. First of all, to investigate this Rune of the Mother Dragon to see if it could prove useful in the battle against Princess Yukikaze."

"That goes without saying, but anyone can guess this much—"

"Next, I am afraid you intend to ''destroy it''."

"......"

"The Rune of the Mother Dragon is clearly a threat to mankind, most probably producing dragon children endlessly. In that case, it is necessary to find out whether it can be destroyed... This is what the Haruga Haruomi I know would think."

"Uh—"

Seeing his thoughts revealed, Hal was rendered speechless. He licked his lips.

Sophocles was right. If possible, this was something he ought to destroy before the battle against Princess Yukikaze.

Before Haruga Haruomi died, or turned into a dragon completely.

"Whenever you encounter problems, more than coming up with solutions to overcome the predicament at hand, you are more predisposed towards putting large-scale structural reforms into motion, to eliminate the problem itself. Am I correct?"

"I am just... lazy."

Hal finally interrupted Sophocles' long-winded speech.

"It's a lot of work initially, but ultimately, this way of doing things means less hassle after the fact. Anyway, the less effort the better, that's the kind of person I am."

"Indeed. In fact, I am the same."

Sophocles nodded expressionlessly.

"Allow me to offer you some advice as a kindred spirit. The power of dragonbane cannot destroy the Rune of the Mother Dragon. It cannot be destroyed unless you are powerful enough to erase all dragons from the entire universe—a power equal to the god of creation. Nowhere in the universe will you find such an exceptional being."

"H-How did the scale of things suddenly get so big..."

Despite the excessively grandiose warning, Hal still summoned his magic gun to his right hand.

Words alone could be exaggerated to any extent. It could be a bluff. He could not be certain of the truth unless he tested it for himself...

Realizing Hal's intent, Asya exclaimed in alarm, "Haruomi!?"

"Go!"

He aimed the muzzle at the ground and pulled the trigger.

The target was the crater directly below, with the infinity symbol carved upon it. With investigative magic added to the bullets, hal fired three red magic bullets in succession—

Bam bam bam!

The three glowing projectiles struck the white sand definitively, but he did not feel like he had shot anything.

The firepower and magical power were completely nullified. It was like firing bullets at a cosmic abyss, futile.

"Then how about a technique of assured annihilation..."

If he summoned the Crimson Queen and fired the sun-shooting divine bow with maximum firepower—

Thinking that, Hal slumped his shoulders. Trying would be pointless. The investigative magic he had added to the bullets just now had already told him Sophocles was speaking the truth...

This infinity sign was a magic symbol equivalent to the god that had created dragonkind.

Hal dispelled his magic gun and muttered, "Impossible to destroy, huh? Looks like you're right."

"I am pleased that you understand."

"But on behalf of humanity, I'd like to call you out on that 'I am the friend of Earth and mankind' comment. Why would someone with such sentiments go around doing things to help dragon kings and dragon king candidates?"

"Allow me to ask you a question in return—"

Sophocles' tone was sincere as always.

"Do you really believe that we humans can win against dragon kings?"

"Huh?"

"Of course not. In fact, just like you, I... am a man who became a Tyrannos by chance. One day, I suddenly realized: At this rate, our planet and all of humanity would get roped into civil conflict between dragonkind—There is no path but demise."

"......"

"The Road to Kingship is where elites, Tyrannoi and dragon kings fight one another. This game cannot be left unattended. When their conflict and competition intensifies, the world will one day collapse. Such is the astounding competitive instinct and destructive impulse of dragonkind."

The mysterious man's voice remained sincere.

"So long as dragonkind exists, the Road to Kingship needs an administrator to control the game so that it unfolds in mankind's favor. That person needs to serve the dragon kings and Tyrannoi while surreptitiously make sure that competitors from the human side continue to join in."

"Now that you mention that..."

Hal understood and muttered.

"The dragon kings I know... Hannibal, Princess Yukikaze, and the Crimson Queen—they were all hybrids who used to be humans, right?"

"Correct. And of the current dragon kings, both the Black Lightning Emperor and the Blue Sea King are purebloods."

"The number of hybrids... is slightly greater."

"Yes. Would you believe me if I said this was because I brought dragonslaying runes to Earth?"

Sophocles calmly revealed the truth.

"Human have no means to fight dragons, but it is a different matter for humans who inherit dragonslaying runes to take part in the Road to Kingship. To drive away dragonkind by the hand of these heroes, thus prolonging the lifespan of the human world and the Earth that nurtures humans—That is my wish."

"N-No no. But—"

There was a decisive flaw in what Sophocles said.

Did he not notice it? Or did he not care at all? Feeling he had to make sure, Hal asked in a trembling voice, "Even if you share the dragonslaying runes with humans like this, these humans end up dying in the process or losing their memories as humans, you know? In the end, isn't all you're doing just instigating 'a war between dragon king-class competitors with Earth as the arena'? In that case, the Earth's demise will happen sooner or later..."

"Indeed, that is one viewpoint. I concede that."

The strange man in the black suit nodded unfazed.

No mistake. Hal was sure of it. This man was mad.

"No matter what, in this era when dragonkind has started becoming active in earnest, there is no fate waiting for humanity but demise. However, so long as 'humans capable of killing dragons' are born from the seeds I have sown, humanity's lifespan could extend somewhat."

"Extension of lifespan..."

"Haruga Haruomi. That is precisely what you are doing now."

Hal gasped.

He realized why he thought this man—Sophocles—was the devil.

His actions were definitely not unreasonable. His views had grounds to support them. With this as the starting point, upgrading continually, perhaps one day, humans really could obtain the means to resist dragonkind. However—

Sophocles could no longer do it.

He had become a machine-like being that executed the plan he had devised thousands, tens of thousands of years ago. That was why he resembled the devil.

His mind had most likely died long ago.

Hybrid dragon kings maintained the vitality of their minds by indulging in human feelings and pleasures.

But Sophocles had not done so. He lived this long, most likely only to execute his mission. This was the result.

(Perhaps...)

Hal felt a chill.

(If one seals away the power of dragonbane while in the virtually immortal state of a Tyrannos, to prevent oneself from turning into a dragon... Perhaps this is the outcome.)

As a living thing, humans lived to at most a hundred years or so before dying of old age.

What awaited Hal several thousand, tens of thousands of years later, was perhaps a state akin to insanity like this man's. Moreover...

If Haruga Haruomi were to continue this current state, neither human nor dragon...

Would he eventually get stuck in a dead end like Sophocles? Realizing this possibility, Hal shuddered from the bottom of his heart.

===Part 4===

"Sophocles-san... He said that!?"

"Yeah. He's even more crazy than we thought."

At the ruins located in the Sea of Showers in the moon's northern hemisphere.

Dozens of stone towers were built here. Juujouji Orihime was on the top floor of one of them, talking to her friend, the senior witch Asya who had just returned from the moon surface.

Also, Haruga Haruomi was not present.

Claiming he had errands to run, he had split up from them.

"Although I cannot fully agree with his views, I have to admit it makes a bit of sense."

"Really? Isn't the world safer with fewer Tyrannoi and dragon kings?"

"Think of it from a different angle. Those who hold dragonslaying runes are essentially enemies to all of dragonkind."

With a knowing look on her face, Asya was the very image of a knowledgeable witch.

"Imagine this. What would happen if a herd of deer were to reproduce on an island without natural predators? The deer will eventually eat all the vegetation on the island, causing a severe ecological imbalance. If dragonkind did the same on Earth—"

"...It will lead to the destruction of Earth's civilization."

"Yeah. And currently the only beasts capable of hunting dragons are the dragon kings and Tyrannoi with their ability to use dragonslaying runes."

"......"

"In that case, why not leave dragon kings and imitation dragon kings alone, and give humans the power of dragonbane, thereby managing the risk. This is Sophocles-san's methodology."

"Oh my? Now that I hear you say this, why does..."

Orihime realized something and tilted her head in puzzlement.

"The goal Haruga-kun and Luna-san said they would achieve through GUILD—"

"Are very similar, right? In this sense, he is quite similar to Haruomi."

"Does that man... want to do something to Haruga-kun?"

"He probably doesn't care what happens to Haruomi, sincerely."

"Eh?"

"It's fine if Haruomi turns into a dragon king. If he ends up dead in a ditch instead of turning into a dragon, then there are no loose ends to tie up, very convenient. I think what he truly doesn't want to see is Haruomi doing nothing, living as a hermit without achieving anything. Because the rare power would become meaningless."

"You are very right."

As expected of the genius witch and combat expert.

Asya's analysis was impressive. Exhibiting excellent powers of observation, the witch and friend tossed a gloomy glance towards Orihime.

"Putting that aside, Orihime-san."

"W-What is the matter? Asya-san?"

Orihime was a little startled.

In fact, she had been feeling "guilty" towards her friend since summer.

Anastasya Rubashvili, the genius witch.

She harbored feelings towards her childhood friend Haruga Haruomi and Juujouji Orihime had noticed faint signs of this. However, so much had happened between him and Orihime this summer, admitting to each other that they were dearest in each other's heart—

And they had kissed many times.

Then there was (Haruga-kun, good grief, always towards my breasts...) and yesterday, even Luna Francois and her cousin Shirasaka Hazumi had joined in, all of them engaging in something absurd together.

Logically speaking, the European-born Asya should not know anything about what had happened, however.

(Has Asya-san finally found out!?)

Unable to speak about it, Orihime had kept Asya in the dark.

Was she going to expose that secret? With somber eyes, Asya opened her mouth solemnly and shook as she yelled!

"We were invited by a dragon king to the moon, don't you think it's weird that there isn't even a banquet? I-I finally regained my appetite and yet I have to sate my hunger on such crude food...!"

"Oh..."

Hearing Asya's heart-rending yell, Orihime nodded.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting at a humble wooden table with a large porcelain dish before them.

This dish was an amazing magic artifact. All one needed to do was concentrate and food similar to white bread would appear on the dish.

Eating this was enough to get a full meal with sufficient nutrients—

That was what Haruga Haruomi had said. He had apparently experienced this inside King Solomon's secret base. There was also a magic pot that produced unlimited distilled water.

However, this magic bread had no flavor.

Even if one focused their sense of taste to the maximum, one could at most taste faint sweetness.

The texture was also dry. For a gourmand who sought pleasure from food, this was desecration of food, absolutely impossible to accept.

As one would expect, Asya began to roar.

"Meals are more than about replenishing nutrients! The true pleasure of eating is about nourishing the soul in addition to the body! Carbohydrates should be obtained from wheat, rice, tubers, legumes except for soybeans, corn, while protein comes from meat and fish, of course! Anyway, meat! Juicy steaks! Fatty premium ribs! Kansai-style sukiyaki made with A5 black Wagyu marbled beef! Deep-fried pork chop cutlets, thick on the inside, crispy on the outside, served as a set meal! Fried chicken that leaves your hands and mouth greasy and sticky! Mince meat cutlets the size of a sandal! Pork belly stew! Genghis Khan grill! Hamburger with fries and shake!"

"L-Let us all go out for dinner once we get back safely!"

The witch companion recited a long list of high-calorie foods.

Silently finding Asya quite adorable, Orihime proceeded to soothe her.

"I could ask my grandfather to take us out to a delicious sushi restaurant."

"Speaking of whitefish, there's sillago, sea bream, halfbeak, and black porgy wrapped in kombu kelp is good too! As for bluebacks, there's horse mackerel, marinated mackerel and spotted shad! Surf clams, egg cockle, orange clam, abalone and conch! Tiger prawns, mantis shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe, squid, and the chu-toro and o-toro cuts of tuna! Other than nigiri sushi, there's kakiage and bamboo shoots with their own special appeal which are quite nice. To conclude the meal, kanpyo sushi rolls made with egg and eel are a must!"
[[image:Leviathan 08 088.jpg|thumb]]

"Impressive as ever, Asya-san, you are very knowledgeable about sushi too..."

"J-Just a personal hobby... Oh, one more thing, Orihime-san."

Asya seemed to have calmed down.

She lowered her voice and suddenly asked, "How did you help Haruomi recover when he merged with the Crimson Queen? For some reason, Haruomi won't explain it clearly. When I asked him earlier, he seemed a bit nervous."

"Y-You are asking about this!?"

"Why are you panicking too?"

"It is really nothing special. Nothing worth paying so much attention to—"

"Of course I'm curious as it could very well happen to me tomorrow. Or is there some reason why you can't tell me?"

"Uh, umm, how should I put this—?"

In fact, Orihime had never been this flustered when chatting with female friends.

(I-I was too careless...!)

The silver-haired genius witch looked suspiciously at the flustered Orihime.

Asya's recently emerged feminine charm had vanished as soon as her appetite recovered. Hence, Orihime totally did not expect her to raise this question.

At this rate, she might not be able to keep the secret any longer—

(Haruga-kun, hurry and save me!)

Ultimately, Orihime was just as ill-equipped to deal with romantic rivalry.

She really wished the absent one could return soon. With the two of them together, there might still be a way to keep Asya in the dark...

Orihime desperately cried for help in her thoughts.

===Part 5===

"Perhaps you have realized to some extent."

"......"

"Time is nigh. Half a year has elapsed since spring this year. You have spent your days in leisure, however—You will soon reach your limit."

"Yeah."

After returning from investigating the moon and the conversation with Sophocles...

Hal had gone out for a stroll alone.

Leaving the ruins under imperishable protection that were filled with stone towers, he walked about listlessly on the moon.

Protecting Hal was also imperishable protection, adjusted to be colorless.

The only one accompanying him was dead and did not need protection. The young girl dressed in a red kimono, Hinokagutsuchi who had not manifested for a long time, was by his side.

"Brat, even though you narrowly escaped a crisis yesterday... You may not be so fortunate next time. Were you to turn into a dragon again, it might be the end for you in spite of having the devil's own luck."

Hinokagutsuchi's words were scathing as ever.

"Payback is a bitch, so to speak."

"I think the same goes for you."

"Oh?"

"You, the self-styled devil, won't last much longer either, right? You've clearly popped up way less recently."

"...Hmph."

The two of them picked a random place to stop.

This former dragon queen and high school boy had met in an alley in Tokyo New Town. After that, days of turbulence had persisted for several months, finally even landing on the moon.

Right now, they were chatting casually—

"Back when I obtained the Crimson Queen, you said 'I might very well vanish if I did not find something to possess'."

Precisely because of that, Hinokagutsuchi had possessed Hal's magic gun.

"Even with a replacement, you are soon reaching your limit, right?"

"Well, this body of mine ought to have exhausted all energy a thousand years ago, and I ended up using so much power for the past half a year."

Hence, her limit was near—

Hinokagutsuchi would rather die than spell it out.

Out of pride, she was simply refusing to confirm or deny. However, after coming to the moon ruins, Hinokagutsuchi had become a little more honest, willing to provide information.

Because her end was near? —Hal did not entertain this thought.

He realized this possibility but deliberately ignored it.

The kind of behavior of seeking mutual confirmation to achieve a connection of minds, was completely unnecessary for these two. Haruga Haruomi and the self-styled devil were practicalists to the core. All they needed was cooperation when their interests were aligned. That was enough.

Hence, Hal brought up this topic.

"Roughly eight hundred years ago, when you were still queen, Princess Yukikaze was the one who defeated you, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you asked me, who lives in the twenty-first century, to duel with that princess. In that case, she can be considered our common enemy, right?"

"Do you really think that one as great as I would bear a grudge against Yukikaze this whole time?"

"Because your personality isn't great enough to let go of a grudge that is only eight hundred years old."

"Hmph."

"Anyway, I will need to duel our common enemy soon. I hope the great former dragon king will make good use of her grudge, one that compelled her to go so far as to exploit me."

"Your insolence knows no bounds, brat."

"I need information and advice. Hoping for your contributions in this regard won't bring divine retribution—That's what I'm thinking."

"Then it depends on whether you are clever enough or not."

Hinokagutsuchi sneered.

"Neither am I certain you have the mettle to best Yukikaze in battle..."

"All I can do is use cheap tricks to close the gap like before. By telling me about the existence of the Rune of the Mother Dragon, aren't you asking me to make use of it?"

"You think I am that considerate?"

"No, but even a demon from hell might show mercy on a whim sometimes. It's not like I'll lose anything by being hopeful."

Despite Hal's frivolous tone, his expression was quite tense.

Of the cheap tricks that could come in handy during the battle against Princess Yukikaze, he could think of one more apart from the Rune of the Mother Dragon.

However, using it required guidance from an experienced predecessor...

This was his greatest gamble ever. Everything depended on luck, not just the talents and efforts of himself and his companions. How deep a bond existed between him and the self-styled devil with the twisted personality—That was the most crucial of all.

Hal braced himself and spoke, "Actually, I've got an idea. I might be able to defeat Princess Yukikaze so long as I become your—the self-styled devil's—successor."

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| Back to [[Leviathan:Volume 8 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
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| Forward to [[Leviathan:Volume_8_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]
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Leviathan:Volume 8 Chapter 2

2019-02-04T01:44:04Z

Dreamer2908:

==Chapter 2 - The Rune of the Mother Dragon==

===Part 1===

The temporary lodgings for Hal and company—A historical site on the Moon.

The "front side" from the Earth's perspective.

The Moon's rotational period and orbital period were both roughly twenty-seven days. As a result, the Moon always presented the same face to the Earth.

The back side, normally unseen, was pockmarked and very ugly.

The front side, always facing the Earth, glowed white with a tranquil sense of beauty.

A rotational period of roughly twenty-seven days meant that daytime persisted for fourteen days on the. Similarly, nighttime also lasted fourteen days.

Roughly twelve hours had passed since Hal was taken to the lunar historical site.

It was daytime throughout this duration.

Hal and his companions spent the night at the tower they had chosen randomly. Hal was to alone on the top floor while the two other girls used the area downstairs.

At the moment, Hal was taking a stroll alone in the historical site.

He was walking like normal, unaffected by the weightlessness in space or the Moon's gravity that was one-sixth of the Earth's. What a place far removed from common sense.

"A rune that gives birth to all pure-blooded dragons, huh..." Hal muttered to himself.

The dragon birth ritual conducted in the Plato crater on the Moon. Seeing it in progress with an eye of magic, Hal had also sent Akuro-Ou to investigate.

From what was reported back, it was a magic symbol in the form of an infinity sign that gave birth to countless Raptors.

"Right, I had asked Hinokagutsuchi before how dragons were born. Back then, she cackled at me and avoided giving a straight answer."

Did they lay eggs or give birth to live young? Speaking of which, was there a distinction between male and female?

Hal had asked what would be fundamental for any species, but Hinokagutsuchi glossed over the issue, deeming it "too complicated" and that he would understand eventually, so the matter unded up dangling unresolved all this time.

Back then, he had just gotten to know the self-styled devil.

But this time, Hinokagutsuchi mentioned a term.

The Rune of the Mother Dragon—

"She's finally doing things different from her usual style."

The former dragon queen was providing information, a rare act indeed.

Hal was quite intrigued by her intentions. Furthermore, he also wanted to investigate that "Rune of the Mother Dragon"...

"Hmm?"

He was suddenly jolted out of this thoughts.

The Rune of the Bow in the center of his right palm was telling him that his complementary rune was approaching.

"Haruomi, lend me a moment of your time!"

"You! I knew it."

Princess Yukikaze had flown in from the sky above.

Riding her magic wand, the surfboard, she arrived like the wind.

By the time Hal noticed, she had already caught him by the back of the collar, forcibly dragging him onto her surfboard.

Princess Yukikaze, dressed in a one-piece dress, was right beside him. In other words, they would be considered riding together.

"Woah!"

Hal immediately fell flat on his bottom against the surfboard.

He did not think his sense of balance was good enough to stand properly on this unstable means of locomotion.

"Hahahaha, how unsightly!"

"What choice do I have!? This obviously isn't meant for two riders!"

The princess' laughter was so lively that Hal could not sense any intention of mockery from her. Hal grumbled in response.

The magic surfboard swiftly ascended vertically, easily overcoming the Moon's gravity—exceeding Mach 8 in speed.

Underfoot, the white moon gradually receded.

Kept out of harm's way by imperishable protection, the princess and Hal did not feel any burden, but...

"Where the heck are you taking me!?"

"I have something to discuss, so accompany me for a while. I shall show you my residence!"

"Ehhh!?"

Their altitude was probably over a hundred kilometers.

Hal and the princess were headed towards an asteroid. Orbiting the Moon, it resembled an oval disc, large enough to place the entire Old Tokyo Dome.

Princess Yukikaze seemed to be his fated rival.

Including today, only two days remained for his recuperation before his duel with this girl—

Once he could catch his breath, Hal's first words were a complaint.

"There's no need to go all the way to this kind of place, if all you want is to talk to me."

"It is quieter here and the view more beautiful than below. I like it here."

There were ruins on this asteroid too, filled with plain stone towers.

But different from the Moon, there was also an elegant building here.

It was a castle built with a transparent material with a faint blue tint—ice. Its roof was sharp like an ice pillar, tapering off like a cone.

The silhouette of the "ice tower" was reminiscent of a delicate ice sculpture.

The castle featured a great hall that seemed to be for receiving audiences. In this place where the floor, the walls and pillars were all transparent as ice, Hal faced Princess Yukikaze.

"Then why not bring us here from the beginning?"

"Ridiculous. As the saying goes, boys and girls must not sit together after the age of seven. Even if it is you, Haruomi, since you are a man, how could you possibly live under the same roof as me?"

"But you clearly left me together with Juujouji and Asya..."

"?"

Princess Yukikaze blinked.

She apparently could not comprehend the meaning of Hal's words.

Princess Yukikaze looked like she regarded the Japanese girl and the master-class witch, who was also a Tyrannos like him, as "cats kept by Haruga Haruomi." She probably did not see those two as individual persons.

Just as Hal felt stunned, thinking "nothing less expected from a dragon king"—

"Allow me to have a look at your face."

The princess suddenly closed in face to face.

Hal's height was almost 170 cm, definitely not considered tall. Even so, he was still taller than the princess, who stood roughly 150 cm tall. The white dragon king even stood on tiptoe.

"The color in your complexion has improved. It appears that you have listened to me and rested obediently indeed."

"All thanks to you."

"Praiseworthy, Haruomi. Keep this up in preparation for the day of the duel."

Princess Yukikaze nodded happily.

The princess' face was right before his eyes. Though her age was estimated to have surpassed a thousand, her facial features remained child-like.

Hal felt a vigorous beat of his heart.

So near. Their noses were almost about to touch. This distance was like that time with Juujouji Orihime.

Badump badump. His heart raced faster. By the way, Princess Yukikaze was truly adorable.

(Just like her name, she's really like a snow fairy.)

An uncharacteristically romantic comment rose up in Hal's mind.

He did not harbor the slightest impure thought towards the beautiful maiden of a dragon king. However, this excessively cute member of the opposite sex had suddenly drew so near to him, despite being a member of dragonkind.

This was the reason why his heart raced.

(Crap. How should I put this...? I already have Juujouji, I can't feel something for another person—)

Hal tensed his face and deliberately feigned an unfazed attitude.

"Oh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Haruomi, I did not know you could make such a manly expression."

"Of course, I am a man after all."

"Well said. Fufufufu. To think an anomalous Tyrannos like you would possess manly mettle, I am quite surprised—and pleased."

"Wondeful. In fact, a gentleman's pride is one of the things I brag about."

Juujouji Orihime had seen through it in an instant.

The fact that Haruga Haruomi's facial expression would tense up particularly whenever he entertained lecherous thoughts.

However, in certain ways, Princess Yukikaze was even more innocent than the Japanese witch.

Hearing Hal's answer, the princess partially closed her eyes with satisfaction.

"Is that so? Then keep up your efforts, because it is your duty to maintain the image that I prefer."

"Eh? Why is that?"

"Did you forget the promise!?"

Hal widened his eyes. Princess Yukikaze pouted.

Even though she was pouting childishly, it only felt like another charming side to her. Beautiful maidens were truly in a class of their own.

"Did I make some kind of promise to obey you?"

"Indeed. It was that night when we first clashed as the successors to the Bow and the Arrow, I must have told you—"

"Oh that time before the summer vacation. Genbu-Ou was part of it too."

His first battle against Princess Yukikaze was almost three months ago.

That time, Hal had defeated Genbu-Ou, a gigantic minion with a length exceeding a hundred meters. True Genbu-Ou, wielding a goddess' power, had emerged from the gigantic turtle, plunging Hal into a difficult fight...

Hal suddenly remembered.

That night, Princess Yukikaze had rushed over to tell him:

'Haruomi, ours is a relationship where a decisive duel between us is inevitable. If I defeat you and you're fortunate enough to survive—'

'You can become my minion.'

'If you turn out to be a warrior capable of surviving an encounter against me on the battlefield... A reward of this level would be richly deserved. Do your best, Haruomi!'

Indeed. Like a demon king who would tell the protagonist to "join my side" before the final battle, Princess Yukikaze had issued a one-sided declaration to him.

"Do you remember now?"

Princess Yukikaze grinned.

"Naturally, the necessary condition is that you survive instead of dying after the duel... You are the man who bears the fate of becoming my servant. In that case, becoming the type the master prefers—"

"Is my obligation—So that's what you mean?"

"Precisely."

"That doesn't really count as a promise to me."

"What did you say!?"

"Because you left without waiting for my answer."

"Grr."

"Well, it's true that it's a pretty good deal, offering me my life in exchange for my allegiance, but I've got my pride too. Wagging my tail and agreeing to someone's one-sided offer, that'd wrong for a man, right?"

As for his honest thoughts...

Of course, becoming the beautiful dragon king's slave would be a thousand times better than getting killed. He definitely hoped the princess would hire him. Hal valued his own life more than dying for pride, but if he were to confess truthfully—

Princess Yukikaze would probably scold him "No manliness at all!"

It would be scary too if Princess Yukikaze said "I changed my mind" when he actually lost, hence Hal intentionally went contrarian. By creating the best impression possible for the princess in preparation for his ''moment of defeat''—That was the gist of his calculations.

(Well, I don't think she's the type to get angry just because I talk back to her.)

Since he understood the princess' personality, he boldly said, "Besides, it's a bit much to make a promise before he duel with the assumption that I'd lose. What if you happen to lose... What do I get from you?"

"I, Princess Yukikaze, would lose to you, a mere Tyrannos?"

"Yeah."

Princess Yukikaze glared at him, causing Hal to secretly break out in cold sweat.

She was not genuinely angry. The princess' slightly displeased eyes made Hal a bit scared, but he decided to feign courage as much as possible and chose his words carefullly.

"Because it's a match, right? An unexpected situation might arise, no—"

Hal declared assertively.

"I will definitely make it happen."

The usual Haruga Haruomi would not have been able to speak like this.

Perhaps it was because these lines were completely contrary to his usual self. The assertive words easily rolled off his tongue. Since he was merely taking his usual self and acting in an opposite manner, he was able to instantly come up with he needed to say.

(I guess this is what actors feel when they ad-lib on stage.)

What a frivolous self production.

As for the response from Princess Yukikaze, who belonged to a race of natural born warriors—

"Well then, Haruomi, the day that I, Yukikaze, loses to you shall be the day when I become your minion!"

Like a noble warrior, she declared gallantly.

Sure enough, the princess was still too young. Her naivete was a bit adorable.

"Got it. But personally, I'm a bit put off by the idea of taking in minions, so I won't collect on the deal if I win."

Hal had no wish to force a small girl to become his servant or slave.

Spurred by morals and a conscience, Hal offered the princess a slightly hypocritical answer... Although the main reason was because he could not imagine the situation after the duel with the princess at all.

However, the seasoned warrior who had lived over a thousand years did not seem quite impressed with Hal's conservative response.

"What lax conditions. Are you trying to offer charity to me, Yukikaze?"

Hal hastily explained himself to Princess Yukikaze, who had stiffened her expression.

"Th-That's not what I mean."

"Hmph. Accepting generosity from a mere Tyrannos would only humiliate me. In the event that I, Yukikaze, were to lose—Go ahead and treat me as your possession, do not hold back!"

"Huh—!?"

"Naturally, there is no reason for me to lose to a brat like you!"

The angry dragon king maiden asserted sternly.

Hal anxiously wondered "did I go too far?" but immediately changed his mind.

Whether or not this conversation had taken place, Princess Yukikaze was not going to go easy on him. Doing this was not going to make things any worse for Hal.

Princess Yukikaze's personality was straight as an arrow.

Rather, the problem was—

(Although I made a cool speech just now, my chances of winning are minuscule no matter how I think about them.)

That being said, that was no excuse for sloppy battle preparations. It was time to discuss ''that'' with her—Hal changed the subject.

"Say... Isn't there a certain crater on the Moon with a huge rune of Ruruk Soun is carved on it?"

"Oh?"

Princess Yukikaze, who looked like an angry sulking child just a moment ago, changed her expression instantly.

With a profound and knowing smile, she gazed upon Hal.

"What sharp eyes you have, to think you noticed that already."

"I'm not that amazing. That thing gives off a pretty weird presence and occasionally creates a great many Raptors."

"Fufufufu. That symbol is apparently named the Rune of the Mother Dragon."

Princess Yukikaze replied matter-of-factly.

"The polar opposite to the dragonslaying runes we use, it is a seal for giving birth to dragons."

"How surprising. You seem uninterested in that. Seeing as it's so close to this palace, I would've thought it was yours for sure."

"If one had to attribute ownership, it would belong to all of dragonkind."

The princess spoke in a tone of solemnity, fitting for a dragon king.

"I simply wanted to establish a base near the Moon. Only after settling in this castle did I learn that the Rune of the Mother Dragon had manifested in that location."

"I see..."

After learning the term "Rune of the Mother Dragon," Hal was now able to find information about the birth of dragonkind from his magic wand, the magic gun. In the universe, there was apparently a number of celestial bodies like the Moon, carved with ''runes for giving birth to dragons''.

After operating for several centuries, Runes of the Mother Dragon would exhaust their energy and enter dormancy for tens or hundreds of thousands of years.

Once the power of conception recovered, the rune would reappear on the celestial body's surface—

The infinity sign on the Moon had gone through a long period of dormancy before reactivating in July of the year 1999 CE. Indeed, that was the year when the dragons returned to Earth. Dragon kings and elites, who had left Earth or went dormant, became active in concert with the rune's revival...

What a huge inside story. However, this was none of Hal's business right now.

He shrugged and said, "Then it's fine if I go investigate the rune, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Because it isn't yours, right?"

The princess glared at him, causing Hal's heart to skip a beat. There was intimidating wrath in the girl's eyes.

"Haruomi, do not forget that I, Yukikaze, ordered you to rest properly. It would not do if you delayed your recovery due to unnecessary matters. The days before our duel are running out, you know?"

"That's exactly why I need to go investigate. I might end up finding something—That could come in handy when I'm fighting you."

"What?"

"Rest is the priority but I still want to make a final struggle for the duel."

For the sake of the imminent duel—Hal put these magic words to use.

"Hmm."

Hugging her shoulders, Princess Yukikaze fell into deep thought.

"After all, the Rune of the Mother dragon is merely a symbol for creating dragons and cannot be employed in a battle between a dragon king and a Tyrannos."

The princess sounded like she was criticizing Hal, but did not persist in stopping him.

She respected Hal's opinion. Since the princess had spoken so, the rune probably could not be used as a trump card on the battlefield, but—

Hal had many of his own ideas.

(A dragon king... surely wouldn't think of this.)

He decided to try it out first. The adorable dragon king princess suddenly issued orders.

"Go if you must, but you have to return to me after you finish your business. Should I see any slowing trend in your recovery, I will force you to rest obediently even if I must tie you to a bed!"

She clearly thought of Haruga Haruomi as a pet or a plaything.

===Part 2===

"My, aren't you enjoying your chat with Princess Yukikaze?"

"Asya, why are you suddenly saying this?"

"Haruga-kun and the princess sounded so happy when they were chatting. The tone was quite cheerful."

"You too, Juujouji!?"

"It even led to the princess declaring 'I will become yours' to Haruomi... Orihime-san, he's unforgivable, don't you agree?"

"Seriously, it gives me this vibe of 'who does Haruga-san think he is, getting so carried away?'"

"You're head over heels when talking to the princess."

"I-I was desperately handing the princess for the sake of the mission, okay!? Besides, how do you know I was head over heels if all you heard was my voice!?"

"I knew it when I heard a different tone of voice, unlike your usual pretenses."

"Asya-san is correct. Just now, you were acting different from your usual self."

"W-What choice did I have? I was trying my hardest to chat with her, trying my best to divert the princess' attention."

After chatting with the princess for a long time...

Hal bid her goodbye and returned to his companions. He took out the cellphone he had been carrying secretly and used audio recording software to replay his conversation with the princess for the two girls.

After listening, both the childhood friend and Juujouji Orihime started to reprimand him.

"I can't believe I used my precious battery power to record the conversation. There's no way to recharge cellphones here, you know..."

He had originally hoped to save time on explaining by making a recording, but it turned out to have the opposite effect.

In any case, Hal put his feelings in order and said, "No matter what, the princess agreed, so we can strut about and travel on the Moon. It'd be problem if she dragged me away in the middle of the investigation."

"Going to the princess after investigating, right...?"

"After all, the princess ordered you to return to her..."

"Conversation is over! We don't have much time left. Let's get on with our work."

Further squabbling would affect the mission coming up next.

Hal said to the two girls who had finally settled down.

"Head straight to the crater to investigate that Mother Dragon rune."

The task of climbing the Plato Crater would require Earthlings to prepare a spacecraft, but Hal was able to skip such a step. He used the Ruruk Soun rune of Teleport.

"We arrived in an instant..."

"Because it's teleportation."

"I can't believe I'd come to somewhere like this by relying on Haruomi's magic... Half a year ago, I never would've thought of this," said Asya poignantly.

Just earlier, Hal and his childhood friend were still in a room inside the stone tower.

But now, they were standing on a vast land of white. White—dry sand as far as the eye could see. They had finally arrived on the surface of the moon.

"Doraemon's Anywhere Door would definitely be convenient if it actually existed, but the joy of traveling would instantly diminish to zero. Speed and fun are mutually exclusive."

"This time, we're taking the practical route."

The two of them were wearing casual clothes from Earth.

They did not have access to channels for purchasing spacesuits worth over a billion yen apiece. Neither did they need to buy them. Using the power of Tyrannoi, they summoned imperishable protection—A colorless and transparent barrier to cover the body.

This protection normally manifested in the form of a pearly glow, but because Asya commented "I don't care about it during battle, but... The color of our protection gets in the way when we're investigating," so they tried erasing to color.

Although it made for less ambiance, prioritizing practicality was the point here. Hal nodded and took a casual step forward.

"Uwah!"

He was startled. With just a tiny step, his body floated up lightly.

"Even with imperishable protection, we're still not completely free from the effects of low gravity."

"This is a defensive ability to begin with. It's still better than hopping around like astronauts. We simply float a little."

"It's fine as long as you pay attention. But ahead of us..."

After examining the place carefully for a while, Hal and Asya summoned two runes of Ruruk Soun.

This simple arrangement signified "Flight."

Hal levitated into the air. He had never undergone training for moving around on the moon, but with this, he could fly anywhere he wanted. The gravity, one sixth of the Earth's, no longer affected him.

"I see, so you use it this way, huh?"

Murmuring, Asya stared at her right hand.

On her palm was the Rune of the Chain, a symbol similar to the "巳" kanji. The master-class witch and native Earthling swung her right hand—

She summoned the same "Flight" runes as Hal.

Whoosh. Asya likewise floated into the air, flying effortlessly next to Hal.

"Impressive as ever, Asya. You're able to use Ruruk Soun magic now."

"I can only use the ones involving a few runes. Unless I get more familiar, I most likely won't be able to use magic that'll be useful on the battlefield."

Once again witnessing how much of a prodigy his childhood friend was, Hal felt quite impressed. However, Asya herself merely shrugged nonchalantly.

"Unlike you, I don't even have a magic wand yet."

"On the other hand, I think you're more amazing for using magic without a wand."

The two of them started moving to their destination using flight magic.

The flying was quite stable. Even if they were holding cups in their hands, the water inside would probably just tremble slightly.

However, they were actually flying at up to four or five hundred kilometers per hour.

After all, too slow a speed would be no good for flying around inside a crater with a diameter of a hundred kilometers. For human standards, this was extremely amazing high-level magic. Without a leviathan's assistance, even master-class witches could not achieve this.

However, Hal said, "From the perspective of dragonkind, this magic is even easier than radio calisthenics... Probably like 'lighting a match.' Thus, I don't think this will accelerate my transformation into a dragon."

Conversely, one could also say—

Haruga Haruomi had already become this close to being a dragon.

Hal deliberately kept this last comment to himself. Asya did not pursue the matter either, probably out of consideration. It was just like in the past when Hal avoided broaching the subject of Rushalka's lifespan running out.

"By the way... Your earlier loss of appetite seems to have recovered. What was the reason after all? You've been acting strange lately."

Hal had not had a chance to spend time alone with his childhood friend for quite a while. The duel against Princess Yukikaze was also coming up soon. Perhaps he should get this cleared up first.

Worried that it might affect his coordination with Asya, he made his decision to ask about ''that''.

"Do you remember? Take for example the time when we were alone in that hotel in New York..."

"!?"

Before the battle against Dragon King Hannibal at New York, his childhood friend had kissed him. Furthermore, she had told him something profound. This scene, which had caused Hal much agitation lately, was like a fish bone stuck in his throat.

It caused him to think "Huh? Does Asya actually feel that way about me..."

Hal thought it might be a boy's tendency to consider themselves more attractive than they actually were, common during puberty, but what if it was not the case this time?

When he cautiously asked, his childhood friend reacted emotionally.

"W-What are you talking about, Haruomi!? Recently, my magical power has been in a poor state. There are even times when I don't remember what I've done. Did I do something in front of you!?"

"Eh? Is that what's been happening?"

"That's right! So I'd be very happy if you could be generous and forgive me for my mistakes!"

"I see..."

The one who had acted suspiciously was now very nervous and panicking.

Hal felt it would be bad to pursue the matter any further, so he stopped.

Asya immediately raised another question, "Putting that aside, there's something that bothers me about your dragonification. While I was away, weren't you merging with the Crimson Queen?"

"Don't worry, the others helped cure me."

"That's precisely it. How did they cure a body that had dragonified completely?"

"!?"

Hal's heart instantly went cold.

"Th-They didn't tell you?"

"They didn't. There wasn't enough time last time so I know nothing about the details. Orihime-san did mention to me that Luna and Hazumi-san helped and it apparently took a lot of work."

Apparently, his childhood friend was not aware what Orihime, Luna and Hazumi, the three young maidens in a state of nudity, had done for Hal when he had turned into a red dragon.

"Having become a Tyrannos myself, I'm quite curious."

"Relax. I already know how to cure you if you turn into a dragon in the future."

"W-What do you mean by that!?"

The trigger for Haruga Haruomi's recovery was apparently rooted in lust.

In that case, Asya's was "gluttony" of course. Fully satisfying human desires was the key to avoid dragonification.

Thinking he would explain this later, he told Asya, "I'll explain in detail to you later... Right now, let's prioritize the mission."

Using flight magic, Hal and Asya arrived near the center of the Plato Crater whose diameter was a hundred kilometers.

On the surface of the moon, a couple hundred meters below them was an infinity symbol, roughly five or six kilometers wide and half that in length.

This was apparently the Rune of the Mother Dragon.

Its color was black. On the moon's white surface, it was particularly striking.

However, humans without magical sight could not see it. Were it visible, the observation center on Earth would have discovered it long ago.

In any case, they had flown for roughly ten minutes in total.

The two of them finally arrived just above the edge of the infinity sign.

"This comment is like a very old gag now, but I'm reminded of the Nazca Lines."

"Indeed. Weren't we seven when we went to look at the Nazca Lines together—Hmm?"

Just as they descended rapidly and were about to land on the surface of the moon...

Hal widened his eyes. To encounter an acquaintance here out of all places. Given that unique manner of dress, Hal could not have recognized the wrong person.

"Uh, fine," Hal muttered in a grumbling voice. "I shouldn't be surprised this guy ran all the way to the moon."

Hadn't he said before?

'So long as it is to see you, Tyrannos and dragon king, I am willing to venture anywhere, not just on Earth but even the far ends of the sea of stars.'

The man who kept his word was named Sophocles.

Too dark a complexion to be Caucasian. Too deep set his facial features to be oriental.

Of indeterminate race, yet he was undoubtedly a handsome man. Like Hal and Asya, the mysterious man was dressed in a manner that completely ignored their environment in space. In his case, he was wearing a black suit under a black coat.

Alone, he was standing on the white moon.

===Part 3===

"Long time no see, young man."

The instant Hal and Asya landed, Sophocles greeted them.

His voice was reminiscent of rusted metal.

Still, it was a beautiful voice, deep and magnetic. Combined with his cool and handsome face whose expression barely changed, perhaps he might prove popular with housewives if he were to act in television dramas.

However, this man had sided with dragonkind despite his human identity.

Lowering his voice, Hal said to his childhood friend, "Although I'm in no position to criticize, this is truly a bizarre situation for us to have a normal conversation despite being on the moon."

"Because he's using magic, just like us. Look."

Asya was looking behind Sophocles' back.

Three runes of Ruruk Soun were hovering in the air, signifying "transmit my voice yonder." This magic allowed one to communicate in all conditions.

In fact, the same runes were present behind Hal and Asya too.

After leaving the ruins to visit the true surface of the moon, they had used this magic in order to communicate to each other through the vacuum of space where sound could not travel.

Hal shrugged and responded to the strange man in black.

"You keep showing up after every incident. It really doesn't feel like a long time to me."

"Wonderful. I would like to maintain a long relationship with you, if possible."

"Hard to say. Despite how I look, I'm someone who could end up dead any moment."

Sophocles calmly spoke to Hal, who was harboring pessimism towards his own future, "Do not put things that way. Even if you have encountered a few problems, you have made astounding growth in a few short months, charging along the road towards dragon kingship. Given your ability, asending to the throne just like that would also be—"

"Hmm—"

Smiling wryly, Hal looked back Sophocles who was goading him earnestly.

Why? Despite clearly looking like an ascetic with strict self-regulation, Hal always wanted to address him as "the devil" from the first moment he met him.

"I think you were being disingenuous just now."

"Oh?"

"Come on, you've spent thousands, tens of thousands of years observing the Road to Kingship. I'm sure you've noticed long ago, right? I'm actually unsuitable to becoming a dragon king at all."

"Fufufufu, what are you talking about?"

Sophocles seemed to smile.

But his cheek merely twitched a little, so it was hard to be certain if he was actually smiling.

"Without anyone's guidance, you have climbed the dragon king ladder step by step, rely on your own exclusive methods that no one can imitate. How could someone like you be 'unsuitable'?"

"But I don't have any cheating methods available to me anymore."

With a sense of helplessness from having exhausted everything at his disposal, Hal declared lightly.

"My body is probably turning into a dragon soon. But perhaps because I'm lacking in wild instinct or something like that... Once I turn into a dragon completely—turn into an intelligent beast—I might not be able to continue using petty tricks like before."

Yesterday, Hal had turned into a dragon in the middle of his fight with Galad.

Taking on the form of ferocious monster, he had fought the silver dragon—and was easily driven back. Hal completely lacked the wild quality that would have made the difference in that situation.

"A dragon's nature... The qualities of a ferocious wild beast are completely incompatible with the cheap tricks of a lowly commoner like me. I'm civilized to the core. In this sense, Asya over there could very well have more potential to become a dragon king..."

"Hmm. That girl, yes?"

"I met you only yesterday. Thanks for your help."

Asya said she had met this strange man inside Pavel Galad's barrier.

It was soon after she discovered the flint. Apparently, under Sophocles' guidance, his childhood friend had become "dragon king-like" Tyrannos.

Hal asked, "How did he help you?"

"When I was trapped inside Galad's barrier, Sophocles opened a path to the ground surface. That's why I was able to get back to Tokyo so quickly."

It was the moment just before Pavel Galad had survived, turning into a monster to wreak destruction.

Asya and Rushalka had used the Rune of the Chain to deliver the final blow against the silver dragon that was on the verge of death. Had Asya not arrived, Hal did not know if he would still have a chance to visit the moon.

"Also, I used a trick when inhering the Chain."

"A trick?"

"You know, right? When trying to steal someone's dragonslaying rune, even if the owner is dead, the chance of success is still pretty low."

"Yeah. Hinokagutsuchi said the probability was less than 40%."

"When guy cast a spell to raise the chance to around 70%."

"So that's how you managed to inherit the rune!?"

"Although it boils down to luck in the end, raising the probability from below 40% to more than 70% is quite a lot. It was a huge favor."

"I see."

Pavel Galad had revived himself, going as far as to remodel his body that was supposed to have died.

Hal's childhood friend's cold chain had severed Galad's obsession. Having one question resolved, Hal brought up his next biggest doubt:

"Did he propose some kind of condition in exchange for doing such a big favor for you?"

"Umm... Nothing at all."

Asya stared at Sophocles from the side, totally suspicious of him.

