== '''Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelorette, bored every day''' ==

Having finally gotten a few days of leave out of his busy workload, Nageki Kurokiyo took his girlfriend to town.

This fellow looked really gross with the long fringe covering his eyes. His face could pass off as ‘cool’, but this man always just looked unclean. He was going to town on an off day, but he was dressed in ridiculous and drab clothes. Anyways, his first impression on most people was quite bad. He hadn’t shaved for days and his beard was growing out, while an unlit cigarette dangled between his lips.

His expression was gloomy and completely incongruous with the sunny weather, and he had been sighing for no apparent purpose since morning.

“Cough…”

Nageki was a policeman. Free days were as rare for policemen as they were for doctors and firefighters, but he did not seem relaxed at all. No, he was not complaining about having a few days of rest. Rather, he had worked too hard in the past few days and should slow down a little and rest.

Nageki just could not understand the case that he had been personally handling until yesterday.

The Man-Eating Demon case.

The scale and cruelty of the case were unprecedented, and the bureau had launched a massive investigation in response. Nageki was working 24/7 to chase down this unheard-of criminal.

This unusual criminal was stabbing the victim through their hearts, then sucked out and consumed their brains. Victims were appearing one after another despite the police’s meticulous investigation. This was a large-scale, inhuman villainy guaranteed to be recorded in the history of the modern world, let alone the history of this small town.

Nageki did his best to chase down the criminal to protect the peace of the town and the safety of the residents. However –

His superiors suddenly declared yesterday that the investigation was over.

The reason given was that they had found out the truth behind the case.

The Man-Eating Demon case was apparently all a farce, fabricated by the victims themselves. In other words, the cruel methods and the characteristics of the murders were all non-existent. Most of the victims were alive and living as normal people, so this could not be a murder case at all. And since they had severely impacted public order, these victims will be punished accordingly –

Huh? Nageki was speechless at this explanation.

Fabricated by the victims?

The characteristics of the murders were fake?

Nageki felt this was all a joke. He waited for the investigation chief to admit that it was all a joke, but the man maintained a serious expression. The investigation was truly over. Reports wrapping up the investigation will be sent into the division in a few days’ time, and that was how Nageki received a temporary holiday.

This made no sense.

The chief never saw the bodies killed by the Man-Eating Demon, yet he believed that bullshit about it being made up. No matter what, those were dead, real corpses! There was nothing fake about it. All those people were dead. It was tragic – the fresh signs of fighting, the blood that stained every surface of the crime scene, the bodies of the victims slowly losing their warmth, the family of the decreased crying all around them – no matter how you looked at it, it was an irreversible tragedy. The Man-Eating Demon really killed people.

No. This criminal was perhaps defying the law even now –

“Kiyo-kun. Kiyo-kun, what’s wrong?”

Nageki Kurukiyo was starting to stare at the people around him like a hunting hound without realizing it. The voice of his lover, Sunohara Ume – sitting in the wheelchair that he was pushing along – snapped him back into reality. She was looking straight at him.

Ume was a plain, ordinary, rather unnoticeable women. Her face lacked expressions, but she had a pair of remarkable eyes. Her eyes were innocent and clear, as if she could instantly look through someone or see into the deepest part of their hearts. Her gaze was bottomless, pure, angelic, and similar to that of a small animal.

The problem with her feet meant she was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a white hat the prevented the sun from burning her skin. She pressed her hat down on her head as she gazed at Nageki Kurukiyo.

“This is a rare holiday, and we haven’t had a date since forever… But you are not listening to a word I said and was just dumbly staring at other people. This is rather dreary.”

“Ah, aaah – I’m sorry.”

Ume was older than Nageki and he always spoke to her with deference. When it came to addressing each other, Ume had always called him ‘Kiyo-kun’ in an intimate way while Nageki called her ‘Ume-san.” Hmm, but Ume didn’t care about such details. Rather, it was her nature not to think too hard about anything. That was how she managed to have no major problems all her life. Nageki always felt she should be more straightforward and talk more.

Nageki inherited an old apartment from his father. Close to the apartment, there was a bathhouse that the locals frequented. Ume was the daughter of the bathhouse’s owner. She was hurt during an incident that Nageki was investigating and her feet were disabled. Even though she did not appear to care too much about it, it was still Nageki’s fault for not protecting Ume and allowing her to be hurt by the culprit. Ever since then, Nageki had vowed to become Ume’s legs for as long as he lives and to help her walk, as a means to redeem his sins.

That was the ‘default setting’ up till this point.

Ume and most people in this world were oblivious to this, but the world had been broken once.

Very few people remember that other world. It was a world full of gloom and blood – the world of Mushi and eyeballs.

The survivors of that Last Battle – including Nageki – were all sheltering in a certain apartment building. It was a location involved in the destruction of the world, a veritable Noah’s Ark. Some of those survivors retained their memories of the previous world, becoming the final few proofs of its existence.

In this world, Ume was not stamped upon by a massive monster.

Nageki was also not obsessed with killing monsters. In this world, he was just a very ordinary cop.

That was how it should have been –

But the entire Man-Eating Demon case stank of a familiar, bizarre stench. Nageki felt, on pure instinct, that it was incongruous with this peaceful world. It felt closer to the world before the re-construction.

Should he obey his superior’s decisions, surrender his own powers of judgement, and forget it all?

This was already a peaceful world and Nageki was living in happiness. If he went against all this, discarded everything, returned to how he was before and continued to investigate this case –

then he might foolishly once again lose the person most important to him.

“… Kiyo-kun. This is enough.”

He was pulling on Ume’s hair without realizing it.

She didn’t look or sound upset, but she was probably upset.

“Ume-san.”

Nageki furrowed his brows in a pitiable expression. Ume sighed softly.

“Kiyo-kun… just… don’t think about your job when you are off work. Don’t think about those stuff with a depressed face when it’s your holiday. Otherwise, there’s no point in having holidays. Mmm, don’t get me wrong. I’m not upset because of how cold Kiyo-kun is towards me. I’m just worried about your health, Kiyo-kun.”

“I’m sorry, Ume-san.”

She calmly but firmly stated the right thing to do. Nageki lowered his head in genuine guilt.

Yes. He was no longer the melancholic cop full of sorrow who only wanted to kill monsters. He was just an ordinary cop, currently spending time with the woman he loved.

Were there other things he should desire?

However, he was still worried. Perhaps he should ask Guriko and Breaksun about the Man-Eating Demon after today’s date was over. He was still in contact with them.

“Seriously, it’s noon already. That person in the middle of the plaza seems to be a magician. I think I’ve seen that person on TV before. Why did he come to a faraway country like Japan? I don’t get it. Maybe we won’t get to see him next time we’re here. Let’s get closer! But there are so many people there… Ahh, Kiyo-kun, it’s that travelling husker from before! But with that many people, maybe we should give up… um, no, I’ll endure the crowd for that person’s tricks!”

“Alright alright. Sorry, Ume-san.”

Nageki gazed at Ume’s innocent smile as he walked on, pushing her wheelchair.

He had once again returned to his ordinary life. A happy life that he had glimpsed in his dreams.

He was home. This was Nageki’s favorite place, a place that will always be on his mind.

And yet, he was still thinking about monsters. Was it because of an endless karma, or was it a trait that had been etched into his body? It was painful.

Even though this world was completely replaced and changed, there were still seeds of melancholy in many places. In a way, compared with what he had to do in the future to track down monsters, the task of appeasing his completely enraged lover was a lot harder for Nageki.

Ahh, there were so many melancholic things in this world.

Aizawa Ume felt a bit down today.

Ume-chan was slow and clumsy compared to other people, and she would get confused at crowded places. Her parents brought her here to see that magician she had no interest in. But there were so many people here. She was short, and she couldn’t see anything. She got moved with the crowd and got separated from her parents.

She was on the verge of tears.

How did it end up like this? Why was she always messing everything up?

Was it because of her bad luck? That shouldn’t be it. Did she do bad stuff in her previous life, so something was stalking her? That shouldn’t be it. Ume was naturally a bit slow and she was unhappy on a daily basis.

Why was there nothing fun? No? It’s so boring.

Ume pouted. She could never be bothered to think about these difficult things. But there were too many exciting things in town. She lingered here and hurried there, and she was soon lost as she wandered around.

She didn’t know what to do anymore.

It was impossible for her to reunite with her parents, so she gave up. She just has to wait for the missing children broadcast to come on. Ume often got lost in the crowds and her parents were probably used to it. It was upsetting, as they were at fault for allowing Ume to be swept away by the crowds.

Ume walked into one of the shops along the shopping street just to waste some time. The shop sold all sorts of children’s small toys and was cheap enough that kids could to afford it. While the shop was very pretty, it was a bit deserted.

Ume liked a very cute ring with an apple on it. It was only a few hundred Yen. She fell in love with it at first sight and wanted to buy it immediately. Yes, children were not allowed to buy things themselves, but Ume was already a junior high student. Ume believed she was a qualified adult, so she should be allowed to buy stuff. She didn’t consider whether a qualified adult would get lost.

Ume’s clutched the ring in her little hand. There was the sound of the apparently unoccupied shopkeeper walking out from behind the counter in the deepest part of the small, empty shop. He was a young man who kept to the shadows and had spiky hair. He looked rather scary, but shopkeepers should be gentle towards kids, right?

He was wearing the uniform of the shop and looked very unfashionable. He wore a pin with the name “Shigure Benimaru” on his chest. He was reading the newspaper and looked up when he heard Ume’s voice. His gaze was terrifying, as it he was going to stab through her. Ume started to shiver without knowing why. She asked with a voice shaking in fear.

“Um, this one… thank you.”

She stood on tiptoes as steady as she could and placed the ring on the counter. That should be the right thing to do. Then the shopkeeper should scan the barcode with a ‘ding’ sound using the automated cashier machine, then tell her how much this thing costs. Then she should take out her wallet and take out the money…

Ume kept repeating these steps in her head. Suddenly, the man grabbed her outstretched hand.

“… Huh?”

Why is he grabbing my hand? This hurts. Huh? This is different from the steps I know.

“Um, uh, um, um…”

Ume’s head went blank and she tried her best to pull her hand back. However, her wrist was held very tightly, and she couldn’t move it at all. She was terrified and tears swelled up in her eyes. But that man did not care at all. He only glared at her ferociously.

It was a scorching, gloomy, and deplorable gaze.

“Little girl.”

His tune was laconic as he mumbled to Ume, whose gaze was locked on him.

“We don’t allow elementary school students to buy things from this shop.”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Are your Papa and Mama close by? No? They are not? Heh, hehehe.”

Ume became more and more unsettled. She was very flustered as she faced the shopkeeper who was snickering to himself. She had scanned around the shop, but there was no one to help her. School taught her that she should call loudly for help in moments like this. But Ume was so terrified that she couldn’t even make a sound.

A despicable kind of heat started to emanate from the shopkeeper. He gazed at Ume as if she were a dish to be savoured, and said in a low voice:

“Ahh… so cute. I’ve always wanted a cute little girl like this…”

“Li, little girl huh? I, I, I’m not a cute little girl?!”

“Your head is getting all confused, and your words are not making sense… Mmm, that’s cute as well. So cute… I need to give such a cute little girl a special service. This ring really can’t be sold to an elementary student – but if you listen to me, then I can sell it to you.”

As Ume paled, the shopkeeper said bluntly:

“Will you take off your clothes?”

“Ah? Huh?”

“Take it off!”

“Aaaah - !?”

Ume’s face went completely pale as tears rolled down her cheek. She struggled as hard as she could. But even then, the shopkeeper grabbed her tightly and she couldn’t escape. It only made him upset and grabbed her even tighter.

His expression became more and more vicious. He used one hand to hold down Ume and took out a terrifying dagger from underneath the counter with his other hand.

Then his expression changed. He seemed to feel hatred and sadness at the same time. He started to mumble as reason slowly left his eyes.

“Yes… yes, even an elementary student wouldn’t listen to me. That will do. That will do! If you don’t listen to me, then I will cut off your hands and legs and make you into a tumbler toy! That way, it won’t matter if you don’t listen to me. Everything is like this… everyone everyone everyone…”

Aah, she should have listened to her parents.

They said she shouldn’t go buy things on her own. Did they mean something like this would happen?

There was danger everywhere in town.

Ume still didn’t really understand.

As the dagger was stabbing down and was about to enter Ume’s wrist…

“… What an idiot.”

The blade of the dagger snapped and broke off together with that very annoyed voice.

Ume had no idea what had happened. She could only see something like a whip hit the dagger with lightning speed. It was so fast that Ume couldn’t tell what it was.

“What – ”

The shopkeeper was stunned and stared at the dagger, which only had the hilt left. Ume’s eyes were wide in shock. A woman was standing very very close to them without either of them noticing.

She was wearing a very beautiful purple set of clothes, and even her hair was purple. She wore jeans over her legs and a low-cut dress shirt without a tie. It was an outfit that fitted her very well. She was covered in the soft purple color of lavenders from head to toe, and her socks and boots were of a similar shade.

It was hard to tell her age.

Even though she was a woman, one could only figure that out from her figure. Her face was covered by a mask.

A mask. She was wearing a mask. It was not the kind of masks sold at carnivals, but a black-and-white mask with no decoration. There was an emotionless pair of purple eyes behind the mask.

The shopkeeper reacted violently when he saw the masked woman. He looked very shocked.

“What the hell?! Where – where did you come from?!”

The women took out two hand puppets before the shopkeeper or Ume noticed, then started to perform a realistic pantomime with expert ventriloquy.

“Ah, this is scary… Kirigirisu.”

“Yes, Kudan, this is really dangerous. However, if the elementary girl’s clothes were actually taken off, then he won’t be yelling so loudly anymore.”

The shopkeeper was dazed at this impromptu pantomime show, but Ume was excited. No matter how many times the world repeated, she still won’t think too hard about anything. That part of her personally was probably not going to change any time soon.

“Wow, it’s awesome! The puppets are talking!”

The female puppet with three eyes tilted its head and moved as if it never heard Ume.

“Instead of ‘rare’, this is a rather ‘nostalgic’ reaction. Whenever people in this country saw a magic show, they always tried their best to investigate the means and tricks behind it. They don’t have any capacity to simply enjoy art.”

“Mmm, it’s a national characteristic to consider magic as trickery and wanting to solve it.”

As if it was really alive, the male puppet wearing green clothes continued in a lively manner.

“’Tricks. These are just cheap tricks. Don’t take me for an idiot!’ They always say that, don’t they? It’s a magic show time! This is the most amazing magic trick!”

“Wh… what the hell? What are you? What the heck are all these things?!”

The shopkeeper seemed half frenzied as he moved to stop the puppets. The woman using ventriloquy had no changes in her expression – rather, this purple woman seemed quite bored. The shopkeeper still had no idea how she cut up his dagger. He clutched both of his hands into fists, looking terrified and about ready to bolt out of the store.

But the woman wearing a mask did not react at all, and simply continued her pantomime show with ease.

“… Mmm, it’s laughable, Kirigirisu.”

“Indeed, Kudan. People of this country are stupid no matter where they are, no?”

“I have never seen an idiot who swore at a magician in my country.”

“Yes, neither the lowest young thug nor the most advanced martial art master provoked the magicians.”

“Was it because those who use magic are rather scary?”

“Non-nonsense! What the heck are these things…?!”

The shopkeeper didn’t care about appearances anymore and swung his fist towards the woman.

The woman’s fingers, which were moving as agile as a snake within the hand puppet – suddenly became a sharp blade and stabbed into the shopkeeper’s jaw.

“Wh… at…?”

It was unbelievable. Disobeying all laws of physics, the man’s skin was cut open where the woman’s finger touched him. Blood was dripping out of his flesh. It was not an illusion, nor was it a trick. It was a genuine blade. Did the woman’s fingers metamorphose into a lethal weapon? What could it be? Was this really magic? Ume was busy thinking about this as she watched.

“What… You bitch!”

But that ignorant man glared viciously at the woman, as if he saw through her tactics. He mumbled, as if talking to himself:

“What is this… what is this… what is this cheap trick?!”

Those words seemed to have offended the woman. All emotions disappeared in her eyes. There was no intent to kill. No rage or sorrow. The only thing left was a gloomy, cruel, and cold nothingness…

“… There’s no theory and no tricks!”

As soon as her words ended, fresh blood sprayed onto Ume’s face.

Incredibly, it was an incredibly warm and rather nostalgic feeling.

Every day was very boring.

Boring, boring, boring.

Those days were boring and slow and absolutely meaningless. It was the worst.

The shopkeeper of this antique shop, who gave a perverted request of a sexual nature to an elementary student, finally calmed down after she cut open his face. Once a Japanese person saw blood, they either became unnaturally excited or immediately pale in fear. Both reactions were national characteristics that only emerge during agony. It was so stupid.

The fundamental education about crime and punishment was absent in this country. Everyone was spoiled and had no concept that they will be punished if they conducted evil deeds. This country was truly blessed by the world. It made her very upset.

She obtained and recorded the address and phone number of this shopkeeper named Shigure. She wasn’t planning to report this to the police (it’s too bothersome to be tied down by a case). She was only planning to use it as leverage if she got into trouble with him again. This country was full of self-centered people. It helps to have such information in her hands.

When she walked out of the shop, that elementary girl was docilely waiting for her.

The girl’s hair was parted into pigtails, and there was a hint of arrogance in her expression. This child appeared very cute, but her mannerism was full of timidity and fear. She didn’t like her.

“Um… Th-thank you very much!”

The girl gave a very deep bow.

Whatever. She didn’t need to courtesy. She was just a kid who barely started the journey of life. It’s the adults’ duty to stand aside and look after these kids when they are trying to walk their own road. The people in this country are all selfish trash – ah, better stop these pointless complaints.

Not wanting to scare the child, the woman knelt while look at the girl in the eye. She then wrote down Shigure Benimaru’s details on the back of her own business card and handed it to the girl.

“This is the address and phone number of that man just now. Explain what happened to your Mama and Papa when you meet up with them again. If Mama and Papa feel they want to report this as a case to the police, show this to them. You are a victim, and that man was a criminal, so there is no need to hide what happened to you. If you really want to punish the criminal, then don’t hesitate. Don’t think about how he would get into a lot of trouble. You need to clearly and thoroughly destroy him.”

“Oh… Mmm.”

The girl didn’t seem to fully understand. She just nodded very hard. Where were this child’s parents? She didn’t quite get the age of a Japanese person, but this girl should be an elementary student. It was very dangerous for someone so young to wander around alone.

Mmm, probably because Japan was relatively safe. Everyone has a very low sense of danger.

“The front of this card has my name and address. Mmm, it probably won’t be useful – if there are any issues with this incident, contact me. Seriously, an elementary schooler going out on her own can get mixed up into these dangerous things very easily.”

“Huh? I’m in junior high!”

“No way. Really? You’re tiny!”

“It’s true! I’m fourteen years old, but I’m the shortest in the whole class.”

The woman only sighed when Ume started to laugh nervously. If she was a junior high student, she should already know how to defend herself. When the woman was fourteen years old, she was already working to feed herself.

While the woman was silent, the girl looked at the business card and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Wow… magician. You’re a magician? Are you the person who performed in the plaza at noon? I went there with my parents, but there were too many people and I couldn’t see. It’s awesome. You’re such an awesome person. The thing you just did, when you poked out your finger – that’s magic too, right?”

That magic was different.

Mmm, she probably can’t explain it well to the girl. The woman only nodded in silence. Since the girl was so amazed and shocked, her next question should be about how the trick was performed, right? That was it. This was the petty characteristic of this country, where the citizens want to rip apart all the illusions and won’t rest until they learnt the truth behind every trick.

“It’s awesome.”

The girl blushed and stuttered in a small voice:

“Can I… do that too?”

“…”

“Ahaha, no way. I’m too clumsy.”

What had this girl been hearing in her everyday life? She was mumbling as if afraid of anyone hearing her. Maybe she kept hearing other people talking about her being stupid and slow. Even though that appeared to be the truth, those are such miniscule problems.

“God created all men to be equal.”

The women took out a [[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes# Baguenaudier |Baguenaudier]], grabbed the girl’s hand, and pressed it firmly into her hand.

“Everyone can become Jesus Christ as long as they try hard enough.”

The incredible baguenaudier and the clear gaze the little girl levelled at her made the woman remember who she used to be. She smiled bitterly. People used to laugh at those words of hers.

But that was fine. Her words were true. Everyone was equal. If you worked hard, you could definitely accomplish something. If she did not believe in that, she would not be able to save anyone at all.

She patted the girl on the head and softly spoke words incongruous to her appearance.

“Start to work hard from now and don’t give up. This tool is your first step. Try to solve it. This is different from life. If you grasp the methods behind it, you’ll definitely manage to solve it. This was made for beginners, after all. If you master this kind of tasks, your life will become brighter, too.”

“Wow, are you giving this to me? Thank you!”

She was already a junior high student, but she wore a smile as bright as an elementary student. The little girl mumbled bluntly.

“Then I’ll work hard. If I work hard… will I become a magician like you?”

“…”

The woman patted the girl’s head, then took off her mask and revealed her face. This despicable woman, the only one who called herself ‘magician’ in this country, usually terrified others when she took off her mask. Her face was burnt and looked horrid. She has had some surgery to patch it up, and it was somewhat better than before.

“Woah…”

For some reason, the woman became a bit clumsy as she faced the little girl, even though she was already 29 years old. She looked at the little girl’s feet and showed a silly smile. She mumbled:

“Mmm, do your best.”

