Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi:Volume2

Novel Illustrations

These are the illustrations used in volume 2:

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  Cover

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  Front and Back Cover

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  Page 017

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  Page 061

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  Page 069

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  Page 099

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  Page 117

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  Page 137

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  Page 181

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  Page 201

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  Page 250

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  Page 297

Prologue

Those eyes were the eyes of death.

Those words were the words of death.

That body was brimming with death.

No living thing could escape.

None shall escape the Idol of Murder.

Down the mountain, one could see a vast, barren wilderness.

The dry winds blew across, nary the sight of spring to be found. The plants had forgotten to grow upright due to the thousand years of scorching winds. The insects consisted of two varieties, the ones who evolved to become harder and heavier, the other becoming smaller and numerous. Both sought to survive in their own ways, and only the lizards basked in the sun languidly, living blissful days.

The only other things left were sand and rock.

A car was parked there.

The car was a pretty sky blue, resembling a dragonfly's face, remaining forlorn as its drooping headlights faced the west.

There were two humans standing at where it looked.

“It's a car.”

The young Ai said while pointing at a car.

“It is.”

The taller, older Julie nodded.

Ai wiped the windscreen with her outstretched finger, marveling and sighing,

“I only know of pretty rocks or fruits you can pick on the mountain sometimes, but I never thought you can pick up a car like this.”

“No, it's not that easy to pick up a car...”

Julie opened the bonnet, answering as he checked through. Like a kid who loved to get in the way of an adult's work, Ai leaned in. She smelled metal, oil, and sourness, but naturally, she did not understand what she saw.

“Will it move?”

“It's been modified in many ways, but a neat job—looks like even the keys are here.”

Ai exhaled, and knelt down before the headlight.

“Are you abandoned?”

The car remained silent, seemingly unhappy.

“…Where did its owner go?”

Since the car refused to answer, Ai could only get up and ask, and a female voice answered,

“These two here, it seems?”

Ai went around the car, and found Scar standing there, her shovel stabbed into the ground. There was a damp area on the ground, seemingly dug hours ago, along with rocks placed like headstones.

They exchanged looks, and quietly prayed.

…

“How mysterious.”

“Yes.”

Ai raised her finger, saying,

“Who buried these two?”

“A gravekeeper, of course.”

Scar replied.

Ai raised another finger,

“But why here? Why leave the car here?”

“Who knows? i am not in charge of human thoughts"

Scar's words in evading the topic at hand was truly befitting a gravekeeper, and Ai sighed before turning to the hulking man next to her.

“Probably had some purpose."

Julie said, and got into the driver seat without hesitation. Ai too tentative got into the passenger seat.

It was her first time riding on a car.

“They probably have a motive coming here, but never could, and that's why they lie in rest here."

The engine roared.

“So the reason why they left the car as it is…"

The engine finally started with an earth-shattering rumble, startling Ai greatly as she clung onto the seat.

“Because they don't need it now, I think"

The while car started vrooming in rhythm.

After some thought, Julie grabbed the wheel, and went silent.

"……Are you thinking of stealing this car?"

Ai frowned unhappily.

“And I thought you would have some common sense…"

“I usually don't do this, just that I have a different thought...my car should have been parked here."

Vroom, vroom.

“I drove that car for a long time, kept it in nice condition. I was about to get up the mountain from here, so I left the car without removing my keys. You know why?"

Ai knew the reason, but did not say so because she did not want to.

“I wanted to die. So, when I thought this, I thought about what would happen after my death. It's a strange thought. That car's my only belonging left, but I couldn't send it along to the afterlife. I hoped that at the very least, someone else could use it."

That's why I left the car here. So the hulking man with blue eyes quipped.

“Tire pressure checked. Ready to depart anytime."

Scar took the back seat. There were rugs, teapots, bottles and the like, a bunch of random items stuffed in a chaotically orderly manner.

“…Who knows what those two wished for when they're alive."

Ai looked back, but could not see the graves due to the angle.

“Who knows…maybe they want to save the world"

The adult sarcastically retorted.

“I guess so—then I'll."

The child nodded solemnly.

"I'll continue on from there."

She said, grabbing the shovel firmly.

“Really?"

“Yes. So, well, I guess we can be considered inheritors of this car."

“Never thought you'll be this adaptable."

Julie slowly stepped on the pedal to check on the car, moving it forward. The tires caused the pebbles to flicker aside, and the car moved along the road that could barely be determined to be once a road.

They were headed West.

From the passenger seat window, Ai stared out towards the North.

There was a mountain to the North, which once had a village. It had her house, her parents, and the villagers she loved. Everything in her past were located towards the north.

Two graves were lined side by side at the new place she first arrived.

"I'm leaving."

Ai bowed deeply in that direction.

“Shall we go?"

Scar said, beaming.

Julie said nothing, and stepped on the pedal.

A human man, a human child, and a female gravekeeper.

The trio began her journey.

“Oh yes. What do we do about the boy here?"

" "Huh?""

An emergency brake.

There were four.

Chapter 1: The City and the Youth

Part I

The car was just like a toy box, divided into three rows of seats and quite spacious on the inside. Ai found her right side seat quite comfortable: even if she were to stand up there would still be room to spare. There was a gap between the driver’s seat and the side seat wide enough to walk through to the back.

Yuri and Ai peeked their heads through this gap, fixed their eyes on the back seats, and stared.

The scene there looked rather complicated.

Cast your gaze into the inside of the car. See the ceiling with its electric lights and glow-painted star-shaped stickers; the seats, a light coffee brown, shining with the distinct glow exclusive to much-used leather; the interior damaged all over, with the scars of bumps or spilled liquids clearly visible.

And then the luggage, much of which was of inexplicable purpose. This here was probably a tent; that there was probably a sleeping bag. Pots, kettles, pans, rods, boots, dolls: it was all put together in a way that seemed to defy neatness, which is to say that there was absolutely no way an observer could tell how it was arranged. And yet, looking upon this sight awhile, you’d also find yourself, somehow, enjoying it.

It was surrounded by all these that Scar smiled a soft little smile across the whole of her face. She sat elegantly in the middle of the back seat and gazed down with gracious eyes at the object next to her.

Had Scar not called it a youth, Yuri and Ai would never have discovered it to be a human.

The object in question was a garbage bag, placed horizontally beside Scar. Made of ripped canvas, it had already lost its luster and was now stone-grey in color. If there was a person contained within it, he would find it most narrow and uncomfortable.

Ai moved to act.

She drew her shovel from her seat and poked lightly at the sack. While her expression was entirely serious, the movements of her hands were those of a prank-loving child.

The bag let out an ahhing sound and turned over.

Ai and Yuri looked, bemused, at one another.

“Y-Yuri-san, there’s someone on the car! W-What should we do? Could he be the owner of this car?”

“I’ve been far too careless…Ai, you’d better get ready to get off at any time.”

Saying this, Yuri pulled a revolver from his jacket.

“What are you pulling that gun out for?”

“We’ve never met before, so who knows what kind of person he is?”

Ai saw the meaning of his words and swiftly agreed.

“That’s true… then, the way you put it, meeting strangers for the first time is quite dangerous after all.”

“You get it now?”

“Yup! I mean, I’ve met quite a few people for the first time lately, and they all ended up pointing guns at me or taking me hostage.”

“… I was going to say ‘Of course!’ to that, but now it doesn’t sound like such a good idea…”

It got up.

The garbage bag slowly got up and fell away to reveal the object contained within.

Ai thought this youth from inside the bag was very pretty.

And then she realized that this was the first person she’d met from the outside world and panicked a little, unprepared as she was for this first meeting.

Yuri reacted completely as expected, and even Scar put on quite a serious expression.

But the youth seemed barely to notice the tense atmosphere that surrounded him, and his blank face exhibited only a state of ‘just having woken up’. His dark-eyed gaze wandered in the far-off distance, his light blue hair was a shock of messy tangles like freshly whipped cream, and his lower body was still in the bag, so that only the green sweater he wore was visible to his watchers.

The youth shook his head and looked in order at the gun, smile, and shovel before him.

“…”

Nobody said a word.

Ai looked around at her companions, casting at them expressions asking “What should we do?”, but it looked as if none of them had any idea as to what to do next.

“…Morning.”

The youth had suddenly dipped his head and greeted them. Ai couldn’t help but be a little stunned at this, but felt that it was only right to respond in kind.

“Good morning.”

The other two seemed to feel the same way, and so everyone, in varying pitches and tones, greeted him a good morning.

The youth then said:

“… In that case…”

In a caterpillar-like motion he twisted his body around and lay down, and pulled the bag back up to the top of his head.

“… Goodnight…”

And he slept.

“Hey, wait a minute! Don’t just go back to sleep like that!”

Ai gave a yell and jumped from her seat over to the youth, nimble as a cat.

“How could you do this?! How could you even dare try to go back to sleep at a time like this?

Without giving thought to courtesy or to the maxim of ‘thinking before acting’, she shook the garbage bag and the youth within it with all her strength.

“Hey!... But… I’m—already—very—sleepy…”

“You’re not allowed to sleep any more! Just look at how dirty this bag is! Hurry up and get out!”