"He said 'With every additional Tyrannos in this era, I become one step closer to my wish.' But we can't have me turning into a dragon too, so I don't really want my power of dragonbane to grow stronger."

"I said this yesterday. That does not matter to me."

Sophocles' tone of voice was quite sincere.

"Holders of dragonslaying runes do not always progress even if they thirst for power. Conversely, there also exist those who become immensely powerful and approach the dragon king throne without any intention of becoming king. This young man is an excellent example. Everything depends on destiny and a person's talent."

" "..." "

"Regarding the birth of Tyrannoi, all I have ever done is offer them chances."

Hal and Asya silently stared at Sophocles.

They felt like they could almost see a "devil's tail" behind him, but this strange man remained the same as always, looking so honest, speaking every word from the heart.

Even though his actions always felt like there was some ulterior motive behind them.

"However," Hal switched the subject and spoke to Sophocles.

He wanted to understand more about the true nature of the man who served dragonkind despite his human identity.

"I can't believe you even picked a witch like Asya... the sworn enemy of dragonkind, to become a Tyrannos. Do you have any principles at all? What is your intention?"

"You have misunderstood something," asserted Sophocles calmly.

The man who seemed extraordinary despite the ordinary suit he was wearing remained expressionless.

"For the game revolving around dragon kings and runes of dragonbane... The Road to Kingship, I serve as a facilitator. This does not imply that I am dragonkind's servant at all."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Allow me to rephrase. I am not dragonkind's friend. Rather, it is the opposite. Whether now or in the past, I have always been trying to help the beautiful planet that nurtured mankind—as well as the humans living upon it."

Sophocles pointed at the brightly shining blue planet in the distance.

Despite being on the moon, his every action was no different from how one would behave on Earth, but Hal and Asya were in no position to criticize others in this regard.

Sure enough, this man possessed extraordinary magical powers as well.

"Haruga Haruomi. I believe our aspirations are the same despite our differences in standpoint."

"Oh my, that can't be possible."

"Please. You and I—We are kindred in a certain sense, you know?"

"How so?"

"For example, I have a rough idea as to why you came over to observe the Rune of the Mother Dragon. On the other hand, dragonkind—especially dragon kings—would find it impossible to comprehend."

"I don't believe you." Hal scoffed at Sophocles. "Or maybe you used magic to read my mind?"

"No, I simply tried to imagine your intent. First of all, to investigate this Rune of the Mother Dragon to see if it could prove useful in the battle against Princess Yukikaze."

"That goes without saying, but anyone can guess this much—"

"Next, I am afraid you intend to ''destroy it''."

"......"

"The Rune of the Mother Dragon is clearly a threat to mankind, most probably producing dragon children endlessly. In that case, it is necessary to find out whether it can be destroyed... This is what the Haruga Haruomi I know would think."

"Uh—"

Seeing his thoughts revealed, Hal was rendered speechless. He licked his lips.

Sophocles was right. If possible, this was something he ought to destroy before the battle against Princess Yukikaze.

Before Haruga Haruomi died, or turned into a dragon completely.

"Whenever you encounter problems, more than coming up with solutions to overcome the predicament at hand, you are more predisposed towards putting large-scale structural reforms into motion, to eliminate the problem itself. Am I correct?"

"I am just... lazy."

Hal finally interrupted Sophocles' long-winded speech.

"It's a lot of work initially, but ultimately, this way of doing things means less hassle after the fact. Anyway, the less effort the better, that's the kind of person I am."

"Indeed. In fact, I am the same."

Sophocles nodded expressionlessly.

"Allow me to offer you some advice as a kindred spirit. The power of dragonbane cannot destroy the Rune of the Mother Dragon. It cannot be destroyed unless you are powerful enough to erase all dragons from the entire universe—a power equal to the god of creation. Nowhere in the universe will you find such an exceptional being."

"H-How did the scale of things suddenly get so big..."

Despite the excessively grandiose warning, Hal still summoned his magic gun to his right hand.

Words alone could be exaggerated to any extent. It could be a bluff. He could not be certain of the truth unless he tested it for himself...

Realizing Hal's intent, Asya exclaimed in alarm, "Haruomi!?"

"Go!"

He aimed the muzzle at the ground and pulled the trigger.

The target was the crater directly below, with the infinity symbol carved upon it. With investigative magic added to the bullets, hal fired three red magic bullets in succession—

Bam bam bam!

The three glowing projectiles struck the white sand definitively, but he did not feel like he had shot anything.

The firepower and magical power were completely nullified. It was like firing bullets at a cosmic abyss, futile.

"Then how about a technique of assured annihilation..."

If he summoned the Crimson Queen and fired the sun-shooting divine bow with maximum firepower—

Thinking that, Hal slumped his shoulders. Trying would be pointless. The investigative magic he had added to the bullets just now had already told him Sophocles was speaking the truth...

This infinity sign was a magic symbol equivalent to the god that had created dragonkind.

Hal dispelled his magic gun and muttered, "Impossible to destroy, huh? Looks like you're right."

"I am pleased that you understand."

"But on behalf of humanity, I'd like to call you out on that 'I am the friend of Earth and mankind' comment. Why would someone with such sentiments go around doing things to help dragon kings and dragon king candidates?"

"Allow me to ask you a question in return—"

Sophocles' tone was sincere as always.

"Do you really believe that we humans can win against dragon kings?"

"Huh?"

"Of course not. In fact, just like you, I... am a man who became a Tyrannos by chance. One day, I suddenly realized: At this rate, our planet and all of humanity would get roped into civil conflict between dragonkind—There is no path but demise."

"......"

"The Road to Kingship is where elites, Tyrannoi and dragon kings fight one another. This game cannot be left unattended. OWhen their conflict and competition intensifies, the world will one day collapse. Such is the astounding competitive instinct and destructive impulse of dragonkind."

The mysterious man's voice remained sincere.

"So long as dragonkind exists, the Road to Kingship needs an administrator to control the game so that it unfolds in mankind's favor. That person needs to serve the dragon kings and Tyrannoi while surreptitiously make sure that competitors from the human side continue to join in."

"Now that you mention that..."

Hal understood and muttered.

"The dragon kings I know... Hannibal, Princess Yukikaze, and the Crimson Queen—they were all hybrids who used to be humans, right?"

"Correct. And of the current dragon kings, both the Black Lightning Emperor and the Blue Sea King are purebloods."

"The number of hybrids... is slightly greater."

"Yes. Would you believe me if I said this was because I brought dragonslaying runes to Earth?"

Sophocles calmly revealed the truth.

"Human have no means to fight dragons, but it is a different matter for humans who inherit dragonslaying runes to take part in the Road to Kingship. To drive away dragonkind by the hand of these heroes, thus prolonging the lifespan of the human world and the Earth that nurtures humans—That is my wish."

"N-No no. But—"

There was a decisive flaw in what Sophocles said.

Did he not notice it? Or did he not care at all? Feeling he had to make sure, Hal asked in a trembling voice, "Even if you share the dragonslaying runes with humans like this, these humans end up dying in the process or losing their memories as humans, you know? In the end, isn't all you're doing just instigating 'a war between dragon king-class competitors with Earth as the arena'? In that case, the Earth's demise will happen sooner or later..."

"Indeed, that is one viewpoint. I concede that."

The strange man in the black suit nodded unfazed.

No mistake. Hal was sure of it. This man was mad.

"No matter what, in this era when dragonkind has started becoming active in earnest, there is no fate waiting for humanity but demise. However, so long as 'humans capable of killing dragons' are born from the seeds I have sown, humanity's lifespan could extend somewhat."

"Extension of lifespan..."

"Haruga Haruomi. That is precisely what you are doing now."

Hal gasped.

He realized why he thought this man—Sophocles—was the devil.

His actions were definitely not unreasonable. His views had grounds to support them. With this as the starting point, upgrading continually, perhaps one day, humans really could obtain the means to resist dragonkind. However—

Sophocles could no longer do it.

He had become a machine-like being that executed the plan he had devised thousands, tens of thousands of years ago. That was why he resembled the devil.

His mind had most likely died long ago.

Hybrid dragon kings maintained the vitality of their minds by indulging in human feelings and pleasures.

But Sophocles had not done so. He lived this long, most likely only to execute his mission. This was the result.

(Perhaps...)

Hal felt a chill.

(If one seals away the power of dragonbane while in the virtually immortal state of a Tyrannos, to prevent oneself from turning into a dragon... Perhaps this is the outcome.)

As a living thing, humans lived to at most a hundred years or so before dying of old age.

What awaited Hal several thousand, tens of thousands of years later, was perhaps a state akin to insanity like this man's. Moreover...

If Haruga Haruomi were to continue this current state, neither human nor dragon...

Would he eventually get stuck in a dead end like Sophocles? Realizing this possibility, Hal shuddered from the bottom of his heart.

===Part 4===

"Sophocles-san... He said that!?"

"Yeah. He's even more crazy than we thought."

At the ruins located in the Sea of Showers in the moon's northern hemisphere.

Dozens of stone towers were built here. Juujouji Orihime was on the top floor of one of them, talking to her friend, the senior witch Asya who had just returned from the moon surface.

Also, Haruga Haruomi was not present.

Claiming he had errands to run, he had split up from them.

"Although I cannot fully agree with his views, I have to admit it makes a bit of sense."

"Really? Isn't the world safer with fewer Tyrannoi and dragon kings?"

"Think of it from a different angle. Those who hold dragonslaying runes are essentially enemies to all of dragonkind."

With a knowing look on her face, Asya was the very image of a knowledgeable witch.

"Imagine this. What would happen if a herd of deer were to reproduce on an island without natural predators? The deer will eventually eat all the vegetation on the island, causing a severe ecological imbalance. If dragonkind did the same on Earth—"

"...It will lead to the destruction of Earth's civilization."

"Yeah. And currently the only beasts capable of hunting dragons are the dragon kings and Tyrannoi with their ability to use dragonslaying runes."

"......"

"In that case, why not leave dragon kings and imitation dragon kings alone, and give humans the power of dragonbane, thereby managing the risk. This is Sophocles-san's methodology."

"Oh my? Now that I hear you say this, why does..."

Orihime realized something and tilted her head in puzzlement.

"The goal Haruga-kun and Luna-san said they would achieve through GUILD—"

"Are very similar, right? In this sense, he is quite similar to Haruomi."

"Does that man... want to do something to Haruga-kun?"

"He probably doesn't care what happens to Haruomi, sincerely."

"Eh?"

"It's fine if Haruomi turns into a dragon king. If he ends up dead in a ditch instead of turning into a dragon, then there are no loose ends to tie up, very convenient. I think what he truly doesn't want to see is Haruomi doing nothing, living as a hermit without achieving anything. Because the rare power would become meaningless."

"You are very right."

As expected of the genius witch and combat expert.

Asya's analysis was impressive. Exhibiting excellent powers of observation, the witch and friend tossed a gloomy glance towards Orihime.

"Putting that aside, Orihime-san."

"W-What is the matter? Asya-san?"

Orihime was a little startled.

In fact, she had been feeling "guilty" towards her friend since summer.

Anastasya Rubashvili, the genius witch.

She harbored feelings towards her childhood friend Haruga Haruomi and Juujouji Orihime had noticed faint signs of this. However, so much had happened between him and Orihime this summer, admitting to each other that they were dearest in each other's heart—

And they had kissed many times.

Then there was (Haruga-kun, good grief, always towards my breasts...) and yesterday, even Luna Francois and her cousin Shirasaka Hazumi had joined in, all of them engaging in something absurd together.

Logically speaking, the European-born Asya should not know anything about what had happened, however.

(Has Asya-san finally found out!?)

Unable to speak about it, Orihime had kept Asya in the dark.

Was she going to expose that secret? With somber eyes, Asya opened her mouth solemnly and shook as she yelled!

"We were invited by a dragon king to the moon, don't you think it's weird that there isn't even a banquet? I-I finally regained my appetite and yet I have to sate my hunger on such crude food...!"

"Oh..."

Hearing Asya's heart-rending yell, Orihime nodded.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting at a humble wooden table with a large porcelain dish before them.

This dish was an amazing magic artifact. All one needed to do was concentrate and food similar to white bread would appear on the dish.

Eating this was enough to get a full meal with sufficient nutrients—

That was what Haruga Haruomi had said. He had apparently experienced this inside King Solomon's secret base. There was also a magic pot that produced unlimited distilled water.

However, this magic bread had no flavor.

Even if one focused their sense of taste to the maximum, one could at most taste faint sweetness.

The texture was also dry. For a gourmand who sought pleasure from food, this was desecration of food, absolutely impossible to accept.

As one would expect, Asya began to roar.

"Meals are more than about replenishing nutrients! The true pleasure of eating is about nourishing the soul in addition to the body! Carbohydrates should be obtained from wheat, rice, tubers, legumes except for soybeans, corn, while protein comes from meat and fish, of course! Anyway, meat! Juicy steaks! Fatty premium ribs! Kansai-style sukiyaki made with A5 black Wagyu marbled beef! Deep-fried pork chop cutlets, thick on the inside, crispy on the outside, served as a set meal! Fried chicken that leaves your hands and mouth greasy and sticky! Mince meat cutlets the size of a sandal! Pork belly stew! Genghis Khan grill! Hamburger with fries and shake!"

"L-Let us all go out for dinner once we get back safely!"

The witch companion recited a long list of high-calorie foods.

Silently finding Asya quite adorable, Orihime proceeded to soothe her.

"I could ask my grandfather to take us out to a delicious sushi restaurant."

"Speaking of whitefish, there's sillago, sea bream, halfbeak, and black porgy wrapped in kombu kelp is good too! As for bluebacks, there's horse mackerel, marinated mackerel and spotted shad! Surf clams, egg cockle, orange clam, abalone and conch! Tiger prawns, mantis shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe, squid, and the chu-toro and o-toro cuts of tuna! Other than nigiri sushi, there's kakiage and bamboo shoots with their own special appeal which are quite nice. To conclude the meal, kanpyo sushi rolls made with egg and eel are a must!"
[[image:Leviathan 08 088.jpg|thumb]]

"Impressive as ever, Asya-san, you are very knowledgeable about sushi too..."

"J-Just a personal hobby... Oh, one more thing, Orihime-san."

Asya seemed to have calmed down.

She lowered her voice and suddenly asked, "How did you help Haruomi recover when he merged with the Crimson Queen? For some reason, Haruomi won't explain it clearly. When I asked him earlier, he seemed a bit nervous."

"Y-You are asking about this!?"

"Why are you panicking too?"

"It is really nothing special. Nothing worth paying so much attention to—"

"Of course I'm curious as it could very well happen to me tomorrow. Or is there some reason why you can't tell me?"

"Uh, umm, how should I put this—?"

In fact, Orihime had never been this flustered when chatting with female friends.

(I-I was too careless...!)

The silver-haired genius witch looked suspiciously at the flustered Orihime.

Asya's recently emerged feminine charm had vanished as soon as her appetite recovered. Hence, Orihime totally did not expect her to raise this question.

At this rate, she might not be able to keep the secret any longer—

(Haruga-kun, hurry and save me!)

Ultimately, Orihime was just as ill-equipped to deal with romantic rivalry.

She really wished the absent one could return soon. With the two of them together, there might still be a way to keep Asya in the dark...

Orihime desperately cried for help in her thoughts.

===Part 5===

"Perhaps you have realized to some extent."

"......"

"Time is nigh. Half a year has elapsed since spring this year. You have spent your days in leisure, however—You will soon reach your limit."

"Yeah."

After returning from investigating the moon and the conversation with Sophocles...

Hal had gone out for a stroll alone.

Leaving the ruins under imperishable protection that were filled with stone towers, he walked about listlessly on the moon.

Protecting Hal was also imperishable protection, adjusted to be colorless.

The only one accompanying him was dead and did not need protection. The young girl dressed in a red kimono, Hinokagutsuchi who had not manifested for a long time, was by his side.

"Brat, even though you narrowly escaped a crisis yesterday... You may not be so fortunate next time. Were you to turn into a dragon again, it might be the end for you in spite of having the devil's own luck."

Hinokagutsuchi's words were scathing as ever.

"Payback is a bitch, so to speak."

"I think the same goes for you."

"Oh?"

"You, the self-styled devil, won't last much longer either, right? You've clearly popped up way less recently."

"...Hmph."

The two of them picked a random place to stop.

This former dragon queen and high school boy had met in an alley in Tokyo New Town. After that, days of turbulence had persisted for several months, finally even landing on the moon.

Right now, they were chatting casually—

"Back when I obtained the Crimson Queen, you said 'I might very well vanish if I did not find something to possess'."

Precisely because of that, Hinokagutsuchi had possessed Hal's magic gun.

"Even with a replacement, you are soon reaching your limit, right?"

"Well, this body of mine ought to have exhausted all energy a thousand years ago, and I ended up using so much power for the past half a year."

Hence, her limit was near—

Hinokagutsuchi would rather die than spell it out.

Out of pride, she was simply refusing to confirm or deny. However, after coming to the moon ruins, Hinokagutsuchi had become a little more honest, willing to provide information.

Because her end was near? —Hal did not entertain this thought.

He realized this possibility but deliberately ignored it.

The kind of behavior of seeking mutual confirmation to achieve a connection of minds, was completely unnecessary for these two. Haruga Haruomi and the self-styled devil were practicalists to the core. All they needed was cooperation when their interests were aligned. That was enough.

Hence, Hal brought up this topic.

"Roughly eight hundred years ago, when you were still queen, Princess Yukikaze was the one who defeated you, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you asked me, who lives in the twenty-first century, to duel with that princess. In that case, she can be considered our common enemy, right?"

"Do you really think that one as great as I would bear a grudge against Yukikaze this whole time?"

"Because your personality isn't great enough to let go of a grudge that is only eight hundred years old."

"Hmph."

"Anyway, I will need to duel our common enemy soon. I hope the great former dragon king will make good use of her grudge, one that compelled her to go so far as to exploit me."

"Your insolence knows no bounds, brat."

"I need information and advice. Hoping for your contributions in this regard won't bring divine retribution—That's what I'm thinking."

"Then it depends on whether you are clever enough or not."

Hinokagutsuchi sneered.

"Neither am I certain you have the mettle to best Yukikaze in battle..."

"All I can do is use cheap tricks to close the gap like before. By telling me about the existence of the Rune of the Mother Dragon, aren't you asking me to make use of it?"

"You think I am that considerate?"

"No, but even a demon from hell might show mercy on a whim sometimes. It's not like I'll lose anything by being hopeful."

Despite Hal's frivolous tone, his expression was quite tense.

Of the cheap tricks that could come in handy during the battle against Princess Yukikaze, he could think of one more apart from the Rune of the Mother Dragon.

However, using it required guidance from an experienced predecessor...

This was his greatest gamble ever. Everything depended on luck, not just the talents and efforts of himself and his companions. How deep a bond existed between him and the self-styled devil with the twisted personality—That was the most crucial of all.

Hal braced himself and spoke, "Actually, I've got an idea. I might be able to defeat Princess Yukikaze so long as I become your—the self-styled devil's—successor."

<noinclude>

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|-
| Back to [[Leviathan:Volume 8 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Leviathan of the Covenant#Volume_8_.28Full_Text.29|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Leviathan:Volume_8_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

86

2019-02-02T15:28:08Z

Dreamer2908: /* 86 Series */

{{Abandoned}}

<center><big><big>'''This series was licensed by Yen Press on July 8th, 2018.'''</big></big></center>
<br style="clear:both"/>

[[File:86_v1_Cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover|class=serie_cover]]
<br><br><br><br>
== Story Synopsis ==
<div id="synopsis">
No country will scoff at the notion of denying pigs human rights,

Thus,

As long as their language differs, their skin color differs, their ancestors are deemed to be of different tribes, they will be found pigs taking on the appearance of humans. By suppressing and slaughtering them, surely there is no issue per say with regards to human rights violations.

<nowiki>~Vladlena Millize (Memoirs)</nowiki>
</div>
<br style="clear:both"/>
== 86 Series ==
<gallery mode=nolines>
86_v1_Cover.jpg|Volume 1
86 v2 Cover.jpeg|Volume 2
86 v3 Cover.jpg|Volume 3
86 v4 Cover.jpg|Volume 4
86 v5 Cover.jpg|Volume 5
</gallery>
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Series Overview ==
#86―エイティシックス― (February 10, 2017, ISBN 978-4048926669)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.2 ―ラン・スルー・ザ・バトルフロント―〈上〉 (July 7, 2017, ISBN 978-4048932325)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.3 ―ラン・スルー・ザ・バトルフロント―〈下〉 (December 9, 2017, ISBN 978-4048933971)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.4 ―アンダー・プレッシャー― (May 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4048938303)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.5 ―死よ、驕るなかれ― (October 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4049120929)

File:86 v5 Cover.jpg

2019-02-02T15:27:43Z

Dreamer2908:

86

2019-02-02T15:22:17Z

Dreamer2908: /* Series Overview */

{{Abandoned}}

<center><big><big>'''This series was licensed by Yen Press on July 8th, 2018.'''</big></big></center>
<br style="clear:both"/>

[[File:86_v1_Cover.jpg|thumb|Volume 1 Cover|class=serie_cover]]
<br><br><br><br>
== Story Synopsis ==
<div id="synopsis">
No country will scoff at the notion of denying pigs human rights,

Thus,

As long as their language differs, their skin color differs, their ancestors are deemed to be of different tribes, they will be found pigs taking on the appearance of humans. By suppressing and slaughtering them, surely there is no issue per say with regards to human rights violations.

<nowiki>~Vladlena Millize (Memoirs)</nowiki>
</div>
<br style="clear:both"/>
== 86 Series ==
<gallery mode=nolines>
86_v1_Cover.jpg|Volume 1
86 v2 Cover.jpeg|Volume 2
86 v3 Cover.jpg|Volume 3
86 v4 Cover.jpg|Volume 4
</gallery>
<br style="clear:both"/>

== Series Overview ==
#86―エイティシックス― (February 10, 2017, ISBN 978-4048926669)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.2 ―ラン・スルー・ザ・バトルフロント―〈上〉 (July 7, 2017, ISBN 978-4048932325)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.3 ―ラン・スルー・ザ・バトルフロント―〈下〉 (December 9, 2017, ISBN 978-4048933971)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.4 ―アンダー・プレッシャー― (May 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4048938303)
#86―エイティシックス―Ep.5 ―死よ、驕るなかれ― (October 10, 2018, ISBN 978-4049120929)

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume19 Chapter7

2019-02-02T13:47:19Z

Dreamer2908: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 7 - The Flame Sisters==

===Part 1===

According to Fianna, teleporting to Astral Zero required some time for preparations. Before the transfer, the historical site in the shrine had to be activated with correct coordinates set for the Divine Ritual Institute's main worship hall.

During this preparation period, Claire returned to her room to check the luggage she was going to bring.

"...I never thought I'd return to Astral Zero again."

She stuffed ritual instruments and spirit crystals with all kinds of effects into her backpack.

As the leader of Team Scarlet, it was her duty to prepare for contingencies.

Finally, she stuffed an utterly worn out notebook in the chest pocket of her uniform.

It contained the notes about formation tactics developed for the Blade Dance.

(...We won again and again throughout that Blade Dance.)

Blade dancing against many strong teams and formidable foes, the memories were still vivid in her mind.

If the Holy Lord obtained the power of angels, then the victory won by Kamito and Team Scarlet would no longer exist.

(...That is something I will absolutely not accept!)

She clenched her fist tightly and stood up.

Just then, Scarlet, who was lying on the bed, looked at the door and miaowed.

"What's up, Scarlet?"

Did Rinslet visit?

Just as Claire wondered...

"—Claire, it is I."

"N-N-Nee-sama!?"

Claire hastily stood up and opened the door.

Rubia was standing in front of the doorway.

This was the first time Claire's sister had come alone to find her.

"N-Nee-sama, uh?"

"I need to speak with you."

"U-Uh, hold on, I-I'll prepare some tea..."

In a fluster, Claire went to get a teapot.

"Let me sit down first."

Saying there, Rubia sat down on the bedside.

"O-Okay, please go ahead..."

Claire nodded stiffly.

She placed the clay teapot on top of the curled up Scarlet.

Whoosh—Steam instantly gushed out. The hot water all evaporated within the blink of an eye.

"Are you still unused to controlling fire?"

"...! N-No, it's because you suddenly came, so I'm nervous..."

Claire seemed lost.

"..."

Rubia suddenly looked at the books piled on the bed.

"You always loved reading since childhood."

"You were the one who taught me to read, Nee-sama."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes, you always read to me before bedtime."

Claire kept a little distance and sat on the bed.

"U-Uh, you wanted to speak to me about?"

"—About Kazehaya Kamito."

"...Kamito?"

Rubia nodded calmly.

"The Darkness Elemental Lord is gradually taking over his soul. At this rate, eventually—"

"...I knew it."

Claire bit the nail of her thumb.

Of course she had noticed something strange about Kamito.

During the ship ride to the imperial capital, he had seemed inexplicably worried.

"With the awakening of Sacred Maiden Areishia, I fear that the Demon King's power has started to awaken again. Although the darkness spirit is suppressing it the time being, he will soon reach his limit."

"What will happen to Kamito once the Darkness Elemental Lord's power consumes him?"

"An reenactment of Demon King Solomon. No, considering Kazehaya Kamito's latent power, perhaps a calamity far greater than that."

Claire clenched her fist tightly which was resting on her skirt.

(If Kamito turned into that...)

He would probably forget his memories with Claire and everyone else—

"What should we do?"

"Although imperfect, there are methods to suppress the Darkness Elemental Lord's awakening."

Rubia reached out and summoned an ancient scroll from out of thin air.

"...What is this?"

"A scroll from a thousand years ago that I discovered in Sjora Kahn's secret library."

"What's written in it?"

"Writings about the ritual magic used by Demon King Solomon to control the power of darkness—"

"...!?"

With a snap of Rubia's fingers, the scroll was laid open.

"I can't read High Ancient."

"I Know. I will now transmit the images directly into your mind."

"Huh?"

Staring into Claire's eyes, Rubia placed a hand on her forehead.
[[image:STnBD V19 BW06.jpg|thumb]]

Her slender fingers glowed faintly with the light of divine power.

Instantly, information rushed into Claire's mind all at once.

"N-Nee-sama, what is... this... Hwah!"

"Close your eyes and concentrate."

"B-But this is... almost like a blade dance of the night..."

Seeing what the ritual magic involved, Claire's face turned bright red.

"Do not lose composure over something of this extent. Do you not wish to save Kazehaya Kamito?"

"Y-Yes, Nee-sama... Ehhh, no way, I-I even have to do ''that''!?"

"Do not overreact. This, f-for me too..."

Confronted with the images of ancient ritual magic swirling in their heads—

The pure and innocent sisters on the bed began to heat up in body temperature.

===Part 2===

"Packed lunch boxes can eaten any time. Good idea."

"Yes. After all, sandwiches alone would be too monotonous."

Meanwhile, Ellis and Rinslet were borrowing the palace kitchen to make packed meals.

Although they had no idea what had happened in Astral Zero, regardless, hunger was an eventuality that had to be taken care of.

"...Hmm, this came out pretty good."

Ellis packed omelet rolls into the lunch boxes one after another as she finished frying them.

The Sylphid Knights' lunches originally consisted mainly of sandwiches, but ever since Kamito joined the order, the girls started to make cute lunch boxes on their own.

Seeing that, Ellis changed her former view that lunch was merely a meal to fill the stomach, and started preparing lunch boxes for Kamito under the pretext that making an additional portion was no extra effort.

While making her lunch boxes up to standard, Ellis took full care to consider nutritional balance too.

Hers included mini-salad with roast beef, omelet rolls, pasta, grilled cheese, stewed yams, etc, as well as an abundance of hot vegetables.

"I have done my best work too!"

"Oh, I look forward to it... Wait, what is with that lunch box!?"

Drawing closer to glance at Rinslet's lunch box, Ellis' expression froze.

There was a strange and incomprehensible pattern depicted inside Rinslet's lunch box.

...It was almost like abstract art by an avant-garde artist.

"There are elemental lunch boxes for everyone, created with a motif based on each person's contracted spirit."

Rinslet puffed out her chest in pride and explained.

"Did you say... spirit? So this red one is Scarlet, really?"

Ellis asked in trepidation.

"Of course."

She nodded proudly.

"I-I see..."

Ellis avoided eye contact, pretending she had seen nothing.

"No one can be perfect in everything, yes."

"What was that?"

Hearing that, Rinslet frowned.

"...N-Nothing. By the way, what are those ingredients for?"

Ellis hastily changed the subject, drawing attention to the many sacks of flour in the kitchen.

"Yes, this is flour to make pancakes to be offered to Lady Iseria."

"Oh I see."

Rinslet had made a promise with Water Elemental Lord Iseria Seaward who was in Astral Zero, to dedicate offerings of pancakes to her.

"After that, Lady Iseria has not issued any oracles."

Saying that, Rinslet glanced at the blue rose spirit seal, murmuring with worry. Back when they were recapturing the Academy, she could still hear Iseria's voice, but now there was no response no matter how much she called out.

"Hmm, there might be a situation."

"I hope she is safe and sound..."

===Part 3===

Meanwhile, Kamito was in his room polishing Est.

He pressed a steel spirit crystal against the sacred sword's blade and poured in divine power, polishing meticulously. Every time the spirit crystal brushed against the blade, tiny particles of light floated into the air.

(Doing work as usual helps with calming the heart and mind...)

Using a dry cloth, he carefully rubbed the blade he had spent his time polishing.

An observer might think he looked confident.

But Kamito was not polishing his sword because he was confident.

It was the opposite.

Starting from the time at the Instructional School, he would polish his weapons like this before missions. For Kamito, weapon maintenance was akin to a ritual for adjusting his mind.

'...Hua, it feels nice, Kamito.'

The silver-white blade flashed. Originally, there was no need to polish or sharpen the Demon Slayer, an elemental waffe, but Est apparently enjoyed the feeling of her blade being polished.

(Maybe it's kinda like cleaning ears for us humans...)

Thinking that, Kamito smiled wryly.

As a side note, Restia apparently disliked getting her blade polished.

According to her, it was a bit embarrassing.

Reminded of Est's refusal to expose her bare feet, Kamito was truly confused as to what triggers spirits' sense of shame and embarrassment.

'Kamito, I entrust the back of the blade to you too.'

"Yeah, I got it."

Responding to Est's request, Kamito started to polish the back of the blade.

Staring at the phosphorescent flash of divine power, he fell into deep thought.

Protecting Claire in the sealed cave and performing the spirit contract ceremony had been just a few months ago.

After that, Est had been Kamito's sword all this time.

There was once when she exhausted her power to save Kamito and was lost as a result.

And also because Kamito lost his memory one time, it interrupted the spirit contract temporarily.

But no matter what, Est was always Kamito's sword.

Even if she had to oppose Sacred Maiden Areishia, her former contractor, she swore she would remain Kamito's sword forever.

'Kamito, what is wrong?'

Perhaps because his hand stopped for a moment, Est asked.

"...Hmm? Oh, uh, I was just thinking you're super awesome, Est."

'...!'

When he revealed his true feelings without thinking, Est's blade instantly sparked.

"That burns!"

'...! Sorry, Kamito.'

"It's okay, I was just startled a bit."

Kamito dipped his hand in a bucket of water to cool his scorched finger.

Just then...

The sacred sword turned into particles of light and vanished. A silver-haired maiden dressed in uniform appeared before his eyes.

Her silver-white hair glowed faintly. Skin as pale as snow. There seemed to be faint blush on her expressionless face, dainty as a doll's.

"—I was startled too, Kamito."

Her clear eyes of violet stared intently at Kamito.

"You are truly the Demon King of the Night, Kamito."

"W-What...!?"

"Kamito, were you speaking your true feelings just now?"

Faced with Est asking expressionlessly...

"—Yeah, of course."

Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Kamito still nodded vigorously.

"Est, you've been my awesome partner this whole time. As long as I'm with you, I'll never lose, not even to angels from another world, the Holy Lord, or Sacred Maiden Areishia."

"...Kamito."

Est murmured then stood rooted to the spot.

Next—

"Kamito, I have made my decision."

Est sat down on the bed in the room.

"E-Est, th-they're showing, you know!?"

"Yes, please have a look. Kamito—"

"Eh?"

When Est finished speaking expressionlessly—

She hooked her finger against the hem of her kneesock.

"I want you to see, Kamito. My all as the ultimate sword spirit—"

"What!?"

Kamito could not help but fix his gaze on Est's leg.

Thighs as smooth as porcelain. Her slender little feet, wrapped in dark blue kneesocks.

Maintaining her posture with her hands against the hems of her kneesocks, Est stared at Kamito.

And Kamito was stunned, sitting on the bed.

...Est had always been strongly against exposing her bare feet.

Even Kamito had never had a chance to see what was hidden inside those socks.

For Est to be willing to expose her bare feet, in spite of all that—

"...W-Why so suddenly!?"

"This is to prevent my blade from wavering when crossing swords against Areishia."

Est declared firmly.

"I want you to see my all, Kamito, to engrave upon my heart the fact that you are my true master."

"Est..."

Est, as she was right now, was a separate existence from her principal body. But even so, there was always the possibility she might waver when facing off against her former master Areishia.

Even wavering for the slightest instant could end up deciding the outcome of the battle.

"Kamito, please bear witness to my determination now—"

Est began to slide down her fingers that were hooked against her kneesocks.

"...!"

Seeing that, Kamito could not help but hold his breath.

The dark blue kneesocks rustled as it slid below the knees—

There, they suddenly stopped.

"...?"

"...Sure enough, it is still embarrassing."

Est shook her head mildly.

Perhaps due to embarrassment, there was a faint tint of pink on her snow-white complexion of a spirit's.

Kamito was seeing this expression for the first time.

"Est..."

Kamito—

"Hang in there, do your best."

He spoke in a serious tone of voice.

"...!?"

...Indeed, this was Est's determination.

As her contractor, Kamito was obliged to witness to the very end.

"...No good. To go further, even for Kamito..."

Est was speaking so quietly that her voice seemed like it would vanish any moment.

To encourage Est, Kamito spoke in her ear to persuade her.

"Still, I do want to see all of you, Est."

"Kamito... I understand..."

Est nodded mildly.

Rustle. Rustle.

The kneesocks moved downwards.

As the kneesocks formed coils, the snow-white calves came into view.

"Hwa, so embarrassing, Kamito..."

"Est, just a little more... Hang in there, just a little more..."

"...No, sure enough, this is the limit, no more."

"Just hang in there a bit, Est—"

Kamito's voice naturally grew more and more fervent.

"...! K-Kamito, so perverted."

Just as Est whispered that...

"—Fufu, having a lot of fun here, are we?"

Kamito's view turned pitch black.

"...Owah!"

Kamito fell back on the bed.

He looked up—

Only to see the darkness spirit before his eyes, her jet-black wings outspread.

"Kamito, what are you doing to Miss Sword Spirit?"

"R-Restia..."

...Despite the smile on her face, there was no smile in her eyes.

===Part 4===

At the main shrine of the Elemental Lords, located in the center of Ragna Ys...

This was the place where Greyworth had reached twenty-four years ago, whereas Kamito and Team Scarlet had also arrived after blade dancing against numerous formidable foes.

Those qualified to enter this place were limited to the Queens serving the Elemental Lords and the winners of the Blade Dance tournament. No exceptions.

A girl was slowly walking up the steps leading up to that altar.

The Sacred Queen dressed in vestments of pure white—No, it was a being bearing such an appearance only.

"—Thank you for your patience, my friends and allies."

Holy Lord Alexandros greeted the lords on the thrones with familiarity.

The silhouettes of five thrones behind the curtain were visible.

They were the vacuous lords ruling over this world.

The thrones of the Elemental Lords corrupted by True Darkness.

The souls of the Water Elemental Lord and the Fire Elemental Lord had been liberated, but what could be considered their principal body were still imprisoned on this altar.

The Holy Lord ascended the steps and arrived before the thrones.

Using the insane Elemental Lords as sacrifices, to reopen the gate leading to the Otherworld—

"With this my long-time wish, mine and hers from seven thousand years ago, shall be fulfilled."

The Holy Lord reached into the darkness swirling over the Fire Elemental Lord's throne.

"—Let the gate to paradise open here and now."
<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume19 Chapter6|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume19 Chapter8}}</noinclude>

Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Epilogue

2018-08-12T08:43:24Z

Dreamer2908:

==Epilogue==

===Part 1===

Thus the long fight came to an end, and peace returned to the world.

However, it was nothing more than a single period within the long tale of history.

When one conflict ended, another new conflict would begin.

With the closing of the door to another world, the people were delighted by the peace and the whole world celebrated the end of the fight. And then, the world was moving towards recovery.

However what happened then wasn’t limited to only beautiful occurrences.

People who aimed to take advantage of the chaos to pillage and perform crime also weren’t few.

Countries that pushed into the territory of other countries by taking advantage of the reconstruction that hadn’t progressed far and taking control. Groups that created borders as they pleased and introduced themselves as new countries. There were also a lot of people who took advantage of the chaos to fulfill their own greed and ambition by doing things like snatching other country’s resources or the like.

Within such chaos, there was something that all the countries and groups desired very desperately.

That was Ataraxia, a treasury of the other world’s technology, and magic armors along with their pilots.

The country that obtained Ataraxia would be able to construct a new world order as they pleased using that overwhelming super technology. That meant becoming the rulers of the earth.

And then the pilots of the magic armor would become tools in order to fulfill their desires to rule and conquer. In the end, what was waiting for the pilots would be a future as guinea pigs of human experiments in order to research the magic armor and the core.

What was waiting for the heroes who saved the world and ended the war was the greed of the people.

–

And then right now Kizuna was──

–

In space.

Flying at the altitude of 400 kilometers was the orbital strategic space station──nicknamed 『Space Love Room』. Inside it, Kizuna was,

「Ki, Kizuna……mo, more……please, stronger──Kyaahn!♥」

Yurishia’s butt was whipped along with a sharp striking sound.

「Aah……yes」

Yurishia was wearing a bondage suit that exposed her breasts, butt, and navel. Both her arms and legs were shackled with her body posture leaning forward. Both her wrists were restrained using belts on the table. Her ankles were shackled to the floor in a state where her legs were opened and her butt stuck out. Thanks to that her body wasn’t floating in the air even within this zero gravity.

And then Kizuna was only wearing underwear and shoes. The shoes were special shoes that generated magnetism to make it possible for him to stick on the floor. There was a trick on how to walk using the shoes, but now he was completely used to it after going to space like this several times.

「This won’t be a punishment if you are feeling it, Yurishia.」

He said that maliciously and swung down the whip.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pishi-* A satisfying sound came and a red mark was engraved on the butt.

「NnAaAHN♥ For, forgive me-, Goshujin-sama-!」

Yurishia made an intoxicated expression hearing Kizuna’s words.

「Ple, please, punish……this obscene, me……more……stronger♥」

She said that and shook her exposed beautiful white butt to left and right in front of Kizuna. There were several red marks on that white butt. They were the marks from Kizuna’s whip. Yurishia should be feeling pain, but her mouth was opened slovenly with intoxicated eyes.

Kizuna grabbed Yurishia’s large butt and spread it to the left and right to humiliate her.

「Yurishia, scars will remain if I hit you stronger than this you know?」

「Aan, it’s fine……if Kizuna engraves your mark on me……I’ll be able to really feel that I belong to Kizuna……it will be my joy.」

Kizuna smiled wryly behind Yurishia. However that was because Yurishia couldn’t see him. Kizuna had to act as the master that Yurishia wished for in front of her.

「Good grief……you are really a needy pet.」

He struck her butt not with the whip, but with his palm. *Pachin* A nice sound resounded.

「Kyauuhn! ♥」

Yurishia’s spine shivered and she expressed her happiness.

「Actually I want to show this to the whole world. I, I want, it to be known that I am Kizuna’s slave……the world strongest ace of Ataraxia is, a pet that Kizuna keeps. That the reward of me fighting……is to get bullied and treated affectionately by Kizuna, that I’m a pervert whose mind is occupied by that──KUAaAHN♥!」

Kizuna inserted his finger between Yurishia’s legs and roughly stirred around inside. Then, hot liquid flowed out without pause from inside. The finger’s movement flicked the liquid and turned it into splashes. It became water drops that were floating sparklingly in the air.

[[Image:MGHxHV13_007 ill.jpg|thumb]]

「AaaAH♥ Ki-, Kizuna’s finger, feels good-!」

At that time, a small communication device in Kizuna’s ear emitted a voice.

『Kizuna? It will be ten more minutes. Have you finished preparing?』

「Yeah, roger.」

Kizuna replied shortly and cut off the communication. He then tore the Velcro on his waist and took off his underwear. The thing that was completely aroused from Yurishia’s pathetic state appeared from inside.

Kizuna grabbed Yurishia’s waist.

「Yurishia, this is the advance payment for your reward. I’ll work you hard after this, so taste it properly okay?」

「I, I’m happy♥ Please, Goshujin-sama! Co, come, quickly! I cannot endure it anymore!」

Something hot overflowed from between Yurishia’s crotch as though to prove those words. It became drops of liquid that floated in the air.

Kizuna strengthened his shoes’ magnetism and fixed his feet on the floor. And then he placed his hardened thing on Yurishia’s center. Kizuna’s fingers touched the heated slimy flesh.

「Haa……nn♥」

Yurishia let out a sigh just from that.

The moment she breathed out and let down her guard, Kizuna thrust until the depth in one go.

「!?──Hi……ih, AaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN♥♥♥」

Yurishia who was taken by surprise got pierced through by climax in her defenseless state. She lightly came in her carelessness and her inside tightened on Kizuna’s thing strongly.

「A, aa……♥Amazi……ing」

「Just now you came lightly right?」

Yurishia denied in panic. It would be a disaster for her if Kizuna ended this now.

「N-, no……just now……」

「Feeling good on your own like that without permission, what a useless slave.」

Yurishia’s gaze indecently melted in intoxication and her body became even more heated from that verbal abuse.

「Aa……please forgive me. I’m a dirty and undisciplined slave……」

Kizuna’s waist immediately began to nail into Yurishia.

「♥♥AAAaAAAH! A-, amazing! Kizuna-!」

The impact of the nailing waist was transmitted to Yurishia. Her long blonde hair floated in the air from it. Her large breasts that were filling the outfit to bursting floated up and shook up and down as the representation of the kinetic energy that was transmitted within Yurishia’s body.

The motion was really different from when they were on the ground. Yurishia’s breasts that were liberated from gravity were floating and shaking in the air. Only her breasts were moving like a different organism. He wouldn’t get bored watching them.

Kizuna grabbed Yurishia’s floating breasts.

「IAAAHN♥! My, my breasts too-, fe, feels great-♥」

Even while tasting the sensation of Yurishia’s breasts with both hands, his lower body still continued to move back and forth intensely.

Inside Yurishia was really warm and soft. And then it had tightening parts that were divided into several areas. When he was pistoning into her, each area was moving differently, driving Kizuna toward his limit.

He didn’t remember how many times he had done Ecstasy Hybrid with Yurishia, but he didn’t get tired of it. And then each time their bodies joined, he understood about Yurishia.

「Ah, aah, do, don’t! That place is-, AAaAAAAAAH♥♥!」

Kizuna changed the angle and focused his attack to the spot that Yurishia liked the most.

Yurishia stood on her tiptoes because of that and put her strength into her legs. In conjunction with that, her tightening wall strengthened its pressure on Kizuna even more.

「yaUu! Nn!♥ AAAA, co, coming, this is, coming♥!」

Kizuna intensely scraped the inside of Yurishia over and over to corner her further. Kizuna himself was also nearing his climax.

「A♥A, a, a, a, a, co, co, co, coming-♥ I’m, COMIiIING♥♥!」

Yurishia’s body bent backward like a bow. Her body convulsed as though electricity was flowing inside her. Her insides tightened even stronger. And then at the same time Kizuna also ejaculated with all he had inside Yurishia.

「NOoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO♥♥♥♥♥」

At that instant, Kizuna and Yurishia’s cores entered full operation and dazzling light filled the Love Room’s inside.

『Kizuna! It’s coming!!』

A communication came from Scarlet as though she had timed the timing.

「Yeah, I know even without getting told.」

It was a call to inform him that the ICBM was approaching.

Currently a total of 23 ICBMs were approaching Ataraxia. It would become a great disaster if even a single one slipped through.

Kizuna took off his shoes and pushed the switch on the table, freeing Yurishia from the shackles. Then Yurishia also quickly jumped over the table and grabbed the pilot suit floating in the air.

Kizuna too quickly changed into his pilot suit and confirmed the missiles’ positions.

「Yurishia, they will pass 600 meters at the side in 40 more seconds.」

「It’ll be an easy win──Cross!」

She equipped the Heart Hybrid Gear while her face was still erotically flushed and sweaty and the proof of their love affair was trickling down her thigh. It was truly an immoral and lewd sight.

「Eros!」

Kizuna also finished equipping his and opened the hatch before flying out to the outer space.