Then the woman left the girl alone and thought about solutions on her own. This was not how she used to do things, and she used to dislike children too.

“Cell phone… you should have one, right? No one would call anyways. It’s quite dangerous for you to run around alone like this – this isn’t a fairy tale where a magician will always appear to help you when you are in need. That’s not possible.”

“Ahh… cell phone? I couldn’t get a signal from here! I forgot about it!”

When the little girl opened her eyes wide and dug out her phone, the rumbustious noise of the people who came to watch the street performers also disappeared. Mmm, not exactly disappeared, but there were less people than before. The clothes of the people walking past her was also different to how they were a moment ago.

The little girl tried her best to look upwards. She jumped and looked all around her in surprise.

“Huh. She disappeared… Woah. It’s so awesome. She really was a magician!”

No, that woman was just a single 29-years-old. She was just a boring woman who messed up in the middle of a travelling show and left the company to find a job on her own.

Mmm, sometimes she will dress up for her profession.

If she didn’t perform, every day of her life would truly become extremely boring.

She came to Japan because of a naïve wish that she might be able to change something.

The little girl thought she was very awesome, but she was just a magician with no stable income. She became very famous a few years ago due to her magic, but she had a fight with her colleague. The other woman poured acid on her face. Her face got disfigured and bad luck stuck with her ever since.

She wandered the world as if she were escaping something. She finally came to this country, which everyone praised as an utopia. It was safe, the food was delicious, and it did seem like Paradise. However – it was still humans who inhabited this land.

She hated humans. She wanted to vomit whenever she thought about it. She just wanted to die whenever she remembered she belonged to the same race as these disgusting creatures.

Despicable humans.

A despicable world.

A despicable daily life.

“What is this… this suck.”

She walked out of the shopping street and got to the corner of a quieter residential block. She sat down on the edge of a flowerbed and started to smoke. She put the mask aside and allowed the wind to caress her face. It felt great.

A world-famous genius magician was now a laborer who performed on the streets every day, and even then, she was barely managing to feed herself. She could recall her previous praises and glory, but it only made her feel even sadder.

A full house theater, bright stage lights, solemn background music, the never-ending applause – ahh, all of that were long-gone memories. Magicians fell because of those idiots who wanted to explore their skills and reduce them to ‘tricksters’. Magic and miracles were all impossible dreams. It was all wrong – that was the entire truth.

It was pitiful.

Pitiful, and yet there was nothing she could do about it.

She could barely remember why she became a magician and what she was seeking out of this profession. If it was just about earning money, there were plenty of other professions. But why did some people choose to become street performers, who sought to perfect their performing skills and devoted their entire lives for the stage?

Perhaps it was to show those expressionless kids something. That girl who looked nothing like a junior high student and the kids who were never happy just like how she was – these children should see the possibility of dreams, of hope, of magic. Even if she could only show them a sliver of those things – it was all for them.

But why…

Why… couldn’t she even achieve such a small wish in this world?

“What’s the point of all this…”

She repeated those helpless words over and over unconsciously. Suddenly -

“– Are you Moon Rainbow, the magician?”

– There was a sound.

The woman didn’t move from her seat. She lifted her head and exhaled purple smoke as she assessed the scene before her. An ominous, almost demonic girl stood under the bright midday sun.

She had golden hair and dark red eyes, and wore a thick frock under a sharp hat. She held a spear that sparkled with a golden light, but it somehow felt repulsive. The spear didn’t fit her at all.

“… Huh? What? Who are you?”

The unfortunate magician named Moon Rainbow opened her mouth incredulously and tapped her cigarette ashes onto the ground. At this moment, an extraordinary and indescribable silence filled this place.

The strange girl had appeared so silently as if she seeped into this place. She then spoke in a low, expressionless voice, as if she was an insect.

“My name is Broken Hair, the Ravaged Queen of Insects.”

“Huh? You are in the same trade as me? I don’t remember seeing you before…”

This unique appearance and way of speaking made her think the other woman was a performing artist too. Moon put on a look of spite as if she was a tourist, as if she was ready to dump the magic show and run away, as if someone was chasing her down to take her back.

But the other only shook her head slowly and refuted her question.

“It is incorrect to say we are in the same trade. I am God Mushi Emperor, and you are The Weakest… our tasks and responsibilities are different. We are both Greater Fragments that exist to uphold this world. On that point, perhaps we are indeed of the same trade – suffice to say we are existences that share the same origin?”

“… I don’t quite understand what you are saying.”

The girl calling herself Broken Hair expressionlessly blew away the cigarette smoke heading towards her face. Moon frowned.

“What is it? Are you a preacher? A salesperson? Sorry, I haven’t got any money. That’s why I’m sitting here.”

“…”

Broken Hair completely ignored Moon’s answer. Instead, she gazed directly at Moon’s face.

That pair of dark red eyes felt inorganic and inhumane.

“I have something to entrust to you.”

“…?”

Moon snuffed out her cigarette on the flowerbed and put on a surprised expression.

“Huh? Whatever… If you want to give me a job, go to my agent. But hmm, if I ignore my job, I might get fired by the agency.”

“Ahaha, then there is ample reason.”

Broken Hair’s reply made Moon upset, but the strange girl started to laugh. Then, she slowly took out bundles of money from under her clothes and dumped them into Moon’s lap.

“…”

There were bundles of money. Every bill was ten thousand Yen. Upon first inspection, every bundle seemed genuine. But it didn’t look like it was withdrawn from a bank. It felt like a stockpile taken from a stash and felt very bizarre. For Moon, this seemed ten times – no, a million times too easy. She was covered with money from her neck to her knees.

“If you don’t have a job, that fits my purposes. I… am hiring you.”

“This is really strange, right? Is this legal?”

Moon felt rather scared when she touched the bills. Broken Hair only looked at her silently form the side. This girl had prepared so much cash in this town and entrusted it to a person she barely knew – it made no sense. Even Moon would instinctively avoid this kind of a dangerous situation. There was something wrong with this affair. There was something wrong with this person. Moon couldn’t help but feel that.

“What’s wrong? There is no need to be so afraid.”

Broken Hair took out more bundles of money from underneath her clothes and placed it on Moon expressionlessly. Then, she said evenly:

“Didn’t you repeat many times that everything was boring? Then, if I overlay these things… These are some fun things I have created. Take it. Enjoy it. Or give it to your friends. You dislike this world, no? You looked extremely bored… then, why don’t you overturn everything? We will change the world using our own hands. The Weakest, of the Devil – I need your power.”

Um.

It was so weird. It just sounded like some complaints she couldn’t understand.

But somehow this made Moon happy and feel like she had a purpose. Completely destroy this boring everyday life – what a tempting thought. But this wasn’t enough. Of course she liked things that would bring her pleasure, but this was not enough. The words spoken by this girl calling herself Broken Hair seemed to have included more fun things. Moon just need to press softly on it, and mix something fun into it –

“This money is just the pre-payment. It has no value to me – if you like it, take it. Of course, since this was a pre-payment, there will certainly a full, official payment later. That would be the reward given after you succeed… it will be paid to you if you complete the job perfectly.”

“… Reward after my success?”

Moon was silently listening to the other talk up until now, and she intended to remain silent. However, this dreamy talk spoken by the strange girl made Moon open her mouth to respond. This would give her a job. She couldn’t waste her days loitering around like this. This was such a boring life – but even so, Moon didn’t hate it enough to discard everything.

However …

“Upon the completion of our goal…”

Broken Hair said these shocking words matter-of-factly:

“I will give you one half of the world.”

This was the talk of a mad woman. These words suddenly became very despicable, absolutely meaningless, and completely pointless.

“… Haha.”

But Moon found it very funny for some reason. Even she was surprised with how she nodded without hesitation.

“– This seems fun?”

It was the villain who destroyed the world. One of the Greater Fragment that acted as the enemy of the world in the conspiracy of the Last Battle had surfaced, together with her hateful smile.

She emitted a giggling laugh. An unbearable laugh that echoed in the emptiness –

Just like that, the Devil and the Beast of the End linked their hands together at a corner of the re-constructed world.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_03|Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven]]
| Back to [[Mushi_to_Medama|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_05|Ragnarok 05: Production-orientated Loner]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mushi:Vol6 Ragnarok 03

2020-08-22T10:40:42Z

Brynhilde:

== '''Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven''' ==

<pre>From ★ Usarin (This is such an embarrassing nickname at my age)
To ★ Sensei (Are you still a teacher?)
Subject ★ Edict (how nostalgic)
Body ★ Hello. Hello. This is Milady Usarin. Um, it’s been a long time since we last met… I’m not very used to this. Where I should start? My personality had changed quite a bit. Maybe you won’t even recognize me. Sensei, I’m here in this world again because of… reasons. I’m sending text messages right now, but I want to meet and speak with you. When would be a good time for you? I’m at Guriko-chan’s place right now. Guriko-chan grew taller. How many years had it been here? Well, there’s so much I want to tell you. That’s all for now.</pre>

<pre>FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū
TO ★ You ungrateful Student!
Subject ★This is not the time for pranks
Body ★ Guriko, you bastard. Do you know that there are certain limits to jokes? I didn’t leave Milady’s phone with you so you can conduct these repulsive pranks on me. You are such a disappointment that it’s torture for your teacher. I’m telling you right now: you can go die if you think this is funny. You look like you are always doing nothing at all, and you are a useless repeat student whose grades never improved. You really are a shame to our school.</pre>

<pre>FROM ★ Usarin
TO ★ Sensei
Subject ★ I can understand why you won’t believe me…
Body ★ It’s really me. I’m sorry. And… Sensei, your attitude towards Guriko-chan is really awful. Ahh, this is so awkward. We haven’t contacted each other for so long. Of course, anyone would have issues with adjusted if their old acquaintance popped up like this. Then… should I mention some embarrassing memories that only you and I would know? Like what happened in the karaoke room when we first met…? And the first swimming class in high school…?</pre>

<pre>FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū
TO ★ …
Subject ★ …
Body ★ Are you… really Milady? You are back?</pre>

<pre>FROM ★ Usarin
TO ★ Sensei
Subject ★ …
Body ★ Yes. I’m sorry for the suddenness, Sensei. It is more like I’m here to bother you again. This world doesn’t really need me anymore.</pre>

<pre>FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū
TO ★ Usagawa Rinne
Subject ★ I’m heading over right now
Body ★ … Can we hold off the texting for a minute? I want to listen to your voice, on the phone, not through texts. I still can’t really believe it. I just don’t want it to be a dream!</pre>

That was when they stopped texting. Then Rinne’s phone rang loudly, and she pressed the receive button, took a deep breath, and smiled.

“… I’m back, Sensei.”

“… Welcome back, Rinne.”

That was when I walked out of the room, afraid to interfere with their conversation. I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet that Rinne will stay over tonight.

Was I also crying? My heart was calling out to Rinne silently as I watched her body quivering with emotions.

''Welcome back, Rinne.''

“I have the most shocking rumor of the week! I, with my cute smile, will now be your narrator!”

“… Wow, Miku hasn’t changed at all. You’re still bright as usual.”

“… I like this clever part about Miku.”

“Ahaha – thank you. But even if you treated me as an idiot, I can still tell the difference between sarcasm and actually praise.”

“Hahaha, hehehe.”

“Hmm, I’ll get you back for this later. Did you guys hear those rumors? It’s about that Man-Eating Demon the TV kept talking about. They looked like this – with a sharp head – and kept killing people. When they found the bodies, the victims’ hearts were pierced through, and their brains were sucked out. It’s really mysterious!”

“No, no, to be honest, that’s just plain scary. But, um, those man-eating rumors… aren’t they just made up fake news?”

“… Huh? Really? What’s that about, Kae?”

“Ah. You didn’t know, nee-san? Isn’t being a rumor mill the only talent you’ve got?”

“You talk too much, Megumi-chan. Seriously, I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently. Where am I supposed to get the energy to gather rumors? See, somebody was making a huge ruckus next to my place at night… when I got up in the morning, the whole area was full of blood – it was stinky and ugly. I won’t be able to sleep properly these days.”

“Isn’t that scarier than the Man-Eating Demon?”

“But the police already came by and said there was nothing to worry about… I had a quick look at the… corpses? All those corpses had the same face. Maybe they were actually marionettes.”

“Hehe.”

“But what about this idea of the rumor being fake? Do you know anything about this, Kaze-chan?”

“Mmm… ah, my Mom works in the hospital. She said there were lots of weird patients these days. They would come to the hospital, but there was nothing wrong with them. However, their families keep asking for them to be examined. It’s really annoying.”

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t get it. But there was something in common amongst all these ‘patients’ – they were all victims of the Man-Eating Demon.”

“… What do you mean?”

“Miku, you’re such an idiot.”

“… Am I an idiot, Rai-sensei?”

“Miku, I don’t believe people should lie.”

“Hehe.”

“I’m saying the claims about people being killed by the Man-Eating Demon were all fake, because those people were still alive. That’s why even the police said the Man-Eating Demon’s victims were all dumb fakers. They probably didn’t mean anything bad and just wanted the attention. Those ‘victims’ should all be dead, not alive in the hospital, so they were obviously lying.”

“Mmm… yeah. You are right. Man, that’s lame. I was hoping for something crazy to happen in our town. The kind of stuff from stories, you know?”

“Don’t think like that. Those kinds of scary stuff should only happen somewhere else. Our lives should be peaceful all the way to the end.”

“That’s so boring.”

“But Kaze-chan… I’m a bit worried. Why were those fake ‘victims’ sent to the hospital and not the police station? If those people who were ‘killed’ were still alive, their families should be at fault too. If it was clear that the victims were making things up, their families should have taken them to the police, right?”

“Um, Rai-sensei, that’s my concern as well… The families all said this ‘person’ was someone else. They said this person was fake. The family members asked the hospital to prove this person to be fake, or they asked the original family member to be returned to them…”

“…”

“…”

“… What is all this mess?”

“Who knows. It stinks. Miku, don’t get too involved in this. You might actually end up being an idiot if you get too curious, you know? We are happy and optimistic university students. We should pass our time in a more relaxing way.”

“Yeah… huh, this does sound really scary. Speaking of scary stuff, I’m not even young enough to talk about silly rumors anymore… I’m almost twenty. Wow, I’m almost a responsible adult, right?”

“Hehe… Aha, ahahaha!”

“Ume-chan, why are you laughing so loud like that?! Did I say something THAT funny?! And all of you, why are you all laughing your asses off?! This is RUDE! Bastards! Stop laughing! I’m not an idiot! Not an idiot! Seriously! Stop laughing!!”

It was early morning when we arrived at our destination.

We were flown here via a helicopter that Sakaki Ganhō forcibly borrowed from the Japanese Self-Defense Force. In his eyes, this country had as much value as a vending machine. I was very excited to fly, so I was happy, but Rinne looked rather depressed. I knew exactly why, but I couldn’t help her.

“…”

We had to endure this heavy mood for three hours. Our destination was an industrial plant already familiar to me. There was an evil facility hidden underneath this sprawl of grey factories before the destruction of the world, previously named the Eternal Institute, where all sorts of foul research were conducted.

The current world was completely changed, moving along a peaceful trajectory. However, the secret underground institute was still there. It was now the place where the Sakaki Organization – with Sakaki Ganhō as its head – researched the bygone old world and the state of the new world. Personally, I have very little interest about the structure of the world. Besides, the current world didn’t seem to have much to do with me –

But I can’t say this for the current situation.

“Ah, this is it, Rinne.”

I lowered my head, took Rinne’s hand, and walked with her to the entrance of the institute. I briefly turned my head to look behind me and sighed when I saw Sakaki’s pallid and wane face.

Sakaki had been like this ever since last night, when he rushed here to meet Rinne. I didn’t really understand what he was feeling, but I wished he wouldn’t act so gloomily in this already tense situation.

And Rinne was somehow also gloomy. Seriously, I was going to become depressed at this rate.

“… This is so depressing. If you two don’t get on well together, then I’m gonna dig out your eyeballs.”

I haven’t said that catch phrase in a long time.

Sakaki Ganhō was a man of indeterminable age, but he looked young. His hair was swept back on his head, and he wore an expensive shirt and leather shoes. He was the leader of a wealthy and vast organization, with a fair share of its money obtained through illegal means.

He was Sakaki Guryū’s father and the leader the Sakaki Organization, the largest super conglomerate in the world. Before the final battle that destroyed the old world, He had possessed a particular interest towards Apples and Greater Fragments and repeated cruel experiments in the Eternal Institute until he was ultimately killed – that was his backstory.

I had never met him face to face (though I seemed to have met him when I was unconscious?). I knew nothing about who he was, how he died, and why he was killed. Of course, he didn’t remember any of that himself, either. The current world was completely reset, and his evil deeds were all erased.

There was no right or wrong in this world. Everyone believed they were right, and just called whatever was blocking their way ‘wrong’. Our God and monsters were the same. Were we in the right, or were we wrong? It was a problem we often faced. I personally wouldn’t call the final battle justified.

I had once casually crushed people’s dreams and destroyed human lives. It must have made sense for other people to regard me as evil.

Sakaki Ganhō was the same.

He was a bona fide villain in his “previous reincarnation”, but his evil was understandable. If the world changed, then his views would also have changed. Sakaki Ganhō still had that bizarre and fervent aura of harboring an unquenchably desire within, but at least he was a trustworthy ally on the surface.

This underground facility was called The Eternal Institute in the previous world. Now, the research facility housed ‘The World Institute’, a facility with an equally strange name. Sakaki Ganhō was there to greet us when we got out of the lift. As soon as he saw Rinne and I, he became as talkative as he was before.

“Ohoho, welcome to my Institute. You are very welcome here. Please accept my sincerest apologies about the crudeness of the facilities and the lack of refreshments. But do feel at home! Ohoho, God Herself and the Original Poison Apple are both here. What a sight! I, Sakaki Ganhō, will ensure that my descendants remember this meeting for all eternity.”

What an extrovert. He was so happy to meet God – I mean, Rinne. Dressed in that pristine shirt, he looked like an idiot. His only hobby was staying in the institute and working tirelessly while also managing the entire Sakaki Organization. What an idiot and an energized workaholic.

Ganhō’s passion and energy made Rinne hesitant. I had to do my best to keep her engaged. I glanced around alertly while observing Ganhō. There were countless monitors in this room, observing every corner of the Institute. The multitude of screens displayed researchers in lab coats busy at work. They were definitely not conducting bloody experiments like before, though.

The plasma screens kept flickering, making my eyes hurt a little. I would honestly crazy if I stayed here for even a few hours.

I couldn’t see anyone else here. It seems that no one except Sakaki Ganhō liked to stay here. Ganhō was locked in here almost 24/7, managing the entire corporation with the help of digital equipment. His hobby was to stay inside the World Institute and investigate the brand-new world, after all.

The old world was destroyed – the world full of monsters, where the Final Battle erupted with multiple fatalities, was gone.

And then… there was this current world, this brand-new peaceful world.

Ganhō was trying to find out the differences between these two worlds. He conducted experiments and investigated the world’s composition. That was how he spent all his free time. That was the kind of man Sakaki Ganhō was.

“Ah… Thank you. I’m really being a bother to everyone.”

Rinne lifted her eyes to look at Ganhō. She was the God of this world, but she was very humble, and greeted him with a bow.

“How should I introduce myself? Um, Err… I’m Usagawa Rinne.”

“Ahh, you’re so approachable! You are God, yet you bow to me! This is an incomparable honor!”

Rinne didn’t use honorifics towards him, and he didn’t use honorifics in return. Sakaki Ganhō was surprisingly blunt in his speech despite being the head of an enormous conglomerate. He was watching Rinne with an odd look. Rinne’s appearance did not change much from when they separated after the Final Battle - she was still wearing a high school uniform, and her light-pink hair had ribbons tied to it. The God of this world was unchanged.

Sakaki’s eyes were dark and bottomless as he looked at Rinne, and nodded with intense interest.

“Ahh… I still find it hard to understand the whole situation, even though I saw it with my own eyes. An ordinary girl like you is in fact the Supreme Being, the God of this world, Snow White.”

“No… um… I’m very sorry. I’m a failure of a God.”

Rinne kept speaking humbly and it made Ganhō laugh.

“Hahaha, I don’t think you are a failure. Thankfully, you are not an old man with stubbles. Great! I am relieved! If you were actually like the God we had imagined, then I would kill Him without mercy. But if you are our God, then perhaps this world can still be saved. Ah, Jesus Christ, let us drink to our cute God.”

He made a pretentious pose and kept up his weird soliloquy. Was this a tradition in the Sakaki family? I was still thinking about this when the automatic doors opened soundlessly behind me and a woman emerged from it.

“Don’t act so intimate with God. You will be punished for that.”

Someone we have yet to see suddenly appeared.

Her carefully brushed long blonde hair reached her waist. The long white dress and the gloves she wore were both baggy and pristine. Her bottomless green eyes were full of a calm and divine light. She held a pure white parasol in her hands, and looked as if she was a beautiful lady leisurely drinking tea in an aristocrat’s garden –

“Ah, could you be Joker-san?”

Rinne called out at her even faster I did, and instantly blushed after that. Rinne then walked towards the blonde beauty, grasped the other woman’s hand, and smiled.

“I’m so honored to be able to meet you! Wow… I was a Meat Doll and barely responsive the last time I met Joker-san. This is the first time I’ve looked at you closely. Wow, you are so beautiful… your skin is pristine white, your eyes are so deep, and your long blonde hair… Guriko-chan! Look! Look! It’s Joker-san! Joker-san!”

“… Um. God, I am not some scenery. I’m very uncomfortable with your intense response right now.”

