Editing Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi:Volume5 Chapter4 (section)

===Part II===
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Ai could not believe it, even though she had pointed at him herself.

"H-huh? That’s not right, is it? Isn’t it weird? Ha, haha, why is Mr. Alice the Ghost? How could that be..."

"Because Dee was about to fall."

He simply answered.

"Dee was about to fall, so I hurriedly pulled her up, and I fell instead. That's all."

"But the Ghost is Miss Dee! You said so yourself..."

"So it seems. Goodness, I didn’t imagine there would be quite a mixup…"

"Alice. It’s because of me..."

Dee stepped forward quickly.

"Ai, I'm sorry, that was my mistake…no. I'm sure I had hoped to be mistaken…I didn’t want to know, I didn’t want to think Alice died in my place…that’s why I suspected myself first…like when I first found that death report…and I became I'm invisible on the outside…and why I called myself the Ghost… "

"Y-yes! That’s it! That’s it! Why is Miss Dee transparent outside? Doesn’t that prove she’s the Ghost!?"

Ai had no idea what she was saying. Did she want to assume Dee was the Ghost, or that Alice was the Ghost.

Alice crushed Ai's point as easily as he would crush an ant.

"No, it's <b>not just Dee</b>. The other classmates end up in the same state. I’m the only one who gets a physical body outside."

"Wh-what—"

"I don't know the details exactly, but I think it's because <b>my corpse</b> is out there."

A wind-like voice escaped from the back of his throat.

"Basically, the tombstones of Class 4 are all outside there, but they’re all empty, of course…with the exception of me alone."

"…So you're already..."

"Yeah, I'm dead."

Alice remained nonchalant as he let the evening breeze graze him. The window devoid of the curtain ushered in a cooling breeze, and felt really refreshing.

"Haha, I finally said it."

Alice was smiling all the way.

"Finally. I've come this far…it's been a long time…"

It was the smile of someone who had aged ten or twenty years immediately. It was the smile of someone who had depleted all his strength and was exhausted.

"But I’m really sorry to say this, Dee. I already figured out a long time ago that I was the one who died. I didn’t imagine that you would have the same thought. Seriously, I’m so sorry."

"No! That's okay!"

Dee was shaking so badly, one would assume she was about to split in halves.

"Alice, there's nothing to apologize for…it's all our fault…we didn't wish to have you back…we stubbornly wished for such days to continue forever, and kept you prisoner…it’s our fault…"

Dee clutched the chest of her shirt, seemingly trying to hold her disintegrating body as she painfully spat these words.

"And yet…you didn't… hold a grudge about it at all…and you even tried to free us…<b>even if it means dying again</b>…and yet…"

Dee finally started to cry. She covered her face with both hands and let the teardrops fall to the floor.

"Again…and again…I… been trying to……!"

"I told you it's okay."

It was a really gentle smile.

It was a smile that could accept whatever tragedy happened in the world.

"So, just one last formality."

"…So soon?"

"Yeah, it doesn't look like this place is going to last much longer… time for everyone to return to the outside world."

"But that’s!"

Ai felt like she was the only one left behind. What happened? What was going on? Why did everyone look so callous? Why did everyone look so happy, as though everything was over?

"But why! Aren’t we just getting started! Let's look together! Let's find a way to free everyone! Aren’t we all on the starting line!"

"No."

Alice shook his head.

"You're wrong. You're the only one who thinks so."

"No! Miss Dee and everyone else feels this way! Everyone doesn’t want you to disappear! "

Ai turned to Dee and grabbed her hand, shaking it hard.

"Isn’t that right, Miss Dee? I’m not wrong, right? You don’t wish for Mr. Alice to disappear, right? Since you like him so much!"

"………Yes."

The careless words stabbed through Dee's heart like a knife, but Dee did not complain about it and looked at Alice, saying,

"…I do like Alice, and I want to be with him all the time."

"Then…"

"But, you know, no matter how much we desire this, no matter how much we wish for Alice to be with us…we can’t force the issue when Alice doesn’t like it…no matter how stupid we are, we can’t repeat  this mistake again…"

Dee whispered as she and Ai spilled tears onto the floor.

"Say, Alice…what feelings do you have after making it all the way here? You figured out by yourself that you’re the one who died, and you can’t mention it to anyone…you’re definitely scared, lonely and resentful of us, right? Say, how are you so strong? Why are you still willing to try to save us? You obviously could have become a monster…you could have hated us forever in this eternal prison…and you could have…ended us all..."

"Do I need to say this again?"

Alice continued to smile even at this moment.

"Because I like you guys, of course."

"Nn…"

Dee smiled, seemingly expecting him to answer so. She smiled weakly, not wanting to worry Alice.

"All I want is for you guys to get out of here unharmed."

"I see…then we'll just have to keep ourselves from getting hurt and behave ourselves and get out of here."

Dee said, reaching for the door.

"Goodbye, Alice…Thanks……"

"Bye Dee, take care."

