Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume1 Final Play (section)

===Part 1 ===

"Say...... Ada...... What do you think that is?"

In classroom 1-B. As they were taking refuge in the classroom and holding their breaths, Serges came over and stealthily whispered in Ada's ear. Because she didn't see any chimera, she opened the closed curtains just a little bit and peeked outside.

"What do you mean? There's nothing, isn't there?"

Although they exchanged places and she looked outside, all she saw was the pitch-black sky spreading out endlessly.

"Wrong way. Look over in that direction!"

Serges's finger pointed in the direction of the campus. They stared in that direction for a few seconds. The sky was wriggling.

"Eh......"

Finally, she understood what her classmate had said.

That wasn't the sky. What she had thought was the sky, were actually deep blueish-purple flames. The Night-colored flames burned in the campus were converging overhead. Their concentration turned to where the huge vortex of flames were concentrated at a small point. Before they noticed it, a dimly shining {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} had been born. Because it was so big, she didn't notice it until it had been pointed out.

What is that? The {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} that they didn't know the reason for, it was way too gigantic. They had never seen such a showy {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} before.

The gate's radiance increased and suddenly burst open.

That was proof that the Recitation had been completed.


"............Eh?"

Exhausted, Mio leaned against the railing on the rooftop.

The {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}}'s radiance grew. Even she clearly understood that at that moment, the {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} had completely opened.

True Spirits called out by {{Furigana|First Scale Recitations|High Noble Arias}} were extremely varied but they all had one thing in common. That hydra, the green wyvern, and other creatures summoned by {{Furigana|First Scale Recitations|High Noble Arias}} were absurdly huge.

Just what sort of huge thing was coming out from that {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}}? She even forgot to blink while staring, but, even though the gate had burst open, there was nothing coming out.

No way, did it fail?

Although she wanted to confirm it, because the flames that were illuminating the campus had disappeared, the campus was plunged into darkness for a second time.

"What just happened......"

The only thing that entered her vision was the gigantic shadow that had broken into the school grounds. She didn't know the reason why, but that monster suddenly changed direction and set foot into the campus. 

If the recitation had failed, then there was nothing that could be done. There wasn't enough time to conduct another {{Furigana|First Scale Recitation|High Noble Aria}}. The hydra drew closer to the center of the campus, the place where Neight was until a little while ago. But because of the darkness, she couldn't see his figure. She wasn't even sure if he was able to escape.

Rather, she didn't want to see him. If Neight was still there where the light turned on..........

But, with almost ironic timing, the neon lights that had been off now turned back on. The school lit up once again. For a second time, the campus was brilliantly illuminated.

—Please. Don't be there. Please have run away.

Although her eyelids felt burned by that scorching radiance, nevertheless she stared at that place— and felt a burst of dizziness.

......I can't believe it.

He remained standing in place. Furthermore, next to him was the figure of her friend who was supposed to be resting in the hall.

"Neight, Kululu, run awaaaaaaayyyy!"

Mio raised her voice from the rooftop. There was no way they could hear her. But even so, she couldn't help but shout. At this rate the three of them would be trampled by that monster...... Eh?...... Three of them?

Her eyesight hadn't gone bad. The boy wearing a deep blue colored robe, that was Neight. The girl wearing the white dress, that person was Kluele. The last person was also standing at the place where they was.

That person was pitch black, like their whole body was wrapped in black cloth. Who is that?

No. Impossible.

Although she had thought that the True Spirit of Night was something large, could it be—


'That' didn't materialize from the {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}}.

Instead, at the moment the {{Furigana|Recital Gate|Channel}} burst, something arose out of Neight's shadow.

The three-dimensional shadow slowly straightened its back. But even so, it was clearly small, just like herself. No, it was even shorter. Height. In other words, not body length or size.

Because, the thing before eyes had the figure of a human.

Its body was jet-black, but gave a transparent impression. A human clad in shadows. Furthermore, its form seemed feminine. It was like the girl drenched in pitch-black paint from the beginning— In short, that was probably the closest analogy.

But, not long before Kluele steadily gazed at it, the boy that it stood next to suddenly collapsed unsteadily.

"—Neight?"

The boy was on the verge of collapsing backwards. Barely in the nick of time, Kluele supported him with her right shoulder. But no matter how many times she called out, he didn't reply. His eyes remained closed. Was he unconscious? At a time like this, when the hydra would be coming soon—

[Because that feeling of tension suddenly eased.]