Joker stood still and allowed Rinne to play with her long blonde hair. The decorative bells on her clothes and her jewelry made chiming sounds.

Joker mumbled with a pitiable look.

“Hold on… You are nothing like what I had imagined. God should be more holy… purer… ehh, but someone as energetic as you aren’t bad either… in other words, eh, God, please don’t drag me around just because I’m a timid person…”

“Ahahaha. Joker, should we cut off your messy hair and offer them to God? How does that sound? Ahaha!”

Sakaki Ganhō laughed happily. Joker glared at him and yelled with a blush.

“Shut up, useless man! I’d rather have anyone but you laugh at me! You make me so angry, Ganhō! I hate this about you the most!”

“Really? But I love everything about you from the bottom of my heart, Joker!”

“You’re so annoying! Go die!”

“Seriously, Joker, your personality is so cold on the outside but so passionate on the inside!”

“Don’t just put me into those infuriating categories!”

As Rinne looked at this couple from the sidelines, she started to nod emphatically. Despite the loud bickering, this couple in fact loved each other very much. Rinne then pointed at Ganhō.

“Ah! I finally got it. You are Sakaki Ganhō-san?”

“…?”

Sakaki Ganhō lowered his head at this sudden question. Together with Joker, the two of them bowed reverently to Rinne.

“Yes, God, that would be me. I am the current head of the Sakaki Organization – Sakaki Ganhō.”

“Ah. Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Rinne returned the bow with uttermost reverence and smiled demurely.

“Ah, it is really the same as Guriko-chan had said. The dead were restructured under a setting of peace. It’s the same for Ganhō-san and Joker-san… Mmm, I’m so happy to see this. People who opposed each other can now become friends.”

Rinne held onto her own hands and gave a huffing laugh reminiscent of an old woman, completely incongruous to her petite appearance.

“This is great. This setting is so touching. To think that I can personally experience this after the end of the story… it’s a supreme joy. Mmm, everything is finished, no conspiracies are left, and nothing weird happens anymore… this would be the ‘Specials Disk’ for a game, right? Then, this would be a special service for the readers. I’ll use this as my inspiration. Novels like this would be very rare…”

Those words made no sense. Rinne just looked very excited and pointed towards Joker and Sakaki Ganhō.

“For example, Joker-san, you were an enemy in the Last Battle and was a tragic character to the very end. However, now you are getting on along so well with the others… Displaying the hidden facets of a character’s personality… Having two former rivals fight shoulder to shoulder… Woah, that is so exciting. I should be able to use this… I really want to write all this down! But I can’t take notes now… I’ll need to remember all this!”

“…? I don’t understand this at all.”

Rinne was jumping up and down and Joker was looking at her in shock. The older women tidied up her messy hair and asked.

“God! God! Do you have a full understanding of the Last Battle? Is that why you made such a guess?”

“Oh? Mm, pretty much. I am God, after all.”

Rinne laughed happily. She scratched her head in a way that seemed she was irritated and shy at the same time. Rinne had grown stronger while she was away. For better or worse, she was also now in a better mood and became more steadfast and more extroverted, compared to her purer and milder personality before.

The girl who was the center of the world and its God said slowly, with a very friendly tone:

“'I' – 'Usagawa Rinne'- became a Meat Doll, a living zombie, halfway through the story. I ignored everyone else. But at the very end, when I realized that I was God, I understood the entire situation and grasped every story within my hands.”

She spoke quietly in a gentle and even tone, just like how she used to.

“I remember everything. How everyone lived and how they died - everyone was a part of me. Everyone’s happiness was my happiness. If anyone suffered from misfortune, then I would be equally unhappy. Joy, sorrow, pain, anguish, fortune… I remember them all. I can’t forget any of it.”

She then ran her gaze over all of us and smiled.

“It’s the same this time… I always wanted everyone to be happy in his new, re-made world. There were so many people who tried their best and were not rewarded, people who were always in pain… that can’t be right. All of that was my responsibility. I drank poison and caused all sorts of monsters to emerge. I got the entire world covered in darkness and pain. So, this time – everyone needs to be happy.”

“…”

Everyone stayed silent when faced with God’s declaration and creed and Her extremely innocent wishes. However, I was rather happy. Rinne was still the same. She was still the person I loved the most.

Ganhō didn’t seem surprised, either. He only shrugged and said in an exaggerated way:

“Mmm, we will watch how you strive to achieve that, O Mighty Lord. As for me, my evil and despicable acts were not out of my own volition. In the previous world, I was always mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, and then immediately disappearing from the pages. What a pitiable character. I will definitely be more pronounced this time. I’ll have an aura that will supplant my stupid son and become the male protagonist, especially as he’s standing there with his head down!”

“… Yes, why is Guryū so gloomy?”

As if she was looking at some odd creature, Joker stared at her son. Sakaki looked as if he was completely distracted and didn’t appear to hear anything that was said.

Rinne appeared very troubled as well. She gave a bitter smile.

“Well, I’m not sure what happened with Sensei… Yesterday I lit up a cigarette like I always did, and he just became like that –”

“… Milady… my cute Milady had fallen… she’s a delinquent, a delinquent now…”

Sakaki Guryū was reduced to an idiot mumbling to himself. He looked like a bona fide idiot, but he was depressed. Yes, the Rinne we knew was an innocent girl who never drank or smoked. But even if she smoked, he shouldn’t look like all his dreams were shattered.

Rinne put her hand on her cheek and gave a crystal-clear laugh.

“I’m sorry, the flow of time in this world is a bit different from mine – Even though it’s not as bad as [[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Urashima Tarō and the Dragon Palace|Urashima Tarō and the Dragon Palace]]. I’ve been away from here for about… three years? That seemed to be right. But it has been almost ten years in my world. I have therefore changed from a sixteen-years-old tender fruit to a mature twenty-six-year-old –”

“Don’t say your age! Don’t say your actual age while looking just like you did before! You liar!”

“What do you mean ‘liar’? You’re horrible! Even if I’m older, I’m still the same person, Guryū-''chan''!”

“Don’t call me Guryū-''chan''! But yes, I am younger than you now!”

I looked on while this pair of stupid lovers argued with each other. Sakaki was depressed because Rinne was nothing like how she was before. But Rinne was still Rinne. Sakaki will accept her and fall in love with her again one day, even though right now he was being gloomy and annoying. Aaah, seriously, no matter how they treated each other, they were still so annoying!

“Ah, hahaha!”

Ganhō already figure it out and laughed.

“So that’s why. Guryū was always afraid of getting close to girls when he was a kid. It was as if girls were bugs to him… were you having some unrealistic fantasies about girls? Seriously, flipping out so badly just because of one cigarette? Which era did you come from? Poor Guryū… but somehow you look funny, so that’s fine. Ahaha!”

“You are the worst father ever. Poor Guryū – Mmm, I have no right to criticize Ganhō either, since I left him behind as soon as I gave birth and surrendered the opportunity to bring him up. This is so sad…”

Basically, they were both horrible parents. I fixed my cold glare on them for a long time, ignoring Sakaki and Rinne yelling at each other. Then I put up my hand.

“Ganhō.”

I asked with complete seriousness. After all, this man understood things hiding in the deepest level of the world, such as the Greater Fragments, monsters, the previous world, and the structure of the current world.

“We are not here for you to mock your stupid son. We have other businesses… you know this, right?”

“Of course. Who did you think I am?”

The man made a pretentious pose and a boisterous laugh.

“Ah, by the way, I was about to say this this. ''I am the protagonist this time''!”

“The men in my family are all idiots… Hey, Ganhō, you can either die or shut up. Choose one.”

Joker lifted her fist and threatened Ganhō, getting him to shut up at long last. As the only person who could converse properly, she turned her eyes to me.

"I know what you are looking for. It’s about the incomprehensible, incredible, outright impossible phenomenon happening in this peaceful world, right?”

Guryū and Usagawa Rinne were still arguing in front of her.

“In other words, why did God re-appear in this world?”

God, the center of this world, Snow White, Usagawa Rinne – otherwise known as Akutagawa Shirayuki.

This current world was only a world she saw in her dream. Every element, everything that had happened, were only mirrors that reflected her mind and well-being. God was the center of the world, and her dream was the world itself.

Once upon a time, God hated the ''real'' world. She came to this world to escape and forget everything, living in the guise of Usagawa Rinne. Everything was just a beautiful dream, a happy illusion that occurred between the time she ingested the poison and her death.

Usagawa Rinne wished to escape from the real world. She wanted to create a world that suited her, one that centered around her, and live happily in it. She wanted to become the protagonist of the entire story and the avatar of the girl named Akutagawa Shirayuki. However, she didn’t choose to be destroyed together with this world. She chose to keep living and had returned to reality.

She overcame the poison within, returned to her real life, and managed to live peacefully until now.

The current world was very peaceful. That should be enough evidence to show she was living contently.

But why did Usagawa Rinne return to this world of Mushi and Eyeballs? Why? For what reason? For what purpose?

“A different seed of melancholy had appeared. I’ll show you.”

Joker started to work on the computer terminal. One of the countless plasma screens behind her – a particularly big monitor – showed a new picture.

I couldn’t tell whether it was a satellite image or a picture from a surveillance camera. It was just a very fuzzy and blurry picture. It was at night– it was dark, the lighting was bad, and visibility was very low.

A girl appeared in that disturbing scene.

I could only see her vague outline, and she didn’t look human.

Her head was very sharp, and the shape of her body was bizarre. She was holding either a spear or a long stick, which was very noticeable. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding the streetlights. With only the faint moonlight to go on, it was hard to see her clearly.

The only thing I could be sure of was that she was female.

Her dark red eyes shone brightly even in the darkness. She had a childish face, as if she was a prepubescent girl.

The girl wore a sharp hat and was lots of clothes. She was definitely holding a spear – a long and heavy spear with one of its ends dragging on the ground as she walked.

I didn’t understand the meaning of this image at all and furrowed my brows.

“… What is this?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t really know the details myself.”

The skin on Joker’s Caucasian nose creased in a frown, and a look of regret appeared on her face. At the same time, Ganhō put on a serious expression and followed up with complementary information.

“This person was nicknamed the Man-Eating Demon in town. She is the root of the rumors that have been terrorized everyone. You should have heard of her too, right?”

“Ahh…”

Now that she mentioned it, Echi did talk about this at cram school yesterday.

Man-Eating Demon… huh. Rather than a demon, it was a bit more like what Echi said about a clown…

But I have no memories about this person. This person seemed to be… separated from the world of humans. She was not a monster, but she was also not a human…

These red eyes… It was as if she was…

I was recalling something. I was diving deep into my memories and remembering something when Ganhō interrupted me.

“Well, we couldn’t control how the public perceived her. There were so many rumors. This person – this Man-Eating Demon – was seen wandering around the town, attacking people, and then eating them.”

“So, this is really a ‘man-eating’ demon…”

Joker said casually and carelessly.

“To be precise, she only ate the heart and the brain. The rest of the body was left alone. In that case, the name ‘Man-Eating Demon’ was not quite accurate…”

“The heart… and the brain?”

Maybe the heart made sense, but I couldn’t understand why she would devour the brain. The heart was the foundation of our existence. Those who possessed a Fragment would use their heart as the vessel for the Fragment. It made sense for her to hunt down others with Fragments and eat the Fragment to obtain power. It made sense for beings different from normal humans to aim for the heart when attacking monsters and Greater Fragments.

But the brain part was really puzzling.

Eating the brain… that wouldn’t achieve anything.

“Why the brain?”

Ganhō shook his head.

“I don’t understand it myself. I probably won’t understand it unless I question the culprit directly. There might be some special significance, but I don’t have much to go on for a hypothesis. I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s just her fetish… like how you always dug out eyeballs?”

“I’m not a pervert like that. And I haven’t dug out human eyeballs for a long time.”

I fixed my glare at Ganhō while Joker tried to calm us down. Mmm, I can’t help myself when it comes to having arguments about this… I have already become a normal human and I really prefer not remembering how I used to be. I don’t like it when others mock me for who I was.

I was no longer a monster that dug out eyeballs.

I’m just Itsuwara Kuriko, a useless 19 years old repeat-year-student one could find in any high school.

“The problem is –”

Joker dragged the conversation back on track with a loud voice.

“This Man-Eating Demon seemed to constantly target those with a Greater Fragment.”

“… Like you guys?”

The Greater Fragments.

The seven supreme beings who split the responsibilities of God into seven equal parts.

Single Room, of Genesis.

Sterilization Disinfection, of Noah’s Flood.

{{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}, of the Tower of Babel.

Unpleasant Counter-Current, of the Angels.

{{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}}, of the Messiah.

{{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}}, of the Devil.

And the Beast of the End – God Mushi Emperor.

The only ones whose location I knew for certain were Single Room – Nikuyama Kajiri, {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} – Breaksun Hanselmine, and {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} – Sakaki Joker. Well, {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} went a bit funny. Strictly speaking, Breaksun may not even count as a Greater Fragment. And to make things worse, Kuroki Tatsue inherited the power of {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} even when she didn’t have a Greater Fragment inside her. Without a Fragment to provide her with energy, Tatsue’s abilities were limited. So… she might be on the same power level as Breaksun? The relationships between these Greater Fragments folks were really complicated.

“The Man-Eating Demon seemed to have fought both Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current a few days ago.”

Joker smoothly stated as she pointed to the image in front of her.

“The surveillance cameras didn’t capture all of the fight, unfortunately. This is only a part of it. At the very least, we managed to capture Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current facing off the Man-Eating Demon. It was accidentally captured by a military satellite passing in orbit.”

I couldn’t understand how she could easily access and examine images captured by military satellites, but it was probably an everyday occurrence for people like her. After all, the Sakaki Organization was a super conglomerate that could control all the army in the world if it wanted and instantly trigger a Third World War.

Something bizarre happened on the screen as I thought about this.

There was a woman with long white hair tied into a braid. She was kneeling on the ground with her arms wrapped around her stomach, as if she was injured.

A girl wearing a hat with big round years was standing next to the white-haired woman, seemingly protecting her.

Gazing at the two from a far distance was the Man-Eating Demon with its pointy hat.

“Oh!”

Impulsively, I yelled at the monitor.

“Mina! Mitsuki! You…”

They couldn’t hear me. This was just a picture. But I was very happy. They were my companions who once fought together with me and supported me in the Final Battle.

Sterilization Disinfection – Saibara Mina.

Unpleasant Counter-Current – Saibara Misuki.

The Saibara sisters were still in this world as Greater Fragments. I didn’t know whether them retaining their roles were a strike of good luck or misfortune, but I was just happy to see them alive and unchanged.

I quickly turned to Joker with concern.

“Where were they? Were they really Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current? Why were they with the Man-Eating Demon….”

“Now now. Calm down. I understand what you must be feeling.”

Joker gave a bitter smile and explained calmly.

“We are quite sure that the white-haired woman and girl in a high school uniform were the Saibara sisters. However, I’m not sure if they were still playing the roles of Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Currently, despite the police finding dents on the road that only Sterilization Disinfection should be able to create. Mmm, it might be reasonable to assume though…”

Her words were careful, but I felt her assumptions was correct. Mina was still Sterilization Disinfection, and Mitsuki was Unpleasant Counter-Current. They didn’t change, but they would have lost their memories before the world was re-made. Even if we met, they would only be apprehensive of us… anyways, I was still quite happy to learn that they were around and remained unchanged.

“And yesterday…”

As Joker’s voice sank, my mood also plummeted.

“… the Man-Eating Demon attacked this Institute.”

“…!”

I couldn’t help but look at Ganhō. He nodded with a nonchalant and calm expression, making me feel that no damage was done –

“Mmm. This is, after all, an Institute established by the Sakaki Organization, the greatest business conglomerate in the world. I defeated her without having to show my face… The Man-Eating Demon had demanded {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} to appear and stated she had something to say. Perhaps that was also why she contacted Sterilization Disinfection. I presume she was here because of my Greater Fragment. That would be the most likely reason.”

She then looked towards God, who was still chattering loudly and comfortable with Sakaki Guryū, and said:

“We don’t fully understand Man-Eating Demon’s goal yet, but it’s best to be careful. If she noticed God is here, then there is a high chance God would become a priority target for her. After all, God is more important to this world than the Greater Fragments. We can protect Rinne if you need it, though we can’t guarantee her absolute safety even within this facility. Or should we seek the assistance of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} and Single Room?”

{{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} – Sakaki Joker – then looked at me and spoke in a low voice.

“Perhaps you, too, can’t remain completely detached from the battles that will descend upon us. I won’t force you to do anything, but I hope you are prepared. This world as it is now is rather strange, with the return of God and the presence of the Man-Eating Demon… No one knows what will happen.”

“…”

''Yeah, I know all this.

I know this even if you didn’t mention it.

But – what can I do?

I’m not an immortal anymore, and I’m not much stronger than a human in a fight. Can I still protect Rinne as I am now?''

Even though the World Institute tried its best to search for the reason behind Rinne’s re-appearance, they still came up empty-handed. But the danger that had already presented itself – the fearsome enemy, the Man-Eating Demon – was a different story. After some discussion with Joker, I decided to temporarily leave Rinne in the Institute to protect her.

We didn’t know whether the Man-Eating Demon could sense Rinne. {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} never wrote her name on any of Sakaki Organization’s promotional material, but the Man-Eating Demon still found out about her and came to the Institute. We had no means of knowing when or whether this enemy might detect Rinne and try to get close to her.

Rinne appeared to simple be a tourist in this world, but her return should be in no ways as trivial as that. It was sad, but I still had to tell her that she must not do anything rash before we made sure of the reason behind her reappearance and the true aim of the Man-Eating Demon.

Even though Rinne got a bad mood from that and complained, she understood it was because we were worried about her. She agreed to this after voicing her displeasure.

“Guriko-chan, you need to take me everywhere to sightsee after things blow over, okay?”
Rinne’s face was taunt and looking downwards as she mumbled. I nodded and looked at her.

''Mmm, I’ll definitely take you to sightseeing, Rinne – God.

I’ll show you this world, a world that you didn’t allow to fall.''

And that was the situation. We still needed the assistance of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} and Single Room. However, it was too dangerous for Rinne to leave the World Institute, and where those two lived didn’t have telephone lines. No, they might have a phone, but it wouldn’t be connected. The Sakaki Organization could probably find these two if it really tried, but if I could get it done faster and in a more reliable way from a personal visit. That was why I ended up visiting them.

Sakaki said he wanted to stay in the Institute to protect Rinne. He also said Ganhō and Joker wouldn’t completely trust him, since those two were the antagonists in the previous Final Battle. He was using his own parents and said a lot of extreme stuff about them. But never mind. He could do whatever he wanted.

Anyways, he had a bunch of reasons for not coming with me. He was the one who wanted to protect Rinne more than anyone else. This made me happy, but also a bit lonely.

“… Lonely? Hmm.”

I snorted at my own thoughts and walked towards the Institute’s exit. It was then that I heard hurried footsteps coming from in front of me out of the depth of the corridor.

''Pitter patter. Pitter patter.''

“H-Help! Help! Someone! help me!”

“…………”

The girl running towards me was dressed completely in black. She wore a black frock, had black gloves on, and even her hairband was black. The entire outfit was so austere that it bordered on funeral attire. However, there was nothing ominous about the outfit. She was very cute, almost like a doll, and the clothes suited her. Her face looked very young.

This girl running loudly towards me was Sakaki Guryū’s adopted younger sister. Wait. No. She was his ''actual sister''… she was Sakaki Ganhō and Joker’s daughter. She was Kuroki Tatsue, one of the few people who retained the memories of the ‘previous world’ in this re-structured reality.

I was rather concerned. I didn’t speak up, but nor did I ignore the girl screaming for help. I stretched out my hand and grabbed her neck.

“What’s wrong? Don’t run indoors… seriously, young people these days…”

“Huh?! Have you ever seen someone like you, grabbing a person by the neck when they were running away and screaming for help?! Also, the gap between our ages shrank by a good amount when the world was re-constructed! So, stop talking about ‘young people’!”

Tatsue kicked and thrashed as if she was a puppy. I have heard that sons take after their mothers and daughters take after their fathers, and that was indeed true for the Sakaki family. Tatsue was as annoying as Ganhō.

“What happened, Tatsue-chan? Calm down and tell me.”

I lifted Tatsue using my height advantage and narrowed my eyes at her. If the Man-Eating Demon was launching an attack, then I must be prepared.

But when I heard the sounds behind Tatsue, I knew immediately it wasn’t anything as dire as that.

“Tatsue! I found you! I see you over there, Tatsue!”

“I won’t let you go outside, so you ran away from me... It’s a matter of time before I catch you, Tatsue. Even your family heirloom, the ultimate ability to control {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}}’s power, won’t be able to help you.”

Two young men appeared in the corridor as they mumbled to themselves.

I remembered them both and I also understood why Tatsue was running away.

“…Tatsue-chan.”

“What?”

“… Being popular is tough, isn’t it?”

“Are you mocking me? You are mocking me! You wanna fight?! I won’t lose to you now! I’m gonna give you a good taste of my ability!”

As Tatsue screamed, the two boys came up to her (and me, who was holding her up) and moaned as if they were zombies.

“Ta-tsu-e…”

“Tatsue--…”

“Ah! Ah! Please don’t come near me! You are dead! This isn’t where you are supposed to be! Save me, Buddha-sama! Save me, priest-sama!”

It seemed these two boys took delight in watching Tatsue’s desperate struggles and were very devoted to playing these tricks on her. It was very fun to see Tatsue-chan being teased.