As if faced with a child curled up under his blankets and unwilling to get out, Ai pulled the bag off him in one quick motion. The youth didn’t resist at all, and was rolled headlong beneath the seat, his clothes parting to reveal his stomach.

And then his hands, hitherto concealed behind his back.

Handcuffs.

Steel handcuffs had been clamped around the youth’s seedling-thin hands.

“So tired…”

And the youth, even in this condition, was woozy and half-asleep.

“…”

Silence returned to the car. Ai, hands still holding the garbage bag high, immediately sensed that something was wrong.

“W-What happened to you?! Are you alright?!”

“That’s not important right now… I’m tired…”

“How can it not be important? This is very important!”

“Ai, hold on a second. There’s something strange going on here.”

Yuri squeezed his large body into the first row of seats at the back: and a space which would have fit three people with ease immediately became very cramped.

“The way it looks… he must have been made to inhale a drug of some kind.”

As gently as if he were handling a newborn baby, Yuri secured the youth’s neck and head and carefully laid him down. He then observed his eyes, examined his hands, smelled the scent in his mouth.

“Looks like the buds of the harumodoki fruit…

“Huh? You mean that red fruit, the tasty one…?”

“It’s that fruit all right; but the buds, when dried, can be used as a psychoactive drug.”

Yuri lifted up the youth’s head and gave him plenty of water to drink. Scar had, in all this fuss, also changed seats and was now acting as his assistant.

“Those bastards…”

The rage emanating from Yuri sent chills up Ai’s spine.

“To use such a large dose on a kid like him… If they’d only slipped up there’d be after-effects for sure…”

With Yuri being so angry at the men who’d treated the youth thus, Ai was immediately infected with his sense of righteousness, and her breathing became a little deeper as well.

“I can only say that this has the air of a conspiracy!”

His attention divided, Yuri responded with a noncommittal “Completely” and continued to treat the youth. He undid the buttons on the youth’s shirt, loosened his belt, and put him in a lying position, carefully lest he vomit. Scar also helped him from the side.

Ai wanted to help too.

“… Is there anything that I can help with?”

“No.”

Yuri’s reply was quite cold.

“Really?... No?...”

Ai felt as though she were being ostracized, and went desolately to a corner.

“Ah… No, wait.”

“Okay! I’ll do anything!”

“No, I’m talking about this.”

Yuri clapped his hands together as if he’s just come up with a good idea.

“We’re not going to get a chance like this again, so we’d better try to find out anything he knows—hey, kid! Where’re you from? What’s your name? Why’re you in a place like this? Who was it who did this to you?”

“You villain—!”

Ai yelled out loud in the midst of this wilderness.

“It’s a villain! There’s a real, live, evil villain here!”

The lizards around turned their heads toward the commotion as if to ask, “Ah, is that so?”

“Hey! Don’t make it sound so bad!”

“But you really are a villain!”

Ai chased Yuri away to protect the youth.

“…Ah…I am a citizen of Ortus, and my name is…”

The youth replied the questions as though he was talking in his sleep.

“You don’t have to answer, you know.”

The youth ignored Ai and continued to speak.

“My name is… Kiriko… Pox… Rex… Diva… Oreus… Veruera… Ul… Helios… Melza…Gaug… Digg…”

The youth still hadn’t finished speaking his name.

“… Amita… Baaz… Geiauf… Elsespoff… Setzafuore…”

It didn’t matter how you look at it, this string of enchantment-like words just didn’t seem to be a person’s name.

Ai stood slack-jawed in bewilderment, so incomprehensible did she find those words.

“… Did you say Oreus?”

But that didn’t seem to be the case with Yuri.

“Yuri-san, is there something you know about this?”

“… No, nothing at all.”

From Yuri’s expression it was clear that he regretted his choice of words, but he persisted in barefacedly evading Ai’s questions.

Ai wanted to continue questioning him, but at this point the youth’s voice became thick as he struggled to speak.

“… I was… captured… by those men…”

“You don’t have to force yourself to speak, you know; and besides, we can’t understand a word you say.”

“Ha… You haven’t changed a bit… You’re still just the same as before…”

“He said I haven’t changed a bit, that I’m still just the same as before!”

“He probably mistook you for someone else, so just let it go.

“Ha… Ha ha ha…”

The youth suddenly began laughing as though impossibly happy. His smile was just like a child’s: completely genuine.

“Your Highness… You’re lively and well today, I see.”

Your Highness?

“Huh? Is he talking about me? No, don’t go calling me a Highness, I’d get embarrassed.”

“Don’t worry, he’s definitely not talking about you.”

“Besides… aren’t you a little short for my Princess?”

“Hmph. How rude.”

“Ha ha ha… I beg your pardon.”

This youth was probably fourteen, fifteen years old, and yet now seemed even younger than Ai as he laughed in the most innocent of manners.

“Even if he somehow regressed to being a child this doesn’t seem entirely right.”

“Yeah, it just doesn’t match how he’s so very childlike but his speech is so refined.”

“… Do you even have a right to say that?”

“Huh? Is there something wrong about it?”

Yuri very courteously shut his mouth and kept his silence.

“Ha ha ha, Your Highness.”

The youth continued to address Ai in a manner completely unbefitting her, so Ai could only reply:

“Okay, okay, I’m a princess, what is it?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“So why’d you call me?”

“I just suddenly wanted to.”

“Honestly… Your Princess-sama is going to get angry at you now.”

“Ah, scary…”

So the youth said; but the smile on his face didn’t seem frightened at all.

“But if Your Highness were to actually get angry… That would be difficult. It would be difficult for everyone, difficult and painful. Of course it’d be the same for me… This really would be quite difficult to deal with.

The youth smiled gently and continued to speak.

“So, my Princess, please do not be angry.”

“…… Honestly… I’m not angry any more, look.”

It was sighing that Ai said these words.

Hearing it, the youth smiled a child’s smile.

“Thank you very much, Your Highness………… Your Highness?”

His smile suddenly dimmed.

On his expression of innocence was tinged the color of consciousness, as on a canvas of pure white is streaked a brush of red.

“………… Who are you people?”

His black-colored eyes instantly recovered the sharpness they should have had at this their master’s age, and stared with complete poise at the row of people before them.

His expression had already lost its resemblance to a kitten fed full that only knows happiness; now, it was more akin to a cat injured and ready to spring at any and all.

“Ow!”

The youth had wanted to prop himself up, but at that the handcuffs on his wrists had dug into his flesh, hurting him so much that he’d fallen over on the spot.

“Hey, don’t move around so—

“Do not touch me!”

Even with his hands cuffed, even with his mind drugged, the youth hadn’t lost his fighting spirit and he shouted with all his might.

“Who are you people! Where did they go!”

“When you say ‘they’ who are you talking about?”

“Huh?... The people who rescued me, the owner of this car…”

“Oh… I think they probably died…”

“This I know! What I meant was what happened to them afterwards!”

Ai’s eyes widened in surprise, but she continued to answer his question.

“They… should be buried there…”

She slid the door open with a shaaang and pointed at the two graves some distance off.

“… Idiots… To be buried by Grave Keepers…”

The youth’s tone was tinged with regret, and he hung his head in sorrow.

Ai looked up at Yuri beside her.

“I just can’t make head nor tail of what’s going on.”

“Me neither.”

“Excuse me, could you explain it all more clearly to us?”

“… You… what kind of…”

“Ah, I never told you my name, did I? I’m Ai—Ai Astin.

Hearing this, the youth’s eyes immediately widened, and he wore again his previous expression of innocence.

“Kiriko Zubreska.

It wasn’t the same as the one he’d said before.

“I am a resident of Ortus, city of a million souls.”

Part II

On Monday, God created the world.

On Tuesday, God demarcated order and chaos.

On Wednesday, God arranged the numbers of the universe.

On Thursday, God permitted the ebb and flow of time.

On Friday, God explored every nook and cranny of the world.

On Saturday, God rested.

And then on Sunday, God forsook the world.

Fifteen years ago, God suddenly appeared before the people and said:

“Hell and Heaven now are crowded and full, and soon the time will come for this Earth too. Ah, I have failed.”

God left behind just these words before vanishing without a trace. At the time, humanity, still busy rejoicing with song and praise of their spring-like world, was naturally set a-trembling with fear. Their species had existed for fewer than a billion years and it was their first time meeting God; and yet His first words to them were ones of farewell.

From that day onwards, humans no longer died.

Even as their hearts stopped and their flesh decayed, the dead continued to move.

From that day onwards, humans were no longer born.

It was as if some divine factory had stopped production and would never again manufacture new humans.

And in the world God had forsaken mankind keened for its loss. Billions keened and wailed and shrieked until their throats gave and they coughed up blood, until they stood on the very verge of death. The living soon dwindled in number, and the world teemed to overflowing with the dead.

And afterwards, the Grave Keepers appeared.

The Grave Keepers were God’s final miracle to men.

They built graves and buried the restless dead to prevent them from disrupting the peace of the living. It was only then that men could rest in easeful sleep.

Children not being born; the dead always wandering; the Grave Keepers always in pursuit.

Such is the very image of the apocalypse.

Ai was a Grave Keeper, and she had a dream.

She dreamed to save the world.

Her mother had built Heaven, her father had vanquished Hell. Ai had inherited their dream and wished to be able to save the world.

Even though she knew not any means of doing so, she did not want to give up.