Kluele looked over her shoulder. The True Spirit of Night had come and stood beside them.

[However, he should be praised for doing such a good job holding on.]

It stretched out a shadow in the shape of a hand. The fingertip of the shadow gently stroked the boy's face.

"Are you the True Spirit of Night?"

[It would seem so wouldn't it? Kluele-san.]

Kluele was startled after suddenly being called by her name. Just like the divine bird she had called out, why did even the True Spirit of Night know her name?

[Fufu, that child told me.]

The True Spirit turned her head, looking upwards. In that direction— Like it had assembled in the starry night sky, a large creature flapped its wings overhead. It was gigantic. Although she only measured it by eye, in terms of size it might even be comparable to the hydra.

The floating silhouette that the school's lights shone on..... Is that a dragon?

The hydra increased its speed, causing cracks in the earth. While catching a glimpse of it in her peripheral vision, the True Spirit of Night looked up at the sky.

[Arma, I'll take that on as an opponent. Go help Kluele-san and Neight hide.]

——Understood——

The low, heavy tone was like the ringing of the lowest key of a pipe organ. Was that truly its voice. It made Kluele wonder whether the sound’s vibration would land on her head. No, but more importantly.

Arma? Wasn't that a name she know?

.....No way, this dragon overhead is.....

[Didn’t I say a long time ago that I’m not a lizard? But there’s no time to chat leisurely right now. It's coming.]

The jet-black dragon landed right behind her. The gust of wind caused her hair to sway.

[Evhe, I'll leave that to you. Little girl, carry Neight and quickly get on.]

"Kluele-san—”

For a moment, Kluele saw the illusion that someone was behind her. Just like the {{Furigana|Divine Bird of Dawn|Phoenix}} and Arma, that person had a voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. The voice suspended in air was a human woman's voice.

"Thank you very much. Neight by himself would never have been able to call me out. It is surely because of you that I am now here. In Neight's place, I thank you. If you are able to, please continue helping this child."

'This child'? That was not a normal way of speaking. It was almost like she was speaking about her own child. Isn't it unfitting for a True Spirit to use such wording when talking about humans?

Before she had time to decide whether to ask that question or not, Kluele’s body floated upwards. Without any warning, the Night-colored dragon had grabbed the two of them in his foreleg and flapped its wings.

"Wa-Wait, carry us more carefully!"

While still burdened with Neight, Arma had grabbed them. Although he wasn’t flying very fast, because of the unstable footing, a little mistake could shake them off. And even more importantly, the dragon was flying in an awkward manner. Could it be a bad habit? Compared to the bird deity that she had come here with, he was too clumsy.

[Because I haven’t flown in a long time.]

He said brazenly with an innocent expression. That arrogant tone of voice made her even more convinced. She had no doubt. This dragon was truly the Recited creature that she was familiar with.

"....You gigantic flying lizard."

[Do you have something to say?]

At the companion who always constantly returned her questions, Kluele shook her head in resignation.

"Nothing. More importantly, if you're so huge like that, you should have come out in the first place!"

[The <Woman of Origin> and I are Duet-type Recitations. If one wing isn’t called out, the other wing can’t come out either.]

This was the first time she had heard of this special type. But other than that, there were still a lot of things she wanted to ask.

"......Just who is that True Spirit?"

The True Spirit of Night still stood below them. But somehow, it was different. Exactly what it was, Kluele didn't know. However, it felt different from the divine bird from before and also from this Night-colored Lizard. If there was a line dividing humans and True Spirits, then that True Spirit was standing on the line.

“You called her Evhe, right? Is that the True Spirit’s name?”

[She doesn’t have a name. Evhe is the name I gave to the girl who voluntarily abandoned her own name.]

From the low altitude he had been flying at, the jet-black dragon suddenly flew higher. But despite the roar of the wind in her ears, the True Spirit's voice still retained its clear quality.

[Evhe— The <Woman of Origin> who brought the Night Color Recitations into this world.]

Brought the Night Color Recitations into this world? That reply made her stare at the boy she carried on her shoulder.

“Eh? But, wasn’t that Neight?”

[You’ve probably heard about it. The one who constructed Night Color Recitations wasn’t Neight, but his mother.]

Kluele became increasingly confused. Neight's mother should have already passed away. She understood that Neight's mother had created Night Color Recitations, but why was the True Spirit of Night's name Evhe?