I sighed and stated honestly.

“… Tatsue-chan, you brought this upon yourself. You’re at fault for dating both of them.”

“I’m not dating both of them. I’m not dating them both. I… I’m not that kind of girl. I – I –”

It was very fun to see Tatsue-chan puffing her cheeks out and almost crying.

Then I turned my gaze towards the boys standing in front of her.

One of them was Takamikado Mitaka, a slender boy with very pale skin and very myopic glasses. He didn’t look fashionable at all with his very lame hair and clothes.

He was Tatsue’s childhood friend in the previous world. He was later killed and diced up by the monster named Berōbuchō, and re-awakened when the world was re-made. Therefore, he was no longer dead, but alive and full of energy.

And the other guy…

At first glance, one could mistake him for a girl. He had a kind of slender body completely different from Mitaka. While Mitaka simply looked frail, this boy had an inborn, natural aura of beauty. He had pale hair that reached his shoulders. His skin was very smooth, as if he was a reptile and not human. He had a pair of golden irises and wore a heavy frock, completely ignoring the hot weather.

I turned my gaze and addressed the second boy, an old good friend with whom I had spent a long time.

“Yo, Snake. You’re using the previous version of you? Huh.”

“What do you mean ‘previous version’? Wouldn’t it be disgusting to have two people using the same face?”

The boy with the longer hair smiled lightly as he replied in a relaxed tone – he was the last member of the clan of Snakes, whose ancestor tricked both God and men and was expelled from Eden.

“Mmm, even this body is temporary for me. This person fears my original form as a snake. Are you very repulsed by reptiles, Takamikado Mitaka?”

“You are being too loud, demon! Taste my crucifix!”

Mitaka pushed up his glasses and shakily took out a crucifix from his pocket. Snake looked at him with mockery written all over his face and smiled as he brushed his hand through his hair.

“Hahaha… Mitaka is very fun. You are not a Christian, but you are waving a crucifix at your opponent… there’s no way it would have any value or use in your hands.”

“Shut up! This is what I came up with after a thorough investigation! You are the original traitor who committed the original sin in the Garden of Eden, and your expulsion was recorded in the Bible! The Snake feared God’s power and should also fear the crucifix! That’s also why Christians use these kinds of symbols!”

“You are such an otaku and you’re so annoying. It was my ancestor who was expelled by God, so there’s no way these things can harm me. And stuff like the crucifix belong to Jesus Christ, not Jehovah. Why should I be afraid of a dude born in a barn and had a full beard? The idea that the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are the same Trinity was only glued together by humans at a later time.”

“… You two seem to be getting along well.”

Tatsue was hugging me tightly. I felt rather annoyed that I got dragged into a mess again. I sighed. I should have left the Institute earlier. Besides, these kids should be going school. Why were they wandering around here, not even staying at home?

Snake shrugged and narrowed his eyes as he chuckled.

“You call this ‘get along well’? If we are really getting along, then I would be eating Takamikado Mitaka’s flesh and fusing into him. We didn’t exactly have a tearful goodbye. That’s why I think Mitaka is cute. I’m very interested in him.”

“That’s disgusting. Terrible demon! Have some garlic!”

“Ah, that sucks. That’s really terrible. Snakes have a very sensitive sense of smell, you know?”

Mitaka threw garlic everywhere, then chased Snake as the later ran away. ''Are they like this every day…? I '''have''' heard rumors about how boring these people are…''

“Tatsue-chan… are you okay?”

Tatsue had climbed up my body and was straddling my neck. I looked at the dark-clad girl, who was the center of this chaos. She hung her head and looked very tired.

The entire world was re-constructed. All the dead were resurrected. The world was re-structured in a brand-new and peaceful ‘setting’. That was how it had continued to operate up to now.

The only ones who did not go through a ‘reset’ were those who lived past the final battle. I was an exception, as I became a normal human after the Poisoned Apple was removed from me. I was the only one who was given a new ‘setting’ while retaining the memories of my ‘previous life’-

However, this re-construction was full of unexpected ‘bugs’. There were all sorts of awkward, contradictory, and incomprehensible events. Ganhō was investigating this in the World Institute, yet there were still more puzzles than solutions.

This was one of the most severe situations.

Takamikado Mitaka was dead in the previous world. He was cut up and killed by Berōbuchō, and Snake took over Takamikado Mitaka’s body and identity after eating Mitaka’s flesh. Tatsue then fell in love with Snake in this form.

''There was always the question of '''who''' Tatsue actually liked. Even though I am very new to the emotion of love, I can still comprehend this.''

Kuroki Tatsue liked ‘Takamikado Mitaka’.

But was this ‘Takamikado Mitaka’ the boy she grew up with, or the Snake who borrowed Mitaka’s appearance? The question was whether she liked his body or his mind.

For Mitaka, it was as if his childhood friend, the girl whom he liked and liked him back, was taken away from him by a wayward demon. There was no way he wouldn’t accept or forgive this. Even I would feel jealous and angry if someone took over my identity and became happy without my knowledge.

Snake also wanted to become Tatsue’s lover. However, Tatsue liked “Takamikado Mitaka”. He was only borrowing that man’s appearance and identity, and he was doomed to fail.

It was so troublesome. In some ways, it was the troubles of idiots.

If Tatsue sided with one man, then she couldn’t side with the other. However, both boys were “Takamikado Mitaka”. If I had to describe it, it was like her lover had split into two. Tatsue must be very anxious, so I understand why she would be running away like this.

Hmm, but I won’t interfere with these problems. These problems should solve on their own with time. I stood aside and watched the three of them crying and angrily yelling all at the same time. Suddenly, I thought of something and asked Tatsue:

“Why are you guys here in the Institute? Why aren’t you at school?”

“… Father and Mother called us here.”

Tatuse looked happy as she spoke of her parents. A smile surfaced on her face for the first time today.

“There were rumors about things that ate humans. A monster was going around attacking strong people, wasn’t it? Snake and I aren’t normal humans… we would be in danger if we were attacked. We are going to stay here and remain out of trouble until the whole thing blows over. By the way, I didn’t ask Mitaka to come. He followed us here.”

Mitaka had a sharp ear and heard everything, even though he was arguing with Snake. He instantly blushed red.

“I’m Tatsue’s servant! Why shouldn’t I follow her here? Besides, how can I bear leaving Tastue alone with this strange thing in such a weird place!”

“… That might be true.”

Tatsue lowered her head in confusion, then said brokenly:

“But – but if I was attacked by someone stronger than me, then Mina-san and Mitsuki-sama should have warned me. Or maybe I am just that much weaker than the Greater Fragments? I’m the incomplete vessel of {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}}, and Snake is a very weak monster, so maybe...”

“Hold on.”

I looked at Tatsue in shock and asked:

“Did you just say Mina-san?”

“Mm? Yes… Saibara Mina-san, and Mitsuki-sama – Mi-chan. They should be fine even if I went into hiding, right? Those two are very powerful… If we end up fighting that man-eating whatever, it’s best to stay together, no?’

Ahh, I finally remembered those distant memories.

I was tricked by {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}} and opposed Tatsue… then, even in this world, Tatsue and Snake were together with Mitsuki and Mina. They had been helping each other as close companions no matter what. They were always connected in the ‘previous world’, and their connections in the previous world would ensure they will meet again. There were contact points even in this re-constructed world.

I can’t remember. Or rather, I had already forgotten… I haven’t met Mina or Mitsuki in this world yet.

Tatuse tilted her head, then frowned. She then took out her black mobile phone.

“Ahh, there’s no signal… Right, we are underground.”

She then lowered her head. Looking up at me, she nodded with a serious expression.

“Even though I haven’t seen or spoken with Mina-san yet, I’m still a student at Kannonsakazaki High School just like Mitsuki-sama. So, we are physically close and are friends. Since Mitsuki lost her memories of the ‘previous world’, she won’t lie about it at all. If you asked her one question about the Greater Fragments and other things, she will just tell you a bunch of stuff.”

“Ahh, you two are in the same school huh.”

I already graduated, and I’m a useless repeat-year-student who no longer went to school. I didn’t know many students from the other years even when I was at school. It was the first time I heard about Tatsue and the other students in my school.

Anyways, communicating with Mitsuki must be fun. As Tatsue remained sitting on my shoulders, I let her in on a secret.

“Then, Tatsue-chan… Could I please as you explain things to Mitsuki and Mina and ask them to come hide in this Institute too? They don’t have the memories from the previous world anymore, and it would be especially hard to convince Mina. Please, Tatsue. Your older brother is deeper within the complex, and you should go ask him about how to ensure our victory. This is perhaps the greatest disturbance since the Last Battle… we need to gather all the friends we can find.”

“I don’t understand this at all.”

Tatsue smiled and said in a low and very gentle voice.

“But it is my earnest wish to work with Mitsuki-sama again. If this doesn’t turn out to be anything bloody and is only a beautiful adventure instead…”

“Nothing bloody will happen. We will do things slowly and do them well… Is that okay, Tatsue-chan?”

Tatsue finally climbed down from my shoulders and ignored the two boys fighting like two bloodthirsty beasts.

As Tatsue – who had recommenced yelling and calling out for help – ran further away from me, I waved at her and walked away. I should at least say a few encouraging words to her.

“Well, do your best!”

“It’s not about doing my best! W-wait… I don’t understand anything about that man-eating mess. Tell me what is going to happen! Guriko?! Guriko!? I can’t act just on this information! Urk, I hate you! I won’t leave you alone even if I become a ghost. Guriko, you unsympathetic brat!”

The Sakaki gene probably meant the family was doomed to be troubled with romantic problems for their whole lives. Please, God, don’t let me get involved in these things. Even though they look fun, it will only stay that way if I remain looking from afar and doesn’t get involved.

Even though it was lonely –

This was the right place for me.

“This is POISON valley. All who have no business here are forbidden from entering.”

…

This was a building that looked like a newly built retirement home. The soft colors of its exterior gave out a very modern feeling, as if aliens lived there. Contrary to its design style, this building was called ‘POISON’ and it was abnormally grandiose and tall. You can’t grasp its entire form without standing back a little from it.

I had gotten off the car with the Sakaki Organization staff about 30 minutes ago and walked the rest of the way here. Cars cannot drive up close to this building due to its special characteristics. In some way, this was the most abnormal place on earth. Single Room – Nikuyama Kajiri – and {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} – Breaksun Hanselmine – were the ones living in this strange place.

“… I’ve always wondered why it was called ‘Poison Valley’. ‘Poison’ is the name of its owner, so that makes sense. But ‘Valley’…”

I pondered during the short respite after I pressed the doorbell.

“I’m coming! Who is it?”

The porch was rather delicate compared with the gigantic building. A muttering figure appeared when the rather heavy doors opened.

“There are entry and exit points everywhere in Poison Valley. This kind of architecture is extremely confusing. I never know where I am. Is this the actual front door? Or is this a random exit? I don’t get it. Mmm, it doesn’t matter anymore. Ah, it’s you. What a rare guest.”

A thin boy, shorter than me, appeared at the doorway.

His dark crimson hair and eyes were unbelievably beautiful. He was wearing very fitting shirt and jeans and an apron – maybe he was cooking. He wore a crucifix as a necklace, and it dangled over his chest. This boy was Single Room, the existence considered to be the closest to God.

But that didn’t matter anymore.

“You really look like a girl with an apron like this. Man, you really are disgusting. Do you want an older woman to say you are ‘super cute’?”

“Why are you invalidating everything about me just because of my apron?”

The boy called Nikuyama Kajiri gave a bitter grin as he tackled my sarcasm head-on. He looked at me with some jealousy.

“But you are still super tall like before. Just want did you eat to grow so tall?”

“Who knows. I want to know that too.”

He overused his powers during the Final Battle, causing his own existence to crumble and ultimately died. That was why he didn’t remember things from the previous world. However, Breaksun, the foreign women who lived with him, survived the previous battle. She explained the situation to Kajiri, and he therefore knew a fair bit about the issue at hand. In fact, Kajiri was initially still isolated deep within a forest in the rebuilt world. Breaksun went and brought him out of the forest at a later time. Everyone should have been resurrected under a peaceful ‘setting’, and I didn’t know why he alone was subjected to such bad treatment. As Single Room, with the power to change the ‘setting’ of the world, he was affected quite negatively when God reconstructed the world. Did he awaken to an unfortunate situation? I didn’t know.

Regardless, Breaksun brought him back in one piece. The two of them had lived peacefully in Poison Valley since then. Perhaps it was God’s plan for Breaksun to meet him again. They had a thread of destiny that went all the way back to their previous lives. They were lovers destined for each other… hahaha, it was really embarrassing to say this.

Kajiri smiled. He tilted his head and waved at me:

“Hmm, I don’t know what’s the point of this, but let’s sit down and have some tea. Today is a rare holiday for us, but Breako should have left already… because of something… Oh. Oh.”

His body suddenly started to twist and twirl in a strange way as he spoke, as if he was dancing.

What was going on? Just as I furrowed my brows, a number of children literally popped into existence in the room, filling the place with laughter.

“Ahh –" "Kuriko-chan, Kuriko-chan –" "Yay –!" "It’s been so long since I saw you!”

These sharp and chaotic sounds hurt my ears.

Lots of young kids appeared out of thin air. They were of various ages, but their faces all looked incredibly similar. They were all dressed messily in various colors and were the strangest phenomenon inside Poison Valley.

These children were emerging like bubbles. I tried my best to recognize some of them. Even though they kept popping up, I wasn’t really surprised… but I couldn’t feel their presence up till the moment they appeared.

My entire body was suddenly constricted by hugs. Someone was even hugging my face. I could only hug these kids back, ignoring the risk of having my body crushed. ''Wow, they are heavy. They are warm too. But this… hurts… so much…'' These little ones laughed loudly and seemed very happy. They huddled around me and chirped like birds.

“Aaaahhhh – !” “Kuriko-chan, Kuriko-chan!” “You grew taller, taller! You’re so tall!” “Hey! Hey! It’s my birthday today!” “Kuriko-chan, will you have lunch in my house today? Will you? Will you?” “Kuriko-chan!” “Ahh! Long time no see! Long time no see!”

What an unbearable noise. This should be classified as an attack.

Right. Who were these kids? They were the children of the previous {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}. They were buried within {{Furigana|Tear Song|Melodia Noise}}’s body in the previous world as Fragment vessels. Since the entire world was re-built, these one hundred and forty-three children – Breaksun’s siblings – were all revived. They were all living in Poison Valley and formed a mighty force.

They weren’t considered Fragments, but since they inherited the power of the Great Fragment and were potential vessels of Fragments, they all maintained {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}’s capabilities to a certain extent. Most of them were old enough to understand what was going on. However, while some of the older siblings already mastered this reality-bending power, a lot of the younger ones couldn’t control their powers well and used it haphazardly. What a pain.

The power of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} was to corrupt cause and effect, and to twist causality. It could twist this world at will and could even control destiny itself. If this power multiplied on top of itself, it could well explode and ruin the physical reality within Poison Valley. It would be a world where the same door can lead to difference rooms every time one opened it, a world where water could spurt out if one turned on the stove. All sorts of incomprehensible things could happen here. Therefore, the only ones living here were those with the power of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} and the one person who could rewrite the world, Single Room. Even if the Man-Eating Demon invaded Poison Valley, it wouldn’t be able to achieve a single thing in this unpredictable place.

Anyways.

The power of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} was tightly connected with song and sound. Its power laid within in the sound waves the owner of the Fragment they emitted. Humans not used to this sound could faint just from hearing it. Therefore, as these children of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} kept laughing and running around me, my body sensed danger –

“Hey… kiddos, don’t mess with the guest.”

Kajiri gave a sign, and the kids surrounding me immediately scattered. Of course, this annoyed some of the kids who wanted to keep playing with me. They started to curse Kajiri.

“Tch – !” “Kajiri is so unreasonable!” “What a dictator!” “Seriously – ??“ “I want to play with Kuriko-chan! I want to play!” ‘Don’t interrupt us, Kajiri you idiot!” “You are a midget too!” “Midget midget!” “Bean-sized!” “We still have a future! Kajiri looks like he’s old enough to drop dead!” “Kajiri you midget!” “Dwarf – !”

“…”

The whole room filled up with chaotic chatter.

Kajiri grabbed a raw egg and threw it at the children. He was already an adult, but he roared at the kids with a terrifying expression.

“You bastards… The thing I hate the most in the world was to be called a midget! That is unforgivable! You midgets stay where you are! Bastards, I’m gonna make sure you taste these raw eggs!”

Then he completely lost his temper. To be fair, since he looked so much younger than his age, I originally thought he was a midget, too.

The children were used to this. They all ran away from Kajiri and disappeared into empty space one after the other, jumping and laughing in joy as Kajiri threw eggs around.

“Tch –! Tch –!” “Kajiri is angry!” “Full retreat!” “We are fighting, Kajiri is fighting! Breaksun-nee told us about this!” “Run away! Run away!” “Aha –!” “Kajiri would get angry over nothing!” “Bye Kuriko-chan! Come play with me afterwards!” “Hahaha!”

They scuttled away, quick as little spiders. Kajiri’s hair was standing on their ends in rage. He was going to thoroughly punish the children while looking like his hair was on fire. I looked at them and genuinely felt that, as always, this place was the very semblance of peace. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah! Kajiri, and Kuriko is here too. Good morning?”

One of the seven equal parts of God, one of the Greater Fragments, the manifestation of the Tower of Babel, {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}, was here. She was the only superior existence who could control causality at will. She looked friendly as she waved, but also looked like she just woke up.

She was a woman of uncertain ethnicity. Her green hair was as thick as vegetable juice. Since she never slept in a reasonable way, her long hair was a mess. She was wearing childish pajamas that looked like a frog. She half-laughed, as if she was not really awake. Even though her messy attire made her hard to recognize, it was still difficult to hide the charm and beauty of her tall figure.

Her name was Breaksun Hanselmine.

In the previous world, her heart was taken away and she lost the power of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}. She was also one of the only survivors of the final battle and therefore retained the grim memories of that world. When the world was re-made, she obtained the Fragment of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} again and created Poison Valley to bring up her numerous siblings. These children were modified into Fragment vessels in the previous world due to {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}}’s ‘modification of the flesh’ skill and could not control their powers. However, they gradually learnt to better control the Fragment of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} after some training.

Mmm, she didn’t look like a great celebrity at all. Just a silly older sister for her siblings.

She lived in one of the countless bedrooms in the deepest bowels of Poison Valley. Her room was the one covered in music posters and anime stickers, and the floor was littered with music equipment and instruments. There wasn’t even a spot to stand. The owner of the room also had to curl up in the corner and sleep in a sleeping bag. It really didn’t look like a bedroom.

I froze when Kajiri showed me this room, heaving a deep sigh as I looked into the doorway.

“Seriously… look at the time. This really isn’t the time for an employed person to wake up. Never mind. Just… please tidy this room a bit. Seriously, how are you able to sleep in a place like this…”

Since I had no ways of entering this room, I could only talk while standing at the door. I don’t remember ever seeing any place as messy as this. She probably had a reason to keep these things, but still…

“Yawn…”

Breaksun made a big yawn and stood up slowly. She was limpid as she walked towards us, as if all her bones were removed. How did she not trip over when traversing this messy room? Maybe it was because of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}}’s ability? She twisted all causality and refused to connect the mess at her feet with herself. She really wasn’t wasting her abilities.

Breaksun quickly walked up to us and leaned against me tiredly. We were about the same height and her hair kept rubbing against my eyes and cheek. It was very annoying.

She smelled sweet and warm, like people who just woke up.

I closed my eyes and softly mumbled.

“Hey, Breaksun, how did you get fatter? You’re really heavy.”

“Cos walking is a pain… Kuriko, I wanna go eat breakfast. Please carry me to the dining room…”

“…”

This useless bastard… anyone older than kindergarten age would not claim walking was a pain. Even a primary school student won’t be so stubborn.

“Please, Kajiri.”

Kajiri, standing next to me, helped this annoying foreigner onto my back. Then, he swiftly wiped away the drool around her mouth and tied her hair into a proper braid. That was very impressive. No, Breaksun became so useless because he looked after her so attentively. I smiled.

“Seriously… Breako is always like a child.”

“Ba~ba~ bu~ bu~.”

They seemed to be conversing somehow. They really have a very close relationship.

…

Anyways, we then walked to Poison Valley’s dining room.

We ran into a few of Breaksun’s siblings. They either talked endlessly or ran circles around me. Nothing major happened.

Breaksun was already working as a signed singer and earned the most money in this family. She was an adult, and she used her job to maintain the expenses in Poison Valley to allow everyone to live peacefully. Everyone got on well with each other here, as if it was a multi-cultural country.

Breaksun’s voice was called ‘the voice of the witch’ and was loved by people all over the world. She was therefore pretty successful as far as singers go. I would hear her songs even if I was just walking around town.

Her tunes and lyrics felt very strange for me. I feel tired every time I heard it. However, people reacted to it very positively. I don’t understand this world at all.

I don’t watch TV, so I don’t really know about these things. But Echi was very jealous of the fact that I am Breaksun’s friend. This useless and strange foreigner was really nobody special. Even if Breaksun’s situation had changed, her personality didn’t change at all. She always seemed nonchalant and careless. That was the only trait she shared with other celebrities.

I sat down on a chair in the dining area as I thought about these unrelated things.

It was almost lunchtime, and I was going to have lunch with Breaksun. Lunch… lunch should be eaten at around noon. Even though Breaksun insisted it was breakfast, it should be lunch for a normal person.