He didn’t have space suit or helmet. If the magic armor’s Life Saver was deployed across the whole body surface, it would protect the pilot from every kind of harm. And then the magic armor also provided all the necessary things to preserve life.

「It’s coming!」

White shadows came into view from beyond the dark outer space.

「Watch me Kizuna♥ This is my showtime.」

Yurishia deployed her Differential Frame and aimed the muzzle to the ICBMs.

「Hell Fire!!」

Several streaks of light were fired from the Differential Frame. They accurately shot down the ICBMs. Furthermore the shots didn’t explode or destroy them, they instantly evaporated the target. The debris in space wouldn’t increase from that.

Yurishia shot down all 24 missiles. She then turned around and gave a thumbs up at Kizuna. Kizuna also responded with a thumbs up.

「As expected from Yurishia. I was wondering why we needed to do Ecstasy Hybrid even though we are going to shot down missiles, so it’s actually to deal with the attack without increasing debris.」

「Eh? Ye, yes……」

Yurishia replied with a vague answer.

「When we destroyed a military satellite before this, Scarlet and the others had it hard when they had to recover the debris. As expected you are considerate of your juniors.」

「E, ee~rr……」

Yurishia didn’t think of anything like that at all. She scratched her cheeks while her eyes were darting around.

「Tha, that’s right. It’s not good to increase the trivial work.」

『What are you saying. It’s just an excuse to have a secret affair with Kizuna anyway right?』

Scarlet’s transmission cut in.

「Stop with the false accusations. Besides, Ecstasy Hybrid is part of my work right now.」

『Then, help us out if you are finished with over there. It’s really troublesome over here after all.』

「Oh, nooo. I have a plan to have lunch with Kizuna after this. Sorry~」

『Wait Yurishia!? That’s unfair!』

Yurishia grabbed Kizuna’s arm and activated her thruster instantly to enter into the atmosphere.

===Part 2===

Himekawa Hayuru was driving an electric car towards the testing site of Nayuta Lab.

While driving, she saw a shining object at the end of the sky descending. She should be meeting them, but she was slightly late.

After she passed through the entrance of the testing site with a drift maneuver, she saw a group of students of the research department at the front. She drove until near them and stopped the car.

Himekawa got down from the car and waved her hand at Yurishia who was receiving a health examination.

「Welcome back Yurishia-san.」

「My? I’m back Hayuru. It should be fine even if you don’t come to pick me up though.」

Yurishia already dispelled her magic armor. She was only wearing a pilot suit. When Yurishia finished her examination, she walked towards Hayuru who was restlessly looking around.

「Err……where is Kizuna-kun?」

Yurishia borrowed an Ataraxia’s designated spring coat that was hanged nearby without asking and wore it on her shoulders.

「He said that he has some business and went away without even receiving the examination.」

「……So he ran away.」

Himekawa glared angrily at the direction of the entrance. However she couldn’t fine Kizuna’s figure anywhere.

「I wonder if it’s because he detected the scary public morals committee chairman coming here?」

「I, I am only giving warnings so that Ataraxia’s public morals won’t get out of order! Even the Ecstasy Hybrid has to be performed within the limitation of the duty to the end!」

「Yes yes, I get it. Then, can you take me until the dormitory?」

Yurishia lightly warded away Himekawa’s speech and climbed into her car.

「Good grief! Yurishia-san, you too! Even today there was no need to do Ecstasy Hybrid isn’t it!?」

Himekawa climbed on the driver’s seat and stepped on the pedal roughly. The tires lightly made a skidding sound and the car went out of the testing site.

Yurishia sent an exasperated gaze at the angry Himekawa.

「Hayuru, you said that, but even you are doing Ecstasy Hybrid aren’t you? The attack to the nuclear facility last week, that was Hayuru right?」

The hands that were holding the wheel twitched in surprise. The car lightly swayed to left and right.

「Even the spent nuclear fuel at the testing site was annihilated without a trace. Even if it was Gladius, it would be impossible without doing Ecstasy Hybrid.」

Himekawa’s face became bright red and her shoulders hunched down.

「Tha, that……there was no other way……」

Yurishia smiled teasingly.

「But it was an amazing discovery wasn’t it~ To think that it’s possible to do Ecstasy Hybrid from the back too.」

「I also did it at the front properly!」

The car almost leaped at the other side of the traffic lane.

「Wai-! Hayuru, auto driving!」

Yurishia reached out in panic and pushed the switch on the console for auto driving. The zigzagging car immediately ran in a straight line.

Yurishia let out a deep sigh and stared at Himekawa with a fixed gaze.

「……So? You said 『also』……Hayuru, you did it both ways then?」

「……Please don’t ask.」

Himekawa curled into herself with tears gathering in her eyes.

「Well……it doesn’t matter. But, the probability will get halved like that you know?」

「I understand that……but」

Himekawa rubbed her fingertips together while fidgeting.

「There is also the problem of preference but……as expected, the front makes me feel guilty or something……」

「Now listen, Hayuru. Even we won’t be able to stay on active duty forever you know? Ejecting the core and handing it over to the next generation can even be said to be the most important duty for us right now. Hayuru, are you going to keep doing Heart Hybrid, wear Neros, and fight in public even forty years from now?」

「That’s impossible!」

Himekawa immediately answered.

「Right? Now that Professor Nayuta is gone, there is no way to eject the core other than doing Ecstasy Hybrid. We have to do Ecstasy Hybrid with Kizuna proactively for that too.」

Almost a hundred percent of the thing that Kizuna let out when doing Ecstasy Hybrid was converted into energy, preventing pregnancy.

However, pregnancy might happen in an extremely small chance. At that time, the core would be ejected outside the body as though it was handing over its place to the baby.

Himekawa pressed both her hands on her cheeks as though to cool down her heated face.

「Although it’s something that can’t be helped……making baby, with Kizuna-kun……」

「The research department is in the middle of researching another way but, it looks like it will be impossible in our generation.」

「Even though Kizuna-kun and Aine-san are officially going out……it became this kind of licentious, preposterous outcome……somehow it makes me feel guilty.」

However Yurishia responded candidly.

「Even Aine consented to it.」

「There is that but……」

Himekawa frowned. Yurishia smiled seeing her like that.

「As I thought……you cannot give up on Kizuna?」

Himekawa pressed her lips tightly and answered after a while.

「……We are bringing our bodies together periodically……it’s impossible to forget about him like that.」

「Then isn’t it fine? Well, in my position, it will help me if you say that you are giving up, my rivals will decrease like that.」

「That’s……!」

「This is an era where divorce or remarriage are commonplace you know? It’s fine if in the end I can obtain Kizuna. Besides Ataraxia is an independent country you know? There is no need to be bound by the laws of the old world.」

「I, it’s not a problem of law, but an ethical problem!」

「Actually, I thought to make a new law and right now I’m in the middle of formulating it. Don’t you think that polygamy is good?」

「What are you scheming……also, there is something bothering me since some time ago.」

「Whaat?」

「That necklace……what’s with that……」

There was an unfamiliar leather belt on Yurishia’s neck. It was a type that was fastened using metal fittings, it was as though──

「Ah, this? It’s a collar.」

「Co, collar……wait!?」

「I asked Kizuna to put it on me. With this it will also get conveyed to everyone that I am Kizuna’s sex slave won’t it?」

「Yu, Yurishia-san……you are really」

「What? Are you jealous?」

「I, I’m not jealous or anything!」

However for some reason, a feeling of jealousy was whirling somewhere inside Himekawa’s heart.

──’E, even me when it’s just the two of us I’m……Ki, Kizuna-kun’s……pe, pet. At that time even I wear a collar……wha, what’s more it even has a bell attached! My collar is absolutely better!’

The car stopped at the dormitory’s entrance while Himekawa was strangely burning with rivalry.

「Welcome back Yurishia.」

A silver haired girl was going out from the entrance at that timing.

「My, Aine. This is rare for you to welcome me.」

「It’s just a coincidence.」

Aine who was wearing Ataraxia’s uniform peered into the car.

「Kizuna isn’t with you?」

Himekawa answered with a sigh.

「That’s……it looks like he immediately ran off somewhere.」

「……So he ran away.」

Aine bit her thumb and muttered in frustration.

After Yurishia and Himekawa got down from the car, it automatically started running towards the parking lot.

「Well, in the end he will come back here. How about we go back to the room for now?」

「You’re right. How did your mission go?」

Aine asked while heading towards the entry hall.

「It went smoothly. What about you Aine?」

「My opponent was just a reconnaissance drone. I hit it back to the country that sent it. I attached the option that the next time they send another, I’ll sink it along with the aircraft carrier.」

「Rather than that Aine-san. Listen to this, Yurishia-san, she was talking about trying to make polygamy legal in Ataraxia you know? What do you think?」

「Polygamy?」

Aine slightly looked up and thought for a while.

「I don’t really mind you know?」

「Eeh!?」

「As expected from Aine, how magnanimous. It’s not for nothing that you were an emperor.」

Aine made a boasting smile at the two who were showing contrastive reactions.

「Well, the first wife is this me after all. Perhaps it’s more accurate to call it the composure of the legal wife?」

Certainly that might be so──however, getting told that so straightly also wasn’t amusing for Himekawa and Yurishia.

「……I guess. But, there are many stories of concubines or mistresses being loved more rather than the first wife.」

Aine’s eyebrows twitched up.

「What did you say?」

「That’s right isn’t iit. Besides, in this current situation……the one who gets pregnant with Kizuna’s child first will be in the lead.」

「Wha……-!?」

Aine glared at Yurishia with a flustered look.

「Now wait a second! In that case isn’t it the commander who has the most advantage!?」

「Eh!? Aine-san, what do you mean by that?」

「It’s just a rumor but……I heard just now that the commander abused her authority to summon Kizuna during all his free time……I was waiting outside because I want to ascertain it but……」

Yurishia also made a fearless smile.

「This is……it has to be checked from Kizuna himself isn’t it.」

「Really! Let’s tie him up, then we will absolutely make him confess!」

「Good grief! Just where is he going, that man!?」

===Part 3===

Around that time Kizuna was watching the practical class of the elementary school in the schoolyard.

The students with small bodies running around noisily were calming his heart as though he was watching small and cute animals.

「Riight, now then be damn quiet. I am Gertrude Beard, the one who will be the teacher of you damn ladies and gentlemen from now on. Well, best regards.」

Gertrude was greeting the little kids with her usual way of speaking that was unclear whether she was being polite or rude.

Speaking about the kids, they were staring at their teacher with admiring gazes.

「It’s the real thing……it’s the real Gertrude Beard-san……」

「The godslayer Gertrude-san……」

「Amaziiing……coool……」

The whispering voices and sparkling eyes caused Gertrude to avert her gaze awkwardly.

「Aa no……I don’t know what you ladies and gentlemen have heard, but I ain’t someone that exaggerated.」

When Gertrude started speaking, the children completely stopped speaking and fell silent. It was as though they wouldn’t miss to hear even a single word of the person they idolized.

──’Thi, this is damn difficult!!’

Kizuna felt like he could hear such voice from Gertrude’s heart. He desperately endured from laughing.

「I, I only did what I could. It’s obviously impossible to defeat a god by myself alone. But we can accomplish big work if we combine our strength. What I did was nothing more than being in charge of a part of that.」

Gertrude tried to conclude the talk, but the kids’ serious gazes made her feel like she had to say something a little bit more.

「Well, you all just need to diligently and seriously accumulate daily training you damn kids.」

At that time, a single student raised their hand.

「Oh? What is it? You can speak. What is your damn name?」

「Yes. Err……I’m Hida Setsuna.」

That student had long hair with shocking golden color and golden pupils that would make anyone hold their breath. Even though she was a child, she possessed a beauty that would make anyone who saw her freeze and an abnormal presence.

「Teacher said that just now, but isn’t that because teacher is strong?」

「Hm?」

「We aren’t strong like teacher, and we don’t know whether we will be able to become strong. In the end, if we don’t have the ability……we will become unneeded children in this Ataraxia.」

In contrast with her sublime appearance that was like an angel, she weak-heartedly disclosed her worry. It seemed that worry was also something the other children could sympathize with. Many of the children nodded or looked at each other and whispered with low voices.

「She is right……I cannot even imagine me being able to defeat god like teacher……」

「That isn’t something you can become able to do by training.」

「Perhaps it’s pointless to just work hard……」

Gertrude put her hand on her waist and looked around at the children.

「I seee……I understand well everyone’s worry. I too was once worried that I am completely useless.」

Unrest spread through the children.

They made a face that said they couldn’t believe their aspiration Gertrude-san ever had any time like that.

「After all there is this thing called difference in talent. It’s not like everyone here will be able to become ace pilots, and certainly, there might even be those of you here who cannot even become pilots.」

The commotion stopped and the children became quiet. Among them there were also children who got teary eyed.

「──But, so what?」

‘Eh’, the children spontaneously raised their voices.

「It’s sad to have your hopes not coming true, but that ain’t mean that you ladies and gentlemen are worthless because of that. A human’s value ain’t decided from the height of their ability. How that person lives, that is what will decide the value of that person.」

The children held their breaths and stared fixedly at Gertrude.

[[Image:MGHxHV13_008 ill.jpg|thumb]]

「That’s why even if you cannot become an ace, it’s fine if you can become a support pilot. Even if you cannot become a pilot, it’s fine if you can do ground duty. It’s fine if you can find the place where you will be the most useful and work hard there with pride. Live well, and there not gonna be anyone who laugh on you ladies and gentlemen saying that you are worthless.」

Gertrude grinned.

「If you do that, then there will be a time where even someone like me who only has normal ability will be needed by those guys who possess monstrous ability.」

Those words weren’t something that she only had smattering knowledge about or second-hand knowledge. They were words that Gertrude herself discovered within her life and proved with her way of life.

Perhaps the children here couldn’t understand or accept it. But, one day the time would come when they understood. That was what Gertrude thought.

「The damn talk ends here! We are starting training now! First is a light run for warming up! Keep damn running until I say stop!」

When Gertrude clapped her hands, the children obediently started running on the schoolyard track. Kizuna waved his hand to Gertrude who was walking to the edge of the courtyard while scratching her head.

Gertrude who noticed Kizuna jogged towards him.

「This is damn unusual isn’t it, boss Kizuna. Did you escape from the scene of carnage?」

「What an abrupt greeting there, godslayer Ger-san.」

「Stop calling me like that! Just who in the hell started that!? The guy who damn spread that nickname!!」

「I don’t know who but, isn’t it fine?」

Gertrude glared at Kizuna with suspicion.

「I’m completely failing to live up to that name damn it……rather than that.」

Gertrude stared at the girl with golden hair and golden eyes running in the courtyard.

「As expected, is boss worried about Setsuna?」

「……Well yeah.」

Hida Setsuna──on the surface she was Kizuna’s little sister, but the truth was different.

The girl who possessed the consciousness of the AI Thanatos who accomplished evolution until she became a god that ruled all the worlds, and now she possessed the body of Nayuta, Kizuna’s mother who became a machine god──that was Setsuna.

Although, Thanatos’s memory didn’t remain.

It hadn’t been a year since her birth, but her mental age was already growing until it wasn’t inferior compared to the age of her appearance. How would she grow from now on, would she discover special abilities someday, there would be no end to it if they listed the things that were a matter of concern.

「She looks like a good kid ain’t she?」

「Yeah……looks like it.」

Kizuna’s eyes that were watching Setsuna had worry in it even while he was saying that.

Gertrude thought that was surely because Kizuna was treasuring Setsuna.

「After this it will be a practical training of Technical Gear, how about it? Boss can be her training partner. Boss is also good at handling Technical Gear ain’t it.」

「Technical Gear huh……」

Kizuna recalled the time he challenged Aine using Technical Gear and smiled wryly.

「I have nothing but memories of almost dying with it but……that skill isn’t something that I can forget. I’ll give it a try.」

「──No. Please come with me.」

A whisper entered his ear.

「Uwaaah!?」

Kizuna almost rolled over to the front to get away from the source of the voice and he turned around.

「Valdy huh……you, don’t keep appearing in a way that is bad for my heart.」

Valdy who was wearing magic armor was standing behind the spot where he was at just now.

「Reiri-sama is calling. I will lead you until the lab’s command room right away.」

Kizuna nodded weakly.

He understood what it was about in general.

Kizuna had no more plans for today. That was why he was called.

He also thought about escaping, but it would be impossible for him to shake off Valdy’s pursuit. It would be a different story if she let him off, but Valdy had sworn absolute loyalty to Reiri. It was unthinkable that she would let him off.

Ragrus properly reported to Zelcyone and came to Ataraxia after receiving permission, but as for Valdy, she was already here when they noticed.

There was no way to go back so, she was working as Reiri’s bodyguard but……honestly speaking, she was excellent.

After all, Reiri who was the leader of Ataraxia had her life being targeted by the secret agencies and terrorists from the whole world.

When Reiri attended events like international summits and the like, it would become a situation that made him want to ask whether it was an international tournament of assassins. However, Valdy safely protected Reiri to the end and annihilated the hostile assassins.

Since then, Valdy was called the 『god of death』 and she was feared by the secret agencies of many countries.

Although, Reiri too was unrivalled when she equipped Zeros.

「Hm?」

Kizuna felt his body floating.

「Wait, oi! Valdy!」

Valdy carried Kizuna in the posture of princess carry. Gertrude grinned seeing that.

「Haha, this reminds me when I sneaked into Vatlantis together with boss.」

「Shut up! Forget about that!! Valdy, got it! I’ll walk by myself, so let me down!」

「It’s my role to carry out Reiri-sama’s order without fail. Please bear with it for a while.」

「Wai……no」

Valdy leaped with Kizuna in her arms.

===Part 4===

Reiri was in the middle of a conference inside the command room.

Her talking partners were the leaders of various countries that were located several thousand kilometers away.

「Today, there is a country that fired ICBMs towards my Ataraxia. After some consideration, we decided to take a suitable measure for retribution.

『Wait. Which country are you talking about?』

The voice of an elderly woman came from the speaker.

「The person concerned should know. Within four months from now, the nuclear weapons of the country responsible will be removed.」

A different ghastly voice interrupted.

『Reiri, wait. Do you think that kind of highhandedness will be tolerated?』

「I’ll say this──schemes and bargains won’t work in Ataraxia. Rather than that how about worrying about maintaining your own government? Besides it seems you are also taking really highhanded approach to the countries in your surroundings. It’s better if you start worrying about their revenge after your nuclear weaponry got removed.」

『Don’t mess with me! Before that happens I’ll sink Ataraxia no matter what kind of method I have to use! Don’t forget that my country also has Heart Hybrid Gears!』

「That’s convenient. I beg you to attack us. That will save us the time to go there ourselves to steal the cores.」

『Kuh……』

「But I won’t guarantee the pilots’ life. Also, just like I mentioned in my council before, in case a pilot of Heart Hybrid Gear dies, we will recover the core. We won’t recognize any refusal no matter what reason you have.」

『This demon……』

「Indeed, that’s me. You didn’t know?」

Reiri’s mocking voice made the country leaders speechless.

「Also the country that is persistently carrying out spying acts using unmanned drones is──nh」

Reiri’s voice paused.

『What’s the matter demon?』

「Nothi……ku……」

A stir could be felt at the other side of the speaker due to the abnormality that was happening to Reiri.

「The conference is over with this……we will send message of when the next one will be held.」

『Wha-! Wa, wait──』

The instant the communication was cut off, Reiri raised a coquettish voice.

「Nn♥AaAAAAAHHNNN!」

Her upper body was lying down on a table while she was sorting her heavy breathing. And then she looked across her shoulder.

「Ki, Kizuna. Don’t move so suddenly. My voice almost leaked out just now.」

「Sorry, but I’m not moving though.」

「What are you saying. Inside──aAN♥ I, I’m saying……aa, it’s getting bigger again……♥」

When Kizuna was taken by Valdy and arrived at the command room, just as he thought, he was ordered to do Ecstasy Hybrid. However in the middle of it, the time of the conference arrived……

「Nee-chan, no matter what it’s impossible to have a meeting while doing Ecstasy Hybrid isn’t it? It would be better to stop temporarily.」

「Fufu……but, it was exciting. You were the same right?」

He couldn’t deny that. He thought that the figure of his big sister contending against the leaders of the countries was cool. Furthermore his thing was inserted inside his big sister while she was in such a conference. She was stark naked with her butt thrust out to accept her little brother’s thing until her deepest part.

Perhaps because of nervousness or perhaps because she was enduring the pleasure, Reiri would tighten on Kizuna sometimes. That would also heighten Kizuna’s arousal.

Even without Kizuna moving his waist, his thing would grow bigger on its own and pulse twitchingly. It couldn’t be helped.

「The, the work is over……now, continue──AaAHNN♥」

Kizuna suddenly began to move his waist intensely.

「FuAAAH! AuHNN♥ Ki, Kizuna, do-, don’t be, that greedy! aAA!」

「I’ve been holding back all this time. No way I can endure it now!」

After saying that, he roughly nailed forward without reservation.

「Ah, AA! There-♥」

The compatibility of his body with Reiri was extraordinary. When Kizuna was doing Ecstasy Hybrid with his big sister, he always lost control. He became even more honest with his desire.

And Reiri was also happy of that. She would climax many times over during the time Kizuna came once.

「Aah! Kizuna-! Don’t, so-, something big is……co, comiing♥」

「M, me too, I can’t──」

He injected his load inside Reiri with his all.

「Aa♥AAAAAAa♥AAAaAAAAAaAAAAAah♥aAAAA♥♥♥」

Reiri raised a long gasping voice and her back shuddered. Inside her stomach, she was feeling the hot thing that Kizuna fired and her climax repeated many times.

「Ku……♥-! Fuuuh♥ fuuuh♥ fuh, kahah……Aa, haa♥♥」

Kizuna was listening to his big sister’s sensual sigh while tasting a pleasant sense of accomplishment in his waist.

When both of their breathing calmed down, he slowly pulled out. When the tip jumped out while making sound, Reiri’s large butt trembled.

What Kizuna had just released into Reiri just a moment ago was mixed with Reiri’s honey and dripped down viscously from Reiri’s gaping open part.

Reiri raised her sweaty face and brushed her black hair that was stuck on her face to behind her ear. Her expression and gesture were too alluring that Kizuna felt a sensation that was similar with vertigo.

「Kizuna……」

Reiri brought her face close and stole her little brother’s lips.

「Nh♥……chu, fu……nnh♥」

Kizuna couldn’t make any resistance. Rather he also stretched out his tongue and tasted the inside of his big sister’s sweet mouth.

When their lips separated, Reiri stared at Kizuna with an intoxicated gaze. And then she gripped Kizuna’s thing and invited it inside her once more.

「Ah……nfuu♥」

Kizuna’s thing was buried into Reiri along with a slippery pleasant sensation.

「Nee-chan yourself……you don’t need to be this greedy.」

Reiri smiled with a gentle expression.

「Because, I want to quickly let her see her grandchild’s face……」

Kizuna recalled the time when they were doing the Harem Hybrid. That short moment when they sat together in harmony.

Kizuna thought of his mother who became a faraway existence and muttered.

「……Can she see I wonder?」

Reiri put her hands on Kizuna’s back and buried her face on his neck.

「She is the god who manages the whole worlds after all. Surely she is also right beside us.」

Hearing that, Kizuna felt the presence of their mother smiling right beside them. Even though he understood that it was just his imagination, he felt happy.

「I see……besides, I also have to eject the core out from Nee-chan’s body.」

「That’s how it is……an♥」

Kizuna pushed his thing to slip even deeper.

[[Image:MGHxHV13_009 ill.jpg|thumb]]

===Part 5===

Kizuna got out of the command room when it became night.

Honestly, he was dead tired. He dragged his tired body and he finally returned home to his dormitory.

He would sleep right away after entering the bath today. He was thinking that while opening the door.

「Ah, you finally came back.」

「Aine!? Also──」

「Kizuna-kun! Where were you loitering around since you returned to earth until this late!?」

「Hey Kizuna. I’m free tomorrow. So today, until the morning……you know♥」

Even Himekawa and Yurishia were waiting for him inside the room. Furthermore the three of them already changed into their pajamas. They were pretty determined to stay the night here.

「Ha, haha……I was, at Nee-chan’s place doing things, like attending the conference with leaders of various countries, or talking about the tactics and so on after this──」

The eyes of the three of them gleamed fiercely hearing that answer.

「About that, can you tell us about it in a bit more detail?」

「That’s right. There is also this rumor that you are favoring the commander by a good deal.」

「Riiight, the commander too is already at that age so I can understand that she is impatient but……in this we too have to receive the chance equally isn’t it?」

The three were gradually cornering Kizuna.

「E, err……everyone, let’s calm down. We can talk it out. We can tal──」

‘Should I just run away from the door?’ When Kizuna thought that, the door was opened energetically.

「I’m home deeesu!!」

「Sylvia!?」

Sylvia who had a small build like usual leaped at Kizuna.

「We, welcome back. Didn’t you go to London?」

「Yes! Sylvia was able to confirm the safety of papa and mama without any problem desu! The government of Britain also said that they will guarantee their safety desu.」

「I see……that’s great, Sylvia.」

Kizuna patted Sylvia’s head.

「Ehehe……by the way everyone, what are you all doing desu?」

「Right now we are about to corner Kizuna.」

「Yep♥ Today will be an eros party with Kizuna until morning♪」

「Yu- Yurishia-san! Please don’t speak that bluntly to Sylvia-chan!」

Sylvia made a puzzled face, but then she gasped and replied.

「Then, Sylvia will also participate desu.」

She was saying that while starting to strip her uniform.

「Sylvia-chan!?」

Himekawa yelled with a squeaking voice.

「Sylvia also wants to show papa and mama the face of their grandchild desu!」

The unexpected development caused even Yurishia’s complexion to change.

「That’s still too early for you!」

However Sylvia didn’t falter and replied with an innocent smile.

「But, based from the probability, even if Sylvia is doing Ecstasy Hybrid everyday, it will take around five until ten years on average. Sylvia heard that from Professor Shikina desu. It’s better to do it from now desu.」

「The, then, it’s us who take priority!」

「Hayuru. I’ll say this first, you cannot get pregnant from the ass you know?」

「I know that!!」

「It’s me! I have said before that I won’t accept if I’m not the first!」

「Eeh!? Haven’t we discussed it just now that today will start from me!?」

「Sylvia hasn’t done it recently for some time desu. Speaking about the equality of the chance, Sylvia believes that it will be just right for today to be fully reserved for Sylvia desu.」

「No way! Thinking back, my Ecstasy Hybrid was half-baked. It’s necessary that I receive the continuation properly.」

「You already did it enough right!? I still haven’t done it today!!」

「Enough, all of you calm DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!」

However Kizuna’s yell ended in vain. And then the argument of the four heated up even more.

Before long Himekawa snapped and yelled.

「Aah, geez! There is no use talking-!! Neros!!」

「I-, idiot! Sto──」

Aine ignored Kizuna who tried to stop them and took off her pajama with a grin, leaving herself in her underwear.

「Interesting. We haven’t faced each other for a while isn’t it……Zeros!」

Aine’s body also wore Zeros. And then Yurishia also took off her pajamas. She wasn’t wearing underwear, so her large breasts flew out with a jiggle.

「Fufu, I’ll prove it once more that I’m the world’s strongest♪ Cross!」

Yurishia’s naked body was covered with Cross.

Three magic armors lined up inside Kizuna’s room. One was wearing pajama, another one was only in underwear, and the other one was stark naked while wearing the armor. It was chaos.

「Are you three planning to destroy other person’s room again!?」

「The winner will reserve Kizuna for herself, how about it?」

Himekawa made a fearless smile at Aine’s proposal.

「Is that alright? You will regret it giving that condition you know?」

「My? The two of you, you won’t be able to win against me you know?」

「Sylvia will also join desu! Ta──」

「Wait!! Sylvia!!」

Kizuna stopped Sylvia with all his strength.

If she wore Taros, not just this room, the whole upper floor would get destroyed. Depending on the situation, the floor wouldn’t be able to endure the weight and the lower floor would also get destroyed.

Sylvia looked up at Kizuna with a troubled face.

「But captain……at this rate the dormitory will get destroyed again desu.」

「Yeah……I know.」

It would be a suicidal act to rush unarmed in the middle of the three who were getting this excited.

Kizuna sighed deeply inside his heart.

And then──he yelled.

–

「Eros!」

[[Image:MGHxHV13_010 ill.jpg|thumb]]

<noinclude>

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Masou Gakuen HxH|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Afterword|Afterword]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign

2018-03-12T11:56:11Z

Dreamer2908: /* Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 8 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|thumb|300px|right|]]
'''''The Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign''''' (未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン) is a light novel series written by Kamachi Kazuma (鎌池和馬) and illustrated by Igawa Kazuki (依河和希). Kamachi Kazuma is also known for several other light novel series, most notably the [[Toaru_Majutsu_no_Index|Toaru Majutsu no Index]] series.

''The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign'' series is also available in the following languages:

*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign ~Brazilian Portuguese~|Português (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Indonesia)|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
*[[The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign (Russian)|Русский]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version)

==Story Synopsis==

Summoning ceremonies can freely call forth even "those which lurk in the depths beyond the gods". One boy has top-level abilities even among the cutting-edge summoners who can use those ceremonies.

He is Alice (with) Rabbit aka Shiroyama Kyousuke.

But this strongest boy summoner has a single fatal weakness.

Certain "cursed words" spoken by girls: "Help me."

When Kyousuke hears those words from Meinokawa Higan, a girl brought to the verge of death, he throws himself into a city where three great summoner forces clash!

==Recent Updates==
* June 25th, 2017 - Volume 7 Completed
* March 4th, 2017 - Volume 6 Completed
* December 25th, 2016 - Volume 5 Completed
* December 4th, 2016 - Volume 4 Completed
* September 3rd, 2016‎ - Volume 3 Completed
* July 24th, 2016‎ - Volume 2 Completed
* June 11, 2016 - Volume 1 Completed
* September 29th, 2014 - Blood Sign teaser project begun

==''Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign'' by Kamachi Kazuma==

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/c0uwfdbpwirja9m/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_01.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v01_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening1|Opening X-01: Lazy Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Opening2|Opening X-02: Tense Beginning]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter1|Stage 01: I Don’t Do That Anymore]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Rabbit is Alice’s Guide]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter3|Stage 03: Travel Back in Time to Approach the Truth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Chapter4|Stage 04: There’s No Meaning to It]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Certain Parting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Certain Meeting and an Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume1_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 2 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/p9o8q82vu26bxf7/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_02.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v02_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening1|Opening X-01: Rainy Days Don’t Have to be Boring]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Opening2|Opening X-02: Inside A Block’s International Airport]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Rumored Rainy Girl and Librarian-chan]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter2|Stage 02: Summoners Fight in the Shadows Behind Strange Phenomena]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter3|Stage 03: A World Void of Death, but Not a World of Happiness]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Chapter4|Stage 04: Even If It Isn’t Right]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending1|Ending X-01: After the Nice Ending]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Ending2|Ending X-02: Nevertheless, We Cannot Reconcile Our Differences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume2_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 3 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/dg4easlbd113c9x/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_03.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v03_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening1|Opening X-01: Let’s Settle This Once and For All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Opening2|Opening X-02: Midair Battle, Altitude 5000m]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Transfer Student in Early Spring Signals the Collapse of the School]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Scheming and True Beginning of the Girl’s Backdoor]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Rabbit Guide and the Liar Cat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Chapter4|Stage 04: Revenge and the Plan for Perfect Vessels]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending1|Ending X-01: The Girls’ Slight Hope]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Ending2|Ending X-02: A Demonstration of the White Queen’s True Character]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume3_Afterword|Afterword]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 4 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/4tiqav8o8utq59i/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_04.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v04_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening1|Opening X-01: Immediate Game Over]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Opening2|Opening X-02: Another Infiltration Mission]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter1|Stage 01: The Cutest Escape Game in the World?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter2|Stage 02: There Will Certainly Be Consequences]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Elegant Throne which Invites That Queen]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Chapter4|Stage 04: Who Made the Original Request?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending1|Ending X-01: Waking From a Dream]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Ending2|Ending X-02: It’s Game Over After All]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume4_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 5 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/xsg6ivkn2vyvum6/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood_Sign_-_Volume_05.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v05_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening1|Opening X-01: A Stage Play Called a Miniature Garden]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Opening2|Opening X-02: Peel Back the Outer Layer to Reveal Another]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter1|Stage 01: Named Summoners, the 15 Children]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter2|Stage 02: A Certain Boy’s Warm Days, Both Sides]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter3|Stage 03: The Door to Hell, Who Will Unlock It?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Calamity was Named, the Secret War]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Single Soul that Survived]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Demon’s Contract Leads to a Starting Point]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume5_Epilogue|?]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 6 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/uzazgcrthcac7o3/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_06.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v06_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening1|Opening X-01: Double Attack Onee-chans (Extra Serving)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Opening2|Opening X-02: Hopper the Wizard and the Small Key]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter1|Stage 01: A Bloody Hand Makes a Wish Upon the Tanabata Stars]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter2|Stage 02: Insane Believers Never Ask for Anything in Exchange]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter3|Stage 03: Another Who Escaped Hell and Overcame Death]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Strongest Summoner is Infatuated with the World of Man]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending1|Ending X-01: A Bouquet for Your Enemy at the Hilltop Grave]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Ending2|Ending X-02: When You Place the Rope Around that Alluring Neck]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 7 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7|Full Text]] - [http://www.mediafire.com/file/n2dkddi7ygyc1bi/Mitou_Shoukan_Blood-Sign_-_Volume_07.epub ePUB])===
[[File:BloodSign_v07_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening1|Opening X-01: Aimless Trip to an Unmanned Station (With Nowhere to Stay)]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Opening2|Opening X-02: One-Way Ticket from Strongest to Hell, Unreserved Seat]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter1|Stage 01: Original Joruri Method Artificial Vessel, Meinokawa Aoi]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter2|Stage 02: An Enemy Named Olivia Highland]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter3|Stage 03: Doctor S Awaits the Hunter in the Shadows of a Legend]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Chapter4|Stage 04: The Blossoming White Flower Shines Even in the Moonlight]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending1|Ending X-01: Mission Accomplished, But For Whom?]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Ending2|Ending X-02: The Mental Leeway to Enjoy the World's Destruction]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Afterword|Afterword]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume7_Epilogue|?]]
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Unexplored Summon://Blood-Sign 8 ([[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8|Full Text]])===
[[File:BloodSign_v08_cover.jpg|right|border|200px]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Beginning of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening2|Opening X-02: Window-Shattering Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter1|Stage 01: Welcome to the Media Celebrity Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Treasure Chest is in the Frozen Undersea World ]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter3|Stage 03: Extraterrestrial Battle Against Intelligent Life]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter4|Stage 04: Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending1|Ending X-01: Do Not Underestimate Youth]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending2|Ending X-02: The End of a Rebellious Phase]]
*[[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Afterword|Afterword]]

<br style="clear:both"/>

==Crossovers==
{{Toaru:Crossover3}}

{{Toaru:Crossover4}}

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
*[[user:Js06|Js06]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''

== Series Overview ==
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン (10 September 2014, ISBN 978-4-04-866861-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(2) (10 January 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-869164-2)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(3) (8 August 2015, ISBN 978-4-04-865310-7)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(4) (9 January 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-865660-3)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(5) (10 June 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892116-9)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(6) (10 December 2016, ISBN 978-4-04-892550-1)
*未踏召喚://ブラッドサイン(7) (9 June 2017, ISBN 978-4-04-892951-6)

[[Category:Dengeki Bunko]]
[[Category:Kazuma Kamachi]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume8

2018-03-12T11:54:40Z

Dreamer2908: Created page with "===Novel Illustrations=== {{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations}} {{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial}} {{:T..."

===Novel Illustrations===
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Illustrations|Illustrations}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Tutorial|Battle Tutorial}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Prologue|Prologue}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening1|Opening X-01: The Beginning of a Rebellious Phase}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Opening2|Opening X-02: Window-Shattering Youth}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter1|Stage 01: Welcome to the Media Celebrity Life}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter2|Stage 02: The Treasure Chest is in the Frozen Undersea World }}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter3|Stage 03: Extraterrestrial Battle Against Intelligent Life}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Chapter4|Stage 04: Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending1|Ending X-01: Do Not Underestimate Youth}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Ending2|Ending X-02: The End of a Rebellious Phase}}
{{:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8_Afterword|Afterword}}

<noinclude>
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume6|Volume 7]]
| [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign|Main Page]]
{{#ifexist:The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume9 | {{!}} Forward to [[The_Unexplored_Summon_Blood_Sign:Volume8|Volume 8]] }}
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Samayou Shinki no Duelist

2018-02-16T16:34:57Z

Dreamer2908: Undo revision 535175 by MarcelPerez (talk) - Spam? Right here?!

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:Duelist1_cover.png|286px|right|thumb|Volume 1 Cover]]

<b><u>Samayou Shinki no Duelist</u></b> (さまよう神姫の剣使徒) - "The Wandering Goddess' Duelist" - is a light novel series written by SUEBASHI Ken and illustrated by H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>. It began serialization in 2013, is published in the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, and currently has two volumes.
:The Samayou Shinki no Duelist series is also available in the following languages:
:*[[Samayou_Shinki_no_Duelist_~Russian_Version~|Русский (Russian)]]

==Story synopsis==
With the world falling into the void, one lone city and labyrinth are all that remains. Glorious victory in battle or death await the adventurous soul. The lifeblood, desires, fate, and miracles which await man - all lie deep within the enormous labyrinth, the {{Furigana|Great Gate|Magna Porta}}.

There, the adventurer Yuuki picks up a strange young girl. "Oh, this is Solitus - my city! Come, welcome your {{Furigana|Divine Princess|Shinki}}!" The self-proclaimed patron Goddess of the city, the Shinki Tina, requests Yuuki's aid in recovering her lost powers. "Money I have not, therefore take my body in trade."

Alongside the adventurer who had cast aside his destiny, the two fight to retrieve the lost power of miracles to "protect the world" in this new fantasy novel.

==Updates==
*June 12th, 2014 - '''Volume 1 completed'''
*July 22nd, 2014 - '''Volume 2 completed'''

== Formalities ==

=== Registration ===
Those who wish to contribute are asked to notify the project manager beforehand.

Translators are asked to register which chapters they're working on.

::* [[Samayou_Shinki_no_Duelist:Registration Page|Registration Page]]

=== Format Standards ===
Every chapter must after editing conform to the general format guidelines.

::* [[Format guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

==The "Samayou Shinki no Duelist" series by SUEBASHI Ken==
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=== Volume 1 ===
<div style="float: left; width:470px;">
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-novel-illustrations/ Novel Illustrations]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-prologue/ Prologue]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-chapter-1/ Chapter 1 - The Fallen Girl]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-chapter-2/ Chapter 2 - The Shinki Who Was Taken In & Physical Labor]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-chapter-3/ Chapter 3 - Sky's Oath Legion]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-chapter-4/ Chapter 4 - The Snow-white Dragon's Fang Gem]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-chapter-5/ Chapter 5 - Just to Protect]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-epilogue/ Epilogue]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-1/duelist-volume-1-afterword/ Afterword]
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<div style="float: left; width:200px;">
[[Image:Duelist1_cover.png|150px|thumb|left|frameless|Volume 1]]
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<div style="float: left; margin: 5px 20px">
<hr style="width: 90%; margin-left: 5%;" />
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=== Volume 2 ===
<div style="float: left; width:470px;">
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-novel-illustrations/ Novel Illustrations]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-prologue/ Prologue]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-chapter-1/ Chapter 1 - The Saplings Experience the Labyrinth]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-chapter-2/ Chapter 2 - Chaotic Labyrinth]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-chapter-3/ Chapter 3 - Protected Things, Broken Things]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-epilogue/ Epilogue]
:*[http://guhehe.net/volumes/duelist/volume-2/duelist-volume-2-afterword/ Afterword]
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<div style="float: left; width:200px;">
[[Image:Duelist2_cover.png|150px|thumb|left|frameless|Volume 2]]
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==Project staff==
*Supervisor:
*Project Manager:

===Translators===
*[[User:Hiyono|Hiyono]] (at [http://guhehe.net/ guhehe.TRANSLATIONS])

===Editors===
''Editors are to show some work on the series before getting approved by the manager.''

==Series overview==
*さまよう神姫の剣使徒 (May 18th, 2013)
*さまよう神姫の剣使徒２ (November 20th, 2013)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Fujimi_Fantasia_Bunko]]
[[Category:Ken Suebashi]]

[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]

Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 6 Episode 4

2018-01-29T23:41:32Z

Dreamer2908:

==Episode 4 – Second Ruin 『Maze』(Dungeon)==

===Part 1===

At the early morning next day.

Lux woke up early before the sunrise and then he headed toward the practice ground inside the military ground.

He had took confirmation from Coral who was in the same room with him that it was permitted to use the place. The place was empty as he expected, perhaps the factor that it was right after the exam also played a part of it.

“Now, then……”

After changing into his pilot suit, he wore Wyvern on his body and carried out basic operation as replacement for warming up.

And then he released the control of tuning just like how Lisha taught him.

“-……!?”

Several images of light were floating around him, with ancient letter, symbol, and graphic reflected in them.

Originally it was a function that was literally to tune things like the Drag-Ride’s output, armament, and so on. Usually this function wasn’t used while fighting, but now he was deliberately starting up while keeping the function activated.

(As I thought, controlling Drag-Ride in tuning mode is, considerably difficult……)

One could concentrate better if information and options were limited to a certain degree.

The control of Drag-Ride was already complicated and numerous in the best of time. Adding the fiddling of even its output value in the middle of battle gave a degree of difficult that was nearly ill-advised.

“However──……just a bit more”

After taking a deep breath and fired himself up, Lux repeated basic action while keeping that state on.

After around an hour passed with some light rest in between, his stamina finally reached the bottom and he fell on his knee on the ground.

“──Haa, haa……”

He was breathing hard with his shoulders heaving while crouching on the spot. Then suddenly he heard footsteps from behind him.

The moment Lux stood up to turn around, a towel was dropped on his head.

“……Wah!?”

Lux’s sight was plunged into darkness and he panicked.

When he took the soft white towel, there was a familiar face there.

“Morning, Lu-chan.”

“Ah……”

It was a lovely face that was expressionless and absentminded with trace of childishness remaining in it.

Philuffy in pilot suit appearance was standing there.

Different from usual, her hair was tied into a short ponytail. That appearance looked fresh and surprising.

“Phi, Phi-chan. Why are you here──?”

“I’m also always, doing morning training. Then, I heard Lu-chan’s voice, from here.”

After saying that with a dispassionate tone, Philuffy slowly took back the towel.

“Wai-, what are you doing Phi-chan!?”

“You will catch cold, if you don’t properly wipe the sweat, you know?”

Philuffy was wiping Lux’s sweat using the towel with serious face and a tone that sounded a bit chiding.

But, it was embarrassing to have a girl that was his childhood friend to do that much for him, so Lux was flustered.

“I, I’m fine you know!? I, it’s only this much. I can wipe myself alone so──!”

There was no people around, but Lux turned his head left and right to check.

“It’s okay, I’m finished already.”

Philuffy finished her work while he was doing that and she put the towel on Lux’s shoulder.

Like that she was then staring very still at Lux with her pure eyes.

“-……!?”

Perhaps because she had just been training, Philuffy’s skin and face were slightly flushed, and there was a faint scent of sweat from her. They made Lux’s heart throbbed fast.

Compared to her childhood, her breasts, her thighs, and other places had grown into an amazing feminine body. He thought of that once more while looking at her face from nearby.

“Wha, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face──”

“Ei”

“Waah!?”

Lux’s body half rotated just from Philuffy lightly jerking his arm.

In the blink of eye he was made to turn his back on her and he felt bewildered once more.

“Wha, what are you doing Phi-chan!? My sweat is already──”

Philuffy’s body clung closely on the back of the flustered Lux. Then she whispered to him with indifferent tone.

“Checking a bit. Whether your body, is hurt.”

“Yo, you don’t need to do that, I’m really not tired! ──Uwah!?”

Honestly speaking, he was on tenterhooks because Philuffy’s large breasts were touching his back.

When Lux twisted his body to shake her off, his foot got entangled and they fell down together.

“Aa……”

Lux leaked out a voice after falling.

When his hand reflexively moved to stand up, there was Philuffy’s body right below him.

“So, sorry-……!]

The large breasts that didn’t lose shape even when she was lying down face up flew into his sight, causing Lux’s head to boil up.

Philuffy who was expressionless as usual kept staring at Lux and she suddenly moved her lips.

“It’s okay, to not endure you know?”

Philuffy’s question that was said with her usual serious face made Lux turned stiff.

The warmth and softness of Philuffy’s body that was glued to him.

After getting conscious of that, Lux’s heart was pounding hard like an alarm bell, his consciousness turned blank for a moment.

“Because Lu-chan, you look like you are brooding over something.”

“──Eh?”

After Lux whispered toward those words that suddenly came at him, Philuffy showed a faint smile.

