Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi:Volume8

Novel Illustrations

These are the illustrations used in volume 8:

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  Cover

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  Page 013

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  Page 031

• 

  Page 071

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  Page 121

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  Page 147

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  Page 189

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  Page 205

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  Page 239

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  Page 275

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  Page 285

And here's the textless covers:

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  Volume 1

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  Volume 2

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  Volume 3

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  Volume 4

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  Volume 5

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  Volume 6

• 

  Volume 7

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  Volume 8

Prologue

It was morning.

"Good morning!"

Bam! Ai slammed the door open and pushed her way into the room.

"Good morning~!"

It was the second cry. She yelled as loud as a cannon, and stormed into the room like an invading army. In contrast, "Hiii…" the owner of the room murmured and curled up like a woodlouse.

Ai pried the curtains apart to bring the cold breeze in. She tossed the shirts, undergarments and the like that were scattered messily onto the floor into the laundry basket, and then,

"It's morning! Please wake up~!"

She looked down at the woodlouse shriveled on the bed and fired off her third greeting. The woodlouse however merely wriggled and muttered, "No…."

"Please don’t say that and wake up!"

"I refuse!"

"Goodness! I’ll have to use this move then!"

"Kyaaaah!"

Ai snatched the blanket away, and tumbling out of the blanket was Dee Ensy, wearing only a shirt. Like a hermit crab that has lost its lodgings, Dee hid her cold bare bottoms beneath the bedsheet.

It appeared she returned home late and fell asleep.

"Ugh. Please let me off…I just fell asleep…"

"I know that…but today’s not the day to sleep in."

Ehh~why not~ Dee grumbled and tried to snuggle between the blanket and the mattress.Ai spoke up as she grabbed Dee by the latter’s buttocks, and finally heard a voice that leaked out from Dee’s covered head,

"—Ah."

She murmured and got up in a jolt, looking over at Ai. Her eyes regained the luster of intelligence.

"Are you awake?"

"Yes!"

"I've brought you a uniform, so please change."

After that, Dee became obedient. She grumbled that it was too cold, but she did climb out of bed, washed her face, and wore her school uniform. Ai too helped a little and combed her hair at the end.

"Alright, it's done."

"Nn, thanks."

Ai patted DeeI give on the back. Dee bounced to her feet and said, "How about it? Am I pretty?" "Yes yes" Ai replied curtly.

"You’re the prettiest in the world."

"Hmph hmph, thanks."

Then they left the room side by side, slowly down the stairs. The morning sun shone through the window, illuminating each strand of the old flooring.

"But speaking of which, it’s refreshing to experience the reverse and be taken care of by you, Ai."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Now that you say that, I guess that might be the case after all."

They walked down the steps as they chatted about what was probably the most unimportant conversation in the world. Dee, walking behind, patted Ai’s head without permission, but there probably was no special reason for it, so Ai did not say anything.

"See you later."

"Yeah."

They reached the third floor, and parted ways, Dee continued down to the first floor, while Ai continued down the hallway.

She knocked on the door before her.

Surprisingly, there was a response.

"Yes—it’s you?"

Krack. Alice opened the door. To Ai’s surprise, he was already awake.

"Oh my, Mr. Alice, you're already…awake…?"

Ai's voice trailed off as she spoke, for Alice's outfit was completely different from what he usually wore.

He was wearing a jet-black suit that resembled obsidian.

"What? You look surprised."

"Ah, no…I was just thinking that you’re able to dress decently too, Mr Alice."

"…Coming from you of all people? Watch this."

Thak. Ai rubbed her flicked forehead as she sized him up from down to up. One had to wonder where Alice obtained this suit, for he was dressed in a complete three-piece suit that was seemingly tailor-made for him.

Ugh.

She was initially surprised, but on a closer look, he looked decent at least. It was a lot better than his usual tattered uniform, and Ai felt it would be great if he always groomed himself this well.

"Huh? But Mr Alice…"

Then Ai noticed. While Alice looked perfect in his suit, there was something missing.

"Where's the tie?"

"That guy…?"

Alice's face clouded instantly. There was a missing fabric on his neck, one that should be there.

…Anyway, why did he call it ‘that guy’?

"That guy’s here…"

Saying that, Alice pulled out a piece of fabric that resembled ‘a snake with wounded intestines’.

"I just can’t defeat it…"

His expression was that of one who had ‘valiantly died in battle’.

Erm…Ai put her index finger on her chin, tilted her head, and spent three full seconds picking her choice of words, before giving up on the fourth.

"Mr. Alice, can't you tie a tie?"

"I can tie ropes well though."

He said proudly, but this was not what Ai was asking.

"So you can’t tie a tie?"

"Ugh!…Shut up. Why would I know a skill that’s like killing myself? I'm not suicidal."

"This person just called all those who knows how to put on a tie suicidal."

Looks like I have no choice now. Ai sighed, and picked up the tie.

"Oh?"

"Please don't move."

She said, and wrapped her arms around his neck, much to his surprise.

"Oi oi, you've got to be kidding me. Isn’t it super difficult? It’s not something that can be learned after seeing it a few times, right?"

"Don't worry. I'm perfect at rope work."

"Ugh!…hu-huh? So you’re willingly suicidal?"

"Ahaha~, I guess it’s more like, willingly murderous?"

Squeeze.

"Please be quiet."

"……Yes."

"Good that you understand."

Then Ai tied Alice’s tie.

She reached her hands out. Alice lowered his head to help out, so Ai wrapped her arms around his neck as though she was going to hug him. The pure white cloth was tied around him. Somehow, they were closer than usual, and the atmosphere became a little gaudy, and ticklishly unbearable. They tried their best to seek a topic and continue with their broken conversation, but just could not think of anything.

"…You've, grown."

At that moment, Alice said.

"Really?"

Ai heaved a sigh of relief and tied a knot.

"Yeah, didn’t you have to tiptoe before you could reach my head?"

That’s true, so Ai thought. That seemed to be the case when she first met Alice.

"…Come to think of it, that’s the case."

Ai could not help but feel nostalgic.

In hindsight, she was always tiptoeing and acting tough.

She was acting tough to become a Gravekeeper.

She was acting tough to save the world.

She acted tough, pushing herself to her limit, and finally suffered setbacks.

Back then, Ai was really dejected.

She was dejected not because her dreams were destroyed; she was dejected for she was no longer dejected about those shattered dreams.

"Those clothes look better on you than they used to."

For that reason, when Alice said that, Ai was elated, and yet a little dejected.

"These clothes?"

It was the Gravekeeper's outfit, which she hardly wore these days.

Just as Alice had chosen the suit as his formal attire, Ai too chose the Gravekeeper outfit as her outfit for the day.

"Oh, but well, I used to think these are 'Gravekeeper clothes', but now these feel like ‘normal clothes'.

"……"

Ai was momentarily silent.

Her heart heated up and ached at the same time. The pain seemed to be that of how it felt when the limbs grew. Apparently, both body and mind wuld ache a little when they grow.

"…By that logic, aren’t you acting tough, Mr. Alice?"

"Why? I’m not acting tough though?"

"Oh? Really? Aren’t you acting tough, wearing clothes you can't wear by yourself?"

"Ugh!…Amazing! I can’t come up with any excuses!"

And so Ai's task was done .

The knot was a rather rugged Windsor knot.

After checking Alice from top to bottom, Ai was satisfied with her work. She was certain that in this appearance, Alice would not embarrass himself anywhere.

"Yes, it's done."

"Oh."

For some reason though, this boy suddenly started swinging fists, checked his footwork, and pulled out the two pistols hanging in his pocket.

"Yeah. It's good."

"… I see."

Ai let out a sigh.

"Then, let's get going, shall we?"

"Yeah. The sooner the better, I guess…it's a happy day after all..."

Alice grinned as he said so. For some reason, the smile appeared malicious.

"It's a wedding."

 

Kekeke, Alice giggled, and Ai could only sigh.

"And it’s a funeral too."

 

It was late autumn, the lakeside was blessed with beautiful autumn weather, and it was a fine day to live and die.

On that day, three weddings and three hundred funerals would be held in Ostia.

 

Chapter 1 - Fireworks

A month has passed since Coven's rampage, and two miracles were left within the town.

One was the hill shrouded in red flames.

The flames were created by two Deformed—Madame of Coven and Alice. They continued to destroy and revive, burning continuously till this day.

The other was the black surface that stood at the peak of the hill.

It was a mysterious entrance leading to the normal world. The rumors spread like the wind, and all the people who wanted to enter the black surface swarmed Ostia, surrounding the hill of fire.

The number had already exceeded 100,000.

In order to accommodate them, the people worked themselves to the brink over the past month.

They paved roads, mended ruins, procured supplies, and fought…the town was wailing away like a newborn monster, pleading for the care of adults.

Perhaps it was out of love from a monster called fate. Every person in the town was involved, and anything of value, even the Dead, were used..

But that was as far as it went.

 

This was the day they would finally be freed.

 

+

 

The town was in a festive mood.

Ai arrived at the embankment of the hill to find the ashen streets completely decorated. The women were cooking, the men were setting up the venue, and they appeared to be eager to get on with the event, for their faces were cheerful and bright.

Ai led Dee and Alice up the hill. They obtained skewers and rice cakes from stalls, put flowers in their hair, and walked on.

And then the trio arrived at the peak.

The tented area was filled with people.

"Excuse us…ah!"

Ai peeked from beyond the tent, and her face lit up.

"Everyone! So you’re here!"

She quickly pried off the flap and went inside, and they quickly turned around to say,

""Hmm? Oh, it's you, young Ai. Welcome."

There stood Bendo Gram, the famous mayor of this town, who had fought alongside them in the prior battle. He was wearing a chic but tasteful suit and bowler hat, chatting with his friends with brandy in his hand. Aside from him, one could also see the merchant and workers guild charimans along with the guard Captain.

"Oh, what's with you people? Did you come all this way to see us old men?"

"Wait! Chairman, please don’t call us old, you will? There’s us here."

"What are you talking about? Aren’t you old"

Laughter erupted, and Ai naturally smiled too.

They were part of the main cast for the day.

"Today’s weather is nice…thank goodness."

Ai said. She was a little tentative in her choice of words, but the old men did not mind at all

"Mmm! A nice sunny day to embark on a new journey in life is truly wonderful!"

"Warm weather is good."

"It’s a little uncomfortable for us. Our brains are rotting."

"Yours is already rotten, right?"

Bwahahaha. Again, they laughed. They did not care a bit about Ai's hesitation, and even joked around.

That made Ai feel even sadder.

"… Oi."

Alice patted her on the back. With her help, Ai stepped forward and hugged Bendo’s belly tightly.

His body was cold, and it felt as if Ai was hugging ice.

 

They were already dead.

 

Most of the people gathered here lost their lives in the battle against Coven.

This day was their funeral.

"…Why does it feel like you’re always crying?"

Bendo showed a troubled smile and gently patted Ai’s head.

This man who was infamous for being a playboy had married thrice, but had no children. It appeared he had no idea of how to deal with the child before him.

Surrounded by the nostalgic scent of death, Ai said,

"We’re saying goodbye today…"

"…Yeah."

On this day, they would be leaving for the wilderness today, to be buried by Gravekeeper….

 

"Hmmm, ahhh, that’s a waste."

 

Yet someone mocked the Dead openly.

"Goodness, I don’t know what you’re thinking, giving up on eternity."

In a corner of the tent, Dee Ensy said with a cup of brandy, looking completely befuddled by them.

"Miss Dee…"

"Hm, what, Ai? Don’t stop me now. I’m the one cleaning after their mess…seriously, a bunch of old gramps start talking about naïve stuff like ‘dignity’? Have you ever wondered who’s picking up the slack for you starting tomorrow?"

The words were unacceptable even though they were the ravings of a drunkard.

But nobody reproached her.

"…Don't say that now, Lady. Our original plan was to leave earlier. We decided to add another month or so to our lives because we got convinced by your slick tongue."

Bendo murmured and grumbled. He had originally planned to head into the wilderness the day after the battle was over, but Dee talked him out of it, and thus the delay till this day.

"Hmph, I'm not lying. The fact is that we need someone to lead this town, right?"

"…At this point, I doubt that now…so that’s what you mean by being a Fallen. I guess the title of ‘Witch of the West’ isn’t just for show."

Bendo then suddenly bowed his head.

"Dee Ensy."

"Wh-What are you doing? Out of a sudden…"

A dumbfounded Dee tried to stop him, but Bendo kept his head lowered.

"Take care of this town."

It was his testament.

"It's a shame to leave it all to a little girl like you, but I have no choice—"

"Don't do that."

Dee said, sounding really unhappy,

"…If you're going to say something like that, why don't you just remain…?"

"No, that’ll only make us a distraction."

Dee looked at these Dead with a surprised face.

"Hmph, what’s with the face? I'm still the mayor, and I have a good eye for people and a good head for reading the situation. What this town needs aren’t old fogeys like us, but people with tender souls like you—for good or bad, that’s a different matter though."

Bendo gave an awkward smile.

"Miss Dee…"

Ai stood next to her friend, gently supporting her. It was hard not to, the way Dee’s back looked so forlorn.

"We will disappear today."

Dee was visibly upset, as if she had only just realized this moment.

"I'm not telling you not to be sad about it."

"I-I'm not sad."

"And I’m not telling you to don't cry."

"I won’t cry…"

"Also, I'm not telling you to buck up right up. I won’t tell you to forget though…be sad, be anguished all you want.."

Bendo embraced Dee much more naturally than he had done with Ai.

"May God bless those…of you who wish to proceed with eternity…"

Dee did not cry or whimper, and her shoulders merely shook.Both Ai and Alice supported their friend in silence.

A cold silence descended upon the tent, and both Living and Dead prayed silently.

Perhaps,

The funeral had already started.

"…………Idiots."

The Ghost uttered so, and finally shed tears.

 

Eventually, the embrace broke as though eternity ended.

"Well, you'd better get going. We're just supporting characters."

Bendo gave a wry smile as he looked at Ai, who too was bawling and in shambles.

"The bride and groom are definitely tired of waiting."

 

+

 

 

Beyond a number of tents was the bride's waiting room.

""Wow…""

Ai and Dee could help but gasp in admiration.

Before them was a beautiful bride wearing a pure white dress and holding a baby in her arms.

"So pretty!"

"Really! Kya~! Amazing!"

As soon as they saw her, they cheered and lavished praise.

"Miss Scar, you look wonderful!"

Ai scampered over to the bride who was seated on a chair, and Celica, who was held by the bosom, "Aw aw" grunted proudly. Ai felt it was no wonder Celica felt proudly

The pure white dress flowed as smoothly as milk, and the shell inlays on the drapes had an iridescent glow to them. Her cheeks were covered with red, a color she had never worn before, and the scar across her right eyebrow was unhindered, instead augmented with color.

"Wow…beautiful …"

"Goodness…I always thought you had potential, but I never expected you to be this pretty …"

"Thank you, both of you, …."

As they lavished praise on her, Scar responded with a melancholic expression.

What's the matter? The two of them exchanged looks, not knowing what happened to her. On a side note, the bride's anteroom was forbidden to men, so Alice was not present. He was in the tent with those men, laughing at the big man in the white tuxedo.

And then,

"Hmm?""

They both noticed it.

"…Erm, Miss Scar. Can I ask you something?"

After a brief moment of eye contact, Dee asked as a representative.

"Yes, certainly…"

A distracted Scar replied with a sigh.

"What's that?"

Dee said as she pointed at Scar’s leg.

On the chair she was sitting on, there was an unnatural lump wrapped beneath her dress. It seemed as though she was hiding something, something stick-like. …

"……."

When Dee pointed out, Scar turned her head away and said.

"………Nothing, at all."

""No, no, no, no, no.""

The duo shook their heads vigorously.

"There’s no way there’s nothing there, right? What’s with this lump?"

"It is just your imagination."

"……Erm, what kind of imagination?"

Ai thought that Scar's behavior, which had recently become more and more human, was now easier to understand.

"An-anyway! Nothing is here. Please do not say anything!"

"…Hmmm, since you say so …."

Suddenly, Dee showed a fiendish look,

"Ai."

"What?"

Dee tries to snap her fingers, but failed,

"Do it."

"Yes."

An assault occurred.

"P-please wait a minute, Ai! No, no, no! Stop! You cannot find anything even if you snuggle underneath! Y-you cannot! Please stop~!"

After a meaningless high-level battle between the two Gravekeepers, Ai pulled the thing out from beneath the skirt with much difficulty.

"…What's this?"

Dee showed a bewildered expression.

"……A shovel, right?"

Ai had a similar expression.

She was holding a shovel giving off a silver glint.

It was, without a doubt, a Gravekeeper's shovel, or to be precise, Scar’s,

"What's this?"

"That is, erm, well…."

Scar stammered to explain herself.

"Y-yes! A bridal dowry!"

"That’s quite a bridal dowry!"

Scar’s excuse was so human-like to the point where she tried to pull a fast one. Ai interrupted her immediately. The bride was dejected, "pfft"and Dee let out a giggle.

"Ahaha! Th-there’s a shovel popping out from a dress! A shovel!"

"Miss Dee, you’re laughing too much."

f "S-Sorry…but, a shovel out of a dress…a shovel dress…kuku…."

"Please don't make up new words."

"Sorry…kuku… shovel dress …"

Seriously, please stop. Ai hoped. She barely managed to stop herself, and if Dee continued, she might lose it as well.

"Seriously—so, Miss Scar, what’s with you?"

"Ai…"

Scar grabbed Ai’s arms, so tightly that the latter was aching. Scar was acting like a girl hugging a doll out of fear of thunder.

"Good, good. You’re not scared. You’re not scared anymore."

Ai patted her head that was shriveling in dejection. However, Scar did not respond, and kept shaking.

Ai then reached her hand out to hold Scar’s pale hand, and knelt down to look up at the bride. Scar seemed to finally calm down a little.

"What’s wrong?"

Scar was silent.

"Do you hate weddings, by any chance?"

Again, silence.

"Then let's not have a wedding."

"Wait!"

The person who insisted on this wedding shrieked in agony, but Ai ignored her. She did not care about Dee’s 'situation'.

Fortunately, Scar shook her head slowly.

"…it is not that I, dislike the idea of marriage."

"Is that so?"

It was surprising. If Ai were to marry such a man, she would run away as fast as she could.

"…I am simply, very worried."

"What are you worried about?"

Ai asked cautiously as though she was leading a child on. Scar carefully pondered the question, and slowly stated,

"…I am not human."

"Yes."

It was a fact that no one could change.

"My emotions are so shallow, and I even wonder if they are real."

"Probably."

"…I am unfamiliar with the common sense of humans, and I caused much trouble for many. I suppose this may be the case in the future…in other words, I… "

Scar stammered, stumbling with her words, but she ultimately said what was on her mind,

 

"…I am, after all, a Gravekeeper…"

 

That was probably a frustration she had harbored in her heart the entire time.

"How can I be the mother of this child, and the wife of that man…?"

She received the baby in the country of the Dead, suffered a setback at the top of the World Tower, and fell in love at the peak of the flaming hill.

It could be said that nobody other than Scar would have such frustrations. Summarizing the past, present and future, there was nobody else who would share the same frustration. She was unique in this regard.

But,

"What? That’s it?"

Such frustrations were unimportant to Ai.

It was a problem everyone in the world had.

"What do you mean, ‘what’?"

Scar frowned in annoyance. Since she was dressed prettier than usual, the expression she made caused Ai’s heart to flutter.

"Ai, since you say it is that easy, do you know the answer?"

"No I don't. But it doesn't matter."

What are you saying, such was the face Scar showed.

"So if I say no, you’re going to stop being Celica's mother, Miss Scar?"

What!?! And Celica swung a punch, "Bebu!"but it ended up hitting Dee.

"Are you going to stop loving her?"

"…That is..."

"You already knew the answer a long time ago."

Ai recalled. It happened on the tower leading to the sky.

At the boundary of the sky and the earth, the boundary of life and death, Scar was kidnapped by a man.

It was then that she made her decision.

"… No."

Scar answered.

"I cannot do that. I still love people, even if no one else will let me."

"Yes, me too."

Ai answered.

There was a little giggle-like atmosphere surrounding both of them. ‘What are we doing?’ that was the gaudiness Ai and Scar felt.

"These Gravekeepers are a strange bunch. Humans can't understand them."

Dee joked, acting like she knew everything, Celica was delighted to have her belly tickled.

Scar laughed and agreed that Ai was right. At this moment, she was back to her normal self.

"Ai, do you remember?"

What? Ai did not ask, and instead answered.

"Yes, I do."

Strangely enough, I remembered the same scene.

It was at a graveyard, when dawn occurred.

"Back then, we were on a hill just like this."

They recalled that Ai, Scar and Julie were there, on the hill where the graves of Ai’s parents were.

"Back then, you said that you would save the world."

This woman in pure whiterobe spoke solemnly like a goddess proclaiming an oracle,

"And I said, 'I shall watch over you’."

Ai nodded silently.

The memory of this scene remained as vivid as it was the previous day. Everything was vivid, from the winds stinging the graveyard, the sun rising before them, and their expressions.

Scar shook her head wistfully.

"Back then, I did not think things would turn out this way…"

"Yeah, I know…"

Ai too never expected that the two of them would commune together.

"I'm sure there will be many more unexpected moments like that in the future."

"Yes."

Ai suddenly felt it was incredible.

In hindsight, it was all a strange story.

A Gravekeeper was getting married at the top of this flaming hill, and Ai would be accompanying her.

Ai could explain everything from the beginning why it happened.

But at the same time, she felt that she just could not explain it. Even if she conveyed the past as words, she had a feeling that it would end up as something different.

If her past self had heard of these moments, surely that past self would not have listened.

"Thank you, Ai."

Suddenly, Scar thanked her. However, Ai did not think it was strange.

"No, I should be the one saying thank you, Miss Scar."

They raised their heads, and the same atmosphere occurred again. Pfft, Ai giggled again, and seemed to be unable to contain herself. She managed to convey her feelings properly to Scar, and Scar too was smiling to the point where wrinkles appeared on her eyes. Dee and Celica were also smiling.