For the journey had only just begun.

* * *

Merely an act as simple as driving a car forward was enough to elicit a great many emotions in Ai. The car scared her to no end at its shaking and rattling; the scenery as it flashed by shocked her at its speed, so much greater than that of walking; and the view of the featureless wasteland in front frightened her at how it changed not once despite how fast they went.

Ai opened the side window to the full, not caring that the wind whipped her hair wildly into her face, and not minding that Scar quietly disapproved; she was concerned only with act of greeting the wilderness in as loud a voice as she could muster. That no matter how long she waited no echo would answer her was something she found difficult to grasp.

Whether it was the car, the scenery, or the winds of the wild, to Ai it was something glorious she had never before seen or felt or tasted. She took in with her every sense all that was about her.

Her very first time leaning out of a car window earned her her very first rap on the head from Yuri. “Don’t lean your head out of the window.”

Ai felt at the still-smarting bruise and continued to gaze out at the wilderness.

It was supremely wide and spacious, seeming to be practically boundless in size.

“Now that you’ve looked your fill it’s about time to close that window.”

She wanted very much to refuse.

“… It’s not good for his body.”

Ai saw the truth in his words and quickly reached to shut the window. The rubber was a little sticky, giving her no little difficulty in her task; but eventually she closed it tight with a snap.

Ai’s ears had already acclimatized to the interior of the car and automatically blocked out any noise from the engines. Thus, without the howling of the wind the car became abnormally quiet.

“…Kiriko, are you awake?”

“No, he’s still sleeping quite soundly.”

Ai sneaked a look behind her and saw that Kiriko, taking up an entire row of seats, was indeed very deeply in sleep.

After telling them his name a moment ago, Kiriko had immediately collapsed with exhaustion and lost consciousness. It seemed that his sudden awakening and the exciting of his emotions had done no good to his body.

Ai let out a breath and watched the sleeping youth.

His face was ashen and his breathing shallow. His brows were knotted in a frown and his countenance was as dark as if he were in the middle of a nightmare: nowhere was there even a trace of his earlier glowing gentleness. Ai began to wonder which one it was that was the true Kiriko. Was it the Kiriko soft and pleasant, or the Kiriko like a hedgehog?

“… Scar-san, please tell us immediately if something happens to Kiriko.”

“All right.”

Scar replied so from the back seat. Completed with her task of nursing Kiriko, Scar had squeezed to the back of the car to tidy up the mess there and was currently seeing eye to eye with an agreeable-looking piggy-bank made of ceramic. Ai quietly swore to herself absolutely not to disturb her labors.

Silence.

Yuri, seeming to have merged into the being of the car, drove on mutely.

Ai sat with rigid posture in the side seat looking at him.

Silence.

Yuri, sensing a pothole some distance ahead, vacillated between turning left or right to avoid it.

Ai peered all about herself looking at the various devices installed on the car. She couldn’t work out what purpose the two rods on the windscreen served.

Silence.

Eventually Yuri decided to turn right to avoid the pothole.

Ai had nothing left to do and so could only look out ahead of them.

Silence.

The wilderness seemed to stretch on without end.

“Hey, is it going to be like this forever?”

“… What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

Ai pointed with a finger at the wilderness and then at herself.

“It’s just that… You know… I’m so boreeeeed.”

On Yuri’s face could have been written in large block letters the words “What gives?”

“… What’re you whining about this to me for?”

“But, but! Doesn’t it feel like something’s about to happen? Like once it happens we’re not going to be able to stop? Doesn’t it?”

Yuri slammed his foot on the brakes.

Ai slammed her forehead on the windscreen.

“Hey, it hurts!”

“Sorry, there was a pothole that I didn’t spot there.”

Yuri released the brakes and the accelerated forward. The scenery began to fly by once again.

“Journeys are by nature boring like this.”

Yuri genuinely meant what he said, but Ai was having none of it.

“Ha!—I refuse to believe that.”

“… Since you’re so bored, I sincerely hope you learn to drive soon.”

“Oh! Can I drive?”

Ai was brimming with enthusiasm at this, but Yuri quickly threw cold water over it and put it out.

“… What, can you reach the pedals?”

“…”

It was a cruel silence that followed.

“…”

And the car was from this moment on dominated by silence, with Ai not even mentioning the word “bored” again.

* * *

“It looks like Kiriko-san is about to wake up.”

It was only a long while afterwards that Scar spoke this, breaking the silence within the car.

Ai picked out a pocket watch and checked the time. It felt as though much, much time had passed, but in reality they had not reached even noon yet.

“Ahhh…”

Ai let out a delicate yawn and looked backward to find Kiriko still asleep and his color rather improved.

“He looks like he’s still sleeping to me.”

“Indeed, which was why I said he was about to wake… his breathing patterns have altered, and I trust he will recover consciousness soon.”

Scar’s prediction came to pass in mere seconds.

Wrapped in a rug, Kiriko weakly opened his eyes and looked blearily about him.

“Oh, are you awake?”

“… And who might you be?”

Saying this, he immediately retracted his lost expression and spread out in its place one of wary grimness.

“… Was I unconscious all this time?”

“Yeah, you’d just finished telling us your name before you went and fainted away.”

Kiriko didn’t seem to have regained complete control over his body just yet, resulting in his gaze wandering continuously all around the car, examining its every nook and cranny.

“You don’t have to be as cautious as this now, do you…”

“Whether or not I must be cautious is something I will decide for myself.”

Ai sighed quietly. It looked as though this prickly, wary Kiriko was the true one after all. Looking at him, Ai was put in mind of a wounded fox she had once found on the mountains.

“… Where are you driving to?”

Kiriko had noticed the scenery flying past and raised the question.

“To Ortus.”

Ai replied thus.

“What are you people trying to…”

Still speaking, Kiriko tried to prop himself upright and discovered something.

In order to push himself up, he had automatically reached out with his hands to support his weight.

“Ah, we couldn’t unlock your handcuffs so we just cut the chain for now.”

“…”

Kiriko raised his hands as though receiving a gift of some sort and appraised them: the chain linking the cuffs clamped around his wrists had indeed been cut and the whole assemblage rendered nonfunctional.

“… What are you people trying to do?”

Kiriko repeated his question once more.

“We’re not trying to do anything at all.”

“……”

“… I’m telling the truth, you know.”

Ai sighed.

“Ai.”

Hands on the steering wheel, Yuri addressed her.

“I know you’re telling the truth, but if you say that to a stranger you’re just going to put him at a loss. Don’t give him too much of a headache.”

Kiriko supported his still-woozy head with his arm and sat upright.

“… What exactly are you people?”

“I would rather you did not pursue this line of questioning.”

Yuri deflected the question very firmly.

“… Ah, that’s true. Excuse my presumptuousness.”

Despite very clearly being rejected, Kiriko merely apologized with a relaxed calmness by way of response.

“… Looks like you’re quite a sensible person here.”

And that, of course, upset Ai.

“…… So you’re saying that I’m not?”

“Ai, in this world honesty is not a virtue at all… Ah, never mind, just go sit and watch from the side.”

This said, Yuri began to speak to Kiriko, their eyes never meeting.

“I’ll introduce myself first. I am Yuri Sakuma Dmitriyevich; nice to meet you. This here is Scar. My hands are full right now, and you’d best continue lying down to rest, so let’s leave the handshakes for later.”

“I am Kiriko Zubreska. I thank you for your kindness in friendship… and also in rescuing me.”

“If you’re thanking people don’t forget about those two: they’ve been very worried about you all this time.”

“Oh, then—thank you very much to the two of you; it’s all because of you that I am saved.”

With a shocked expression on her face Ai accepted his thanks. In a drastic departure from their earlier tone and manner toward each other, the two now conversed with such great ease that they might have rehearsed it all beforehand.

“So how did you end up like this?”

“Apologies, but this is a matter which concerns the welfare of the entire city: and so I must request you not to ask me of it any more… Equally, I shall not probe into your respective affairs or histories.”

In Kiriko’s eyes gleamed an eagle-sharp light.

“… Your circumstances are most curious, after all… You just appeared on foot in exactly that sort of place… And you, a woman and a girl of the last generation… You don’t like much like family either…”

He spoke these words of intimidation most politely, but Yuri brushed them off seemingly without noticing them.

“How’s Oreus doing nowadays?”

“…… What did you just say?”

On Kiriko’s face there appeared an expression of great shock.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t reply: after all, if it’s something I don’t have to know then I have no interest in finding it out.”

Silence.

“But I think it’s best that you tell me about your capture, because that could very well bring on immediate danger to us all.”

“…”

“Or do you not wish to reveal even that much?”

Yuri was implying that if Kiriko was considering such a course of action, he’d have no choice but to change his mind soon.

“… No, you are quite right. This is something I should be telling you of my own volition.”

Kiriko apologized, and began to tell his story from its beginning.

The conversation had gone very smoothly, but Ai found herself disliking that interaction between the man and the youth.

* * *

Kiriko lived in a city called Ortus, and was an intern working in the public sector. His main day-to-day work consisted of running errands for his superiors, and it wasn’t unusual for him to have to traverse the entire city to deliver an item or a message. Sometimes his errands even took him out of the city: in these instances he would have to ride a motorcycle out to the neighboring settlements that were his destination. This time he’d taken his letters and boarded his bike as usual, and gone and ridden a whole day out in the wilderness.