Before she could ask, Arma quickly gave her a request.

[Cover your ears. There is something I must do.]

"......Must do?"

[Howl.]

That one simple word caused her whole body to shake with fright.

Howl...... Wa-Wait a minute! My left hand is injured and my right hand is carrying Neight. There’s no way for me to cover my ears, so please restrain yourself—

Her wish was in vain. When the jet-black dragon let loose a howl, Kluele lost consciousness for a single moment.


'''''Master’s single wing (transient master) — My name is <One who bares his fangs (Armadeus)>'''''

''[O she saira qersonie Laspha — Armadeus. Captivated by the daughter of the dark lonely night, invited by that righteous successor. In accordance with the Recitation of Night, I will make it known to the world!]''

That voice was not heard just at the school, but was even transmitted to the ends of the world.


The hydra didn’t chase the dragon flying in the sky, but set its sights on the small True Spirit remaining on the ground.

It smelt a dangerous scent from that gigantic dragon. However, even more unpleasant was the small True Spirit that still stood before its eyes.

It could sense something threatening coming from this True Spirit.

The hydra spat out a long, scorching hot breath and once again changed the campus to a sea of flames. The place where the True Spirit of Night stood up until now had completely burned up.

Without a trace, the True Spirit of Night disappeared from the place it had just been standing. Just before the hydra judged that it was too quick.

"Too bad, but this school is also an important place to me."

The hydra heard that voice coming from overhead. Turning in the direction of the voice, its five heads glared at its surroundings in search of the enemy.

"Let me express my thanks for coming along and doing whatever you please."

Before long, ten eyes concentrated on one end of the campus. At a height of easily twenty meters above ground.

At the center of the campus, on a metal pole used for lighting, the jet-black True Spirit towered directly overhead.


<div align="center"><nowiki>***</nowiki></div>


"Hey, Mirror, are we dreaming?"

Forgetting to even wipe away the sweat running down his face, Zessel continued to look up at the dragon overhead. In the middle of the night-colored curtain, the jet-black dragon that flapped its wings in the air was too large and majestic. It should unmistakably be a Recited creature, but just what color did that True Spirit belong to?

"......I just remembered something from long ago. Something from a very long time ago."

The teacher who wore glasses sighed.

"How unexpected. So did I."

Forgetting to blink at the Night-colored True Spirit, Zessel let out another sigh.

Even though half of it had already settled into the deepest parts of his memory, he recalled the words that had lain dormant for ten years.

—What I want to do is Night Color Recitations—

In the time of Elfand Academy, the one girl in the class who hadn’t socialized with anyone and sat by herself in a corner of the classroom. When he had chosen to devote himself to Red Recitations, Mirror chose Blue Recitations, and Enne chose White Recitations, only one girl struggled to pursue a non-existing color.

However, it couldn’t be her, could it? First of all, if she had completed Night Color Recitations, her name should have resounded throughout the world. Just like the Rainbow Reciter’s had been.

And then.

At that moment, the jet-black dragon howled.


'''''Master’s single wing (transient master) — My name is <One who bares his fangs (Armadeus)>'''''

''[O she saira qersonie Laspha — Armadeus. Captivated by the daughter of the dark lonely night, invited by that righteous successor. In accordance with the Recitation of Night, I will make it known to the world!]''


In accordance with the Recitation of Night—

Daughter of the dark lonely night—

No Way......

"......Ha, Ahahaha, how could it be!"

With his hand on his forehead, Zessel let out a loud laugh. From the corners of his eyes, something spilled out.

He could only laugh self-mockingly. The girl who had been looked down upon by everyone in the classroom. The girl who had been neglected by the teacher and the school. And yet, isn’t this school being protected right now by her hands?

Should he praise her? Or should he mourn for her? What on earth should he do?

What have we—

"Just how foolish have I been, I wonder."

"......Jessica-sensei?"

It was the one who should have been inside the school building leading students to refuge, Elfand’s former teacher.

"You...... You were right, weren't you, Evhemary."

Without even wiping away her tears, the head teacher just wholeheartedly and repeatedly called out her former student's name.


<div align="center"><nowiki>***</nowiki></div>


“Wha-What’s with that sudden howl!”

With her hands covering her still-buzzing ears, Kluele roared back. From her point of view, it really was a terrible disaster.

