Editing Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

At the outdoor testing site of Nayuta Lab, Kizuna, Rieri, the members of Amaterasu, Grace, Zelcyone, Gravel, Landred and the others, the key members from each country were gathered.

All the mechanized angels that were attacking the battleship Oldium had also been shot down. Right now the entire crew was boarding Ataraxia and each of them was resting.

The people gathered here were the representatives who were gathered in order to see the end of the battle with their own eyes.

Everyone was watching from a distance at Thanatos who was laying down on the concrete floor.

There wasn’t any trace of Thanatos’s previous divine figure right now. Her beautiful wings had been smashed, and her four huge limbs had been destroyed and she was reduced to this appearance.

Beside her were Nayuta, Kizuna, and Reiri.

「Kaa-san, I didn’t finish off Thanatos and brought her here just as you instructed but……is it fine like this?」

「Yes, you did great.」

After saying that, Nayuta looked up at Kizuna.

And then she gestured with her hand to come and,

「Crouch down for a bit.」

She said.

Kizuna didn’t understand what she was going to do, but he obediently kneeled. Then, Nayuta’s hand reached out and caressed Kizuna’s head as though he was a little kid.

「You did well Kizuna. You have worked hard.」

The palm was too small and cute to be called a mother’s hand. However that warmth and gentleness was the very picture of a mother’s hand that Kizuna was imagining all this time.

「……Kaa-san.」

When he looked up, Nayuta’s eyes were moist with tears.

「……You are, a son I’m proud of.」

Tears suddenly spilled out.

Tears were falling off from Kizuna’s cheeks.

「E, eh……what’s with me.」

Even though until now no matter how hard it was he would do his best without crying.

Now he was crying this easily, furthermore it wouldn’t stop.

「Shi……shit. This is pathetic.」

Kizuna wiped his tears with his hand. However no matter how many times he wiped them, the tears kept spilling out.

When Nayuta took away her hand, she used her fingertip to wipe her teary eyes. And then she looked down at Thanatos on the ground.

Thanatos was looking up at Nayuta with empty eyes.

「Small god……I will begin regenerating anytime soon. If you are going to kill me, now is the time.」

「Do you want to commit suicide?」

「I am unable to stop my own function by myself. If there is someone who can possibly do that……that is also fine. Everything will return to nothingness.」

Nayuta nodded slightly.

「I understand. But, before that」

Nayuta’s fingertip sunk into Thanatos’s breast. It kept entering deeper until the wrist in the blink of an eye, and then the hand grasped something and pulled back.

「I’m taking away the last data necessary for the reconstruction of our world.」

A golden jewel was shining at the tip of Nayuta’s fingers.

「With this all the data has been gathered. It’s possible to restore the world.」

Joyful voices arose from everyone.

Grace looked up at Zelcyone and made a smile of satisfaction.

「Vatlantis will finally be restored now!」

「Congratulations, Grace-sama.」

Gravel and Landred also looked at each other’s faces and smiled in relief from the bottom of their hearts.

「It was a long journey, but with this we will finally be able to return to our original world.」

「Yes. There were also painful times but……there are a lot of wonderful memories too.」

Yurishia hugged Himekawa and Sylvia.

「We did it Hayuru, Sylvia-chan!」

「Yes……it’s really, grea……uh」

「Wait Hayuru? Don’t cry now.」

「It’s great desuuuuu~」

「Aah, geez. Even Sylvia-chan too, now isn’t the time to cry.」

Everyone looked at each other, exchanged words, and shared happiness with each other.

But Reiri’s face was staying grave.

「However, if Thanatos recovers, the same thing will happen. What are we going to do about that?」

Nayuta looked around at the faces of everyone who were watching from a distance and spoke.

「Thanatos is the rulebook of all the worlds. She is like the autonomic nerves of all the worlds. That’s why Thanatos cannot be killed. But there is only one solution.」

Reiri frowned.

「I have nothing but bad premonitions but……try saying it. What kind of method is it?」

「I will replace Thanatos.」

That place fell silent.

「What?」

「I will succeed Thanatos’s role and liberate Thanatos with that. And then I will become the system that supports the rules of all the worlds──」

「Wait a second!」

Reiri stopped Nayuta’s talk.