The sound of laughter echoed endlessly in the tent like soap bubbles bursting away.

 

+

 

Klang—klang—

 

The bell of the town hall rang. It was a bell of celebration, but also a bell of mourning.

Atop the hill were more than three hundred Dead and more than ten thousand Living.

They were singing old songs, along with new songs from the days of mythology that had raced with the wind till the bottom of the hill.

A bride walked through the center of the song

Clad in a pure white bridal gown, she walked along the fiery path, looking like a mythical goddess.

There was no gorgeous temple or awe-inspiring church awaiting the bride, and instead, there was a godly miracle itself.

The black surface.

The door leading to the new world was visited. It floated there, as if to bless the young bride.

There was a man standing before the black surface.

He was large like a bear, wearing a pure white tuxedo, which one would have assumed was a joke.

"Kukukuku…"

Seeing this, Alice giggled again.

"…Mr Alice, be quiet."

Ai had no idea how many times she had nagged at him as she did so again.

"M-My bad, but just look at that. Wearing those clothes should be illegal. It’s just funny no matter how many times I look at it…"

"…Stop it! I'm trying so hard to endure…"

"You too, Miss Dee, be quiet."

Ai softly reproached them. She understood their feelings well, but it was all the more that she hoped they would not laugh. How would they compensate if Ai herself ended up laughing? "Daw daw" Celica, who was in Ai’s arms, voiced her agreement

The trio, along with the baby, stood at the front row of spectators. Just a few feet away, Scar and Julie were performing the ritual. The the famous ‘Monk of Destruction’ Maxi was giving a sermon about the ‘Three Bags’ and the ‘Practical Secrets of Married Life’.

"But speaking of which, I always thought it’s a matter of time until the day comes…"

Alice, who seemed to get bored quickly, quietly muttered.

"I thought it would take a little longer for those two to get married."

"Yeah…"

Ai said so listlessly, and the mastermind of it all next to her began to excuse herself,

"No, no, that’s not true. It’s just a matter of course. I didn't force them to do anything, you know?"

That might be hard to say. Ai thought.

Truth be told, this Witch girl was the reason why today's funeral was turned into a festival, and also the reason why it was combined with the wedding ceremony.

"No, after all, it’s not a good thing to give people a negative impression of death here, right? For the people who are coming here later, Death is the second birth, so we should ensure that people have a more positive impression of Death itself."

She had a point, I suppose. However, Ai did not fully understand the situation personally. This ex-Ghost who had manipulated and destroyed many countries could be said to be the only major politician left in this town, and her perspective was unbelievably high.

"This is why I invited the princess of Death and other bigshots…."

"Eh!?"

Ai could not help but raise her voice.

The Princess of the country of the Dead was none other than Ulla Euleus Hecmatika.

Ai never expected that Dee would do such a thing, but for Dee, it seemed to be 'expected'. After all, her sister, Celica, was here, and the bride was her foster mother.

Once Dee said so, Ai felt that she was right.

Ai would write letters to Ulla occasionally, but she never thought about inviting Ulla over.

"That's too bad."

"So she won't be coming today?"

"Hm, she said she’ll find time to drop by soon."

"Really? Yay!"

"What yay…ahh—my head hurts."

Ai was genuinely happy, but Dee's face looked gaudy, and she even told off Ai, saying things like –there’s significance about the secretive Princess of the Dead arriving to the outside world, or, you guys just don’t think about how to deal with Celica.

"So yeah, we have to put a positive spin on Death to maintain a pipeline with Ortus, or things will end up bad."

Death definitely was not something to be mourned.

Dee wanted to have funerals and weddings together to emphasize this concept

Ai understood that, but,

"But the new couple doesn’t have to be Mr. Julie and Miss Scar, right?"

Ai stole a glance at the venues next to them. There were also weddings going on in the north and south.

There was more than one wedding, and there were a few held together.

"No, no, I like the idea of pairing a Gravekeeper and a human. I want to make the town more accepting of people who would normally be shunned."

She said as she looked afar, looking very radiant.

"You make it sound nice, but you did that as insurance, didn’t you? You see, the other couples are Dead. Can’t you just use them if you just want to break the taboo?"

"Well, you’re right."

Once Ai pointed this out, Dee simply retracted her previous statement.

"Honestly, I just wanted to give them a a push, that's all."

"Why didn't you just say that?"

Ai did feel that they probably would not have done anything if nobody was there to give them a nudge. In that sense, Dee's actions may have been just right.

So Ai thought, the exchange of rings ended, and then,

 

"Now, as a vow, kiss…"

 

The old monk said.

"K-Kiss!?

Ai exclaimed without thinking. The old monk and the other guests stared at her.

"You idiot! I told you to be quiet!"

"B-but it's a kiss! A kiss!"

"It's a wedding, they’re supposed to do that!"

Now that it was mentioned, that certainly seemed the case, but Ai had never thought of this.

Another person too had the same thoughts.

 

"…Kiss? Julie and me?"

 

The bride said with a bewildered look on her face.

You too? Countless stares were upon the two. They were starting to feel confused, and chatter could be heard.

The old monk, the only one in a position to discipline them, cleared his throat and turned his kind eyes behind his deep wrinkles to the bride.

"Is there a problem?"

"I suppose there is one…"

"…Hmm, this is a strange situation."

The old monk, who was probably the most confused, said,

"The bride has already exchanged her vows, but refuses to kiss? It’s truly a remarkable story…I’m reminded of the Emi family’s wedding twenty years ago."

The old man spoke cheerfully as if he were continuing his sermon, and with a natural movement, he removed his robes.

"The bride refused to kiss. It was only later that I learned that the bride was tricked and coered to marry…"

The robes let out an abnormally heavy sound, and there were many sand bags hanging inside.

"Uh oh!"

Dee immediately stood up, "Emergency! Emergency!" she gestured with her hands.

"—So, do you know what I did back then? "

The voice was still gentle, but the old monk had changed completely.

The biceps were bulging, and veins were popping atop his bald head. His physique had grown two times larger than before.

The Monk of Destruction, Maximilian.

In a world where the value of God had fallen off the cliff, the monk continued to exalt the name of God, and would grant his blessings even to the Dead and the Gravekeepers…but at the same time, he was merciless to anyone he passed judgment upon.

His two eyes glowed dully.

"Is this wedding a fake? Did you deceive me?"

"E-erm, no, it was …"

"Shut up, groom."

His astonishing vigor stupefied the surroundings. The old monk smiled at the one exception in the room that was Scar.

"I shall ask the bride. Do you really agree with this marriage? If you aren’t, do say so, and I shall destroy everything."

There was probably not a single lie in his words. It was not hard to imagine that if Scar nodded at this point, the old monk would destroy the entire town. Everyone, including Ai, tensed up immediately,

"Ah, no, I have no complaints about the marriage."

But Scar simply denied it.

The old monk, disappointed, raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Mmm? The old monk, who had been struck dumb, raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Then, why does the bride not want to kiss as a vow?"

"It is not that I do not wish to…I do not understand?"

"What do you not understand?"

"…I do not have any experience…"

"What?"

The old monk's eyebrows shot up.

"My goodness, what a disappointing groom. Or perhaps I should say, I'm impressed. I didn’t think you would protect the sanctity of this beautiful bride."

Scar's brow furrowed in annoyance.

 

"Julie does at least hold my hand!"

 

She exclaimed.

At that moment, the the tense atmosphere had loosened, and many of the audience members were stifling their laughter and looking down.

"………Is that so."

"Yes—though sometimes."

"…Goodness, I look like a fool for being so uptight now, don’t I?"

The old monk deflated like a balloon, good grief, and shook his head in relief.

"E-erm…"

"What?"

"Is it fine to not do so on the lips??"

The tension must have drained out of the old man, "Do as you please" for he simply waved along "Ehh~?" the young women, especially Dee, booed wildly.

"What's that about~? It's the highlight of the wedding!"

"Well, well, that’s fine too, right?".

For some reason, Ai was a little relieved. She had a feeling that she would not know what to do if she saw her family members do that.

"It's time you guys shut up."

Alice raised his finger at Celica, "shhh" to hush them. The final rituals were finally proceeded before them.

Julie reverently lifted the bride's veil and gently kissed her cheek. It seemed he had yet to shave properly, for Scar was a little ticklish from his beard, showing a cat-like smile.

 

Then the bride lifted her heels.

 

The crowd burst into cheers.

"Hey, you two! You look great together!

"Congratulations!"

"You look beautiful!"

Ai joined them in shouting congratulations.

She was taken aback by how delighted she was in her heart, and yet a little forlorn.

 

+

 

The wedding went past noon, and the funeral rites were to be held next.

The dead performed the rituals according to their own gods and beliefs, and soon there were two processions down the hill.

One of the processions went into the wilderness with grief and sorrow. They would wait for the Gravekeeper there.

But the other march was different. They were a complete opposite from the former, and went down the hill, waving to the townspeople as though they were going on a trip.

Leading the way was Isola Edwards, the girl who had created black surface.

Standing guard was Dust Believer, the noblewoman of flames, emissary of Ortus, and an old woman who would be serving a thousand years of imprisonment for her sins.

They were the ones who have sworn to live even after death, and for that reason, they were headed to the land of the Dead to receive the latest post-mortem treatment.

Ai had been watching them. She waved at Bendo and Isola, and watched them leave until they had descended the hill, and were as small as ants in the distant wilderness. She kept watching them leave long after the sun went down.

But soon after, she could not see them again.

"……"

The plaza atop the hill had been empty for some time, and it seemed most had went to the town for festivities. From the stone wall where Ai sat, she could see them clearly.

She exposed her face to the cold air.

The festival music echoed in the wing, and one could hear singing out of tune.

"Are you tired?"

Ai heard a voice behind her. She did not answer, and instead put her face on her kneecaps and nuzzled against them. Alice tapped a cold bottle of lemonade against her neck

"Hyaa!"

She was startled to death.

"Goodness! What are you doing?"

"Just being nice, I guess. Your fault for not not responding. "

Ai turned around to see Alice standing there with his hands full of food. There were lemonade bottles, grilled skewers, rice cakes, steamed buns, and Ai's favorite, fried bread. These were food from the food stalls.

"You’re hungry, right? Let's eat for now."

Ai's fist was raised, but did not know where to put it, and decided to lower her hand towards the fried bread.

"…Thank you very much."

"No, no, you're welcome."

They then savored the food for quite a while, munching on the delicious, juicy chicken skewers and the hot fried bread. While eating, Ai realized that she was quite hungry.

"This one is good" "I want that one." They said as they exchanged foods.

"What are you eating, Mr. Alice?"

"This? I don't know."

What’s that about? Ai chuckled.

"You bought it and you don’t know?"

"I got it from an old man who didn't speak the same language."

"The town really has so many nationalities here. So how does it taste?"

"I don't know."

"Goodness, you're fooling around again."

Ai laughed and patted Alice on the shoulder. "No no no, I'm serious," and flicked the bun with his finger. The grass-colored bun went right into Ai's mouth.

"Mgh…seriously, why would you use your ability for such things—"

"Enough with the complaints. How does it taste?"

"…I really can’t tell either…"

"Right?"

Ai put her hand to her mouth and chewed. The bun was sweet, a little bitter, and to top it all off, a little cold for some reason.

"Seriously, what is this?"

"Hmm. Hmmm... Isn't this actually food?

"Hm—what if it’s not meant to be eaten?"

"Haha~~I see, maybe the old man thought he was selling exotic soap. If I say "I ate it," he might actually panic. Hahahaha."

"Yeah, it's confusing. It feels like colored candles and dragonfly balls. "

"……Hmm?"

Alice made the face of one who tried to make a joke but slipped up at the last moment.

"What is it?"

"No, it's nothing…damn, you're never boring, are you?"

"???"

Alice giggled.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I'm not. No, Kukuku …"

"…You're making fun of me after all…"

"No, seriously, I'm not. It’s just…kukuku…"

"Goodness!"

If you want to laugh so much, I’ll make you laugh. Ai wriggled her hands in the air and moved them close towards Alice. Woah, you idiot, stop! Alice panicked and tried to escape, but Ai expected that and caught him.

 

That was when the fireworks were off.

 

Boom, bang bang , bang. And with that, the six-colored flames scattered, and large flower blossomed in the night sky.

"Oh, it's started."

Alice said.

Boom, bang bang, crack! Boom, boom boom. Boom!

The soundwaves struck her body.

Ai stared blankly at the night sky.

Fireworks were bursting into bloom at both the sky and on the lake.

The town was dyed with the color of fire.

The view from the hill was like a kaleidoscope.

"Wow…"

For the first time, she saw.

Boom, boom! The sound was delayed like thunder, and her body shook like a drum.

"Do you like it?"

Alice asked.

"Yes! I really do!"

Boom, bang bang bang! The fireworks spread. Wa~! Kya~! Ai shouted.

"So pretty! So big! So noisy!"

"You’re the noisy one, you idiot."

Ai had the urge to dance.

"Mr Alice! Did you see that!? There are so many small fireworks!"

"I saw them."

"Wow! Now it's like a waterfall! So many changes! Ah! This one’s amazing too, Mr Alice! Seriously! Not this one! That one! Are you looking?"

"I'm looking. Focus on the fireworks, fireworks."

The two of them admired the flowers blooming in the night to their heart's content.

Big balls. Little balls. Six flowers. Large flowers. Waterfalls and fountains.

 

Starmines.

 

And the fireworks ended as abruptly as they had begun.

A soft silence returned, and the two of them sat shoulder to shoulder before they knew it.

Ai was still looking at the sky.

"…Do you know, Mr Alice?"

Alice suddenly played dumb,

"I know."

Normally, Ai would have been annoyed, but this time, she simply smiled.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Then I’m fine."

"……? Seriously?

"Yes."

The music of the festival echoed in the night, and the beetles chirped away.

"……Oi."

It was Alice who had enough.

"What is it?"

"What? Finish up what you just said."

"Oh my. I thought you knew."

"……"

"Ah, just joking. Say say, seriously, you’re so prone to anger, Mr Alice… "

Alice remained silent and tried to walk away, but Ai grabbed his sleeve, repeating herself,

"Mr Alice, do you know?"

"Like hell I do."

Alice took a deep breath after saying so. The night fog reeked of gunpowder.

That was also Alice’s scent.

 

"I'm pretty happy right now."

 

A bark beetle was chirping. Surely it was the last one for the year. I'm sure it's the last one of the year.

"…Is that so?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

Ai continued to lean beside Alice as she looked down at the lights of the town. Time flowed slowly like a lull. The wind was cold and the person was warm.

What about you, Mr. Alice?

Ai tried to ask, but could not as she noticed Alice’s heart was clamming up.

Thus, Ai knew the answer to that question even though she was not Alice. Surely, he would answer "I’m happy too."

That would not be a lie.

Surely he was as happy as Ai was at this moment. She knew that, for they had mutual trust in each other.

But still, deep inside his heart, there was a deep despair.

Why?

Ai could not understand.

Perhaps Alice did not understand either.

That was why it was so painful, so unbearable to im.

"Hey, Mr. Alice."

So Ai did not ask, and instead started to talk about something else.

"I'm thinking of going on a trip again in spring."

The older boy was taken aback.

"…Travel, why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Because your dream is already…"

"It got nothing to do with my dream. I just want to travel."

She glanced up at the person next to her. Alice was looking very upset.

"I've been thinking for the last month, ‘'What am I going to do now?’. I’ve been thinking about what I want to do tomorrow, and where will I be a year from now…"

What kind of adult would she be in ten years?

That was what Ai had always been thinking about.

"So I thought, I want to travel again…there’s definitely a lot of sights in this world that can only be seen now."

 

For example, the town that was before her.

 

A town on the border that became the entrance to heaven.

For example, the land of the Dead.

The land that defied against the common sense of the world, the country that fought against the entire world.

For example, the Tower of Wishes. For example, the village of Gravekeepers. For example…

Many such places were born in this world, and many had disappeared.

"I want to see them—just as a Gravekeeper watches over the end, Ai Astin wants to be the one watching over the beginning…I believe that’s ‘me’."

Ai smiled.

"’I’m’ strange, isn't it? I’m so broken up, and my views have turned completely, but it feels like the things I do are no different from usual. Fufufu, I don’t know about everyone though, how does everyone interact with ‘me’."

"You…."

Alice opened his mouth wide and said.

"You're amazing…."

"Wh-What's with all the teasing?

"I'm not teasing you. I really think you’re amazing. You’re spirited, courageous."

"I’m not…"

Ai immediately pouted and poked at the cold fried rice cake.

"I'm really nothing amazing…I’m not courageous at all…"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah……If I had a little spoonful of courage, I would have invited by now......"

"? I'm sorry. What?"

"I-I didn’t say anything."

Ai said, and then,

"Alright! It’s about time for us to head home now!"

She changed the topic "Aw…!" and let out a groan in ‘her’ heart. The irresponsible ‘her’ chided herself for being ‘hopeless’.

I, I, I, I, I, I really am a bother.

"I guess."

Alice stood up at once and and dusted his backside.

"We got to work as normal tomorrow after all. Here."

Ai grabbed his hand and held it tightly.

—Well, that's okay. She thought.

"Alrighty."

She might not understand Alice's despair, might not heal his wounds, and dared not to invite him out, but these did not matter. Just as there was no rain that would never end, there was no night that would never dawn. No matter how terrible things were, they would come to an end someday.

There was so much time. A day, a year, or even a decade.

So, Ai decided that it was fine..

"Let's go, Mr. Alice."

--And everything was true, except for one thing.

There was no rain that would never stop, and no night that would not dawn.

But the precise was if this frozen, lost person could survive till morning.

"… Hmm?"

Suddenly, Alice stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it feels weird. Did I see something wrong…"

Rubbing his eyes, Alice stared at the center of the square.

There was the same black surface as usual.

Perhaps because of the festival, there was no one trying to cross the border. It was completely quiet near the black surface, a rare sight these days.

"Something wrong with the black surface?"

"No, I don't know, maybe it’s just me. I thought I saw the surface move…"

It moved?

Ai turned her head too once he said so. Then,

"Eh?"

The black surface was truly swaying.

The black surface ignored her disbelief and shook more and more.

"……No way…"

Ai had seen this phenomenon only once before.

A month ago, in this place, at the end of a three-way battle.

"What, is this?…"

"Stay away from it! "

Ai was mesmerized and tried to hurry over in a daze, but Alice grabbed her shoulder.

"Someone's coming from over there!"

The phenomenon was similar to the appearance of Isola Edwards a month ago.

"Th-that’s impossible! Nobody else should be appearing from the other side now, right…!"

"I don't know! Get ready!"

Two guns were glaring into the void.

A person would only pass through the black surface once in life. It would be impossible to come over unless the person was born on the other side…but such a person was probably not born yet.

However, the black surface ignored such assumptions, for the wavering boundary continued to froth and bubble.

"It's coming!"

And there was no sound, no light.

The rain that never stopped, the night that never ended.

 

She arrived in this town.

 

Chapter 2 - Baby Doe

It was a pure white girl.

It was a little girl so small that she could be called a child, floating out of the black surface and fluttering to the ground along with her dress.

Her skin, hair, and everything else was dyed white. It was a new color, akin to the first snowfall of the season, but also an old color akin to bone fragments.

Ai gulped and stared at the reality before.

The girl landed on the ground and took two steps.

"Kya!" She then shrieked and fell on her buttocks.

Her lightly pigmented eyes fluttered open and she looked around.

Her adorable left Ai giggling. The tension eased, and her tense body relaxed.

Since she was able to appear from the black surface, surely this girl was not ordinary.

But at the same time so what? She wondered. The girl just looked so confused, so uneasy, that there was only one thing Ai should do.

"…Hey, wait."

She was about to take a step forward, but Alice held her shoulder firmly.

"…Don’t underestimate her just because she looks like a brat."

"I don’t care. I’m not going to change my attitude whether it’s a baby or a monster."

"Ah, oi! Wait! At least I'll go first!"

"No, no, I'll go."

Eventually, the two basically raced their way to the girl.

"Oi kid."

Alice folded his arms and spoke up preemptively.

"Who are you? How did you get over the black surface?"

"……"

"Speak. Are you unable to talk?"

The girl immediately became frightened and raised her eyebrows in anxiety.

"Come on, be honest. This town is experiencing an abnormal time now. If your attitude is bad, be care owowowowowowow!"

"Seriously, Mr. Alice, you shouldn't bully her. Look how pitiful she is."

"Don't you feel sorry for my foot that you stepped on?"

"Enough already, just let her go—sorry, this guy looks a little scary, but he’s not. See?"

Bending down and making eye contact with the girl, Ai smiled at her again.

"Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"What’s with you? Aren't you saying what I’m talking about?"

"Mr, Alice—see? He’s not scary, right?"

Ai shoved Alice away from the girl and gently patted her on the head.

"Ah."

But right when her hand was about to make contact, pak, her hand was deflected.

"…Hey."

Alice immediately made a scary face.

"That's quite a greeting, …."

"Wait, Mr. Alice, that was me—"

Ai tried to ease the situation.

"…sy".

But that was only for Ai's convenience.

"Eh?"

It had nothing to do with the girl's situation.

"I said you’re noisy!"

Suddenly, the girl shouted.

"I’m telling you to shut up!"

Ai was silent.

"Don't you get carried away, you side characters! Don’t get in the way of my life!"

Alice too fell silent. Neither of them was moved by the words.

What stopped them were the tears that filled the girl's eyes.

"I'm busy right now! If you’re not involved, move aside! "

The girl then turned around, ignoring them.

She turned around and shouted at the black surface,

 

"You idiot—————!"

 

The insult echoed through the night.

"Idiot! Fool! Dimwit! Doofus————!"

The girl was insulting someone that was on the other side of the black surface with all her might. However, her insult was heartfelt , clearly resonating with each word.

At the top of the burning hill, the girl was shouting through her tears.

Ai finally realized that she had nowhere to go, and had nowhere to retreat. She was caught in a predicament, but did her best to endure and stand upright.

"I'll do everything! Whatever you can’t, I’ll do everything…I’ll…do it…"

Ai gently went over to her side. The girl was really a child, and was about as tall as Ai’s shoulder or so.