Dee said she did not want to be hurt as she left, but she could not do so as she teared up while walking through the door, disappearing like a phantom.

There was silence.

"Come on, guys, follow me! Watch the backs of those before you and keep going."

The farewell began.

One by one, each person in the class stepped forward to speak with Alice. Alice had different words for each of them, some were apologies, some were encouragement, some were smiles. They all held on to the words with great care,

And they left an apology and thanksgiving before leaving.

With each person who left, the world seemed to break down further. One could see the streets outside the window middle up, the setting sun disappeared instead of setting, and soon the classroom was floating in the darkness.

Alice closed the window, where the wind no longer blew.

Ai was the only other person left in the classroom.

She was sitting in the corner of the podium, her legs cupped together, her face buried in her lap.

"Good work."

Alice sat down next to her and let out a sigh. Only in front of Ai did he release the pented tension that he had been holding until a moment ago.

"Sorry to make you play such a bad role. You played it perfectly though. Thanks to you, my world got destroyed (saved) "

"……"

"Anyway, thanks…for getting me to this point. Thank you."

"……"

"Alright, you’re the only one left. You should be off then. Class 4 members are all gone, and this space won’t last for much longer."

"……"

"Hey, you should lift your head now."

"……"

"…Hey, you don’t have anything to say?"

"You're a terrible person."

Without looking up, Ai suddenly unleashed a verbal barrage.

"You planned for me to play this role, right? You brought me into this world so that I would kill you."

"Grr, well, my bad…I didn’t mention it to you."

"Please don’t mind. I’m fine with it. Yes, that’s right, it’s a cruel act, but it has to be done."

"That's very kind of you to say."

One could sense her exhale slightly, cup her knees tightly, and utter her words through the cramped world as seen in the gap between her arms and knees.

"I'm glad that this role isn’t given to anyone else. Your choice of me is excellent. After all, I'm the one who's going to save the world."

"…Ai?"

"It’s a valuable experience for me. I'm sure it will happen again in the future, and I can use it as reference. I think this experience is really beneficial."

"…Hey, Ai, look at me when you say that."

"Don’t wanna."

"Shut up and look at me! Don’t cover your face and boast like that!"

"Don’t wanna!"

Ai’s arm got grabbed, and her shell was pried apart. She had arm strength comparable to an adult, but she just could not gain any strength in arms.

This guy who was holding her arm down and forcibly observing her expression snorted out a laugh.

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"Woah, that’s an ugly face."

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The person who had snatched her arm and watched her intently "Pfft" cackled,

Seeing him like this, Ai's sanity snapped immediately.

"Yo-you!"

Her strength returned, she broke free from the pressure and violently grabbed Alice's collar.

"You! Are! The! Worst! Horrible! You made me do…do this…!"

"I know, that's why I apologized to you."

"What’s with you now? Do you think an apology will cut it? Do I have to forgive you just because you apologized, o great Alice? Is there such a law in this world!? I'm sorry! I just don't have the knowledge! After all, I just don't have enough experience in life!"

"Oi oi, sarcasm doesn’t suit you. Seriously, stop it. See, a pretty face is ruined in tears."

"D-don’t call me pretty …"

When Alice handed out a crumpled handkerchief, Ai put her whole face up and wiped it hard.

"Haha, your face is really ugly."

Ai was no longer angry, and merely pounded his chest weakly.

"…Whose fault is it that I cried like this…whose fault is it…that I’m so sad…"

"Sorry…"

Ai's head was gently patted a few times by Alice, which seemingly triggered a switch that caused tears to drip down from her eyes again.

"But you got to go."

"…"

"You got to go save your world. …"

Alice had a smile on his face the entire time.

He then helped Ai up and gave her a nudge on the shoulder.

"Go on, goodbye."

"…What will happen to you…"

"I’ll just disappear. Ah—I don't need a Gravekeeper to deal with the aftermath. The real me was buried fourteen years ago, and buried by a Gravekeeper twelve years ago…the me standing here is just a fake, to put it mildly, just like the tables and chairs and air here."

The space had reached its limit. The desks and chairs that Alice was pointing at were making a dizzying noise. The same could be said for Alice herself.

As an outsider, Ai could no longer maintain this space alone.

"You're the only one <b>looking at me</b>. Once you leave, I'll disappear."

Alice smiled.

"……"

"Say, I beg of you…let’s just end it here, any more, and it’ll hurt you more…seriously, I really I really want to end this without hurting anyone else. So get going, please."

Alice smiled the whole time.

"…It’s annoying."

"Hm? What?"

"I'm saying your smile is annoying."

<i>Thud, </i>with the sound of footsteps, Ai took a step forward.

"Hey, Mr. Alice, why are you smiling all the time? How can you smile?"

Ai was crying the entire time, Alice was smiling the entire time.

"Of course it’s because I'm happy."

"Even though you're going to disappear?"

"That's what I want."

Alice's smile was perfect.

"’The Ghost of Class 3-4 disappeared without cursing anyone or hurting anyone’. Don’t you think it’s really cool? Like, it’s a brand new style of a ghost story? "

"You think it's cool?"