He said it was when he was out delivering letters that he was kidnapped.

“… I probably don’t have any right to say this, but those men who kidnapped me were complete amateurs, both in their equipment and in their methods…”

Even with his memory hazed over by the drug, Kiriko remembered this particular part with complete clarity. Of the kidnappers there were ten or so men; they had set up a ramshackle trap on the road and with it crashed Kiriko’s motorcycle when he came along.

But what followed afterward was difficult to explain: it seemed that there was infighting among the kidnappers, and before anyone was really aware of it Kiriko had been stuffed into this car.

Its two owners were once living men.

Kiriko stressed “once” here, because the two had died in the process of rescuing him.

“They got to have a lot of fun and died happy… All along they never really had any intention of saving me, and only wanted a chance to have an ‘honorable’ death and go out fighting.”

Which explained their quick burial.

“… I might be better off if it had not been for them.”

And that Kiriko finished his story.

“… I don’t think you should make the people who saved you sound as bad as that…”

Ai spoke unhappily.

“Indeed, that is true… I’ve been too critical of them.”

That he could retract his words with such great ease made Ai bristle at his manner even more.

“… Do you actually think that?”

“That’s what I said, so of course I do.”

Sparks flared between the two.

“Hmm, so the region around Ortus is probably unsafe…”

Yuri gave up caring about the two children and began to think, ignoring everything about him in his concentration.

“Okay, we’re not going to Ortus after all, then.”

“H-hey!”

The two who had been glaring at one another just a moment ago hurriedly swung their joint gaze towards Yuri.

“T-that’s different from what you just said!”

“Well, now, just calm down a little first, both of you.”

Saying this, Yuri stopped the car.

He took out a map from within his shirt and showed it to them.

“You were originally headed to this town here, right?”

“… Yes.”

“All right, then I’ll drive you there.”

“… I see. All right, this works out even better for me… but what about you?”

“We’ll turn back once we’ve brought you to the town. We’ll say our goodbyes there.”

“Huh? What? Why?”

Ai was the only one unable to accept this new development.

“Ai, you asked me the reason for this, so tell me: why is it that you want to go to Ortus?”

Yuri returned with a question of his own, incomprehension clear on his features.

“Well, that’s obviously because I want to go there.”

“I’m asking you, why do you want to go there?”

“What do you mean, why?... It’s because I want to.”

“… Argh, is that so? So it’s just because you want to, is that it?”

Yuri looked as though he was trying to bear with a headache, and a painful one at that.

“All right, never mind, we’ll find some other day to go to Ortus.”

With this, Yuri pressed down on the accelerator. Ai was deeply displeased with his manner, but was unable to say a word about it.

* * *

She was carsick.

Ai wondered where she did wrong. Was it her thinking about the future, or her helping Scar on the back seat clean up that strange tanuki-shaped plaster statuette? Or was it her counting, in her boredom, the serrated parts of the window frames all the way up to eight hundred…?

Whatever it was, the upshot was that Ai gave everyone on the car a headache. She switched places with Kiriko and tried to sleep on the middle row of seats.

With her face half covered with a towel, she looked aimlessly up ahead.

She could see up on the front seats Kiriko and Yuri both peering at the map and conversing in whispers to one another. When she focused her gaze on the map she felt like vomiting and so quickly looked someplace else.

“Ah, are you awake now?”

Kiriko had noticed her gaze.

“… I was always awake.”

That was what Ai said, but it wasn’t convincing at all. Without her noticing it, the shaking that rocked her body had eased somewhat, and her urge to throw up had diminished greatly. Ai slowly sat up and looked out the windows, and found that the road had already become much wider than before: it seemed that she’d fallen asleep some time ago without being aware of it. She checked her watch and saw the hour hand had progressed two hours from before. The weather was no longer the sunny clearness of noon and it was now overcast, the grey clouds crowding up the sky looking as solid as rocks and just as hard too.

Ai could see flashes of lightning far off in her field of vision, so far away that the accompanying thunder was completely inaudible.

And close to where the lightning flashed, she could also see a roiling, twisting dragon of white.

“… Is that a tornado?”

“Where!”

Kiriko asked this with a grim expression on his face and looked where Ai was pointing; and at this he relaxed.

“So it’s still that far away… we’re lucky you spotted it early.”

The two of them watched through the car windows. Little raindrops attached themselves to the glass and danced in adorable motions along with the shaking of the car. Beneath that seeming-solid layer of cloud it hammered with rain or flashed with lightning or gusted up into tornadoes, but everywhere else the sun shone bright and rainbows could be seen connecting the sky and the earth.

The sun, the rain, the tornado, and the storm. All these were as disparate as oil and water, but as they existed beside one another, each minding its own business, they melded together to form the emulsion of an inconceivable photograph.

“… It’s my first time seeing a tornado.”

There was a sight completely removed from those of the mountains, right before her eyes.

“… I want to go someplace closer to watch it…”

“I would advise against that.”

Kiriko replied with a serious expression on his face.

“Don’t underestimate a tornado just because it looks small and thin: when it comes to it it can tear up not just cars but houses too, and as for humans we might as well be stray leaves for all it cares.”

“Really?”

“It’s true. That’s why every house in the towns on this plain has a basement to be used as a tornado shelter.”

“Ohhh. Does your house have one, Kiriko-san?”

“No. But that’s because Ortus rarely ever gets tornadoes, since the mountains always deflect the winds southwards.”

Saying this, Kiriko fiddled with some buttons on the dashboard and turned on the radio. From its speakers issued—complete with plenty of noise—a weather program warning travelers about the tornado in the area.

“W-what is this!”

“What do you mean, what? It’s a radio… Did you not even know that?

“Well, it’s my first time seeing one, or maybe I should say hearing one.”

“…… You’re strange.”

“Ahem!”

At this point there was a cough deliberately intended to break up their conversation.

“You can see it now.”

Yuri pointed ahead with his chin. Kiriko inspected the map and Ai peeked her head over the front seat headrest, eyes fixed on the windscreen and what was to be seen through it.

She could see buildings spread across the horizon.

“What kind of place is that?”

“… It’s an old-style supply station. They earn money mainly through the inn, gas station, and repair shop that form the economic center of the town. There’re still people there, like food sellers, who’ll run up the road to you without caring for their own safety, so we’d best be careful.”

“Both food and the dead are welcome to me.”

“Huh? What? No, there probably aren’t any dead among the residents here, because this is a town of the living.”

Yuri coughed loudly in an obvious attempt to stop Ai from saying things that shouldn’t be said.

But it wasn’t very effective.

“Yuri-san, did you catch a cold? Take better care of yourself, okay?”

The car pulled to a stop, the driver’s door opened, and Yuri got off the car. Grasping Ai by the collar, he lifted her outside from the middle seats and walked seventeen steps to the north.

“Ai.”

“W-what are you doing? You’ll break the collar…”

“Please do your best to conceal your identity as a Grave Keeper.”

Ai blinked several times in quick succession and, ignoring the fact that she was still being carried like a kitten, raised a finger.

“Technically, I’m half human and half Grave Keeper.”

“… That you have to hide all the more. If you agree to this, you’d be giving all of us a big help.”

Aspect filled with dislike, Yuri held the object in his right hand further away from him.

“Ai, I’m now going to say something very important to you. Please don’t feel hurt at it.”

“You’re telling other people not to be hurt at something you yourself are saying to them. That’s really quite inconsiderate, you know. Just as I’d expect from Yuri-san.”

“What are you, a prodigy at riling people up?”

“I’m hurt now.”

“Really? Then you’ve got to try harder… Ai, listen to me.

Saying this, he glanced toward Kiriko. The youth had stayed very politely in the car, and hadn’t looked even once in their direction.

Yuri suddenly released Ai and set her back on the ground.

“In this day and age mankind bears enmity toward the Grave Keepers.”

“Huh?”

“Just think about it: the living and the Grave Keepers have nothing to do with one another and so they don’t mind each other’s presence. But as for the dead… The ones that still roam the earth are almost all of them people who don’t want their lives to end. If you were to tell them that you’re a Grave Keeper, they’d kill you without a second thought.”

Ai’s mouth gaped wide as she looked up at Yuri in shock.

“… Look, over there.”

Yuri pointed toward a patch of ground out of which stuck a pole with a handle.

“… What’s that?”

“It’s the grave of a Grave Keeper.”

Upon closer inspection, the pole turned out to be a shovel thrust into the ground.

“A Grave Keeper’s grave…”

“Most likely he or she was killed by the dead, and then buried here.”

“How…”

Ai sank helplessly to the ground.

“This just isn’t right.”

Yuri nodded his head in agreement.

“But that’s the way it is. That’s the way civilization has now become… From that day fifteen years ago, bit by bit the world changed until it’s now become like this.”

Ai did not respond.

“Do you understand now, Ai?”

“…”

“Ai.”

Yuri had to have her reply. Despondent, Ai picked up a handful of sand, stood up, and cast it aside with what force she could muster.

“… I understand, all right… But I just can’t accept it…”

“I’m not asking that much of you… Just knowing it is enough.”

“But…”

Ai continued to speak. Defiantly she looked right up at Yuri and his blue-colored eyes.