How could Ai ignore such a child?

"Ah, hey, you!"

Ai ignored Alice’s call to stop her, and approached the girl.

This time, the girl did not rebuff Ai.

"I can do my best…on my own…"

Despite her words, the girl gently pinched Ai's shirt and rested her head into the latter’s chest.

Ai imitated what her mother used to do, which was so long ago that she could hardly remember, and gently patted the girl on the back.

"…So, so…uuu…"

Like the Aesop of the north wind and the sun, the girl did not lose to the harshness of the north wind, but she could not defeat the warmth of the sun.

"………Uuu……Fuuuuuuuu————"

She began to cry, quietly.

"……"

Ai did to the girl all the things she wished others would do for her when she was sad. She stayed by the girl’s side and quietly patted her head. The girl stiffened and remained in Ai’s clutches, crying with her tears scorching like a flame.

"……………Mom…"

Ai had no idea who the girl was, why she had come out of the black surface, or why she was in the form of a child. She could not understand anything.

But aside from those, she already knew the important part.

The girl must have come to this world with a mission.

She had left her mother.

That was enough reason for Ai to help her.

"It's okay."

Ai lied.

Her intuition told her that the girl bore a cruel fate. Like Ai and Alice, she was living under a fate that would twist even their lives.

But still, Ai said,

"You’re definitely going to be fine…"

The girl's cries echoed in the festive music and faded away.

 

+

 

The next morning.

The girl woke up in an unfamiliar room.

"……"

She slowly got up in a dim room shrouded with thick curtains. The shovel and cologne were methodically laid out in the room, suggesting the owner's personality.

She slipped out of bed and walked out of the room. Beyond the door was a short hallway with a staircase right across it. The girl carefully walked down each step, leaning on the handrail that was about her height.

"—♪"

The humming could be heard from the first floor.

Julie and family, who had lost their house during the prior incident, were living in an apartment. Ai was humming in the kitchen on the first floor.

"—~The red~flowers~,are like fufufu~♪"

She had her hair tied, an apron on, and started chopping vegetables in rhythm.

She adjusted the flame with a paddle, and poured the vegetables in starting from the one that would take the longest to cook. The whole process went as smoothly and efficiently as if there were a process chart.

"Now, time to wake everyone up."

Normally, Scar and Julie would be the ones cooking, but on this day, Ai decided to do everything by herself as a service.

She stirred the soup and glanced up at the ceiling. There must be Julie and family, Alice, and Dee, who had been using this house as a vacation home.

—And that girl too

"…Hmm."

Ai undid her apron and looked towards the girl’s room.

The previous night.

Last night.

A while passed, and the girl cried till exhaustion, falling asleep as though she had passed out. Ai had no choice but to carry the girl to her room.

"Well, let’s see how it tastes."

She mumbled to herself, and took a small sip of the soup. She was not snacking, but tasting, which was part and parcel of proper cooking. She had long grown past the immature act called snacking.

…Well, she might have drank a little too much.

At that moment,

"What are you doing?"

A voice called out.

"Woah!?"

Ai hurriedly hid the small plate and turned around.

"I-I’m just tasting, tasting!...Hm, huh?"

Ai had expected to see an exasperated looking Scar or a smirking Dee, but she was wrong.

It was the pure white girl from yesterday. The girl was still wearing the same dress as before, standing quietly at the entrance to the kitchen.

"You're awake? Good morning."

Ai bent down and smiled.

"……"

The girl did not reply. It appeared she was not ignoring Ai, just confused.

"Good morning."

Ai repeated again. The confusion became more obvious.

Hmm, Ai tilted her head.

"If someone says ‘good morning’, you reply with ‘good morning’."

Such a response would have mustered a ‘don’t belittle me’ response or the like, but the girl genuinely tilted her head.

"…Why do you do that?"

"That’s how you want to play…?" Ai groaned

"Well, I guess. If we don’t start off with this, I’ll worry about how to begin a conversation, I guess?"

"Worry?"

"Yes. Even when talking to someone, if there’s no greeting as an opening, it’s hard to talk, right? You won’t know what to say then."

"……Yes…Yes!"

The girl nodded vigorously, seemingly in agreement. Oh? Ai wondered.

"…Were you confused for so long when you tried to talk to me earlier?"

The girl's cheeks flushed red like an instant water heater. Her reactions were too easy to understand, pfft, and Ai let out a giggle.

There was no malice at all, but the girl immediately misunderstood.

"…Not…"

"Eh?"

"…Not at all…."

"Sorry, can you be a little louder—"

"So!"

Bang! The table was slammed.

 

"I'm not bothered!"

 

Ai blinked away.

"I am not! Why would I be bothered about talking to you!? Don’t take me for an idiot! You get me!?"

"H-huh."

Hmph! She turned away, her long hair flying.

She was truly a fireball of a girl.

She was not the type of girl Ai had seen before. Of the women Ai met, there were princesses or noblewomen, but this girl was far more queenly than them.

But it did not mean that I disliked her. The girl had her own ‘behavior’, and this might be many times better than yesterday's whimpering.

But that was not the point.

"But still, you should return the greeting."

Right? Ai knelt down and smiled at her. Her stubbornness would not lose out to the girl.

"See?"

"……"

"Good morning."

The girl kept her face averted, but eventually a small voice blurted out.

"……Morning."

"Yes, good morning. You've done well. Good job."

"D-Don’t take me for an idiot! "

"Ah, sorry about that."

Ai patted the girl on the head, only to be told off. Ai used to get angry whenever others treated her as a child, and she immediately regretted her actions (Julie, for example, would make an ill-advised excuse like, ‘well, I was just tall enough to pat, so I just did it’.). The most important part here was a chance to teach.

"Sorry. Here, take this as an apology."

Ai put the cup on the table.

"…What is this?

The girl is staring at the cup, half curious, half wary.

"It's hot chocolate."

"……Hot, what?"

"Erm, it's a drink made of chocolate melted with warm milk."

"Chocolate?"

"You don’t know about chocolate?"

"I-I have! I just haven’t eaten it! Is that bad!?"

"It's not bad, it's sad."

Young people these days are truly pitiful, Ai shook her head.

"Not knowing what chocolate is is a loss in life. Well, go ahead and try it. It's hot, so be careful. "

"……"

The cup was lifted with trepidation as if it were a bomb.

"—~It's hot!"

"Ah goodness, I told you…do blow at it. Fuu~ fuu~ "

Ai blew at her own cup to demonstrate. The girl imitated her and started blowing as well.

"It’s sweet…."

She took a sip and was surprised.

"Do you like it sweet?"

The girl kept nodding.

"That’s good."

The girl drank the hot chocolate in a trance, and Ai too began to drink just as the girl did.

—I wonder what kind of girl she is? Ai wondered.

Ai had been wondering the entire time what kind of person was this girl who was obviously yet to be fifteen and had just appeared from the black surface.

She knew. This girl was just a normal, stubborn girl.

In that case, everything should be fine.

"My name is Ai Astin."

"…Hmm?"

The girl nodded while holding the cup. Obviously, she did not respond by introducing herself.

"You can call me Ai…so, what's your name?"

The girl responded as if she was taking a breath in between sips of chocolate.

"None."

"Is it…'Nai'? Or is it ‘Nein’?"

The girl shook her head.

"Wait, you mean you don't have a name?"

The girl nodded.

"Erm, let's change the question…h-how old are you now? Actually, I'm thirteen. In this world, nobody’s younger than me..."

The girl raised four fingers.

(………Fourteen years old? No, four years old?)

Ai felt that neither seemed possible.

But the reality was even more improbable.

"Four days?"

"Eh?"

"I was born four days ago."

Even Ai was greatly troubled by this.

The conversation skills she had crafted in her life did not work at all, and even mere greetings could not work. She had no idea how to talk to the girl at all.

This time, the girl appeared to be observing Ai closely.

"…Is it bad?"

"Eh?"

"Is it bad if I don't have a name?"

Her expression consisted of 90% hostility and 10% fear.

"Hmm" Ai crossed her arms and pondered. Was it bad not to have a name? Ai considered both the question itself and the emotion in the girl’s eyes as she thought about her answer.

The answer came easily.

"No, not really."

"Is that so?"

"I don't think it's a bad thing."

"…Then just shut up."

The girl’s reply was cold, but Ai noticed that her mood improved slightly.

"Fufufufu."

Ai smiled sweetly and patted the girl on the head. This would be a good time to do so.

"… What?"

"Nothing."

The girl looked like a grumpy cat, but she let Ai continue to pat away.

"Do you want another?"

"……Yes."

The two of them kept drinking hot chocolate until the others woke up. Ai felt that the answer she got would be a lie if she kept questioning, and thus did not ask any further. She felt it was fine.

Just as being strong-willed and stubborn was not a bad thing.

Just as being half Gravekeeper and half human was not a bad thing.

It was not wrong either to not have a name.

 

+

 

"—So, this is ‘Nein’, a girl with no name who came all the way over the black surface. She's only four days old."

"Sure, hold on."

It happened when they were in the dining room, finishing their breakfast.

Julie put down the tea he had just raised, and furrowed her brows, ‘hold up’ gesturing with his right hand. Of course, Ai did not wait.

"So-so anyway, I'd like to have her stay in our home…"

"I told you to wait. Please, wait a minute."

Julie tapped his fingers on the table and pondered. He knew it, he knew this would happen. He knew from the moment this girl said, "Ah, Good morning, Mr. Julie…" He knew it was going to be one of those incidents that would be difficult to resolve.

Okay, Julie decided.

"…First, let me ask. Did the girl come over the black surface?"

"Yes, Mr. Alice and I are sure of it."

Hm, that’s one step forward. Julie clenched his fists tightly. He could not understand, but he at least knew what the situation was. What was impressive about it? Did an impossible existence not appear from an impossible place recently? It was just that simple.

"So, this child was only born four days ago and has no name?"

"Apparently."

"Why?"

"Well, I didn’t ask. I don’t know…"

Hmm, given how vast this world was, perhaps there was nothing strange even if that might be the case—truth be told, Julie wondered about the thought process of his daughter, given how she failed to ask such an important question. However…

No, there was no need to bother with that at this moment. The problem was the next issue.

"So, what’s with you calling her ‘Nein’…she doesn’t have a name, right?"

Ai replied,.

"I named her."

"You did?"

Exhausted, Julie let out a huge sigh. The cause of his greatest bewilderment was ultimately the person before him. In hindsight, this was always the case. No matter how incredulous or incomprehensible the situation was, it was never as much of a fantasy as Ai was.

A hand was placed on Julie’s shoulder. He looked behind, "My sympathies" and found such a look from Alice, who shook his head. The kindness was painful.

"… Does that name mean anything?"

"Well actually, I was initially mistaken, but it sounds nice, so I decided to name her that. Ehehe~"

He had no idea how he should handle this ‘praise me all you want’ look. Why did she have such a naming sense, and the audacity to show such a face? Julie was thoroughly incredulous.

"…You’re fine with that?"

The girl who had been drinking tea (with lots of sugar and milk) said as though she was uninvolved,

"Not really."

"But it’s about your name."

"So?"

Hmmm. Julie crosses his arms, and groand. This girl differed from Ai, but she too was a bother.

"…I do not think it matters though?"

Just then, there was an unexpected helping hand. It was Scar.

"If we are talking about no names, I too am the same, in a certain sense."

"…Speaking of which, that seems to be the case."

"Yes, Gravekeepers are usually named in the spur of the moment. I used to be called various names like ‘Maria’ or ‘inhuman’. The name Scar is one I prefer, but was originally intended as a derogatory insult."

"So that’s how it was…"

"Yes, I feel what is important is not the form or origin, but what the person feels."

Hmm, Julie stroked his beard. Scar’s words were very convincing.

…I'm getting old, too.

Julie suddenly smiled and bowed to Scar.

"I see, you've taught me a thing or two."

"No, far from it…"

"Nope, take this for example, I never knew of the origin of your name…more importantly, I never thought of the origin of a name…I really am a worthless man…"

"That is not true…you are an outstanding man now."

"It’s nice of you to say so…thanks."

"No…ufufu."

Ahahah, ufufu, daw daw, the trio mentally checked out..

"Ignore the old man and the others. Let’s continue."

"Okay."

Alice and Ai seemingly received the baton, and leaned forward.

"I'll ask you again. Who are you? What do you want? How did you get through the black surface?"

"Wait a minute, Mr. Alice, that's not the way to ask. It doesn’t feel this way anymore."

"Shut up. What do you mean, 'feel'? Don't make it sound so vague. I got to be certain for the sake of the town. This little fella just seems suspicious."

The two of them loudly exchanged their opinions. They bickered away, understanding each other’s stance perfectly, and never diverged from the topic. In an instant, it became personal attacks at each other.

"You say that, Mr Alice, but don’t you always shoulder everything and then mess up? Please correct this part of you that’s so uptight yet so wrong!"

"You brat! What about you!? You’re just a fantasista who lives by intuition and feeling! Try and predict how the future will go!"

"Ahh, ahh, ahh, you’re mentioning that! Then I’ll make this clear—"

Neither of them backed down.

In the midst of all this commotion, the girl in question was rather quiet as if she were an outsider. She ate her meal alone in peace, drank her tea, exhaled and said,

"’Thanks for the food’."

Is this okay? The tone she spoke with seemed as though she was asking if it was appropriate. Ai stopped pinching Alice's cheeks for the time being and gave her a thumbs-up.

The girl stood up,

"…Just to say this first, I don’t intend to laze here, so don’t worry. I have something to do too. I should go…then, ‘goodbye’."

"Huh?"

The girl said, and simply left the room. Ai hurriedly tried to stop her, but a tad before that,

 

"But things aren’t that simple, right?"

 

Dee Ensy, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke up.

Nein, who had her hand on the door, stopped and turned around.

Dee put down her cup and smiled,

"You seem to be mistaken, so I’ll make this clear. We’re not talking about whether we should take in a runaway girl.

"But I am."

"…Correction, we, as in Alice and me."

Ahem, she coughed.

"I don’t know if you understand, but I don't think of you as just a kid. I think of you more like a ticking bomb. I don’t know if you’ll explode, and how powerful it’ll be. We can’t just leave something like that in the town. You know that, right?"

"…So what do you want?"

Nein frowned, not bothering to hide her unhappiness.

"Are you saying you're going to tear me apart like a bomb?"

"No, we won't do that."

""Oh, that's nice. Naïve even."

"That's because we can’t act freely. If this bomb is actually working, we might get blown up."

"……"

Nein's eyes changed, and Dee smiled.

"So, I'd like to negotiate with you."

"Negotiate?"

"Yeah, I just need you to answer a few questions."

"…What do I gain by answering them?"

"Well, if you answer my questions, I'll make sure nobody gets in your way. In this town at least."

"……Sure."

Turning around, Nein looked at Dee properly for the first time.

"Well, ask whatever you want."

"Thanks. First of all, can you tell me the full name of your 'mother'?"

"…That is a weird question. I don't mind though…Uland. Uland El Saikavati. That's my mother's name."

…Who is that?

Such was the mood in the living room. Ai, of course, had no idea who that person was, and neither did Alice and Scar, it seemed.

"…You know my mother?"

"Well, sort of. Hmm~ as expected, I see…"

Dee alone was the only one nodded with a look of understanding on her face.

"Okay, good. Thank you for your cooperation."

"You’re done?"

"I would have asked more if it had been another name, and I’m not interested in rolling for the lottery after winning."

"I see."

This time, Nein tried to turn and leave.

"Oh, well, you don't have to answer, it's just out of simple interest for me."

Dee asked as Nein walked away.

"What is your objective?"

"Objective?"

"Yes, objective. Or I guess you could call it a dream."

"…My, dream…"

The question must have struck a chord with her, for Nein paused for a moment as though she was struck by something. She then smiled, like a bird flapping its wings for the first time in its life.

Nobody had ever seen such a boastful and radiant smile from her, one filled with such radiance befitting her age.

"…That was decided from the start."

Nein said.

 

"I'm going to save the world."

 

Oh, I see, Dee replied.

Eh? Ai blurted out.

Alice and Julie were both frozen. The cold air had dominated the space at the dining table.

That answer. That dream,

"Wa-wait, please wait."

Was Ai's.

"When you say saving the world, that’s—?"

Ai wanted to be certain, but by then, Nein's eyes did not seem to see them at all.

"Yes. That's what I was born to do!"

Such was the radiance of her smiling face.

"So I’m telling you, wait…"

"Yes! I can't stay like this! Wait for me, world! I'm coming!"

With that, Nein sped off without looking back.

"Eh? Eh? Ehhh~!"

Ai's scream was all that echoed.

"Wait! Please wait, Miss Nein!"

The agape mouth only lasted for a few seconds, and Ai quickly followed her out into the street.

Luckily, Ai found her immediately. Nein had only walked a distance of three houses down the street.

"Goodness! Why did you suddenly walk off?"

Ai asked as she ran after Nein, who then glanced back at her.

"…You could have just left me alone."

"Haa, haa …goodness, that’s quite a retort."

Alice, who too had bolted out, said.

"What are you saying? You’re the one who walked out so slowly. It’s obvious you want us to come after you."

"—!!"

"Goodness, Mr. Alice. Please stop—I'm sorry. He’s usually not this spiteful."

"……"

Huh? Ai was taken aback by the girl’s reason. She had assumed the girl would get angry and say, "Don’t mess with me!" or "Stay back!" but in fact, she just looked frightened and hid behind Ai.

"Oh my my…you’re so cute…"

"…Wait a minute, why are you only acting like this towards me…?"

"I guess it's the difference in first impressions. See, he’s not scary, not scary."

Good, good,Ai said, patting Nein on the head. "…I'm going off," the girl said and started walking again.

The two of them had no choice but to follow her from behind.

The trio walked through the town in the morning. There were a lot of dilapidated houses in this area that were repaired, and reconstruction was well underway.

"Say, Miss Nein."

Ai asked, peeking out from behind Nein’s back.

"…What?"

"What did you mean when you said you were going to ‘save the world’?"

"…Do you want to hear!?"

"Ye-yeah."

Nein's eyes sparkled as though she was a young craftsman being questioned about her work, and she answered in a sagely manner,

"It’s exactly as I say. I'm going to save the world."

"Huh, but how?"

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"I'll figure that out later…! But! Anyway! I'm going to save the world!"

Ai seemed to have heard that line before, somewhere.

"Because that's what I was born for! I was born to do this!"

Ai could feel her face cooling down. "Is that so?" She was able to say so with surprising calmness. That was why she said the following,

"So, can I go with you then?"

"Are you going to help me?"

"Yes, because I had the same dream once. I'm your senior, after all."

Ai proudly puffed her chest.

"Really? That's great!…But why do you say 'before'?"

"That's because…I failed so badly that I gave up."

"I see…, but don't worry! I'll save the world for you instead!"

"Ahaha, thank you very much."

"To do that, I have to see the world first! I'm going to a place with a lot of people!"

"I'll accompany you."

Nein waved her arms and started walking. Ai slowly followed behind her.

"…Hey."

Alice followed before her, his face clearly showing an urge to say something as he patted Ai on the shoulder. Ai smiled and answered, "It's okay." She was not lying; she was telling the truth.

She lost my dream, she betrayed it.

And she even validated this betrayal..

And yet, she was really fine. She had made peace with it.

She was just a little sad about that.

"Hurry!"

The shining child was running before them.

"I'm coming!"

Ai chased after her.

Despite knowing she would never be able to catch up.

 

+

 

The main street through Ostia was thus the most crowded place in the world.

People queued up to get to the black surface, seemingly forming a giant snake that coiled around. coiling. It was no longer a ‘line’ but more like a ‘crowd’, and the line functioned as a kind of community. People ate, slept, and went about their daily lives. Some even started new businesses.

This incident happened at a particular corner.

"Hey! You!"

Nein caught a passerby again. This time, it was a middle-aged man walking around selling bread.

'Yes, yes, my dear. Would you like to have one?"

With a good-natured smile, the man offered a loaf of bread. But Nein shook her head.

"I don't want any bread!"

"Then what about sweets? We have cookies and donuts."

"Don’t want them!"

Listen to me! Nein got angry.

"Enough with them! Are you saved right now?"

"Huh?"

The man gave a bewildered look.

"You know what? I'm saving the world! Right now!"

"H-huh?."

"So, for starters, I'm going to save you! Now, tell me what you want!"

"……"

The plastered courteous smile peeled away immediately, but Nein did not notice..

"I'll do anything! I'll make it happen!"

"…Tch, an abandoned child?"

The man did not bother to reply, and chanted to ward off bad luck before leaving.

"Ah, wait, you!—Goodness! Why!?"

Nein's body trembled with frustration, and she clenched her fists, stomping with tears in her eyes. The next moment, however, she found someone else, cheered up, and said, "Hey! You—" and attacked.

 

"Hey, listen! I'm saving the world!"

 

Ai leaned against a nearby wall and watched the scene.

"……"

It was already around noon.

Nein had been repeating these actions the entire time.

"…You’re not stopping her?"

Alice said as he fiddled with a skewer he had bought at a nearby street vendor.

"……."

Ai lifted a nearby plate and stood up. On the plate was Nein's meal, which had gone completely cold.

An old woman with a bent back was running away.

"Ah, wait!"

"Thank you for your hard work."

Ai stepped in to cover for the old woman’s escape, and spoke before Nein could.

"Why don't you take a break and have some food?"

Nein turned her face away with a disgruntled expression.

"…No need."

"Well, don’t say that. Why don’t I buy you a new one?"

"I said no! Seriously! Just scream, Ai!...Ah! You! I’m calling you"

The fruit vendor boy ran away.

"Take a break, you might have a better idea."

Ai said to a huffing Nein.

"……."

"Alright?"

"…Just leave it. I’ll eat it later."

Unable to say anything else, Ai put the plate on a nearby fence and returned to the wall.

"How did it go?"

"There’s progress. She said she'd eat it later."

"…I see."

Once again, they were leaning against the wall, watching Nein's struggle.

She called out to anyone and everyone, was ignored, shunned as an abhorrence, but she went on to find a next target.