"Yeah."

"We’ll return to reality, grow older, taller…and forget about you one day as we find our own happiness…is that really going to give you happiness?"

[[Image:Kamisama v05 Illustration 09.jpg|thumb]]

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"That’s right."

Alice smiled and answered immediately.

"That's a lie."

Ai snickered and answered immediately.

"Hey, Mr. Alice, are you sure you don't hate anyone? You don't want to hurt them? You don’t want to take anyone away?"

"Of course."

"Really…I don’t think so… I'm sure Miss Dee really wanted to be hurt by you,…I guess…she wants to treasure those scars for the rest of her life…"

Ai took another three steps closer.

"…What do you want?"

Alice's voice hardened for the first time, and the closer Ai got, the further he distanced himself.

"Oi, Ai, I'm not sure what you're thinking…"

"……."

"O-oi, enough with the games!"

Ai gave chase, and Alice ran away. The two of them ran around the classroom as if they were playing tag. The one chased was pale as though his life was in danger, while the chaser cried a sad smile.

"Stop! Don't come here! Don't come!"

"Nope. I’m not letting you go."

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"Ai, stop—"

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Then Ai hugged Alice.

She jumped up as if to throw her body into him, and landed in his clutches. The foreheads gently tapped each other, and the tears flew..

Ai hugged Alice tightly, her arms wrapped around his stiff school uniform as she transferred her warmth towards his cold, hard body.

"Hey, Mr. Alice, you're lying about wanting to disappear, aren't you?"

Alice looked dumbfounded, as if she had no idea what had happened to him.

"…Yeah."

As if cracking the thick mask, a teardrop fell.

It was the first tear Alice had shed since his death.

"Ah…ah…"

Alice tried to cover his face, seemingly afraid of the cracks spreading, but Ai did not allow that. She brought her face towards Alice, held his head, and whispered by his ear.

"Ah…."

Alice still resisted. He tried to protect Ai even from the double and triple deaths that surrounded her.

But Ai was the one who had offered her life, even if it meant getting hurt.

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"You want to keep living, don't you?"

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Then Ai burst into tears, her eyes flooding.

Alice could no longer say no.

"Of course… I want to keep living…"

With each tear, Alice's shell was breaking.

His dangling fingertips scratched the air, and his inner teeth were shaking. Her heart was unbound. Fear broke loose. All the tears flowed.

"Of course I want to keep living…isn’t it…obvious…?"

"Yes."

"I don’t want to disappear! It’s obvious, isn’t it?"

"Yes."

Alice finally crumbled. The smiling mask gradually shattered. The mask of a smile peeled off and the desire underneath flowed.

"I wanted to keep living! Of course I do! I really want to keep living! I wanted to go into the future with everyone! Today and tomorrow! I wanted to keep living with them!"

The desires that were supposed to be locked up in his heart surfaced with the tears, and the fear when he discovered his own death was fully awakened.

"I really want to!………and yet…and yet!"

Alice cried, "Kuu …," and clung to Ai, putting his weight onto her little body to have her hold him up while he was on the verge of falling at any given moment.

"See, I knew it."

Ai hugged Alice even tighter. Alice could not help but hug the warm person before him. The parts touching her were seeming as hot as reality.

"See I said you still want to live, Mr. Alice."

"Goddamn it!"

Alice hugged Ai with a force that resembled murderous intent.

"Dammit…see what you’ve done! I didn’t want this to happen…I didn’t want anyone to be scarred!"

"Ahaha, I won't let you do that."

[[Image:Kamisama v05 Illustration 10.jpg|thumb]]

"You! You're the worst…ever…"

"I'm sorry. But we're even, right?"

"…Aahhhh…what the hell is this…?"

Alice's tears continued to fall.

"I've been trying so hard to act cool, to forget…all my fears and doubts…and you ruined everything at the very end…what are you going to do…?"

Alice finally calmed down a bit after bawling for a while, and spoke in his usual spiteful manner.

"…I'm sorry, but I still want to get hurt…"

"You masochist…"

"Hmmm, maybe I can't really deny it…"

"You idiot, what do you mean, not really? Ack, you’re really stupid. You didn’t have to get yourself hurt…"

"That's not true. Thanks to that, I’m able to talk to you properly."

"…At the last minute, though."

Saying that, Alice looked around.

The world was moving slowly. The disintegration finally reached the classroom and the noise began to fill the space.

"…You should go."

"…Do you really want to go to Heaven …?"

"No, there’s no need. I've already been there. "

"Eh?"

"Isn’t Heaven a happy place for dead people? Then the past fourteen years, the past year, has been that Heaven for me. If I can’t call this year after I died Heaven, what do I call it? So…I can’t go to Heaven. I don’t want to."

"Mr Alice…"

So I'm just gonna disappear. I'm sorry, Ai, but I can't go with you."

Alice finally smiled after all.

He left a little scar (kiss) on Ai's forehead.

"Goodbye."

And the world turned white.



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