Kajiri put on an apron and was about to go cook. He asked Breaksun and I to wait, then disappeared into the kitchen. The person closest to God was now a chef and manservant… well, it didn’t matter. It just felt so peaceful.

For some reason, whenever I sat here, I would always get a throbbing headache. I endured this as I explained to Breaksun the purpose of my visit as well as everything that had happened recently. Yes, I was not here to relax. I came here to specifically seek the assistance of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} and Single Room so that the tragedy of the Last Battle would not be repeated. I can’t forget such an important task.

“… But, in that case… is it because…?”

Breaksun put a straw in her mouth and sipped her coffee, then tilted her head. You won’t see something like this on an ordinary person. Even though she was an immortal, her senses did not completely disappear, and she could still taste coffee. Her face also became red because of the heat.

“Is it because Ring-bell appeared in this world again? Um, did that child return because she was once again running away from reality?”

“Ring-b… Ahh, you meant Rinne.”

For a brief moment, I didn’t realize who she meant. Breaksun was referring to Rinne using the latter’s nickname, just like she had done in the previous world. Breaksun was Usagawa Rinne’s neighbor when they both stayed in the same apartment building in the previous world. She knew Rinne and interacted with her. It was normal that Breaksun had a nickname for Rinne.

Whatever. I shrugged and asked Breaksun.

“We are not sure why Rinne appeared again. She didn’t mention it herself, either. If she came here to escape her reality, the she looks a bit too relaxed… I feel that she didn’t return here out of her own volition. She’s here for a reason.”

There weren’t monsters appearing, and she definitely didn’t ingest poison. The entire world was calm. The appearance of the Man-Eating Demon was making many people concerned, but it wasn’t anything big enough to break the world. However, I still have questions, but I wasn’t desperate. Rinne’s reappearance just felt like an accident, or rather, an incident…

“Is there a – a special reason for it?”

I tried my hardest to think and looked up blankly. Breaksun scratched her face.

“Could she be… on a holiday?”

“If she’s after a holiday, then she would have come back countless times already –”

Even as I said this, the proposition felt right.

Rinne would have told me if she was just here for a holiday. Rinne would never allow all of us to worry so much about her if she was only here for pleasure. Even though Rinne was a very different person now, deep down she was still the same – she was still the gentle Rinne whom I liked. Therefore, even if others doubted her, I would believe in her. Rinne was just like who she was before.

In that case… why did Rinne come back?

The question appeared simple to my mind.

The world gained peace after the Final Battle and all conspiracies were shattered… it was worthy of celebration. Then why did these troubles arise again? Didn’t we resolve everything with Rinne? Didn’t she decide to keep living in the real world?

This world was a mirror that reflected the heart and body of God – in other words, Rinne’s wellbeing.

Then, what kind of internal mindset was projected through our current events?

“… Mmm, I can’t think of anything right now. I’m better off resting. Well, I’m pretty lazy, so I’m gonna go sleep.”

Breaksun slammed her face on the dining table and started to laugh.

“We’re here thinking so hard for that idiot, but there’s no point. I was involved in so many things in the previous world, but I had no idea what was happening around me…”

Breaksun waved her fingers and looked a bit lonely.

“So, Kuriko, stop thinking about those difficult stuff. Eat well and rest well, then go see Ring-bell. Let Kajiri analyze her ‘setting’ and we can figure everything out. If it’s still confusing afterwards, we’ll put out heads together and talk it through.”

Breaksun said softly as if she was singing.

“Kuriko, remember that we are not God, so we are not omnipotent. Since we are not omniscient or omnipotent, it’s impossible for us to understand everything or protect everyone. We just want to stay with our loved ones and hug tight the people we want to protect in these really difficult situations. We will do anything for them – that is what we mean by loving other people.”

She then smiled gently with a soft hint of sorrow. It was probably a rare expression for her – her solemn face was very beautiful.

“I couldn’t protect Kajiri in the previous world. I led him into my life without thinking. I treated him badly and caused him to die. I don’t want it to happen again… I’m really clumsy, and I’m not clever, so maybe I do look like a loser. But I will protect him this time. I am going to work hard for that. You are the same, Kuriko…”

Breaksun lifted her head. She had a full smile and made a feeble victory sign.

“So, don’t carry too much on your own shoulders! Be happy and work hard. Don’t worry. Me, Kajiri, Joker-san, and everyone else will be your friend. Kuriko, don’t show me that annoying face. Smile, smile~”

Breaksun reached out and pulled at my face, pulling my cheeks upwards to resemble a smile.

“Urrkk…”

My hard face and heart had softened a little thanks to Breaksun before I even realized it.

''Mmm.

Yes, I shouldn’t think so hard on my own. I should be a bit happier too…''

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_02|Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone]]
| Back to [[Mushi_to_Medama|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_04|Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelorette, bored every day]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Mushi:Vol6 Ragnarok 03

2020-08-22T10:39:26Z

Brynhilde:

Mushi to Medama

2020-08-22T10:39:00Z

Brynhilde: /* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア */

[[Image:mtm_main.jpg|300px|thumb|Cover for the 1st novel]]

Sakaki Guryū is a multi-talented genius who, despite being gifted and wealthy, decides to teach in the countryside to be together with his lover, Usagawa Rinne, who also happens to be his student. Their peaceful lives are shattered one day when Rinne is killed, in front of Sakaki's eyes, by a girl named "Gankyū Eguriko", who gouged her eyes out with a spoon. Things take an even stranger turn when Rinne suddenly wakes up as if nothing had happened, and something called an "Eden's Apple" is thrown into the mix.

Mushi to Medama won the award for the "Best Newcomer" category in the MF Literary Awards.

'''Update''': Volume 5 Epilogue 19 is out.

And that, everybody, is the end of the main story.

When I first started reading Mushi to Medama, I was convinced it was some dark-humor crack fic that I would probably put down after the first volume. As I read more and more of it, I felt the impossible mysteries in that world must be an echo of the tales and fantasies in Christianity and the Bible, and I was prepared for the story to become an exploration in theology. When I reached the end, I was initially upset, as it felt like a self-insert and a ''deus ex machina'', an easy explanation out of a story that has spiraled out of control.

To be fair, ''Mushi to Medama'' is not exactly a piece of top-end writing. But as I mused more and more on the story in the past eight years, it felt more like a description of the various aspects of the human psyche, the contradictory elements that reside in all of us, and the power that lies dormant within each of us , as surely as the gentle breathing of a slumbering God.

At the end, the messages in this story boil down to knowing the multiple side of your self, and recognizing the power you have to change your life.

This convoluted story of murder, betrayal, and madness, was in fact a magnified version of the internal struggle we experience daily as we try to balance desire and fear in every decision we make, sometimes letting the different parts of our mind complement each other magnificently, and sometimes doing our best to tear ourselves apart.

I have also done some research to see the feedback the internet has about ''Mushi to Medama'', specifically this translated version, and unfortunately the response wasn't positive. While there is little I can do about the context of the story, I have resolved to go back to the earlier chapters to proof-read for grammar and localization. While this shouldn't slow down the translation speed too much (there are no more giant chapters), I hope it would contribute to a better reading experience for readers in the future.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 11:26, 30 January 2017 (CET)

'''Update''': A thorough editing for the text for Volume 1 has been completed. There should be far less typos, grammatical mistakes, and bad translation/syntax in general.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 10:50, 5 August 2017 (CEST)

== [[MTM:Registration Page|Registration]] ==
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Feedback ==

If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2068 Feedback Thread]?

== Updates ==

[[Mushi:Updates|Older updates]]
*January 30, 2017
**Volume 5 Epilogue 19 complete

*February 18, 2017
**Volume 5 Author's Notes complete

*August 5, 2017
**Volume 1 editing complete

*October 10, 2017
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 00 complete

*January 29, 2018
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 01 complete

*September 2, 2018
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 02 complete

*March 14, 2020
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 03 complete

== Mushi to Medama Series by Akira (日日日), Illustrated by Mitsuki Mausu ==

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear '' / 蟲と眼球とテディベア ([[Mushi:Vol1|Full Text]])===
[[Image:Mtm_main.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 1 Cover: Gankyū Eguriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch1|Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch2|Night 2: The 15th November Incident]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch3|Night 3: The Girl who died a Thousand years ago]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch4|Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch5|Final Night: "Don't Look"]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Epilogue|Guriko's Offering]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Sterilization Disinfection '' / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒 ([[Mushi:Vol2|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm2_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 2 Cover: Usagawa Rinne]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Open|Open: The Bell of Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch1|Night 1: A Series of Misfortune]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch2|Night 2: Melancholic Officer and a Long-Armed Demon]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch3|Night 3: Boudoir]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch4|Night 4: I can't hear the bells]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch5|Final Night: Start of Disinfection]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Close|Close: Blood-stained Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait '' / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ ([[Mushi:Vol3|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm3_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 3 Cover: Saibara Mitsuki]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Prologue|Start: The Girl Carrying a Head]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch1|Night 1: Black Dragon Black Snake Black Rat]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch2|Night 2: Granulated Sugar and a One-sided Love]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch3|Night 3: Distancing happiness]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch4|Night 4: Temporary halt?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch5|Night 5: Vomit]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_End|End: You and Chocolate Parfait]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Lovesong '' / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌 ([[Mushi:Vol4|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm4_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 4 Cover: Nikuyama Kajiri]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Overture|Overture: 700]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony1|Symphony 1: Unable to transmit via songs alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony2|Symphony 2: Whom does the Song of Love belong to?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony3|Symphony 3: Crybaby Joker]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony4|Symphony 4: The Adventures of Vegetable Juice and Tomato Juice]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Finale|Finale: Unable to Save Based on Love Alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Requiem|Requiem: 666]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White '' / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫 ([[Mushi:Vol5|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm5_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 5 Cover: Rinne and Guriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Prologue|PROLOGUE 02: The Jealous Queen]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_03|EPILOGUE 03: The Mirror of Truth]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_06|EPILOGUE 06: The Hunter]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_09|EPILOGUE 09: The Seven Dwarfs]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_11|EPILOGUE 11: The Witch]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_14|EPILOGUE 14: Poison & Apple & Kiss]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_19|EPILOGUE 19: Snow White]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Authors_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair '' / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア ===
[[Image:Mtm6_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 6 Cover: Damaged Hair]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_00|Ragnarok 00: Damaged hair of a place no one knows]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_01|Ragnarok 01: A 19-year-old useless repeat-year-student, whose hobby is video gaming]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_02|Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_03|Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven]] - '''100%'''
::*Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelorette, bored every day
::*Ragnarok 05: Production-orientated Loner
::*Ragnarok 06: Final God Mode: 3000 Worlds
::*Ragnarok xx: The twilight of the aftermath...
::*Author's Notes
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand. [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] has Chinese RAWs available for those who wish to help.
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Cakemanofdoom|cakemanofdoom]]
::*[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:AlfheimWanderer|AlfheimWanderer]]

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:TheGiftedMonkey|TheGiftedMonkey]]
::*[[User:RoadBuster|RoadBuster]]
::*[[User:Chaos Greyblood|Chaos Greyblood]]
::*[[User:dell19930|dell19930]]

== Series Overview ==
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear / 蟲と眼球とテディベア　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1273-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Sterile Disinfection / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1470-7)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ (ISBN 978-4-8401-1532-2)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Song of Love / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1593-3)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1765-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア (ISBN 978-4-8401-1858-3)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Akira]]

[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Horror]]
[[Category:Genre - Mystery]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Mushi to Medama

2020-03-14T13:13:31Z

Brynhilde: /* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア */

[[Image:mtm_main.jpg|300px|thumb|Cover for the 1st novel]]

Sakaki Guryū is a multi-talented genius who, despite being gifted and wealthy, decides to teach in the countryside to be together with his lover, Usagawa Rinne, who also happens to be his student. Their peaceful lives are shattered one day when Rinne is killed, in front of Sakaki's eyes, by a girl named "Gankyū Eguriko", who gouged her eyes out with a spoon. Things take an even stranger turn when Rinne suddenly wakes up as if nothing had happened, and something called an "Eden's Apple" is thrown into the mix.

Mushi to Medama won the award for the "Best Newcomer" category in the MF Literary Awards.

'''Update''': Volume 5 Epilogue 19 is out.

And that, everybody, is the end of the main story.

When I first started reading Mushi to Medama, I was convinced it was some dark-humor crack fic that I would probably put down after the first volume. As I read more and more of it, I felt the impossible mysteries in that world must be an echo of the tales and fantasies in Christianity and the Bible, and I was prepared for the story to become an exploration in theology. When I reached the end, I was initially upset, as it felt like a self-insert and a ''deus ex machina'', an easy explanation out of a story that has spiraled out of control.

To be fair, ''Mushi to Medama'' is not exactly a piece of top-end writing. But as I mused more and more on the story in the past eight years, it felt more like a description of the various aspects of the human psyche, the contradictory elements that reside in all of us, and the power that lies dormant within each of us , as surely as the gentle breathing of a slumbering God.

At the end, the messages in this story boil down to knowing the multiple side of your self, and recognizing the power you have to change your life.

This convoluted story of murder, betrayal, and madness, was in fact a magnified version of the internal struggle we experience daily as we try to balance desire and fear in every decision we make, sometimes letting the different parts of our mind complement each other magnificently, and sometimes doing our best to tear ourselves apart.

I have also done some research to see the feedback the internet has about ''Mushi to Medama'', specifically this translated version, and unfortunately the response wasn't positive. While there is little I can do about the context of the story, I have resolved to go back to the earlier chapters to proof-read for grammar and localization. While this shouldn't slow down the translation speed too much (there are no more giant chapters), I hope it would contribute to a better reading experience for readers in the future.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 11:26, 30 January 2017 (CET)

'''Update''': A thorough editing for the text for Volume 1 has been completed. There should be far less typos, grammatical mistakes, and bad translation/syntax in general.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 10:50, 5 August 2017 (CEST)

== [[MTM:Registration Page|Registration]] ==
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Feedback ==

If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2068 Feedback Thread]?

== Updates ==

[[Mushi:Updates|Older updates]]
*January 30, 2017
**Volume 5 Epilogue 19 complete

*February 18, 2017
**Volume 5 Author's Notes complete

*August 5, 2017
**Volume 1 editing complete

*October 10, 2017
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 00 complete

*January 29, 2018
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 01 complete

*September 2, 2018
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 02 complete

*March 14, 2020
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 03 complete

== Mushi to Medama Series by Akira (日日日), Illustrated by Mitsuki Mausu ==

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear '' / 蟲と眼球とテディベア ([[Mushi:Vol1|Full Text]])===
[[Image:Mtm_main.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 1 Cover: Gankyū Eguriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch1|Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch2|Night 2: The 15th November Incident]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch3|Night 3: The Girl who died a Thousand years ago]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch4|Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch5|Final Night: "Don't Look"]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Epilogue|Guriko's Offering]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Sterilization Disinfection '' / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒 ([[Mushi:Vol2|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm2_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 2 Cover: Usagawa Rinne]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Open|Open: The Bell of Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch1|Night 1: A Series of Misfortune]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch2|Night 2: Melancholic Officer and a Long-Armed Demon]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch3|Night 3: Boudoir]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch4|Night 4: I can't hear the bells]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch5|Final Night: Start of Disinfection]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Close|Close: Blood-stained Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait '' / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ ([[Mushi:Vol3|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm3_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 3 Cover: Saibara Mitsuki]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Prologue|Start: The Girl Carrying a Head]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch1|Night 1: Black Dragon Black Snake Black Rat]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch2|Night 2: Granulated Sugar and a One-sided Love]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch3|Night 3: Distancing happiness]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch4|Night 4: Temporary halt?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch5|Night 5: Vomit]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_End|End: You and Chocolate Parfait]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Lovesong '' / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌 ([[Mushi:Vol4|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm4_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 4 Cover: Nikuyama Kajiri]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Overture|Overture: 700]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony1|Symphony 1: Unable to transmit via songs alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony2|Symphony 2: Whom does the Song of Love belong to?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony3|Symphony 3: Crybaby Joker]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony4|Symphony 4: The Adventures of Vegetable Juice and Tomato Juice]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Finale|Finale: Unable to Save Based on Love Alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Requiem|Requiem: 666]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White '' / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫 ([[Mushi:Vol5|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm5_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 5 Cover: Rinne and Guriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Prologue|PROLOGUE 02: The Jealous Queen]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_03|EPILOGUE 03: The Mirror of Truth]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_06|EPILOGUE 06: The Hunter]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_09|EPILOGUE 09: The Seven Dwarfs]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_11|EPILOGUE 11: The Witch]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_14|EPILOGUE 14: Poison & Apple & Kiss]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_19|EPILOGUE 19: Snow White]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Authors_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair '' / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア ===
[[Image:Mtm6_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 6 Cover: Damaged Hair]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_00|Ragnarok 00: Damaged hair of a place no one knows]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_01|Ragnarok 01: A 19-year-old useless repeat-year-student, whose hobby is video gaming]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_02|Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_03|Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven]] - '''100%'''
::*Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelor, Bored every day
::*Ragnarok 05: Production-orientated Loner
::*Ragnarok 06: Final God Mode: 3000 Worlds
::*Ragnarok xx: The twilight of the aftermath...
::*Author's Notes
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand. [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] has Chinese RAWs available for those who wish to help.
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Cakemanofdoom|cakemanofdoom]]
::*[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:AlfheimWanderer|AlfheimWanderer]]

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:TheGiftedMonkey|TheGiftedMonkey]]
::*[[User:RoadBuster|RoadBuster]]
::*[[User:Chaos Greyblood|Chaos Greyblood]]
::*[[User:dell19930|dell19930]]

== Series Overview ==
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear / 蟲と眼球とテディベア　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1273-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Sterile Disinfection / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1470-7)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ (ISBN 978-4-8401-1532-2)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Song of Love / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1593-3)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1765-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア (ISBN 978-4-8401-1858-3)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Akira]]

[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Horror]]
[[Category:Genre - Mystery]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

2018-09-02T12:08:40Z

Brynhilde:

== '''Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone''' ==

It was deep into the night.

“Yes –”

She was at a corner of a winding path in an abandoned and silent apartment complex.

“I don’t hate bad tastes, but I can’t handle bad tastes without esthetics. One needs to be devoted to having bad tastes, and only then can such products be considered art… bizarre art pieces that embodied bad taste is the true form of bad tastes.”

Streetlights were lined evenly along the road. The lights within the houses, penthouses, and apartments all turned off one after another. The weak light emitted by the automatic vending machines vaguely complemented the scattered stars on the night sky. Hardly any cars passed along the tarmac road – and a woman stood in the middle of the pedestrian crossing.

“I have to go… sterilize and disinfect.”

She mumbled in a low voice, looking very tired. She sighed, and a puffing sound could be heard from her mouth, as if she emitted steam.

The sound was because of the over-the-top mask she wore over her mouth. The mask was obviously to keep off dust and bacteria, not because she had of a cold or hay fever. She would have blended in the crowd well with her casual dress. However, that strange mask gave made her incongruous.

Her hair was pristine white, reaching all the way to her waist in a long braid. She wore a small tank top with angel wings printed on the back, and denim shorts cut off at the knee over her legs.

Her name was Sterilization Disinfection. Sterilization Disinfection – Saibara Mina.

She was one of the seven called the Seven Greater Fragments of God. The seven shared God’s existence equally among them and played their respective roles. She was the Punisher who sought out evil in the world and erased them. She was the monster who destroyed the world in the Great Flood. She was the human possessing Sterilization Disinfection, the Greater Fragment of God that came with many terrifying legends.

Mina had a day job as a nurse at the hospital in town. And when she returned home, she would then have to take care of her very noisy younger sister. Today was just the same. She did her best at work and was already exhausted when she finished her over-time. All she wanted was to head home quickly, drink some alcohol to relax, and go to sleep.

Even if she was an immortal – a massive Fragment that could automatically recover from fatigue – it didn’t mean she would not feel tired. Just like everyone else, he hated endless work. Even though physical fatigue disappeared quickly for her, her exhausted mind won’t recover that easily.

Mina was therefore very annoyed right now.

Compared to the other Greater Fragments of God, the number of manual tasks Sterilization Disinfection had to perform were far greater.

Mina sighed in the middle of the pedestrian crossing in the empty road.

She lifted her gaze slightly. Something was hanging down from the traffic lights, which were working just a moment before.

It was a disgusting and distasteful puppet made up of blood, bone, and meat.

There were many corpses hanging from the traffic lights, corpses of people killed in a pitiful way.

“…”

These corpses were hanging messily on the traffic lights all around her. Someone hung those corpses upside down, using their clothes to hook them onto the traffic lights, as if showing them off for some purpose. Mina felt they looked like The Hanged Man from the Tarot, or the cows and pigs hanging upside down in a butcher’s shop in TV.

The first body looked very fresh.

Blood was dripping from the dead body. It wasn’t even stiff yet. It was swaying ceaselessly in the wind, and many insects and carrion birds have gathered around it. Fortunately, there were no pedestrians on this path in the apartment complex at this time of the night. It would probably cause a big ruckus if ordinary people saw this scene.

The dead included men, women, the elderly, and the young – but there were some things in common among them.

They were all killed in the same way, and the wounds on their bodies were identical.

First of all, the fatal blow was always a wound through the heart. They were all stabbed in the chest by either a spear or a katana – something sharp and thin - and died instantly. The heart was a vital organ even for immortals… if immortals were stabbed through the heart by an opponent’s weapon, even immortals would die.