As Nein tried to chase after the fleeing man, she slipped and fell. She fell face first into the mud, and the manner she did so seemed so pitiful. However, she did not cry or wail in agony, and suddenly lifted her face and stood up. There was no murkiness in her eyes, no hint of resignation.

No matter how many times she was rejected or ignored, Nein never gave up and just kept running forward.

"Hey, Mr. Alice."

Ai said, leaning against the wall with clear feelings.

"I wonder if Mr. Julie has always felt this way."

"……"

Alice did not respond.

Ai imagined herself in Julie’s shoes, watching someone getting wet in the rain from a safe place.

That big airhead of a childish man who could never read the mood...

Was still an adult after all.

With a pat on the head, Alice nodded. It was very good timing.

"Say."

Eventually, Alice asked, seemingly having decided on something.

"…Are you sure you want to help her?"

"No way."

Ai immediately replied and slowly her head, "I guess" and Alice exhaled.

"Yeah, you're right…"

"Yes, I'm just going to watch and wait…until the moment she fails."

Just as the big man did.

"That's fine…but it's going to be a long while."

It was not going to end in a day or two. After all, it took Ai almost a year.

"I guess. That girl seems to have a lot of guts."

"Haha, that’s saying something if you say…let’s prepare ourselves mentally then."

"Yes."

They had enough of sticking to the wall the entire time. The two of them bounced away.

"Well, I'm going to force answers out of Dee. She definitely knows something."

"Please do. Please also ask her about Uland El Saikavati, especially."

"All right…by the way, do you have any impression of this name?"

"No. What about you, Mr. Alice?"

"I’d say me neither, but I felt like I heard this name before, or not…"

"Maybe you can ask Miss Dee about that too."

"I guess so. Well, I'm off. If you have to go somewhere else, get someone to give me a holler."

"Okay."

And right when they were about to move.

 

"Don't mess with me!"

 

Snap! And then the plate of skewers was stepped on and cracked.

"Kyaa!"

Nein was pushed away and fell on her buttocks.

'Mr Alice."

"I know."

They both started running at the same time.

"What's the point of saving the world? What granting wishes? You're an idiot!"

In the back alley, a man was enraged.

The man was a traveler who appeared to be on his way to the black surface, seemingly angered by Nein's words. Under his feet were trampled skewers, and Nein was wide eyed after she was shoved.

The man swung his leg up—

"Oh no!"

Alice immediately intercepted the opponent, and hooked his foot from behind.

"Gwah! What!?"

It seemed the man did not know what happened, and noticed Alice’s presence only when the latter hooked his arms and pinned his shoulder down.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"That’s my line. Calm down. You're dealing with a kid."

"Like I care! This girl! This brat! She just has to…damn it! Let go! Let go of meeeee!!"

"Miss Nein, are you okay!?"

Ai rushed over and gently lifted Nein's body.

"Owowowowow…"

It seemed Nein did not hit the back of her head, and merely rubbed her back waist. Ai let out a sigh of relief.

Nein was full of vigor as she got up and glared at the man.

"Hey! What are you doing? I'm just asking for a wish!"

"Miss Nein, please stop!"

"W-wait, Ai!? Why are you stopping me?"

"Stop!"

The man was violent, but Ai could not bring herself to reproach the man.

At this moment, Ai understood the predicament he was in.

"Hee!"

Suddenly, there was a strange sound

The strange sound echoed around. At the same time, the man screamed and held his shoulder.

"? Hey, what was that noise? Are you hiding something?"

"I-I'm not hiding anything! Okay! I'm not gonna struggle anymore!"

"enough, take off your clothes for a second. Let me see your shoulders."

"That's…"

"You don't want to?"

Crack, crack.

"Hee! All right, all right! Let me go! Don't grab me so hard!"

It was bad.

"Mr. Alice, let him go!"

Ai shouted.

"No, but he might still try something—"

"Just let him go!"

But it was too late.

"Huh?"

And then, Alice blurted out in confusion.

The next moment, the man's arm came off his shoulder.

"Gyyyaaahhh!"

"Wha! I didn't mean to…"

Alice held onto the right arm he pulled off, looking confused.

"Ahhhh! My arm! My right arm!"

The man snatched his arm away and hugged it firmly.

"…Ah, are you, actually."

Alice too noticed.

The man was a Dead.

"Uu, uuuu…don’t don’t. Don't look at me like that. …"

The man cried, huddling to hide his body.

But his eyes were so dry that not a single tear spilled.

"Damn you…why, why am I…this is too much."

The man sobbed and grieved as if his swollen pus had burst. Ai could roughly deduce the situation after seeing him like this.

It was one of the major problems plaguing the town at the moment.

The black surface was a door leading to a new world. However, the door was only open to the Living, and the Dead could not pass through.

Still, there were many Dead who came for the black surface. They were deceived by vague rumors , or harbored a glimmer of hope when they came over. They tried to pass through the black surface, but they could not and slowly gave up, but were unable to do so completely. Thus, they could only wander in the town.

Surely the same fate befell upon this man.

"…A door to the new world finally opens, but if I die…it’s pointless, right?"

The man cried. He was no longer able to shed tears, but he was still crying out with all his might.

He was basically living in hell on earth. What would the situation be like if a stranger said to him, ‘I will make your wish come true’? What would happen if someone lied to him while he was in the depths of despair?

The answer was clearer than fire.

"Then I’ll tell you! Yeah, sure, I’ll tell you!"

And the man said,

 

"All I want is to 'come back to life'!"

 

Ah…Ai had the urge to sigh.

"Come on, make my wish come true! Save meeeee!!!"

The man finally broke down in tears and fell to the ground. He was not bothered about preserving his pride, and was plunged in real despair.

"…Miss Nein, please apologize."

She knew that Nein's dream would eventually be broken, but it was heart wrenching when the moment came.

Still, Ai nudged the girl in the back.

"Why?"

But the girl only tilted her head puzzledly, just as she had done when she did not understand the etiquette of greeting others.

"…Please don't be silly."

Trying hard to control her frustration, Ai continued to speak.

"You’re the one who made him sad by saying things you can’t feel, right…you should apologize for that."

But again, Nein tilted her head.

"So why?"

"Miss Nein…"

Ai exerted more strength as she grabbed the shoulder.

"…This isn’t a situation where you should be stubborn."

"I don’t need you to decide for me. It’s unpleasant, you know?"

Nein, however, squirmed uncomfortably and fled from Ai's grasp.

"So, what do you want me to do, bring him back to life?"

That’s easy, isn’t it? She smiled as she said.

"eh?" Nobody could believe their ears. Not Ai, nor Alice's, nor the man's.

And Nein nonchalantly approached the man before them.

 

"Come, the 'Witch’s Daughter' shall grant a wish!"

 

Saying that, she touched the rotting scalp of the man.

Something was about to happen.

"Wh-what are you doing!? What do you want!? Hey! "

The man sensed something was wrong and backed away. But Nein did not stop.

"I don't care if it’s god or devil! Make my wish come true!"

"O-Oi! What!? What are you doing!?"

And then she said the words of the wish.

 

"Revive! This! Man! "

 

The next moment.

"Whoa! Whoooooaaaaaaa!!!"

The man's body was engulfed in light.

"Wh-what is this!? Whoa! Whooooaaaa!!"

The man's body gradually changed in the light. It was as if a film was being rewound, his old wounds closed quickly, his missing parts were regenerated, and his decaying skin peeled off like scabs.

And then.

"Yes, it’s done."

Nein said, removing her hand.

By then, the Dead was nowhere to be found.

There was only a man in rags.

"Eh?"

The man looked at his hands and blurted out in skepticism. His skin had regained the color of freshness.

"There, this should be fine, right?"

Nein smiled proudly.

Ai and Alice were stupefied.

The man patted his face.

"… This is ridiculous, is this a dream?"

"No, it's reality."

"Reality…"

The man's hands touched his head, then his body, and finally, his chest.

"I-It’s beating!"

Thud, thud, The man's heart was throbbing through his clothes.

"My heart's beating!"

"Told you so."

"T-thank you! You’re my savior!"

"Kyah!"

Crying, the man picked Nein up in his arms. Tears that were never supposed to flow again were spilling from his eyes.

"Please, let me thank you!"

"I don’t need that. I just want to save the world."

"My God! Are you a Saint?"

"I'm not that—seriously, I told you who I am."

I have no choice now. Nein beamed, looking as though she had no choice but to introduce herself again.

"I’m Nein Saikavati..."

Ai was still frozen in place.

 

"I'm the ‘Witch's Daughter’."

 

That day, news of the ‘Witch's return’ shook the world.

 

+

 

"Witch."

Of all the many Deformed in the world, there were fewer than five who bore that title.

"Witch of the Far North," "Witch of the West," and "Witch of the Pumpkin".

They were all exceptionally powerful, but it was not enough for them to be dubbed Witches. In addition to their power, they needed a special orientation to bear the name.

That would be the nature of ‘helping people’

Take the Witch of the West, Dee Ensy, for example.

She "whispered" to people to end the world.

If a village was about to be attacked by bandits, she would tell them of the danger. If a general was bent on righteousness, she would tell him of the secret passages of the palace.

All of these actions were done for the personal purpose of ‘making Alice give up his dream’, but it was still true that she had saved people.

"Those that grant the wishes of others in order to fulfill their own wishes."

Such was the condition of those who were dubbed ‘Witch’.

—Even the original ‘Great Witch’, Uland El Saikavati, was no exception.

 

Running up the flaming hill, Ai barged into the building beside the black surface.

"Miss Dee!"

She shoved the staff members aside and entered. The room was filled with a ruckus, and there was the name of the ‘Witch’ echoing everywhere.

Only her surroundings were quiet.

"Miss Dee!"

"Yes, yes, it's Miss Dee. Wait a minute~."

The owner of the place was reading papers, listening to reports, writing, and talking to Ai like a juggler tossing more balls.

"I can't wait!"

Ai’s suppressed emotions exploded, and she raised her voice.

"You! You knew about that girl, didn't you?"

An unpleasant air filled the tent. Everyone here was an adult, and nobody had the time to bother with a child’s tantrum. Furthermore, Dee was their leader, and the hulking man next to her, Destructive Fist, Maccia Electus, got up, ready to usher Ai out.

However, Dee was the one who stopped them, as though indicating that it was important to talk to Ai as she put her pen down.

"All right—let's talk. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Her attitude was that of a king bowing to a beggar.

"…No, I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Ai turned her head aside awkwardly. But, of course, Dee did not spare her.

"Ah yes, Ai. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea? Dust isn't here, so I can make you a cup of tea if you want. Maccia can massage your shoulders if you’re tired. He might look like a brute, but he’s pretty good—"

"Goodness, Miss Dee!"

Ai could not help but shout out. She preferred to be shouted at rather than be toyed by Dee.

Dee laughed and actually brewed some coffee.

"Have you calmed down a bit?"

"…Yes."

Ai frowned and drank her coffee, feeling as if Dee dealt with her as she had done to Nein this morning.

"Good good. We don't want to start panicking. Now, to answer your question. You ask me if I know the girl?"

Ai licked the sugar-laden coffee.

"Of course I don’t."

Dee’s attitude seemed pretentious, and Ai was inadvertently wary.

"…Are you serious?"

"It's true. I've never met her before."

"…But it seems like you know something about the girl."

"I don't know anything, I just guessed with my knowledge and wisdom."

Dee laughed like a master handing down her secrets.

"It's a simple process of elimination. If we’re talking about any Deformed who can pass through the black surface and return, there’s only that woman I can think of..

"Deformed…"

Yes, let's talk about that first. Dee said and sipped some coffee to douse her lips

'Don't be surprised, okay? Conservatively speaking, she’s on a completely different level from those who are dubbed ‘West’ or ‘North’ or the like—if there’s one way to describe her ability, she’s ‘omnipotent’."

What does that mean? Ai tilted her head in confusion.

"Omnipotent…so basically, what can she do?"

"Pretty much, ‘anything’, she can do everything. She can revive the Dead, or create something out of nothing."

Ai had assumed it was some kind of metaphor or joke. However, Dee remained serious the entire time.

"—The Deformed are gifts God grants to those who wish—that’s what people say, but she’s different. Usually, they’ll receive one in a moment of yearning desire, but she was seemingly beloved by God, and got as much as she wanted. She could summon rain just because she was ‘thirsty’, or summon a fire because she was ‘cold’.

Ai used to assume that she herself had strong understanding skills and a flexible mind, but it seemed this was wrong.

"No way….

A chill ran down her spine as her understanding finally caught up with her.

"No way! Isn't that the power of God?"

"Maybe. That’s why everyone initially didn’t call her the ‘Witch’, but the ‘Child of God’ instead."

"I didn't know there was such a person…"

Witch.

Ai had heard that name before, and actually saw many who asked for the Witch to grant their wishes, like Madame of Coven, or the flawed pentagram in the city of Dead.

The Witch would make wishes come true.

But at the same time, these wishes would not necessarily work in the way those wishing wanted to.

When the group of five wished to have a child, she granted them a clone made from their flesh.

For a crazy adoptive mother, she created a crazier monster of the law.

She gave hope to despair, and despair to hope.

That was Uland El Saikavati.

She truly was a ‘Witch’ who would appear in a fairy tale.

"So? She’s of a completely different level, right?"

Dee said proudly to Ai who was too dumbfounded to say anything.

But Ai had a question.

"…But why did Miss Witch do such things?"

"Meaning?"

"I understand that people say what they wish for, but just because she has the power to fulfill everything, it doesn't give her the reason for the Miss Witch to fulfill wishes."

"That's a good question."

Dee clapped her hands.

"Seems like your head cooled down already."

"Go-goodness, Miss Dee—"

"Now that you figured this much, think about it. What do you think, Ai?"

Ai pondered as she was told, "This is what I like about you." Dee beamed.

Every action had a purpose. For example, Dee's "whispering" was actually to protect the sealed world.

"…Miss Witch has an objective?"

"That’s right? She’s not helping others out of charity, and she definitely has her own aims…so what are they? Can you tell?"

"… No way."

Ai did not derive this answer through deduction. It was just a connection.

 

(I'm going to save the world!)

 

Ai felt like I could hear the girl’s voice.

"…Does, Miss Witch, dream of saving the world?"

It seemed like an outlandish idea. But at the same time, she felt there was no other answer.

The Witch who would provide salvation to others out of amusement,

Was seriously trying to save the world.

Ai never expected so.

Dee nodded quietly.

"You're right. No matter how ridiculously strong the Witch is, the starting point of the Deformed is still just a desire…and her wish was to save the world…more than a decade ago, before people called her the Witch, the Child of God used her power purely for the good of mankind, for her dreams."

It was like a myth or a fairy tale.

"…But it seems that even she, who has the power of omnipotence, can’t save the world. I don’t know the details of that, and I’m not interested in it. I’ll just tell you what happened afterwards…that’s the most amazing part, the ‘afterwards’. She has the power of omnipotence, but she doesn’t believe it. Once she realized that she can’t do it, she arranged for the next step."

"…Next step?"

"Yes, it’s to leave it to ‘others’. She can’t do it, but maybe someone else can. That’s her thought when she started granting people's wishes."

And the Child of God became Witch.

"At first, she was just granting wishes normally. But later on, she started saving others in twisted ways…and still, it seems that she can’t save the world after all."

Dee said, and looked afar.

"…And after a while, she disappeared—for many years. I thought her ego had collapsed long ago as she disappeared…"

Dee looked up at the sky and exhaled. There was the face of the Ghost that Ai did not know.

"I didn’t expect her to actually cross the black surface…that damn woman wouldn’t inform me beforehand…."

"……"

Ai was initially skeptical about Dee's story.

However, she was wrong. Dee had her basis, and Ai could not see it.

"…Were you friends?"

"Us? No, no, no. She’s my enemy."

Maybe they were not friends, maybe the Witches just could not stand each other.

But such an ‘enemy’ might be more interlinked with Dee’s will than Ai herself, or Alice.

Ai felt a little jealous the moment she thought so.

And so she hugged Dee.

"Miss Dee!"

"Heh! Wh-What? What's wrong, Ai?"

"Nothing at all."

"You're hugging me for no reason…fufu, it’s certainly like you."

Dee ruffled Ai’s head.

Ai did not know the Witch.

But Dee Ensy knew.

Ai knew everything about this ex-Ghost, a Witch, a damsel in love

In the same way, Dee probably was as acquainted with the Witch.

Then Ai would just have to take Dee’s word for it.

"Tell me, Miss Dee, why did Miss Witch go to the New World?"

"…Who knows? Maybe she just wanted to check something, or maybe she’s just running away. Regardless of the answer, these aren’t important not. The issue is what happens after…looking at the situation, it seems she hasn’t lost her ability ever after going to the new world."

"What? But shouldn't the Deformed lose their power when they go over to the New World?"

It was a verified fact, but Dee denied so.

"If her ability is stronger than the new world, that’s hard to tell. After all, when two abilities are clashing, the stronger side will win…take the Princess of the Land of the Dead for example. Ulla’s power has no effect on Celica, right? That’s about the same…I think the power of the New World is rather strong, but it might be too difficult to contain the Witch’s abilities"

"…She’s really ridiculous, isn’t she?"

"That’s what everyone says about her."

Dee beamed happily,

"And then she wanted to come back here again, but there was one problem—the rule of the black surface is that you can only pass through the black surface once in your lifetime, right? That’s where she’s stuck."

Ai felt it seemed to contradict what they discussed earlier. If she was that strong as a Deformed, she should be able to overpower that rule..

The moment she pointed that out, "Thinking about it, she can do it after all." Dee admitted

"But that would mean completely breaking the rules over there. The worst possible scenario over there is that the New World will be destroyed…she probably didn’t want that to happen…"

Tch. Dee clicked her tongue for some reason.

"In other words, she’s still the ‘Child of God’…she’s the one to save the world, not to destroy it…you might find it surprising, but she always has everything in consideration—that’s why she transmigrated herself to legally pass through the black surface.

"…What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

Dee said, but Ai could not imagine.

"She basically revived herself like a certain famous story…she gave birth to a replica that’s not completely her, but not someone else entirely."

"It’s really ridiculous…"

Ai felt that her head was going to explode.

"That’s not unusual for her. She already transmigrated several times like this. She felt that even if she could not do so, maybe a different her could."

"And that's why she appears like that…"

"That's right. Well, that's pretty much it."

After she had said that much, Dee tried to ease the mood. She slouched deeply into the backrest of the girl, causing the front legs to rise. She looked exactly like the Ghost of old.

"Well, don't worry about it. It’s quite an uproar now, but compared to the last time—when Coven almost destroyed the town, she’s not a dangerous existence at a."

"Is that so?"

"That's right. Well, those who are implicated will have it tough, but there’ll be a lot more people freezing to death in the winter instead."

Dee let out a depressed sigh. It was a high view that only a politician could have.

Ai felt relieved to see Dee’s reliable state. She was completely confused when she saw Nein, but after grasping the situation and being told not to worry, she was seemingly relieved.

But that reassurance did not last long.

Dee said,

"After all, even though she did say she’ll fulfill wishes, it’s not like she can make one wish come true out of a thousand. "

Hmm?

"…Is that so?"

"That's right. Also, she’ll fulfill wishes in eccentric ways. She’s already infamous for that, so I get the feeling that nobody will go to her for wishes."

"But the girl seemed to welcome all comers though?"

Dee froze immediately.

"…Sorry, what?"

"I said it seems like she wants to fulfill every wish. She’s not fulfilling them in strange ways. Someone wished to be ‘revived’, and she just revived him as nor…mal…"

The last part of the sentence trailed off, for Dee’s face paled.

"Impossible…so, she…I’m saying that kid really grants wishes non stop, regardless of who it is?"

Ai realized that she was mistaken; Dee had only been talking about predictions based on experience, not an accurate understanding of the current situation.

What would that result in?

"H-hey, guys! We're in trouble!"

At that moment, one of the council’s staff members who was outdoors came running into the room and shouted,

 

'All the Dead in the city are revived! They’re all gathered here, asking to get through the black surface!"

 

There was an overwhelming commotion behind that person.

The world began to distort again.

 

Chapter 3 - Alice in Nightmare

On Monday, God created the world.

 

On Tuesday, God distinguished the order and chaos.

 

On Wednesday, God honed the numerical values.

 

On Thursday, God allowed the Time to flow.

 

On Friday, God overlooked every corner of the world.

 

On Saturday, God rested.

 

On Sunday, God abandoned the world.

 

—And so the world belonged to the Child of God.

 

Back in the alley, the situation had changed dramatically.

"What is this…?"

She had assumed she took the wrong road. The previously deserted area was thus filled with people.

"Excuse me! Please let me through!"

Ai nudged her way through the people and moved forward. "Queue up!" "Don’t push!" she ignored their shouts, jumped off the wall to arrive at the front row, and finally got to the girl

"Ah! Ai!"

As soon as she landed in the cul-de-sac, Nein immediately jumped on her.

"Seriously! Where did you go?"

"I'm sorry."

Despite the emotions rattling in her mind, Ai continued to maintain a smiling façade as she observed her surroundings.

"…I had a few things to do."

The people who had gathered in the alley started to chatter.

They were group of very contrasting features. Their skin was as shiny as a baby's, and yet their clothes were tattered.

"…Miss Nein, what's the matter with these people?"

"Ah, these are the people I brought back to life."

Is there a problem? Her smile seemed to imply,

Nope, Ai said without changing her expression. She had no idea what face she should make.

"Oh, my dear Saint~"

Then a man in the front row said. He was a Dead.

"P-please, revive me too."

"Of course!—Ai, I'm going over now!"

"Su-sure."

Should I stop her ? Or should I support her? Ai watched her head over with such thoughts. Nein ran over energetically and hugged the rotten body without hesitation, reviving the man back as a Living.

Cheers erupted as those gathered around shed tears as if they were the ones revived, putting a blanket over the man.

Feeling alone and left out, Ai returned to the same wall as before and rested her back against it.

"I can't believe it…"

Muttering so was Alice, who had been standing there watching Nein.

"The Dead are actually revived…"

He was looking over at the people who were being revived before they could even emote.

"…Mr Alice, are you unhappy?"

"What about you then?"

Ai fell silent.