“Since the past, Lu-chan would immediately endure. You would hide your true feeling.”

“…………”

That voice sounded somewhat nostalgic.

And yet it also sounded somewhat lonely. Philuffy formed her words with such voice.

“I’m happy, that you are doing your best for our sake, but──. It’s fine, to be more honest with your own feeling, you know?”

“……Such, thing”

‘Isn’t true’. For some reason he became unable to say that when he looked at Philuffy’s straightforward gaze.

*GOOOON*. Suddenly the sound of large bell that informed the time rang at the area.

“Oh……, I need to return to my room soon──”

“Right. Later, Lu-chan.”

They stood up, and then after exchanging only those words, Lux parted with Philuffy and returned to his room.

The straightforward words of his childhood friend caused a mysterious feeling to sprout inside him.

===Part 2===

There was an emergency call. Almost all the officers as well as the officer cadet who were the examinees of Class Promotion Exam were gathered on the Canopy at the upper part of Ruin’s Gear’s center.

The Drag-Knights were lined up. In front of them was a stage, where the principality’s princess, Milmiette, and the man who was the mayor of Ruin’s Gear were standing side by side.

“Everyone──first, thank you for your hard work in the Class Promotion Exam this time. The joint exam with New Kingdom Atismata that was being held for the first time has also ended safely, I believe that it will give a result where we can hope for even better development.”

Milmiette first showed a smile that was like a flower and greeted formally.

But, in contrast with those words, it was as though the atmosphere didn’t feel relaxed.

“Originally we will break up with this. But, just as everyone of the New Kingdom Atismata also knows, recently the appearance rate and the atrocity of the Abyss from Ruin are gaining strength. The second Ruin, the Dungeon existing underground this Ruin’s Gear is also not an exception.”

*Murmur*. The gathered Drag-Rides looked at each other’s face after hearing those words.

“Originally, the number of Abyss appearing from Dungeon is fixed, but that number will overflow if it’s left alone for a long period, and they will climb up from the door at the bottom. Originally this kind of situation happen once every few months, but regardless of the frequency of subjugation that we has increased in this Ruin, the situation is that the Abysses are going to flood out.”

“……!?”

The female students who came from Academy and the military officers gulped.

“Perhaps everyone can already imagine it after I talk this far, but I wish to ask the cooperation of everyone from the new kingdom, in exterminating those Abysses that has been increasing too many inside the Dungeon.”

After she was speaking that far, the mayor stood on the stage and spoke out the outline of the mission.

The Dungeon that was existing underground the Ruin’s Gear.

The underground was divided into five levels in total. In this mission they would descend down those levels, defeated as many Abyss as possible, and decreased their number.

However, in the mission this time, they would only step in until the second level.

The reason was because there were few cases where powerful Abyss appeared in low level.

“Of course, originally there is no merit in this talk for the ladies and gentlemen of New Kingdom Atismata. Naturally we are planning to pay the compensation for your effort, but we are thinking to grant one more reward for it.”

After the grey haired mayor with moustache stepped down, Milmiette continued the talk once more.

“The result that everyone raised in this suppression mission will be treated as a special supplementary exam of this time’s Class Promotion Exam, and the score will be added into the exam’s evaluation.”

“……Ooh!?”

The dazzling smile and words of Milmiette caused the depressed officers to lift their face.

“Of course, cooperation with every officers and defeating many Abyss safely will be evaluated even higher. After all if one neglected to cooperate in their hurry for achievement, they will also fall behind in the real battle. Inside the Ruin, the Drag-Knights of our country who are serving as examiner will take the lead. It will be our happiness if those with spare energy can come forward and cooperate in this by all means.”

Milmiette bowed, then a commotion that somewhat resembled a cheer rose.

“Fuu. The princess of this country can say a good thing too huh.”

Tillfur who was beside Lux by chance showed a small smile after hearing that.

At the exam this time, she seemed to be lacking in confidence what’s with the obstruction in the middle of it too, so she must be relieved inside her heart for this chance.

The subjugation would be done by team of three or four people. Fundamentally entering into the third level was forbidden.

It seemed that this judgment came from the thinking that although the Dungeon was vast and deep, but because the passage itself wasn’t that wide, moving in large group would be obstructive.

This suppression mission would be performed for around three hours.

Of course, continuously operating Drag-Ride through all that time would be impossible, so they would take rest inside the Dungeon, or outside.

Everyone gathered comrades and prepared, then at the lobby they would apply for participation as team. After that they would gather under the Canopy──in front of the spiraling corridor that continued toward the Gate underground, and they would enter in order from the team who got the permission first.

“It seems that the content of the supplement exam this time is advantageous for us whose main strength is cooperation.”

Sharis of Triad who was listening to the talk from right nearby called out like that to her comrades Tillfur and Noct.

Right at that timing, Noct who was there met Lux’s eyes.

“Ah……”

The other day they parted without him unable to say anything to her. Lux was troubled about how he should greet her.

(What should I say, that can assure her……?)

While he was hesitating in front of her with such thinking──,

“Good morning Lux-san. Were you hurt from the exam yesterday?”

“Ah, I, I’m fine. I’m completely──”

Unexpectedly it was Noct herself who broached the topic about the exam that he thought would be hard to talk with her.

“Is that so, I was a bit worried.”

“Eh……?”

Lux tilted his head in puzzlement. Noct spoke with her usual calm expression.

“Yes. We are talking about Lux-san who is kind to girl here, so you will surely think about various methods in order to console me who might be feeling down. I was worried whether you would be lacking in sleep because of that.”

“N, no, it’s not like I was thinking that──”

Noct’s exactly right guess caused Lux to object with red face.

“Is that so, that’s unfortunate. It doesn’t matter that I am the roommate of your little sister, the matter about me won’t really weigh in your mind that much isn’t it?”

“Tha, that’s not true. That, I was worried──about the matter of all of you the Triad.”

Noct looked at Lux with contemptuous eyes when he said that with an earnest tone.

“Yes. As expected you were thinking about that kind of thing weren’t you? Surely it’s a method of touching our body to console──”

“Just what kind of person Noct think I am!?”

When Lux retorted in panic, Noct’s expression suddenly loosened.

“I’m glad. Because I thought that Lux-san would be troubled, that you were unable to help me in the exam the other day.”

“I was just concerned about you, but instead I made you worried!?”

“Yes. Being considerate to the surrounding is the duty of Leaflet family that came from the lineage of servant. I still cannot lose against Lux-san.”

The girl who was his junior smiled slightly at the exhausted Lux and she said that to him.

“Okay, oka─y. Then we will prepare as well. Lux-chi too, let’s meet again inside the Ruin.”

As soon as the mood relaxed, Tillfur came rushing in.

“Ah, that──can you allow me to join the Triad’s team together too?”

「……」

Hearing this, the Triad members were speechless for a moment with their eyes snapped wide open.

“E, eh……? Is it, no good……?”

Seeing Lux being troubled, Sharis grabbed Lux’s head into her underarm.

“Wah……!?”

Due to the posture, Lux’s face hit Sharis’s chest. His face suddenly heated up.

Her body was toned, with the sensation of soft breast pressed on him.

And from her body floated her trademark the rose fragrance that tickled Lux’s nose alluringly.

“Fuh…so even that innocent Lux has become very proactive. You truly want to make all three of us fall for you, don’t you?”

Sharis said that jokingly with a mischievous smile.

“Wa ha haa, Lux-chi is so bold. As expected a boy is really different eh─”

“Yes, Lux-san too is finally developing a great interest in girls. I judged that it’s my obligation to report this to Airi.”

“I, I said it’s not true!? I don’t have that kind of strange ulterior motive, I just──”

Even Tillfur and Noct got into the joke and Lux became even more panicked, it was then,

“We truly understand. Thank you for worrying about us.”

Sharis released Lux from under her arm, and gently placed her finger along his chest.

“But, only this time some of us want to try things. So we are going to rely on you at another chance. For now, please go to the other girls who are waiting for you.”

“Okay…… Then everyone, be careful.”

With some hesitation, Lux agreed and slowly left.

After he talked with Lisha and others about the grouping, Lux returned to the lodging house for once to see Airi’s face.

===Part 3===

“Fuh, it somehow went well. Although we originally agreed to this, you do not have any regrets, Tillfur, Noct?”

Sharis was seeing off Lux’s back while speaking to her two compatriots.

“Yes, we hope that we don’t add to Lux-san’s burdens by more than this.”

“Actually, I was really happy though……. He is properly worrying about us too──”

With a joyful and lonely expression, Tillfur sighed.

While Airi was alone in her dorm room last night, the Triad girls made some plans in advance.

In order to help Lux, the three decided to distance themselves instead from him.

Although it was because of Buzzheim’s evil design and added with a coincidence, it still resulted in them dragging down Lux at the Class Promotion Exam.

If they who didn’t even have the strength to skillfully use Divine Drag-Ride were near Lux, they would become a hindrance to him.

The words that Singlen said at the exam yesterday stabbed the chest of the Triad.

To re-evalute their strength again from the beginning, the three decided not to request Lux’s assistance and fought by themselves.

“But, I might have done something bad towards Tilfur. I stole away the time where you can be together with him.”

Sharis spoke teasingly.

“Wai-……!? Sharis yourself, even though just now you pushed your breast on Lux-chi!”

“Yes, I think that’s quite bold of Sharis. ……In fact, you like Lux-san, correct?”

“──Fuh. I was just giving him a bit of nice memory in my onw way as my feeling of gratitude. No, though it’s not a mistake that I’m pleased with him.”

image

“Is that really true～…… ? Sharis, even though she has been putting act as a big sis but she is actually pure, so she is unexpectedly weak against straight advance though~, ……and she like younger one too.”

“Yes, although we are childhood friends, this is the first time I have seen you do this type of thing towards a man.”

“… We, well, time to get back to the topic on hand.”

Sharis’s face was slightly reddening from Tillfur’s mischievous laugh and Noct’s fixed stare. She then made a forced cough.

“Our goal is to accomplish this by our own strength. ──Now, let’s go and do what we can with our all.”

Sharis repeated the instructions from the start. The other two nodded understandingly.

The three of them stepped forth toward the passage of Drag-Ride hangar that was borrowed from Ruin’s Gear

===Part 4===

“Airi, are you in there?”

After knocking gently on the door and hearing a”Come in,” Lux entered the room.

Exuding her usual cold atmosphere, Airi sat at her desk reading.

“Is something the matter, Nii-san? You are going to join the aforementioned suppression mission aren’t you? Isn’t it better to quickly prepare?”

“Ahaha……. No, there is something that troubled me a bit.”

Saying that, he talked about how after he was rejected from accompanying the Triad, he went to where Lisha and others were.

Lux was thinking to group with Lisha, Krulcifer, Philuffy, or Celis who he got along well with and belonged to Syvalles together, but Instructor Raigree who was there told him that he was forbidden to accompany them.

The instructor said,

“On the surface the task is officially to destroy the Abyss, but it is also a supplement exam to test the teamwork in facing the Abyss. You all the user of Divine Drag-Ride, don’t group among yourselves. Split up and devoute yourself in supporting the other students.”

It was like that.

Now that he was told that, it was the natural decision.

Lisha and others, the four of them were on another level of strength that was nearly EX Class and had a high chance of passing the exam, thus it would be unnecessary for them to force themselves to achieve victories in the campaign.

Also, the second ruin [Dungeon] is very deep.

It was better that the members of [Syvalles] who had experience going to the Ruins before to be split accordingly to support the other cadets.

That was how they are told.

“Even though I’m thinking of supporting Lux with the Drag-Ride that I’ve newly created at great pains……”

After the warning, Lisha became upset.

“I understand what you are saying, and it’s the correct reasoning. But I still feel a little dissatisfied emotionally.”

Krulcifer showed a smile with hidden meaning while agreeing.

“It’s unfortunate……. Even though, I’ve been carrying the snack for Lu-chan’s share too.”

“……Ahh, nn. Please bring it for me at the next chance. This time Phi-chan can eat them all yourself.”

Lux showed a wry smile while comforting his usually expressionless childhood friend.

“Even though I wanted to peel the orange for you.”

“You really don’t need to do that!? Going that far will make me embarrassed okay-!”

After his panicked exclamation, Celis also came to his side.

“It can’t be helped. I originally wanted to use this opportunity to repay Lux for all the times you helped me but──no, Its definitely not that I just want to be with you, okay.”

“Then please at another chance. For today please become the strength for the others.”

Like that he parted with the girls and Lux returned to the lodging house.

“Haa, nii-san is very popular. However, please stop getting intimate with your classmates now while enrolled in the academy. Otherwise, I would feel ashamed.”

“Wha, what are you saying!? Everyone is just treating me well I’m telling you.”

Airi’s accusation made Lux’s face to redden as he panicked.

Then however, Airi’s sighed deeply as she muttered something quietly while averting her face away from Lux.

“……Nii-san’s denseness is already at the territory of serious illness after all. As I thought, is the cause because he is dragging along the matter of the past?”

“Eh…?”

“Never mind. It’s not like I want to see someone like the womanizer Nii-san anyway.”

Airi said in exasperateion while looking out the window.

“I will wait in the lobby of the Ruin. It seems that the people of Seven Dragon Paladins will also be there, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Mm, got it.”

Lux nodded and smiled.

“Airi, other than this, has anything notable happened recently?”

“…Not really.”

Lux smiled wryly when Airi answered with some hesitation.

“Okay, but if anything happens please let me know. Although I may be unreliable, I am still your big brother after all.”

“-…..!?”

The words Lux said made Airi trembled for a moment.

Although Airi immediately returned to her usual calm expressionless, and she showed a faint smile.

“I understand. Good luck, Nii-san.”

“Nn”

After acknowledging this, Lux showed Airi a smile as he left.

A few seconds later, the expression that she forcefully made finally crumbled, and Airi fell onto her bed.

“My uniform will get wrinkled……”

Such thinking was crossing the back of her mind even while she was unable to bear it.

There was no way she could say it.

For some unknown reason, Singlen was showing an abnormal fixation toward Lux.

It wasn’t only the persistent persuasion to join the Seven Dragon Paladins, he may also knew things about Lux’s past when at the old empire and even about Lux’s eldest brother Fugil.

So──in order to prevent the two from getting even more invoved with each other, Airi kept quiet about last night’s events.

The Dragon Marauder’s spy may had already infiltrated the New Kingdom.

And then, the important nobles of various countries who were financing Dragon Marauder were searcing for trigger of war.

If the content of the old document that Airi deciphered was reported to the upper brass of the new kingdom, the history and knowledge about the old empire until now would be overturned and a great chaos would occur, the brunt of it would surely──be pointed at Lux and Airi.

As the final survivors of the Old Empire, amd then as criminals, there was the risk that thye would be doubted of having ties with the Lord(Creator) of Ruin.

“If it is only me that ends up hurt then it is still fine. But──“

The worst case would be if Airi was taken hostage, and Lux would fall into the grip of the New Kingdom.

Furthermore, there were also people within the consul who desired to take advantage of Lux.

She didn’t want to become a burden for his big brother for more than this.

“I, what should I do……”

At that moment, a knock suddenly came on the door causing Airi to get taken aback and she held her breath.

“Who is it?”

She asked as she placed her diary where the ancient document was hidden in a safe spot on her desk.

“Please do not panic. I am with Wanheim Principality.”

Hearing the sound coming from a young girl, Airi relaxed as she opened the door.

“-…..!? You are──”

“Could you come with me? Miss Airi Arcadia”

The one who appearead along with a few followers was Princess Milmiette.

===Part 5===

“Now then, what to do from here.”

In order to participate in the suppression mission, obviously he needed to fix his equipment. However he was refused from teaming up with the Triad, and it didn’t look like he could accompany Lisha or the others this time.

“Should I try aksing the other classmates?”

Lux pondered such thing while opening the door of the lodging room──then,

“Wah……!?”

“──Eh?”

Someone sitting on the bed was taking off their shirt, rolling the shirt off their arm.

The exposed smooth white-skinned back appeared in front of Lux’s field of vision.

“So, sorry-!? I didn’t expect someone to be in the middle of changing here──”

Reflexively, Lux closed the door at the sight of the half-naked androgynous youth.

However, after his panickedly yelled that, he noticed something strange.

“Eh……? Looking closesly, could you be……Coral?

image

“Oh, ah, um……that’s me. I’m also a boy, so there’s no problem here. Come in.”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Then, I’m coming in……?”

When Lux timidly entered inside, Coral who had already changed into a pilot suit was inside the room.

No matter how androgynous his appearance and body, Coral undoubtedly should be a boy.

And yet, for some reason a slight guilt welled up inside Lux. Even Lux felt it mysterious.

“Um, about that──sorry that I suddenly made such a strange voice.”

Coral apologized with a somewhat shy smile.

“Oh, that’s fine. It was my fault for forgetting to knock──anyways, is Coral also taking part in the mission?”

He did not watch Coral’s fight at the All-Dragon Battle last time, it was understood that given his ability to use EX Wyvern meant that his strength was High Class at the very least.

From the results of the examination, it didn’t look like that Coral necessarily need the extra points, but…

“Well, everyone in my country is basically participating. After all this is our own country.”

“I see.”

Thinking about it, it was really the natural development.

“Sorry to make you accompany us playing out at night last evening. But──did you able to relax a bit from it?”

“……Thank you. Because of that, I was able to get along slightly with Greifer.”

After hearing Lux’s words, Coral put his hands together.

“That’s good then. Lux is really very kind just as I thought.”

Coral spoke with a voice that was mixed with relieve and delight. Lux smiled wryly to that, saying”No such thing.”

There were the matter of what Singlen said, Airi whose condition was somewhat strange, and the matter of Triad, even so Lux’s feeling had slightly beome light.

“Then, this is an opportunity that is hard to come by, do you want to join us in the suppression mission?”

“That, do you mean──”

Lux was bewildered at Coral’s invitation.

“Mm. In the upcoming suppression mission in the Ruin, I hope that you and me, along with Greifer, can be in a team together. Is that okay?”

“-……!?”

*chiri-*, a sharp pain ran behind Lux’s eyes and static that looked like sandstorm ran at the back of his mind.

(Again……? Just what is this? This pain──, I have felt it before)

Before Lux was able to confirm what made him uneasy, the feeling soon went away.

“……What’s the matter?”

“Ah, its nothing. I hope that I will not trouble you too much then.”

Although he was hesitant whether he should help the other girls, but they were also encouraged by Instructor Raigree that they assembled team together with their allied country Wanheim Principality.

After Lux gave his answer, he changed out of his uniform into his pilot suit.

“Wah……!?”

“Wha, what is it…?”

“No, nothing……Don’t’ worry about me.”

Coral answered with a troubled smile for some reason. Lux thought it strange while he finished his getup.

He was carrying compass, protable food and drinking water in his bag, then they joined with Greifer.

“I don’t really care, but why are you purposefully teaming up with this fellow from another country…….”

“It’s fine right? Greifer doesn’t have many friends anyway.”

Coral retorted at Grefier who was a bit annoyed. Then after they stopped by at the base inside the palace──the lobby, the three of them went towards the entrance to the Dungeon.

After arriving at the bottom of the spiral staircase that was hollow like ant lion larva’s pit, the Drag-Knights of both countries were already gathered in large number.

“Lux! If anything happens, call me immediately! I will rush to your aid!”

Hearing Lisha’s energetic voice, Lux awkwardly waved.

Altough the three of the Triad were also present, for some reason that Buzzheim was also present.

His injuries were tied with bandages, making it hard to imagine how he could operate a Drag-Ride. Moreover, his proctor license should also have been revoked.

It seemed like he was merely there to see off the beginning of the mission as a member of the military. However, he glared at Lux with hound-like eyes like usual.

“…………”

“Relax. Buzzheim already doesn’t have anything to do with this part of the exam.”

Coral, who noticed where Lux’s line of sight went, had understood the situation.

However, Greifer muttered peevishly.

“……I wonder? Well, I’ll be keeping an eye for you.”

“Next team! Number 17, come forward!”

“It’s our turn now.”

After being called by the proctors, Lux and his comrades walked up.

If the Gigas that came to the new kingdom was excluded, this would be his first time entering the Ruin of another country. Lux was feeling nervous of that while he braced himself.

As Lisha’s knight too, it would be the best for Lux raise his Class.

Besides that, in order to protect the city from the magical beasts, he would give his utmost effort.

(But…for what?)

Singlen’s words stuck to his mind.

He had decided that he would not hesitate…and yet why was his feeling like this.

“Let’s go, Lux-kun.”

Coral gently touched Lux’s back, indicating Lux to exit. In front of the site, Lux summoned <Wyvern> and pulled out his sword.

“Come, the winged dragon of crest, the symbol of strength. Follow my sword and fly, Wyvern!”

He pressed the button on his hilt and said the chant.

Light particles gathered around him at high speed. His body became covered with streamlined blue armor.

A few seconds later, while standing on the pentagon on the floor that was called the Gate, an orange light gradually rose, giving Lux a feeling of floating on air.

Feeling like their consciousness was separting from the body, the three of them entered the Dungeon.

===Part 6===

The rooftop of the Palace that was overlooking down on the spiral staircase continuing to the Dungeon──the edge of Canopy.

Singlen, wearing his usual armor suit was lying down on the edge that was made of stone, where a single mistaken step would make him fall down for few dozen mel.

As his eyes followed Lux disappearing in to the Dungeon, he stared lazily back towards the rear of the main troops.

“I have returned, my lord.”

The air behind Singlen slightly rippled.

As if he was covered by a bed sheet, an old knight wearing a white mask and white jacket appeared.

“You are late, Zwei. Did anyone tail you here?”

“There has been no action at all. Are they saving their capability? Or else, perhaps the Dragon Marauder too isn’t planning to make a move carelessly here.”

“Who knows…If I were them, I would not hesitate at this chance. Right now that the danger of Ruin is increasing and each country is hardening their defense, there may not be another chance where they can move this easily if they miss this one.”

“…True.”

The old knight’s husky voice agreed with his master’s opinion.

“Then I’ll order the Knights of White Ridge to stay vigilant. To prepare for the worst case scenario—“

The old knight prepared to leave. Singlen, stabbed the sheath of his Sword Device onto the ground, elucidating a small thud as it landed.

“Well, hold on a second, Zwei. Although you were an able man since in the past, your decision making is just a bit too premature. We certainly were requested to protect this city. ──But, no one will evaluate us highly just from extinguishing a small fire that cannot be seen. Haven’t we experienced that many times in the past, let’s be a little cleverer here. We will make use of our lesson.”

“…………”

Singlen smiled as he said this, exuding a deep, unending darkness.

The old knight suddenly realized the true meaning behind his words.

“…That”

“Catching the big fish requires patience. Keep in mind we will prioritize the Milmiette ojou-sama’s safety first.”

“Yes, sir.”

After this brief response, Zwei disappeared.

Singlen did not care as he looked over the doors of the palace.

“…Fugil, ah. What will your brother do next? I am looking forward to it.”

Singlen’s face held a deep smile.

However, his dark voice was not heard by anyone.

===Part 7===

“This…is the Dungeon?”

As his body moved past the door, Lux could not help whispering as his witnessed the incredible interior.

Although the Academy’s lectures and pre-mission meeting described what he needed to know, it was still a view beyond his imagination.

“What’s up? Is this your first time entering a Ruin?”

“…its very spectacular.”

In response to Coral, Lux could not say any other words to describe his impression.

However, those were his real feelings.

In Lux’s mind, the Dungeon was supposed to appear as caves.

With cold, dark, inorganic rocks channeling through them.

However, the scenery in front of him surpassed his imagination.

Directly in front of them was an altar-like patio.

Around the patio was a field of flowers.

Above the patio, instead of a blue sky, something like moss that gave off a pale yellow fluorescent light made the area appear just bright enough.

Rather than a cave, it was more like a courtyard with walls surrounding it on every side.

“Here in the middle is the exit to the outside world. There are also places like this far away from where we are with a lake and other scenery, isn’t it interesting?”

As Lux curiously looked around, Coral gave his explanation.

As they approached, the other female students would stop to look in adungeonment.

“Oh, honor student-sama! Our task is to suppress Abyss here yeah? Don’t treat it like a picnic.”

“Greifer is still the same! Our mission should last just a few hours, yet you still get nervous. Or is it that you just want to finish quickly and get back to Princess Milmiette?”

The two of them began to quarrel.

Lux looked at the two with a wry smile as a thought crossed his mind.

“So now…how many levels are we going to raid?”

“According to the records the exploration has only reached until level four. The area looks spacious, but it’s actually quite complicated. After we pass three levels, the amount of powerful Abyss and harsh environment will increase…”

“I see.”

Listening to Coral’s answer, Lux breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that in this Ruin, the existence of Automaton that was called Gear Leader hadn’t been confirmed.

Without that Hayes who was called as Lord, the possibility that something happened in Ruin must be low.

“Shall we begin? Although there are only a few Abyss here, don’t let your guard down and take them one by one!”

Lux nodded to Coral’s words, then they too began the Abyss extermination.

Far in the darkness, a scream could be heard.

“That sound, its Hind huh.”

“Even though this creature looks like a deer, it is very ferocious. Be very careful!”

Lux listened to Greifer and Coral’s instructions as he drew his weapon.

The suppression mission began with this team that was formed for the first time.

===Part 8===

“Listen to me! Greifer is amazing? I failed so many dishes that I cooked yet he took it as a challenge and ate all of it!”

“….I-Is that so?”

At the same time.

Under the Canopy, deep in the halls of the Dungeon above the door, Princess Milmiette and Airi were there.

Why was she sitting next to the princess of Wanheim Principality?

It seemed that Coral arranged a lot of security to ensure Airi’s safety, but having a lot of guards made her nervous.

“Coral is the son of my distant relatives, but because of the death of his parents from illness, he was adopted as my escort. As the assistant of Greifer of the Seven Dragon Paladins, I think that sooner or later his visit to the new kingdom will also increase, please treat him well then.”

“It’s no problem. That…If I may say so, could you excuse me for a few minutes?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was too preoccupied with talking. I will send a guard to accompany you.”

“I-I’ll be fine by myself!”

Princess Milmiette had good intentions, but being surrounded by male officers was troublesome.

(How to say it…this person, she is too pure that it’s hard to deal with her……)

Other than that, a lot of eyes and ears around made Airi felt uneasy.

Because of the ancient document that she deciphered was hidden in a parcel in Airi’s bag.

She exited the Lobby and brought her feet toward the toilet.

Airi had been very cautious until there.

However, right after she finished her business and exited the building, for a moment she let her guard down.

“──!?”

“Hey!”

A silhouette quietly approached from the shadows.

A man with a cloth covering his face snatched Airi’s bag.

“Thi-Thief! Stop! Please stop-…!”

She was shouting while knowing that it was in vain.

Even though she was hit and knocked down, she stood up quickly and began to give chase. However, she could not catch up.

The man ran towards the cover of building inside the Palace. As if replacing that man, a Wyvern flew out from there while holding the bad and fled down the spiral staircase.

“──Eh!?”

Airi was stopped by the unexpected scene.

If the man flew outside, it would be hard to find him. And yet the man was heading to the bottom of Palace──to the entrance of the Dungeon where there would be no place to escape.

He was a thief, so why would he run towards a place with a dead-end.

Although a lot of Drag-Knights had gathered due to the suppression mission, however, if an outside went down there he should still get noticed.

Unless this man was originally a Drag-Knight who was a part of the suppression mission and had received the permission to participate ──.

“What exactly is going on…?”

The situation was puzzling.

But after thinking about it for a few seconds, the possibility made Airi tremble.

From between the gaps in the cloth, the thief’s face appeared similar to that of one of Buzzheim’s men.

“Surely…it can’t be…”

At that moment, Airi remembered a scene from last night.

When Singlen visited Airi’s room last night, he used words that suggested that Airi was secretly in possession of the something that was connected to the Ruin.

「Those guys are sending spy to every country. It will be dangerous if they know you are hiding the secret of Ruin. What I want to say is be cautious.」

Wjat if supposedly Buzzheim overheard this conversation…

“-…!?”

Airi’s heart beat furiously, and she felt her consciousness fading.

If the ancient documents were exposed, they would lose the place that they had obtained in the new kingdom.

People will question their relationship with the Lord(Creator), then they would be imprisoned once more, or else──.

(There is no time to hesitate)

Airi rushed back towards the Lobby to inform others of the emergency.

This matter of robbery couldn’t be reported to the military officer of Wanheim Principality.

Since there was no evidence that it was one of Buzzheim’s people, and it was only Airi’s speculation.

She couldn’t act against the military officer of another country without solid evidence. And even if for example she had something like that, they would obviously feign ignorance.

That means she couldn’t stop Buzzheim through normal means.

“Nii-san, I──…”

Airi hesitated to discuss this with her brother. Airi rushed down the spiral staircase as though she was being pushed down. As she approached the Gate of the Dungeon, Noct came into her field of vision.

“What’s the matter Airi? Your face doesn’t look good.”

“…”

Tillfur and Sharis of the Triad were also there. Perhaps they had just finished resting and returned here.

However, Lux and Lisha and other members, the users of Divine Drag-Ride were not there.

Perhaps it would be best to seek their assistance first, but there was no time for that .

Buzzheim could not use a Drag-Ride due to his injury, and most of his followers shouldn’t be accompanying him, only a few of them──.

“Noct, there is something I need your help with. Could you please help me?”

When Airi noticed, she had cut to the case.

She said that she wanted to go into the ruins to catch the thief.

===Part 9===

“Fuu…we did pretty well. And just now our team finished the fourth battle.”

Coral said this with a smile as the firewood crackled.

They were surrounded by rocks on all sides with a thin lawn covering the ground like a blanket.

They were resting in an open space of the northeast part of the Dungeon’s first level.

It seemed there were several resting places called Camp scattered throughout the Dungeon.

They were not originally part of the Dungeon but set up one by one by Wanheim Principality as they explored. Next to them, water from the waterfall parted to create a basin around them.

Lux and Coral were resting in shabby tents set up in the vicinity.

“I doubt there is poison in the water, but it’s still likely better to not drink it. If we can understand the situation upstream, then our safety will also increase, but there is no guarantee for that.”

“Got it.”

The teapot and water they had at hand came from a part of the food they brought in advance.

Since they were only exploring for a day, there was not a need to bring too many provisions in advance.

“──However, there is no doubt that Lux will be promoted here.”

As Lux sipped his tea, Coral smiled and congratulated him.

Based on the pocket watch they had, there was less than an hour before they needed to return.

They exterminated Abyss following the instructions of the examinees who were here and there and repeated that several times.

While Lux could only use Wyvern to fight, Greifer and Coral were quite strong so the mission went smoothly.

In the main exam, he acted in the way that lowered his evaluation several times, but with this Lux’s promotion to Middle Class should be without a problem.

He would continue to uphold his reputation as Lisha’s knight.

(Buy why is it I wonder……. Why am I feeling this superficial?)

Lux put down his tea cup and began strolling around the tent in a daze.

There were no more Abyss around and only the sound of quiet water flowing could be heard, but…

“Oi”

“Wah!?”

There was a voice that suddenly came from the side, then a Dagger stabbed the floor in front of him.

When Lux jumped backward in panic, Greifer wearing Cuelebre arrived at his side.

“Don’t loiter around as you please. We are resting right now but don’t wander too far from the tent.”

“Ah, sorry…”

Lux hurriedly apologized. Greifer grunted towards the side.

(Aa, when I thought that our relationship has finally improved slightly…)

Greifer’s blunt attitude towards Lux made him felt down as he walked back towards the tent, it was then──,

“That was dangerous, Greifer! Anyways, you need to explain to him about that!”

“What do you mean?”

The words of Coral who was exiting the tent confused Lux, while Greifer was showing a bothersome face.

“Haah, the Portal(transfer device) is in that direction. Didn’t I explain it before we entered?”

“Oh…”

Lux noticed what Greifer’s intention was.

Inside this Dungeon, other than stair that went underground, there were things called Portal installed at several floors.

The Portal’s shape was simply a group of rocks in a circle that was easy to notice, but because it could only transport things from the upper floor to the lower floors in one-way trip, the team could be in danger of getting separated at the moment they stood at that spot without noticing it.

Lux noticed that while he presented a different attitude on the surface, Greifer was quite concerned about Lux’s safety.

In any case, the man is really quite caring no matter what he said.

“Thank you Greifer. I’ll switch with you to patrol around now.”

Lux said this with a smile, while for some reason Greifer gave an uncomfortable glance to the side.

“I ain’t feeling like drinking tea, so I’ll refrain. We are going to return back soon anyway right? Rather than that──”

Greifer had an indifferent look as always as he stood up wearing his Cuelebre.

“A communication from Dragon Voice came in. There seems to be something strange going on. The men of new kingdom who weren’t too hot at the exam this time──that team seems to raise some abnormal results for this exam.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? With that the possibility the people of new kingdom’s military getting promoted will increase.”

Coral tilted his head while Greifer continued to speak.

“That’s if they are doing it in proper way. According to the proctor, it seems that team took care of about a dozen Abyss or more already.”

“Eh..?”

Upon hearing this, Lux reacted to the conversation for the first time.

Strange.

The New Kingdom’s Drag-Knights, with the exception of the captain Dilwy, should be consisting of only Low or Middle Class Drag-Knight.

Of course, that Class in the end was only one indicator of strength, but it was hard to imagine that they would all suddenly show such results inside this unfamiliar Ruin in foreign country.

“Seems that the Abyss on the second level ain’t a match for them, thus they went towards the entrance to the third floor. I wonder, what is their trick?”

“…………”

As Greifer said these words, a grave expression appeared on Coral’s face for the first time.

However, he sighed immediately and returned to his usual demeanor.

“That is concerning, but no rules were broken, so there is no problems.”

“If that’s so then it’s okay. It is still a bit early, but how about we start heading back?”

At Greifer’s suggestion, Lux stood up.

But, at that very moment. *Dong!* The Dungeon began shaking vertically.

“Earthquake!?!”

Right after Lux judged like that, the pale yellow light that illuminated the cave began to flash bright red.

“That’s!?!”

Lux recalled a past situation in the Ark that was similar with this. He pulled out his Sword Device.

“Someone broke into the third floor!? This is bad, at this rate──the Ruin will enter alert state!”

Coral who saw that also called out his EX Wyvern and equipped it.

“Greifer! I’m going to confirm the situation. You go outside the Dungeon and await instructions from Princess Milmiette.”

“Gotcha. Hey, prince, let’s go back to the Palace.”

“Hold on! I am going to go take a look as well!”

Lux requested to accompany him, but Coral calmly shook his head.

“I can’t take you along towards a part of the dungeon that you are not familiar with. Although you are concerned about the officers of the new kingdom, please bear with it for now.”

Saying that, Coral glided out while driving EX Wyvern.

He traveled through the dungeon and quickly disappeared from the field of vision in the blink of an eye.

===Part 10===

“…w-what is this shaking! What is happening!?”

“I-It’s not our fault!? Although we accidentally chased the Abyss towards the third floor, just because of that, the Ruin become like this…!”

“Captain Dilwy! Did you see!? Should we retreat…”

It was a team that was composed of only male officers.

The squad captain, Dilwy and three Drag-Knights of the new kingdom military. They were panicked at the sudden change in situation and showed the weak-kneed expression that was exactly opposite with until now when they were defeating a lot of Abysses.

Their steady advance untilnow was solely thanks to Dilwy, while the other three were only given the leftover. There was no sense of duty or dignity as knight in that.

“──Haah”

Dilwy raised a smile of mockery towards them.

His old wound had healed. His right arm now had strange black pattern on its surface. That arm was holding a knife that was left behind by the robed man last night.

No, not so much as healed, but it was even stronger than before.

“The seed of war huh. I see, so that is how it was…”

“Cap-Captain Dilwy! Let’s retreat quickly”

“Aah, it is already that time huh…then, let’s have a farewell soon.”

The men in his squad let out a sigh of relief hearing Dilwy’s words.

No one there noticed how Dilwy was like a completely different person from his normal demeanor.

===Part 11===

“This sound, what happened–!?”

Equipped with her Wyvern, Sharis was surprised and wondering what was happening?

The Triad and Airi were searching for Buzzheim on the second floor when the sudden chaos ensued.

Perhaps it was time to head back, there were no signs of other Drag-Knigths around them.

“Isn’t this bad!? How come this feels like the last time in the Ark?”

“Yes, I judge that the possibility is high. But according to the Radar, it will still take a little more until we catch up with Buzzheim and others who seem to be the robbery culptrit, about 70 mel ahead──”

“…..”

Airi bit her lips with a complex expression while being held by Noct’s Drake.

They heard explanation about the Dungeon’s alert state when they received instruction regarding this suppression mission.

About five minutes after the color inside Ruin changed, the stairs connecting the third floor and the second floor would be blocked. And there was danger that many Abyss would appear.

That ancient document absolutely had to be taken back.

──However, she also couldn’t expose the Triad to even more danger than this because of her selfishness.

“…As long as we have my Drake, we will be able to communicate within the Ruin using Dragon Voice. There’s about 50 mel left till we get to the stair connecting to the third level. They should be there.”

Noct said this in response to seeing Airi’s troubled face.

Sharis also spoke to the undecided Airi.

“Let’s go. There is no time to waste. The despicable thieves, as someone serving as the Academy’s vigilance committee, I will not stand them unless we pay them back.”

“That’s true~, they also harassed us a lot at the exam~”

“Yes, I will continue detecting the Abyss, so please leave securing the path of retreat to me.”

“──My apologies, everyone.”

Airi let out a weak voice toward the Triad who were considerate and helpful to her.

“I’d also like to test my skills after all. Let’s go Tillfur, Noct.”

“Roo~ger”

“Yes, my Lord” (English)

Tillfur and Noct responded to Sharis’s statement with a smile.

Right in front of the staircase leading to the third floor, it was discovered that Buzzheim and a small group of people were taking position there.

Buzzheim did not have any Drag-Ride equipped but he was holding on to Airi’s bag. However, the four men of Wanheim Principality’s military officer with him each were equipped with general purpose Drag-Ride.

Sharis quickly aimed her breath Gun and gave a warning.

“A warning towards all of you the officers of allied country Wanheim Principality! You are in possession of something that belongs to the civil official of our New Kingdom. If you return it now, I will nor report your deed to your superior and the incident will not turn into serious matter. But if you refuse, we will take it back by force!”

In response, Buzzheim face shifted from surprise into a sneer.

“…Just when I thought what you are going to say, but could you have gotten the wrong people? The package was something that was given by an acquaintance of mine.”

He said this as he retreated behind his subordinates.

“So you are refusing to return it. If so, I won’t be so polite in taking it back.”

The moment the finger of the Wyvern Sharis controlled touched on her Breath Gun, one of the followers wearing Wyrm rushed ahead suddenly.

He released a barrier to protect himself from the assault, so that he could forcefully charge forward even while deflecting bullet.

“The standard reaction huuh. That’s no good you know──”

Aware of the enemy’s movements, Tillfur who was similarly wearing Wyrm intercepted the enemy.

Tillfur’s Hammer swept aside the enemy’s Blade, making him lost balance. Then she landed a decisive blow to the shoulder of her opponent’s armor.

“Ga, ahh……!?”

When the man flinched backwards after witnessing that smooth blow, Sharis who had switched her weapon followed with an attack by her Blade. The enemy’s armor was dispelled after his Force Core received impact.

Furthermore, Noct kept covering Airi while pulling the trigger of her Breath Gun to hold back the other men who tried to join the fray. The three of them splendidly coordinated their strategy and acted all at once.

“This is checkmate, Buzzheim-dono.”

“Ku…!”

As Sharis’s sword was pointed at him, the defenseless Buzzheim groaned.

The outcome was decided.

If they returned with full speed from now, they could go back before the blockade of the stair between second floor and the third floor was completed.

As soon as Airi had a slight peace of mind, Buzzheim loudly called out.

“I-I will not give it back to you! I know that I am holding the evidence of of you hiding something that will lead to the Ruin’s secret! If you hurt me, I’ll expose everything in court! You wouldn’t want that. After all──”

“Is that so──then I’ll have you entrust that so called Ruin’s secret to me.”

“Na..!?”

The sudden incoming voice made Buzzheim, his men, the Triad, and Airi all freeze in place.

Standing there was a young man with delicate features clad in EX Wyvern, Dilwy Froias.

(Even though I don’t want it to get seen by this person too who is an army officer of new kingdom──)

Seeing how things have been going, Airi was desperately thinking about what to say to Dilwy.

However, the necessity of this disappeared a moment later.

“Wh-what are you saying!? Who will…ahh!”

*Zan-*, the EX Wyvern’s Blade swung and cut off the head of Buzzheim.

“-…!?”

Right after Airi and the Triad felt terrified, Dilwy’s Blade slashed once more.

Accompanied by the sound of air being cut away, the silver flash ran through the air and lopped off the head of the rest of Buzzheim’s followers who were dumbfounded.

“Wha, what are you──”

Giving a glance at Sharis who whispered with pale face, Dilwy carelessly snatched the blood soaked bag of Airi from the arm of the headless Buzzheim.

His presence was completely the same like his usual quiet attitude without any change.

But that was instead felt so hair-rising terrifying.

“Ah, sorry to frighten everyone.”

Dilwy said it with a deadpan face without revealing any emotion, as though what he had done was even less than crushing a bug.

“The squad that came with me are already heading back. Although it is quite difficult to communicate using Dragon Voice from this third level to the ground level, but in the unlikely chance you girls manage to call for help, it would be quite troublesome.”

“What are you saying? You…”

Sharis said with a slight trembling in her voice.

“Enough with the chit-chat. After all, threats require the necessary steps. So, how much should I say I wonder? Right, it’s nearly impossible for you to call for help. If you draw your weapon against me, then you will die. I will cut the hands and legs off of the three girls around you one by one before cutting their neck. Do you understand now? Well then, this thing about the way to the Ruin’s secret, could you please explain? Airi Arcadia?

“…………”

Airi could only shiver as the saliva in her mouth dried up.

Her heart and mind were unable to comprehend the reality in front of her.

However, one thing was obvious.

That, this man──was a horrifying enemy.

“Having said that, I did not expect that I can be this strong. Although my right wrist is now working thanks to that strange man──well, I don’t need to mention that too.”

“──Sharis, Tillfur, are you in position? The reaction is close.”

Adorned with her <Drake>, Noct whispered while holding a tense expression.

“Well, there is no other way──let’s go!”

Right after that call, Sharis’s Wyvern flew to the side.

Taking a deep breath, Noct grabbed Airi and she with Tillfur ran following Sharis.

“Sorry, but we aren’t a match against him! Your safety is the highest priority, Airi!”

Sharis shouted while searching for a different path to get to the second floor.

The understanding of the nearby terrain and the detection of Abyss had been finished using Noct’s Drake.

“It appears that you all are unable to understand your own strength from the Class promotion exam, huh? I was threatening because all of you have no escape.”

Dilwy spoke with a calm tone as he chased them with EX Wyvern.

“Unfortunately, I understand about myself. Your worry is unnecessary!”

When they arrived at spacious, straight channel, Sharis fled towards the cramped passage at the side.

“──!?”

In that moment, a roar from the darkness before them sounds out through the air.

“Indeed you are the commander’s daughter. That’s not half bad.”

Dilwy who noticed the Triad’s intention whispered with a fearless smile.

Sharis’s plan was to escape by making fellow formidable enemies clashed with each other.

A ferocious medium-sized Abyss intercepted Dilwy from the front.

===Part 12===

On the other side, since the mission was about to reach the time limit, and the Ruin entered the alert state, 90% of the Drag-Knights were returning to above ground.

It was not only to escape the changing, deteriorating terrain but also to intercept the Abysses that were summoned around the Ruin. The combat force needed to return back for that.

“What do you mean? Why can’t we go rescue them!?”

In the middle of the Lobby where many Drag-Knights were gathered, Lisha, dressed in pilot suit flared up at the commander of Wanheim.

“That is because, due to the regulation regarding the Ruins, people the New Kingdom shall not enter the Dungeon while it’s in alert state……”

“I already said that we can! Give us the permission already!”

As Lisha slammed her fist on the table, a voice came from behind them.

“──Good grief, could you please be quiet, your highness the princess of new kingdom.”

“-…!?”

A man in a blue coat made a sudden, unexpected appearance.

The Blue Tyrant──Singlen Shelbrit who had been concealing himself since last night.

Although the air was tense, he did not waver at all.

His dull black pupils were deeply dark like an abyss.

With that pair of eyes staring at her, Lisha slightly faltered.

“Can you explain to us? Our comrades are still trapped inside there.”

Singlen shrugged toward the grim gaze of Krulcifer standing beside Lisha.

“Oh? It seems that I was overestimating all you. I thought that although you all are just noble daughters playing around, you all are still people who belonged to the military after a fashion, looks like I’m wrong.”

“Don’t mess with me! There isn’t much time, so I can’t be sitting around pretending to make conversation with you!”

Krulcifer pushed out her hand to the side to hold Lisha back.

“The priority of the army is to protect Wanheim Principality’s princess Milmiette here──is that what you are saying?”