Mina knew she must not let her guard down if she had the misfortune to fight the culprit who caused this pitiful scene. The enemy seemed to be very aware of the weaknesses on an immortal’s body. Even if it was a monster, it must possess outstanding intellect. Ordinary monsters would not even think. They only knew about attacking physical and tearing away at their enemy’s bodies. Corpses made by ordinary monsters would never look like this.

Certainly, there was also the possibility that a deranged human criminal was at work, and they were only interested in targeting and attacking people’s hearts. No matter what, she needed to be alert. Sterilization Disinfection might be powerful, but her life would also die if her heart was pierced. Based on what Mina had seen of the opponent’s abilities, even she could be in mortal danger. Mina harbored God’s Greater Fragment within her and her physical parameters were augmented, but that didn’t mean Mina suddenly became a martial artist. She simply fought in a unique manner. If Mina were to face someone who actually practiced armed martial arts, she would not necessarily win.

“…”

Moreover, there were other incredulous wounds on these bodies.

There was blood coming out of the victims’ ears.

It might have been blood from these people’s broken eardrums after they were attacked with powerful sonic waves. But in that case, both ears should be bleeding. When she examined the corpses, all of them only had blood coming out of one ear. Some of them were bleeding from their left ear, and some from their right, but none had both ears affected.

Mina was very puzzled. She jumped lightly onto the top of the traffic lights and let a corpse down to the ground. It seemed to be that of a high school boy. He was dressed in very flashy clothes; maybe he was out for a taste of the night life. He was probably attacked when he was returning home late at night. Mina laid the body flat on the ground and touched the bleeding ear, then frowned.

“Could it be…”

In order to test her hypothesis, Mina placed her hand on the body’s forehead and pressed down.

The skull was easily crushed under her hand. The only thing Mina felt was the texture of bones – she could not feel any brain tissue from where it was meant to be.

That meant…

“They sucked out the brain… through the ear canal? That is a ''disgustingly'' bad taste.”

There was a sharp and loud bang.

Mina jumped up and turn her head as if she was on a spring. Someone was standing there. Yes, a girl who looked like she was a mirage was standing there – she was standing in the middle of the empty road very far from Mina, and her figure was illuminated by the street light. She was the one who made the disgusting act of hanging these corpses on the traffic light above the pedestrian crossing, as if those corpses were marionettes.

She had blonde hair and dark-red eyes. She was wearing a priest’s garb, looking like it was difficult for her to move in. There was a pointy hat on her head, as if it was the hat of a clown.

She covered from head to toe in blood – especially over her lips.

She clasped a despicable spear in her right hand. The spear was evidently inanimate, and yet it emitted a strong stench as if it was a beast.

“What is… this?”

Mina’s entire body tensed. She stood up after placing the corpse in her arms back on the ground. Now, only the width of one traffic lane separated the two of them on the road. It was only a few meters wide. If Mina jumped a little, she could even touch that girl.

Mina calculated her opportunity to strike. She still couldn’t confirm the real identity of her opponent, who looked both like an ordinary human and a monster. She was a bit confused. What was this girl’s goal? It was hard to believe the girl in front of Mina was the culprit of all the bizarre occurrences, including as the blood covering her whole body and the corpses dangling on the curved traffic lights.

Was this person Mina’s enemy?

Was this person the enemy of the world?

If it was the latter, then it would be Mina’s duty to eliminate her – however, Mina felt her opponent had a lack of presence. She could not detect the girl’s goals or presence at all. If she had to explain it, then it felt like this girl just happened to pass by here… she didn’t feel like this girl was the main culprit. It was almost as if this girl was controlled by someone else…

However, the girl nodded lightly at Mina, and confessed the sins she had committed with her own mouth.

“I have captured… a surprisingly large prey.”

Her tone was completely emotionless, and words popped out of her month flatly one after another.

“It would have been exceptional, even if only one monster appeared.”

“What? Are you saying that you baited me out?”

Mina became more alarmed than ever. Were those disgusting and gory marionettes just bait created to attract those like Mina, beings who lived in the dark side of this world? She could not understand the reason behind such an activity.

The blonde girl stayed still as she looked at Mina, who was prepared for battle. The girl then nodded swiftly.

“It seems… marionettes were enough to bait them.”

“…”

“Hehe… if you feel this is funny, you can laugh.”

No way. Why would Mina feel like this was funny?

What was wrong with this person? She felt very strange, and there was no way Mina could determine her personality.

Mina was still stunned by the scene before her. She didn’t know what to do. She felt lost facing this strange opponent, as if she just stepped into the innocent world of a manga. Mina was completely lost as to whether this girl was a friend or foe, or a powerful adversary who needed to be killed immediately. If her opponent showed any desire for battle, then Mina would certainly rise to the challenge and defeat her. However, the girl in front of her felt barely there.

Mina did not feel any enmity from the girl, nor did she feel any murderous intent.

The girl just stood there, emotionless.

“What… are you? What is your goal?”

This monstrous girl murdered innocent people, ravaged their bodies, and perhaps even sucked out and consumed their brains. She could not figure out what the girl wanted out of it. What was she? Could she be a human? Or was she a monster?

“My name is Damaged Hair, the Ravaged Queen of Insects.”

As expected, the girl gave her name with a calm tone and without any emotions.

“My goal is simple and clear.”

She then declared with a very serious expression:

“I want to conquer the world.”

There was a rush of wind the moment she said this.

Mina was confused by her opponent’s wild words, but she felt a shiver of cold air rushing towards her. She immediately moved sideways out of animalistic reflex. The attack barely missed and brushed past her.

Blood dripped out of her broken skin. Mina jumped away and drew some distance between her and the girl named Damaged Hair.

“Erk…!?”

What was that?

What happened there?

Why did somebody just attack her from behind?

“That was beautiful.”

There were no emotions in the words of praise that Damaged Hair uttered. Even though it seemed like a genuine approval, the empty and weightless voice and actions indicated a lack of concern.

“However, there are certain things you should know.”

“To fight us – would be akin to trying to drink the ocean dry.”

A persistent, identical echo to the voice of the girl could be heard interlaced with Damaged Hair’s voice.

Mina, who stood opposite her, finally understood who just attacked her from behind.

There were two Damaged Hairs.

“My ability is eternal and endless multiplication.”

“I will be resurrected even if I die, and replicate without end…”

They looked identical. The only difference would be whether one held a spear, and where there were bloodstains on one’s clothes and skin – those two were more similar than twins, as if they were in fact copies. That copy was the being who delivered a sneak attack towards Mina.

Like mirror images, the two Damaged Hairs both sniggered.

“To eliminate and solidify existences… the Greater Fragment named Sterilization Disinfection is indeed quite powerful.”

“Nevertheless, if your opponent replicated endlessly, your endurance and stamina would also deplete endlessly.”

“Exhausted. Exhausted. Exhausted. The power of the Fragment of God will also be depleted –”

“Or, you would be surrounded by my endless replicas in all directions, completely destroyed and eventually killed. That would be your fate.”

The two Damaged Hair spoke one after another as they gradually walked towards Mina. Their movements were very slow… however, if they were speaking the truth, then this kind of endless enemies was simply too annoying.

Even if she was defeated over and over, she will still resurrect.

Even if she was not defeated, she would still replicate.

Eternal reincarnation and endless multiplication – those were abilities Mina had never heard of.

“This is violence in numbers!”

Damaged Hair held the spear in a weird pose and declared proudly. Even though Mina’s target should be the one with the spear – the original body – and that defeating her should destroy all other Damaged Hairs, would such a simple solution really work?

For some reason, Mina felt that even if she defeated that blood-drenched Damaged Hair, the remaining Damaged Hair will continue to attack Mina as if nothing had happened.

She met a very tough enemy this time.

But it was okay – Damaged Hair wasn’t a very strong enemy.

The scratch made by the second Damaged Hair when she stabbed at Mina’s back with a short blade had all but healed. That was also when Mina scoped out the enemy’s capacities to a limited degree.

Firstly, Damaged Hair did not have powerful abilities.

She held a weapon and attacked Mina suddenly from behind, trying to kill Mina. Mina felt there were no major differences between the strength of a Damaged Hair clone and that of a normal human. Even though that spear felt repulsive, as long as Mina kept her eye on it, there should be no other problems.

There were two clones now. Even though she said endless multiplication –

“Hey, if you don’t have corpses, then you can’t replicate anymore, right?”

Damaged Hair had attacked Mina from behind her – at the same time, the corpse of the flamboyantly dressed young man, which Mina had assessed, disappeared. Perhaps that corpse morphed into a Damaged Hair… that was the only conclusion Mina could draw regarding the phenomenon.

Yes, it would be abnormal for Damaged Hair to pop out one after another from thin air. Perhaps if materials such as corpses did not exist, then her ability to endlessly multiplicate can’t be activated either.

All these bodies prepared like marionettes were indeed bait to attract Mina and other monsters, but they were also weapons for Damaged Hair. As Mina pondered this, she felt happy as she believed in her impending victory –

“No… that’s not it.”

Damaged Hair tilted her head decisively.

“Even without corpses, I can still multiply.”

As Mina looked on, the blonde girl started to split in half like an amoeba, just like she said. An identical, third Damaged Hair appeared. Indeed, the bloodstains and the spear could not be reproduced –

But if Damaged Hair could multiply even without corpses, then that would be very difficult to deal with her. Even if Mina killed them all, she can’t be sure whether Damaged Hair kept a hidden, back-up body somewhere. Even if she could kill them over and over, it would end up being an endless task, like eradicate a pest.

This was honestly a very troublesome task. Mina didn’t want to admit defeat, but she also had no idea how she could win this fight. The wisest thing would be to escape swiftly –

“Sterilization Disinfection, I absorbed the brains of all these corpses. Isn’t that an incredulous thing?”

Mina was thinking about how to attack, but Damaged Hair took out something like a straw from her clothes and put it in her hand to show it to Mina. Perhaps that was what Damaged Hair used to pierce the victims’ eardrums and suck out their brains. What a disgusting act.

“Of course, I would never do anything without a purpose.”

“I consumed these brains –”

“– to reproduce my existence.”

As those words were uttered, the shape of one of the Damaged Hairs started to change.

She changed into that flamboyantly dressed young man. It was the face of that pitiful victim, who perhaps stayed out at night and was attacked on his way home, and had his chest pierced and his brain sucked out. There were no emotions on his face, making him appear insect-like. A dark red light sparked in his eyes, a light similar to that in Damaged Hair’s eyes. He muttered lowly:

“This is similar to the body modification of {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Sheild}}. Even though I cannot change my form as I wish –”

“I can completely replicate someone from analyzing the structure of this person’s body, as stored in their brains.”

As ‘he’ finished speaking, the young man changed back to Damaged Hair’s appearance. Perhaps, what she expected was being able to freely choose her appearance from the designs she memorized, and shift into that form. The only thing that remained the same was the red eyes –

Mina finally understood the true form of Damaged Hair, the Ravaged Queen of Insects.

Insects. Figured. She told everyone her real name from the beginning.

“You are God Mushi Emperor… no, you are the ''true body'' of God Mushi Emperor.”

Damaged Hair didn’t seem to want to waste time explaining the situation in detail. She simply nodded.

“I am the Ravaged Queen of Insects.”

“The name of my Fragment is God Mushi Emperor. Its function is to serve as the Beast of the End, which will destroy the world at Ragnarok…”

“I will drink down the brains of all humans. I will drink down the brains of all of God’s Greater Fragments. I will replicate and replace all things that exist in this world –”

Then, as if she was a cicada or a bell, all the replicas of Damaged Hair began to sing an awful song:

“Everything that exists – all humans, animals, monsters – will be replicated by me.”

“The Greater Fragments of God will be no exception. All will be replicated by me.”

“I will replicate every living being in this world, and create the perfect, harmonious world. Everything is but one person. Everything goes back to the same roots. That would be a world full of peace and calm.”

She looked so self-assured, as if she would be able to eliminate all the uncertainties in this world, as if she was the Divine Truth of this world.

“'Others' won’t exist in that world. It will be different from this world, where everyone was a Fragment of God, but everyone seemed unrelated to others.”

“Everything in existence should be combined together under the name of ‘Damaged Hair’.”

“There… our goals are simple and clear. We will conquer the world –”

The clones of Damaged Hair declared together in pride and confidence:

“This is the name of our venture! This is the ‘Divine Battle’ to achieve our final aim!”

“…”

…

…

That name sounded terrible.

“Um, heh, er –”

Should Mina appear surprised? Scared? Or should she be smiling? Mina can’t decide what kind of an attitude she should have – but she decided not to worry about it too much.

Damaged Hair wanted to absorb the brains of all living creatures and replace everything with herself, so that no ‘others’ will exist in this world… if Damaged Hair fulfilled that goal, then indeed, to some degree, she will usher in a perfectly harmonious world.

However.

“It’s crappy and super boring to have a world where no one else exists. ‘I’ would hate that. It would be really bad to have a world where everything is me. Even though I don’t like other people, and I hate myself and hate the whole world, I am still staying alive day after day in this annoying world…”

Her right hand held the spray can that can destroy everything and eliminate all existences.

Her left hand held the spray can that can solidify everything and freeze all existences.

Sterilization Disinfection – Saibara Mina – didn’t do anything outrageous. She simply grasped her weapons, the tools that could channel the power of her enormous Fragment. She simply said in a self-possessed – and selfish – low voice.

“As long as I still have hope, then someone I like might appear.”

Mina leapt into battle after this heartfelt declaration. She didn’t know whether she could win. She was not fighting for the world, or for humanity, or to protect the world from being conquered. Mina’s reason was simple. She just hated the fake ‘perfect harmony’ that Damaged Hair was seeking to create, and Mina wanted to crush it.

Destroy everyone else? Copy every single other person?

Wouldn’t such a world and such a perfection be similar to a dead world?

Wouldn’t such a world and such a perfection be ''just like'' a dead world?

“I didn’t fully expect others to understand.”

The original Damaged Hair, the one with the detestable spear in her hand, narrowed her eyes and lifted the spear as she sighed.

“Mmm, never mind… if everything becomes a replica of me, then there will be no more misunderstandings. Then all conflicts would disappear, and everyone will understand each other.”

“If we can’t understand each other, can’t we just say everything we want to say properly? Didn’t humans progress because we had conflicts –”

Mina felt very angry. She quickly lifted the spray can that could eliminate existences and pressed down on the trigger.

“If no one else exists, then hate would disappear… but so would love – and I definitely don’t want that kind of a world!”

The white mist that had once swallowed everything in the legend of the Flood from Genesis instantly and resolutely blew apart the blood-stained figure of Damaged Hair, which Mina thought was the true body. Only fingers and feet remained as the rest were completely torn up and disappeared… and that was when Mina started to paradoxically feel agitated.

That was too easy.

She won? Damaged Hair was killed just like that, after her body was destroyed?

“… Of course, it would be shallow of you to think that was the end.”

The spear that Damaged Hair threw out without alerting Mina was turning and twisting in the air. This spear, which was held by the Damaged Hair clone covered by blood, fell into the hands of a different Damaged Hair clone, one that didn’t have any blood or dirt on her clothes or hair. This Damaged Hair held the spear in one hand and moved into a battle pose, then snapped her fingers loudly.

All at one, the marionettes that were dangling on the traffic lights instantly turned into Damaged Hair’s appearance and jumped down onto the road. There were about a dozen of them. All of them had emotionless, garnet red eyes, and they stood there blankly, looking at Mina.

It was as if they were a hoard of insects, or a massive crowd of zombies. Mina felt an instinctive repulsion.

The Damaged Hair clone with a spear in her hand said nonchalantly to Mina, who was standing there in a daze.

“Come and become one of me.”

The face devoid of emotions showed some sentiment at last, and Damaged Hair’s tongue snuck out of her mouth and licked her lips.

“I’m taking you in – Sterilization Disinfection.”

“… However, before that…”

As if their competition paused, Damaged Hair slowly lifted the spear she held in her hand. Compared to Damaged Hair’s listless way of acting, Mina put all her strength into her legs, ready to dash up to her opponent at any time.

This was a girl that had a tempo of her own, and Mina could not decipher her at all. Facing her was like facing an unpredictable and volatile cat.

For some reason, Mina was already starting to feel exhausted before she even gave her all for the fight. But Damaged Hair completely ignored Mina. She lowered her head and looked at the spear in her usual blank expression.

“Fenrir, go hide somewhere safe.”

“Gagaga!”

The spear suddenly gave out a barking laugh.

If the sound Damaged Hair made was like the low chirping of insects, then the sound made by the spear named Fenrir was akin to the roaring of beasts, savage like a vicious storm, bursting through the minds of all who heard its voice.

This thing possessed an inhuman voice. The spear then started to talk on and on, as if completely ignoring Mina.

“Gagaga! Gagaga! Gagaga! You haven’t summoned me for a long time, and the only thing you say is ‘run away’! I hear you, my master~!”

“Don’t call me that anymore. It’s very embarrassing. We are companions who share our destiny… we are equals, therefore you can call me Damaged, or Hair-chan.”

“Gaga! Gagaga! That would sound even more disgusting! Say, master, you are not planning to fight with '''me''', the most powerful weapon? You are going to die! Going to die! Gaga! Gagaga!”

“The opponent this time is very powerful.”

Damaged Hair narrowed her eyes towards the cantankerous spear, then shifted her gaze towards Mina, who was standing there confused. Fenrir also noticed Mina’s presence and began to laugh loudly with joy.

“Gagaga! Isn’t this Sterilization Disinfection? How did we get this annoying person as our first opponent? My master… you don’t know her yet, do you? Saibara Mina, the one with the role of Sterilization Disinfection, could be called the most powerful character in the world!”

“… Have I… met you before?”

The spear seemed to know a lot about Mina. Mina tilted her head a little. She should be able to remember someone as weird as this if she had met them before…

However, Fenrir’s reply to Mina’s question was very incredulous.

“Gagaga! Gaga! No, this is the first time we’ve met face to face! It was your previous reincarnation who met me!”

“… Previous reincarnation?”

Fenrir’s repulsive and incomprehensible voice echoed around them.

Fenrir ignored Mina, who was wearing a surprised impression, and changed to a more serious voice and howled.

“Gagaga! Hey, my master! I’m giving you advice out of kindness. Escape! You have encountered a mighty opponent who you cannot defeat! You would have to have absorbed at least one or two Greater Fragments, or use me at my greatest capacity – at least, it’s best not to fight her alone at this stage!”

“…I can’t understand why you are so afraid.”

As if she was being humiliated, Damaged Hair pouted in anger, and rebuked.

“Indeed, Sterilization Disinfection is a terrifying opponent… but the powers of Greater Fragments are equal. The differences are in our affinities and how we fight – God Mushi Emperor is capable of eternal reincarnation and endless multiplication, traits that can suppress Sterilization Disinfection’s power of eliminating and solidifying existences… therefore, I am confident that I can defeat her without your help.”

“That’s not the problem! Hurry and listen to me. Master, you need to escape!”

Fenrir continued to speak some confusing words in a loud voice. Mina didn’t understand what he was saying at all.

“As far as I am aware, only three people can go against Saibara Mina when she was using her full power as Sterilization Disinfection. The first is Gankyū Eguriko when she uses the full abilities of the Poison Apple and metamorphoses into a monster. The second is {{Furigana|Tearsong|Melodia Noisel}} after she had consumed all one hundred and forty-three children of {{Furigana|Catastrophe|Poison}} and augmented her powers that way. Those are the only two who can actually defeat her. Saibara Mina defeated {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}}, the most powerful of all melee fighters, at the cost of her own life, even when the power of the Sterilization Disinfection Fragment was exhausted, and she was also suffering from mental trauma. As God Mushi Emperor, who only specializes in reproduction, it is impossible for you to beat her! Gagaga!”

“…”

What was going on? Mina was still lost.

An unknown emotion was throbbing within her, something that even she could not seem to control.

She felt that she forgot something.

However, some things were better not being remembered.

Especially in this… peaceful world.

“You are being too loud.”

What might count as the greatest emotional turbulence so far appeared on Damaged Hair’s face – the annoyance and stubbornness on her face was as naïve as a child’s – and she did not take in Fenrir’s repeated warnings at all. Instead, it further stimulated her desire for battle, and she looked sideways at Mina with a cold gaze.

“I cannot beat her? Heh, if there weren’t some obstacles or difficulties of that level, then there would be no joy in defeating her. Also – did you happen to forget something, Fenrir?”

Damaged Hair suddenly grasped the spear tightly and lifted it over her head, then started to swing it powerfully.

“I will resurrect countless times even if I fail! I am therefore invincible! Therefore, I am the most powerful existence!”

Then she tossed the spear away.

“All I need from you… is to wait somewhere far away until I defeat this strong foe and became stronger myself!”

“Gagaga - !?”

The speed the spear was thrown out would have been astonishing even for an Olympic javelin thrower. However, another Damaged Hair clone was standing before the flying spear. This clone grabbed the spear and then threw it out again. Another clone further along the trajectory of the spear grabbed it and threw it further still. The same thing happened over and over – and the spear kept going further and further away.

Fenrir’s vengeful curses echoed in the residential streets, and gradually quietened down.

“Gaga! Gagaga! You are ignorant! Ignorant! Without me, all of you will be eliminated at once, ignorant fool! Don’t forget. I. Am. Your. Most powerful weapon! Hold on to me! Hold on to me you piece of shit! Idiot! Gaga! Gagaga!”

The yelling got further and further away until it completely disappeared.