She did not complain about the joyous scene before her. She was on the verge of tears just seeing their teary faces.

But when looking from afar, she felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

Why?

Wondering why, Ai quietly fell silent.

And even after that, the Dead kept reviving.

 

+

 

It was night.

"…Looks like she’s at her limit."

Alice said, and Ai, who had been slumped over, looked up.

The alleyway was a little different again.

The ground had been swept clean, and a carpet had been laid out before they knew it. There was a bonfire burning, and many surrounded Nein. They were divided into two groups, the cunning ones and the innocent ones. Some managed the crowd, some set up stalls for business, and some spread fraudulent rumors in an attempt to make a quick buck. No matter where they were, no matter what happened, humans were always human, and Ai was somewhat relieved.

"Come on! Next! Step forward!"

Nein shouted.

It seemed that her power was truly bottomless, and she had been reviving the Dead since morning without fading at all.

"What's wrong? Next, next!"

But the young body that controlled that power appeared to be unable to keep up, for the blood was drained from her cheeks, making her look so weak and frail that she might faint. It was no wonder, for she had not eaten anything since morning, and had been saving the world till this moment. Her entourage started to chatter. A few minutes ago, the cunning faction and the fastidious faction were duking it out, but it appeared then that they had come to a consensus.

"Miss Ai, Mr. Alice."

One of the innocents, a woman, appeared to recognize them as she went over to them, bowing,

Alice answered.

"…What?"

"We think the Saint should conclude her holy work for the day."

"Heh."

A sarcastic sneer.

"That's for you to decide?"

"…Mr Alice."

"Got it got it. I’m not looking for trouble. So, what do you want from us?"

"…We'd like you to take care of the Saint in your house."

"Hmm, now I’ll have to ask why. You’re not asking to bring her back to your own place?"

Before the woman could reply, a man appeared.

"This won’t do."

It was the leader of the Cunning Faction.

"Leaving the Saint to such idiots? What a joke. What if they brainwash her?"

"…That's what I'm talking about."

"I see."

In other words, the two forces just would not back off, and decided to leave her to a third party.

"In other words, you guys want some time to keep fighting? —What about you, Ai?"

Alice asked. But Ai did not want to answer. She felt that the moment she answered, she would be complicit in their dirty scheme.

So she decided to do the dirty work herself.

She left the wall and went to Nein, who was being persuaded by her entourage.

"Miss Nein."

"Ah! Ai, listen to me. They're telling me to take a break!"

Her lips were tired and pale, and her cheeks were devoid of color.

"I don't have time for this! I'm trying to save the world!"

"That’s right."

"Yes!"

"….But there doesn't seem to be anyone new here, right?"

Ai pointed to the entrance of the alley. There was no one there anymore.

"Really …."

"See?"

It was a lie. The truth was that the entourage had purged the line and concealed the fact.

However, young Nein did not seem to have the notion of ‘being deceived by people’, that it was a terrible lie by these adults, and she dropped her shoulders.

Ai felt a sting in my heart.

"Well, let's go home for today. You've saved the world enough."

"…You think so, Ai?"

"Yes, of course."

"……Ehehe, I see."

Ai patted Nein’s head, and the tense face relaxed.

"Let's go home and eat today, Miss Scar said she’s making a pie dish."

"Pie?"

"You've never had pie before, have you? It's delicious."

"……"

"Yes, it’s decided. "

Nein neither replied or affirmed. Ai however took Nein's hand as if the latter had agreed.

"Let's go home, Miss Nein, to our home."

Ai felt that she had become a despicable adult.

 

Julie and Scar made perfect preparations and welcomed the trio back. The house was bright, the rooms were clean, and the big man was clean-shaven.

The duck meat inside the pie crust was so good that Nein's cheeks almost fell off, and she gobbled it up with her eyes widened. Alice teased her eating face, and Ai wiped Nein’s dirty cheeks with a napkin from time to time.

After dinner, they took the car out to the hot springs. Nein got carsick from the rattling car, slipped on the wet floor and screamed, and nearly drowned in the bathtub. In the end though, she was contently soaking in the hot water and mimicking Ai's humming.

It was a scene of happiness.

 

"To—!"

Nein jumped on the bed and bounced about.

"Don’t! You're damaging the blanket."

Ai warned as she buttoned up her pajamas.

Nein however was in high spirits, rolling around in high spirits, hugging Ai's pillow and booing,

"Mmm, Ai, you’re always nagging."

"Whose fault is it…?"

"Huh? I don't know."

Nein laughed, hugging a pillow. Even Ai was annoyed.

And she jumped in too.

"To...!"

"Heh? Kyah?"

Ai unleashed Operation Roller and rolled from right to left on the bed to catch Nein.

"D-Didn’t you say it’ll damage the blanket!?"

"I don’t care. I’m the one who gets to do this!"

"That's not fair! Hahaha! Stop it, stop it! Ahahaha!"

Ai locked Nein’s joints and kept tickling her until she gave up.

"…Finally, evil has been destroyed."

"I-I’m not evil, I’m righteousness…"

"Yes, yes. Okay, that's enough fooling around. I'll untie your hair."

"Eh, this is fine already…"

Ai patted the edge of the bed, but Nein held her hair and ran away. Her hair was tied in a bun, which Ai had bundled after they had bathed.

"But if you leave it as it is, the hair will be fixed. I’ll rebraid it for you. Okay?"

"… Yes."

Ai caught Nein as the latter reluctantly approached, and untied her hair. The silvery hair was smooth and left Ai’s hands an urge to touch it forever.

"I'll untie your hair for you Ai!"

"Please do."

Ai felt the tantalizing sensation of butterflies fiddling on fingertips graze her scalp.

"Alright, time for bed."

"Ehh~"

"No ehh. Aren’t we waking up early tomorrow too?"

"Ah, yeah, that’s right. We have to save the world tomorrow, right?"

"……"

Without answering, Ai went to bed in silence.

"Good night."

""Yes. ‘Good night’!"

The lamp was switched off, the blankets were wrapped over them, and darkness fell immediately.

The moonlight was oozing through the curtains.

Ai told Nein to go to bed early, but she herself could not fall asleep. In the darkness, her thoughts ran wild as she thought of the girl sleeping next to her.

"…Hey, Ai, are you awake?"

Nein was probably wondering the same thing.

"No, I’m asleep."

"Ah, is that so? It can’t be helped then…wait! You’re awake!"

Nein was not playing dumb with the retort, but actually retorting. She was beyond innocent, just foolish. If it were Dee, she would say something like "Since you’re asleep, I can do anything right eheheheh".

Ai closed her eyes and asked,

"What is it?"

But Nein didn't speak up.

Had she fallen asleep thinking about it? Ai waited for so long that she wondered so, and then,

 

"Well, what is your wish, Ai ?"

 

It’s finally here, Ai thought.

The question came.

Ai opened her eyes slightly.

"You’re asking for my wish?"

"Yes."

Nein squirmed under the covers and peeked out from underneath.

"I haven’t asked you, right Ai? Tell me, tell me your wish? What do you want? To bring your dad back to life?"

She smiled like a newborn demon.

"Or your mom? The villagers? Ah, or everyone."

"…Please wait."

Ultimately, how did Nein know these? Ai wanted to ask, but she decided not to. She had started to accept the fact that this little creature was ‘such a thing’.

Without even moving her eyebrows, she asked.

"…What happens if I make a wish?"

"Everything will come true."

She simply said so.

"If I wish, you can do it…"

"Yes. So tell me, Ai, what do you wish for?"

"……."

Closing her eyes again, Ai asked herself deep inside. What did she wish for?

 

—In her memory, her father was sneering at her.

If she could let him pat her head, how delighted would she be?

—In her memory, her mother was beaming happily

If her mother could call her mother, how soothing would she feel?

 

Ai thought about the happy days that had gone by. Old wounds that she thought could never be recovered were aching in her chest.

"Ai?"

"……"

"W-Woah! Ai, what's wrong? Why are you crying!?"

"I'm not crying…"

It was a fact. Ai did not shed a single tear.

"…I think you're the one who's crying."

"Because…because of…such sadness …."

Nein was crying as large tears rolled down her face. Ai saw this, and knew that Nein had touched her heart.

Still, Ai did not feel uncomfortable.

"…You're crying for me, aren't you…?"

She patted the little head.

"Because…because…"

"Thank you very much."

If it had been the old her, Ai would have bawled out loud just as Nein did. However, Ai was 13, and too mature to be called a child. The tear dams were piled up so high that they would not move over such a trivial thing. She did not think this was something to be sad about."

"Ah, don't worry, Ai!"

Nein shouted, tears scattering in the darkness.

"I'm going to fix everything!"

"……"

"I'll make it all go back to the way it was! I’ll make all the sadness, all the horrible things that happened, disappear!"

So! She said,

"So tell me! Make a wish! I'll make anything happen!"

"… Anything?"

"Yes!"

Ai's eyes widened and she gently stroked Nein's hair. "I'll make anything happen." Once she received such a dreamy promise, Ai said her wish truthfully.

The answer was obvious from the start.

"…Now then, hurry up and sleep."

"Eh?"

A puzzled look.

"You have an early day tomorrow, right? Don't stay up too late. Go to bed early. …"

"Eh? Eh? Wait, Ai, what are you…"

"That's the kind of wish I want you to fulfill.…"

Ai then pushed Nein under the blanket and carefully pulled it over her.

"Eh? Wa-wait, Ai?"

"Good night…."

Ai hugged Nein’s little body and patted her back

"Wa-wait! Are you really fine with this."

"…Or…shall I sing you a lullaby?"

"I'm not wishing for that! I'm the one hearing wishes!"

"Yes yes…."

Ai sang a song and pat Nein’s back.

"He-hey! D-Don’t pamper me!"

Five minutes later, Nein was asleep.

And it took many hours until Ai fell asleep.

 

"If only all wishes could come true."

That was what Ai imagined back when she was little.

Not one, not two, not three, but an actual omnipotence that could grant as many wishes as she wanted.

If she had such a thing, what would she wish for?

First of all, it would be food. She would eat a lot of food and store up food for a long time to come—no, she would simply let hungry disappear, and have eating be a hobby instead.

Next, sleep. No more waking up early, and no one to nag her. It would be best to sleep the whole day—no, she should remove sleep too. She could then keep playing all day long.

No cleaning, no laundry, no hassle at all.

No studying, no working, no dying, no sadness, of course.

In this way, father, mother and her would all live happily together.

No sleeping at night, just playing.

No death, no pain,.

Just having fun.

Forever and ever and ever…

Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. ….

Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever. …

 

That was when the young Ai stopped thinking.

It was a dream that should have brought nothing but happiness, but for some reason it suddenly became terrifying.

 

Back then, she was still on the bed, wetting her bed, for her imagination was just that, an imagination.

 

But what would happen if that imagination became reality?

What would happen to humanity if all their wishes came true?

 

She believed the answer to that would be revealed in the future.

 

+

 

After a while, their voices could not be heard.

"……"

Alice made sure that they were not talking, and stood up.

He stepped on the floor cautiously, and silently crept past their room, heading down the stairs to the first floor. He was in no mood to return to his room.

He decided to go downstairs to the kitchen and grab something to eat. The moment he thought so, he spotted an unexpected pair.

"Ah~! That’s unfair, Uncle! I'll have a drink too! Just give me one!"

"Ehhh! No, no, no! Not for you!"

Dee and Julie were In the dining room, which they should not be, fighting over a wine bottle.

"……What are you doing?"

"Oh, Alice. Right on cue."

Julie said, keeping the big spinning punch away with her right arm.

"Ah! Listen, Alice, Uncle’s been stealing supplies that’s meant for reconstruction!"

"Don't make it sound so bad!"

The story, as Alice aptly sorted, was that they found some old unopened bottles of old wine during the reconstruction process, and Julie kept them for himself.

"Look, I’m not keeping them to myself…seriously, whatever. Sit down here. Alice. This is some good stuff that’s been sleeping here for fifteen years."

Alice sighed.

"…No, based on the law of this town, I’m still not of drinking age…"

"Don't worry about it. Your actual age isn’t the same as your appearance anyway."

Julie poured a glass before Alice could reply. Alice gave a wry smile, and decided to accept it. Most would not dare to mention Alice’s age, but this big man just casually mentioned so, which Alice found was a refreshing take.

"Ah! That’s unfair~! Why is it okay for Alice and not for me?"

"That’s why, you…ah whatever, I get it, I get it. Just a little, alright?"

A slight viscous liquid was poured into thickening of the liquid was poured into the unglazed bowl.

"Cheers~!"

Dee led off to toast their glasses.

"Cheers? For what?"

Alice was taken aback, and Dee winked.

"For this cute little me?"

"Well, let’s leave it at that."

"Here's to the beauty of this little girl."

"…Geez, when did you guys learn to answer like jerks…?"

The liquor was much stronger than expected. The moment the liquid touched the tongue, there was an explosive scent that dominated the respiratory organs. It was a drink that smelled like a forest.

"Pffhaa~!"

Dee gulped it down at once.

"it’s bad~! One more!"

"… Hey."

"That's why I didn’t want you to drink it…"

Julie looked up at the sky.

"Ueehh~I hate it~ it's so bitter and spicy, what is this? I get sweet champagne or fruit wine, but I don’t understand why adults like this stuff."

"Then don’t drink it."

"But I hate to be left out, you know?"

"…It’s so difficult to handle you when you can hold your liquor."

Julie shook his head in dismay. Surprisingly, it seemed that the two of them had drank together several times.

It’s bad, it’s bad. Dee yapped happily, and Alice stood up.

"…Gimme that."

"Eh?"

Alice snatched the glass and went to the kitchen. Fortunately, there was a feast on this night, and there were plenty of ingredients.

"Here."

He turned the stale oil liquor into a frozen cocktail of orange and mint, and set it on the table.

Finally, he inserted a straw and clinked the ice, and returned to his seat.

"T-thanks."

Dee, who had been drinking lots of that strong liquor, suddenly calmed down and started to drink the diluted cocktail with great care.

"… You're a terrifying guy."

Julie was intimidated.

"Huh? How so?"

"…… No, it's nothing…You're pretty handy, though."

"Well, I had a part-time job before."

Alice said and put a glass of water and some ice cubes before Julie.

"Use that, Old Man. I think this drink tastes better when mixed with ice and water."

"…Hmph, and you said ‘I’m legally unable to drink’, you idiot.?"

The big man drank the sake obediently.

A relaxed atmosphere spread. Dee was playing with her cocktail, while Julie lit her pipe and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Meanwhile, Alice was staring at the ceiling.

Purple smoke slowly drifted across the beams.

At that moment, Alice finally thought of the question he should have.

"Huh? Old man."

"Hmm?"

"Where's Scar?"

"Sleeping with Celica. It's that time of night, right?"

He was right.

"Then why are you still awake?"

And Dee, too.

Thinking about it, there was definitely something amiss if these two were drinking like this. Dee in particular had to deal with the Witch, and should be completely busy.

"Huh, you've just realized that now? It's so like you."

"You mean…"

"We’ve been thinking about Ai."

Julie too looked up at the ceiling. Right above them was Ai's room.

""I don’t intend to call the kid an enemy or anything like that, but still, you never know what can happen, so I thought I'd stay up today…that’s about all I can do after all. "

Julie said nonchalantly and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Old man…."

Suddenly, Alice realized that the man had spent many nights like this.

"And then, we got this idiot…"

"Owowowow! Uncle! Don't pull my ear!"

Side, Julie said, and set an item on the table.

"…What's this?"

It was a handgun.

"This dumb girl sneaked in through the back door while holding this thing."

Ahahaha. Dee poked her fingers together awkwardly.

"Through the back door…Dee, what are you planning with this?"

"Hmm? Assassination."

Dee responded honestly, too honestly.

"The town council and the guilds decided to eliminate the Witch. She’s basically changing the status quo. It’s too dangerous to leave her be."

Julie sighed and shook his head.

"Seriously…I don’t know what this little girl is talking about…no matter how powerful she is, she's still just a kid."

"Hm hm, I’m fond of Uncle’s inflexible mind, but I'm sorry…I can't compromise on this one. It’s even scarier when she’s a kid. We don’t know what she’ll actually do…"

"Here’s an opening!" She then shouted, and reached for the gun. However, she could not snatch it, for the big man slammed her cranium mercilessly with a fist.

"Seriously…talk her out of this."

"Me?"

Alice said, and put the cup down, pondering.

"…He’s right. Don’t use a gun at least. You’ll end up shooting yourself in the foot."

Yep yep, Julie nodded. Dee pursed her lips.

"And I don't think regular bullets will do much against the Witch. We don’t know how she’ll cheat."

Julie nodded, and then he noticed something was amiss. Dee's smile broke.

"…Alice?"

Alice was staring at the amber liquid, thinking of ways to kill people.

"At the very least, we should burn her…or dissolve her with acid. Best if we can get Gravekeepers to help…Ai or Scar won’t do…looks like we’ll have to restrain her and send her packing to the wilderness. Given the current reality, those Deformed under Dee are our best bet.

However, the only powerful Deformed combatants were Destructive Fist and the Angel, and they were overwhelmingly lacking in firepower. Physical attacks might not be effective at all. If this was the case, it would be best if it was someone with the ability to kill immediately, a Deformed on the level of the Princess in the land of the Dead…and also a Deformed who could do anything to ‘infinity’ or ‘concepts’.

For example, yes, someone like himself……

"Hey! Alice, Alice!"

Julie suddenly shouted. No, he had been shouting the entire time, but Alice was just lost in his own thoughts, and did not notice.

"Ah, ahh, sorry, what?"

"I said, what are you talking about?"

This is unbelievable…Julie had such a look on his face, but Alice did not understand the question.

"What, did I say something?"

"…Are you serious?"

"Seriously, what?"

Julie shouted,

"You're gonna kill that kid!?"

Yeah.

He was about to answer.

And then, he noticed something was amiss,

 

"Eh?"

 

Did he just, actually, without hesitation,

Think about how to kill someone—

"Hey, get a grip."

A worried face appeared before him.

"Ye-yeah."

"Seriously, what’s with that face? Wake up!"

"…Do I look that bad?"

Alice strokes his cheek, completely unsure of himself.

"Get a grip—and anyway, aside from that Ghost over there, you're not the kind of person who’ll approve of that, right?"

Hey? Julie looked behind. "What do you mean, aside from me?" He had assumed Dee would protest, but there was no response.

"…Oi, what now, little girl?"

Julie turned around worriedly as he did not get the answer he expected.

There was Dee, looking pale and stunned.

"Eh?… Ah! I-it's nothing!"

"There’s no way it’s nothing. Your face is pale and all."

"I said it's nothing!"

Dee quickly put on the persona of the Ghost and tried to regain her composure, only for her slip up to be caught by Alice.

Their eyes met.

They had known each other for so long, that look alone was enough.

"…What did I do?"

Dee’s little shoulders jolted.

"Talk."

"I-It’s nothing, Alice. Your face—really looked like that time."

That time.

"When was—that time."

"……That's."

"Talk!"

Hii! Dee shrieked and hid under the desk. Julie grabbed Alice’s shoulder with a grim look, but Alice did not stop.

"Tell me! When did that happen!"

And then, a strange memory came to him.

It was a familiar room, a noisy classroom, Dee was hiding under the desk, gunshots, gunshots and more gunshots, her friends died one by one as Alice pointed his guns at them, whom he should be protecting.

Shaking, Dee said,

 

"…It’s the old Alice…who would kill for the sake of protecting everyone…"

 

Alice froze.

"You idiot!"

At that moment, Julie delivered a serious slap at Alice, and almost snapped the latter’s neck off.

His stare, which was forcibly turned aside, spotted a dark window pane

There was an familiar face reflected in the glass.

"Hey! Hey, Alice!"

Julie grabbed Alice by the collar and lifted him up.

"…Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah."

Alice answered, and finally returned to reality. So it seemed.

"…Are you sure you're alright?"

Julie stared into Alice’s face anxiously. But this time, the latter could not answer immediately.

He did not know.

Alice did not know himself.

"Get a grip. You idiot. …"

The large man tapped him forcefully on the shoulder.

The slapped body made a sound resembling a hollow box.

 

And so the second night passed.

 

Chapter 4 - Witch Hunt

The next day, Nein continued to help people.

 

"Why is this …"

Nom nom, Nein complained as she chewed on the meat bun they had bought from a stall.

"Ah? What?"

Alice asked as he sipped his tea.

On a side note, Nein was the same as before, jumping and hiding behind Ai's back the moment Alice talked.

"My my."

Ai stroked her head. She assumed Nein would refuse her, but it seemed the latter did not have the strength to do so. Nein looked so adorable in this state, and Ai really liked it.

"…Say, did I really do something to that one?"

Alice was indeed hurt.

"Who knows? Maybe it’s because you glared at her fiercely the first time you met—alright, let’s ignore the scary person. What’s wrong? "

"Erm…."

Nein spoke like a field mouse that had retreated to its nest, her head emerging tentatively as she said,

"Don’t those people go over there after their wishes are fulfilled? I’ve been wondering why…"

She said, and the place she pointed at was the hill surrounded by flames.

"Oh, that’s because the black surface is over there."

"Black surface?"

That's where you came from, Ai explained.

At the moment, most of the Dead that Nein had revived were quickly scaling the hill, headed for the New World.

"Why?"

Nein asked in frustration.

"Well, if they die again and can't get through, there’s no point in this. They came here to get through to the New World."

"So why? If they die, I can revive them again…what, I said I’ll help fulfill their wishes, but they still want to go over to that world."

"Ahh, that’s what you mean?"

Ai showed a wry smile.

"That's because they don't want to revive again and again."

Ai raised her fingers to teach Nein, and felt like a teacher. Perhaps Nein too felt that she was a student.

"Is that so?"

Yeah. Some people think that there’s value in ending something. Such people aren’t interested in eternity."

"Hmm…like you’re dad, Ai?"

Alice widened his eyes as he remained by their side, but Ai was unfazed.

"Yes, just like my father."

"Hmm~."

Nein nodded, looking vaguely convinced. Feeling relieved that they could connect, Ai poured Nein another cup of tea.

She did not want to think that she had been careless.

However, she might be careless after all.