From Krulcifer’s words, Singlen merely responded with a smile.

Of course, although half of that reason was only a pretext. The truth was that they wanted as much combat force as possible to wipe out the Abysses that were appearing near the entrance quickly.

Thinking about it now, from the start this was the reason that princess Milmiette purposefully came to observe the exam personally.

If they recruited the officers of new kingdom to exterminate Abyss and the Ruin entered alert statem, they could gather combat force near the Dungeon’s entrance and made them protect the city. That was their aim.

The princess was a necessary presence to achieve each of these goals under just cause.

“This me who is holding the right of command this time have given the command to those in the Ruin to retreat. Well, do not worry, I will send in my men to search. If you’re lucky──hm? Aah”

There, a man wearing a white coat representing the White Ridge Knights whispered in Singlen’s ear.

“I see, it’s quite regrettable. Just now, it seems that the entrance to third level is blocked, and the bunches on the third level became stuck inside.”

“What──!?”

Hearing that, even the expression of Instructor Raigree who was keeping calm changed drastically.

At the second and third level, there was a mechanism to blockade the level entrance.

Thus, it was strictly forbidden to enter the third floor. However, some did it accidentally.

Such as the forces of Buzzheim and the troops of Dilwy.

Additionally, the members of the Triad and who entered last Airi were also imprisoned on the third level.

“It can’t be helped. The investigation of Ruin is always accompanied by accident. We will send in rescue team after the alert state is dispelled, made up from those who still have spare strength left at that time.”

Those words from Singlen changed the atmosphere.

“── Don’t screw around.”

A cold voice passed through the the noisy Lobby.

From behind Lisha, Lux showed up while walking towards Singlen.

“Are you saying that you are abandoning them knowing that they are left behind? You’re abandoning fellow Drag-Knights while having the strength to save──”

Lisha and Krulcifer were surprised at how Lux spoke with such a menacing force that was unlike him and they stared at his face.

“Don’t lose your temper handyman. This is also the decision o fthe consul managing Ruin’s Gear. The ones trapped on the third floor are mostly Middle Class or lower anyway. They are just obsolete bunch who fell behind without any significant ability or quality. In this current world──there is no leeway to save the weak.”

“The weak……you say?”

Singlen chuckled at the Lux’s quiet voice that contained rage.

“There also seems to be a few officer cadets mixed among those bunches. But, keep in mind, they are still military people. They should be resolved even with this kind of situation. A Ruin that is moving into alert state will summon a lot of Abyss to its surrounding in no time at all. In a situation where the enemy’s battle force surpassed yours, it’s the basic to do defensive battle at the base. You are planning on going to rescue them for the sake of your own so called sense of justice, and expose the people of the city to danger?”

“…………”

Lux had no words in response.

Lisha and others, along with the other military personnel who until now were insisting to rescue their comrades held their breath without being able to say any more objection.

Singlen’s words were fundamentally correct.

Plus they cannot disobey the man who was the current commander of operations.

Whispered sighs spread like at his words.The commotion was drawing back like ripple.

Even Wanheim’s military personnel who were demanding to send rescue team, along with the offices of the New Kingdom, they came to think that there was nothing they could do. However,

“So what?”

“…huh?”

Lux’s sudden words broke the silence.

He weaved through the gap of the bewildered soldiers and confronted Singlen.

“You said they are weak? That those who are left behind inside the Ruin, are bunches without significant ability or quality. That here, there is no leeway to save them.”

“I said that, so?”

“Your decision is mistaken.”

Lux muttered these words as he glanced around. Then he continued.

“Rescuing the suriving allied combat force is also our job. In this suppression mission, when the time limit is passed, even if we exterminate Abyss after that, it won’t add anything to our exam evaluation.”

“And?”

“The possibility is high that our allies who are left behind inside the Dungeon likely entered the third level because they fought the Abyss in an unexpected situation and headed toward the third floor while the time hadn’t run out. Or perhaps they chose that in order to save their comrade who was in the verge of danger. That’s why they ended up left behind inside the Ruin.”

Lux continued speaking matter-of-factly with calm demeanor.

“In the army, order is absolute. However, a knight that is able to make his own judgements considering the changing situations isn’t the same like a coward who is merely fliching in front of enemy and only tries to survive without problems. You ──which of the two are you?”

A burst of commotion spread throughout the Lobby.

Lux faced the commander of the Seven Dragon Paladins, Singlen who was also appointed as the commander of the operation this time, with opposing attitude right to his face.

“……….…”

Singlen mulled over Lux’s words quietly for a few seconds before giving an empty smile.

“Kukukukuku. You’re a more interesting man than I expected. My opinion of you has slightly changed. But see, you are a powerless human. At this place, you are unable to ignore the rules set by Wanheim Principality.”

“Certainly. ──Save ony one exception.”

Right after Lux answered, *Bang!* the door of the Lobby was kicked open and a man entered.

It was another member of Seven Dragon Paladins the same like Singlen, Greifer.

“I spoke to the geezers at the government office. If it is Seven Dragon Paladins who are recognized by the World Agreement, it seems they can exercise a unique authority even toward a Ruin of another country yeah? Especially in emergency cases, they can trespass into Ruin without going through protocol──”

“Greifer…”

“Well, my duty too originally was to protect the princess, but I also gotta go to search for that Coral.”

Lux felt his conviction from that sentence.

Right after that Lux turned again to face Singlen.

“I swear to the vice-captain of the Seven Dragon Paladins, Singlen Shelbrit. At this very minute, I aspire to become the Seven Dragon Paladins of New Kingdom Atismata!”

“-…!?”

The words of Lux took everyone by surprise.

As the ripples of noise spread, an uninhibited smile emerged on Singlen’s face.

“You’re taking a big step just to save your sister huh. The man who before this refused to join by that much.”

“Time is running short. Even if you disagree, I will go to rescue them even if I have to violate the rule.”

“──Fuh, fine then.”

Lux’s words caused Singlen to hold his laughter.

“I already obtained the consent of the people in authority. The last descendant of the old empire, the ruined prince Lux Arcadia. I’ll recognize you as the Seven Dragon Paladins of New Kingdom Atismata.”

Singlen loudly announced at the top of his voice toward everyone present.

While the Lobby was in commotion due to the surprises, Lux walked away as though he was parting through the officers.

Midway as he passed Lisha, Krulcifer, Philuffy, and others, he stopped momentarily and whispered.

“My apologies, Lisha-sama. Please take care of the rest.”

Lisha understood what he meant and nodded back with a confident smile.

“…Got it, get the better of that twisted man and leave him speechless.”

“Yes.”

Lux nodded with a serious expression and then he stood at the edge of the spiral staircase’s entrance that connected to the Dungeon’s Gate.

“You’re ready, prince?”

Lux nodded his head wordlessly and pulled out Bahamut’s Sword Device.

Greifer also readied the Sword Device of Cuelebre. Together they kicked the handrail and jumped down to the center.

The people and the military surrounding them didn’t even have time to be surprised as a roar thundered from the Ruin.

──BIiiiiiiIIIII-!

“──!?”

Countless Abyss emerged from below the widely open spiral staircase through the Gate.

The first to approach them were the Gargoyles, Chimeras, and other winged beasts that flew at them in a straight line from the central hole.

Lux and Greifer both pushed the button of their Sword Device and equipped their respective Divine Drag-Ride.

“──Yoruka, I’ll leave them to you!”

After Lux’s sharp shout, numerous cuts appeared across the air. Just from that, the many Abysses were cut apart and scattered everywhere in the blink of eye.

After a breath, a Drake’s camoflauge function was lifted, and a black haired girl with exotic foreign clothes was revealed piloting a Divine Drag-Ride.

“I have been waiting impatiently for your command, my lord.”

The assassin Drag-Knight who was formerly called as the Empire’s Assassin Blade──Kirihime Yoruka.

In order to obtain assistance in this Ruin of foreign country where they were in a situation that was under many restrictiosn, Lux called for her even with the understanding of the dangers.

“Uoh!? Who the hell is this woman?”

“Don’t worry. She is my──ah, my companion.”

Lux who wasn’t an imperial family of the old empire anymore found it hard to call her as his servant or subordinate, so he spoke that.

Yoruka was falling while cutting down winged Abysses one after another that crossed path with her, as though being vanguard for Lux and Greifer.

Three people landed on the floor where four Abyss were cleared out at the same time. They then took position on the Gate’s entrance that was enveloped with dim darkness.

When Lux and co stood above the Gate wearing their respective Drag-Ride, they were immediately pulled into the inside.

At the same time Yoruka pulled out her Sword Device, and countless windows of light floated from her shoulder armor.

“Search Frame – On(Probe Mechanism – Boot Up)”

At the same time with Yoruka’s whisper, countless lines of light spread radially from her shoulder armor and spread widely, crawling in high-speed along the ground and walls of the Dungeon.

The Divine Drag-Ride of special equipment type, Yato no Kami was provided with functions like enemy search, camouflage, support, supplement, repair and so on. Its abilities were a few ranks above the general purpose Drag-Ride, Drake. (TN: The special equipment type here refer to Drake-type Drag-Ride that is installed with various ability that Wyvern-type and Wyrm-type doesn’t have)

“──My lord, your younger sister is still safe and sound. The three others around her are all right as well. From the coordinates, they are to the northeast part of the third level.Although they are moving little by little.”

Most likely, they were searching for the exit of third level while running away from enemy at the same time.

The three girls of the Triad were doing everything they could to protect Airi even under this situation.

Their escape route was blocked, and they were left behind. In that desperate situation, they didn’t give up and continued to fight.

Just this fact made strength welled up in Lux chest.

“Yoruka, can I ask you to guide us through the Dungeon? I want you to derive the shortest route while avoiding battle with Abyss as much as possible.”

“Affirmative my lord.”

Yoruka responded, at the same time she drove the four legs of Yato no Kami and jumped with a movement as though she was kicking midair.

That special armament that was called <Vacuum Step> made it possible to make that frame of special equipment-type Drag-Ride that possessed no ability to fly to move as though it was sliding in the air.

“I see, for you to have this kind of terrifying ally, looks like you prince got more then meet they eye huh.”

Greifer exclaimed in admiration from Yoruka’s expert performance. From time to time, he sent flying the Abyss that was coming from behind using his Tail Blade.

After a few minutes moving in high speed through the corridor, leaving behind the flowing scenery, Yoruka who was going ahead dropped her speed.

“We have arrived, my lord. It is right below us.”

“-……!?”

Seeing the scene, Lux could not help but be shocked.

Each floor had a large stair set up leading to the bottom. The entrance of the stair to the third level there was sealed by a solid iron lattice.

“Hah, just something like this──!”

Greifer filled his Tail Blade with energy and slashed, but only sparks flew out.

“──This is not an ordinary iron lattice!?”

Lux also followed, slashing his black great sword──Chaos Brandhe, but it bounced off the same.

The thick lattice around the size of an adult’s arm was only scratched a little.

It could possibly take them half an hour in order to break down the lattice.

“Nothing could be done, huh. Destroying this barrier is the key, but another way into the third floor is──”

“…………”

Lux bitterly kept thinking.

(Calm down, there should be other ways. If I remember right, when they explained this Dungeon’s structure description──)

[Lux-san! Are you close!? Please respond!]

“-……!?”

At that moment, communication came through from the Dragon Voice of Noct’s Drake.

[I am here, Noct! We are above your position on the second floor! But──]

“I know what you want to say, Lux-kun. We also tried it. If only we could destroy the partition between us, we will be able to escape somehow. ──But”

“Sharis-san! Airi! Everyone else too──”

Across lattice that divided the area──near the large stair, he could see the figure of the Triad and Airi.

They seemed to have struggle too, but as expected it seemed they also failed to destroy the lattice from the third floor side.

It was evidenced by Sharis’s weapon being in tatters.

“……Lux-kun, we are still safe. Don’t be too rash. The alert state of this Ruin won’t last for long right? Then it’s fine. If it’s just a few minutes, we will hold on somehow.”

“I’m rea-ally frazzled but, compared to Celis-senpai’s training this is still better perhaps.”

“Yes, I am used to waiting.”

Although Sharis and others showed a smile, it was obvious they were bluffing.

Their forehead and neck were covered with sweat, and ragged breathing could be heard.

They were fatigued from the Class promotion exam, in addition to the mission to suppress the Abyss that they participated in without resting.

On top of all that, they seemed to have been battling with some sort of formidable enemy several times as evidenced by the cracks in their armor.

“My lord, there is an influx of Abyss coming from behind us. On your younger sister’s side, there is the presence of Drag-Ride approaching. From their situation, it does not seem like that it’s an allied Drag-Knight.”

“…………”

Lux had an idea about a party who would aim at Airi.

TheDragon Marauder, whose goal was to explore Ruin and obtain treasures through any means to weaken the power of countries that currently were in possession of Ruin.

This threat was approaching the Triad and Airi from their side.

“Don’t worry about my safety, Nii-san. I am still okay—“

And then, Airi called out from behind Noct.

She had the same calm and graceful usual tone, with a smile of a young lady that smoothly navigated the society.

Lux also understood that she was acting tough.

“Airi, I understand.”

Thus, Lux also answered with his usual gentle smile.

Just like what he had done many times since their childhood in the past until now, he used the same voice like when he patted her head and told her this.

“I will come save you soon, so wait just a little bit more for me.”

“-……!?”

Lux’s words made Airi’s expression froze.

The mask of calmness she would always keep on her face gradually collapsed and her shoulder began trembling.

“N-Nii-san, what are you talking about. ……It won’t work, please consider the situation. In any case, the second level and the third level are completely separated now!”

Even so, Lux calmly breathed in without a single twitch on his expression.

“No──there’s a way.”

“──Eh?”

Lux calmly made a statement to that caused Airi and the Triad to stir.

“There is a one-way Portal in this Dungeon that connect to the lower floor. If we use that, we can get to the third floor evne from here.”

“Please hold on!? What are you thinking!? The Portal in this Dungeon will only lead you to the bottom! In order to save us, even you will be locked in. I don’t──want to become Nii-san’s burden anymore!”

“Airi…”

Seeing Airi shouting sadly, someone placed a hand on her head.

“We are also begging you. Don’t be too rash, Lux-kun.”

Sharis cut in with a gentle expression.

“I am very glad you are coming to save us. However, this is our responsibility. After all, we the Triad got lured here by that bunch. We were unable to see through their aim and exposed Airi-chan to danger.”

“Yes, we too do not wish to be a hindrance anymore to Lux-san.”

“We-ell, you don’t have to worry so much. We’ve survived till now, haven’t we──”

And so Sharis and Noct requested, and Tillfur echoed their sentiments with a wry smile.

They have obviously been through quite a bit with all the wounds over their body, but the four acted tough so not to burden Lux even more than this.

“No matter what, we the Triad will do our utmost to protect your sister. So──”

Sharis said it with a somewhat lonely tone, but also with the conviction of a warrior.

But──

“──Yoruka, can you confirm the location of the transporter at the third level?”

“What…!?”

The words that Lux said with serious face caused the face of the three Triad to change color.

“Why do you go so far…”

While Airi whispered with a stunned look, Yoruka gave her report to Lux indifferently.

“It looks like it’s a little far from here. It’s position is to the northeast.”

“Understood. I want you to stay here and lure the Abyss swarm that come. Can I leave it to you?”

“It is regrettable that I cannot join you my lord, but it cannot be helped isn’t it.”

Yoruka responded with a hearty smile and she took a stance with her katana-type Blade.

“Let’s go, Greifer!”

“Got it. I too gotta go find that Coral.”

Lux steered Bahamut towards the Portal.

“Everyone! Hold on a bit longer!”

Right after he yelled, he left the stair in the blink of eye and quickly flew wearing through the corridor.

Before long they found a circle engraved with some unknown text. They landed on it.

The time it took the Portal to move them towards the interior of the Ruin was quite short.

The light began to overflow around Lux and Greifer along with the Drag-Ride.

“Sorry, Greifer for dragging you with me.”

“Hah, I have not gotten weak enough that I require your highness’ concern.”

In reply to Lux’s apology, Greifer laughed confidently.

In that moment, their weight seemed to disappear and their vision is covered by light.

As their field of vision cleared up, some medium sized Abyss were coming.

It was a situation that if it was the average Drag-Knight, this would become an assault that was like an ambush where they wouldn’t even be able to react.

However, the two members of of the Seven Dragon Paladins didn’t waver at all even in this siutaiton and they moved.

“──Photon Dive.”

As sharp teeth and claws approached, Greifer’s Cuelebre was wrapped in light.

The Divine Raiment that performed invincibility for a few seconds repelled the attack of the Abyss before his eyes, it was at that moment Lux’s Bahamut took action.

“Reload on Fire.”

Time was compressed, and then his speed was accelerated by several fold which he used to launch super speed slashes.

Criss-crossing slashes from a blade resulted in the beast’s body to be completely hacked to pieces.

Originally, it required preparation to counter the enemy’s attack. However, Greifer’s Photon Dive created an opening that allowed Lux to attack.

“You took the prey, huh. Oh well, not much time left anyway, I’ll forgive you.”

“Much appreciated.”

Lux expressed his appreciation, then continued flying towards where Airi was.

However, although the Ruin was under alert state, surprisingly few Abyss appeared.

He felt it strange even while they arrived at the location of the Triad and Airi.

Across from them, the girls were facing a man.

“So you all also came here?”

The Silver Flash, Dilwy Froias.

A military officer who at this occasion was serving as a group leader leading the soldiers of new kingdom who were taking exam here.

“Well yeah. Rather than that where is your comrades? Also by the way, have you seen a Drag-Knight with a girly face named Coral or a man named Buzzheim?”

Landing nearby, Greifer raised some questions.

Lux intended to ask a question, when Sharis made a tense voice.

“Both of you be careful! That man is suspicious! Buzzheim and his men were also killed by him!”

Lux and Greifer were puzzled after hearing those words.

But, Dilwy, who didn’t look bothered at the slightest, began laughing softly.

“That is a misunderstanding. They were attacked by some parasitic Abyss. And these kids saw me clean up the situation so they think I killed them. Why would I kill people of my own country and the soldier of Wanheim?”

“So…what is that thing in your hand then?”

“Oh this. This is something Buzzheim-dono dropped. I picked it up to hold on to it for now. But the content is somewhat suspicious for this to be his item. Inside there is a diary of a girl and some ancient archives from Ruin slipped in between.”

“…………”

After he muttered, he opened that ancient document and traced its text in a display.

“Even though I look like this, I am very interested in these treasures related to Ruin. I also once spent my time deciphering ancient text. I don’t understand the exact content of this text because I’m not that knowledgable though.”

“What are you saying──”

“The only thing that I understand from this text, is Holy Arcadia Empire──only that name. I’ve never heard that this kind of ancient document has been submitted. I have connection with the consuls of the royal capital see. If this document is something that you secretly concealed, then you two will need to be questioned for the responsibility……no, about the connection between that old empire and the Ruin.”

“──?!”

Airi had a tragic expression after hearing this.

The secret that she thought should not be known to others was exposed now.

“Lux Arcadia. And Airi Arcadia. Are you two siblings knows about something? The old empire, and its connection to the Ruin that is described in this ancient document. The true identity of the two of you the imperial family of the old empire──”

Dilwy’s words surprised everyone at that place.

Between the intermittent alarm sounds and shaking red light, Lux breathed calmly.

“……I don’t know. Even if I did I wouldn’t tell you.”

He stared at Dilwy with cold eyes.

“You want to ask why…it is because you are a Dragon Marauder’s spy, infiltrating the new kingdom’s military looking for a chance.”

“──?!”

As Lux asserted this, everyone there was tense.

“Why did you take your comrades into the third level of this Ruin? It is well known that the dungeon is deep, and exploring it is not allowed. For such an honest and loyal soldier who is famous like you, why would you commit such baffling act?”

“…You think too highly of me, Lux-kun. I am not perfect. Even I will make a miss when several unfortunate accidents piled up one after another.”

Lux continued staring at Dilwy who was smiling bitterly.

“The purpose of the criminals Dragon Marauder is to plunder treasures in the Ruin in order to hamper the countries’ military power. You caused the ruins to enter an alert state, you also provoked Buzzheim to steal the ancient document my sister had, in order to lay the blame on her, while you yourself will search for the secret of the Ruin──”

“……I have said several times already, kid. Buzzheim-dono was killed because he was possessed by Abyss. Are you so committed to make me out as a traitor so you can escape from my question?”

“The Portal to go to the third level is a one way road that go from above to below. That’s why, in the case you go down the level without using that, you won’t be conscious of the stair location. Can you grasp the route I used from the place where I was transferred to reach until this spot?

“…………”

Lux’s question elicited only silence from Dilwy and his expression vanished.

“The corpse we saw had no trace of possession because of Abyss. In other words──”

“There isn’t anything else to say, meek man. You are the traitor who killed your own comrades.”

Greifer calmly finished Lux’s words, and held up his Tail Sword.

Lux and Greifer deliberately showed an ignorant attitude based on their suspicion of Dilwy.

“—Hu”

As Dilwy heard their words, the atmosphere changed.

“It seems that I underestimated you a little. The true identity of the Black Hero was you, a kid that appeared to be nothing special. Honestly, it was hard to believe.”

“Then, as expected my bag was stolen becauase──?”

As Airi whispered, Dilwy’s shoulders shook in laughter.

“You misunderstand, it was purely by chance. I was just watching you. I happened to overhear your conversation with Singlen and induced Buzzheim by giving him hint to steal the bag with the ancient document. Another option would be using the magic flute to mae the Abyss kidnap you.”

“The plan was well-planned but the execution was stupid. Do you truly believe you can deal with two users of Divine Drag-Ride by yourself?”

Taking Greifer’s words as a signal, Lux also raised his great sword.

When the explosive situation reached the limit, Dilwy’s both eyes snapped open and he flew high.

“-……!”

The celing was flashing with the red warning light.

From there, he swooped down and unleashed a stabbing attack with his Blade.

From above──especeially from right overhead was the position that Drag-Ride found it the most difficult to defend against.

When Lux and Greifer barely avoided that attack, the Blade of the EX Wyvern Dilwy was riding grazed through.

“This guy…!?”

*Ceng!* As the crisp sound of air being sliced resounded, a slash drawing the trajectory of creascent moon came flying.

Greifer twisted his body to avoid the attack. Then Dilwy quickly turned his right wrist resulting in a second cut, third cut, till fifth slash cutting the air.

Criss-cross. Cascading shocks from the slashes crossing many times over were also moving towards Lux next.

Lux avoided the slashes by a mere millimeter, as the rocks behind him became engorged with countless deep cut marks.

“Shot Blade(Dragon Teeth Shot Sword)──, a rare weapon that general purpose Drag-Ride can use huh……”

Although the performance was not equal to that of special armament of Divine Drag-Ride, rare weapon with level of performance that was close to that existed.

The Shot Blade, it could release energy from the forward motion of it blade, releasing arrow-like shots with a slash.

Lux heard from Sharis that Dilwy’s famous ”Silver Flash” nickname came from the fact that he was more skilled than anyone else with using that special armament.

“That’s quite something. So the rumor that you are a man who cannot stand anymore in front line because your right hand is broken and unusable is just a bluff huh. That’s some personality you got there.”

“You are incorrect──. Until last night, I was a weakling exactly like your description.”

“…What do you mean?”

Dilwy quietly smiled while listening to Lux’s question.

“Why!? Why would──! You who are my father’s direct subordinate, why would you collude with the Dragon Marauder?”

As the daughter of the deputy commnader of the New Kingdom’s military, Sharis shouted at that conversation, resulting in Dilwy’s exasperated sigh.

“Stupid question. A rich lady who happen to stand out among the weakling and is contented with her lot won’t get it. You see, I have aaalways been dissatisfied. Five years ago, I was injured by the ‘calamity’ of Blackend Kingdom, and after returning home, I entered under the banner of the new kingdom as Drag-Knight of moderate faction.”

“Then, you…!?”

“You are of the rebel army that inherited the will of the Old Empire…is that correct?”

Tillfur and Noct flared up, but Dilwy snorted.

“That’s a shallow thinking. I am not interested in that sort of label. Whether it is the Old empire or the New Kingdom, it doesn’t matter. I, Dilwy Froias, being born as a man in a family of knights only aim to become the strongest Drag-Knight.”

“-……!? For that sort of goal, you abandon the New Kingdom to join the Dragon Marauder? You go so far as to ignore her majesty’s kindness in promoting you as a non-commisioned officer──”

When Airi shouted incredulously, Dilwy wordlessly pulled out his Shot Blade.

It cut through the air with a strange sound and the shockwave pierced the air flying towards Airi’s neck.

Noct moved to block the attack but her defense was broken, with the shockwaves hitting even her clothes.

“Guh, ah…!”

“Noct!?”

“Shut up please. Did I ask for your opinion? Mindless pawns will be mindless pawns, you can just feel satisfied as you are being used. Someone not even aiming for the top, not even lamenting their own powerlessness, existing just to complete the orders given to them. How can incompetent like that understand my distress?”

“-……!?”

His words caused the Triad to show pained expression.

But the next moment, two Drag-Knights attacked towards Dilwy’s sneering face.

“──Don’t screw around.”

Lux’s Bahamut flew parabolically.

He used the momentum from the free fall to add some power to his attack as he swooped past.

The use of the free fall part of the flight path (Downflow) was a higher level technique with more force than a stabbing attack.

Even if Dilwy’s skill let him rivaled EX Class Drag-Knight, it should be difficult to counter the power in the incoming attack, but──.

“──Battle Array – Vicissitudes.”

“……-!?”

At the moment they crossed each other, Dilwy’s <EX Wyvern> released a barrier which shocked Lux.

It was a parrying technique that made use of tuning, to create sharp force field that averted attacl from left to right.

That is the special move of barrier manipulation that the Blue Tyrant, Singlen Shelbrit showed Lux.

Dilwy grinned wickedly and swung his Blade to Lux whose attack was evaded and showed a defenseless back.

He is aiming at the brainstem part, where the barrier of the armor was thin.

Greifer’s Tail Sword blocked that attack which assaulted in a timing of certain kill.

The force by their attacks caused both of them to be repelled backwards away from each other.

“Hah, what a terrifying person, to be able to use even that vice captain-sama’s technique. Well, you ain’t gonna win against me with just that though.”

“…Seven years ago I once studied under Sir Singlen. At that time I was unable to learn any of his moves. But now, I finally obtained skill of that level.”

Dilwy muttered to himself intoxicatedly.

“Wanheim Principality’s Seven Dragon Paladins…… If it’s you who start from being a lowly orphan and climbed up until being the princess’s aide, you should be able to understand my pride too aren’t you?”

“Unfortunately, I ain’t interested in your life. Let’s finish this quickly yeah, Dragon Marauder’s spy.”

“You are after all, just a wild dog lured by bait. ──Then, let me finish you off here.”

While taking Greifer’s shower of attacks one after another, Dilwy suddenly fired towards the ground with his Howling Howl.

“-……!?”

Large amounts of dust suddenly arose inside the gloomy underground of the Dungeon, and then numerous silver flashes of light headed towards Greifer.

“──Photon Dive!”

Greifer’s Cuelebre wasted no time to activate its Divine Raiment of invisibility and all the slashes from the Shot Blade were deflected.

This was the battle style of Greifer and Cuelebre that excelled in defensive ability.

Not giving the opponent the opportunity to counter-attack and dragged it into a battle where they could only defend while destroying all path of retreat──it was like a seasoned hunter tracking his enemy before giving the final blow.

However, he was affected by the smoke cloud that made him lose track of Dilwy’s silhouette.

“──What!?”

As Greifer’s eyes search for his lost target, EX Wyvern jumped out from behind Airi and the Triad.

“-……!?”

“──Reload on Fire.”

But, Lux who stood on his way a moment quicker activated Bahamut’s Divine Raiment.

Using his time compression, he released consecutive high-speed slashes.

The slashes aimed towards EX Wyvern’s wrists and shoulders in an attempt to break the barrier. But in that moment, Lux noticed something and he changed his movement.

Five Daggers were thrown in parabolic arc from behind Dilwy.

Lux immediately knocked them down and at the end he aimed at Dilwy’s armor.

But, his attack was barely blocked by Shot Blade and a distance was opened once more between them.

“Even though I was hiding inside smokescreen so my attack pattern wouldn’t be read, even so my movement was still predicted──that’s really something isn’t it? I’m getting a better opinion on you two now.”

“…………”

Having two Divine Drag-Rides as his opponent at the same time, Dilwy still revealed a composed expression.

Seeing this, Lux had a strange sensation in his chest.

Although Greifer too maintained a casual attitude, he gradually began to frown with suspicion.

(Certainly, he might be already a brilliant Drag-Knight from the beginning, but──)

No matter how he was using an EX Wyvern with stacked up tuning and he was an expert of a rare weapon, but would that be enough to make him able to fight the current Lux and Greifer until this much?

“It looks like, your royal highness is also confused huh?”

Greifer suddenly said such thing as he stood there.

“It’s really strange. With that Drag-Ride and armament, it’s not like that sort of move is impossible──but, no matter how I see it that man is strange. I cannot say it well but, he ain’t a normal human for sure.”

Lux agreed with Greifer.

But, he still wasn’t really confident with his hypothesis.

“Is that it? That is your limit? The name of Seven Dragon Paladins is going to cry you know?”

Greifer steps forward to meet the mocking Dilwy.

“You’re on. I’m also tired hearing your lecture, I’ll finish this in the next move.”

Then, Cuelebre flew and threw numerous Daggers towards Dilwy.

“Stupid man. Do you not understand that these tricks don’t work on me?”

In response, Dilwy moved his Shot Blade swiftly in various arcs to release shockwaves.

The mesh-shaped shockwaves entangled the Daggers and deflected them.

In long-range battle, Dilwy’s Shot Blade held the advantage.

When Greifer activated Photon Dive to defend against the silver flashes heading towards him, Dilwy grinned.

“──Battle Array – Vicissitudes. How incompetent can you be to use the same move twice in a battle.”

Dilwy formed a barrier forcefield in the timing of impact to parry the attack from right to left.

Greifer’s slash was dodged and he stood still with his defenseless back exposed to Dilwy.

“I have seen through the amount of time you can operate your Divine Raiment. ──You should apologize to your princess from the other world.”

Without missing the opportunity, Dilwy slashed at his back.

However──,

“…what!?”

Instead of what Dilwy expected, Cuelebre’s Photon Dive did not end, the light wall was deflecting the slash toward the back.

Realizing his mistake, Dilwy attempted to flee from Greifer’s thrust, however it was too late.

“──The one incompetent is you right? I fought a woman who saw through this right from the start y’know?”

The stretching Tail Blade drew a spiral trajectory to avoid Dilwy’s barrier and pierced his barrier.

As the blade cut across his chest, droplets of fresh blood rushed out.

“Gobah…!?”

Dilwy vomited blood as his eyes rolled back.

At that moment──the outcome was decided.

“…As I thought. It is easy to deal with opponents that you do not need to worry about killing.”

The Photon Dive’s duration on Cuelebre.

Normally Greifer would deliberately fixed the duration of his Divine Raiment to a certain period and lifted the effect in short several seconds to mislead people of the timing of his invincibility.

Although Lux heard about this matter from Krulcifer after the All-Dragon battle, it was still a splendid plan.

“Now then, we gotta think about how to get out of here. Although most of the Abyss seems to be gone outside, we still need to find that Coral.”

The relaxed Greifer turned away from Dilwy’s dead corpse.

At that moment, Lux noticed something strange.

“Behind you! Greifer!”

“────”

Greifer heard Lux and turned back around while holding up the Tail Blade as a shield.

However, his defense was a little slow. And Dilwy’s Blade bit deeply into his armor.

“Guh, ah…!?”

Greifer was blown backward, but he somehow held his ground.

Dilwy, who should have been completely dead, continued to move.

His chest was cracking, like dried fish.

“Wha…what the hell is this guy?!”

Greifer who was normally aloof had a distorted expression from shock.

It wasn’t an illusion nor a fantasy. Dilwy, who could not have possibly survived the fatal injury, was giving a gruesome smile.

His hand was not holding the EX Wyvern’s control lever, but a small knife.

There was a strange burst of seven-color aura coming out of the knife.

“…I will not lose. Because that hero has saved me! I who was clinging even to Dragon Marauder looking for hope, is filled with this light……!”

“What did, you mean!?”

“Let me awaken! My voice, my cry, my shout, if they are reaching….. Grant ”Baptism” throughout my whole body, guide me! Oh ”Elixir”!”

*Stab*. Dilwy, with his trembling hand, inserted the knife into his own left chest. With the knife in his chest, he underwent another strange mutation.

“-……!? Wh-What is that? What is happening!?”

Sharis who was watching from the side was stunned as she whispered.

While Everyone present was taken by shock, Dilwy’s body that was still wearing EX Wyvern was suddenly──transforming.

The same black pattern that was running on his right wrist spread out from his left chest to the rest of his body.

His body was like a pale flame wrapped in waves of heat, being colored darker and darker.

His skin became darker than night, while his hair turned white.

His eyelids opened wide, showing eyes radiating a scarlet red light like fresh blood.

“Wh-What is that…? It is not the Drag-Ride──but he himself that is changing──!?”

“Yes, the cause of calamity that occurred in various places, could it be……”

“Nocturnal……, is this the new type Abyss──!?”

Tillfur, Noct, and Airi were shaking as this devil began to make its first sound of its birth in this world.

“SHAaAAAAAAAaAAAAaaAAAAaAaAAAAAAAH!”

It was the roar of devil from a human that wasn’t a human.

That monstrous shriek was far more terrible than the Abyss that was the nemesis of human. The screams shocked the walls o fthe Dungeon as well as the eardrums of everyone present.

The time passing seemed to be a mesh of nightmare with reality as the devil flew together with the Drag-Ride.

“──!?”

Fast.

Compared to the winged Abysses they fought previously, he was considerably faster.

EX Wyvern creeped along the ground in a very low flight.

If a blunder was made──no, with a speed that wouldn’t stop even if it crashed on the opponent, Dilwy who was changed into devil attacked Lux.

“Kuh…!”

He did not have time to use Reload on Fire to accelerate time.

Lux swung his great sword using Quick Draw and slashed horizontally at Dilwy who was approaching like a bullet.

──But,

“Ku ku ku──this is the strength of the so called Black Hero?”

“……-!?”

Lux was shocked as the dark voice reached his ear.

Dilwy’s Shot Blade met Lux’s Chaos Brand, resulting in the projection of some intense sparks.

“…Gu!?”

Lux was blown directly to the side from receiving the charge’s gust of wind.

Dilwy who looked like he was going to crash on the rock wall sharply dove up on the spot.

He quickly somersaulted through the air, then moved towards Greifer next.

“What..!? This thing──”

From a super low-altitude flight to rapidly rising followed by a rapid dive into a backflip.

The more preeminent someone was in handling Drag-Ride, the more they would understand just how impossible that movement was.

Drag-Ride couldn’t be moved with just pure operating skill.

Things like the burden on the rider’s body and stamina, the timing of breathing, and so on existed.

No matter how proficient someone was at swimming, they wouldn’t be able to dive underwater for tens of minutes without breathing.

Thus, witnessing Dilwy making impossible movements for a Drag-Knight created a moment of opening in Greifer which Dilwy took advantage of. Greifer was blown away.

“Chih…! This damn monster”

Lux and Greifer adjusted their movement in preparation for pursuing attack.

But unexpectedly Dilwy and the EX Wyvern flew until near the ceiling of the hall, taking a position to look down on everyone there.

“──!? Everyone, quick! Defend yourselves!”

Lux immediately understood his intentions, and at the same time he flew to where Airi and others were at.

The devil’s eyes glowed deep red and grinned wickedly while overlooking the scenery.

Next, the right hand armor gripped the Shot Blade which began to emit light energy.

“──Silver Flash, Hail Fang”

*Gin-!* With a roaring sound that could be heard splitting through the air, a flash of shockwave that drew an arc like crescent moon was fired.

Originally, the silver flash the Shot Blade fired was limited to several shots per breath because of the burden on the user’s stamina and mind.

But this attack appeared to be an unending torrent of rain of light pouring down on the Dungeon’s zone.

“────”

Several hundred overlapping sound of slicing wind and the destruction sound of the ground getting pulverized could be heard.

The storm of hail that reached them in less than a second erased the stifled scream of the girls, blowing away even their consciousness and thought.

Their breathing stopped in their tenseness and fear, and ashes were swept up that blocked their vision.

As it felt like the endless nightmare was ending──before long, Airi opened her eyes.

“……U, ah.”

Due to the aftermath of the attack, dust covered their bodies.

The previously sturdy walls of rock were cut apart, and the terrain was completely different.

While lying on the debris, Airi gingerly moved her fingertips.

Fortunately, her body was intact.

In addition, the Triad were lying around her with their Drag-Ride cancelled off.

“Everyone──please, get ahold of yourself.”

Perhaps due to being strained to their physical limit, the three of them could only stir a little bit.

Airi intended to call for help but as she looked up, the scene made her at a loss for words.

“──Ha, hah, ku…a”

Buried in the rubble with Bahamut, Lux was breathing hard.

Fatigued from all the fighting, Lux’s face had an anguished expression and his whole body was dripping with sweat.

“End Action huh……. a hidden move of Drag-Ride operation that was introduced during the Old Empire days, a technique that unleashed unlimited slashes. But even it has to end, and it seems your strength has finally reached its limit.”

“Damn……, it”

In an equally ragged state, Greifer in Cuelebre was laying at the opposite side of Lux.

The invincibility of his Photon Dive could only be maintained for about 10 seconds at maximum.

So, on this prolonged, uninterrupted attack that lasted more than ten second, he naturally could not make it out unscathed.

At the same time, Lux too was protecting Airi, and the Triad using End Action and he succeeded, but it took everything he had to do so.

The two of them were exhausted until very nearly the limit while they did their all so only their Divine Drag-Ride wouldn’t get desummoned.

That was their only way to resist in their current state.

“──Magnificent.”

Dilwy smirked in intoxication in the air as he looked down from above at everyone who was standing still unable to move.

“Ah, what a wonderful power.”

He kept muttering to himself heartily.

“The officer cadets of the new kingdom, a Seven Dragon Paladins, the Black Hero……I transcended and surpassed all their strength. Dilwy Froias is able to return in his true form as a Drag-Knight who aimed for the seat of the strongest like in the past. I will be able to realize the dream that I have held through a long time from here on. I’ll immediately build a new legend. I can surpass the Blue Tyrant──the mentor who once abandoned me. If it’s the current me, even that will soon come true.”

Dilwy ended his intoxicated self-praising words, and moved his venomous red eyes towards Lux.

“Although the outcome has already been decided, I do have some questions left for you, Lux Arcadia.”

He opened Airi’s bag and pointed to one of the lines of text in the ancient documents.

“The name of ”Arcadia” recorded in this ancient text. I wanted to ask before I killed you if you are associated with these Ruin, and know something about it.”

“……You have already betrayed everyone, what is the point? Just what do you intend to obtain by becoming the strongest Drag-Knight whatever for the sake of Dragon Marauder?”

Although his breathing was ragged, even then Lux’s eyes weren’t dead.

Seeing this, Dilwy’s jet black face twisted as he laughed with bared teeth.

“The Dragon Marauder you say…? I have no more business with them. My goal was to attain even greater power from this Ruin. In order to prove my strength as Drag-Knight, I need to cause more chaos and great war……!”

His body was wrapped in dark desire and resentment.

It was the answer of the man who was writhing in agony from being toyed by the reign of the old empire and the distortion of the era.

His path as Drag-Knight met setback, his hope stolen, and after clinging on his past for a long time, this was his true real nature.

“Don’t make me ask you a second time, Lux Arcadia! Give me all the knowledge you own, show me the path to reach the deepest layers of these ruins! Otherwise──”

Dilwy turned his ominous crimson gaze towards Airi and the Triad, and he yelled.

The roar of devil shook the air around him. Right then,

“Understood. It looks like, this is as far as it goes.”

Airi who was dirtied by the dust of the smashed rock wall slowly stood up and muttered.

“Nii-san over there──No, that person who I called brother and used by me, the Lord(Creator) of the Ruin is ignorant of my true identity. Asking him is useless.”

“Ai,ri…?”

Lux who stood up trying to rally up Bahamut saw his sister’s cold expression and icy eyes.

“Hou, you are saying that you are a survivor of Ruin, connected to the name of Arcadia written here? That you were hiding it all this time until now?”

“More accurately speakling, I just forgot about it. In order to protect my own safety──but, there is no meaning even if I hide it in this situation. Even I value my own life.”

Airi spoke these words fluently.

Then, she looked at the bewildered Lux with a cold expression.

“When I found that old document, I remembered. That my true identity is one of the Lords, Aeril vi Arcadia, and also my original purpose and mission──”

“Y-you, what are you saying…? What is the meaning of this, Airi missy!”

Airi turned a deaf ear to Sharis, who could only move half her body.

“In any case, the man who I called as “Nii-san” and used as my guard is not usable anymore. But──at the present, even I the Lord is unable to completely control the Ruin. If you promise that you will guarantee my life, I will cooperate with you to a certain degree you know?”

“Hou…”

The expression of the devil who heard that distorted inhumanly in joy.

“I do not think you have any other choice. By yourself, you won’t be able to use the true function of the Ruin fully.”

“Very well…”

‘Ku ku’, the devil Dilwy’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Now, come over here. I’ll listen to the story of this so called Lord without rushing.”

“──Then, excuse my leave, everyone.”

Airi whispered without any emotion as she moved towards Dilwy.

“…wait, a minute, Airi.”

Noct and Tillfur were conscious but could not move as they lied on the floor.

Airi glanced coldly at that as she walked towards Dilwy, and then──,

*Zan-*

A jet black dragon landed down between them in a position that seemed to shield Airi from the devil.

His heart was beating furiously and he could not control his breathing. His body also clearly displayed his fatigue. But Lux was somehow able to move his body.

“……You are in my way. I have already said I don’t have any use of you anymore.”

Airi coldly criticized as she said with slight frown.

But,

“──I won’t let you go. I have already decided that I won’t let anyone take away those I cherish anymore.”

“Hah”

Dilwy’s eyes shot towards Lux. Looking into his determined eyes, Dilwy laughed and readied his Shot Blade.

Multiple silver flashes pierced Bahamut’s fragile barrier.

Not being able to withstand the impact, Lux’s upper body cracked with multiple red lines.

“Gu…!”

However, he did not back down as he rushed toward Dilwy before him.

Even as his body was swaying due to physical exhaustion, he slashed down an attack using his great sword with a sharp trajectory. Dilwy casually evaded it and struck Lux’s body with his Shot Blade.

Even so, Lux immediately regained his fighting posture and charged forward once more.

However, before Lux’s great sword found its mark, Dilwy deflected it with his own sword.

“You still try even though you know it is futile, how unsightly. So the true identity of the Black Hero is only something like this.”

Lux unabatedly continued his assault while ignoring Dilwy’s scornful words.

In contrast, Airi began to feel pain as she witnessed the scene.

“Stop──please, stop already!”

Airi yelled seeing the heavily wounded Lux showing no sign of stopped fighting even then.

“Why, are you doing something like that!? You, you don’t need to fight for my sake anymore, so why──”

“I changed my mind. Although I’m still interested in you, I’ll bring you down here. Together with everyone else too.”

Dilwy made a quick backhand stroke and flashes of silver flew towards the Triad who were lifting up their upper body.

Lux flew and intercepted the roaring silver flashes.

“-……!”

Due to the pressure of the impact, Lux’s face was covered with thin red lines.

Even through all of that, Lux continued to glare at Dilwy with fearless eyes.

“Lux, kun……”

“Lux-chi……”

“……Lux, san”

The members of Triad were speechless seeing him covering even their tattered self.

Witnessing this scene, Airi had a faintly pained expression on as she held her hands on her chest.

“-……!?”

“I can’t understand. Are you that stupid? Even though there is no reason to save your sister who already betrayed you, even though there will be no advantage saving those useless small fries in this situation. Ku ha ha ha ha. Is it just like Singlen said? You really don’t have any reason to fight, you try to save someone just because you want to be loved? A pitiful──”

“──Shut up”

“What?”

Lux commanded with a cold, yet threatening tone.

“Don’t you notice anything? Why Airi said those words, why she went as far as lying, pretending to be unrelated to us.”

“-……!?”

Airi’s cold mask was on the verge of collapse at Lux’s words.

“Airi wants to save us. Even if it gains the resentment of her friends, even if she has to become the villain, even though she cannot use a Drag-Ride, even so she is constantly thinking about what she can do, and fight.”

“……..”

“I remembered……. Whether as the prince of the Old Kingdom, or a criminal of the New Kingdom, the reason I fight has not changed in the slightest since the past.”

In order to protect the people important to him.

No matter how powerful and unyielding the authority(plot) Lux faced, he swore he would accomplish its destruction in his own way.

“Since I failed at that time──I thought that it would be fine if I entrust my dream to someone else.”

Lux thought that his path was to protect Lizsharte, the princess of the new kingdom, and cooperated for the sake of her ideal.