“But, Yuri-san, if there comes a time when I think I have to, then…”

Her gaze was pointed practically vertical; and, barely even thinking of the height difference between her and Yuri that was as great as an amputated limb, she opened her eyes wide and spoke.

“I will surely be unable to help saying it.”

“When that time comes you can decide for yourself.”

The two returned to the car. On the way back Yuri had taken two steps and Ai three, when—

“Yuri-san.”

“Hmm?”

“It hurts.”

“…”

When the two finished walking their respective fifteen and thirty steps back to the car, Kiriko only greeted them with a “Welcome back” and asked them no questions at all.

Yuri released the handbrake and pressed down on the accelerator.

The town grew nearer and nearer.

“All right, looks like this is goodbye… A lot happened, not all of it pleasant; but thank you all very much regardless.

Ahead, they saw a white-colored building that seemed to spill out from the horizon.

“… That went by fast, didn’t it…”

Yuri fixed his eyes forward, suspicious.

“It’s not as if anything sad happened anyway”

Was it the buildings?

“Ai.”

“Ha! Have it your way.”

“Ai!”

Yuri let out a loud exclamation.

“W-What is it?”

“Take a look at the town for me… Ah, don’t bother, I can see it now. Damn it! What kind of joke is this supposed to be!”

The town was structured like a sandwich. The buildings were the bread, the road was the filling in between: the former clustered in neat rows left and right, and the latter leading straight into the horizon. The bread of the this sandwich was very colorful, much more so than the filling within: each building was painted in a different color, some in more than one, making the town seem wonderfully bright and gaudy.

And this same colorful section lay before them, in ruins.

“What happened here…”

The party took a collective gasp of shock. Not a single one of the houses before them lay complete and whole: the entire town had been devastated so thoroughly that even the walls and pillars of houses had been splintered and reduced to wood and stone, flotsam of this ferocious gale.

“It was the tornado…”

Kiriko was muttering dazedly to himself.

“It must have swept straight through…”

The car slowed and entered the town. The remains of houses that lined the road seemed too few to account for the wholesale destruction that had occurred here, and soon they saw why. All along the road had been strewn splintered wood-shards and scattered belongings. Magazines of every variety fluttered on the ground like fallen petals, lending a surreal festive atmosphere to the entire scene.

Ai tugged at Yuri’s sleeve.

“Yuri-san, please stop the car…”

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

“But what if there are survivors…”

“It’s those who survive who pose the greatest threat to us.”

“No way…”

“… Strange. There is very little wreckage on the road itself. It feels as though we’re being led into a trap here…”

Ai stealthily shifted away from the front and moved to the back of the car, and began to whisper casually into Scar’s ear.

“Scar-san, are there any dead people here?”

“No; if there were I wouldn’t be able to stay put here like this.”

“… That’s true… Then, are there any of the living here?”

“About that I cannot tell. After all, we as Grave Keepers are only able to sense the nearby presence of the wandering or buried dead, as well as that of other Grave Keepers.”

Yuri could make neither head nor tail of this entire situation.

Without knowing whether it was just him being overly suspicious or whether they had already plunged into a trap, Yuri continued to drive the car forward.

They avoided scattered planks of wood and heaters, rolled over carpets, crushed ceramic cups, and so proceeded onward. All these objects that had no place on a road but inhabited it regardless numbered in the hundreds, fomenting a nightmarish tension that leavened and thickened the atmosphere.

Steering around a lion statuette soaking in a bathtub of mud and making their way past a large broken-off washbasin, Yuri came upon the sight that he’d dreaded seeing all this time.

The road was blocked with a barricade of rubble.

Yuri saw the barricade and immediately gunned the accelerator.

The explosive acceleration threw them back into their seats and the car sprang toward the roadblock with a dizzying speed. Yuri turned the steering wheel in small, precise motions, making minute adjustments to the erratic motion of the car and steering it on a path towards the thinnest and most vulnerable part of the barricade.

A snapped bonsai, the shell of an oven, and a sign saying “Car Repairs and Checkups” loomed before them—

And the car punched right through.

The impact shook the car roughly, but it came out on the other side intact. Splinters of wood painted red, white, and yellow danced up into the sky, and a great number of toilet bowls lifted up briefly before smashing back onto the ground.

It was then that Ai saw the figures of people among the ruin. A group of gun-wielding men had appeared and were shouting at their car, the younger and more hotheaded among them even taking aim and opening fire. Their shots veered far and missed on every occasion. Yuri accelerated to throw the gunmen off and the street quickly disappeared from their sight, to be replaced again by the wilderness. The blue colored car continued at its highest speed toward the horizon.

* * *

The car traveled west until the sky became streaked with red; in the end, despite Yuri’s earlier promises of lodging in town they would had to camp after all. Taking advantage of the last remaining rays of sunlight, they hurriedly put up a tent. Ai would be bedding with Scar, while Kiriko and Yuri seemed to have planned to sleep on the front and back seats of the car.

They started a fire just as the sun set using wood that had gotten stuck under the engine cover when they crashed through the barricade. They’d built it just so that its east-side was covered by the car, so that nobody from the town would see their light.

“How is it?”

“Not good. The suspension is broken.”

Kiriko climbed back out from under the car, saying this.

The car had started becoming faulty from the moment they crashed into the barricade. It would shake wildly when in motion, and when they hit potholes the impact would vibrate uncushioned right up through to the passengers.

But they couldn’t have stopped there anyway. The blue car had driven on, and smoke had finally begun to issue from the engine not long ago.

“I’ve just about managed to fix it over on my side.”

Yuri went over to the back and checked the engine, staining both his hands black in the process. Sawdust from the wood had entered the car’s vents and disrupted the cooling system which, along with the motor oil leaking from all the shaking, had started a flame in the engine.

“But we still have to make proper repairs soon, or we’ll be in trouble.”

Ai took some bread, dried meat, and tea to the two who’s just finished their work, and they all gathered around the fire eating ravenously.

“Let’s go to Ortus, then.”

Yuri spoke as he sipped on his tea.

“… Indeed, it looks as if we have no other choice.”

Kiriko, after swallowing a mouthful of bread, gave his assent.

“I can help you organize free repairs and lodging. That should be possible.”

“That would be a great help. But is it okay for you to do that?”

“The city has always had a principle of rescuing to travelers in need, so it should be fine to give you a little more aid. But I can’t guarantee it for sure…”

“That’s more than enough. Thanks a lot.”

“…”

“…”

Ai was unusually quiet.

“Ai, are you okay? You haven’t spoken for a while.”

Except for when she was eating, her mouth, normally so lively and wild with a never ending stream of words, stayed shut. And of course she had finished dinner much quicker than everyone else; her mug of tea, too, she had finished early on.

“Yuri-san…”

Ai’s face was illuminated by the flickering light of the fire as she spoke.

“Isn’t there any way to help those people back there…”

With a pained expression, Yuri shook his head.

“We can’t.”

He left no room for argument. What he’d said was not that they wouldn’t help them but that they couldn’t, making him seem even more resolute on this matter.

“But…”

“You want to know why? Of all the reasons there are, the first is the most basic one of all: we don’t have anything to help them with.”

After all, a hundred people homeless just wasn’t a problem a mere few could solve.

“Second of all, they’ve already become bandits. Third, they’ve already found a way to survive. That second reason is their very means of survival. And in any case, while it wouldn’t do them much good, surely they’ve got at least one car or motorcycle in the whole of that town. Kiriko, am I right?”

Hearing this question from Yuri, the hitherto silent Kiriko nodded his head.

“… There should be cars in their emergency underground garages… And they should still be able to contact other towns or villages… The only reason they haven’t said anything to Ortus is probably that they don’t want to rely on that city even if it means trusting to luck…”

“Were they the ones who kidnapped you?”

Kiriko hugged his knees and chewed on a fingernail, casting his mind into an ocean of thought.

“… Now that I think about it, there doesn’t seem to be any other possibility but this.”

Blue flame shrouded from view the burning charcoal, and in Kiriko’s somber eyes glowed a quiet superiority.

“They probably wanted to take me as a hostage to use as a bargaining chip… These living people are just completely unfathomable. To think we had given them help on many occasions before, and they not only neglect to thank us, but repay our kindness with enmity.”

“… A conflict between two towns, is it?”

“Not a conflict, they're just raising a ruckus on their end.”

“Wouldn’t it be nicer if you could all live in harmony?”

“… That’s what I think too.”

The two sighed in unison.

“Well, this way Ortus will soon hear of the town, and I’m certain they’ll find some way to help. We don’t have to worry about this.”

“Hmmmm…”

“What, are you still not happy about this? And besides, it’s not as if you’re bound to them by blood, so why would you want to help them out?”

“Well, that’s because…”

Yuri immediately felt his body stiffen, and he tried surreptitiously to make Ai stop talking.

“That’s because I am a champion of justice.”

“… What?”

Bemused, unable to comprehend what that declaration was supposed to mean, Kiriko glanced at Yuri. He was muttering embarrassedly to himself, “She actually said it…”

“If people are in trouble in the west, we’ll go help them out; if people are making trouble in the east, we’ll go teach them a lesson! That’s what my journey of world salvation is about.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes—Hey, you know, it’s been three days since the journey began.”