 

"Then, I'll do the same here …."

 

Nein whispered.

"Huh?"

Ai stopped pouring the tea. She did not know what Nein was talking about

Leaving Ai behind, Nein began to get heated.

"Yes, let's do it! Then those people won’t have to go to the other world!"

"Erm, Miss Nein, what are you going to do?"

"That's obvious, isn’t it!"

Nein stood up abruptly.

"I'm going to make sure there’s no Dead in this world"

The cold sweat ran down Ai’s back again.

"Yeah! Why didn't I think of such a simple thing? I can erase the Dead! I shou;d erase the Gravekeepers too! I can let children be born! I just have to make sure everything’s back to how they were fifteen years ago!"

"Y-You can do that?"

"Of course I can."

Nein beamed and simply answered.

Ai realized that she had truly underestimated the power of this little Witch.

There were three major rules that bound this world, and yet she could easily lift those restrictions.

That’s a lie. Ai did not think so anymore.

She felt sweat trickling down her back, an incomprehensible fear filled her heart.

"Erm, order is important. First, resurrect all the Dead in the world…and then forbid the Dead to rise. Remove the Gravekeepers, let children be born, which one…"

"No!"

The next thing she knew, Ai shouted.

"No, Miss Nein, you can't do that! Not at all!"

"Eh?"

Nein stopped, for she probably was not expecting to be opposed.

"Why not?"

"Because …"

"Why do you say that, Ai? I've finally found a way to save ‘everyone’…"

"But that’s wrong!"

Ai began to explain. There was the city of Ortus, the country created by the Dead, who continued to advance even though their souls and bodies rotted. Ai told Nein that these people, at the pinnacle of humanity, did not wish to be resurrected.

"So that method won’t work."

"…I see…"

"Do you understand…?"

Ai breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that Nein was lacking in life experience, but was smart, and she would understand if Ai explained to her.

However,

"But I’m doing it."

Nein giggled. Ai's heart froze immediately.

"…Did you hear what I said? I'm telling you this won’t work…"

"But you don't know until you try, right?"

The words, which were supposed to be positive, sounded so ominous. Trial and error. Failure is the mother of success. One would never know until one tried. Never be afraid to make mistakes.

However, those were the words of Man.

God must not be wrong.

For the miserable state of the world was caused by that.

"…Nein, calm down and listen to me. If you do that, half the world might praise you as a savior, but the other half will call you a destroyer."

"Maybe."

Nein’s face did not falter at all. Ai was at a loss for words.

"Why…you can’t do that. You’ll know if you think about it, right?"

"Yes, I know that. Reality never is the same as imagination, so I think it’s worth trying. "

The Witch's Daughter smiled.

"I just need to try. If I know it’s a failure, I can try it again."

It was the first time she had ever smiled.

"You can't do that! That’s forbidden!"

"It’s alright even if it’s forbidden."

It was those eyes again.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't care what happens to me, as long as it saves the world."

Those words seemed familiar. They were Ai's words.

Those were the words of resolve she always said before Coven, on the Tower of Wishes, and in the Land of the Dead.

"You understand how I feel, right Ai?"

Nein looked at Ai with 100% trust. Ai felt that something was amiss, as though she was hearing these words from herself.

"Because Ai is on my side!"

Their hearts resonated. Ai’s thoughts were read, and Nein’s feelings were conveyed. Her heart shone brightly, devoid a speck of dirt.

Ai was sad. She was sad that she would be the first one to defile her.

With a thud,

"Eh?"

A jet-black murk poured into Nein's mind.

"You’re lying…"

The murk flowed from Ai's mind. No, it was no longer Ai herself.

Ai Astin was no longer Nein Saikavati's comrade.

She was, simply—

"that’s…"

Her lie was exposed.

"…I'm sorry."

Ai bowed her head slightly.

"I'm really sorry …."

"But you told me…you have the same dream…you said you’ll help me."

The excuses were meaningless, and any lie was ineffectual towards her.

"I see, so Ai doesn't think I can save the world…"

Those were also Ai's words.

Those were the words she said to Julie. She accused him so when she climbed up the Tower stretching into the sky.

What did the big man do then?

"Miss Nein…"

"Don't come here!"

Boom! Ai wanted to walk over, but an invisible force repelled her.

"Ai!"

Alice caught her body, but could not hold her up, and became her cushion.

"You liar!"

At this point, those around them noticed this commotion, but nobody could stop the Witch.

"Ai! You liar!"

Tears were falling down her face. The hem of her dress was being crumpled like paper.

Ai immediately raised her voice,

"Miss Nein!"

"Miss Nein, please listen to me! I did lie! I apologize! But I'm still not your enemy!"

Ai shouted against the strong wind, just as Julie did back then.

"I'm on your side! I don't want to see you get hurt! So please! Please let me help you!"

"I don't need that!"

Nein, however, did not stop.

"I don't care if you’re on my side or not! I don’t care if it's hostile or friendly! I won’t let anything bind me! Don’t stop my dreams! "

Nein shouted in the midst of the omnipotent force that no one could enter.

Ahh, Ai realized.

Standing there was the ideal the old her wanted to be.

She wanted to be someone who would only live to save the world, abandoning everything else.

She wanted to be the organ that would exist only for her dream, unfettered by human emotions or consequences.

Every step was for her dream, every breath was for her objective, to finally save the world.

She just wanted to save the world…

"Ai! You used to be the same…"

Ai was exposed to a torrent of emotion, and admitted,

"…Yes, you're right."

Nein was right.

Ai herself was helped by Julie and Scar many times. Without them, she would have been a goner. It was a certain fact.

But at the same time, Ai also wanted to be alienated from them.

Just as the armor protecting her would crush her, overly luxurious food became excesses, Ai sometimes felt inexplicably bogged down by them. While it felt wrong to feel that way, she could not suppress the desire to leave them and go on a journey by herself.

The destination of her journey was the clutches of the boy supporting her at this moment.

Ai had no regrets. She could accept this. And yet,

"You're…right…"

Ai said, supported by Alice.

"Love and kindness are just a cage in front of a dream. You’re definitely correct to cut me off…but, but, Miss Nein…."

Still.

 

"Still, I'm on your side…"

 

Those were the words of Ai's third foster father.

"Even if you say you don't want it, I'll always be on your side…just, please don't forget that…"

"………………...Suit yourself."

And so Nein began.

"The Witch's Daughter wishes…that all the Dead that infest the world…"

Ai thought, closing her eyes.

Nein would be plunged into hell. She would bear all the praise and resentment of the world, and be a cursed existence.

Despite that, Ai would always be on her side. She might complain, or even nag, but she wanted to be by Nein’s side until the very end. Until the day she gave up.

With that vow, Ai waited.

"Revive..."

 

At that moment, a single bullet struck Nein.

 

"…Eh?"

Just as a little bird was shot, the white girl twitched once and collapsed to the ground, her pale white hair flying about.

When all was said and done, the blood finally spurted out and dampened the ground.

The white turned to red as it seeped out.

"…What are you doing?"

Ai said, stunned.

She could not believe it. She could not believe that Nein was shouting. She could not believe that the head was gone, and could not believe that,

 

"Mr. Alice?"

 

It was the man next to her who did so.

 

+

 

Time was thawing.

"Mr. Alice?"

At this point, Ai wondered if it was all a misunderstanding. She assumed there would be someone who would go all ‘what? That’s how it is’ and give her a reason to laugh it off.

But the second and third bullets were fired as if to mock Ai's thoughts. The second one hit the heart, and the third one hit the neck.

"—! Stop it!"

Ai jumped involuntarily, but Alice took that into account and kept firing. Each of the bullets contained his power as a Deformed, and never missed.

There was no mistake. There was no misunderstanding.

Alice shot Nein of his own volition.

He shot and killed her.

"Mr. Alice!"

Ai even went so far as to defend Nein.

"Why?"

She found herself crying.

She was prepared. She knew that if Nein brought all the Dead back to life, Ai's world would be irreversibly changed, and everything would be different.

However,

This was,

"—! Why!!?"

She hated this.

She hated the fact that Alice killed someone.

She hated the fact that Nein was killed.

"Mr. Alice!"

She could not convey her feelings into words.

She did not know what his actions meant.

That was why Ai kept shouting his name.

And yet,

"Move."

Alice did not give a single answer.

The expression on his face at that moment was as back then. It was of one who had forsaken everything about himself, a black expression filled with despair, fear and a duty.

Seeing this, Ai knew that Alice too had also resolved to do something, as Nein did.

She understood perfectly what Alice had done, and what he was doing, and that he would continue.

He believed Nein to be evil.

At this moment, Alice will never stop. He was like a law of physics or a road sign, an existence that felt that he should have done so.

It was the third time Ai had seen such eyes.

The first time was when he destroyed the world of class 3-4..

The second was when he tried to sacrifice himself and save the town.

But back then, he only forsook his life. It was different this time. Alice was forsaking his own life, and also aiming for another’s.

He had set out on a path of no return, no amends.

The black barrel was staring at her.

Ai had a strong sense of deja vu. It resembled Hampnie Hambart's eyeball.

 

"This one’s hopeless."

 

Finally, Alice said.

"She’s going overboard with saving the world, like she’s the embodiment of justice. If we let her be, you know what’s going to happen…"

Alice was also thinking the same thing.

Nein Saikavati claimed to be saving the world, but in reality, she would be destroying it.

Even so, Ai tried to be on her side.

But Alice had decided to become her enemy.

"… Why?"

Ai asked.

"Why did you choose that path …?

Maybe, if Ai could let herself be conceited, it was because...

"…Is it because of me?"

Alice replied,

"No, it's for the world."

"Is that so…"

How happy she would have been if she could have believed those words.

Alice's words were a lie. Ai knew that much. They had a mutual trust.

Ai never imagined that there would be a day which their telepathy would hurt her.

"If you understand, move."

"I'm not moving."

"…Fine."

Alice shot.

Ai did not hesitate to expose herself before the bullet, but,

"!?"

The bullet collided with the next bullet that was fired, and changed course. The bullets pinged with other bullets, and di not hit Ai at all, instead fired towards Nein behind her. Ai had never seen Alice use such an ability before.

Alice suddenly let out a nosebleed. This usage of his ability really strained his body.

Even so,

 

"…It hurts."

 

They were ineffectual against the Witch's Daughter.

"Miss Nein…"

Muttering, Ai looked over her shoulder.

Nein stood up slowly. There was nary a single scratch on her body, and other than the bloodstained one piece dress, nothing indicated that she had died.

The Witch's Daughter, with her omnipotent powers, was alive, as she should be.

Alice fired again.

"It's no use."

The bullet was absortbed into her hand like a pebble.

"There's no way you can stop me with such a meager ability…"

The caught bullets fell apart.

"…As for you, I can’t ignore what you just said—"

He fired again. This time, however, the bullet did not touch Nein; it was blocked by an invisible power.

"Wait, when someone is talking—"

He fired.

"I told you it's useless! More importantly—"

He fired.

"—Tell me why I can't save the world—"

He fired.

"……"

He fired again. And again.

Alice continued to fire bullets nonchalantly, and Nein too was silent. It seemed that like before, Nein recalled her fear of him.

He ran out of bullets.

With a shuffle, the casing fell out, and Alice reloaded his. His fingers were shaking from the overdose of his ability, and he was panting. He was clearly battered, and yet,

"…You’re asking me why you can’t save the world?"

"Eh?"

Alice began to talk in a shaky voice, probably to buy time to reload.

"Fine, I'll tell you…"

Finally, he loaded a bullet.

"The reason you can't save the world…is because there's only one world for you."

"What nonsense are you saying!? Isn’t it obvious that there’s only one world!?"

"…That's why you can't save it…"

A second round.

"Listen up, kid. There's more than one world. Everyone lives in a different world…and you’re forcing us to live in a different world, telling us that you’re going to ‘save’ it…"

A third round.

"Revive the Dead? Erase the Gravekeepers? Revert to fifteen years ago?…I see, you may be right about all of that. But."

Four rounds.

 

"Do you think you’re doing the right thing?"

 

Five rounds

Nein shouted,

"Wh-What? Isn’t that to be expected!?"

"This obvious thing just so happens to not be obvious here—in this world, what’s right is ‘wrong’ because it is ‘right’, happiness is ‘unhappiness’ because it is ‘happiness’. Joy is pain, life is death. That’s being human…so."

Six rounds.

All the bullets were loaded into the cylinder.

"I'm gonna make you human."

The silver bullet glares at Witch.

"Die, monster."

Then Alice pulled the trigger.

"! I told you it’s useless!"

Nein clicked her tongue and flailed her arms.

Ai was pushed away by an invisible force. Multiple invisible barriers unfolded and enveloped Nein’s body perfectly.

However, the bullets destroyed them all.

"… Eh?"

Nein looked incredulous at the blood that came out of her mouth. The dress was slowly being stained with blood.

"…What did you, just, do?"

Even though she had been pierced through the heart, Nein did not collapse.

Despite that, fear remained on her face. The bullets were supposed to shatter without penetrating any of the walls…

"Who knows…."

And then Alice Color sneered.

"…Enough already, just die."

"!"

Nein's fear finally materialized, and her face turned pale.

"Don't run, you monster!"

The Witch ran away. The bloodied one piece fluttered away, and she kicked off the wall, jumping up, and stepped on the back of the rooster windvale.

Alice gave chase. He went up as fast as Nein did, no, even faster.

"What!?"

The movements were completely comparable to Ai's.

Was that the use of his Buzzer Beater ability? But something was wrong, too wrong. How did he use this perfect targeting ability to the point where he could elevate his physical prowess?

"Wait! Both of you!"

Shouting, Ai started to run, kicking the wall as well, and went up to the roof.

"Wait!"

However,

Ai could not catch up with them anymore.

The moment Ai reached the rooftop, there was no one in sight.

Chapter 5 - Silver Bullet

"Is this the scene?"

Dee climbed over the cordon, and tried to make his way deeper into the ruins. Before she could do so, another arm reached out at that moment.

"Hey! What are you doing to your boss? Let me go!"

Grabbed by the scruff of the neck and hung like a cat, Dee flailed her arms in protest. The person in question however was having none of it.

"You’re Idiot, we haven't checked if it’s safe yet. Wait a minute."

This exceptionally large man with bandaged arms was one of Dee's Deformed followers, Destructive Fist—Maccia Electus.

"You say it might not be safe, but everyone entered…"

"The weight of our lives are different from yours. That’s expected.

"Everyone’s the same…—here we go!."

"Ah! Hey!"

Quickly removing her coat like a lizard's tail, Dee quickly proceeded inside.

The further in she went, the more obvious the traces of destruction.

"…This is horrible. "

At first glance, one would assume it was another one of Ostia's many ruins.

But on a closer look, one would notice there were lots of strangeness.

The ruins that existed in this town were slowly formed after fifteen years, but this alleyway was shattered into pieces as though it was kicked by a giant. Dee could not imagine what would have caused such destruction. The stacked bricks twisted into spirals, and the cobblestones turned to sand.

And it was said this was just the aftermath.

"Report."

"Yes."

An attendant stepped forward to speak,

"—Nein Saikavati and Alice Color, who were reported as missing last night, are still fighting—Please take a look at this map."

The map that was spread out had several check marks on it, indicating places where the two were seen fighting, and the location of the battlefields.

The old man put the most recent checkmark on the map, this alley. Dee frowned,

"…I can’t understand. Why do they keep changing battlefields?"

The old man wearing a monocle answered.

"Yes. According to eyewitness accounts, the deduction is that there is a great difference in fighting intent. Alice was acting with full intent to kill, while the Witch was running away without fighting back. In other words, this jumpy battlefield seems to be the result of an endless retreat."

Nein ran away and Alice gave chase. The two would fight whenever they met, and the Witch would escape again.

The repetition resulted in a pile of check marks scattered all over the city.

"I see… Any contact with the two?"

"Nobody met Alice thus far…as for the Witch, dozens have already spotted her…"

The old man's brow furrowed, and seemed to have difficulty talking. Dee shot a frosty look deep into the ruins, and said,

"And that one there?"

There was a man huddled up, hugging his knees.

"…, ………………."

The man was dressed in a terribly awkward manner. He wore a crown, tiger fur, and was huddled among hordes of gold coins. He looked like a mad king.

One had to wonder what happened to him, for he gave a listless smile, frozen still like stone.

At every battlefield, there were always such people left behind.

These people mostly had lots of gold or food gathered around them, and they were shriveled in the middle of it all, not moving at all.

"Who knows what Witch's Daughter is up to…"

Dee muttered, but they knew this answer. It was obvious that she wanted to save the world.

"…And Alice too."

Dee knew the answer too. Alice Color was always trying to save the world.

And yet, Dee did not understand what happened.

"…Whatever—Anything else?"

After that, some information was shared, and the meeting was over.

"Alright, dismissed. As soon as you find Witch's Daughter, notify the task force. Go ahead and attack once you receive intel without my approval."

The group answered in various tones and left. Dee stopped some of them and gave them a series of detailed instructions.

Once done, Dee felt exhausted, as though there was something overcooked in her mind. She first too a breath, and then some candy from her pocket, chewing on it hard. Fatigue and sleep deprivation had her exhausted to the point of dying, and she lacked sugar in her brain, so she had the urge to have coffee full of sugar. The moment she thought so,

"What now, little girl? You look terrible."

Unwittingly, Julie was standing before her with a cup in hand.

"Ohh! You're unusually thoughtful, Uncle! I see you differently now! I love you!"

"Shut it, I have a wife and kids."

"Yes, I’ll just have a different view of you then! Good work~."

Dee took the cup and downed half of it down at once. The coffee was warm and sweet.

The conversation paused for a moment. Dee could tell that Julie was concerned about her.

"…It’s naïve (sweet)."

"Is it? I think it's normal…"

I don’t mean that…Dee said and sipped her coffee.

"So? What do you want, Uncle?"

"Hm, I was wondering if you had any information on those kids."

"…Why are you asking?"

Dee gave a bitter look. Truth be told, the situation was beyond anything Julie could handle. There was nothing this prehistoric hunter could do about it.

However, Julie's answer exceeded her expectations slightly.

"Of course, I'm going to beat up those bad kids for running away."

He said, cracking his fists.

Dee was taken aback.

"No, no, Uncle , they didn’t run away from home…"

"What? Is it wrong? They haven’t called home in two days, you know?"

Dee was about to say something, but she stopped mid-sentence.

"………No, you're right. What you say is correct, Uncle."

It was indeed a world crisis, a supernatural battle that rivaled even the gods.

Despite that, it was not a bad thing for someone to participate because of such a reason, so Dee thought

"Once we find them, I’ll tell them off. They should at least contact us."

"Yeah. I was intending to do so."

"… Fufufu."

Naturally, Dee laughed. Julie's naivete really felt comfortable to her.

In hindsight, he was always like this. He was strong, mature, sensible… and therefore an ordinary adult who took a passive role, an ordinary person who was pestered by a super annoying father and daughter, Hampnie Hambart and Ai Astin.

But still, without him, the situation definitely would not have turned out like this.

With that, Dee bucked up and shattered the empty unglazed vessel. She was actually intending to convince Julie with her oratory skills, but she decided not to.

"We don't know exactly where they are exactly, so we can only guess through uncertain intel from clairvoyant and precognitive Deformed.

"I don't care how they’re like. Just tell me where did Alice, Nein and—"

Then, sounding pained, Julie said,

"…Where did Ai go?"

 

+

 

Even before I was born, I knew who I was.

The moment I fell to the ground, I was already in my current form.

 

(Are you awake?)

It was a night where moon and stars could be seen.

In an empty meadow, a nameless baby was quietly born.

Beside the baby was the biological mother. She was a very old person with a very tired face.

(Do you know what you're going to do?)

She asked. I answered.

(Of course.)

(Good to know. …)

As soon as she said that, she collapsed. I wasn’t surprised, because I knew that she had passed all her power to me, and she couldn’t live much longer.

And yet, my eyes were wet.

(…What is this…)

I raised my hands and touched my cheeks. My face was wet with salty water, and it’s warmth.

(That's sadness.)

The woman said.

Why? I asked. Why did you leave me such an unnecessary thing?

(It’s necessary. You’re different from the old ‘me’ in a particular way.)

The woman didn’t cry, for she didn’t have that function.

(Listen carefully, I couldn’t save the world, others can’t save the world. That’s to be expected, because nobody is born to save the world (everyone).)

 

(But not you.) The Witch said.

 

(You're the only one who’s truly born to save the world. You're the ideal I sought.)

(Then why do you create such an existence …)

I wiped away my tears, and came to a deeper understanding of myself: The Witch risked her entire existence to create this monster called me, and she did have supernatural powers.

But the mentality was,

 

(Why? ! I'm just a kid!)

 

I had a very ordinary human mentality, just like the Witch's childhood.

I was suddenly terrified. I felt as if I had been handed a bomb that could destroy the world.

The Witch smiled..

(That's why, "Witch's Daughter" …, only an innocent child can dream enough to save the world. …)

(Why? I don't understand!)

(If you don't know, figure out a way. This process will become the path you’ll take…)

Mustering the last of her strength, the Witch pointed to the East.

(Go, my daughter.)

There was a black surface that swayed lazily.

(You are pure impurity.

You are a newborn immortal.

An incompetent God.)

Just as a creature would naturally head for the light, I was shown the path I should take.

(…Just go on to save the world without thinking, no reason or motive. You have the power to do just that. …)

(…I get it.)

Wiping away my tears, I stood up.

(I'm going to save the world. …)

(… Yes, weep with sorrow, fall with defeat, but still go forward. That's the fastest way to go…)

I shook the tears away, and walked on.

(But still.)

Finally, the Witch uttered a curse.

 

(But still, you'll never save the world.)

 

(…Ah yes, I believe this. I can’t save the world. Nobody can save the world. I know this, and you know this…)

But are you still going? The Witch whispered sadly.

I looked back once and said to her,

(Yes.)

(…Is that so?)

The Witch smiled, as though she was facing a happy end.

(I feel relieved to hear that…)

And then the Witch died.

(… Good night. Mother. I'll take care of the rest.)

 

I swore, and jumped into the black surface.