[The girl knew that her time of death was approaching. Tales like that can be found all over the world. However, even though most of humanity had accepted this, she was unwilling to accept her fate. If I disappear without doing anything, then for what purpose did I exist— She wished to leave behind proof of her existence in this world.]

In contrast to the prior roaring sound, with a voice like it was suppressing the silence, Arma continued to speak as if he was talking to himself.

[What she thought of was Recitations. Embracing the idea to create a new type of Recitation, she threw herself into her research. But when her newly-invented Recitation was half-complete, her body had already begun to erode from her illness. While feeling uneasy and afraid, unsure if she had enough time, she met a boy. That encounter literally changed her fate.]

After pausing for a while, as if hesitating to find the right words, Arma continued talking.

[Not long after their encounter, the boy requested a competition with her. Or maybe it would be more accurately called a challenge. What they had bet on was— To see who could first master the Recitation they were pursuing.]

"Why did something like that change her fate?"

[Because the girl felt fulfilled. Until then, she had always been lonely. Because she knew her time of death was approaching, she did not associate with other people. Then she found someone willing to acknowledge her. Someone to acknowledge her, meaning someone who would remember her. Because of this, she didn’t need to create a Recitation as proof of her existence anymore. After that, the girl’s feelings began to waver.]

Kluele also knew that feeling, to the point of being pained. She also understood why she sympathized with the girl.

Because a few days ago, she had a similar experience herself.

—Kluele-san is definitely suited to becoming a Reciter—

Only because there was someone to acknowledge her, she was able to feel at ease.

[Just like what the boy had done to her, the girl also wanted to become a person who could cure someone’s loneliness. That was the conclusion she arrived at. She wanted to travel across the world, comforting people with the same pain as her. But even if she wanted to do that, she did not have much time left to live. At the same time, she also sincerely wanted to fulfill the promise with the boy of who could master their Recitation first. But no matter what she did, there was no way to accomplish both of those desires. Therefore—]

The talkative creature’s crescent-moon pupils wavered slightly.

[For the sake of accomplishing both, the girl threw away her name.]

Regret. Indecision. Envy. Lamentation. Just how many emotions were mixed together in his eyes? Despite seeing it from up close, Kluele couldn't tell.

[The so-called Recitation called out the things she longed for. The girl thought, ‘Since it’s like this, could I be called out after I am dead?’ She willingly became the ruler of the Recitation she constructed— in other words, she became the True Spirit.]

Such a thing, is that even possible? It wasn't something she could immediately believe.

———And yet, why?

The eyes of the speaker seemed like it could compel anyone to believe it…… No, it caused others to have no choice but to believe, filled with an ice-cold yet beautiful sorrow.

"That, was that a story about something that really happened......?"

[Who knows? Perhaps there’s no meaning to it, or perhaps it’s merely a fairy tale…… But……]

The corners of the dragon’s mouth softened slightly. The facial expression wasn’t as clear as that of humans, but Kluele understood. Certainly, that was a smile.

[The roar from before was my farewell gift to the girl.]

That girl? This time, Kluele didn’t ask the question, but instead shut her mouth.

[Well, let’s take care of the chimera. Hold on tight!]

Right now? While carrying me?

Don’t joke around. With your clumsy way of flight, it’s scary enough just flying around, and now to have a battle in the air? No matter how many lives I have, there wouldn't be enough for this!

[This is a great opportunity to prove that I’m not an ordinary lizard, don’t you think?]

“……Didn’t you hear me? You gigantic Night-colored flying lizard with wings……”

He grinned broadly. But unlike before, the True Spirit had a clearly mischievous smile.


Well then......

From the top of an iron pole, the Night-colored True Spirit surveyed the academy. Flames rose in every direction. The school buildings and other buildings had all suffered damage. In the dark sky overhead, a considerable number of chimeras still remained. How dare those things rampage around this place.

—Please protect this school.

That was {{Furigana|the Reciter's|that child's}} wish. 

Since the True Spirit had been called out, she had to fulfill her duty. But moreover, there was one more thing. If her personal feelings were to be considered, then that hydra had already committed an unforgivable crime.

Yes. It's your fault that his arm is broken.

"Even though it's our first reunion after about ten years, ruining it is a great sin!"

The <Woman of Origin> leaped off the iron pole into the air.

Her voice was filled with anger, but also included a faint feeling of delight.