“That’s short! So you’ve only really just started on it!”

“That’s why I want to go help them out…”

Ai pulled her legs close to herself and rested her chin on her knees, looking as melancholy as someone of her size and age could get.

“Hmm…”

Kiriko propped his face up with a hand. The handcuffs clamped uselessly around his wrist jangled with a harsh noise.

“—What a foolish dream.”

“H-how could you call it that…”

“Am I wrong? I won’t even ask you your reasons for having so ridiculous a dream… But I’ll tell you now, having an unachievable dream is in the end just chasing the wind.

“…”

“No matter how big your dreams are, no matter how much you want to do, right now you’re still powerless to see them through.”

“I know that…”

“They won’t expect you to help them either, and think of some way by themselves.”

“Like I said, I know…”

It was because she knew all this that Ai was so pained, so melancholy.

“… I’ll go sleep now.”

Ai stood up.

She looked about her, saw only the night painted black and the sky bespeckled with stars.

“… I’m…”

The night was cold and large, seeming almost to swallow up their tiny fire.

“I’m really quite… small… aren’t I…”

There was a still, unmoving silence.

“… Well, you’re still a kid.”

“Indeed, still a kid.”

Ai aimed a kick at the two men’s legs and went into the tent.

Part III

Nobody woke the others up, but by the time the sun had risen everyone was awake.

The thin layer of frost the wilderness had acquired over the night had already been swept away by the sunlight, and steam rose from the engine of their blue car to be assimilated into the low-lying clouds above them.

They put away the tent, cleaned up the fire, started the engine to warm it up.

After boiling water on a Primus stove, they had tea for breakfast and bread as well.

“Let’s go.”

They put their luggage into the car and got on. Ai popped a sweet into her mouth as makeshift medicine for carsickness.

She allowed the lemon-flavored sweet to slide left and right in her mouth before eventually stopping it on her tongue; and at the same time they prepared to leave. As the car’s pre-warmed heart began to beat faster and faster, its sound languidly split apart the early morning air.

Ai sat in the back seat and seemed lost in thought about the steadily receding town.

She was thinking of how nice it would be if everyone could live in happiness.

* * *

At around noon Kiriko took over the driving. Shocked, Ai had asked, “You can drive?!” and gotten as reply “As long as they can reach the pedals, anyone can.” Kiriko hadn’t meant anything in particular by this remark, but Ai was incensed by it and since then had lain on the middle seat trying to fall asleep.

The car had stopped once for lunch and thrice to cool down the overheating engine, and it was now a long time past noon.

The first to notice that something was amiss was Scar.

“I sense unburied dead.”

“…… Whaa…? That’s a really tasty cake you have there……”

“Ai, please wake up.”

Scar looked out from the back seat and said this quietly.

“… Huh? No, what do you mean, I wasn’t asleep at all… Not at all… Ah, I didn’t sleep yesterday either… Ooh…”

“I can sense unburied dead around; they’re right where we’re going.”

“Huh?”

In order to bury the dead the Grave Keepers were endowed with various powers, one of which was the ability to sense the presence of the dead. They had many ways of knowing who and where were those that they had to bury. But the criteria for “people they had to bury” was hopelessly complicated, such that while most Grave Keepers would go for the nearest dead, exceptions abounded and some were even to this regard a little faulty. For instance, Ai had no such power. And in fact it was said that even among pure Grave Keepers there were those who could go in circles around the dead and never find them. But it was precisely because of this tendency of Grave Keepers to be attracted to the dead that they were sometimes called ‘Lords of the Cadavers’.

Back to the travelers.

Ai stared ahead.

Logically speaking, Ortus lay in that exact direction.

“… Here we go again… Then, Scar-san, how many of them are there? One? Two? Ten? A hundred?”

“At the very least… a million, I think.”

“I see, a million… Wait, a million?!”

Ai looked again to the front as she exclaimed this. The cloudless horizon suddenly seemed threateningly ominous, making her feel as if their continued driving forward was an act of utmost idiocy.

“There’re probably even more than that… It’s just that they’re all packed too close together, so I can’t detect their numbers with any accuracy.”

“That’s accurate enough! Kiriko-san, stop! Stoooooop!”

“Huh? What? What is it?”

“What do you mean, what is it! There’re over a million of the dead where we’re going…”

“But of course.”

Kiriko didn’t seem to mind this at all, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“After all, where I live is the Land of the Dead, the world’s greatest city of departed souls. Ortus.”

Part IV

Ortus was a city that covered the vast hills it was built on.

Its coordinates were 48° 5’ 2” N 109° 2’ 58” (using the Elzargo Meridian). Situated in the middle of the continent, its climate was cool and dry. It had a population of 1.2 million, all of whom were dead.

This state began as a nomadic monarchy with a history thousands of years old. Fourteen years ago, but a year after the world underwent its transformation, it shaped itself into an organized band of the dead and set about its business, even surviving the armed persecutions by the living and repelling countless Grave Keepers to grow and grow in size and number.

And finally, nine years ago, they had built on this earth the city they had long dreamed of.

This city that had begun with a mere twenty thousand grew larger and larger in the blink of an eye. Its succession of kings swept their formidable gaze far and wide, including into the town its every member; then, as if knowing the part they played was over, they handed rulership to the town and to the people, and abdicated swiftly and with little fuss.

All except for one particular princess.

Like a machine gun, Kiriko had rattled off all this history at being asked about Ortus. He’d sounded very excited, adding to every event comments such as “In the battle with Masaud the fallen enemies all defected and joined us, which had a tremendous impact on the outcome” or “It’s quite a miracle for the still-nomadic people of Ortus to have envisioned what exists today” or “You should have seen the king when he gave up his power. He privately invoked never-before-used delegated authority to create a Declaration of Human Rights that nobody at the time supported, in an act thrilling enough to get your heart pumping.”

Ai missed most of it, absorbed as she was in gazing at the wall that loomed over them.

Ortus was a walled city, and its walls formed the barrier that divided the world of the dead and the world of the living. Its tall walls of sturdy red brick yielded no entry from without to Grave Keepers nor escape from within to any of its people.

To the right, an endless stretch of red brick. To the left, too, an endless stretch of red brick.

Ai began to feel a little frightened.

But the car paid no heed to her demurral and coasted crisply to the doors.

The great doors had to be opened with a gigantic winch. On their surface was inscribed a dense sprawl of spells and glyphs to repel evil, while scores of gargoyles scowled row upon row out at the wilderness.

“… These doors look quite scary, don’t they.”

“Ah, I can’t deny that… I’m getting goosebumps too.”

On the doors were collected curse and hex and charm and jinx that spanned the whole immensity of time, making it seem like the very gates of Hell.

“… They’re mixing too many meanings here: gate, spell, warning to outsiders, and also memorial…

“Memorial?”

“… Yeah, for Grave Keepers.”

“…”

“Don’t forget that this city is also a giant tomb. Ortus has over a million dead residing in it, so Grave Keepers make their way here from every direction… These Grave Keepers here were all killed by soldiers; but still, even though they could never scale these walls no matter how great their ability, they kept coming and coming…”

The car was enveloped in awkwardness.

Kiriko seemed also to notice that the atmosphere was off, and he pointed to a corner of the doors.

“Look over there.”

At the very crown of the doors was a beautifully made figurehead just like one on a ship, arm spread and singing to the world, smiling a warm and gentle smile.

“Is that the ‘Your Majesty’, then?”

“Ah, no… That is…”

Koroshiohake.

On the figurehead was carved these words.

“That name gives me the shivers…”

“… She is the guardian deity of Ortus, possessed of the ability to kill all life.”

“As if the name alone wasn’t enough…”

“That can’t be helped,” Kiriko said in a low voice.

“… After all, the history of Ortus is one filled with persecution and suffering… Everyone here wants a god like this.”

There was more carved on the statue.

Her eyes are the eyes of death. Her words are the words of death. Her being overflows with death; no life shall escape her reach. No life shall escape Koroshiohake’s reach.

I am Lord of all men, wielding Nirvana’s divine harvest to smite outsiders. I am Protector of the world’s dead.

“A god of the dead… Never heard of it before.”

“Well, that’s to be expected, given that the gods of the past existed only for the living. Unfair, don’t you think? That’s why Koroshiohake chose alone to become the guardian goddess of the dead. She’s a kind goddess…”

“… That’s true.”

“Those she has killed she comes to protect. It’s all in perfect order.”

“What, like an arms merchant stirring up war? That’s not right!”

The car had reached the doors as they said this, and Kiriko parked the car on a shoulder. Before them was a small guard post built of the same brick as the walls, bearing on its entrance the sign “Ortus East Gate Watch”.

“All right. Please give me a moment.”

Kiriko got off the car, and a few of the guards standing at watch immediately hurried over to have him fill in some documents.

Ai watched them from the side seat. The guards wore uniforms of deep blue, carried rifles on their shoulders, and wore over their faces expressionless visors of steel.

“Scar-san, are they… all of them… are they all…”

“Dead.”

The guards seemed to know Kiriko: they slapped him on the back and exchanged jokes with him.

The existence of the dead seemed a fact normal beneath mention.

“Ai, I want to bury them.”

“Just for now, please control yourself!”

“All right. Then, when does this ‘for now’ end?”