 

+

 

"Haa—haa—haa--ugh!"

Deep within an alleyway, Nein was panting hard.

"What’s…what’s going on…!!"

She was hit with many bullets all over her body, and her supposedly white one piece dress was completely red.

It was impossible. She had the power of omnipotence, so why did she end up like this? Somehow, these were caused by the bullets fired by a mere human!

The bullets should not be able to hit her. Even then, such small wounds should heal in the blink of an eye…but…

"It hurts!~! Goodness! What is this!"

Nein dug his hand into the wound in his shoulder and pulled out the bullet that was lodged there.

Nein dug her fingers into her shoulder wound, and pulled out the bullet buried within.

She saw the removed bullet, and was horrified. The bullet was moving like a maggot, trying to reenter the wound.

"—!!! Disappear—"

She waved her hand and exerted telekinesis and matter decay to finally shatter the bullet.

Haa, haa, Nein panted.

She was hit with a few of such bullets.

"—!! Ahh! Goodness!"

She scratched herself all over, and once she pulled the bullets, she burned them.

"~~Haa—haa—haa…Damn."

She took out all the bullets, and all the wounds were healed, but her fatigue would not disappear. It felt like she suffered a curse, and the inexhaustible power was a little weakened.

That was impossible. What number could be subtracted from infinity to ensure that infinity was subtractable?

"…Damn, but there's no point in thinking about it…"

For Nein, however, that did not matter.

The important matter was to save the world.

She would do anything to ensure this was possible, whether it was her omnipotent power or her own body.

"…I have to hurry."

Nein walked down the alley, keeping an eye on her surroundings. Right, this was not the time to be playing tag.

For she wanted to save the world.

And she found a way to do it.

Yes, Nein grinned.

But then...

 

"Haa… haa… haa…."

 

A voice came from across the alley.

"I finally…found you…"

Nein's smile froze. On the other side,

"I've been looking for you, Miss Nein!"

The world (Ai) was after her, trying to save her.

 

+

 

Ai finally saw her face.

That was all Ai needed to be happy.

"Miss Nein!"

Ai hugged the little girl as hard as she could.

"Thank goodness! Really, thank goodness! I was so worried that I would never see you again!"

"…Hmph, of course not. I'm invincible."

Objectively speaking, that might be the case.Not many people in this world could harm the Witch.

But even so, the worry in Ai’s heart just never disappeared. She was worried that Alice, the one with eyes of hellish color, might actually be able to do so.

Ai was terrified as she ran over the town. She had been terrified, thinking that everything would end without her knowledge.

"… Anyway, let's go home for now."

She said reaching her hand out.

"Alright?"

"……."

Ai said so, but she did not think Nein would obey. She had said so like a greeting, like ‘good morning’, or ‘hello’, and wanted to convince her with the following words..

However,

"I understand."

Nein nodded and grabbed Ai’s hand.

"……Eh?"

Ai looked at the small hand that connected to hers, sensing as if the joke had been taken seriously.

She felt something was amiss.

"What's wrong? Aren’t we going back."

"Yeah… yeah, you’re right…"

Ai squeezed her hand to make sure she was holding a hand. The palm of the connected hand was warm, and she could not sense a lie.

Is she up to something? Even if that was the case, it was much better than letting Nein run away. Ai decided, and did not ask anything as she kept walking.

"~♪ Just like~The flowers~"

Nein held Ai’s hand, clearly in a good mood the latter had never seen before, and started humming. Ai's confusion only deepened.

"~♪ And then? Back home, to that apartment"

"Ye-yeah, I guess so…actually, it would be nice if we could find Mr. Alice on the way."

The moment Ai said so,

"Oh, you two are here? I’ve been looking for you two for a while." Alice popped up from across the alley.

"! Miss Nein, get back!"

Ai defended Nein instinctively.

"Oi oi, don’t look so scary."

But Alice's expression was calm.

"Mr Alice… you…."

Ai had assumed she was mmistekn. Before her, Alice did not have the distinct ‘sneer’.

He looked as clear headed as he was days ago.

"It's okay, Ai, it’s fine now."

Nein came out after her. There was no more fear on her face.

The two of them stood side by side, looking like good friends.

"…What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, Ai, I'm done saving the world."

"Huh!?"

Ai’s mouth could not close.

"That’s right. There’s no reason for me to kill her."

"H-How is that possible…?"

What could possibly have happened to make this possible?

"It's the same with you, Ai."

"…As me?"

"Yes. I failed too."

"Failed…?"

"Yeah, I failed. So I gave up."

Ai had failed by not granting Alice’s wish.

So what exactly did Nein fail at?

"I'll tell you the details later."

Nein held out her hand.

"So for now, let's go home and eat. "

"……"

Alright?"

But Ai did not take her hand.

"What's wrong, Ai?"

Nein asked in confusion..

I thought you wanted to be like this.

"Isn’t this what you want, Ai?"

She was right.

"Don’t you want a happy ending for everyone, where everyone gets saved?"

The Witch snickered, indicating that she could make that happen as long as Ai held her hand.

But Ai...

"Ah, I see…"

Ai did not hold that hand.

"Miss Nein, is that what you call saving everyone…"

And then Ai woke up.

 

+

 

The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground.

"…Why?"

Before her was Nein, standing there, looking dumbfounded.

"…Alrighty"

Ai got up at once and and looked around.

There was no one else present.

"Was that a hallucination?"

There was no reply. It did not matter to her, for she was not hoping for one, and already expected this to happen.

That probably was not an illusion, but the real thing, just like the World Tower.

Except for one thing.

"Why didn't you take my hand?"

Nein shouted.

"If you took my hand, you would have been saved! You’d be happy!"

Nein lamented, having ruffled her hair.

At that moment, Ai already understood what was happening in the town. Those people whom she found at the battlefield all shared the same experiences as she did. She realized what Nein had been trying to do.

"Is that what you call 'saving the world'?"

"Yes! That’s right!"

Nein smiled tearfully, as if she was proud of his dead cat.

"I finally understand! I finally know what to do to save everyone! Fufufu! I had the right answer all along! "

Ai felt heartbroken.

She felt as though she was dealing the fatal blow to a dying beast, granting wish on a life that was left only with misery

"I’ve! Been! Wrong! I was wrong the entire time! I thought about everyone, the world, I thought so big, but that’s wrong! That’s not how it should be! Just as the world is made up of small stones, ‘everyone‘ is made up of individuals’!"

Thus,

"Then I should simply grant everyone's wishes."

Nein was laughing madly.

Then I can simply grant everyone's wish, save one when I meet one, and save everyone!"

It sounded like an anecdote about the impossible.

Saving everyone was a fantasy, but Nein could make it possible. She could find every person on this planet and save them all.

That was the power of omnipotence.

"I can make everyone's wishes come true! I can bring the Dead back to life! I can cause all sadness to disappear! I can create a world without sadness! A world without misfortune! I can bring such a world to everyone! That’s why! The will be saved!"

Ai already knew the result.

"…So the result will be like those people looking like statues?"

Ai understood. She knew what would have happened to her if she held Nein’s hand.

Nein would be reformed, Alice would be a peaceful state, and the world would be at peace. She would live to a century.

And then, one by one, the wheels would come off. She would wait for her death, the moment everything ended, and pray for their revival.

From that point on, it would be all downhill. One wish would grow into two, three, and finally an infinite number of wishes that were granted.

And so on, and on, and on, and on, and on...…

And when all the wishes were fulfilled, with nothing to do, she would end up like a statue.

"I don't want that."

"Why!?"

Nein shouted.

"Ai, don't you want to be happy?"

"No."

Ai nodded confidently. "in that case …," Nein said, extending her right hand.

But Ai did not take her hand.

"But you know, Miss Nein, even if I want to be happy, I don’t want misery and sadness to disappear. "

Ai spoke softly, seemingly coaxing,

" Miss Nein, I like to be happy, and have fun…but I like sadness too, or unhappiness…"

When there was sadness…there’s happiness.

When there was joy…there’s misfortune..

Ai Astin could not be happy just by being happy.

"That’s why you can't save me."

Was she ever such a greedy creature? Was she a sinful human who was not satisfied with just being beautiful, and also not satisfied with just being dirty. Was she an existence who was very proud of being ‘I’?

Ai thought to herself that this was what it meant to become an adult.

So, naturally.

"…No…"

The child cried.

"I hate this…"

Nein's eyes began to fill with tears, and they flowed out past her eyelids. The tears were pure and unadulterated, containing only sadness, and fell from her chin to the ground.

"I…don't want this…I’m supposed to…save the world …."

Such must be a pure emotion that only a child could have.

In a corner of the world, a child's cries echoed.

"Waaaaaaaahhhh!"

"…I'm sorry, Miss Nein…"

Ai hugged Nein. Ai was the culprit who dealt the dealing blow to her dreams, but she cried out of guilt. She too was heartbroken by this.

But these did not matter to her.

"…What should I do from now on …?"

Nein asked, looking dumbfounded

"Fail, Miss Nein."

"…Fail?"

"Yes, fail in your dreams, give up…and be yourself."

Ai brought her face overto the soft hair, hoping to convey her feelings, even a little.

"Please change, Miss Nein, don't live for your dreams, listen to your heart, and decide for yourself what you want to be."

"…Can I do that?"

"Of course."

"……Even for a monster like me?"

"Yes, I have examples here."

Ai bumped her forehead onto Nein’s, and whispered. Perhaps embarrassed, Nein immediately turned her head away.

"People can change, Miss Nein, anytime, anyone…"

How should she try to get the message across? What could she do to get Nein to understand? Ai kept pondering about these things, and Ai just tried to convey her heart. But only beautiful words came out the moment she spoke, and it was as though there was thick cloth between them.

Thus, Ai did not expect Nein to change her mind. She did not believe that her words could get Nein to ‘fail’.

So...

 

"Okay, Ai! I'm giving up on my dream!"

 

The moment she heard those words, Ai woke up.

 

+

 

"Ah~ahh…I was seen through again…"

The next thing she knew, Ai was lying on the ground.

"…Eh?"

Nein was standing alone before her.

"It’s troubling. Ai, you're too strong…what am I supposed to do …?"

Hahahaha…she laughed dryly and tilted her head like a puppet.

And then a tear fell.

"What can I do…I can’t save Ai…I can’t save you…I really want to save you!"

She ruffled her hair, and stomped hard on the stone pavement.

"…Miss Nein. Did you…"

Ai jumped up and looked around. The memory came flooding back.

Was this….

Did time rewind?

"Ah, I scared you, Ai…I didn't want to do this…ahhh."

A horrible feeling of dread ran down Ai’s spine.

"Miss Nein!"

For the first time, Ai yelled in anger.

"What did you do to me?"

This did not happen only at this moment. Including the prior moment, there were at least two instances. No, maybe me.

Surely Nein has done so many times before.

"…I tried…"

"What!?"

"I was trying to figure out how to save Ai …"

Ai almost collapsed from dizziness.

It did not just happened twice or thrice. Surely Nein tried to rewind time so many times, and failed repeatedly.

All for the sake of saving the whole world.

The cold sweat did not stop trickling.

"… Hey, Ai."

There was a broken, teary smile before Ai, one that seemed teary, happy, angry, and yet troubled.

"You said so, Ai—you told me to be myself if I fail…"

Ai did. She did say so.

Just as Ai had been forced to give up her dream after helping Alice, she wanted Nein to fail and start a new life.

But,

 

"But, Ai, I can't fail…"

 

It was as if an automaton was crying.

"Because I am omniscient. There is nothing I can't do. No matter how many times I fail, I can always try again…"

The Witch’s Daughter, who had the power of Omnipotence, was akin to a Dead that could not die despite so, and could not simply ‘fail’ in a way any ordinary person could easily do so.

"I'm…wondering what I should do …."

Nein said, her back teeth clicking. She could not fail, but at the same time, she could not succeed.

For the world (Ai) had already been saved.

She could not save what had been saved.

Thus.

In the end.

No matter how she struggled.

Ultimately,

There would be one person left in this world who could not be saved.

"What do I do …"

Thud, the lonely God fell to her knees and cried, spilling tears of despair.

'! Just give up! Don’t care about the world! Just leave it!"

' ….I can't. If I do, I'll cease to be me. Because I was created for such a purpose…"

Nein shook her head weakly.

"And there's no point in giving up. Someday, I'll pretend that I never even gave up."

"—!"

For the first time, Ai begrudged the Witch whom she had never met.

The Witch’s work had been perfect.

She knew she could not save the world, so she tried every trick in the book, and finally created Nein.

She gave the power of God to a mere child, and discarded her, ensuring that she would never grow up (give up).

There was no way for Ai to stop Nein through reason. This was the reason why the Witch, who was the only one who could stop Nein, disappeared.

"Hey, Ai…I’m scared… I’m scared…."

The invincible being was scared. She was scared of herself.

"Calm down, Miss Nein!"

"…Even so, I’ll definitely try to save everyone…I can’t help but fulfil; everyone’s wishes, no matter whether they want to become stone statues…"

"No! Stop thinking anymore!"

"I can't save the world, and yet I can’t help but save the world…I’m like a grinder out of control, levelling the world, turning everyone to stone…"

Hugging her trembling body, Ai sought desperately for words. But the only answer that came out was despair.

Nein was a cog in the wheel that was ill positioned. Its power rolled towards a place where it should not be, and she rumbled across the earth, destroying everything in its path.

She thought she was saving the world, and in fact, she was doing exactly that, but,

But she would end up destroying the world.

"What should I do…Ai… what should I do…?"

The landscape of the apocalypse would surely be silent. Humanity, seemingly fossilized, would smile happily in this graveyard-like town.

"Save me, Ai…save me…I don't want this…I hate this …."

"—!Miss Nein!"

Ai held the trembling, bloodied child in her arms. She could not hug her any tighter.

But that was all.

There was nothing more she could do.

 

"…Ahh, I get it."

 

All she could do was wait for him to appear.

""I'll save you…."

She turned around,

She saw Alice Color standing there with a hellish smile.

 

+

 

Yeah, she's just like me.

That was what Alice thought of Ai from the first time they met.

How so, if someone were to ask, he really did not know to answer. If he had to, it would be ‘she’s so relentess’, or ‘never think of people as people’.

It was not a criticism.

For these were the qualities Alice was looking for.

For that was the kind of person he wanted to kill himself.

That was why Alice chose Ai as her partner.

He felt that she should be able to do what she had to do—but at this moment, he felt he merely enrusted the expectation of her doing the job onto Ai.

Ai once called him ‘noble’.

Dee, Bendo, and even Julie had such something similar to him.

But Alice had never thought about it that way.

He merely weighed two different things on the sacle.

His own life and the lives of his classmates.

His own life and the lives of the town.

Needless to say, the result was almost an equilibrium.

But still, his my life was slightly lighter than theirs.

So what else could he do?

"No, no. No ordinary people will actually think this way, you idiot."

Who was it who said that?

"Humans are wavering creatures, especially when they’re forced to make a choice. Especially when our own lives are at stake. You’re not normal when you’re willing to die just because your heart weighs a feather less."

He remembered. The person who said these words too was the kind of guy who did not care about his own life.

Truly they were father and daughter after all. They were so alike in that way.

Yes, he had always forgotten about it.

The main reason why he assumed they were the same.

Was because he assumed she was someone who could not change.

Alice believed that there were two kinds of people in this world.. ‘Those who could change’, and ‘those who could not’

Naturally, Alice was the latter, and he assumed Ai was the same.

He assumed they would would live and die with for their dreams.

Whether these dreams would be fulfilled, they would leave nothing behind.

He assumed it would be a one-way ticket, like a shooting star, only exploding far beyond the sky.

But he was wrong. Ai was a person who could change.

He was shocked.

You got to be kidding. He thought,

It was as if a firework that was fired through the sky had fallen without exploding. Also, the debris of this firework was a ‘second life’ rolling around happily.

Even though she could no longer fly, she looked so happy.

And so, Alice thought.

Maybe,

Just maybe,

Was it possible for him to change?

Could he continue to live if he remained with her?

Yes, he thought

But that thought………………

 

—Once again, one would mention the scales again.

The question would be: Which was heavier?

A world, or his own life?

 

+

 

Alice had changed.

His body was covered in scars, his clothes tattered to the point of not covering him, half his shoes were missing, and there was a bright red tear running down his left eye.

The only thing that remained eerily intact were the pistols in his hands. Alice was seemingly dragged along by them like a puppet.

I'll save you, so Alice said. Normally, such words would have given Ai great trust and a s a little concern.

But not this time.

"Miss Nein, please stand back."

As before, Ai shielded Nein behind her back.

"…You're hurting me."

Alice and Ai faced off again each other. Alice sneered.

" It's as if we're enemies…"

"That's not true. I don't have any enemies."

When the moment she said that, Alice gave a puzzled expression.

"…Still the same as ever."

The smile was a little calm, like before.

But it soon disappeared.

Alice said,

"Enough, move over."

"…What are you going if I do?"

"I'm going to kill that kid."

 

Alice’s words were too radical, and Ai’s eardrums were hurting.

"…Mr Alice…"

"You know what? The kid shouldn't even be there. I’ll kill her. Hand her over."

"Mr Alice!"

Ai did not want to hear

She did not want to hear those true, heartfelt words.

"Why have you…changed so much …?"

Alice was silent.

"Why…have you become… like that?"

"I haven't changed at all."

Alice sneered

"I've always been this way. I find my purpose, and decide what I want to do…that's who I am… I haven't changed…if you think I’ve changed, that’s just you being weird…"

It was a murderous smile.

"Don't forget. I once tried to get you kill someone…I’m someone who’ll do anything for the sake of my goals…"

Suddenly, Alice called out the Witch's name.

"Nein."

"…What?"

Nein stepped forward, overcoming Ai's restraint.

"You, do something about that outsider. She’ll get in the way of our fight."

"Wait!"

"…Why do I have to do that…?"

"What do you mean outsider? Wait! Both of you."

Ai was Ignored.

"It's no use. My buzzer beater has ‘evolved’ to the point where it’s effective against you, but it’s unlike ‘omnipotence’. It can’t do anything other than kill. "

He twirled his guns.

"We'll settle this between us."

"…Understood."

Hey! Don't ignore me while talking—mgya!"

Ai’s body was suddenly flicked aside, and she was pinned onto the ruined wall.

You got to be kidding! I’m excluded at this last moment! How am I supposed to take this!

Ai exerted all her strength into her body to fight against the invisible force.

However, her body did not move a single millimeter.

At the border between the town and the wilderness, the two faced each other in silence.

A war-like atmosphere engulfed them.

"…Is this fine?"

"Very good. I'm going to kill you as painlessly as possible."

Alice said, and raised his guns. Nein frowned unhappily.

"…Just to say this, if you’ve eavesdropped my conversation with Ai and think that I want to die, that’s a big mistake…I’m still going to save the world. I won’t let you stop me here."

"You're the one who's mistaken."

He lifted the firing pins.

"None of these matter. You’re going to be ended here."

And the triggers were squeezed.

"Die."

 

+

 

Bang bang.

Bullets flew out of both hands, crossing the air faster than sound and closing in on Nein faster than the blink of an eye.

They were too slow.

Nein could see everything clearly. She was able to slow time down, and she was able to grasp the movement of the bullets and the shock waves, and avoid it with time to spare.

That was supposed to be the case..

(! It's still coming after me!)

The bullets were seemingly attached to a string, distorting the laws of physics completely as they aimed for her heart.

Nein dodged at the last moment creating an invisible force field and trying to envelop entire bullets.

But still...

"Ha!"

The two bullets tore through the force field with ease, shattering the sixth and eighth rib, hitting together in the middle of her.

(—! Again!? What’s going on!?)

The wounds were instantly repaired. However, apart from the physical damage, her ‘omnipotence’ was a little damaged. The proof of it was that she could not reverse time anymore, and could not change her fate.

Bang bang. The second shots were fire.

"Ugh!"

Nein hardened her body and moved faster than the bullet.if she could not stop it, she should just run away. The ordinary person Alice would be powerless. That was what Nein did to barely escape.

But,

"You’re not running away."

"What!?"

Nein tried to escape, but she was cordoned off..

The third shots were fired. The bullet that hit her shoulders drilled towards her heart ike maggots.

"Kyaaahh!"

It was impossible. What power did his bullets have? How did Alice Color cheat to the point where she had nowhere to escape.

"You…you! What’s with you!"

The answer were bullets.

"You! Listen to me! What you're doing is useless! No, it’s not just useless! It’s harmful! Stop pressing me! Anymore and—"

A bullet blew the brain stem out of her right ear.

"—! You!"

Her clavicle to the chest were torn..

And then Nein started.

"Fine! I don’t care what happens now!"

The shackle came off at once.

 

Since it was the same as failing,

It was time to all the way.

 

"I'll kill you!"

Nein started to retaliate.

 

"Ugh! Ugh! Let me go!"

Stuck like a specimen on the wall of a ruin, Ai struggled to break free. But the force restraining her body was too much for her to grasp, and she had no way of escaping.

Before her, Alice maintained his one-sided attacks, but it was to be expected. Nein wanted to save the world, so she originally could not ‘kill people’

But that was only if the difference between powers was established.

If there was a power that could threaten Nein's life, or an existence that threatened Nein's dream itself…

 

"I’ll kill you!"

 

Nein would show no mercy.

"Mr. Alice, run!"

 

+

 

"I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!"

The hollowed hole was shot immediately. As before, the bullet hit the spot where it was aimed.

But Nein was no longer fazed by such things.

It was like the relationship between a man and bees. When the two meet, the person would usually run, and one might assume the bees had the upper hand.

However, if the human decides to fight till the bitter end.

Such an advantage could be erased instantly.

Like this,

"Gah!"

Suddenly, Nein flipped her long, white hair, and pounced across the ground like a beast.

"!"

Alice immediately fired some suppressing shots, and two rounds shot through her thighs.

Nein did not stop. The human continued to charge forth, mentally prepared to be stung, and the bees had no effective measure to respond with.

The automatic trigger was pulled, and in less than a second, the remaining bullets were spat out and hit Nein’s face. She found them a nuisance.

She decided to strike there first.

"You’re in the way!"