「Like that doesn’t it just mean that you will become Thanatos!? It doesn’t solve anything.」

Even while listening to the exchange between Reiri and Nayuta, Kizuna was unable to understand even a single thing of what Nayuta’s words meant.

「Kaa-san, what you said……what does that mean specifically?」

However Reiri was the one who answered that question.

「This woman is saying that she will become the system that supports the rules of all the worlds! And she will do it as an omniscient and omnipotent god, an existence that is ruling over all the worlds!」

「……Kaa-san, is that right?」

Nayuta smiled kindly.

「I guess that’s right, I will discard my self as a living thing and become an existence that continues to protect the rules of all the worlds. I will become god both in name and reality while Thanatos will become a mere human.」

The happy atmosphere just now completely changed into something chilly. Everyone was staring at Nayuta with naked wariness.

Nayuta smiled reassuringly.

「There is no need to worry. Thanatos’s failure happened because she has a sense of self. A mere system has no need for emotion or awareness or even memory. I will erase those when I switch with Thanatos. If I do that, I will become a mere system.」

「Eh……that means」

Kizuna asked hesitantly.

「Doesn’t that mean that Kaa-san’s memory will be gone? If that happens, won’t Kaa-san stop being Kaa-san?」

「Exactly as you say. Perhaps you will find it easier to understand if I say that I will become a machine that only repeats the action that is programmed into me.」

A shiver ran through Kizuna’s spine.

「Wait a second! Like that, I won’t be able to meet Kaa-san anymore, I also won’t be able to talk to you……besides, like that, you──won’t be human, won’t be a living thing anymore!」

「It’s just as you say.」

「Wha……that’s──」

「Stop screwing around!!」

Reiri interrupted from beside the dumbfounded Kizuna.

「What kind of thing you are prattling about as you please! If you are trying to run away sounding heroic──」

Nayuta put out a short sword that was shining silver from her breast pocket.

「Here, Reiri.」

Reiri made a dubious face while receiving that short sword from Nayuta.

「What is this?」

「It’s a program to erase my consciousness and switch the existence of Thanatos and me. If you stab me with that short sword, the program will be executed. The way to use it is simple right?」

「──!?」

The short sword shined coldly, reflecting Reiri’s face on its blade.

──’Using this, on this woman?’

The hand that was holding the short sword was trembling.

「Didn’t you say a lot of times how you want to kill me?」

「Tha, that is……obviously. But……」

Reiri lifted her gaze and glared at Nayuta.

「Are you trying to make me……your daughter, to bear the stigma as a parent killer?」

「My, you are recognizing me as your mother?」

「……Guh!」

Nayuta narrowed her eyes and stared at Reiri. That was the gaze of a mother who was thinking of her daughter.

「If you return to your original world, a role that is even harsher than before will be waiting for you. For the sake of that, this much decoration will be necessary.」

「Decoration……you say?」

「The demon who secretly maneuvered in Vatlantis and tried to destroy the world by making the whole of mankind a sacrifice. The hero who defeated that demon──that kind of decoration. What’s more I think it will be dramatic if it’s done by the actual child of the demon.」

Reiri glared at Nayuta and spoke threateningly with a low tone.

「Oi……you at least understand what is a good time or not to say a joke right?」

「That’s why, I’m thinking to let Reiri kill me seeing that it’s you who wants to kill me the most.」

「Don’t speak as you please!」

「You don’t need to get angry after this late. I always pushed the troublesome matters to you right?」

「You bastard──」

Nayuta lowered her voice so that only Reiri could hear her.

「……Or else, do you want to make Kizuna do it?」

「!!」

Reiri gritted her teeth.

「How far are you going to act selfishly……it sounds good when you say that you will become a sacrifice for the sake of all the worlds but, in the end, this is just suicide! Have you forgotten what you have done until now!? No way I’ll let you have it easy that simply!!」

Kizuna also spoke out pleadingly.

「Tha, that’s right! I also said it before right!? Kaa-san’s strength will be necessary for the recovery of the world after this! Even what happened in the past, if you atone by doing that──」

Nayuta made a pained expression and looked down.

「Yes……I remember. What I have done before this towards Reiri, Kizuna, and towards a lot of other people……I remember clearly even after turning into this appearance.」

「Then!」

「That’s why!」

Nayuta raised her face.

From her eyes,

Tears were flowing down without stopping.