Ai, too, was trying to work out when that was.

When would it be the time to bury that man there rejoicing at the safe return of his countryman?

When would it be the time to bury the million souls behind this great wall?

“… It ends when I say it ends.”

“I see.”

Scar had replied simply. Soon afterwards, Kiriko returned to the car.

“It’s done. Follow me.”

They got of the car in a row and followed behind Kiriko as he led them into the guard post.

It didn’t look so much like a place for defence as it did an office, with a counter in the middle presumably being used for enquiries.

Kiriko, glancing cursorily at the counter, caught a glimpse of someone’s face and a surprised “Oh” slipped from his mouth.

Upon seeing Kiriko, the person leaped up from a chair and greeted him enthusiastically.

“Kiriko-kun!”

“Kiriko-chan! It’s good to have you back safe and sound!”

Saying this, the person vaulted the counter and dashed at Kiriko to envelop him in a hug. Exasperated, Kiriko tried to dodge but was in the end wrapped in an embrace so tight he couldn’t extricate himself from it.

“W-what’re you doing here in a place like this?”

“What’s this attitude, Kiriko-kun? To think we were all that worried about you.”

That was from the woman who, from the perspective of the travelers, was situated on the left.

“Exactly, Kiriko-chan! Are you hurt? Is your virginity intact? I had so much trouble keeping this from the princess, you know.”

And that was from the man who was situated on the right. The two finally released Kiriko from their embrace.

Ai looked blankly at what was going on before her.

The woman on the left seemed to notice Ai’s gaze and turned to grin at her.

“Kiriko-kun, are these the ones who saved you? If you don’t mind, could you introduce them to us?”

Saying this, the two stepped forward. Kiriko cast an anxious glance at Ai, muttering to himself, “I hope this goes well…”

Ai, indeed, was frozen in shock.

“Everyone, this is the deputy captain of the Ortus Imperial Guard, Pox.”

The woman on the left flashed them a wink. She looked to be between twenty five and thirty, her face was pale, and her figure, while slim, was clearly accustomed to exercise and showed no weakness.

“And this is the special foreign affairs ambassador, Rex.”

The man on the right told them “Pleased to meet you” and broke into a smile. He was a little short of stature, just about as tall as the woman, and his figure, while equally thin, was muscled and so gave off a impression of healthful vigor.

The two were similar in height and wore the same shirt, trousers, and deep blue coat. There didn’t seem to be anything strange about them.

Nothing strange about them at all.

Except that they were far too close together.

“Uh… Say something, could you please?”

That was from the left.

“Hey, Pox, they’re probably all scared of the way you look, y’know.”

And that was from the right.

“How rude, Rex. It’s clear that it’s your face that’s scaring them speechless.”

The two began a heated argument at a zero-distance range.

Because the two people were one.

This man-woman was separated right down the middle, with the right half being a woman and the left half being a man.

“E-Excuse me…”

Ai plucked up her courage and addressed the two.

“H-how... did the two of you end up like this?”

“Well, that’s obviously because we ran into each other from opposite directions at a super fast speed, and with a snap and a bang and a thunderbolt clang we were fused together…”

“Rex, don’t go pulling their leg. But, miss, I’m afraid I’ll have to apologise, because I can’t tell you how.”

Pensively, the right half muttered something unclear to himself.

“Ah, no… I should be begging your pardon… My name is Ai Astin.”

Ai instinctively stretched out her right hand and, with a somewhat surprised expression, Pox took it. It was only after she’d withdrawn her hand, shake over, that Ai remembered she’d missed something. She stuck out her left hand.

“Nice to meet you, Rex-san.”

“Miss, please forgive my having use my left hand.”

When the three had shaken hands, Yuri and Scar followed suit and introduced themselves.

This two-person group crossed their arms in a lively manner.

“Aren’t these people nice?”

Then they patted Kiriko on the back.

“Most of the time even the dead can’t stand us, going so far as to call us ‘monsters’.”

“There is no such thing as a monster in this world.”

Ai was resolute as she said that.

“No matter how strange they seem in mind or body, people are people, and that’s all there is.”

“… Ohhhh.”

Pox suddenly made a strange noise and seemed about to fall over; it was only through Rex’s support from the left that they stayed upright.

“H-hey, partner, are you okay?!”

“Damn... This girl is so cute!”

Pox’s eyes glowed with a sudden light and her voice became louder and more excited. Rex, on the other hand, seemed to droop and wore on his face a fed up expression. To have the same body express such disparate emotions was quite enough to make any viewer feel as paradoxical as if they were looking at an optical illusion.

“Ah, I just love it when kids say smart things like that! Ahh… This is… so… cute… How am I going to deal with these feelings now…”

Rex told her to “Just dig a hole and bury them in there”, but Pox didn’t seem to hear. Dragging a reluctant left side along, the right side alternately patted Ai’s head and hugged her with all her strength.

“If there’s anything you need just say so; and you’re Kiriko’s saviors too, so we’ll do it even if it puts us through trouble. Looks like you’re not merchants; do you need fuel? Food? Whether you need repairs or spare parts or a doctor we’ve got it covered, so just leave it to us.”

At that, the right side pointed to the left’s face.

“Don’t underestimate her for just having just half a face: this scary mug of hers holds quite a lot of influence, so whatever you request of her she’ll get done for sure.”

“… Hey, buddy, for someone who’s not going to help you sure are being generous here…”

Hearing this, Ai addressed the two.

“In that case, I want to go inside Ortus.”

At that, both the two-person group and Kiriko froze.

But the most obvious reaction was Yuri’s.

“Excuse us for a minute.”

Pulling Ai by the collar with his right hand and waving at Scar to follow with his left, the three gathered in a corner and held a hushed discussion.

“Ai.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you want to go inside Ortus?”

“Huh? I’d like to ask you, Yuri-san, aren’t you planning on going in?”

“Do I even have to tell you?”

Yuri’s voice sank even quieter.

“You’ve seen that door, haven’t you? If they find out that they’re a Grave Keeper, who knows what’ll…”

“As long as we don’t tell them they won’t find out.”

That wasn’t far wrong: at the very least, Grave Keepers weren’t much different from humans in their appearance.

“… Even so, we should avoid danger as much as possible.”

“Even if it’s dangerous…”

Ai spoke in a firmer tone.

“Even if it’s dangerous, I want to take a look at this country. Knowing that there exists another city of the dead besides my village, I have to see it with my own eyes no matter what you say.”

Her green eyes gazed with fiery intensity at Yuri.

“And if you don’t want to go in, that’s fine by me. I’ll go by myself if I have to.”

“… It was because I knew this would happen that I didn’t want to come here.”

Yuri sighed.

“… You won’t change your mind?”

“I won’t.”

“Is that so… Well, this is after all your journey. We’ll listen to you.”

Yuri then asked Scar what she was going to do.

“It’ll only be more dangerous if you followed us in. If it’s possible, I’d like to have you wait in a different town.”

“No, I must go in as well.”

Since they rarely saw her so determined, both Ai and Yuri were a little surprised at this.

“Scar-san, even if you go in you can’t bury any of the dead. You know this, right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Huh? Then, why…”

“There’s a voice calling me…”

“What?”

“Someone in there’s calling out to me…”

As Scar said this she pointed her gaze up towards the city of Ortus.

“…”

“…”

Ai and Yuri looked at one another a little helplessly, and began conversing in even quieter voices.

“… Is it that she’s tired?”

“… I don’t know, she doesn’t look tired at all to me.”

“… Do you think she’ll be alright in there...”

They turned to look at Scar, who was still staring dazedly into the distance.

“… Never mind. Damn it, everyone’s acting on some strange reason of their own here.”

Yuri held his head in frustration. Since he’d brought this troop out and about this action of his had become increasingly familiar, and he’d more or less come to perfect it.

“Let’s go.”

“You’re fine with it?”

“That doesn’t have much to do with this now, does it?”

The three returned to the counter with Yuri striding in the front.

“… Is your meeting over?

“Hurry up, will you? We’re all bored to death here.”

The two-person group were cracking jokes about them.

“Then, about your desire to enter Ortus, could you tell us your reasons for it?”

“We want to do some tourism.”

Yuri answered in a completely defeated manner.

“Ah, so that’s was it was. I see. We’ll permit you.”

His reply was crisp and simple.

“What, that was it?”

“Aw, you didn’t like how quick it went?”

“Ah, this way, won’t your scary face be wasted? Kiriko, what do you say?”

The two-person group cracked up in laughter as Kiriko, displeased, replied:

“… You’ve all seen it. Ortus is a city of the dead, so there are limits on the entry of the living… Normally, only ambassadors and the wealthiest of merchants are allowed in… There’s never been a single living person who’s gotten an entry permit just with a reason as facetious as tourism…”

“Eh? Then, why…”

“Because we want to thank you! Didn’t we say that already?”

Pox and Rex stood up straight at attention.

“Here we once more express our gratitude to you. Thank you for saving Kiriko.”

“Representing his guardians, we offer you our deepest thanks.”

The two-person group bowed their heads low.

“We did say that we’d go to any trouble to accommodate your wishes, but we never thought you’d ask to enter Ortus. Well, you’ll have to fill in some forms first.”