“But, I’m wrong. It won’t be meaningful if my ideal doesn’t come true together with it.”

When an enemy that he couldn’t match was standing in his way, if he had to consider his important people as weak and abandoned them like Singlen──he would rather fight, became stronger, he swore he would protect them.

“I’m──not going to give up anything. I won’t let someone like you, take away even a single one of these girls who are important to me.”

Although blood was dripping from his head and whole body onto his armor, Lux’s willpower didn’t wither in the slightest.

“──Hah! Then I will teach you your helplessness right here! You powerless hero!”

Dilwy sharply flew forward and brandished up his Shot Blade, rushing toward Lux.

He violently drove his EX Wyvern and struck with a terrific slash.

“You can’t protect anyone! Let me show you!”

Dilwy released silver flashes towards Airi.

Lux intended to block the attack, but the number of attacks were too great and several slipped through him──however,

“Don’t worry about us, Lux-kun!”

Sharis shouted from behind.

The Triad stood up once more in their Drag-Rides and worked together to make a solid barrier to shield Airi.

“What are you all doing! Don’t move so carelessly! Wearing Drag-Ride in that condition will make you──”

“It’s all good, Airi-chan.”

Sharis smiled even as blood was dripping from her forehead while the other two also nodded in agreement.

“Even though we look like this, we are not playing around. We cannot just lie down sleeping. It doesn’t matter even if we are powerless in the present situation, we can’t just stand around doing nothing after seeing how you and Lux are fighting.”

“We-ll yeah, we can still move after a fashion……”

“Yes, we will fight until our last breath.”

“You all……”

Airi whispered while the three of them were adjusting their formation.

“Thank you──everyone.”

Lux thanked them as he resumed his battle with Dilwy.

With the three’s assistance, the task of protecting Airi was left to them. Lux was gradually pushing on Dilwy.

But──,

“Let me tell you……all of your struggling is futile!”

Dilwy once again soared towards the ceiling while waving his Shot Blade.

“You are definitely finished this time──Silver Flash, Hail Fang!”

“You’re gonna be the one to die yeah, blackened uncle.”

Unnoticed by anyone, Cuelebre rushed to meet EX Wyvern that was going to unleashes storm of slashes from the silver flash once more.

“──You!?”

“I’m thinking that I’m not gonna die here for the sake of our princess. I too ain’t able to bear it see, that I keep getting looked down by sleazebag like you.”

Greifer concentrated all his energy and with a dazzling, shining light cut down with the Tail Blade.

Seeing the spiral curve of the attack, Dilwy was snickered.

“──Battle Array – Vicissitude.”

The moment just before the blade’s tip touched, a forcefield of barrier that was formed with diagonal track repelled the attack of Tail Blade──wasn’t what happened here.

“What-…!?”

“Don’t underestimate someone else too much, uncle. Certainly I’m really reckless, but can learn y’know?”

The blade with multi joint drew an arc with a movement that avoided the barrier and entangled the blade of the Shot Blade.

It was a deluding attack that pretended to aim at the body but actually attacked the opponent’s weapons.

“Your struggling is futile! ──How unsightly, you stray dog!”

But, Dilwy who was taken by surprise counterattacked with Howling Howl without delay.

The impact was several times more powerful than the attack output of an average Drag-Ride, and Greifer was blown far backwards.

“……-!?──Well fine, I’ve made an opening I guess. I’ll leave the rest to you yeah, your highness.”

Cuelebre’s armor was broken while Greifer said with a fearless smile.

To his words, Lux responded with only brief comment.

“──Yeah, I won’t hesitate anymore to fight for my own sake.”

The moment Dilwy turned into offense and exposed a large opening, Lux held aloft his great sword.

“It’s futile──no matter how many times you try, I am much faster than you!”

Dilwy was able to defense faster than Lux could swing down his sword.

He moved with an extraordinary speed and Drag-Ride operation technique that only the current him could achieve.

He unleashed an attack using his Shot Blade to bisect Bahamut with all his strength, however, the forcefield of barrier that was generated from Lux’s left to his right completely repelled that attack.

“──Whaaat-!?”

“──Battle Array – Vicissitude”

One of the Drag-Ride operation techniques that the strongest Drag-Knight of Blackend Kingdom, the Blue Tyrant, Singlen Shelbrit used.

Dilwy who couldn’t learn that technique until he was turned into devil borrowing the power of Baptism witnessed it with his own eyes.

How can this kid use this technique!?

Just from seeing it only a few times during the Class promotion exam he──.

Even more shudder of terror ran through Dilwy without giving him any time to soak in his shock.

“──Battle Array – Aeon Fire.”

“……!?”

The special move that even now Dilwy couldn’t use.

By collecting all energy from the barrier, propulsion, and driving force into the Blade, a blow with explosively increased might could be unleashed.

The attack broke through the EX Wyvern’s barrier of maximum output and cut down feeply into the shoulder.

“Guh, gahhhh…!”

His blackly dyed shoulder was soaked red from the spilt blood.

Blown to the floor, Dilwy tried to take action to defend from Bahamut’s pursuing attack. However, EX Wyvern was slow to react as he tried to take a defensive posture.

“……The machine isn’t moving!? Why?! My body is still──”

Although his body was moving, the Drag-Ride was not responding.

Given the impact of Lux’s attack attack on the Force Core in his shoulder, he was unable to move for a few seconds.

“I won’t lose…! After attaining this power! Against a bastard like you, I won’t──”

Dilwy screamed and struggled as Lux moved nearer.

He operated his Drag-Ride with all his available strength to defend against Lux’s sword and slashed back──, Lux didn’t overlook that obvious counterattack.

“──Reload on Fire”

Instantly, countless slashes from the great sword cut through EX Wyvern’s armor.

The wrist armor, Force Core, back wings, and other joints to move the armor were slashed apart by the instantaneous slashes, bursting and scattering the EX Wyvern.

“Impossible…!? Wh, WHYyyYYY-!? I should have taken it back! The power that I should be able to obtain in my hand, and yet──”

Dilwy frantically screamed as his armor fell apart.

[[File:Saijaku V6 15.jpg|thumb|right]]

He picked up the Shot Blade with his own flesh and blood hand and brandished it, but then that hand along with the sword was cut off.

“──Then, that strength must be just an illusion right? Monster uncle.”

“Gahh……! GUSHAaAAAAaAaAaAaAAA-!”

The Blade of Cuelebre that Greifer drove flickered and the tip of the blade gouged the heart.

Cracks of light emerged from his body as this monster that was once a man gave his last screams of sorrow.

Similar to an Abyss with its core destructed, that body broke and dissipated into the dust.

===Part 13===

[So──that handyman brat, he really used my technique, the Battle Array?]

After the fight subsided, one man was moving in the shadow.

It was a strange looking Divine Drag-Ride flying through the passage of Dungeon at high speed──It was Zweigbergk the old knight.

At the surface, he was following Singlen’s orders to rescue Lux and others who were left behind in Dungeon but,

[Sir-, but I don’t understand. My lord’s Battle Array that is making use of tuning is the best technique for a Drag-Knight. No matter how outsanding Lux Arcadia’s skill is, it should be impossible to learn it in that short of a time period…..]

The expression of the old knight didn’t change. However he sent back a reply with Dragon Voice that was mixed with irritation somewhere. But,

[That’s simple. Isn’t the answer obvious already, Zwei?]

[By that, you mean?]

Singlen maintained his calm attitude while answering.

[That guy had already known about it. He couldn’t use the two Battle Array that I use, but he knew them.]

[…………]

[The use of tuning is impossible if one is not knowledgable about the control interface of Drag-Ride. But that guy, he must have attempted the finesse of the technique many times since in the past. Even though he did not know the mechanism of tuning, he himself wasn’t satisfied with just devising three hidden techniques. Even after that, he constantly thought whether there is something more that he could do, and day after day, on and on, he continued to work hard groping for new techniques. That’s how it is.]

[No way, such thing is……]

‘Hard to believe’, Zwei let out such voice.

[He crossed sword with me at the exam. When he saw that my skill is clearly superior, that guy immediately switched his fighting style. He moved not to defeat me, he fought in the way to steal my techniques──that guy always hardened his defence at the tournament in royal capital most likely isn’t just for training his foresight, he also aimed to learn the technique of his opponent’s attack even just by one more.]

Singlen’s exultant tone caused Zwei to become silent.

[In a situation where that guy cannot help but joining Seven Dragon Paladins, he realized my trap while leaping into it in order to save his comrades. Until that point it’s according to my expectation, but it’s unexpected that he also stole two of my techniques. Even though his face looks like he cannot even kill a bug, but he is scheming like a strategist. He cannot be dealt with normal method, is what this mean.]

[…………]

[I was thinking of him as one of the pawns connected to Fugil, but he is a man more terrifying than I imagined. The time ahead looks amusing……don’t you agree, Zwei?]

Even while in one side Singlen was showing vigilance toward Lux, his tone sounded as though he was amused.

Zwei nodded in agreement to that before he immediately cut off the Dragon Voice’s communication.

===Part 14===

“……That was a tiresome battle. Good grief.”

“Are you all feeling okay? Greifer, everyone?”

Greifer took a breath, then he saw a new EX Wyvern flying in front of him.

The one who was riding it was a youth with androgynous features, Coral.

“You……where did you go until now?! Do you know how long we have been looking for you──”

“Sorry. I desperately shook off the many Abysses that appeared here in the Dungeon. If I carelessly brought them over here, I am afraid it would put you all in danger so──”

“Haa, well, doesn’t matter. Although there are lots I wanna say, for now let’s leave this place first.”

The moment Greifer muttered, not far from them, the sound of a something being opened was heard. Yoruka wearing Yato no kami landed down.

“It is great you are alright, my lord. I followed your instructions and secured the escape route.”

As a result, it seemed that she eliminated a large number of Abysses in the area by herself.

The lights in the surrounding also returned to their original color, and the alert state of the Ruin was finally ended.

“Let’s retreat now. We are going to talk later, after we ensure everyone’s safety.”

Greifer agreed with Coral’s suggestion after examining the surroundings.

The Triad also stood up somehow, while Lux who had dispelled his armor was standing in front of Airi.

“………….”

Airi could not lift her face to meet Lux’s eyes.

The matter of the ancient document that she was hiding.

The matter about whether she and Lux were really related by blood with the Ruin or not, which was still unclear at this point.

The matter of how she showered harsh words to Lux and others, even though it was in order to save them.

And above else, the matter of how she got caught into the evil design of Dilwy of the Dragon Marauder, which exposed everyone to danger. All those matters made her unable to lift up her face.

However──

“I’m sorry Airi. You feel pained for my sake.”

Even so, Lux said in his usual tone while sounding somewhat apologetic.

“Airi, I completely understand how you are feeling. It’s all right already, so──”

The words of her big brother that were the same like usual made Airi’s feelings erupted.

“-……!? Nii-san! Just what are you saying!?”

The tears that she was trying to hold back dripped down, then she knocked her hands on Lux’s chest powerlessly.

“We might be different from what we thought you know!? We might not be a mere criminal of the ruined old empire, we might be people related to Ruin! If that’s really the case, then from here on, it’s unknown what is going to happen to me or Nii-san!”

Airi feared these things all this time.

The possible realities weighed on her so she could not help but shout.

“Even just now too! Why didn’t Nii-san just abandon me?! I don’t want nii-san to suffer because of me anymore! So why──”

“I don’t feel miserable or anything.”

He murmured as he gently held Airi stroking the hair that was the same color as his.

“I have never imagined anything I have done to protect Airi to be painful. There is also nothing that I thought as painful or I regret doing for you. Just being able to protect my only important family makes me happy.”

“…Why”

Airi could not bear it and she buried her face in Lux’s chest with a sob.

“Why is nii-san always like this!? Are you idiot!? Why are you always, for the sake of someone like me──”

“……I’m sorry that I made you worry. But, I won’t change my mind. No matter what kind of secret is hidden inside us, I will always be Airi’s big brother, that’s why”

Lux gave off a slightly shy smile as he stroked his sister’s back gently.

“It will surely be all right. It’s alright, that’s why──don’t cry anymore.”

“tsu……U, AAaAAAAAAH!”

Airi raised her voice in contrast with Lux’s words.

She wanted to hold back in front of the others, but the tears would not stop.

The family who continued to stay at her side since she was a child, when she had been frail and helpless as she lost her mother.

The big brother who since the period of old empire, had continued to protect herself no matter how much he got hurt.

Even though he was always slow and insensitive, even though when the time came he would forcefully shoulder everything alone.

His voice’s warmth and his chest were warm, the reassurance from his hands stroking her hair, they caused the tears to spill out without end.

Inside the Dungeon, a girl’s sobs echoed.

And then, the incident closed its curtain.

Zero no Tsukaima

2017-12-15T11:26:59Z

Dreamer2908: /* Volume 21 - The Truth of 6,000 Years Ago / 六千年の真実 */

{{Status|Active}}

[[Image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|300px|thumb|Vol.One Cover]]

The ''Zero no Tsukaima'' series is also available in the following languages:
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima - Français|Français (French)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Deutsche Version|Deutsch (German)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ Indonesian Version|Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Italian Version~|Italiano (Italian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Korean Version|한국어 (Korean)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima wersja polska|Polski (Polish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~Russian Version~|Русский (Russian)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima ~ (Spanish)|Español (Spanish)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Tiếng Việt|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima Vietnamese Version|Bản dịch khác của tiếng Việt (Vietnamese Alternative version)]]

(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)
----
Visit the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/index.php Baka-Tsuki Project Forum] to discuss this series and other information from Baka-Tsuki.

== Updates ==
It is with sadness that we report that Noboru Yamaguchi, the author of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' passed away from cancer on April 4, 2013. However, MF Bunko J has announced that the series will be continued based on the author's notes before his passing, according to the [http://zeronotsukaima.wikia.com/wiki/NewsMisc Zero No Tsukaima Wiki].



*December 5, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 has been completed.
*September 20, 2017:
:::*Volume 21 Chapter 1 - Chapter 8 has been completed.
*January 22, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Volume 20 Chapter 9]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Volume 20 Epilogue]] completed
*January 21, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Volume 20 Chapter 8]] completed
*January 16, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Volume 20 Afterword]] and [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Volume 21 Afterword]] completed.
*January 14, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Volume 20 Chapter 7]] completed.
*January 13, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Volume 20 Chapter 6]] completed.
*January 7, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Volume 20 Chapter 5]] completed.
*January 2, 2017:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Volume 20 Chapter 4]] completed.
*December 25, 2016:
:::*[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Volume 21 Chapter 1]] completed.
*August 17, 2016:
:::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Volume 19]] completed.

Older updates can be found on the [[Zero no Tsukaima news archive|ZnT news archive]].

== Translation ==

=== Translators Needed ===

'''Baka-Tsuki is desperately looking for translators for this series.''' If you would like to help translate this series, please post in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5610 here], and we will help you get started. Thank you.

=== [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration]] ===
Translators are requested to mark all the chapters they are translating on the [[Zero no Tsukaima Registration|Registration Page]] according to [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline#Translation Management|Translation Management]] section of ''Zero no Tsukaima'' [[Zero no Tsukaima:Guideline|Project Specific Guidelines]].
=== Format Standards ===
Every chapter (after editing) must conform to the agreed points highlighted in [[Format guideline|Format/Style Guideline]].

Some of these chapters are translations of the '''Chinese edition''' of the novels, which are known to have some minor mistakes compared to the original Japanese text. If you have access to the originals and you spot an error, '''please feel free to make the corrections yourself''' - this is a Wiki which means it's meant for anyone to fix things (and if you screw up, we can revert back your changes if all deem necessary). We can see the corrections you make, so just go ahead instead of hiding or waiting for permission.

[[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Guideline#Naming_Conventions|Naming Conventions For ZnT]]

=== Joint Collaboration ===
This Project began as a [http://www.baka-tsuki.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=246 joint collaboration] with the following groups:
* [http://kh.beyondeternal.com/ Kawaii Heavens] (who also worked on the manga version of this series)
::*Volume 1 (all chapters)


*[http://www.k-neko.net/ Kuroneko]
::*Volume 1, Chapter 1
::*Volume 1, Chapter 2

== <span class="plainlinks">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Familiar_of_Zero ''Zero no Tsukaima''] series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==
'''You can find the EPUB and MOBI version of the Volumes in the forums [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4895 here] and the PDF version [http://www.baka-tsuki.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4745 here].'''

=== Volume 1 - Zero's Familiar / ゼロの使い魔 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots1_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Insert and Back Cover|Insert & Back Cover]]
*Kingdom of Magic
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - I'm a Familiar]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise the Zero]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Legend]]
*Gandálfr
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Familiar's Day]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Kirche the Ardent]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Tristain's Arms Dealer]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Staff of Destruction]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 2 - Albion of the Wind / 風のアルビオン ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots2_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - A Secret Boat]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Her Majesty's Melancholy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Childhood Friend's Request]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Port City - La Rochelle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - A Rest Day Before Leaving]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The White Country]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Prince of a Dying Country - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Eve before the Final Battle in Newcastle - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - The Final Battle - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book / 始祖の祈祷書 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots3_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Lineage of Zero - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Louise's Lovesickness]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Founder's Prayer Book - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Love Triangle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Arsenal and the Royal Family]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Treasure Hunting]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Dragon's Raiment]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Colbert's Laboratory]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Declaration of War]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume3 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Void]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 4 - The Water Spirit of Oath / 誓約の水精霊 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots4_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito Goes Shopping in the Triumphant Town - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Sailor Outfit and Louise's Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - Tabitha's Secret - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Strength of a Love Potion - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Water Spirit - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Ring of Andvari - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Reunion with Falsehood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Confrontation of Sadness - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume4 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 5 - Tristania's Holiday / トリスタニアの休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots5_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story1|Story 1 - The "Charming Fairies" Inn]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story2|Story 2 - The Encounter with the Flame and the Friendship with the Wind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story3 - MTL|Story 3 - Tristania's Holiday - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 6 - The Ruby of Atonement / 贖罪の炎赤石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots6_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Homecoming]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Cattleya - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Duke de La Vallière]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Commanding Officer Guiche and Officer Cadet Malicorne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Flame of Twenty Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Sortie - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Illusion at Dartanes]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Atonement of Flame - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 7 - The Silver Pentecost / 銀の降臨祭 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots7_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Temperature Difference between the Two]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Fairy - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Priest of Romalia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Secretary and the Emperor]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Ancient City of Saxe-Gotha]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - Truce - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - The Reason to Fight - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - King of Gallia - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Rout - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Place of Courage]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume7 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 8 - The Serenade of Nostalgia / 望郷の小夜曲 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots8_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Each End of the War - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Saito's Morning - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Golden Elf - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Visit of the Priest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter5 - MTL|Chapter 5 - The Disappearing Gandálfr - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter6 - MTL|Chapter 6 - The Nations Conference - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Users of Void - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter9 - MTL|Chapter 9 - Myoznitnirn - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Swordsman - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Epilogue - MTL| Epilogue - MTL]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 9 - The Ball of Twin Moons / 双月の舞踏会 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots9_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter1 - MTL|Chapter 1 - Louise's Fear - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - The Elf of the Forest - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter3 - MTL|Chapter 3 - The Meeting and Parting of the Users - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter4 - MTL|Chapter 4 - The Chevalier Title - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ondine Knight Corps of the Water Spirit]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Feelings of the Queen]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Solicitation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Ball of Sleipnir]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Confrontation with the Mysterious Bird]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume9 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi / イーヴァルディの勇者 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots10_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Elf]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Anxiety and Jealousy]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Queen and the Knights]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Siblings]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - The Imprisoned Six]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Settlement of the Past]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Old Mansion of Orléans]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Alhambra Castle]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Hero of Ivaldi]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Postscript|Postscript]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 11 - A Duet of Recollection / 追憶の二重奏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots11_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Von Zerbst]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Queen and the Duke]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Karin the Heavy Wind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Vallière Family]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - New School Term]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Private Lesson]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - The Pope of Romalia]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Jörmungand]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Reunion in Westwood]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - The Heart of the Duet]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume11 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 12 - The Fairies' Holiday / 妖精達の休日 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots12_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Prologue|Prologue]]
*Story 1: New Student from the White Country (Albion)
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story1 Chapter4|Chapter 4]]
*Story 2: Knight Corps of the Water Spirit, Charge!
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story2 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Story 3: Right to Use Saito for a Day
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
:*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume12 Story3 Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 13 - The World Door of the Holy Country / 聖国の世界扉 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots13_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Romalia]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Saito's Decision]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Aboard the ''Ostland'']]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Two Knight Corps]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - The Persuasion of the Pope]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Long Spear]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - World Door (MTL)]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Meaning of the Smile]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume13 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 14 - Aquileia's Saint / 水都市の聖女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots14_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Flowerbed Squadron's Rebellion]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Third Annual Enthronement Ceremony]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - An Elven Gandalfr]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Capital of Water]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Six Thousand Years Ago]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tiger Highway]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Aquileia's Saint]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - The Steel Tiger]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Memory of the Bond]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume14 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 15 - Labyrinth of Oblivion / 忘却の夢迷宮 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots15_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Carcassonne]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - The Knight Contest of the Sandbank]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - A Shaken Mind]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - The Jewel of Fire]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Honeymoon]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Tabitha's Long Night]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Henrietta's Diplomatic Plan]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Coronation]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Exit of the Labyrinth]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume15 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 16 - The Tea Time of Des Ornières / ド・オルニエールの安穏 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots16_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Reward of the Campaign ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Searching for a Residence ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Henrietta's Melancholy, Louise's Anxiety, Saito's Promotion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Mother and Cousin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Saito Chevalier De Hiraga Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Daily Tea Time ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter7 - MTL|Chapter 7 - Eléonore's Academy  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter8 - MTL|Chapter 8 - The Basement of the Residence  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Secret Meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Chapter10 - MTL|Chapter 10 - Elemental Siblings  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume16 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 17 - The Soeur of Dawn / 黎明の修道女 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots17_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Saito's despair ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter2 - MTL|Chapter 2 - Flight  - MTL]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Meeting and Comrade ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Sulpice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - First meeting with Jack ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Damien and Lord Gondrin ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Soeur Louise ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Josette's Resolution ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Two Canes, One Crown ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Garden Party to Celebrate the Enthronement ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter11|Chapter 11 - Bonds ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 18 - Spirit Stone of Destruction / 滅亡の精霊石 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots18_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Lovers ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Fouquet and Wardes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Josette's Garden Party ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Strategy ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Confession of the Pope ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Spirit Stone of Destruction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Our Home ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Elf of the Sahara ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Chance meeting ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume18 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 19 - The Founder's Round Mirror / 始祖の円鏡 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots19_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Summary|Summary]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Maidens of Des Ornières ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Assault ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - Abduction ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Rukshana's Oasis ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - Ali's visit ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Second meeting with Bidashal ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Louise's Decision and Romalia's Choice ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Two Prisoners ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - Confrontation with Ali ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume19 Chapter10|Chapter 10 - Escape ]]
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

===Volume 20 - Holy Land from Ancient Times / 古深淵の聖地 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots20_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - Boat for Two ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter2|Chapter 2 - Mother Sea ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter3|Chapter 3 - The Last Spear ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter4|Chapter 4 - Council ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter5|Chapter 5 - An Elf's Longing ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter6|Chapter 6 - Joint Committee on Holy Land Restoration]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter7|Chapter 7 - Onward to the Land of the Elves ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter8|Chapter 8 - Breaking Through Barricades]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Chapter9|Chapter 9 - The Work of the Devil ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume20 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 21 - The Truth of 6,000 Years Ago / 六千年の真実 ([[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Full Text|Full Text]])===
[[image:Zeronots21_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Mystery of the Holy Land ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - Suicide Attack to Adyl ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - The Elven Tower ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - Lífþrasir ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - Break-Out ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Free City of Eumenes ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - The Truth from 6000 Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Founder's Void ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Dreadful Plan ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - Raid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - Reunion ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Volume 22 - The Legend of Zero / ゼロの神話 ===
[[image:Zeronots22_01.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Prologue|Prologue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 1|Chapter 1 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 12|Chapter 12 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 13|Chapter 13 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Chapter 14|Chapter 14 - ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Volume22 Afterword|Afterword]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Memorial Book ===
[[image:Znt memorial.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 1|Eight Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 2|Louise’s Room 1 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 3|Five Years Ago ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 4|Louise’s Room 2 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 5|The Birth of Louise the Zero ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 6|Louise’s Room 3 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 7|On a Certain Day for a Certain Maid ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 8|Louise’s Room 4 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 9|Master and Familiar - Saito's Mischiefs ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 10|Louise’s Room 5 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 11|Louise's Tart ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 12|Louise’s Room 6 ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 13|Tiffania's Troubles ]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 14|Undisclosed Character Design Collection]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 15|Volume 21 - Volume 22 Plot by Teacher Yamaguchi Noboru]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 16|From the Author]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Memorial Book Chapter 17|Illustrator Comment]]
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

== <span class="plainlinks"> Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabitha no Bōken series by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Side Story Volume 1 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険===
[[image:ZnTSS1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story1|Story 1 - Tabitha and the Pterosaur]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story2|Story 2 - Tabitha and the Vampire]] (35%)
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume1 Story3|Story 3 - Tabitha and the Assassin]] (~20%)
*Story 4 - Tabitha and the Magic Doll
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Side Story Volume 2 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険2===
[[image:ZnTSS2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 Story5|Story 5 - Tabitha and the Gambler]]
*Story 6 - Tabitha and the Minotaur
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume2 ExtraChapter|Extra Chapter - A Day in the Life of Sylphid]]
*Story 7 - Tabitha and the Bird of Paradise
*Story 8 - Tabitha and the Naval Port
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Side Story Volume 3 - Tabitha's Adventure / タバサの冒険3===
[[image:ZnTSS3 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Side Story Volume3 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Story 9 - Tabitha and Sylphid
*Story 10 - Tabitha and the Old Warrior
*Story 11 - Tabitha and First Love
*Story 12 - Tabitha's Birth
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

<br style="clear:both"/>

== <span class="plainlinks"> Kaze no Kishihime by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Yamaguchi_(author) Noboru Yamaguchi]</span> ==

=== Spin-Off Volume 1 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫 ===
[[image:ZNTso1 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume1 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*[[Prologue|Prologue]]
*Chapter 1 - Karin Goes to the Capital 
*Chapter 2 - Sandorion 
*Chapter 3 - Lord Jervul's Mansion 
*Chapter 4 - Dormitory 
*Chapter 5 - Four vs Four Duel 
*Chapter 6 - Philippe III and Grand Duke Eustace 
*Chapter 7 - Three Knights and Karin are Honoured with the Audience 
*Chapter 8 - Sandorion's Past 
*Chapter 9 - De Ville's Confrontation 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Spin-Off Volume 2 - Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain / 烈風の騎士姫２ ===
[[image:ZNTso2 cover.jpg|left|230px|border]]
<table border=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td>
*[[Zero no Tsukaima:Spinoff Volume2 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
*Prologue
*Chapter 1 - Report for the King 
*Chapter 2 - Dream Place of Memories 
*Chapter 3 - Secret Meeting 
*Chapter 4 - Eustace's Manor 
*Chapter 5 - Dark Truth 
*Chapter 6 - Darsini the Vampire 
*Chapter 7 - Karin's Infiltration 
*Chapter 8 - Duty of the Knight 
*Chapter 9 - King's Decision 
*Epilogue
*Afterword
</td></tr></table>
<br style="clear:both"/>

=== Zero no Tsukaima: Single Side Stories ===
::*[[Zero no Tsukaima:SingleSideStory Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::* Wardrobe of the Past 

== Project Staff ==
=== Translators ===
*Project Manager: [[user:Teh_Ping|Teh_Ping]]

'''ACTIVE'''

::::*[[User:Shadowys|Shadowys]]
::::*[[User:Purean|Purean]]

'''INACTIVE'''

::::*[[User:JirinTheNobody|JirinTheNobody]]
::::*[[User:Kira477|Kira477]]
::::*[[User:ACRONYM|ACRONYM]]
::::*[[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]]
::::*[[user:MasterMusician3|MasterMusician3]]
::::*[[user:ArchmageXin|ArchmageXin]]
::::*[[user:Kazesenken|Kazesenken]]
::::*[[user:Momogan|Momogan]]
::::*[[user:SeiryuuChan|SeiryuuChan]]
::::*[[user:Serenade beta|Serenade beta]]
::::*[[user:ShApEsHiFt3r|ShApEsHiFt3r ]]
::::*[[user:Trewth|Trewth ]]
::::*[[user:Xorius|Xorius]]
::::*[[user:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]]
::::*[[User:Chuta|Chuta]]
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::::*[[User:Wizzie|Wizzie]]
::::*[[user:christof|christof]]
::::*[[user:Claies|Claies]]
::::*[[user:Vertiful|Vertiful]]
::::*[[user:Cala-kun|Cala-kun]]
::::*[[user:naturesbless|naturesbless]]
::::*[[user:Nidema|Nidema]]
::::*[[user:SaiyaJedi|SaiyaJedi]] <- aka "SaitoFromEarth"
::::*[[user:Sushi-Y|Sushi-Y]]

=== Editors ===
This is the Project Editorial Team.
They will regularly patrol the projects to prevent vandalism & make sure the guidelines are implemented. If you have any inquiries about certain edits please contact any one of the members.

'''ACTIVE'''
::::*[[user:Bygghandel|Bygghandel]]
::::*[[user:Eatmepls-Senpai|Eatmepls-Senpai]]

'''INACTIVE'''

::::*[[user:Silimir|Silimir]]
::::*[[user:Superdaun|Superdaun]]
::::*[[user:Onizuka-gto|Onizuka-gto]]
::::*[[user:DeotoxSlayer|DeotoxSlayer]]
::::*[[user:Darknemo2000|Darknemo2000]]
::::*[[user:Akirasav|Akira]]
::::*[[user:BakaSama|BakaSama]]
::::*[[user:Wolfpup|Wolfpup]](never know when i might be prowling around)
::::*[[user:Marven054|Marven054]]
::::*[[user:Zeth|Zeth]]
::::*[[user:Just4fun|Just4fun]]
::::*[[user:EastN3|EastN3]]
::::*[[user:Bicube|Bicube]]
::::*[[user:BaKaFiSh|BaKaFiSh]]
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::::*[[user:Se-chan|Se-Chan]]
::::*[[user:The naming game|The naming game]]
::::*[[user:Darkoneko|Darkoneko]]
::::*[[user:Nandeyanen|Nandeyanen]]
::::*[[user:Da~Mike|Da~Mike]]
::::*[[user:BlckKnght|BlckKnght]]
::::*[[user:Crowkenobi|Crowkenobi]]
::::*[[user:Andiyar|Andiyar]]

== Series Overview ==
*'''Main Series'''
* Volume 1 - ''Zero's Familiar'' (June 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111058
* Volume 2 - ''Albion of the Wind'' (September 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111447
* Volume 3 - ''The Founder's Prayer Book'' (December 25, 2004) ISBN 978-4840111966
* Volume 4 - ''The Water Spirit of Oath'' (March 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112369
* Volume 5 - ''Tristania's Holiday'' (July 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840112901
* Volume 6 - ''The Ruby of Atonement'' (November 25, 2005) ISBN 978-4840114493
* Volume 7 - ''The Silver Pentecost'' (February 25, 2006)ISBN 978-4840115018
* Volume 8 - ''The Serenade of Nostalgia'' (June 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840115421
* Volume 9 - ''The Ball of Twin Moons'' (September 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117074
* Volume 10 - ''The Hero of Ivaldi'' (December 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117661
* Volume 11 - ''A Duet of Recollection'' (May 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840118590
* Volume 12 - ''The Fairies' Holiday'' (August 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840119009
* Volume 13 - ''The World Door of the Holy Country'' (December 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840121101
* Volume 14 - ''Aquileia's Saint'' (May 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840123198
* Volume 15 - ''Labyrinth of Oblivion'' (September 25, 2008) ISBN 978-4840124188
* Volume 16 - ''The Tea Time of Des Ornières'' (February 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840126649
* Volume 17 - ''The Soeur of Dawn'' (June 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840128070
* Volume 18 - ''Spirit Stone of Destruction'' (January 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840131537
* Volume 19 - ''The Founder's Round Mirror'' (July 23, 2010) ISBN 978-4840134545
* Volume 20 - ''Holy Land from Ancient Times'' (February 25, 2011) ISBN 978-4840138215
* Volume 21 - ''The Truth of 6,000 Years'' (February 25, 2016) ISBN 978-4040681184
* Volume 22 - ''The Myth of Zero'' (February 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040690841
* Zero no Tsukaima Memorial Book (June 24, 2017) ISBN 978-4040692333
*'''Zero no Tsukaima Gaiden: Tabatha no Bōken'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2006) ISBN 978-4840117265
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (October 25, 2007) ISBN 978-4840120586
* Side Story Volume 3 - ''Tabitha's Adventure'' (March 25, 2009) ISBN 978-4840127271
*'''Kaze no Kishihime'''
* Side Story Volume 1 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (October 23, 2009) ISBN 978-4840130530
* Side Story Volume 2 - ''Heavy Wind, the Female Knight Captain'' (March 25, 2010) ISBN 978-4840132466
*'''Others'''
* Wardrobe of the Past (August 27, 2010 - appendix bundled with Monthly Comic Alive's 2010-10 issue) ASIN B003ZB098O

[[Zero no Tsukaima:Series Overview|ISBN information]]
[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:MF Bunko J]]
[[Category:Noboru Yamaguchi]]

[[Category:Genre - Action]]
[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Ecchi]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Harem]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Full Text

2017-12-15T11:26:29Z

Dreamer2908: Created page with "{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations}} {{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Mystery of the Holy Land }} {{:Zero..."

{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Illustrations|Novel Illustrations}}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter1|Chapter 1 - The Mystery of the Holy Land }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 2|Chapter 2 - Suicide Attack to Adyl }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 3|Chapter 3 - The Elven Tower }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 4|Chapter 4 - Lífþrasir }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 5|Chapter 5 - Break-Out }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 6|Chapter 6 - The Free City of Eumenes }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 7|Chapter 7 - The Truth from 6000 Years Ago }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 8|Chapter 8 - The Founder's Void }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 9|Chapter 9 - The Dreadful Plan }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 10|Chapter 10 - Raid }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 11|Chapter 11 - Reunion }}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Epilogue|Epilogue}}
{{:Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword|Afterword}}

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Afterword

2017-12-15T11:24:56Z

Dreamer2908:

=== Afterword ===
====Replacing Yamaguchi Noboru-sensei's afterword.====
To the fans of Zero no Tsukaima all over the world, we have kept you waiting. (This is an international release) <ref>Both Japanese and Taiwanese versions were released on the same day.</ref>

We present to you, "Zero no Tsukaima 21 - The Truth of Six Thousand Years". Since the book that was released on the 25th of February 2011, "Zero no Tsukaima 20 - The Holy Land of the Ancient Abyss", we have indeed waited for five years until this next book. What is the fate of Louise and the others of the 'Ostland' after invading the Elf Capital? Are the runes that have appeared on Saito's chest, the marks of being Tiffania's familiar? What is the true aim of the perishing Halkeginia, led by the Pope Vittorio? And then, what happened between the Founder Brimir and the first generations Gandálfr and Sasha six thousand years back? At last, the conclusions to the many riddles, magnificent stories, and so on, become clear.

As many of you already know, Yamaguchi-sensei is no longer in this world. This 21st volume is written, and the next, 22nd volume will be written according to Yamaguchi-sensei's plot, but I will again explain the circumstances on how it arrived to this.

In the afterword of the 20th volume, Yamaguchi-sensei narrated that "In another two volumes, I expect to finish.". Welcoming the story as well as the climax, being at a place where one could steadily see the conclusion, he wanted to start the countdown together with the long-time fans that had supported this for a long time. If it had gone to plan, the last volume could have been published a year later or so, and the initial topic back then was on how to continue after this story was written.

When the 20th volume was released however, Yamaguchi-sensei was diagnosed with a critical illness. The situation was hopeless, he was initially informed that even an operation would not be able to save him. However, the result of his wonderful stamina, and him fighting strenuously against his illness, was that Yamaguchi-sensei forced back the illness, until he was able to be operated on.

After the surgery, Yamaguchi-sensei had to enter and leave the hospital for, in order to continue the treatment. According to Yamaguchi-sensei, the potent medication he had during hospitalization made his stamina decline, and thus, he had to wait for his body to recover during his temporary discharge, before being hospitalized again to consume the potent drugs again.

However, in the middle of harsh fighting against his illness,

"I want to write such a story."

"I want to write this kind of story."

"I am still not done with what I want to write, there's a lot of it left."

Yamaguchi-sensei was filled with the desire to write, not only 'Zero no Tsukaima' itself, but also many other stories he came up with, his creative spirit being huge.

However, in order to write novels, you need to have enormous amounts of energy and concentration, which the illness shaved of bit by bit.

And then, before we knew it,

"I really want to complete Zero. I want someone to help.", he said.

And from them on, he took into consideration an author that could expand on the plot, going through through authors with utmost effort, with the time that was left.

And then, regrettably, painfully, deplorably, during the 4th of April 2013, Yamaguchi-sensei, after entrusting the work to a splendid author, with the editorial department's assistance, departed this world.

From here on, we will not mention this author's name. You fans are not to have pre-conceived notions, we think that you should enjoy the story of Zero that you have received.

The feeling when your read this is that, as you can see, Saito and Louise in this text remain the same as before. I did not feel anything awkward when reading the initial drafts, and it feels as thought Yamaguchi-sensei himself wrote the story.

When I read the manuscript, I truly, unknowingly, had no uncomfortable feelings, as it felt just like Yamaguchi-sensei had written it himself. More importantly, the story of Zero no Tsukaima remains riveting, heart-thumping and comedic, as always.

This may be slightly imprudent to say, but if Yamaguchi-sensei were to take a look at it,

"This is very interesting! It's just like how I would have written it. Perhaps, if this was from me, it might not have been that interesting, aye?"

And, that roguish way of speaking does not differ.

And then, this long, continuing, "Zero no Tsukaima", has one book left. Yamaguchi-sensei's remaining aspirations, and our promise that we would implement them somehow. And to all of you fans, we are most obliged to all of the warm support that we have been continuously able to receive.

Heisei 28 (2016), January

The issuer, Taiji Misaka
(ex-MF Bunko J editor-in-chief)

====Notes====
{{reflist}}

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Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Epilogue

2017-12-15T11:23:17Z

Dreamer2908:

===Epilogue===

Saito shook his head as he woke up… and found himself lying in a large bed.

What he was wearing wasn't his usual jacket, he didn't know when he put on these comfortable pajamas that he now was wearing.

"…? How did I get here?"

With pain clouding his mind, Saito tried to recall what had happened to his body.

Right, at that time… Tiffania used that amazing Void, and eliminated the fire stones. And Saito, as the bearer of the void's "magic power supply", didn't get a chance to enjoy the pleasure of reuniting with Louise, and fainted.

After that he had no memories….

"Speaking of here, shouldn't it be this…."

Saito looked around the room

That's right, this was the familiar cabin in the "Ostland".

"Why am I on the 'Ostland'?"

When the frowning Saito decided to get up from bed, a feeling full of elasticity came from his hands.

"Wha, what's this…? Lou, Louise!"

"Uh, um… um….”

Then he saw Louise kneeling on the ground, sleeping on a pillow next to Saito.

And currently making cute breathing sounds….

Both her cheeks covered by pink hair, crystal clear white skin, and the small ups and downs of her chest.

The lover he had thought of constantly, was now in front of his eyes.

Seeing Louise's figure, Saito temporarily calmed down.

But at the same time, his was also full of doubts.

How did Louise get here…?

While Saito was thinking this, Louise yawned and woke up.

"Um, Sai… to…?"

Louise first rubbed her sleepy eyes, and then, after a bit, she jumped up in shock.

"You're awake, Saito?!"

"Oh, Louise!"

Then she hugged Saito.

"That's great… I thought that you wouldn't wake up again…."

"Louise, don't tell me you've been taking care of me since then?"

"What?"

Hearing Saito's question, Louise's face instantly blushed.

"Wha, what? You slept for two whole days without waking up, I just…."

Louise hastily waved her hands, and tried to divert the conversation.

Seeing Louise acting in this manner, affectionate love rose in Saito's heart.

"Anyway, I slept for so long…."

"Yes, you've been dreaming, talking in your sleep…."

"What happened to us afterwards?"

Saito asked Louise.

"The guys trying to level the entire town were all arrested by the patrol squad that heard the news, this includes the one named Aishmail. It seems that he is be severely punished by the Elven council.

Then Louise began to explain the ending to the Eumenes incident.

Fearing Tiffania's Void, the Elves of "The Steel-Blooded Party" all had no will to resist, and were all obediently captured. Afterwards, Louise and the others joined the "Coalition Army for the Restoration of the Holy Lands", and sent the fainted Saito to the "Ostland". The injured Ari and Luctiana appear to have been put up in the Romalian medical ship.

"Tiffa? Is she on this ship?"

"She already went to the Romalian medical ship."

At first, Tiffania took care of Saito with Louise. But after Saito was stable, she left the work of looking after him to Louise, and was instead taking care of the Elven girl residing on the Romalian vessel.

It's Fatima, Saito thought. Although the long-standing hatred couldn’t be dissolved overnight, Tiffania's inner gentleness would certainly melt her heart.

"Anyway, this is great…."

Looking at the ceiling of the room, Saito said this.

“We all succeeded in saving Eumenes.”

After Louise finished, the room was suddenly enveloped by a wonderful sense of silence.

In fact, there were many, many things that he wanted to say, since the two of them had been separated for so long. But when the time came to talk, he didn't know what he would say to Louise.

During this time, the two of them just quietly looked at each other.

Then, then the two of them, as if by coincidence, slowly brought their lips together.

"Mm…."

And like this, Saito wrapped his arms around Louise's shoulders and embraced her to his chest.

A warm feeling gradually filled Saito's heart….

I really want to feel all of Louise… to touch all of Louise.

Saito, thinking this in his heart, touched a fingertip to Louise's tiny chest.

Saito could feel Louise's body twisting slightly, but there was no particular resistance to his movement.

After the two slowly separated their lips, Saito whispered a question in Louise's ear.

"Can I?"

"…No, it's not okay."

Louise answered in a small voice.

"So, sorry…."

"Oh, I rushed it…" Saito thought.

Every time it's like this, I'm truly useless. I get too carried away, and she may be disillusioned with me….

"No. Draw the curtains. Other people are embarrassing."

Seeing Louise say this with a vivid blush, and constantly revealing her beautiful legs as they twitched from beneath the quilt.

"Wha, what, it was this…?"

Saito exhaled.

"Don't worry Louise, we're in the sky here, nobody will see."

"That's not the issue, but the atmosphere."

Louise said, as she blushed.

"I know."

Then Saito pulled the ship cabin curtains closed.

"Th, then…."

Saito swallowed nervously, and gently touched the small bulges on Louise's body.

He saw Louise tightly close her eyes.

God, I really can't take it. Ho, How can my, my master be so cute….

"Ah, also turn out the lights."

"Lights?"

There was a magic lamp next to the bed.

"No, I don't want to turn it off."

But Saito rejected it like this.

"Why?"

"I want to always see your face."

"Saito…."

The blushing Louise heard Saito, and shyly lifted her head and looked at him.

Seeing her looking so cute, Saito finally couldn't stand it.

Saito separated the uniform, and used his hand to gently poke that tiny chest, and Louise could help but exhale a sweet "Ah…."

When Saito prepared to undo her blouse button….

"Ah~ Ah~ this is the notice from the wind fairy. You two shouldn't overdo it."

"Whoa--!"

At that moment, Saito rolled off the bed scared.

The sound came from the sound tube located on the ceiling of the cabin.

"Ah, in the beginning the wind fairy wanted to turn a blind eye as well, since it is a touching reunion. But you two are too much… isn't there a limit to my patience?

The wind fairy's voice was trembling… it was Malicorne.

"You, you, you heard it all!"

"Well, the sound tube is connected to all of the cabins. Speaking of your voice, even the bridge can hear it crystal clear. How are you two? Are you also playing with the 'little lemons' in the sky?"

"Wha, what's that!"

Louise shouted towards the sound tube.

"'Draw the curtains. Other people are embarrassing'."

"Wah!"

Hearing Malicorne's nauseating voice imitating her, Louise flushed, and kept twisting around.

"'Ah, also turn out the lights'."

"Shut up!"

"'I want to always see your face'."

"Yo, you…!"

Just when Saito wanted to protest.

"What what? What's the fuss…? Oh!"

At this point, the cabin door was opened by Kirche, Tabitha, and Siesta together.

Seeing that the blouse on Louise's body was a mess, Kirche grinned.

"To be in such a rush, and in broad daylight, I was worried sick about you."

"Ms. Valliere, do you think you can cop a feel, this is too much!"

Even Siesta complained.

"No, no… No!"

Louise hurriedly started sorting out her messy clothes.