「I……can’t endure it anymore」

Reiri and Kizuna could do nothing except staring at the face of their mother that they were seeing for the first time.

Nayuta showed a fragile smile and tilted her head.

「It’s really ironic. When I was a human I didn’t have any human emotion, when I became a god, human emotions could be born inside me……even though, it would be great if it was the reverse.」

「……Kaa-san.」

The tears that had stopped were overflowing once more from Kizuna’s eyes.

Reiri’s eyes were also getting moist. Even now it looked like tears would burst out from her.

「Is there……is there no other way, to save the world than that?」

Nayuta smiled while trickling tears.

「Yes. To save the world and……」

──’Above all else, to save you two Reiri and Kizuna.’

Nayuta swallowed back those words.

「──……」

Reiri kept holding the short sword while looking up to the starry sky.

Emotion that couldn’t be described was whirling in Reiri’s chest. She wanted to yell, to break anything and everything. Such desire was driving through her.

「……Nee-chan.」

Kizuna was looking up at Reiri with eyes that were swelling red.

「What?」

「I’ll, do it.」

「──」

Reiri strengthened her grip on the short sword.

「All this time I have been getting spoiled by Nee-chan. Even the unpleasant role, everything. That’s why……」

──’Kizuna.’

Reiri resolved herself hearing that.

Reiri bit her lips and turned her back on Kizuna.

「You think I’ll hand this over to you. I’m harboring a long-standing grudge for this woman.」

「Nee-chan!」

「It’s an unexpected joy that I’ll be able to consign her to oblivion with this hand.」

Reiri kept her back turned on Kizuna and looked down on Nayuta.

Nayuta looked up to her daughter’s face and put on a consoling smile.

Reiri looked like she would burst out crying even now. She didn’t understand where she should throw this frustration, this anger towards the unreasonableness. She was making such face.

Reiri gripped the short sword strongly and placed it above Nayuta’s chest.

「Go without worrying about anything.」

「Yes.」

「I’ll take over the name of the second generation demon.」

Nayuta made a slightly troubled face.

「It’s fine even if you become an angel you know?」

「That’s impossible. I’m……」

And then, she grinned.

「──Your daughter after all.」

Nayuta narrowed her eyes and stared at her daughter’s face.

「You’re really……a stupid child.」

「Sayonara」

And then, she added awkwardly.

「……Okaa-san.」

Nayuta opened her eyes wide and showed an astonished face. And then──

「Thank you.」

She shed tears and smiled happily.

「That’s the best send-off present.」

Reiri stabbed the short sword into Nayuta’s chest.

When the short sword stabbed Nayuta’s small body, strength left Nayuta’s body as though it was a string-controlled puppet.

Reiri caught Nayuta’s body that was going to collapse down.

「……This is」

Nayuta’s hair was changing into golden color.

In exchange, the hair of Thanatos who was lying down on the floor was changing into black. Even her face was changing into Nayuta’s face. And then her body floated lightly.

Kizuna looked up at that body and he reflexively called out.

「……Kaa-san?」

However that body melted into air and vanished.

[[Image:MGHxHV13_004 ill.jpg|thumb]]

「Nee-chan……Kaa-san was」

Reiri kept holding the girl who was once Nayuta and she looked up at Kizuna.

「Yeah……she went away.」

「I see……」

The two of them looked up to the starry sky.

They wondered where she was amidst that sky.

Even if she was actually somewhere there, it wouldn’t be the mother that they knew anymore.

Even so.

No matter where and in which world she was, they were connected with their mother.

Their world was existing meant that their mother was existing.

They were living under the protection of their mother.

When they thought of that, it gave them a little feeling of happiness.

「Unyu……」

The small body inside Reiri’s arm was squirming. The short sword that should be stabbed into that chest couldn’t be seen anywhere. There wasn’t even any wound.

The girl who was once Nayuta and now possessed golden hair and golden eyes was staring at Reiri in puzzlement. Her small lips opened and she murmured uneasily.

「Mama?」

Reiri made a dumbfounded face from the surprise she took.

「Good grief……that person pushed troublesome things to me until the end.」

She said that and smiled.

<noinclude>

<!--==Translator's Notes and References==-->
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Masou Gakuen HxH|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Masou Gakuen HxH:Volume 13 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>