Nein showed a smile from beyond the cloud of gunpowder and jumped into the storm of more bullets. She took seven bullets but did not stop, and closed it.

"One!"

Alice’s right hand was crushed.

Nein’s hand chop did not exert strength, and instead, the automatic pistol and palm bones were shattered the moment she touched them

"Gah!"

Alice immediately pointed the revolver in his left hand at Nein. But that, too,

"Two!"

A single touch destroyed everything. Everything that touched Nein's fingertips shattered in an instant.

Alice fled, his useless hands dangling. With one right foot, he kicked the cobblestones to keep her distance.

Nein deliberately did not give chase.

"Ahahahaha! Serves you right!"

Nein laughed with the face of a cat filled with torment, as though she was letting off steam.

"Fufuf, seriously, why was I being so polite? I should have done this! I just had to save them even without caring about what they say!"

Slowly, she bowed her head like a lady.

"Thank you for teaching me, Alice. I’ll thank you for this. Thank you for breaking my restraints."

"…No problems."

"Yes! Fufuf, how does it feel? Your most important arms are shattered. You wanted to save the world, but you hurt yourself. How miserable do you feel! But don’t worry! I’ll erase all your misery and regret! I'll make you happy forever!"

"Haha, that sounds nice…"

Alice said. He sounded like a sore loser.

"Hmm, you don't think I can?"

"No, I'm not doubting you there… take care of me if I lose."

"…If you lose…"

Nein raised her eyebrows unhappily.

"You've already lost…."

"Not yet?"

Alice lost his weapons, his hands were shattered, and in the face of the Witch.,

He continued to sneer audaciously.

"The game’s still up for grabs."

This person had yet to give up

Vigilance returns to Nein's face. Immediately, the distance that had been unintentionally closed between them was separated.

In the midst of this, Alice made a movement.

With his crushed right hand, he grabbed a stone at his feet and flicked it.

The stone flew in a precise parabola towards Nein's chest.

What? Nein sighed, embarrassed at her own action. It was ridiculous how she fell for this loser's bluff.

Well, whatever, if this rock hit her, she would end it all.

So Nein waited.

And the stone hit its target.

Buzzer beater.

Suddenly, a small explosion blew out Nein's chest.

!? W-What…?"

What just happened?

Nein did not understand. Why would a very ordinary pebble explode? Why did she suffer such great damage?

"See? I told you. …"

Alice sneered through the smoke.

"The game is still up for grab…"

Nein let out a little scream.

 

+

 

Buzzer Beater was an ability to hit whatever he threw.

The essence of this power is the ability to twist the odds to hit the jackpot.

The moment this power awoke in him, Alice was immediately struck with a doubt.

 

What would happen if he used this power to aim at something he could never hit?

For example, a target that was beyond reach or buried underground. How would his power work? Alice wondered, and tried it out.

As it turned out, his ability worked properly. A ball thrown with such weak force that it would never reach the target was carried to the goal by an accidental gust of wind, and a buried target he aimed at was exposed by a sudden earthquake, and the bullet hit.

Alice never told anyone about the results and never experimented again.

Because he was scared.

The Buzzer Beater, the ability to hit with perfect accuracy, was absolute. As long as Alice felt that he could ‘do it’, it would fulfill his wish regardless of the odds.

That was why Alice forbade himself to aim at an uncertain target after that.

The vow had been broken only three times.

And this was the fourth.

Surely this would be the last.

 

+

 

Haa, haa, Alice panted hard.

He was already a demon, but the act of using his power to kill Nein caused his head to ache. His conscience was hurt at the thought of taking a life.

He should just let the dogs eat his conscience.

"Damn you! How about this?"

Nein tore up the sand and soil and used it as a shield. But this fancy trick could not stop the power.

Alice randomly threw a pebble he had picked up. In an instant, the stone was swallowed by the sand and disappeared.

But this Buzzer Beater.

The pebble accidentally swam through the sand, was accidentally flung out, and landed onto Nein's chest.

"Hii!"

It was another explosion. Nein collapsed beyond the dust cloud.

"Ugh! You!"

Regenerating the wound on her chest, Nein immediately retaliated. Countless rubble floated and flew towards.

Alice moved strangely to intercept the debris. He used his right hand to grab his left, and ‘threw’ himself.

All the bricks flew past Alice and disappeared.

"That’s"

The entire sequence of actions was forcibly triggered by Alice, a physical phenomenon called ‘Tunnel Effect’. All matter have wave-like characteristic at a microscopic level, and there was a miniscule chance of him passing through matter.

Of course, the odds of this happening was so low that one would say it had never happened since the beginning of the universe.

But,

Even so, with Buzzer Beater, Alice Color,

Alice Color could easily trigger it and turn abstract into reality.

Alice waved his arm, and did not hold a single pebble.

The air he threw out decomposed instantly into vicious oxygen molecules that burned Nein's throat.

"Gah! Gah! …this!"

But still, Nein instantly healed her wounds and pounced on him.

Alice 'threw' himself once again. The moment he did so, the muscles in this ‘thrown body’ would be optimized, allow him to exhibit physical abilities beyond those of a Gravekeeper.

He raised his broken hands to intercept, and tripped the girl with judo.

But still,

"Gah!"

He was no match for the Witch's Daughter.

Alice's left arm shattered with a snap.

"Haa…haa…give up……."-

"…Don’t wanna."

Alice responded by flailing his right arm. The fist struck Nein with enough force to split the earth.

As her flesh exploded and scattered, Nein fired a slap in return. Alice’s ribs shattered and several holes appeared in his lungs.

The two of them were like millstones grinding against each other.

They were hit, and they struck back.

Ai could do nothing but watch them.

"Stop it, both of you…stop fighting…"

Ai could not run away or run to them, and just wept away.

After a while, the bloody fistfight eventually calmed. Amidst this space, Nein,

"…Is this fine?"

"What do you mean……?"

He kicked. He got kicked back.

"…You aren’t going to say anything?."

"Hah, aren’t you the same…."

Both of them hit and got hit for the umpteenth time, but they still continued to fight.

Alice rigged the almost zero probability as he swung his fists.

Nein hit her, twisting the laws of cause and effect and physics.

By then, it seemed that Nein had already understood everything Alice was trying to do. It was like an old story, about two people coming to an understanding through fisticuffs, and Alice grinned.

"Don't worry. She’s…capable of change."

"………Yes."

And then.

Then a gush of red and black blood broke through his throat and flowed out.

Alice’s body could not handle his ability anymore, and it was finally at its limit.

"…Looks like this is as far as I can go. "

He said, and immediately pulled his distance, raising his right hand and clenching it tightly..

"Is that so…."

Nein too readied her right hand in a hand chop.

This would be the final blow.

"Let's go …"

Alice started to run.

Each time he stepped on the ground and waved his arms, his ability was activated. It was as though Buzzer Beater was trying to throw himself over.

Every ounce in his body began to break through the sound barrier. The body of an ordinary person began to break apart under the pressure. Still, Alice moved forward.

 

With the first step, his left hand was torn to shreds.

 

Leaving the ragged part of his body behind, he continued forward.

With the second step, his left foot fell off, and with the third step, his right foot.

It did not matter. He would not need these after the battle anyway.

"Ohhhh!"

Alice merely reached his fist out and flew over.

He did not think of the consequences.

He was like a bullet that was fired, not turning back

He charged towards the Witch's heart.

Nein was just waiting for him with her hand blade extended.

And then,

 

"Gah…"

 

They stood still, as if in an embrace.

It looked as if Nein was holding Alice as the latter fell.

But it was not.

"…Ah?"

Alice had a perturbed look on his face as he looked at the empty right hand, and he then turned to look behind.

He saw a thin right hand stab through his ribs and sternum, gouging out his heart.

"Tch. …"

Alice coughed out lots of blood, so much that one would wonder how he had so much blood left to spit, and even the tongue click sounded so slimy.

"…What the. I thought I could do a better job …"

"You can't. You’re the one chasing after all…"

"You're right…"

But.

"But not anymore, Witch's Daughter."

Alice smirked at him.

This was where it actually began.

"You’re going to come after me."

"…Yes."

"I’ll say this first, I won’t forgive you if you mess up…"

With the last of his strength, he shoved Nein away.

Like a lance stabbed into his heart, this bloodied arm was pulled out.

The heart, still beating feebly, passed through the chest again, unable to return, and flew out from the other side.

Alice grabbed his heart.

"Come on! This is the last of my power!"

With all his strength, he raised his still beating heart.

"Take this, Witch! This is my heart! My everything!"

Amidst the blood, Alice yelled his dying words.

And he threw his heart out.

 

"Diiiieeeeeee!!!"

 

‘The final blow (Buzzer Beater)’

 

The magic bullet was thus unleashed.

 

 

 

The heart landed gently onto Nein's chest and fell.

At the same time, Ai was released.

"Mr. Alice!"

Everything was already a mess. Her reason, her emotions, even her senses were all in a jumble.

After tripping over three times in the middle of nowhere, Ai spent five seconds getting up, and finally reached Alice.

"Ah, ah, ah, …"

Alice was already dead. He threw his heart, and died.

Ai had no idea what she should do in such a situation.

She did know whether to be sad or angry, and she pondered in what seemed to be some mad calmness.

Alice was indeed dead.

But the matter was yet to be over.

"Er-erm…Mr Alice…."

Ai spoke to the corpse. She wanted it to wake up.

"Mr Alice, come on, wake up."

Shake, shake, shake.

"…it’s useless."

Just then, she heard a voice behind her.

Nein, the one who killed Alice, stood there.

The vibe she had had a complete change over the past few hours. Her cheerfulness had faded, and she looked worn out and tired.

"…Miss Nein."

Ai asked, neither resenting nor hating her. She was not exactly interested in the answer.

"What do you mean…useless?"

"He's not going to get up yet, because he's still alive."

"Eh?"

Look, Nein said, pointing to the ground. Alice's heart was there.

The heart was still beating. Thump, thump, thump.

Ai's face lit up. In hindsight, she must have been out of her mind. That was when Ai felt that Alice could be saved.

Ai rushed to the heart, hoping to put it back in place.

But,

"Kyaa!"

For some reason, the heart was so hot that she could not touch it.

"Miss Nein!? Did you do this?"

"…No. It’s all his power…look, it’s starting."

As Nein had said, the heart was about to turn into something different. The heartbeat did not weaken, and instead grew stronger, and hotter, turning the heart red..

And then,

Boom! The heart burst open and a tiny sparkle came out of it.

 

The glow flew through the air at an unbelievable speed, immediately piercing Nein's chest, and flew up into the western sky.

"Ugh…"

"Miss Nein!"

Ai rushed over to Nein, but the wound in the latter’s chest had already begun to heal.

"…It’s fine, I can still heal this much…but Ai, you need to look at Alice…his final self…"

She then pointed to the opposite sky (east) for some reason.

Ai turned around. Before she knew it, the night was almost over. The sun was beginning to rise.

There was also a silvery light rising up faster than the red sun.

And Ai saw the light for what it was.

 

The light was a silver bullet that shone bright white.

 

The bullet straddled the celestial sphere like a shooting star that will never fall.

"…Hm, it’s not pretty…."

Nein earnestly described this existence that had killed her.

"What are you saying? Please run!"

That bullet was somehow aimed at Nein.

"It's no use…no one can escape—ack—that glow…"

Nein was shot by the bullet while talking.

"—!…W-What is that!?"

Ai looked down, and even Alice was turned into silver particles that chased after the bullet.

"That's Alice Color's dream form…."

Nein replied.

"It's the ultimate bullet, created by Alice with his ability (Buzzer Beater)."

"Why is he…"

"Of course, to eliminate me—ack—"

She was shot again.

"I never thought he’d use his powers like that…Alice really ‘threw himself’ with the Buzzer Beater at the very end…now that bullet is a perpetual motion machine…it's an accelerator that inherits all of Alice's ability and keeps ‘throwing itself’’—uu—"

As she had said, the bullet continued to speed up.

At the same time, Nein's regeneration was slowing down.

"… Are these bullets aimed at you?"

"To be precise, not really—kfft—"

Nein gave a teary smile.

"What Alice is really after is the ‘evil’ itself…"

"’Evil’…"

"An insignificant wish of trying to kill me definitely wouldn’t affect me. Alice went after something bigger, something big enough to take me down with it. It’s the very concept of evil—kfft—"

Nein put her hand on the cheat wound, still smiling,

"…It seems he’s really trying to save me…and kill me before I destroy the world—kfft—and turn me human…"

Nobody could tell if Nein’s smile was happy or sad.

"He’s willing to enter such a godly realm for that purpose…to kill me when I can’t die."

That bullet would certainly kill even God.

"Miss Nein…"

In the morning glow, the shooting star raced endlessly.

"Miss Nein, do you, want to, die…?"

"No, I want to live, of course. I still want to save the world. That’s what I’m created for."

But still,

"But still…I think I might die."

"Then let's run!"

"No."

Nein firmly refused.

"Why not? You should be able to run away with your ability, right!?"

"If we run, he'll go for the next target. Once he settles this target, he’ll go for the next…until he destroys everything he thinks is evil. And until the very end, I believe he’ll… "

Nein pointed a finger at Ai.

"Me?"

"Yes, Ai, you’ll be killed at the very end."

"Am I evil too?"

"No, you're not. You are probably the furthest thing from evil to Alice…but even so, he’s going to kill you one day. That’s the power of abbreviation, or eternity…"

By saving the world with one set of values, it would end up destroying the world.

"But that's why I can save the world."

"Eh…ah!"

Ai remembered Alice's last words.

"You’re going to come after me."

"That was!"

"That's what he meant. He really saved me…"

Ai finally realized what they had been tryin-g to achieve.

In the face of the bullet that would destroy the world, Nein's dream finally took on meaning.

"I will stop that bullet."

When two opposing forces contradict each other, the more powerful one wins.

"I'm going to stop it and save the world."

But if the two were completely equal,

The two powers would neutralize, and be eliminated.

"That’s why, Ai, I'm leaving now."

Ai tried to run towards her. But,

"No, don't come her. I don't know what's coming…"

"Miss Nein…"

"Thanks, Ai, that was fun. I'm happy, and glad. You ruined my dream completely, but—"

Nein smiled while she was pierced through the heart.

 

"I was so happy to have a big sister."

 

About that, Ai too was the same.

"Me too..."

She could not stop crying.

"I've been thinking…that it's like…I have a little sister too."

"Aaha, I should have called you…'big sis Ai' earlier"

And Nein smiled,

"’Goodbye’!"

Then Nein smiled and ran off, not looking back.

 

+

 

At the same time, Ai too started running.

"!"

She overtook the weakened Nein and stood between West and East.

"Why? Move aside!"

No, she was not moving.

Ai knew Nein's dream.

It was a dream she once had, a dream to make this world a brighter place, free of all cruelty.

Ai knew Alice's pride.

A person who did not think he was noble, but was noble just by existing.

But such things,

 

"It! Doesn’t! Matter!"

 

She did not care about the world.

"Miss Nein, you idiot! Why do you have to be so suborn!?"

If she wanted to self-destruct, sure.

"Mr. Alice, you idio! Why do you never discuss things through with me!?"

It did not matter what they thought. Since these two were so stubborn, Ai too would be stubborn!"

 

"I’ll! Step! In!"

 

Ai then stood between them.

Nein said that the bullet was going to destroy the world, and that it would finally hit Ai.

Then, surely, the hardest person for that bullet to penetrate would be Ai.

Thus, Ai became the shield.

She swapped the last for first, and intercept him right there and then.

She did not care about the world. She was definitely sturdier and more stubborn than something called the world.

Besides, this would be the second time she saved Alice's life.

No matter whether it was twice or thrice,

She was going to personally save Alice!

"I don't care about the world!"

Ai could finally say those words without hesitation, and even proudly.

She would rather the world be destroyed than loser the two of them.

Come on.

It was a showdown.

 

Then a silver light fell from the sky.

 

 

The tiny bullet was like a giant lathe.

"Kuh! Guh!!"

The silver bullet that continued to penetrate without being blocked by anything. This time though, it was different. It seemed to crash into an invisible wall and spun before Ai’s chest. The bullet kept spinning forward and backward, scattering iridescent sparks each time.

"Mr Alice!"

In the midst it all, Ai hugged the light.

She gripped it with everything she had, as if to stop its spinning.

"———!"

She felt her body was going to fall apart. Even so, she did not loosen her grip.

"———!"

Just as she did back then in the classroom at dusk.

Ai grabbed him and would not let go.

"I'm definitely bringing you back!"

The bullet inched forward, causing a sharp pain in her chest.

"Kuuu!"

But Ai did not run away. Rather, she embraced the bullet and tried to align her heart with it.

Her bones creaked. Her soul felt like it going to break. But she would not let go.

Thump, thump.

The two heartbeats became one.

"Mr. Alice!"

 

At that moment, scattered lights poured down upon the town of Ostia.

Scar and Celica were watching from the window of their apartment.

Julie and Dee leaned out of the car to watch.

Everyone who lived and visited in the town was staring at the light.

 

The people saw a myth before their eyes.

 

At the intersection of the town and the wilderness, an iridescent bullet struggled to pierce the planet.

At the border between morning and night, a girl spread her arms to catch a shooting star.

 

It was a dream from a time when the world was surprisingly simple, a childhood dream that everyone had when they were children.

It was the terminal of a lonely dream that could only be harbored those days.

 

Eventually, the dream began to shatter quietly.

 

"Mr Alice…"

Ai stood before the bullet that was obviously slowing, and spread her hands wide.

The bullet, which had lost its ferocity, slowed down with every rotation like a bud opening, growing larger, and somewhat resembled a butterfly hatching.

The silvery glow of Alice was like a newborn Gravekeeper.

…He could be rather cool if he had just kept his mouth shut ….

With each increase in color, Alice slowed his rotation and returned to his usual self.

Ai took a step forward and embraced him as he floated.

As soon as she caught Alice, he fell as if he had remembered the concept of gravity. The weight of his body was a joy to Ai.

"Hey, Mr. Alice."

Ai called softly. But all that came back was a sound sleep.

"Seriously…please wake up…"

Ai was peeved at it, and decided to pull a little prank on him.

She remembered this would happen whenever the story reached this part.

"────"

And then a surge of light illuminated the world.

Ai lost consciousness.

 

+

 

"……….Good morning."

There was a very awkward face staring at her up close.

So much so that Ai almost laughed.

"…Good morning, Mr. Alice."

Alice was grumpy and puffy, wearing a blanket he had found from somewhere. Her body was brand new, and he had his limbs.

Ai was on a lap pillow.

Waking up in his lap made Ai feel somewhat happy.

"Fufufu…is this heaven?"

"Who knows? Well, if you're with me, it might as well be hell."

"That's fine too."

"……"

Ah, he was embarrassed.

Ai was so elated that she grinned and touched Alice's hair without permission. He had pointy black hair, and the touch felt spiky like a tropical fruit, far different from the puffy feeling before.

Even so, Ai far preferred the Alice of at this moment..

"…Oi."

Alice said with a tone that was slightly different from reproaching. Ai obediently stopped her hands, raised her head and looked forward.

There was a white girl there.

"………Big sis…"

Nein said, slumping to the ground.

"…Can I…still call you that…?

"Of course."

Ai wondered what she was brooding over, but it turned out to be such.

"But, I caused trouble, for big sis…"

"Don't worry about it."

Sliding a hand through her soft hair, Ai pulled Nein into a hug.

"… But I'm sure I'll do the same thing again, won't I?"

"…I wish you'd hold back a little."

"I can't…"

Nein said, and was on the verge of crying. Ai patted her head to console her. Well, whatever, she was willing to apologize, which made her so many times better than the boy who was pouting with a poker face.

"Let's talk about it later. I've got an idea."

"What?"

"I said let’s talk later. I'm not trying to be mean."

Just then, they heard a voice from across the street calling, "Ai—!" She looked over, and saw Dee waving at them, sitting in the blue car that was headed here.

Alice stood up, moving with such poise that there was no need to worry at all.

"…Well, we can chat about that later…haa, I guess I didn't solve anything after all…"

What a waste of time. He said again, and sighed hard.

He might be right.

So Ai thought, but she was upset for some reason.

So,

 

"────"

 

"Huh?"

It was amazing. She had never seen such a stupid face before.

Surely she had the same face.

"Alright! Let's go home!"

Then Ai stood up energetically.

"Oi! Wait a minute! What did you just do?"

"I didn't do anything—! I don't know—!"

"Ah! I saw it! Big sis! You—"

"Wa~wa~wa~!Miss Nein, Miss Nein, Miss Nein!"

And so, the three of them returned to the town.

 

 

 

 

On their way back,

As Ai tried to climb down the crumbling stone wall, her knees went weak and she nearly fell.

"What's wrong? Are you tired?"

Alice said, turning around.

"Ah, no…I just felt some pain in my chest. …"

"…Hmm, do you want me to hold your hand?"

"Eh? No need…"

Surely she would blush if he held her hand? After all, that one bit caused her heart to race..fast…?

……Hm?

So, Ai noticed, and gently put her hand on her own chest.

 

 

—It did not race?

 

 

That was all she could think.

"Oiiii! Let’s go!"

"Ah, yes!"

 

 

The moment she was called, Ai immediately forgot about her current discomfort and started running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But by then, Ai's heart had already stopped.

 

Afterword

First of all, let me apologize. I'm sorry for making everyone wait for a year, and that the previous fake preview wasn’t really good (please see the blog for more information)…and finally, this volume.

I'm sure there are people who can't accept it, and I think it’s very justified. To those who are asking ‘why did you write the story this way?’ to be honest, I didn’t really have the answer. Everyone may think, didn’t you write this story, but asking the author to do something about the story is like asking the reader to read and feel, and the author has to feel before writing.

No, that's just another excuse. I believe everything will resolve itself in the next volume

Lastly, I would like to make an announcement and an acknowledgement. At the moment (July 2013), the ‘kamiinai’ anime is being aired. It’s an amazing adaptation, so please check it out! This work will also be republished as a Kadokawa paperback. It's now up to volume three. This work and the author are very fortunate to be supported in such words. Thank you very much.

See you next time in the final volume.

Kimihito Irie

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