"Siesta, Kirche, and Tabitha… Did you all come for me?"

"Ah, Saito… really… That you're safe is really good…."

Siesta sighed with tears, and rushed to Saito's bed.

"Damn, let go, you silly maid!"

"Do you have a question, Ms. Valliere? Didn't we agree that you would lend him to me three days in a week?”

"It's two days, two days! Don't arbitrarily increase it, okay!"

Louise and Siesta immediately started to quarrel.

The interaction between these two was very memorable, and finally let people feel like they were back.

"Welcome back."

Tabitha said in a small voice.

"Oh, I'm back."

Saito put his hand on Tabitha's head, and Tabitha suddenly blushed to her ears.

"Hi, is our vice-captain really awake?"

This was the noisy sound of footsteps coming. A large number of people poured into the room, there was Guiche, Reynald, and Gimli… it was the guys from the Knight Corps of the Water Spirit.

"Guiche… and everybody!"

"Great, Saito. Everybody was really worried about you before."

"I'm really sorry, making everybody worry."

Saito and Guiche hugged each other, then Saito hugged every member of the Knight Corps of the Water Spirit. Even Malicorne, who came up late, hugged Saito so tight that he begged for mercy.

"Oh, Saito, it looks like you seem to be awake."

"Mr. Colbert!"

Saito shouted out.

"Even the teacher came?"

"Uh, that you're fine is great, Saito."

All his friends from school suddenly filled the room where Saito was.

This made Saito's eyes brim with tears. "Everybody has faced danger and come to the Elves country for me and Tiffania."

But Louise, whose time alone with Saito had been disturbed, seemed dissatisfied.

"Really, what…?"

Guiche and the other surrounded Saito, and talked about how they rushed to the capital of the Elves.

The outbreak of a large battle with the Elven fleet in the outskirts of Adyl, and Louise launching a large-scale "Explosion".

When he heard that the "Ostland" had crashed into the tower of the Elves, Saito said with a wry grin: "Don't be so reckless!"

"That big battle with the Elves was truly unbearable."

"I already seen enough Firstborn magic to last me a lifetime."

Malicorne said.

"Speaking of Saito, what kind of adventures did you have in the land of the Elves with Ms. Tiffania?

"Oh… We…."

This time Saito told everybody what happened after he was abducted by the Elves.

Imprisoned in the Elves' tower, almost having his mind taken by the drug, meeting Bidashal in the tower, and with the help of the exceptional Luctiana, he escaped the tower with Tiffania. And the fight with the water dragon, and the fact that Derf still was alive, and then there was the matter of escaping into the "Dragon's Nest"….

Speaking to here, Saito suddenly remember something.

He should have said something this important… why would he forget.

"Right, 'The Holy Land'! The 'Dragon's Nest' is the Holy Land!"

Saito shouted.

"…." Everybody looked at each other.

"What, are you telling me that nobody is surprised?"

Colbert told the confused Saito.

"Saito, this ship is currently flying towards 'the Holy Land'."

After that, according to Colbert, there was a temporary peace agreement between Halkeginia and the Elves.

"Louise's "Void" annihilated all of their fleet, as well as directly penetrated the Elven citadel, Adyl, which seemed to have a major impact on the Elves. I heard that the county's "Steel-blooded Party" opposed peace until the end, but when it was revealed that the Aishmail, the Party leader, tried to level an Elven city with fire stones, they immediately became a target for public criticism."

"On the other hand, The Pope of Romalia gave command of the majority of the ground forces of "Coalition Army for the Restoration of the Holy Lands" to Albrecht III, and they retreated to the border region of the Sahara. The Pope then boarded the "St. Mark", and with the bearers of the void, headed to the 'Holy Land'."

"…While I was captured, it seems that something very serious happened."

That night, Saito lay on the bed in the cabin, both rolling over and talking.

Lying beside him was Louise wearing a nightgown. She complained the noise of the ship systems were too loud in her room, and that she therefore couldn't get to sleep, unless she could spend the night in Saito's room.

"But then, as long as you can find the magic device in the "Holy Land', then everything is solved."

"Saito, do you really think that there is a magic device in the "Holy Land'?"

To Louise's question, Saito shook his head.

"I don't know. I never saw anything like that in that dragon's nest…."

"Are there some necessary conditions? For example, like it won't appear without the four and four<ref>A reference to one of the prophecies, four and four referring to the four treasures, four rubies, four Void users, and four familiars.</ref> gathered."

"Who knows? But I've always felt that the Pope and Julio both have different plans."

Just when Saito contemplated things with a serious expression….

"Saito…."

"What?"

Louise got close to Saito's side.

Doing this, Louise felt very relieved.

Louise thought that the place where she belonged was here.

"I, I always wanted to see you…."

Louise frankly revealed her feelings.

If it was the previous Louise, she wouldn't be able to so frankly express her feelings in front of Saito. She would always find a reason to hide her thoughts.

But it was different now. In the courtyard of Versailles, after seeing each other as naked as newborns, she decided to no longer maintain that meaningless restraint.

"Well, me too, there wasn't a moment that I didn't think of Louise."

"Really…?"

Hearing those words, Louise couldn't help but be embarrassed.

The person I like is beside me… Like this, I feel so happy.

[[Image:ZNT21_314.jpg|thumb|]]

Louise gently held Saito's hand. As hinted, Saito gently lifted Louise's chin.

Two people's eyes closed, and their lips overlapped. Like making up for the loneliness of the previous isolation, a selflessly affectionate kiss. After kissing for a time, Saito's hand moved to fondle Louise's tiny chest.

"Can, can I touch?"

Saito haltingly asked.

Louise shyly nodded.

In order to avoid the wind fairy being a hindrance again, Louise has already plugged the sound tube tight with a pillow. She also didn't have to worry about Siesta interrupting. Although she repeatedly urged such things as "it is only for today", "we agreed on two days a week" or similar things, she also promised to leave the two of them alone today.

Watching him as Saito separated her gown and touched Louise's chest, his hand slightly trembled.

Really, Saito looks so nervous.

Louise keenly felt that.

But… maybe I'm more nervous than Saito is….

"Wan, want to touch."

Saito's voice couldn't help but come out high-pitched.

She felt Saito's fingertip touch. Louise then let out a delicate moan.

"Saito, it's still embarrassing…."

"On, only it's not embarrassing, it's cute."

"But, they're really small…."

"Not a bit small, and very cute. Even small is cute."

"Really?"

"Well, of course it's true… cute, little Louise is very cute."

Saito continued to say repeatedly in Louise's ear.

Listening to this, Louise was immersed in a feeling of happiness, and her whole body grew soft.

Thinking calmly, the current Saito was a little… or should say, very nauseating <ref>In the sense of being overly flattering.</ref>. But Louise's head was already boiling… and already thought that it didn't matter - even if it was a little nauseating right now, she also liked it.

Then Saito push down Louise, and prepared to kiss her neck.

At that moment, Louise suddenly saw the scar on Saito's chest through the gap in his pajamas.

Familiar runes….

Louise frowned a little, then extended a finger to Saito's lips.

"Louise?"

"So, you became Tiffania's familiar?"

"Uh…."

That sentence suddenly made Saito's entire body stiff.

"That said, you and Tiffania concluded the familiar contract?"

"This…."

Seeing Saito speechless, then all of a sudden--

"Yes, yes I'm no good! I kissed Tiffa, I'm sorry!"

The sudden sound of sliding and he knelt on the bed, then bowed his head to Louise in apology.

And the action of kneeling and bowing, were very skilled and beautiful.

"Oh, really, truly honest."

"Lo, Louise…."

Hearing that calm whisper from Louise scared Saito to his wit's end.

But Saito didn't confusedly try to shift the topic, in fact it was the correct decision.

In fact, Louise wasn't really angry.

When she first heard it from Tiffania, she really took a hit. After all, Saito was her familiar, and she originally thought that it was a unique and special link.

"But since there is danger in life, there is no other way."

After all, because she was in life-threatening danger, Tiffania could only chant the summoning spell. Due to a combination of factors, Saito was accidentally summoned since he was in the area. Since he was summoned, he had no choice but to complete the familiar contract… When Louise learned this, in fact, she had already understood that at the time they were truly helpless.

The present Louise was just simply being difficult for the fun of it.

"Speaking of Tiffania's chest, it's much larger than mine. You, you'll go to her and be faithless, and you're also helpless."

"No, really, truly no!"

Saito desperately denied. Seeing this made Louise very happy, but couldn't help but feel bad for playing a trick.

"What the hell is that? Do you mean that compared to her cantaloupes, my, my tiny, little lemons are better?"

"Huh? Ah, eh er…."

Saito continued to repeatedly bow his head.

If fact, you feel since Tiffania is like that, they're big enough to hold it better, right?"

"Hold it?"

Hearing this, Saito was confused.

"Siesta told me. That kind of scrubbing… I, I can't do it that way."

"Stupid, idiot… that kind of thing doesn't matter. I like your little chest more."

Hearing Saito's hurried defense, Louise suddenly smiled.

But then she immediately pouted again.

"Liar. When you were in the Elven capital, you must have only stared at Tiffania's chest, and completely forgot about me?"

"Idiot, I'm getting mad." This time Saito earnestly said. "You, do you know how much I missed you…?"

"Wha, what, I, I'm not…Mm!"

Next, Louise could say no more.

Because Saito lifted her chin, and firmly kissed her.

"He, how did he do that… devious."

Heartwarming happiness enveloped her body, leaving Louise in a daze.

After the two people's lips slowly separated, Saito said with a truly serious face.

"For the time that I separated from you I was truly lonely. My heart was constantly thinking of you."

"Ah, I was also very lonely. I'm sorry, those words were just bad jokes."

Louise slightly lowered her head in apology, and then shyly looked up, staring up at Saito.

"Th, this…."

"Yes?"

"You have to be gentle with me."

Two people cuddled into bed at the same time, and Saito tightly hugged Louise from behind.

Rubbing his cheeks on her peach blonde hair, as well as the warmth of her soft skin. Feeling the warmth of the one he loved, a feeling of satisfaction suddenly filled his chest.

Saito gently kissed Louise's neck.

He really wanted to undue the blouse buttons, but still stopped at the last moment….

In fact, he still wanted to feel Louise even more, to touch her skin more directly.

But Saito mobilized all of his own reason, and reluctantly tolerated it.

He promised Éléonore. Only after marriage could he cross that line.

And the expression of Louise as she sleept in his arms, really was too innocent. It would make people hesitate to put a hand on her.

"Ah, Saito."

Louise opened her eyes and asked.

"Wha, what is it?"

"When we rushed into the Elves' tower, it felt like Saito helped me. Wouldn't that be… the final familiar 'Lífþrasir's' power?”

"Well, probably…."

That would be the issue when I was on the sea dragon boat and suddenly felt intense pain. At that time, Louise was chanting a powerful "Void" spell at the Elven elder.

"But through that familiar power, aren't we consuming Saito's spirit power? If I constantly use powerful void, what will happen to Saito?"

"Well, if you consume too much, maybe I'll faint again…."

Saito didn't tell Louise the truth.

In fact, Saito was already perfectly aware, that the possible source that they were seizing at the time was neither spiritual nor physical power. It was, in fact, that kind of horrifying feeling, like his own life, like Saito's very existence was rudely snatched away.

"At that time, if we had continued, definitely…."

A cold chill couldn't help but run up his spine.

"But you don't need to rely on that power anymore."

Saito deliberately said that in a cheerful voice, in order to heal Louise's anxiety.

"Why?"

"Because peace with the Elves has been reached. That way, you no longer need a powerful 'Void'."

"Also, that's right…."

It's said that when the four and four are gathered, it would reveal the Founder's void… "Life".

According to Louise, the power seemed sufficient to level a large city.

Just like a nuclear weapon, Saito thought. At the same time he thought about the nuclear submarine that was sunk in the "Holy Land", and suddenly his mood became a bit gloomy.

But after all, that spell was for the decisive battle with the Elves. Now they were already reconciled with the Elves, and there was no threat from the "Steel-Blooded Party", so there was naturally no reason to use the spell.

"Will just arriving in the 'Holy Land' truly solve all of our problems?"

"Who knows? But I think, at least everything will be revealed."

Louise responded.

Yes, just by arriving in the "Holy Land"… everything would be revealed.

Including the Pope's real purpose, as well as what exactly had happened six thousand years ago….

Reason says that it would be that way, but there was an inexplicable trepidation in Saito's mind.

The Gandàlfr, Sasha, killed Brimir….

Derflinger said these words before, I don't know why they linger in my mind, but for a long time they couldn't leave.

And Derflinger has once again fallen into silence….

Tiffania, who was riding on the Romalian medical ship, carried a fruit basket in both hands, and arrived at the recovery room Fatima was staying in.

When she arrived at the recovery room door, she just saw Fouquet coming out.

"Matilda-big sis<ref>Onee-chan</ref>."

"Oh, Tiffania."

Fouquet was carrying a large bandage in both hands, which should be to take care of that man, her mercenary partner, thought Tiffania.

"So, that person's injuries are already not an issue any more?"

"Well, I truly owe him, so I take care of him."

Fouquet said as she shrugged

"Waiting until after his injury heals, he said that he'd duel with that kid again. He's really sufficiently stupid."

"You won't stop him?"

"Why bother? He loves to duel and throw his life away, also it doesn't matter to me."

"But… isn't he your lover?"

Hearing Tiffania saying this, Fouquet tilted her head and put on a slightly musing appearance.

"Hey, who knows what this is? I only know that just can't ignore that person."

"Really…."

Tiffania was puzzled.

"Speaking of you, does it not matter if you're by the kid's side?"

Saying this, Fouquet poked Tiffania's forehead with her fingertip.

Tiffania quietly shook her head.

"Ah, I don't mind."

In fact, I really want to be beside Saito.

But my heart feels that Saito should be together with Louise.

After Louise appeared, I saw Saito's reaction at that time, and it was completely clear to me. No, actually, I knew everything from the very beginning.

The adventure in the country of the elves, it was just an empty dream.

However, although it was painful, it was also an incredibly warm feeling.

"Because I expressed my feelings to the person that I like."

And Saito also responded, when she desperately chanted the "Summon" and placed in it all of her admiration and faith for Saito.

Only in this way did Tiffania sufficiently pay back her admiration for Saito….

"Matilda-big sis, liking a person, really feels terrible."

Tiffania couldn't help the tears streaming down from her sea-blue eyes.

Fouquet tenderly hugged the crying Tiffania.

After saying goodbye to Fouquet, she discovered that Fatima was already awake as soon as she entered the recovery room.

"I brought fruit, and they were given to me by the soldiers on board."

"I can't accept your charity."

Fatima didn't move her line of sight.

But Tiffania was already sitting beside her bed.

In the silent recovery room, only the sound of fruit being cut echoed.

"I don't understand, who in the end should I hate?"

Fatima muttered this.

"…."

"I could hate the party, and Aishmail?"

She used her sea-blue eyes, as if trying to grab something, stared at Tiffania.

Tiffania revealed a steady smile, and Fatima tightly hugged Tiffania's back.

There was something like a gentle cocoon around the hateful flame in Fatima's heart.

To constantly hate someone, and to hate something is actually quite painful. The fire of hatred continues to burn, and sooner or later a person can burn themselves out….

However, Tiffania could have also been like her. If she had not met Matilda-big sis, or the orphans of Westwood Village at that time, maybe her heart would constantly hate the human race that had killed her mother. Like Aishmail, or Joseph, and in the end she would be engulfed by the "Void".

"It doesn't matter, you don't have to hate anyone anymore."

Soon, Fatima burst into tears, along with the sound of sobbing.

The second day of the third week of the ninth month came, the twin moon hung high in the sky not too long ago. On that day, "The Coalition Army for the Restoration of the Holy Lands" Air Force fleet arrived at the sea where "The Dragon's Nest" was located.

Protruding from the water's surface were a great many rocks that were several dozen feet long, like tentacles made of strange rocks.

Several of them had already collapsed under the gun fire from the navy.

"Is the 'Holy Land' really in a place like this?"

Louise asked looking across the sea from the cabin.

"It should have been land here originally. A long time ago the landform changed, thus it sank in the ocean."

The people going to get the magic device were the Pope and Julio; Gaulia's Queen, Josette; Henrietta; the bearers of the Void Louise and Tiffania, and the familiar of two people, Saito. And the representatives of the Elves, Turuk and Bidashal together.

"Alas, the last time I came to the 'Demon's Gate' was several decades ago."

Having said that, Turuk made a bubble sphere large enough to accommodate everyone. Unlike the "water breathing" magic that Luctiana applied to the body, entering the ocean wouldn't get your clothes wet. And the ball shone slightly, providing illumination in the water.

"Unfortunately, I can't see how the girls look in their swimsuits."

Turuk laughed twice.

"Lord Turuk, please restrain yourself a bit."

Bidashal said with a look of embarrassment.

Hearing that Elves are long-lived, Saito originally thought of "by the book' type characters like Bidashal and Ari. But this old elf gave people a feeling that he was easy to approach.

A little like Headmaster Osman… Saito thought.

After everyone entered the ocean, they saw colorful fish swimming around.

"So beautiful…." Louise stared with her eyes wide open.

"Yes, I didn't think such beautiful things still existed in this world."

Even Henrietta was enchanted. She was born in the royal family, so it's possible that she never entered the ocean while she grew up. Josette happily smiled when she saw that Julio was freely manipulating the fish with the power of Vindálfr. If Tabitha were to laugh, it would definitely be like that… Saito thought so.

Soon, everybody arrived at the base of the tentacle-like rock that extended from the seafloor to the surface.

Entering the large hole in the center, and passing through a cave that was like a cave of stalactites, they came to a place that had air.

It was covered with luminous moss, and was about the size of a theater.

After everyone came out of the water, the sound of a moving monster, about the size of a dragon, came from the depths of the cave.

"Saito, what is that sound?"

"Oh, it may be…."

When Saito was about to speak.

"Really, what's up? Recently it's been really noisy."

Swelling, swelling… A roar like an earthquake issued forth, and a huge "water dragon" appeared before everybody, with a full length of fifteen feet.

"Mon, monster…."

The scared Henrietta quickly hid behind Saito.

"Oh, actually calling me a monster to my face… this girl is really rude, careful or I'll eat you up."

"The water dragon spoke!"

Louise was shocked.

"Of course it speaks, it is the "Mother of the Sea" that lives here.

"Oh, you guys returned?"

Mother Sea overlooked everybody, as well as moved around to size everybody up.

"Bringing back so many barbarians and Elves, what did you come to do this time?"

"Sorry, we don't intend to destroy your nest."

Saito said.

"But there's something that I want to let them see. Can you lead us to the place where the 'weapons' from another world accumulate?"

"What do you want to do in that place?"

"This matter is very important, related to the lives of our companions."

Seeing Saito's serious look, Mother Sea seemed to feel some kind of imminent crisis.

"I know, come with me."

Mother Sea's slowly swaying dorsal fin advanced to the depths of the cave.

In the depths, there was a cave full of seawater, with a diameter of about twenty feet. There were many large and small caves in this rock, which were like an ant's nest.

They traveled through the middle of the cave for a time, and finally arrived in another huge space.

Firearms, artillery, military vehicles, fighter jets, and so on.… The rusty "weapons" were piled up in broad space like a large theater.

"Just like the underground cemetery in Romalia." Julio said.

"Oh, this is the 'Holy Land' that the Founder once came to, this is not wrong.

Vittorio knelt in front of the "weapons". Perhaps seeing a place visited by Brimir, whom he worshipped, let him immerse in a moment of sentimentality….

But Saito had no time to be sentimental with him.

"So, where is the 'magic device'?"

"…."

Everyone there all watched Vittorio.

Seeing Vittorio slowly get up, he answered.

"There is absolutely no such thing as a 'magic device' to prevent the lifting of the mainland here."

This impactful statement didn't arouse much surprise in everyone.

The expressions of Julio, Josette, Turuk, and Bidashal all remained unchanged. Even Saito, Louise, and Henrietta… had long been vaguely aware of it.

Knowing that this casually fabricated lie, was camouflage.

"Can I ask what's going on?"

Just one person, Tiffania was completely confused.

"It means that his Holiness, the Pope… lied to us all."

Henrietta revealed a stern stare and directed it at Vittorio.

"I didn't tell you the truth and I apologize to you. But if we make the truth public, there would be no way for us to work together.

"Don't tell me this is the same reason that you conceal the fact that the 'wind stones' were going out of control?" Saito said.

"That's right. Next, let us see that we thirst for the real purpose of the "Holy Land'."

Vittorio stared intently at the other end of the mountain of accumulated "weapons".

"This spell originally required a huge amount of mental power. However, there is still a large "portal' on the land where the Founder Brimir once walked, and I only need to open it."

Vittorio pointed his wand at the cave wall, and began chanting Void runes.

Yuer Ier Naushiz Gebo Shir Mari

"This spell is…."

Louise murmured in surprise.

[[Image:ZNT21_329.jpg|thumb|]]

This was the spell that Vittorio learned before in the cathedral in Romalia.

"World's Door."

Opening the void to the gates of different worlds….

The chant was longer than it was then, which meant that this was the complete version of the spell.

Hagar Eoru Peos Ing Mansūr

The Pope aimed at the wall, and waved his wand.

Glittering, a glowing spot, about the size of a bean, appeared in the void.

They saw the light gradually expand….

When Louise saw it before, it was only about the size of a hand mirror.

What appeared before them now, was like a "door" floating in the void.

"That's…!"

Seeing the things on the other side of the door, Saito couldn't help but be speechless.

In the eyes of everyone… Vittorio smiled steadily, and turned around.

"This is the Founder's desire, the 'promised land' that the "Magi tribe" should return to.

And that was, the Earth that Saito was very familiar with.

====Notes====
{{reflist}}

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| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_11|Forward to Chapter 11]]
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| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Afterword|Forward to Afterword]]
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Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 11

2017-12-15T11:23:02Z

Dreamer2908:

===Chapter 11: Reunion===

A fierce sword fight could be heard in the distance.

Tiffania was worrying about Saito’s battle as she ran down the path to the main hall.

"We should be able to enter the main hall from here!"

Luctiana destroyed the lock with magic, and opened the door.

After passing through the outer corridor, they arrived at a garden in bloom. In the central park, there was a dome covered stone building, that being the main hall where the Elves offered sacrifices.

The front of the door was firmly guarded by the elite guards of the 'Steel-Blooded Party'.

"It’s the descendant of the devil, kill her!"

As soon as the elite guards saw Tiffania’s group, they immediately started to chant spells.

Growing from the tree branches around the garden, countless rifles attacked Tiffania. However, those attacks were all stopped by Luctiana's 'Wind Shield'.

"Half-blood girl, be good and don’t move from here."

Ari threw four or five scimitars that were hidden behind him in the air. The scimitars, which housed spirits, then danced in the air like butterflies, and headed towards the elite guards who were guarding the door.

This was Ari’s specialty, ‘Sword of Will’

The Elves of the elite guard suddenly screamed in confusion, as the white blades shone in the darkness of night.

In the army, there weren't many 'knights' as strong as Ari. Additionally, Luctiana, the niece of Bidashal, was far stronger of a magic user than normal.

“The door is closed! Protect the main hall!”

A sound came from the darkness, and it seemed like the elite guards in front of the door chanted 'Stone Wall'.

"Damn, this is a problem…."

"Ari, the barbarian’s magic tool?"

Luctiana said.

Ari quickly pulled out the grenade that was given to him by Saito.

"How do you use this? Do you not need to chant a spell?"

"Give it to me."

Grabbing the grenade from the hands of the bewildered Ari, Luctiana, who was imitating Saito, immediately pulled the pin, and threw it towards the stone wall.

"Cover your ears."

BANG------!

After the astonishing sound echoed by, the grenade blew open the stone wall.

Several times faster than chanting Firstborn magic, the power was really amazing.

"A terrible power… it seems we can’t underestimate barbarian technology."

Luctiana said, as she moved the hands covering her ears.

All the Elves on the ground were moaning and groaning. Since the stone wall had absorbed the attack, it seemed like there were no life-threatening injuries, but it looked like no one could get up for the time being.

The entrance to the main hall was severely damaged from the impact of the explosion. Luctiana fired Firstborn wind magic, and the door was immediately smashed open.

"Let me go in."

Ari took the lead, and entered the interior of the main hall.

Then, by the magic light floating in the air, they saw an Elf turn with an exaggerated motion.

"My, oh my, who could this be, is it not the devil’s descendant - and you, traitors."

“Chirp chirp, I can see Eume… whatever that town is called!”

By the light of the twin moons, Sylphid flew at top speed through the desert night.

The far-away lights of the town that could be assumed were gradually getting nearer and nearer.

"Saito is right there."

Louise couldn't help but shed tears again.

Saito was somewhere in that town….

To finally be able to reunite… it seemed like all the suppressed loneliness, and anxious thoughts up to now would come out in a cathartic burst. <ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis</ref>

"Disgusting! Are you crying, Louise?"

"Who, who’s crying…."

"You’re not fooling anyone. Come here, wipe your face."

Kirche, with a smile showing on her face, handed over a handkerchief. Louise wiped her eyes after taking it.

After that, Sylphid flew to the air over Eumenes.

"What’s going on? Things are lively down there."

Kirche showed a surprised look and pointed to a corner of town.

They saw a fierce fire burning on the warehouse street near the docks.

And it wasn't an ordinary fire. Not only was there a golem causing trouble in the streets, but there were amazing explosions everywhere, and the flashes of magic were staggering. That magic was coming from the Elves.

“Is that Saito?”

This is what Louise thought.

"Fly there."

Tabitha commanded Sylphid.

"Things are too messy. If we approach, we will get shot down!"

Sylphid desperately protested to her master.

"Don’t worry, I’ll think of something."

"Chirp… How Big Sis orders dragons is really rude."

Sylphid shouted, as she gave up resistance, then turned her head, and glided towards the port’s warehouse street.

Facing a Wind Dragon suddenly diving from the sky, the Elves mercilessly made Firstborn Magic rain at Sylphid.

“Chirp chirp, don’t do that!”

Sylphid circled over the docks while dodging.

Tabitha and Kirche respectively cast "Icy Blast" and "Fireball" to repulse the Elves magic.

At that time, everyone saw shadows on the warehouse roof.

Not Elves… Louise recognized that person’s figure.

"Fouquet! And those were the guys that attacked the house at Des Ornières!"

Louise shouted.

She remembered that group of four assassins were named the "Elemental Brothers".

"Are they trying to kill Saito again?"

Strong anger rushed to Louise’s chest. "If it’s really like this… I guess I’ll give them a some of Louise’s void", she thought, and so she pointed her wand down below.

"Wait a second! They seem to be fighting with the Elven army."

This time Kirche opened her mouth to stop her.

"What?"

"Don’t tell me those guys were hired by Romalia’s leader?"

…That definitely was a possibility.

After all, the "Elemental Brothers" were commissioned to assassinate Saito for money. If the price that Romalia offered was higher than the original client, it wouldn't be surprising if they disregarded them.

Having said that, actually assigning those guys to the search… That really burned Louise up.

Really, if things turned out wrong, they’d take Saito’s life!

Sylphid landed on the roof of the warehouse.

"Huh? I was wondering who it was, and it was you guys!"

Fouquet said in astonishment.

"Fouquet, what’s going on? Where are Saito and Tiffania?"

Louise asked.

"The group of Elves called ‘The Steel Blooded Party’ are trying to use a 'Fire Stone' to raze the entire town, and the kid and Tiffania are going to stop them."

"What did you say!"

Hearing this, Louise group looked at each other in surprise.

How did he get involved in this troublesome event….

"Where are those two right now?"

"Inside that large domed building."

Louise, with her tea-red eyes, stared at the building Fouquet pointed at.

"So Saito is right there."

"Louise?"

Kirche frowned in surprise.

Seeing Louise nod her head with determination,

"Tabitha, Kirche, I’ll go and be right back."

"What?"

Before Kirche could ask, Louise began to chant a Void spell.

The next moment, Louise’s figure disappeared.

"Welcome to the fireworks table!"

Aishmail, the party leader, stood in front of the altar, piled high with numerous "Fire Stones", welcoming the arrival of Tiffania's group.

Ari quietly asked.

"Aishmail… do you really want to raze this town?"

"Of course. The rules of our party are very simple, it’s just to kill the devils, to kill them no matter the method. As long as they are killed it is fine, therefore it is not wrong to kill the traitors. Of course, the townspeople who talk with the barbarians also have to be killed."

"That is horrible…!"

Tiffania was scared from the depths of her heart by person in front her, that was speaking of such horrible plans without a care in the world.

"This guy is crazy…."

"It’s because of people like you that humans and Elves can’t live in harmony!"

"Silence, you traitor to the people!"

Aishmail started to chant a spell.

In one breath the floor of the building opened up, and rocks poured down like rain.

"Wind, become a shield to protect us!"

Luctiana immediately chanted the magic "Wind Shield", in order to protect Tiffania.

Next Ari threw "The Sword of Will" at Aishmail.

Six flying scimitars, all seemed to cut Aishmail’s weak point… and at the speed of thought, the thrown scimitars suddenly turned around and flew at Ari.

"Gua-ha-ha-ha!"

Ari, who had suddenly suffered this attack, with no time to react, was badly cut.

"Ari!"

Luctiana used her body to protect the bloody Ari.

However, the flying scimitars relentlessly followed and attacked Luctiana.

As soon as Luctiana's back was cut, she screamed out in pain.

"Did you forget? Bidashal and I were comparable users of that," Aishmail mocked.

He seized Ari's Elven power and used those powers against them, truly a fearsome user.

"Secure the entrance for me, do not let these demons escape!"

At Aishmail's command, the elite guards gathered at the entrance to the main hall, blocking their escape route.

"The ceremony will soon be completed. You can watch from there."

Saying this, Aishmail put his hand on the "Fire Stones" on the altar.

Injecting Elven power into the fire stones, a bright red light was emitted.

Ironically, seeing the beauty of that light grabbed the eye.

"That is the light of destruction…"

Tiffania felt desperate.

Both Ari and Luctiana were injured and couldn't move.

Currently the only one who could move was Tiffania… but her Void was different from that which Louise used. The only thing she could use was Forget magic, but Derflinger repeatedly warned her that this trick would have no effect on trained Elves.

But now she didn't have any other choice, but just as Tiffania tried to cast "Forget" on Aishmail….

"... I advise you to stop, it will only make you die faster."

Suddenly, a voice sounded in her head.

And it was a familiar voice.

"This voice…."

At that time, Tiffania noticed in the shadows behind the altar where the fire stones were stacked, an Elven girl was all tied up.

It was Fatima.

Why was she lying in a place like that….

"Don’t look at me, I’ll help you fight as much as I can."

I don’t know what magic it is… Fatima’s voice echoed in her mind.

After Tiffania had nodded her head slightly, she stared at Aishmail with her sea blue eyes and asked.

"Why do you hate humans so much?"

Aishmail sniffed.

"Do Elves need a reason to hate barbarians?"

"... truly a sad person."

Tiffania whispered.

"What?"

"At the beginning, surely is was only a small flame of hate… but if you would continue to add fuel to your hatred, the flame would become hell fire and would eventually turn you to ashes."

"The devil actually pities me?"

Seeing Aishmail's angry face, he pulled out a pistol.

"This is a weapon used by the barbarians, and is the most suitable for the execution of traitors."

Aishmail fired once. As soon as a clear "Bang!" sounded, a bullet brushed against Tiffania's ear.

"Woah…."

Red blood fell to the floor, and Tiffania crouched down as she clutched her right ear.

"Aishmail! If you kill that girl, the bearer of evil magic will be born again!", Luctiana shouted.

"It's fine to kill them again after they are resurrected, it doesn't matter how many times, we'll kill them, it's that simple."

Seeing Aishmail's burning eyes, Tiffania had no choice but to give up trying to persuade him.

"This guy, he’s not going to listen to anything…."

"Next is the left ear. I can't stand that the evil blood of the devil shares the same characteristics as the Elves."

Aishmail aimed at Tiffania again.

At that moment, Aishmail's hand and wrist were burned by the pistol he was holding.

"What…!"

Fatima, who had broken the ropes, secretly chanted magic, and then crashed directly into Aishmail, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the ground.

Then Fatima desperately shouted, "Now, sweep the 'Fire Stones' off the altar!"

"Bitch, do you want to ruin the ceremony?"

Aishmail, burning with anger, got up and kicked Fatima in the gut.

Then he aimed the muzzle of the pistol at Fatima on the ground, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit her shoulder, splashing blood all around.

"You dare to go against me, I will not let you die painlessly."

"Stop!"

Tiffania charged past, and threw herself in front of the muzzle.

She then hugged Fatima, who knelt on the ground, trying to protect her.

"You…!"

The bloody Fatima's sea blue eyes widened.

"Unfathomably foolish… then, you two shall die together!"

The pistol’s cold muzzle pressed against the back of Tiffania's head.

She couldn't help but close her eyes.

Just at that moment.

"Tiffa---!"

The Elves at the entrance were sent flying at the same time.

You could see Saito charge into the enemy formation like a gale, waving Derflinger vertically and horizontally. The elite Elven guards guarding the entrance to the main hall were immediately knocked to the ground one after another.

"You damn demon!"

Aishmail immediately pointed the pistol at Saito, pulled the trigger and fired.

"Too slow!"

Saito jumped over the small pile of elite guards, and shortened the distance in a single breath. Then he aimed at the wrist of the hand that held Aishmail’s pistol, and then cut it off with Derflinger.

Aishmail's right hand suddenly flew into the air.

"Nnnn… Stones of anger, destroy my enemies!"

Aishmail jumped, and then chanted Firstborn magic. The stone pillar immediately softened, distorted, and became a huge arm grabbing at Saito. But Saito effortlessly dodged, and easily cut the arm, like it was made out of cream.

"What!"

Missing his right hand, Aishmail's expression distorted.

"Saito, you’re okay!"

Tiffania cried out. Hearing her voice, Saito's heart relaxed for a moment. But at the same time he noticed that one of her ears had been shot, and rage immediately flowed into his heart.

"To actually dare to hurt Tiffa… I shall not forgive you!"

His heart trembled. This intense rage increased Gandalfr's power.

Saito stepped forward, and approached Aishmail.

Aiming at Aishmail’s shoulder, Saito quickly cut with his sword.

"Partner, you can’t!"

Derflinger shouted.

The moment the blade was about to touch him, the air in front of Aishmail suddenly distorted, and Saito's body was thrown to the rear.

Suddenly hitting the floor hurt so badly that Saito almost fainted.

"Is it 'Reflection'?"

This was a Firstborn magic that Bidashal excels in, and is extremely tricky for Saito to handle since he lacked the means to deal with it.

At that time Louise was present, but now….

"Abomination!"

Saito stood up and charged at Aishmail again.

In theory, there were limits to the power of "Reflection". In fact, during the Battle of Tiger Road, the Tiger tank’s main cannon penetrated Jörmungandr.

"It’s useless, partner, hurry up and stop!"

"Woooooah!"

A cut using all the strength in his body, was still easily reflected. Moreover, the greater the power, the more it was multiplied by the strength of the reflection, and this time Saito bounced into the wall.

"Ah...hoo…!"

"Ha ha ha, die! You familiar of the Devil!"

Sad laughter came from Aishmail, and he chanted Firstborn magic. Several stone arms stretched out from the ground, and everyone watched helplessly as they would flatten Saito, whose body lay still on the ground.

At that moment, the huge stone arm exploded in front of Saito, and broke apart.

"What…?"

Saito, still laying on the ground, looked up in amazement.

Reflected in Saito's eyes… someone with pink hair.

A fluttering cloak with a lily crest, tea-red eyes, crystal clear snow white skin….

An awe-inspiring figure holding a wand, like a solemn and sacred goddess.

"Louise…?"

Saito pinched his cheek, suspecting that he was dreaming.

Truly incredible. Why did Louise, who should be with Henrietta's group, appear here...?

But Louise truly was right in front of his eyes….

"It seems we caught up," Louise said.

"Saito, your master has come to see you."

At that moment, Saito's eyes overflowed with tears. He forgot not only the current situation, and his body's pain, but he forgot everything, and hugged Louise.

"Lo, lo, Louise!"

"Wha, wha… don’t do that in such a place!"

A blushing Louise tried to push away from Saito. But Saito held on tightly, and refused to separate.

"You, you’re real? You’re not a ghost…."

The uneasy Saito said, while staring at Louise’s petite body.

Touching, not hallucinating….

Then Saito sniffed - indeed, that was Louise’s smell.

"Di, disgusting, Saito, really!"

Louise's face had both an angry and troubled expression, and she constantly resisted by wriggling her body. In order to clearly confirm, Saito touched all over Louise’s entire body.

Then he touched her chest… only then was Saito convinced.

"It’s true."

"What do you mean!"

Saito was kicked flying by an angry Louise.

"Oh… it’s not a dream, it’s really Louise."

Saito couldn't help but be moved to tears.

Although he was staggering and stumbling, he still tightly clutched Derflinger.

Just being beside Louise… just like that, the energy filled his entire body.

"Oh, Louise…."

Tiffania also showed a confident smile.

[[Image:ZNT21_283.jpg|thumb|]]

Louise faced Aishmail, and pointed her wand at him.

"Good, you noticed."

Aishmail angrily ground his teeth, and stared at Louise with hateful eyes.

"You damnable devils, you should die together!"

Holding his single hand to the ceiling, he started chanting a particularly powerful Firstborn magic.

"Saito, you’re responsible for protecting me!"

"Coming!"

Saito energetically responded to Louise's shout, advancing while holding Derflinger, becoming like a gale. Obviously, he had already been scarred, tired, and he had almost reached his limit.

At this point, Aishmail's Firstborn magic had already completed. Arms, larger and thicker than before, emerged out of the floor one after another and attacked Saito. But their movement was extremely slow.

No, no… Saito figured it out at that moment.

The reason was that Saito's senses were far more focused, more sensitive than before.

The voice of Louise chanting magic behind him gave Saito great courage. They watched as Saito cut off the giant stone arms one after another without stopping. Becoming his master’s shield, fighting for time to chant magic… Only in this role could Saito bring out 100% of "Gandalfr's" power.

"This is the best situation, partner."

"Derf, I feel like I’m invincible!"

Saito shouted as his sword flashed as he wielded it.

"How is this possible…!"

Aishmail couldn't help to be stunned as his expression distorted.

Louise closed her eyes, chanting void runes. Saito was covering Louise’s heart, protecting her feelings of peace and happiness.

To finally meet with Saito again… This elated feeling led the power of Louise’s once flagging spirit to again overflow.

At this time, Louise completed the Void magic:

---"'Dispel'."

The tip of her wand flashed, and at the same time a faint glow came from Derflinger's blade.

"Go now, Saito!"

"Oooooooohhhh!"

After Saito swept away the previously created stone arms with the sword in his hand, he jumped to Aishmail, with Derflinger in his hand, and chopped into the top of the flustered Aishmail's shoulder.

With "Dispel" on the blade, it was easy to cut through the barrier-like "Reflect".

"Oh no…!"

Derflinger's blade cut into his shoulder, and Aishmail fell to the ground.

Saito quickly retrieved his blade, and prepared to attack with the back of it.

At that moment.

"Curses… I actually lost a to mere barbarian!"

After that, Aishmail reached in with one hand and pulled something out, then pointed it at Saito.

"What's that?"

For a moment, Saito thought it was a pistol.

But it wasn't. In a transparent sphere, a beautiful red light glimmered.

It was a fist-sized "Fire Stone".

"What…!"

Saito suddenly froze in place.

Aishmail laughed.

"He, he-ha-ha, I don't need you to do anything, barbarian!"

Aishmail then held the "Fire Stone" high, and whispered a spell.

And small cracks appeared on the surface of the fire stone, and the light dramatically increased.

"Wha, what do you think you’re doing?"

Saito asked, holding Derflinger aloft, as a bad feeling suddenly welled up in him… Luctiana, seeing this as she lay on the ground, shouted with a pale face.

"You… don’t tell me you’re trying to take us with you!"

"What did you say?"

"Heh, heh, hahahahaha!"

Holding high the shining "Fire Stone", Aishmail laughed piercingly.

Being deterred by the strange atmosphere, Saito couldn't help but back off.

"Don’t tell me that you can make a fire stone explode without a ceremony!"

"If you just want to make one of them explode, then the power of an Elf is sufficient!"

Having said it… Saito just thought of it.

It seemed like Sheffield, the Miodaitnir, also said that it wouldn't be difficult if you just wanted to make the fire stone explode… In fact, she died with Joseph by making a fire stone explode, without the power of the "Void”.

Obviously, in order to kill Saito and the others, Aishmail would disregard his life and those of the elite guards.

"You, are you crazy…?"

This sentence almost stuck in Saito's throat, but there was nothing he could do. Even if he killed Aishmail here on the spot, it wouldn't stop the "Fire Stone" from starting to react.

"Comrade Aishmail, what are you doing?!”

"Do, don’t tell me you intend to bury us together with you?!"

Just then, the Elves that had been knocked down by Saito discovered Aishmail's intentions, and let out horrible shrieks.

"Do you not sincerely hope that the demons will be eliminated? You and I will all become national heroes, and will be forever celebrated by our descendants in Elven history!”

A sad smile showed on Aishmail's face.

The fire stones piled on the altar began to shine violently. They seemed to resonate with Aishmail's fire stone, and once the small one burst, most of the other fire stones would explode along with it.

"Such a pity… Even if you do this, it will only increase the chain of this world's hatred, and nothing more."

Tiffania whispered.

"You're wrong. As long as the barbarians disappear from this world, the chain of hate disappears."

Bzzzzz… The fire stone began to shake. This was the countdown to destruction. Cracks in the enchantment gradually spread, and soon the power sealed in the fire stone would explode.

"I don't think so!"

Louise quickly tried to cast the spell, "Dispel".

"Miss, that is useless.", Derflinger said.

"Why?!"

"The reaction has already begun, so now even using 'Dispel' will do nothing."

"Then I shall use 'Explosion' and blow them away."

"That's the worst option, the fire stones will explode."

"In the end, what should I do?!"

Louise roared.

"Ha, ha, hahahahahahaha! Long live the 'Steel-Blooded Party'!"

Aishmail's laugh was full of madness.

"Damn…," Saito cursed. The fire stones were already on the verge of exploding, with no time to escape….

Just then, Tiffania suddenly got up and whispered.

"… What is that sound?"

Tiffania didn't know where the beautiful melody her ears heard came from.

A melodic tone clearly passed by, bringing with it a feeling of nostalgia.

Even if the situation was extremely critical, Tiffania couldn't help but involuntarily revel in the melody.

Where did it come from…?

"What is it, Tiffania?"

Louise, checking to see if the situation was wrong, asked Tiffania.

"Hey, Louise, can you not hear this sound?"

"What?", Louise wondered.

"Wait a moment, now isn't the time to say this…."

It seemed like neither Louise, nor Saito heard it.

"Only I hear this mysterious melody…."

Just then, Tiffania remembered the true melody.

"This is a Void spell…."

This melody, she heard it when she was a child, it sounded just like that music box.

Hearing Tiffania's whisper, Louise was surprised.

"Tiffania, you shouldn't…."

Louise hurriedly removed something from her cloak.

It was a shabby little music box… "The Founder’s Music Box".

At that time, the "Wind Ruby" on Tiffania's hand resonated with "The Founder’s Music Box", and sang a song, and runes engraved themselves into Tiffania’s mind.

"Tiffania, you learned a new void spell!"

Tiffania nodded her head in response.

The void runes became a beautiful song, and gradually entered her body….

The effect the new void produced, Tiffania knew it very well.

It is said that the Void will be given to the bearer when they need it.

This is indeed a fact.

"If I use this magic, maybe this will be a turning point…."

But if I use it now, there's one thing that's really going to worry people.

Thinking like this, Tiffania moved to Saito.

Two people's eyes met.

Saito felt slightly unsure what was going on… but then suddenly he understood the meaning of that look.

That's right, right now Saito was Louise's familiar, and at the same time also Tiffania's familiar. And the final familiar, "Lífþrasir", the supplier of void power….

Tiffania's newly awakened void, a power far beyond the power of "Forget".

If I use this spell, what will happen to Saito's body….

But Saito's gaze stared straight at Tiffania, and then he shook his head.

Use it… Saito's eyes told her this.

Tiffania quietly nodded, and decided to respond to Saito's realization.

Therefore, Tiffania turned to face the crazily laughing Aishmail, and, holding a magic wand, began to chant the Void spell.

Eorū Sūna Eis Yarnsaksa

With that beautiful sound, Tiffania made the Void runes sound like a song.

That rune was very similar to the one for Louise's "Explosion".

Os Beok Ing Le Rad

Ansūr Yur Tiel Kano Tiel

But this wouldn't let the target object explode, but instead it was a spell that made all things in the world "Forget" their reason for existing. Although Tiffania had never been introduced to the concept, she understood it.

Gyof Isa Son Beokun Iel

The spell finished.

Tiffania waved her wand.

-- "Decompose."