Mina still couldn’t figure out what happened… Damaged Hair was still worried about Fenrir and deliberately looked towards its direction. Even if Mina’s ability – the erasure of existences – hit Damaged Hair, the latter could still resurrect in a different body, but Fenrir would not be able to do that. Damaged Hair did not hide herself before Mina attacked, but she threw away Fenrir, and that was how Mina came to that conclusion.

She didn’t hold on to that strange spear, but let it escape?

These two cares about each other very much, and their communal goal was to conquer the world.

Was she evil, or just?

Could Mina – actually defeat her here?

“… It really had its fun.”

As if Damaged Hair was ready to erase the confusion in Mina’s heart, all expression disappeared on Damaged Hair’s face as she said lowly:

“Then, let’s try this again. I will declare war on you once again. The judge amongst Greater Fragments, the Confusion of God… Sterilization Disinfection, Saibara Mina – Become the stepping stone on my road towards might and power!”

“Road towards might and power… how old is this shōnen manga?”

Things seemed to have become more difficult, and Mina did not relax. She grabbed her weapon, the spray cans, tighter in her hands.

Then, as if to cooperate with her opponent, Mina thought whether she should say words like she was a companion of justice.

“…”

… She couldn’t think of any.

“Hmm, me too – no matter how you look at it, I am still closer to a villain.”

Mina sighed and decided to pay her back – she will fully expand her evil as if she was a villain in a shōnen manga.

“Then come, struggling worms.”

The gluttonous mist of Sterilization Disinfection sprayed towards the two Damaged Hair clones.

Damaged Hair… Mina didn’t know if that was a real or fake name. Her function and name as a Greater Fragment of God seemed to be God Mushi Emperor. All Mina knew was that God Mushi Emperor was the information gatherer, who spread her 666 ‘terminals’ all over the world and supported the other Greater Fragments.

Then, this could be the first time that God Mushi Emperor openly appeared and acted according to her own desires. Mina had never heard of such cases before. All the other Greater Fragments had more or less acted for themselves in the past, whether openly or in secret. But indeed, God Mushi Emperor had never been detected to do so.

It was a strange Fragment that had always passively provided information to the other Greater Fragments when they needed it.

It was content being the assistant for the other Fragments and devoted itself to working behind the scenes.

God Mushi Emperor, Damaged Hair… She wanted to conquer the world to fulfil her goal of replicating everything living by herself, and construct a perfect world. But why did she start this unreachable goal only at this time?

She was denying the way everyone in this world had lived up till now.

She would become the enemy of all the other Greater Fragments – no, of every creature in this world.

What… caused her to start on her so-called ‘road towards might and power’?

“…”

For some reason, Mina began to care about this.

There were too many confusing things here, an unprecedented oddity. The evil ones that Mina had destroyed up to now… the monsters that suddenly emerged and devoured humans… this Damaged Hair was just like those monsters. It was the first time that a Greater Fragment opposed the entire world and aimed to assassinate all the other Fragments.

The entire world seemed to be very strange, twisted, and torn – Mina could faintly tell it was exuding a disharmonious aura, and she detested it. They had finally obtained this peace. They had finally managed to peacefully pass their days.

What was the reason behind this chaos and this confusion?

Why did Damaged Hair begin her operation?

“You are thinking of other things while you’re killing… you are underestimating me.”

How many Damaged Hair clones had she killed? Mina couldn’t be bothered to count, so she didn’t. She just kept killing and Damaged Hair kept multiplying, and the process repeated itself over and over – Mina started to feel irritated in this meaningless battle, with her enemies arriving one after another like invading waves.

Damaged Hair deserved her title of endless multiplication.

Even though the Damaged Hair clones were being defeated one after another, more kept appearing from every direction. No matter how much of the white fog that erased existence was sprayed out, another Damaged Hair would appear when one disappeared. Mina’s opponent couldn’t truly replicate in an endless manner. When the power of the Greater Fragment was exhausted, Damaged Hair wouldn’t be able to replicate anymore… it was the same for Mina. It was impossible for them to fight endlessly.

If they kept fighting and kept up this war of attrition, it would be dawn soon.

Mina couldn’t think of any decisive solutions. She could only spend her stamina and the power of her Fragment until she becomes completely spent.

“Huhuhu… do you understand now?”

Countless Damaged Hair clones, now nothing but broken corpses, piled up at Mina’s feet. Another Damaged Hair clone then appeared and looked at Mina expressionlessly.

“I won’t be killed by anyone. No, I will resurrect no matter how many times I am killed. It’s not so easy to beat me…”

The bodies piled up like a small mountain, while rivulets of blood ran down the street.

A thick stench of blood permeated the silent residential road at night. Moonlight shone through gaps in the clouds. A new, spotless Damaged Hair emerged, while Mina panted in exhaustion. Since Mina’s enemy kept multiplying, it wasn’t long before the situation changed and there were no longer just the two of them facing each other. Soon, the number of Mina’s opponents rapidly multiplied, and they surrounded Mina.

Damaged Hair’s corpses would not disappear even if they were killed. Damaged Hair stared blankly at her own bodies and nodded.

“… It seems you are feeling bored, and I have had enough too – now we are going to get things to be more fun.”

“…?”

What was she suddenly talking about? Mina made her battle pose and was still a little confused. It was the same as before. Mina still couldn’t understand Damaged Hair at all.

“From now on, the battle will decisively turn in my favor… this is it. The battle will become a one-sided affair – just understand that you won’t even be allowed to fight back. Your performance is over.”

A red light briefly flashed past Damaged Hair’s eyes, and she swiftly spread her arms.

“Try taking this, Sterilization Disinfection… my ultimate move, ‘Battle God Mode’!”

“…”

Why did everything this person do sound like something from a shōnen manga?

She sucked even at making names. Nothing had changed at all.

Damaged Hair completely ignored Mina, who was looking depressed. Damaged Hair raised both of her arms and yelled loudly:

“Battle God Mode – [[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Asura|Asura]]!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a huge bump suddenly appeared on her back, and numerous new arms emerged from it. There were – eight arms in total, taking into account her initial arms. The eight arms wobbled in an uncoordinated manner, as if she was a multi-segmented insect, and looked repulsive.

“Woah…”

Mina couldn’t help but want to retreat when she saw this scene. Damaged Hair started to talk with pride.

“See! This is Battle God Mode Asura! I detest others saying that I am not as good as {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}}’s metamorphosis of the flesh… the limit of my ability is to subtly change the blueprint of humans. I cannot conduct any changes outside of normal development, such as adding wheels on a human body or changing the body into a flame thrower, which {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}} dabbles in!”

Mina did not know a lot about the person known as {{Furigana|The Weakest|Ultimate Shield}}. However, for someone to be capable of doing stuff similar to the enemy in front of her – such as adding wheels on the human body – it was disgusting enough just hearing about it. Mina thought it would be better if she never meets that person.

Mina kept thinking about these irrelevant things, but Damaged Hair fixed her gaze solely at Mina. Perhaps she was confident enough and became arrogant from thinking that her Battle God Mode was an unbeatable trump card.

“This is no exaggerated metamorphosis… however, I can change into different forms of myself according to my imagination! Even though this Battle God Mode Asura only added the number of my arms – but after some simple estimation, wouldn’t you understand it increased the power of my attacks eight-fold? Could you handle all these dexterous hand movements –”

“So, it means I just shouldn’t allow it to attack, right?”

With a puff, a white mist sprayed out, and the Damaged Hair clone with the eight arms instantly exploded.

Then, next to Mina – a few meters from the previous clone – a different Damaged Hair appeared.

“Hey! What are you thinking of now that you are a human? Are you just going to attack silently while your opponent is still talking?”

“Isn’t it common strategy to destroy your opponent before they use their abilities…?”

If the clone with the eight arms was capable of terrifying attacks, then Mina should stop it from approaching her, and defeat it as soon as possible. That would be the easier way. There were no problems with that approach.

“Urk…”

Despite the cruel methods Damaged Hair used, she evidently didn’t have enough experience with the battle field. She thought over Mina’s silently, twisted her body a little in confusion, then boosted her own spirits and cast her eyes towards Mina’s direction.

“Indeed… what you said makes a lot of sense.”

Damaged Hair nodded decisively and stretched out her arms in front of her.

“But you are equally unforgivable for insulting me. My Battle God Mode isn’t limited to ‘Asura’ – by using the blueprint of humanity, I can perform at an extraordinary level… I will show you my Battle God Mode!”

Mina thought Damaged Hair really didn’t need to give a name to everything, or to yell those names out like a killing blow. However, Damaged Hair once again loudly declared:

“Battle God Mode – ‘[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Guanyin|Thousand-hand Guanyin]]’!”

“So, you just increased the number of arms!”

Thousands of arms suddenly sprang out of Damage Hair’s body, forming a truly disgusting sight. Just like before, Mina released her mist and immediately defeated it.

Damaged Hair’s body was blown up into pieces. Before the pieces of meat landed on the ground, they came together to form an upside-down, furiously, and agitated Damaged Hair.

“I won’t… won’t… hold back anymore.”

With a sound of something moving rapidly, Damaged Hair waved her fingers as if she was a conductor. At the same time, the number of Damaged Hairs in Mina’s sight started to multiply endlessly. The number of Damaged Hair clones increased at a terrifying rate and surrounded Mina. Their dark-red eyes looked at Mina as their bodies started to undergo all sorts of changes.

Some of the clones had an increase in the number arms, some had a reduction. Some had two heads, some had deformed arms, some gained massively thick thighs – the countless number of Damaged Hair clones started to show all sorts of changes. However, just like Damaged Hair said before, wildly imaginative changes such as having wheels or wings did not happen.

Mina started to get serious, contrary to her previously slightly joking attitude. Her gaze became very serious, and she made a ready pose.

Even though the name ‘Damaged Hair’ sounded like a fun name, she was definitely not an opponent who can easily be defeated. Mina couldn’t think of any ways to completely defeat her for now. Should Mina run away and think up a plan elsewhere? But if Mina were to escape, it would be very hard to run away from these layers of creatures surrounding Mina.

Then, what should Mina do?

Mina looked intently at the overwhelming number of enemies who gathered before her, which were akin to a massive collection of insects.

Where could she break through…

All the Damaged Hair scattered around Mina were saying something in a low voice, while wearing expressionless faces.

“… You’re fighting alone at high spirits. How magnificent. I understood why Fenrir was so afraid of you.”

“But this will be your grave. ‘Asura’, ‘Thousand-hand Guanyin’, ‘[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Seven Gods of Fortune|Seven Gods of Fortune]]’, and ‘[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Vairocana Buddha|Vairocana Buddha]]’… and many other modes besides.”

“After augmentation, ‘we’ are gathered here as a battalion… ‘we’ cannot be defeated by anyone on earth.”

“Let us begin! The epitome of Battle God Modes – ‘[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#The Eight Million|The Eight Million]]’!”

…

…

“… Eh, um…”

All the Damage Hair clones appeared powerful and a bit cute. Mina slowly raised her hand.

“’The Eight Million Gods’ is a concept in nature worship religions such as Shintoism and [[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Pantheism|Pantheism]]… doesn’t it conflict with the idea of a ‘Battle God Mode’?

“…”

“…”

Every single Damaged Hair opened her eyes and mouth wide. They then started to chat amongst each other, narrowed their eyes and looked Mina from head to toe, and pointed at her. The countless Damaged Hair clones chattered continuously in a low voice.

“…Ah, so annoying, so annoying.”

“She only knows how to pick on others. That’s the extent of humans.”

“She doesn’t know how to do anything else…”

“She seemed to be very proud of picking up on others’ mistakes. I can’t understand this.”

“Really”. ”This is the end of the world”. “She is a demonic woman”. “She is so nasty”. “She’s a horrible person”.

There were many more comments like these.

These people seemed to be the same person, and their level of synchronicity was also surprisingly high. Every one of them was degrading Mina, insulting her, complaining as they looked coldly at her. This was truly a bad situation.

“This is the violence of numbers!”

Then all the Damaged Hair clones started to echo her. It was the first time Mina had met someone as annoying as Damaged Hair.

“What is this…”

Mina sighed deeply, feeling an incomparable spite for these creatures – and at the same time –

Something impacted heavily into her stomach. There was a thick thud and a dull pain.

“- !?”

The impact was sudden, but also made sense when she thought about it. After all, there were so many enemies around her… while some of them were complaining and cursing Mina, one of the remaining ones prepared to attack Mina. That was not surprising.

She was alone, but her enemies were legion.

This violence in numbers -

Mina finally felt the true meaning and terror within that statement in her heart.

“…?”

Mina finally realized what just hit her. It was heavy… yes, as if someone threw a rock at her back… but it was a slightly different feeling.

The thing that slammed into Mina’s body and then rolled along the ground – was the head of Damaged Hair.

That head lifted the ends of her lips and smiled without humor as she spoke:

“The thickness and weight of the skin and the skull were adjusted to reach its limits for this head. It is as powerful as a cannonball… if we fired these at you from all directions, can you really dodge them all?”

Looking around, Mina saw that every Damaged Hair around her had the same pose… they had all decapitated themselves and were holding their heads in their hands and aiming those towards Mina, as if they were all about the throw their projectile.

The chill that rose up along Mina’s spine almost froze her. This was insane.

“This is Battle God Mode – ‘[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Jizo Buddha|Jizo Buddha]]’.”

Endless mouths spoke the same words.

“Jizo Buddha is also known as Yama, Lord of Hell… what a fitting name for the creature what will lead you to Hell.”

Then the main assault started.

It was senseless, almost shameless – a true final assault made of overwhelming numbers.

Mina gritted her teeth in agony.

It was her mistake.

Or rather – Damaged Hair won with a low and despicable plan.

“…”

All in all, events were unfolding in an uncomfortable way. At least, Mina managed to protect her body from the hail of head canon balls… but there were still a few that she couldn’t dodge and hit her. Her wounds would recover after some time –

But this situation posed a problem.

This was definitely not good. Mina was only delaying her death for a little while.

“TYPE-B – {{Furigana|Fixation Mist|Jack Jewel}}.”

The semi-liquid substance that Mina held in her right hand, which worked to solidify existences, constructed a defensive wall around her. The flying heads were frozen there… therefore, their impact and damage did not descend upon Mina. That was the defensive tactics Mina chose against Damaged Hair’s Battle God Mode – ‘Jizo Buddha’.

The heads were thrown at Mina rapidly. She responded a bit slowly towards this odd situation, and a few heads landed on Mina’s chest and legs. Even though they didn’t break skin, it seems they did break her bones. Mina could still feel the sensation of pain, a feeling that felt worse than death.

Cold sweat seeped out of Mina’s forehead, and she started to think about ways to deal with the situation regardless of her life.

Her ‘{{Furigana|Fixation Mist|Jack Jewel}}’ was colorless and transparent, and simply froze every existence. In other words, Mina would get buried by the heads, which flew here one after another and got frozen around her in turn… that felt disgusting. Moreover, for some unknown reason, Mina felt disgusted towards things like ‘heads’. She had no reasons she could recall, but only hated it instinctively.

Mina could use ‘‘{{Furigana|Fixation Mist|Jack Jewel}}’ to defend an area with a radius of one meter. Hindered by the invisible wall Mina made, the heads of Damaged Hair that flew in one after another were all frozen there. It was getting hard to see beyond this wall of heads. The moment Mina released the effect of her Mist, all these heads would fall down at the same time. Mina, who would be at the center of it all, would instantly be crushed to death.

Looking up, Mina saw endless heads were still flying at her. These would also be frozen by the ‘{{Furigana|Fixation Mist|Jack Jewel}}’that Mina was spraying out. Then, Mina’s body would slowly get buried by the heads, forming a disgusting sealed room with her inside. Moreover, once she removed the fixation, the frozen heads would simultaneously regain their momentum, fall inward and crush Mina to death.

The solution that surfaced in Mina’s mind was another one of her abilities – the ability to erase existence, ‘{{Furigana|Annihilation Mist|Genocide Justice}}’.

She could burrow into the ground and form a cave and dig a tunnel for her to escape to somewhere safe. Or she could stay underground in the cave, get rid of the fixation effect around the heads, then escape at a later time.

But even if she succeeded would such a perfect escape – she was afraid Damaged Hair would still chase her down and attack using the same tactics. Then it would be inevitable for Mina to get hit, and her body would gradually become full of wounds and agony, and she won’t be able to win even if she continuously defended and kept running away from her enemy.

“Then, what should I do…”

Mina also had a final solution. An ability that had a fitting name to be used against this enemy, God Mushi Emperor, who was considered the Beast of the End.

TYPE-C – ‘{{Furigana|The End|Judgment}}’.

It was Sterilization Disinfection’s killing blow, a technique that ascended and combined her original powers of eliminating and freezing existences. It solidified everything that was annihilated and annihilated everything that was solidified, a flood of nothingness that enveloped all contradictions within itself. The moment she activated this ability, Mina’s entire body would start to devour everything around her and continue to expand with every engorgement until she became the personification of destruction.

However, that ability did not use tools such as spray cans, which controlled the rate of release of her Fragment’s power. It was simply pushing her power beyond its boundaries and releasing all the capabilities of the Fragment. Once used, her life would inevitably be shortened. Its effect was also restricted by how much of the Fragment’s power was left within her body. Once it was exhausted, even her own existence would disappear.

Her opponent was God Mushi Emperor, who had the ability to multiply endlessly.

Even if Mina killed all the Damaged Hair clones present using ‘{{Furigana|The End|Judgment}}’ and destroyed herself in the process, would that count as a victory? Perhaps the other had already prepared a back-up body somewhere else and can replicate herself endlessly at a different location. That way, what Mina did would become meaningless, and it would not be a victory.

Mina felt once again –

– That the traits of Sterilization Disinfection were significantly suppressed when facing the Greater Fragment known as God Mushi Emperor. The latter can multiply even if all of its copies were destroyed… well, that just sounded like cheating. In this situation, Single Room, who can re-write the traits of the opponent, or {{Furigana|Tearsong|Melodia Noise}}, who can control all of its opponents via space manipulation and destroy them all, might be at a better advantage –

“…”

Mina shook her head. It was pointless to think about the other Fragments right now.

She didn’t have reliable friends, or the assistance of other Greater Fragments…

No.

Wait. Did she forget something? Reliable friends? The assistance of other Greater Fragments?

Mina vaguely acknowledged something.

“No. No. No.”

She then started to shake her head. It would be a joke. Even though that was a Greater Fragment, even if that appeared here, it won’t completely overturn the present –

“Chu~★”

It would be impossible… to… completely overturn this. It would be impossible. She can’t help… at all… rather, she would be a hinderance… don’t participate in these kinds of jobs… no matter what happens, she should wait at home for Mina to return… after all, Mina had told her over and over again…

“That… idiot…”

Mina looked towards the street corner where that sound was coming from, even when all the space around her was covered by heads – and all the heads, as well as all the Damaged Hair clones, looked that way too.

Even though there was such a chaos, the general atmosphere around them was still quiet and very relaxing.

A girl was standing there.

“Idiot… why – are you here…?”

Mina completely forgot to defend her opponent’s attacks and stood there in a daze.

“… Who is it?”

Facing this simple question, the short figure proudly puffed out her chest, and answered with a crystal-clear voice.

“I am the high school girl – with seven faces★.”

“…………”

It was very confusing.

Her figure was very vaguely defined. As if she was about to initiate some performance, her entire body was covered with a cloak as dark as the night. A little bit of her face was showing, looking very silly indeed.

But she herself did not realize how silly she looked, and she was completely oblivious to the subtle reactions given out by Mina and Damaged Hair. She made a pose that she thought was trendy, cool, and sexy, and declared with a loud voice:

“Sometimes I’m a high school girl with only one eye? Sometimes I’m a high school girl who is a jockey ★ Sometimes I’m a high school girl who is a private detective? Sometimes I’m a high school girl who is a painter ★ Sometimes I’m a high school girl who is a magician? Sometimes I’m a high school girl who is an experienced police officer ★”

“This sounds like [[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes#Bannai Tarao|Bannai Tarao's Seven Faces]]… aren’t you just a high school girl experienced with working in different part-time jobs? But since you’re a high school girl, how did you become an '''experienced''' police officer…?”

“Then what is her true identity?!”

“Is she going to completely ignore my complaints?!”

This new person was completely oblivious to Damaged Hair, whose faces were full of confusion, and Mina, who was being silent. This mysterious girl took off her splendid cloak and made a magnificent pose in the night town.

Her hair was split in three parts. She was short, and was wearing a high school uniform that showed a little of her chest.

Two big round ears were on the hat she wore on her head, and she also wore a curvy tail decoration.

She wove around some big gloves that she was wearing, which seemed to be in her way – then that girl roared in apparently joy.

“I am the messenger of justice and truth… I am the undefeatable Unpleasant Counter-Current – Saibara Mitsuki★!”

Ta-da~ she made a pose and danced up and down on top of the lamp post like an idiot – Mina looked at her sister while she pushed down an emerging headache. She couldn’t help but mumble in this difficult situation:

“Hey, Ki-chan, young people these days won’t know someone like Bannai Tarao…”

“I’m punishing you as the Moon★?”

“That one’s a bit old too…”

“Pretty CURE CURE~★? Double spirit power – ★?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about anymore.”

The girl’s idiotic appearance made the tense atmosphere completely disappear. Mina was exhausted. She put her hands to her face and thought of death inside the transparent walls inlaid with countless heads.

Like what this strange creature said herself, she was named Saibara Mitsuki, and was Mina’s younger sister. She was the host of the Greater Fragment named Unpleasant Counter-Current. Even though she looked like a stupid cosplayer, she was also one-seventh of God… an abnormal existence at the same level as Mina and Damaged Hair.