The Void magic system designed by the Founder, would interfere with the tiny "particles", that constituted matter. The void that Tiffania chanted didn't simply destroy the fire stones, but the essences that the fire stone were composed of were decomposed into “primaeval<ref>Primitive</ref> particles”, the origin of all matter.

It didn't leave a trace in front of them. Even the fact that they existed in the world disappeared without a trace.

In a sense, this magic was the ultimate "Forget".

"How, how is this possible…?"

Facing the altar where the fire stones had disappeared from, Aishmail knelt on the ground in dismay.

The elite guards of the "The Steel-Blooded Party," having witnessing the power of Tiffania's Void, lost their will to fight, and dropped their weapons. That kind of evil magic that could make fire stones disappear in an instant… if it was used on them, how frightening would that be?

To vanish from the world without leaving a trace. This fear could be even more frightening to the Elves than mere death.

“You did it, Tiffania!”

Louise happily shouted

"You did it, Tiffa…."

Saito also looked to Tiffania… but suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"Saito?"

This puzzled Louise.

But then she noticed that something was wrong, and rushed to Saito's side.

"Saito! Dammit, what happened, Saito?!"

"Lou…ise…."

Saito, at that moment, already seemed to be unable to hear Louise's panicked shouts.

The "Lífþrasir" runes glowed intensely, and seemed to cause burning, intense pain to Saito.

No, if you still feel pain, maybe it’s alright, because it means that you’re still alive. But this feeling, like your very existence is gradually being taken away.

"Ahhh, damn, finally… finally reunited with Louise…."

Only listening to Louise's cries gradually faded away… Saito finally lost consciousness.

====Notes====
{{reflist}}

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| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_10|Forward to Chapter 10]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Return to Main Page]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Epilogue|Forward to Epilogue]]
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 10

2017-12-15T11:22:50Z

Dreamer2908:

===Chapter 10: Raid===

The twin moons, hidden in the clouds, reflected on the city. Hidden under a hood that a traveller would wear, Saito was hidden in the dark of the night, moving along the complex pathway.

The town of Eumenes sandwiches a river, divided into the old district and the new district. The Great Temple of the Elves is located in the old district, where there are fewer pedestrians.

Hidden under Saito's cloak were Brimir's weapons that were brought from "The Dragon's Nest" - he had Derf, the Japanese sword, pistols, and grenades... just like an action movie, thought Saito.

"Those horrible people, getting so many people mixed up in this."

Ari quietly said as he peeked at the road from the darkness of the alley.

On the dark road were Elves everywhere the eye could see - of the "The Steel-Blooded Party", all wearing military uniforms. If they were found here, they would get caught before they ever got to the Grand Temple.

"We don't have any time, it doesn't matter if it's messy, should we break through?"

"No, wait a minute. Fouquet should be about to take action."

Saito said.

After lurking in the dark for a little while... the sound of a large explosion came to them from a distance.

Most of the mess that Fouquet caused came from the harbor warehouse street.

The Elves walking on the road all didn't know what was going on, and started to get riled up. The "Steel-Blooded Party" members that were originally looking for Saito all ran towards the exploding warehouse street.

"This is it, run fast!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Saito stealthily bolted in the dark.

On a road thick with transportation companies, they finally saw the appearance of the Great Temple after getting close to the outskirts of the old district.

The walls are covered in exotic Arabic patterns, and roofed with a large dome. The four corners of the building had finely carved minarets, and it reminded Saito of a Middle Eastern mosque that he had previously seen on the television news.

A solid stone wall surrounded the Great Temple, and in front of the gate were two Elven guards that appeared to be members of "The Steel-Blooded Party."

There are no other people around the gate. According to Luctiana's explanation, the Great Temple was a sacred place for the Elves, therefore almost no one would be close to that place.

And Luctiana whispered, "Crap...."

"What?"

"Those Elves have already completely taken control, the ceremony seems to have already begun."

"It'll be okay if we're faster...."

Tiffania said anxiously.

"What do we do about the guards? It could be trouble if they call for help."

Ari said.

"Let me go."

As Saito grasped Derflinger that was hidden under his cloak, the runes on his left hand suddenly emit light.

And then he quickly charged from the darkness of the building, and rushed towards the guards guarding the main gate like a gale.

"You, who are you... ahh!"

They only saw the flash of Derflinger's blade in the dark. It was too late for the guards to shout, then they were quickly cut to the ground by Saito.

"Wait, it's not that we didn't say not to kill Elves. Although in this situation it's inevitable."

Luctiana complained at Saito as she followed him from the darkness.

"I used the back of the blade."

Saito rotated the blade edge of Derflinger.

No blood was flowing from the Elves that had fallen on the ground, they had only passed out.

"...it's really pretty."

"But the next time won't necessarily go so smoothly. If we encounter a truly critical situation, I will prioritize Tiffa and my life."

Saito said this up front.

"I won't stop you. But keep the killing to a minimum."

"I know."

Saito nodded in response.

"Then let's charge in."

After Luctiana chanted magic, the lock on the main gate melted in the blink of an eye.

"Uh, uhhhh...."

Fatima was woken up by the feel of the cold, hard floor on her cheek.

Her head was still fuzzy. It seems like she was hypnotized by magic.

Her hands and feet were tied up with rope, and her body couldn't move. Fatima, tied up like a caterpillar, could only look at the surroundings in her line of sight. There was an extremely wide space covered by a large dome, and in the center was an altar with a large number of "Fire Stones" on it.

Aishmail and the elite guards of the "Steel Blooded Party" were gathered in front of the altar, and seemed to be holding a large scale ceremony. The power that resided in the Great Temple of the Elves would gradually concentrate on the "Fire Stones" that are stacked on the alter. Once the power of the Elves saturated the Fire Stones, their enchantment would be destroyed, and the city would be razed in the blink of an eye.

"So when the time comes, the first one to die is me?"

Fatima gnashed her teeth forcefully.

It seemed like no one was aware that she had already woken up, Aishmail and the elite guards were concentrated on the ceremony.

But Fatima also knew that resistance was also futile. Aishmail was a magic user that far exceeded her, and with her power alone there was no way for her to grasp the power of the Elves here.

"Am I going to die here…?"

The half of her life, full of humiliation, flashed before her eyes.

Her entire family was banished from their town by the Elves, and they were even persecuted by the companions of those Elves in the place they were exiled to. She also failed to achieve the revenge she swore to her uncle, and even the faith she placed in Aishmail and the "Steel Blooded Party" was betrayed. As expected, there was no place in this world for the daughter of a family of traitors.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. Let's put on a grand fireworks display for those stupid barbarians!"

Said Aishmail in a loud voice, standing in front of the altar.

At this time.

The roar of something exploding came from inside the Grand Temple.

As soon as they charge into the Grand Temple, Saito immediately threw out flash-bangs. The Elves near the entrance lost their sight and hearing to the flash and the sound of the explosion, and turned into a giant mess.

After the flash disappeared, Saito and Ari rushed in. Effected by the explosion of the flash-bang, the body wouldn't listen to commands for several tens of seconds. Taking advantage of the chaos, the two of them took down six Elves in the blink of an eye.

"That's a really convenient magic tool, next time I'd like to try it out also."

Then Luctiana and Tiffania followed them in. After Luctiana chanted a spell, a ball of light floated from the center of her hand, and illuminated the corridor.

"The place where the Fire Stones are, must be the inner main hall."

Luctiana said.

"Okay, let's go."

Everyone rushed into the corridor.

When the group rushed to the end of the corridor, they arrived at a place that seemed like a hall.

With the intuition of Gandàlfr, Saito drew Derflinger and cut down several fire arrows that were shot from the dark.

"Tiffa, get behind me!"

Saito said, as he held Derflinger and stared into the depths of the dark.

"Well, so you guys didn't pack up and leave?"

Several Elves in military uniforms appeared from the end of the corridor. As for the one standing in front, his physique was pretty good for an Elf, and he seemed like a veteran of many battles.

"It's Admiral Salken."

Said Ari.

"Who is that person?"

"The Navy's best raider, he's attacked and sank many barbarian ships."

When the Elven admiral saw Saito's face, he showed a ferocious grin.

"The bearer of the devil's power and the guardian, actually took the bait and came to die!"

Seeing him pull out a big handled machete, he charged straight at Saito.

Saito dodged the attack to the side, and then held Derflinger and chopped.

But the blow was blocked by the machete.

"You know your stuff, guardian of the devil!"

Salken began to chant Firstborn magic, and Saito immediately looked to dodge.

Three fire arrows appeared out of nowhere, and fired individually. Saito waved Derflinger and absorbed the flames.

"Partner, be careful, this guy is pretty powerful."

"Yeah, I know."

Saito reached up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Even if purely in sword skills, he is comparable to Agnes or Gallia's Castlemont. Moreover, he can also use powerful Firstborn magic, so sorry Luctiana, but I can't go easy on this guy."

So Saito opened some distance, and confronted Salken.

"I'll deal with the guardian of the devil, you guys grab the other people."

Crap... thought Saito. "It doesn't matter that Ari is good with a sword, but if we want to protect Tiffania and Luctiana, there's no way we can fully display our skills. Moreover, the longer we fight here, the more reinforcements will arrive. That only leaves...."

Saito pulled a grenade from his arm, then threw it back to Ari.

"What is this? Fruit...?"

"A magic tools from my world, you bring it to your body. The way you use it is...."

Saito, picking up another grenade, used his mouth to pull the pin, and tossed it next to the wall.

BANG--------!

With the deafening sound of the explosion, the stone wall was crushed.

On the other side of the large collapsed hole, there were other corridors.

"I'll stay here by myself, everybody quickly head to where the 'Fire Stones' are stored."

"But, Saito!"

Tiffania shouted with fear.

"Don't worry about me. More importantly, all will be fine if we quickly stop the Fire Stones...."

"I know, let's go."

Ari nodded, and urged Luctiana. Tiffania still had a worried expression as she looked at Saito, but seeing Saito give a thumbs up, she just nodded her head in response, and ran towards the hole in the wall.

"Don't think you can escape!"

Salken tried to chant a Firstborn magic attack. But Saito's foot kicked into his arm, and then he slashed with Derflinger.

Gandàlfr's quickness, like a gale, let Saito block Salken's sword and sent Salken staggering. Saito then took a step forward and hacked fiercely with Derflinger.

"One attack, and he's done for."

It's possible that fear spread to Salken, the Elves beside him didn't dare chant spells. It also seemed that they didn't have the courage to jump into the flash of those two people's swords.

"As long as they're without a leader, in the end they're just a mob."

Not giving Salken the chance to counterattack, Saito continuously attacked. Seeing as the opponent was unable to handle Saito's onslaught, a tiny flaw was exposed.

Victory... the moment that thought came to mind, stabbing pain burst into Saito hand that was holding the sword. Then he saw the machete in Salken's hand suddenly spew fire.

"Well...."

Saito quickly absorbed the fire with Derflinger.

"You alright, partner?"

"Well... Derf, are you alright."

"Don't worry, I can still absorb."

Derflinger's tone sounded like he still had something left.

But... Derflinger's strength also had a limit. If he continued to absorb the powerful magic used by the Elves, he could be damaged the same way he was last time.

"Partner, reinforcements are coming."

"I know."

The sound of many footsteps coming from the back of the corridor were approaching. At that rate, he would be surrounded in an instant, and at that time there would be no way to break through, even relying on the power of Gandàlfr.

"What's the matter, barbarian, you've stopped moving!"

Salken hacked with the machete in his hand. Saito changed to a one-handed sword style, and at the same time quickly pulled out an automatic pistol with his left hand. Aiming at the enemy's abdomen, he pulled the trigger three times.

But the bullets were deflected. Seeing the blue-white light through the holes in the military uniform, he was probably wearing some type of magic armor under there.

"Oh, barbarian weapons?"

Seeing this and shouting, Salken chanted some magic, and the pistol instantly heated to an extremely high temperature. Saito quickly threw the pistol, and watched the glowing red pistol explode in the blink of an eye due to the high temperature.

"Abominable!"

Saito can't help but feel anxious. Purely in sword skill, Saito definitely was dominant, but besides sword skills the enemy also could use powerful Firstborn magic. Furthermore, Saito, who had no way to use defensive magic, he just had to be hit with a fatal injury... these unfavorable elements gradually caused Saito's sword to slow down.

And more importantly... Louise wasn't here.

If the master you want to protect isn't at your side, Gandàlfr's heart won't produce the slightest tremble

"This attack will take your life!"

Salken tried to hack with the machete covered in flames. The attack revealed a major opening, so Saito couldn't help but take a step forward.

"This isn't good, partner!"

At this time Saito heard Derflinger's shout.

"Crap!"

At the same time as the thought, it was already too late.

The floor underfoot suddenly exploded, and it was a magic trap.

This explosion threw Saito's body high into the air, and then he fell heavily to the ground.

With an attack that tore a body apart, Saito couldn't help but open the hand that was holding Derflinger.

"Partner, hurry, quickly grab me!

"De...rf...."

Saito, laying on his back, tried to hold Derflinger. But the impact from falling seemed to have caused a concussion, paralyzing Saito's fingers, and for a moment he couldn't move.

"It was a good performance, guardian of the descendant of the devil. I will be extremely generous, and let you die without pain."

Salken approached Saito, and placed the blade of the machete on Saito's neck.

"Ah, no... Sorry Derf, I'm calling it a day."

The feeling of the cold blade made Saito give up resisting. "Do you mean I shouldn't play the hero now, one man alone taking the lead role...?"

As consciousness gradually blurred, the image of Louise appeared. With her peach blonde hair, crystal clear white skin, charming tea red eyes, and her small, cute chest....

"Louise… I really want to see you again, ahh, crap."

"Hey, partner! Don't give up! Quickly grasp me!"

Derflinger's call sounded further away... even if you say that, Derf, how can I, I can't move my hand….

The machete blade flashed just above Saito.

Just at this moment.

The image of Salken raising the machete disappeared.

"What...?"

Saito blinked his eyes... no, not disappeared. But like an invisible hammer, the attack from the side sent Salken flying.

And saw the Elven admiral hit the wall and fall to the ground.

"Ho, how…?"

With his head pressed by pain, Saito struggled to stand up at the same time.

That's truly a disgraceful appearance, trainee knight, Saito de Hiraga.

Hearing the familiar voice, Saito suddenly turned his head.

"It, it's you...!"

The golems created by Fouquet, rampaged on the warehouse street next to the docks.

They were overturning the docked boats, but were also free to grab the accumulated litter of boxes and barrels nearby. At the same time, Fouquet used more "Alchemy" to change the salt in the accumulated goods to gunpowder, and cause them to explode one after the other.

The Elves of the "Steel Blooded Party" are aware of this commotion, and were constantly gathering.

"Good, it's about time to run. The bait job is a total success."

Fouquet, operating the golems as she stood on the roof of a warehouse, said as she helplessly shrugged.

The power needed to chant spells had already run out. Even if Fouquet was more powerful, manipulating that many golems at the same time was hard work.

"I hope I can escape smoothly."

Fouquet's voice has already vanished. Although she was good at fleeing, but facing Elves, could she really get away in the end..?

"Hey miss, you seem to have some trouble."

"Do you need some help?"

Looking back at the warehouse roof, She didn't know when this intriguing pair showed up.

One is wearing a black hat and the cloak of young aristocracy, the other is wearing a flirtatious dress, like a beautiful doll of a girl.

"Say, who are you two?"

Fouquet pointed her wand at the two. Although it seemed like they weren't Elves, but they didn't feel like ordinary magicians.

"We're your peers, Fouquet, 'The Crumbling Earth'."

"Peers?"

"The Elemental Brothers... you should've at least heard the name?

"It can't be...."

"The Elemental Brothers."

Of course she knew, it's a major name that was well known in the underworld.

And the real face of the unidentified "Seven" was equally famous, the well known scavenger of the Knights of Nordparterre<ref>This means "Knights of the Northern Flower Bed" in English, and this is what the actual kanji is. "Nordparterre" probably refers to "Une parterre de fleurs du nord"</ref>. Both cruel and cunning, moreover it's said that he's never failed a task.

Rumors from after the collapse of the former king of Gallia, they changed into mercenaries....

"'Elemental Brothers', how did you end up appearing in this place?"

"We were also hired by Romalia. To catch the mixed blood Elf and hi... eh... uh, what was he called?"

"It's Hiraga Saito, Big Brother Bleu."

Right right, Hyraga Sayto <ref>The character sounds/pronunciation are the same but the written characters are wrong</ref>, the content of the commission is to catch those two."

So this is what's going on... Fouquet finally understood. They were insurance in case Fouquet and the others failed, or that she would be their insurance is also possible.

"That pope really brought in a ringer."

"Incidentally, our reward is 300,000 common gold coins for four people."

"What did you say? That's even more than us!"

With 300,000 gold coins, that's enough to buy a castle with territory.

"That shows how much our skills are worth."

The young man half joked.

"Big brother Bleu, now isn't the time to joke, long ears are coming our way."

Bleu looked at the bottom of the warehouse, only to see that the Elves had already surrounded the warehouse, and begun chanting Firstborn magic.

"There's really no way, Jeanette, I'm going to go cause a little trouble."

With a happy smile on his face, Bleu began to chant the "blade" spell.

From the end of his wand, blue-white light stretched out like a tree. Compared to when a normal magician chanted a blade, the blade was thicker.

"What is this formidable magic power!"

"It's because we have a little secret."

Jeanette chuckled, and smiled towards the surprised Fouquet.

With that outrageously large "Blade", Bleu was surrounded by chaos in the middle of the Elven army, entering as if no one was there. Pressuring the entire formation all by himself.

"Ahh ~ Bleu, that guy's doing things without permission again."

At this time, new silhouettes appeared on the roof.

This time it was a burly giant, and a child that was about 12 years old, with exceptionally sharp eyes. The child was holding a giant, strangely shaped wind instrument.

"Big brother Damien, the two subjects don't seem to be here."

"Well, did we waste a trip?"

"Hard to say. Since our peer is here, there has to be a meaning, right?"

The child named Damien asked Fouquet.

"Of course. Concentrating the Elves here, those two will be safer."

This is how Fouquet responded to the others, but didn't disclose that Saito and the others had gone to the Great Temple in order to stop the 'Fire Stones'. If the commission these guys received was the same as hers... if the signs were bad, they might not be beneficial to Tiffania.

"Heh, then let's hurry up and handle things here."

Done speaking, Damien pressed the wind instruments switch, and pointed the speaker on the front to the ground.

Accompanied by a low buzzing sound, the wind instrument issued a shock, and a magic light burst out from inside. As the light touched the ground, the shape of the slate laying on the ground immediately distorted, and became a swamp.

The Elves surrounding the warehouse suddenly were caught in a swamp.

"Hey, big brother Damien, don't hurt me, I'm also stuck, okay!"

Bleu shouted with the upper half of his body exposed over the swamp.

"Sorry, the power of this "constant alchemy" can't be controlled."

"This really is a crazy group of guys...."

Fouquet could only helplessly whisper.

It, it's you...."

Saito was suddenly speechless.

The magician who appeared from the darkness, with a wide hat, a hat with a feather, wearing a black cloak... and who previously was Saito's enemy during the Albion war.

This man assisted "Reconquista", assassinated Henrietta's lover, the Prince of Wales... and in order to gain the power of Void, toyed with Louise's heart.

The name that he wanted to, but could never forget.

Jean Jacques Wardes.

"Wardes... What are you doing here!"

Saito roared, forgetting the pain of his body.

"Did Mathilda not tell you? Romalia hired us to find and protect you who had been kidnapped by Elves... and if there was no way, then we would need your lives."

"What did you say!"

Saito's heart couldn't help but tremble.

Not only Fouquet, actually she was also hired to help "Reconquista" by this guy… in the end what is Romalia thinking? This guy killed the Prince of Wales.

But Saito thought again. No, the Pope and Julio could do so. In order to regain the Holy Land, they definitely wouldn't hesitate to use any underhanded methods.

"The results are that you have such an embarrassing appearance. Simply killing you now may still be easier."

"You...!"

Holding Derflinger in his hand, Saito struggled to stand up. I do not want to... I don't want to let this guy see my embarrassing side.

"Well, are there any more ambushes?"

Salken, who'd fallen to the ground, got back up again.

Elven reinforcements constantly came from the back of the corridor.

"Surround the demons!"

Under Salken's order, Saito and Wardes were immediately surrounded by Elven military forces.

"Partner, now doesn't seem like the time to quarrel."

"I know...."

Saito and Wardes separately raised their sword and wand, and then stood back to back.

"What's wrong? You're shaking, apprentice knight de Hiraga."

"It's none of your business."

The arm is still shaking, but Saito can barely hold on.

"Listen to me, I don't need your help."

"You sound so reliable."

Wardes cast a "Blade" spell on his wand, and a vacuum blade was created at the tip of the wand.

"What's about Mathilda?"

"Fouquet? She's responsible to play as bait in town."

"Really...."

Wardes voice seemed to be a little cool.

"In one breath, break through the siege, and act with me at the same time."

[[Image:ZNT21_261.jpg|thumb|]]

"Be less long-winded, and don't order me around."

"Do you want to die? Do as I say."

"Uh...!"

Saito was about to retort, but chose to stay silent. After all, he was very strong. Like Louise's mother, both served as the captain of the magic guards. He had certainly got through many life and death situations before.

Wardes took the lead, and holding the wand with the "blade", he cut towards the Elven forces.

Saito then followed up, seeing the runes on his left hand emit light, and at the same time cut the two oncoming people.

"Don't close up, open up the distance and deal with them!"

Salken roared.

The Elves turned to magic to attack the two, firing fire and light arrows from every direction.

Saito waved Derflinger, and the magic absorbing blade shined.

Then it became a melee.

Saito attacked the Elf in front of him on the one hand, and kept Wardes in his line of sight on the other.

Wardes was really strong.

Facing the Elven forces, he could still insert wind magic tactics to play with his opponent. His sword skill and magic power, both were even fiercer than when they faced off against each other in Albion.

"I can't lose to him!"

Following closely, Saito jumped, and in one breath arrived at the spot Salken was standing.

"Oh ho ho ho ho!"

The sound blades clashing rang, and sparks flew.

"Huh...!"

Salken was scared to the point of hesitation by Saito, as his movements from this time and before were like two different people.

The current Saito could clearly distinguish every one of his opponent's actions.

"Detestable, Gandàlfr's heart is actually shaking...."

"You really don't want to admit it, but you can't not admit it.", Derflinger said, as the trembling of the heart decides Gandàlfr's strength. Anger, sadness, love, joy... any reason will do, as long as it can cause the heart to move, the power will violently increase several times.

At present, the feelings whirling within Saito was wrath directed at Wardes, hate... but it was not only this. Indeed, there was another unknown feeling of passion moving Saito's heart.

"Detestable, the guardian of these demons!"

Seeing that he couldn't completely grasp Saito's movements, the anxious Salken violently hacks with his sword.

At this moment, Saito cut into Salken's arms, aiming at the armor protecting his chest, using all of his strength as he brandished Derflinger!

"What...!"

The wrists passed the feeling that they'd really been cut.

Salken's mouth opened and closed, struggling to try and breath, and then he knelt down on the ground.

The other Elves began to panic seeing this.

This was a good opportunity to break through.

"Move quick, and follow me to the rear of the temple."

Wardes said.

"What?"

"Quick, I also don't want to be blown sky high by the 'Fire Stones'."

"Wardes, you...."

For a moment, Saito's heart hesitated,

"Absolutely do not die."

And then said to Wardes.

"I can never forgive you, who deceived Louise's feelings."

"That is fair. I also would like to report my hatred of your left hand."

"I can keep you company any time."

Then Saito stretched his legs and charged, and in a moment passed through the Elven forces that were beginning to recover from their panic.

All the Elves hurriedly tried to catch up with Saito.

But Wardes had already chanted a spell.

"Ubiquitous der Winde...." <ref>I can't find the previous translation for this spell.</ref>

Upon completion of the spell, Wardes body then divided into eight people.

"Ubiquitous"<ref>I still can't find the previous translation, but the kanji means "Wind of Ubiquity"</ref>... The wind system, square magic that pulled Saito into a bitter struggle in Albion. The eight Wardes holding wands in their hands, were blocking the members, in front of the "Steel Blooded Party".

"Come, ladies and gentlemen. The former captain of the Griffin Squadron, Wardes "The Flash" shall accompany you for a few turns."

====Notes====
{{reflist}}

<noinclude>
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|-
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_9|Forward to Chapter 9]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Return to Main Page]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_11|Forward to Chapter 11]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume21 Chapter 9

2017-12-15T11:22:06Z

Dreamer2908:

===Chapter 9: The Dreadful Keikaku<ref>Keikaku means plan.</ref>===

The sun set on the other end of the desert... even though evening had arrived, peace had not arrived in the city of Eumenes, on the other hand it got even more lively.

The cries from the stores along the road, and the lively hustle and bustle of the music. While it also was an Elven city, it was completely different from the quiet atmosphere of Adyl, and was full of energy.

Returning to the hospital, Tiffania and Luctiana were already able to move around without assistance. According to the two Elves in the hospital, although their wounds already had healed, they had used a lot of their strength - so if they wanted to journey across the desert, they were going to need to rest. Having said that, if you were talking about a human magician, it would take three days and three nights of casting water magic for the same result. The Firstborn Magic of the Elves is really powerful, thought Saito.

But really, they couldn't stay for too many days in this town. 'The Steel-Blooded Party' would not give up the search for Saito's group, and if Louise already was in the area, they needed to meet up as soon as possible, and tell her the about 'The Holy Lands'.

"Tiffa, am I too naive? She clearly hurt you very badly."

Saito asked while sitting on the chair next to the bed.

The two of them were in a hotel room that was arranged by Ari. Although the room wasn't very high class, the sheets were properly washed, and the room was completely clean. Tiffania was lying on the bed by the window, and the pajama wearing Luctiana, whose breathing sounded like she was fast asleep, was sleeping in the back bed.

"No, Saito. You are very kind. I believe that you didn't make a mistake, Saito."

Tiffania shook her head.

"Really...."

Saito's words lacked confidence.

At the time, he originally believed that releasing Fatima was the right thing. However, if the escaped Fatima tried to do something harmful to Tiffania again... not only could Tiffania be hurt again, she could even be killed... thinking this, he couldn't help but doubt whether or not his decision was correct.

"But it is a little unfortunate... I wanted to chat with that girl."

"It'll be fine if that day can come."

"Ah...."

Although her movements were small, Tiffania nodded her head energetically. Seeing this Tiffania made Saito believe that one day, maybe humans and Elves could peacefully coexist.

Right. It seemed like humans and Elves coexisted in this city. If only this dispute over the "Holy Land" ended, it definitely would be a possibility.

When he returned his attention, he discovered Tiffania looking at the sunset through the window.

"Halkeginia forces have already arrived in the area."

Tiffania said.

"Ah, I think Louise and the others should be coming with them."

"This journey with me and Saito, will also end here."

Tiffa's voice was filled with a lonely tone... and then Tiffania shook her head in a rush.

"Oh, this... this, this kind of thinking is bad. With great difficulty, Saito can return to everybody's side, moreover, Louise is also really worried about you too, Saito.

"Tiffa...."

You could just see her blue eyes, with a warm expression, getting misty as she gazed at Saito.

Seeing this, Saito's heart couldn't help but move.

"Saito, I'm very sorry."

"Huh?"

Saito couldn't help but be confused, suddenly hearing Tiffania apologizing to him. Apologizing to me, what was ultimately the reason... after thinking a moment, I thought of the issue.

"Don't tell me, you're still feeling sorry about making me your familiar?"

But Tiffania shook her head.

"N, no. Actually...."

Tiffania seemed to draw a soft breath to gather her courage, and then said.

"It's because I like Saito."

"What...!"

"Really I know this shouldn't be, because Saito already has Louise. But there really isn't anything I can do, I can't suppress my feelings...."

Tiffania said to Saito with a tear-stained expression.

"I like you, I like you to the point it's almost impossible for me to comprehend."

"Ti, Tiffa...."

Seeing Tiffania's suffering expression, Saito could only feel pain in the pit of his stomach.

The confused Saito promptly shifted his line of sight. If he continued to look at Tiffania's face... I'm afraid Saito would be unable to think first.

But this also wouldn't work... thought Saito. After all, Tiffania possessed incomparable charm. Although she was burdened with misfortune, she was also a strong and virtuous person, also adding to the complicated situation. Moreover, her temperament and manners were also good, and the most important thing of this complicated situation... this kind of girl has expressed feelings of adoration to me... there isn't a man that wouldn't be affected. But....

"I know, Saito already has Louise."

"... eh, ah."

Saito could only respond with an awkward nod.

"Therefore, I desperately thought about it and finally figured out how best to handle it."

"Oh?"

"This, my mother was also once a concubine of the Archduke."

"Con, concubine...!"

Tiffania seemed to say some rather incredible words.

"I can be Saito's number two, number one can be Louise."

"Uh, Tiffa, are you joking?"

Saito immediately asked. But Tiffania's expression was completely earnest.

"No, I've seriously thought about this. Moreover, I heard from my mom when I was young, the previous king of the Elves had many wives and concubines in his harem...."

"Wait, wait a minute...."

The confused Saito immediate cut her off. Concubine, lover, concubine, number two... those type of words that only appeared in dramas, were incessantly hovering in Saito's mind.

Saito finally thought at that point, he'd never previously thought about this, but that could be considered a method. This way, Louise, Siesta, Tabitha, and Henrietta wouldn't be sad... perhaps. Of course, morally it couldn't be justified, can't be justified... huh, would it really be unjustified? Didn't I hear of a country on Earth that also allowed you to marry three wives and have four concubines...?

Although that thought flashed through his mind for a moment, Saito immediately shook his head.

The most important sweetheart that appeared in his mind... was the appearance of Louise.

"What was I imagining...?"

Of course he couldn't allow this kind of thing. Ever since the matter with Henrietta, he swore in his heart that he would never again make Louise sad.

Saito let out a little "Uh-huh".

"No, it's not alright! You can't be a concubine, it's not alright!"

Hearing that, Tiffania's face showed a sad expression.

"It's not alright?"

"Oh...."

Tiffania raised her head and gazed at Saito. Saito's heart almost couldn't help but waver from this, but Saito's heart was constant, and he shook his head.

"Why?"

Tiffania's pointed ears hung dejectedly.

Her clear, sea-blue eyes immediately became wet with tears.

"Uh, this...."

Seeing her show this sad expression, made Saito suddenly unsure what to do.

He didn't want to made Louise sad, but his way, he was just swapping Tiffania's sadness, was this okay? If he properly explained, maybe Louise would accept... no, but....

"Saito, I can't be your mistress?"

"Mis, mistress? Ti, Tiffania is this really what you want?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter, this is fine. I want to be Saito's mistress."

"Tiffa...."

Her face was very close. Tiffania's warm breath brushed Saito's cheek. Unaware of the room, and just as the two people's lips were naturally going to meet.

"Eh, you guys still want to do it at this time?"

Luctiana said in what seemed like a speechless tone, not knowing how long she'd been awake.

"Oi, I really hate this, hate it, hate it, this is why barbarians are barbarians!"

"Sorry for being a barbarian, I'm so really sorry.."

Saito, desperate to the point of silence, used both hands to apologize to Luctiana. Tiffania, who was shy to the extreme, hid in her bed and covered her head with her blanket.

"Truly, barbarians are barbarians! Affectionate regardless of the situation, kissing."

"What kiss!"

"How? Angry?"

"I'm sorry."

You can see Saito obediently kneeling on the ground for his crimes.

"It's alright, it doesn't matter. I also have an interest in those kinds of barbaric acts."

Luctiana shrugged and laughed.

And then suddenly she showed a serious expression to Saito and asked.

"So, the barbarian military forces are already in the area?"

Saito raised his head and nodded.

"It seems so."

"Are they coming to seize "The Holy Land," or coming to retake you?"

Luctiana's face became a little grim. Tiffania, sensing the change in the atmosphere of the room, stuck her head out from the shelter of the blanket.

"I think it should be both."

"If we hand you over, will the army stop?"

"They should... no, I'm not sure."

Saito told the truth.

After all, the one that was coming was that Romalian Pope, no one knew what he was thinking in the depths of his heart. At least Saito could be sure, he and Tiffania were only props in the Pope's eyes.

"First, I'm helping you based on my own beliefs, and a little academic curiosity. But I don't want to help with the resurrection of "the devil". If your partner hurts my fellow Elves, then I won't help you again."

As opposed to her previous attitude, Luctiana said this in total seriousness.

"I know."

Saito strongly nodded.

"I will do my best to prevent this war from happening, I promise."

It didn't matter about Romalia or the puppet queen of Gallia, Henrietta definitely wouldn't actively help with the Holy War. Retaking the Holy Land required the possessors of the Void... Louise and Tiffania, of course, including Saito, didn't intend to be one of the Pope's thugs.

And he already knew the location of the "Holy Land", so it wouldn't be impossible to find the magical equipment to stop the rising of the Halgekinian continent before starting a war with the Elves. Of course, this would assume that the "magic equipment" the Pope spoke of actually existed....

Luctiana closed her eyes and said.

"I know, I'll believe you for the time being. Then let's head to where the barbarian forces are, and we can talk after that."

"Thank you."

Seeing that Luctiana was willing to believe his words, Saito couldn't help but feel sincere gratitude.

At that time, the hotel room door suddenly opened.

"Hey, something bad is going on!"

Ari, who was originally supposed to leave town, burst into the room with a pale face.

"What's going on?"

"The 'Steel-Blooded Party' has surrounded Eumenes."

"What did you say?"

The surprised Saito shouted.

"Are you saying the fact we're hiding out here has been exposed?"

"You could also say that the girl you let go definitely tipped them off."

Ari glared at Saito, suspecting that he deliberately let Fatima go.

"That...."

"But their actions are too fast. In any case, the matter of us hiding in Eumenes must have already been exposed."

Luctiana spoke for the speechless Saito.

"All in all, it's better for us to leave town."

"Right, it would be bad if they went door to door and searched the hotel."

At that time, Ari's ears gently twitched.

"Someone is coming."

"What?"

Saito's ears didn't hear a thing.

But Ari's sharp eyes stared straight at the door.

"Ari, you shouldn't have been tracked?"

"I thought I was being careful."

"Tiffa, hide behind me."

Tiffania nodded her head.

Saito grabbed Derflinger, who was leaning on the wall. The runes on his left hand glowed, and Saito's senses immediately sharpened. Thanks to his gift, Saito could also hear the subtle footsteps, and it wasn't a hotel worker, it obviously was the steps of a well-trained person.

Saito drew Derflinger, and quietly approached the door.

[[Image:ZNT21_229.jpg|thumb|]]

At that time, the sound of the footsteps stopped in front of the room door. At that moment, Saito quickly opened the door, and put the blade of Derflinger to the throat of the person standing in front of the door.

"It, it's you...!"

Saito exclaimed to the person at the tip of his blade.

Tiffania covered her mouth with both hands, and her face also showed a surprised expression.

"Well, isn't that a really dangerous way to say hello, kid?"

A woman wearing a hood, bowed her head and laughed while looking at Saito.

She was known as the biggest thief in Halkeginia, known as "The Crumbling Dirt" and the alias Fouquet.

"How, you know her?"

Ari asked Saito.

"Sort of...."

Although he was still on guard against his opponent, Saito first moved the point of Derflinger away from her. Although you could say he knew her, instead it would be better to say she was the target with whom several grudges existed. But since Tiffania, who admired Fouquet was here, Saito definitely wasn't planning to expose her past at this time.

"But Fouquet, how did you end up in this kind of place?"

While Saito was feeling surprised... Tiffania ripped off the quilt and yelled.

"Matilda-nee!<ref>Big sister Matilda</ref>"

"Oh, Tiffania, how fortunate that you're alright."

Fouquet relaxed her mouth and showed a smile and immediately rushed to Tiffania and embraced her tightly. Fouquet was tenderly patting Tiffania's beautiful hair, her face lacked even a trace of that grim thief's expression, and the two looked just like mother and daughter.

Although at first Saito still wasn't sure whether or not he should interrupt the reunion of these two.

"Right, how did you end up here?"

But Saito still opened his mouth and asked Fouquet. Depending on her answer, he may still have to draw his sword on her.

"Eh, this is truly some welcoming. I even got commissioned by Romalia to come and help you."

"Commissioned by Romalia?"

This caused the images of the Pope and Julio to appear in Saito's mind. As it is, Saito didn't matter, but Tiffania was a possessor of the Void. If she was caught by the Elves, they naturally would pay any price to rescue her.

"Anyway, I was definitely ordered to kill you two on the spot if the rescue failed."

"Is that right."

Fouquet grinned.

Saito couldn't help but sigh. He was already well aware of Romalia's methods, and getting mad now wouldn't help the matter.

"So it's like this, although I also want to peacefully meet and rejoice with you... but it's a pity, right now there's no time for us to reminisce. We have to immediately leave this city."

"Because the 'Steel-Blooded Party' is hunting you."

"If it was only that, it would be fine."

As Fouquet continued, she lowered her voice.

"They are planning to raze the entire city."

"What did you say!"

Saito suddenly opened his eyes.

"Hey, I can't pretend I didn't hear that, what's going on right now?"

Ari questioned Fouquet.

"When I infiltrated the navy, I heard the 'Steel-Blooded Party' boss say that they prepared a large quantity of 'Jewels of Fire', and planned to blow you and this entire city to heaven."

"No, they can't...."

Hearing this, Saito couldn't help but be stunned.

A 'Jewel of Fire' engulfed Gallia's fleet in an instant, if they used it, they truly could easily burn this city to ash....

"If you don't believe me, you can stay here. But I'm taking Tiffania."

"But... quite a few Elves also live in this city."

Hearing these words from Saito, Ari also nodded his head and expressed his agreement.

"Although the 'Steel-Blooded Party' is very crazy, they'd never murder their own kind?"

"Not necessarily, huh?"

This time Luctiana spoke.

Eumenes is a city made for doing business with barbarians, and originally was a place of banishment for those who broke the law. To them, hasn't it always been a thorn in their side!

"That's right... no, with the nature of Aishmail, it could definitely be this way."

Ari spoke as he stroked his chin.

"So Elves are also like this, is this worthy of a 'civilized' race?"

"Don't talk like we are like them, we Elves are a race that loves peace."

Hearing Fouquet's sarcasm, Luctiana made this kind of protest.

"Anyway, whatever. It's a fact that they've moved a large number of 'Jewels of Fire' into the city. Unless you want to get buried alongside this city, we need to leave immediately."

Fouquet pulled Tiffania's hand.

But Tiffania remained unmoved, and slowly shook her head.

"It's not alright...."

"Tiffania?"

"Because my situation has affected the entire city, it absolutely can't be like this!"

"I understand your feelings, you're a kind and gentle girl Tiffania."

Fouquet tried to persuade her.

"If we rely on the people here, basically, we're not an opponent for the Elves. If you stay here, you'll just be another soul lost."

"But...."

"It's impossible." Saito stated this.

"Saito...."

"Only saving ourselves, but abandoning the whole city, how could I do such a thing!"

Saito's voice trembled. In his mind he recalled the businessmen involved in all sorts of activities on the lively street, the city people who happily cheered at Saito's amateur acrobatics, and the image of the Elven children....

To unexpectedly want to raze this kind of city, that sort of thing absolutely couldn't be allowed. This city was the hope for peaceful coexistence for humankind and Elves.

Saito tightly grasped the hilt of Derflinger. Light immediately glowed from the runes on his left hand, and his body gradually filled with power. This is the power the exists in the "Gandàlfr" in order to protect his master. If he didn't have this power, if he was like he was before on Earth, he'd definitely run first. Everybody is afraid of death... you can assume that is definitely how other people will think.

But now there was already no way for him to escape.

Because in this world, he possessed power.

"Since it's like this, I'll have to step forward bravely."

"I'll think of a way to deal with the 'Jewel of Fire'. Tiffania, you get out of the city with Fouquet."

"I want to go too."

Saito was about to leave the room, but his arm was grabbed by Tiffania.

"It's not okay, this is too dangerous."

Saito shook his head, but Tiffania didn't let go.

"I beg you, Saito, I can't let you go alone. Maybe there's something the I can do, moreover I won't be separated from you again."

"Tiffa...."

As Tiffania gazed at Saito, you could see an expression that she didn't want to be separated.

This hurt Saito's brain. Of course, previously he had avoided a great number of problems with the help of Tiffania. Moreover at the "Dragon's Nest" since he abandoned her, it was the only reason that she got life-threatening injuries... he couldn't experience the same kind of regret again.

"I know. Anyway, the entire city is surrounded, so escape is also dangerous."

"Saito!"

This time Tiffania broke out in a huge smile.

"Hey, I'm also going. My people are in trouble, I definitely can't ignore them."

"Of course, there's also me."

Ari and Luctiana both stood up.

"Really, do you also want to go?"

This caused Tiffa to frown anxiously.

"Don't worry. Although my fencing isn't up to your standards, I definitely have a degree of self-confidence in my abilities as an Elf."

Hearing this, Ari sighed.

"It's pointless even if I stop you."

"Eh, but didn't you just fall for me a little?"

"Mm...."

This immediately made Ari speechless.

"Right, there is no way that I can disobey you, really! But I definitely can't let you go at random. If something unfortunate happened to you, I would be slaughtered by Lord Bidashal!"

"I love you, Ari."

Luctiana lightly kissed Ari's face.

Ari immediately blushed. Seeing those two's interaction, Saito felt that... Ari really was whipped.

"Are you guys for real?"

Fouquet said disbelievingly.

"Anyway, I could care less if you guys live or die, but Tiffania is not alright, I will take her and go."

Saying this, Fouquet prepared to separate Saito and Tiffania.

"Fouquet!"

"Matilda-nee, I beg you... actually, does Matilda-nee not want to try and save the city?"

"I'm definitely worried. But compared to this city, Tiffania, your life is much more important."

"I will protect Tiffa, absolutely."

Saito shrugged, and Fouquet said with a disapproving look.

"Meaning that I'm supposed to believe you?"

"Uh huh."

The two of them glared at each other like this.

Suddenly a tense feeling enveloped the whole room.

After a moment of silence....

Finally, Fouquet deeply sighed.

"Really, against the hero who defended against a 70 000 man army, saying anything more would be a waste of my breath.

"Can we?"

"This is what this girl decided herself. But if anything unfortunate happens to Tiffania, I will have your life, understand?

"So, where did these guys transport the 'Jewels of Fire'?"

Everyone spread a map of the city on the hotel table, and convened a battle meeting. The map was one stolen from the Elven navy by Fouquet.

"Previously my uncle said that if you want to make the 'Jewel of Fire' explode, you would need an extremely strong Elven power."

Luctiana said.

Since Bidashal once actually made 'Jewels of Fire' for Joseph, he naturally knew about this. Joseph used the "Void" to cause the 'Jewel of Fire' to explode, but the 'Jewel of Fire' normally has a fairly strong enchantment. Relying on Elven Firstborn magic, apparently it was quite difficult to destroy the enchantment.

"If you need this large a collection of power in this city... let me see, only here."

Saying this, The point Luctiana pointed at was a large building in the old quarter.

"The Great Temple of Sophia."

Apparently this was the place they used when they need to borrow a large amount of Elven power, whenever they built irrigation projects, or if there was a long drought and they needed to pray for rain.

"Do we still have time?" Saito asked.

"Uh huh, if they want to make the 'Jewel of Fire' explode, they'll need a fairly large scale ceremony. Moreover, after the ceremony, there should be a little difference in time before the 'Jewel of Fire' actually explodes. It doesn't matter how crazy this fool is, but it is also unlikely that he plans to die along with this city."

"Then we can't take advantage of it right now and inform the people of the city, and let them immediately run for their lives?"

"There's not enough time, there's no time to do it like this. Besides, how can they believe that their fellow Elves would do something like this?"

"If it's like this, we will first need to grab that fool."

Fouquet said.

"Really, we only need to infiltrate that 'Great Temple of Sophia'...."

"But there are members of the 'Steel-Blooded Party' all over the town, what are we supposed to do?"

At this point Ari interrupted the conversation to ask a question.

"There's really no way, I'll act as the bait."

"Fouquet, you're not serious, are you?"

"Yup, I am Fouquet, 'The Crumbling Dirt'. Don't worry, as if I'd get into a head-on fight with the Elves. My expertise is in distractions."

Indeed, Fouquet's golem is unsuitable for infiltration and indoor combat. Thus, deliberately making a scene, and drawing everyone's attention would be much better.

"Okay, I'll ask you to do that."

"Leave it to me."

The battle plan was decided through that. Saito rolled up the map on the table, and calmly stood up.

"Let's go."

Everyone nodded, and pulled down the traveler's hoods that they were wearing.

Suddenly, Fouquet looked out the window and complained in a low voice.

"Actually, I was originally supposed to meet up with that fool... really, did he run off and go fishing in the end?"

====Notes====
{{reflist}}

<noinclude>
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|-
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_8|Forward to Chapter 8]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Return to Main Page]]
| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume21_Chapter_10|Forward to Chapter 10]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>