The role Unpleasant Counter-Current shouldered was ‘angel’. The ability made her possess the dual appearances and personalities of angels and fallen angels. When she was in this very innocent appearance, she was in the form of the angel. She could use the power of retribution to bounce back the opponent’s aggressive attacks.

Rarely, her innocent and naïve self would become evil – she would be enveloped by hatred and anxiety, and her entire being would become a fallen angel of destruction. Everything would be completely destroyed with voracious fire, like Sodom and Gomorrah of legend.

She was a problematic person no matter what. Even if she was an ally, it would be impossible to cooperate with her. She was like a walking bomb. Her abilities were unstable, and her method of fighting was unpredictable. It would be impossible to control her if she goes berserk, and that was why Mina always told her to stay home and don’t go outside –

Mitsuki’s eyebrows raised in a cute way and she put her hands on her side as she looked sideways at the situation.

“Seriously-! I was so worried when my older sister didn’t come home at this late hour ★ I looked for you at sooooo many places… You have a phone, but you never answered my calls. When I found you, you were covered by so many heads… Chu?”

It seemed she finally realised the abnormality of the scene before her. What a slow response. Mitsuki jumped down from the pole and her face was full of surprise.

“Chu? Chu?! Sis, why does this look so bizarre and M-15? Do adults and their friends prefer things like this★?”

“That’s enough. You either run away or come save me. I wasted so much stuff because of you, so choose an option.”

Mina mumbled. She curled up in the middle of the disgusting pile of heads and wanted to stay here forever, thinking this family member was the most embarrassing thing ever.

“Chu… Mmm, then I’ll come help you!”

As Mitsuki made this light declaration, her body instantly disappeared from the top of the pole.

She ran quickly and light-footedly on top of the electrical wires like a mouse. She dashed between the crowd of Damaged Hairs with ease and ran straight towards Mina. It looked like a completely thoughtless move, but she was running faster than a car.

“Hey – "

Even though Mitsuki was called Unpleasant Counter-Current, Damaged Hair didn’t think she would be an enemy worthy of defending against due to her naïve speech and actions. Damaged Hair also couldn’t react on time to Mitsuki’s abnormal movement patterns. Even though she multiplied greatly, all the Damaged Hairs were replicated from the original, and her reflexes were about the same as a human. If one of them don’t get to react, then the rest of the clones won’t respond either.

Mitsuki ran towards Mina like a gale a wind, clenching her fists inside with their giant gloves.

“Then, sis, work with me to get rid of your solidification, okay?”

At the end, they were still sisters. Mina understood the situation simply by observing Mitsuki’s actions and the look in her eyes – Mina soon realized what her sister was thinking without either of them needing to speak. She nodded and sat down on the ground, then started to shake the spray cans in both of her hands.

“Don’t embarrass me anymore… Ki-chan, show me what you can do.”

“Leave it to me★”

Mitsuki smiled sweetly and blinked, then punched viciously towards the head closest to her.

“Little pinball? Little pinball ★ big reward? ★”

The gloves Mitsuki wore were tools just like Mina’s spray cans. They were to control the power of the Greater Fragment that was attached to the user’s life and flowed through the tools. These tools could control the Fragment’s power like one could control water flow using a tap. Most of the Greater Fragments use such tools to exert their abilities.

“The pinball reward is released ★ Aha?”

Mitsuki’s fist swung as she yelled – at the same time, Mina removed the fixation that she applied to the heads around her. These heads, which were about to start moving, were softly pushed along and rotated by Mitsuki. They moved in different directions, bouncing against each other like balls in a pinball machine. The heads fixed around Mina were punched away.

“What…?!”

Mitsuki was actually much better at sports than Mina. She swung so many continuous punches that the human eye could not catch and, in about ten seconds, flung away all the heads that had built up around Mina.

“You, you – Heh, Unpleasant Counter-Current… stop looking down on others.”

Damaged Hair finally reverted to her previous, more serious mode. As if she was throwing a bowling ball, she swiftly threw the heavy and solid head in her hand.

“Why don’t you have a taste of Battle God Mode – ‘Jizo Buddha’ too!”

Facing such an attack, Mina could only stay on the defensive. In fact, if Mitsuki hadn’t appeared, the situation could have become direr – Sterilization Disinfection was suppressed by the characteristics of God Mushi Emperor in every way.

But as Unpleasant Counter-Current, Mitsuki’s traits were an exact match for God Mushi Emperor.

The duty of Unpleasant Counter-Current was the Angel. The Beast of the End was exiled by the Angel.

Of course… there are stories that describe the opposite, and that the Beast of the End killed the Angel. Therefore, the power and traits between them should be very similar.

Either way –

“Woah, the heads are flying my way. It’s just like a movie. It’s scary… d-don?”

Despite her cute words, Mitsuki’s fist could only defend against her enemy’s attacks. Even with her ability, she still could not defeat God Mushi Emperor, who was reproducing endlessly…

“… I am not prepared to face and fight two Greater Fragments.”

Damaged Hair turned away with those surprisingly brief words, and all the other Damaged Hairs also turned away. It was almost like they were a part of the same body and would not interfere with each other.

One of those clones turned back a little and nodded as she said:

“I’m temporarily retreating for today… But I will appear before you again, Sterilization Disinfection, Unpleasant Counter-Current… Even if I were defeated and destroyed, there will always be Damaged Hairs who will appear before you…”

Even in the end, she sounded like one of those rotten villains in old shōnen mangas.

Mina was still stunned. She still couldn’t understand that woman’s behavior. They couldn’t understand each other’s words or characteristics. Mina then spoke in a careful, quiet way.

It was the personal opinion of Saibara Mina, not of Sterilization Disinfection.

“Damaged Hair, I can’t forgive your goals. If no one else existed anymore, then perhaps we will have a peaceful and stable world – but that would be too boring. If that was your sole purpose, and the only reason you are fighting, isn’t that the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve? You’re fighting to achieve peace? Killing to achieve peace? That’s… so stupid.”

“…”

One of the terminals of Damaged Hair mumbled:

“I knew that… even if you didn’t say it.”

At that moment, that blonde girl was undoubtedly and utterly the enemy of the world – God Mushi Emperor, the Beast of the End.

“However, even if this is stupid, even if I must fight against God… I must fight with all my strength.”

As if indicating Mina should simply come after her to resolve their grudge, Damaged Hair left a line that sounded like it came from a shōnen manga. Her clones, these incredible ‘girls’, then walked slowly away.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_01|Ragnarok 01: A 19-year-old useless repeat-year-student, whose hobby is video gaming]]
| Back to [[Mushi_to_Medama|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_03|Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

2018-01-29T07:49:33Z

Brynhilde: /* Updates */

[[Image:mtm_main.jpg|300px|thumb|Cover for the 1st novel]]

Sakaki Guryū is a multi-talented genius who, despite being gifted and wealthy, decides to teach in the countryside to be together with his lover, Usagawa Rinne, who also happens to be his student. Their peaceful lives are shattered one day when Rinne is killed, in front of Sakaki's eyes, by a girl named "Gankyū Eguriko", who gouged her eyes out with a spoon. Things take an even stranger turn when Rinne suddenly wakes up as if nothing had happened, and something called an "Eden's Apple" is thrown into the mix.

Mushi to Medama won the award for the "Best Newcomer" category in the MF Literary Awards.

'''Update''': Volume 5 Epilogue 19 is out.

And that, everybody, is the end of the main story.

When I first started reading Mushi to Medama, I was convinced it was some dark-humor crack fic that I would probably put down after the first volume. As I read more and more of it, I felt the impossible mysteries in that world must be an echo of the tales and fantasies in Christianity and the Bible, and I was prepared for the story to become an exploration in theology. When I reached the end, I was initially upset, as it felt like a self-insert and a ''deus ex machina'', an easy explanation out of a story that has spiraled out of control.

To be fair, ''Mushi to Medama'' is not exactly a piece of top-end writing. But as I mused more and more on the story in the past eight years, it felt more like a description of the various aspects of the human psyche, the contradictory elements that reside in all of us, and the power that lies dormant within each of us , as surely as the gentle breathing of a slumbering God.

At the end, the messages in this story boil down to knowing the multiple side of your self, and recognizing the power you have to change your life.

This convoluted story of murder, betrayal, and madness, was in fact a magnified version of the internal struggle we experience daily as we try to balance desire and fear in every decision we make, sometimes letting the different parts of our mind complement each other magnificently, and sometimes doing our best to tear ourselves apart.

I have also done some research to see the feedback the internet has about ''Mushi to Medama'', specifically this translated version, and unfortunately the response wasn't positive. While there is little I can do about the context of the story, I have resolved to go back to the earlier chapters to proof-read for grammar and localization. While this shouldn't slow down the translation speed too much (there are no more giant chapters), I hope it would contribute to a better reading experience for readers in the future.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 11:26, 30 January 2017 (CET)

'''Update''': A thorough editing for the text for Volume 1 has been completed. There should be far less typos, grammatical mistakes, and bad translation/syntax in general.

Will now go back to focusing on translating Volume 6.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 10:50, 5 August 2017 (CEST)

'''Update''': I've finally gotten started with the last volume of this book serious. The entire of Volume 6 is essentially a massive epilogue. Should be fun!

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 09:54, 10 October 2017 (CEST)

== [[MTM:Registration Page|Registration]] ==
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Feedback ==

If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2068 Feedback Thread]?

== Updates ==

[[Mushi:Updates|Older updates]]
*January 30, 2017
**Volume 5 Epilogue 19 complete

*February 18, 2017
**Volume 5 Author's Notes complete

*August 5, 2017
**Volume 1 editing complete

*October 10, 2017
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 00 complete

*January 29, 2018
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 01 complete

== Mushi to Medama Series by Akira (日日日), Illustrated by Mitsuki Mausu ==

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear '' / 蟲と眼球とテディベア ([[Mushi:Vol1|Full Text]])===
[[Image:Mtm_main.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 1 Cover: Gankyū Eguriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch1|Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch2|Night 2: The 15th November Incident]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch3|Night 3: The Girl who died a Thousand years ago]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch4|Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch5|Final Night: "Don't Look"]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Epilogue|Guriko's Offering]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Sterilization Disinfection '' / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒 ([[Mushi:Vol2|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm2_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 2 Cover: Usagawa Rinne]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Open|Open: The Bell of Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch1|Night 1: A Series of Misfortune]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch2|Night 2: Melancholic Officer and a Long-Armed Demon]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch3|Night 3: Boudoir]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch4|Night 4: I can't hear the bells]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch5|Final Night: Start of Disinfection]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Close|Close: Blood-stained Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait '' / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ ([[Mushi:Vol3|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm3_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 3 Cover: Saibara Mitsuki]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Prologue|Start: The Girl Carrying a Head]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch1|Night 1: Black Dragon Black Snake Black Rat]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch2|Night 2: Granulated Sugar and a One-sided Love]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch3|Night 3: Distancing happiness]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch4|Night 4: Temporary halt?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch5|Night 5: Vomit]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_End|End: You and Chocolate Parfait]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Lovesong '' / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌 ([[Mushi:Vol4|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm4_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 4 Cover: Nikuyama Kajiri]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Overture|Overture: 700]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony1|Symphony 1: Unable to transmit via songs alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony2|Symphony 2: Whom does the Song of Love belong to?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony3|Symphony 3: Crybaby Joker]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony4|Symphony 4: The Adventures of Vegetable Juice and Tomato Juice]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Finale|Finale: Unable to Save Based on Love Alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Requiem|Requiem: 666]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White '' / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫 ([[Mushi:Vol5|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm5_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 5 Cover: Rinne and Guriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Prologue|PROLOGUE 02: The Jealous Queen]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_03|EPILOGUE 03: The Mirror of Truth]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_06|EPILOGUE 06: The Hunter]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_09|EPILOGUE 09: The Seven Dwarfs]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_11|EPILOGUE 11: The Witch]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_14|EPILOGUE 14: Poison & Apple & Kiss]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_19|EPILOGUE 19: Snow White]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Authors_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair '' / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア ===
[[Image:Mtm6_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 6 Cover: Damaged Hair]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_00|Ragnarok 00: Damaged hair of a place no one knows]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_01|Ragnarok 01: A 19-year-old useless repeat-year-student, whose hobby is video gaming]] - '''100%'''
::*Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone
::*Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven
::*Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelor, Bored every day
::*Ragnarok 05: Production-orientated Loner
::*Ragnarok 06: Final God Mode: 3000 Worlds
::*Ragnarok xx: The twilight of the aftermath...
::*Author's Notes
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand. [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] has Chinese RAWs available for those who wish to help.
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Cakemanofdoom|cakemanofdoom]]
::*[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:AlfheimWanderer|AlfheimWanderer]]

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:TheGiftedMonkey|TheGiftedMonkey]]
::*[[User:RoadBuster|RoadBuster]]
::*[[User:Chaos Greyblood|Chaos Greyblood]]
::*[[User:dell19930|dell19930]]

== Series Overview ==
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear / 蟲と眼球とテディベア　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1273-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Sterile Disinfection / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1470-7)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ (ISBN 978-4-8401-1532-2)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Song of Love / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1593-3)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1765-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア (ISBN 978-4-8401-1858-3)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Akira]]

[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Horror]]
[[Category:Genre - Mystery]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]

Mushi to Medama

2018-01-29T07:48:59Z

Brynhilde: /* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア */

[[Image:mtm_main.jpg|300px|thumb|Cover for the 1st novel]]

Sakaki Guryū is a multi-talented genius who, despite being gifted and wealthy, decides to teach in the countryside to be together with his lover, Usagawa Rinne, who also happens to be his student. Their peaceful lives are shattered one day when Rinne is killed, in front of Sakaki's eyes, by a girl named "Gankyū Eguriko", who gouged her eyes out with a spoon. Things take an even stranger turn when Rinne suddenly wakes up as if nothing had happened, and something called an "Eden's Apple" is thrown into the mix.

Mushi to Medama won the award for the "Best Newcomer" category in the MF Literary Awards.

'''Update''': Volume 5 Epilogue 19 is out.

And that, everybody, is the end of the main story.

When I first started reading Mushi to Medama, I was convinced it was some dark-humor crack fic that I would probably put down after the first volume. As I read more and more of it, I felt the impossible mysteries in that world must be an echo of the tales and fantasies in Christianity and the Bible, and I was prepared for the story to become an exploration in theology. When I reached the end, I was initially upset, as it felt like a self-insert and a ''deus ex machina'', an easy explanation out of a story that has spiraled out of control.

To be fair, ''Mushi to Medama'' is not exactly a piece of top-end writing. But as I mused more and more on the story in the past eight years, it felt more like a description of the various aspects of the human psyche, the contradictory elements that reside in all of us, and the power that lies dormant within each of us , as surely as the gentle breathing of a slumbering God.

At the end, the messages in this story boil down to knowing the multiple side of your self, and recognizing the power you have to change your life.

This convoluted story of murder, betrayal, and madness, was in fact a magnified version of the internal struggle we experience daily as we try to balance desire and fear in every decision we make, sometimes letting the different parts of our mind complement each other magnificently, and sometimes doing our best to tear ourselves apart.

I have also done some research to see the feedback the internet has about ''Mushi to Medama'', specifically this translated version, and unfortunately the response wasn't positive. While there is little I can do about the context of the story, I have resolved to go back to the earlier chapters to proof-read for grammar and localization. While this shouldn't slow down the translation speed too much (there are no more giant chapters), I hope it would contribute to a better reading experience for readers in the future.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 11:26, 30 January 2017 (CET)

'''Update''': A thorough editing for the text for Volume 1 has been completed. There should be far less typos, grammatical mistakes, and bad translation/syntax in general.

Will now go back to focusing on translating Volume 6.

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 10:50, 5 August 2017 (CEST)

'''Update''': I've finally gotten started with the last volume of this book serious. The entire of Volume 6 is essentially a massive epilogue. Should be fun!

- [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([[User talk:Brynhilde|talk]]) 09:54, 10 October 2017 (CEST)

== [[MTM:Registration Page|Registration]] ==
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]

== Feedback ==

If you enjoyed the series, why don't you tell us in the [http://www.baka-tsuki.org:8080/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2068 Feedback Thread]?

== Updates ==

[[Mushi:Updates|Older updates]]
*January 30, 2017
**Volume 5 Epilogue 19 complete

*February 18, 2017
**Volume 5 Author's Notes complete

*August 5, 2017
**Volume 1 editing complete

*October 10, 2017
**Volume 6 Ragnarok 00 complete

== Mushi to Medama Series by Akira (日日日), Illustrated by Mitsuki Mausu ==

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear '' / 蟲と眼球とテディベア ([[Mushi:Vol1|Full Text]])===
[[Image:Mtm_main.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 1 Cover: Gankyū Eguriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch1|Night 1: Usarin-kakka's Daily Edict]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch2|Night 2: The 15th November Incident]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch3|Night 3: The Girl who died a Thousand years ago]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch4|Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Ch5|Final Night: "Don't Look"]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Epilogue|Guriko's Offering]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol1_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Sterilization Disinfection '' / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒 ([[Mushi:Vol2|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm2_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 2 Cover: Usagawa Rinne]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Open|Open: The Bell of Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch1|Night 1: A Series of Misfortune]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch2|Night 2: Melancholic Officer and a Long-Armed Demon]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch3|Night 3: Boudoir]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch4|Night 4: I can't hear the bells]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Ch5|Final Night: Start of Disinfection]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Close|Close: Blood-stained Night]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol2_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait '' / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ ([[Mushi:Vol3|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm3_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 3 Cover: Saibara Mitsuki]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Prologue|Start: The Girl Carrying a Head]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch1|Night 1: Black Dragon Black Snake Black Rat]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch2|Night 2: Granulated Sugar and a One-sided Love]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch3|Night 3: Distancing happiness]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch4|Night 4: Temporary halt?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Ch5|Night 5: Vomit]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_End|End: You and Chocolate Parfait]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol3_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Lovesong '' / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌 ([[Mushi:Vol4|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm4_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 4 Cover: Nikuyama Kajiri]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Overture|Overture: 700]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony1|Symphony 1: Unable to transmit via songs alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony2|Symphony 2: Whom does the Song of Love belong to?]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony3|Symphony 3: Crybaby Joker]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Symphony4|Symphony 4: The Adventures of Vegetable Juice and Tomato Juice]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Finale|Finale: Unable to Save Based on Love Alone]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Requiem|Requiem: 666]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_Author's_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol4_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White '' / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫 ([[Mushi:Vol5|Full Text]]) ===
[[Image:Mtm5_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 5 Cover: Rinne and Guriko]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Prologue|PROLOGUE 02: The Jealous Queen]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_03|EPILOGUE 03: The Mirror of Truth]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_06|EPILOGUE 06: The Hunter]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_09|EPILOGUE 09: The Seven Dwarfs]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_11|EPILOGUE 11: The Witch]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_14|EPILOGUE 14: Poison & Apple & Kiss]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Epilogue_19|EPILOGUE 19: Snow White]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_Authors_Notes|Author's Notes]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol5_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

===''Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair '' / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア ===
[[Image:Mtm6_cover.jpg|200px|thumb|Volume 6 Cover: Damaged Hair]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_00|Ragnarok 00: Damaged hair of a place no one knows]]
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_Ragnarok_01|Ragnarok 01: A 19-year-old useless repeat-year-student, whose hobby is video gaming]] - '''100%'''
::*Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone
::*Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven
::*Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelor, Bored every day
::*Ragnarok 05: Production-orientated Loner
::*Ragnarok 06: Final God Mode: 3000 Worlds
::*Ragnarok xx: The twilight of the aftermath...
::*Author's Notes
::*[[Mushi:Vol6_TLnotes|Translator's Notes and References]]
 

== Project Staff ==

*Supervisor:
*Project Manager: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first notify a supervisor beforehand. [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] has Chinese RAWs available for those who wish to help.
'''Translators are asked to [[MTM:Registration Page|register]] which chapters they're working on''' (see [[Format_guideline#Translators|the Guideline page]] for usage rules).

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Cakemanofdoom|cakemanofdoom]]
::*[[User:HolyCow|HolyCow]]

=== Editors ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:AlfheimWanderer|AlfheimWanderer]]

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:TheGiftedMonkey|TheGiftedMonkey]]
::*[[User:RoadBuster|RoadBuster]]
::*[[User:Chaos Greyblood|Chaos Greyblood]]
::*[[User:dell19930|dell19930]]

== Series Overview ==
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Teddy Bear / 蟲と眼球とテディベア　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1273-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Sterile Disinfection / 蟲と眼球と殺菌消毒　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1470-7)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Chocolate Parfait / 蟲と眼球とチョコレートパフェ (ISBN 978-4-8401-1532-2)
* Mushi, Eyeball and a Song of Love / 蟲と眼球と愛の歌　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1593-3)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Snow White / 蟲と眼球と白雪姫　(ISBN 978-4-8401-1765-4)
* Mushi, Eyeball and Damaged Hair / 蟲と眼球とダメージヘア (ISBN 978-4-8401-1858-3)

[[Category:Light novel (English)]]
[[Category:Akira]]

[[Category:Genre - Comedy]]
[[Category:Genre - Drama]]
[[Category:Genre - Fantasy]]
[[Category:Genre - Horror]]
[[Category:Genre - Mystery]]
[[Category:Genre - Romance]]
[[Category:Genre - Supernatural]]