“Uh, where are the entry permit forms again? Heyyy, Kiriko, tell me.”

The two-person team began talking to themselves in this fashion as they went over to the counter, pulled out from a drawer a couple dozen sheets of paper, and handed it to the three. Opening a bottle of ink and readying a pen each, they began to write with both hands operating under the control of different brains, and moving in a peculiar rhythm that no musician would ever be able to mimic.

At the end Ai took up a card exchanged for three sets of signatures, on which was printed her name, age (it said that she was fifteen, which was obviously a lie), hair color, and eye color.

Seeing the card was enough to make her feel inexplicably happy.

And on the middle of the card was written today’s date and the date they would have to leave Ortus.

“Seven days; that should be enough.”

Ai didn’t know, when it came to staying in cities, whether this length of time was a long one or not.

“All right, the procedures are complete. In that case—”

Rex snapped his fingers, put both hands on the counter, and swept his gaze over the travelers arrayed before him. Pox then raised her right hand and placed it over her heart.

In perfect unison, the two bent forward in a bow and said:

“Welcome to Ortus.”

Chapter 2: Bad Dragon

Part I

They passed through the gate.

The view of the city was released from behind the red city walls, and its wide expanse suddenly spread forth for the travelers’ eyes.

Before them was sun, castle, mountain and unending green.

There was wheat, still young and green, planted on what little flat ground there was that reached to the mountains. The wheat there looked to be faster-growing than the mountain variety Ai was accustomed to: from their color, they seemed nearly ready to sprout grains.

A couple of farmers sat on a ridge, watching their crops.

Ai could predict very clearly what adults like them talked about at times like this. They would resume for the umpteenth time conversations already dried and tasteless, like “They’re growing well this year,” “Yeah.”

The travelers’ eyes had long since become accustomed to the grey of the wilderness, so, faced now with this sudden assault of green, their surroundings seemed to them impossibly bright and gaudy.

A farmer suddenly noticed their presence and waved at them, and the rest followed suit. Ai rubbed her eyes and gave a small wave in return.

The car moved slowly, but eventually they shook off the farmers and continued onward.

After a while, as the sun reddened behind the mountain range, the travelers arrived at the foot of the hills.

Any further and they would reach the market. All the buildings before them had been converted into apartment flats, with the ground floor composed entirely of shops bustling with the in-and-out flow of customers.

The whole of the Ortus market was in fact built of rock, with marble and clay and brick and the like having been combined together to form the compact apartments that fitted snugly together and packed the already narrow streets full, close to bursting.

The road had been maintained in excellent condition, with large and comfortable spots to rest all along its side. Households all but competed with one another in adorning their doors and windows with budding greenery and arraying the flowers of the season in other prominent locations. Just before their eyes was an elderly lady changing her potted plants on the roadside. Children ran past them in packs like gusts of wind, laughing as only they can, while along the road wizened old men blew with their pipes streams of colorful smoke and cast bets on little games of dice.

Everyone was, of course, dead.

The dead looked like they’d stripped off old clothes, with their muscles withered and dried and some thin as a wire. The younger the dead in question were, the stranger they looked.

Skeletons parading about in three-piece suit and tie. Coolies with chains coiled about themselves to make up for missing body weight. Women so wrapped up in lace they looked to have been melded into some strange sartorial beast, youths who’d amputated their limbs and replaced them with prosthetic ones, looking like puppets, college students carrying library books under one arm and their heads under the other.

Most of the living treated these dead as monsters. They would react to such sights in much the same way: to think of the streets of Ortus as a devil-infested hell and say, frightened, that they shouldn’t have come here, then arrange for a speedy departure. This sort of thing had happened so many times that Kiriko had already given up being outraged at it.

But Ai was different.

She pressed her face glumly to the car window and watched the faces of the people they passed. She didn’t even stir at their appearance which so shocked others, instead watching only their eyes.

Unnatural or ordinary, strange or familiar, the faces of the dead all wore smiles. As Ai watched, they joked and talked and chatted and laughed with the people close to them, and on their faces were the smiles of the everyday.

A mother with a baby turned and beamed at Ai, and she waved and smiled back, a pure smile without the barest shred of surprise, pity or rage in her expression.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Kiriko, thinking that he’d just witnessed something forbidden to him, hurriedly turned his gaze back forward. Up ahead, in the sky that had donned its night colors, he saw a star the same color as the tear, scattering light down on the city.

At the same time there came a “Wow…” from behind as Ai, too, saw the same scene.

* * *

It was dark when they arrived at their hotel. By that time, even the car’s gears had begun acting up, and they’d ascended the hill with difficulty, relying on only a single flickering headlamp to steer themselves into the car-park.

The appearance of the hotel was rather different from the apartments on the streets below, being a tall construct built of rock. All around them, there wasn’t a single building in sight, making it seem as though the hotel had been isolated from the din of the market.

The car park was unfamiliar to the travelers, as, rather than paving, the ground was just compressed earth. They took their luggage from the car and went over to the building. The moon was full, or very near it, and it lit up the night for the travelers below.

“This was a school a year ago.”

Kiriko pointed out the features of their residence as they walked. That there was the car-park, the male dormitories opposite to it, the female ones on that side over there, and here the school building, shut and locked.

“Right…”

Ai was spiritless in her response.

“…Let me just say something first.”

Seeing Ai like that, Kiriko was spurred on to say the words he’d been deliberating over a while ago.

“Thank you for saving me. I’m very grateful for it...but I don’t think you should stay in here. Ortus is a city of the dead, a city belonging only to the dead, and the living have no business coming in just to fool around. If it were up to me...I would not have permitted you entry.”

“Oh… Then why…why did you still let us in…?”

“It wasn’t up to me! I couldn’t have defied my superiors like that!”

“Ah… Is that…so…?”

Ai didn’t even seem to be listening to him. Kiriko’s mouth tightened into a line.

“I hope you’ll leave soon after finishing your business here.”

“…Huh, you’re not making any sense, Kiriko-san…”

Dwarfed by the luggage she carried, Ai swayed unstably as she walked.

“…What did you say?”

“Aren’t you living as well?”

Kiriko kept his mouth shut.

“…Kiriko-san…that’s…funny…”

“…Ai?”

Something was wrong with her.

She rocked left and right as though rowing a boat, tripped, and fell to her right.

“Ai!”

Kiriko reached out and caught her in the nick of time.

“So much has happened today that her brain’s probably tired out.”

Yuri took Ai’s rucksack and slung it over his shoulder. Weight removed, Ai slumped down and fell asleep, looking as contented as a well-fed baby.

“…I’m sorry, Kiriko, but could you carry her on your back?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

The moment Kiriko presented his back to her, Ai twined her arms around his neck and fell unconscious. Kiriko clasped her legs under his arms and got up with a low gasp, and only then did he stop to think “Why me?” But Ai was already on his back, and trying to hand her over to Yuri would just seem strange now.

Ai began to snore softly. Her face was entirely pale with exhaustion but for traces of red in the corners of her eyes.

“…Hey, Yuri-san.”

“What?”

“Ai… How old is she?”

At that time, Kiriko didn’t notice that he’d broken a rule.

“Who knows? You ask her yourself.”

Ai spoke up.

“…I told you I’m not asleep… Really… I’m…not…”

“What kind of person says that in their sleep?”

Kiriko adjusted Ai’s position on his back and walked toward their rooms.

Part II

Morning was long past when Ai awoke.

She sat up wearily. She had no memory of the room she was currently in, nor any idea of her circumstances; but to these she paid no mind. She yawned widely.

It was only after she had allowed the cells under her every tooth and beneath her tongue and even of her vocal cords to bask fully in the morning air that she shut her mouth and looked around her.

...Where was she?

The room was dim and unlit, but soft rays of sunlight slanted in from the windows and illuminated the specks of dust in the air.

She looked to her right and saw another bed, on the far side of which were a dressing table and a wardrobe put against the wall.

Not a sound penetrated the room from outside, imbuing it with a hushed atmosphere.

Slowly, Ai turned her half-opened eyes towards the left and swept her gaze across the room, seeing a door, bookcase, desk and chair arrayed in it.

Then, at the left wall...

She found a window with curtains drawn.

“...Shuuu…”

Moving as if she were swimming, Ai stepped off the bed and padded barefoot to the window.

The curtain was thick and kept the room dim, but the sunlight contrived to shine around it and into the room. The curtain’s edges glowed with the passing light. Floating particles of dust were set sparkling by the light falling on Ai’s toes.

She drew it open.

The light that shone in was strong enough to hurt even when she squinted her eyes shut. Warmth flooded through every corner of her body, scorching away the dazed drowsiness that had occupied her head just a moment ago.

Ai looked out over Ortus.

“Wow…”

Unthinkingly, she stretched out her hand, lifted up the latch and pulled the window open. The wind that blew in set Ai’s bangs fluttering along with the curtains, and she squealed in delight, resting on the frame and leaning her body half out of the window.

The road stretching from left to right before her was fully paved with white tiles that shone beneath the sun’s light. As Ai turned her gaze down across the city, she saw the green of the wheat fields and, further ahead, the red bricks of the city walls.

And to the right, she could see a dark colored castle, built into the tall hillside.

Unable to contain her excitement, Ai pushed herself back into the room and almost stumbled backward in her haste. Recovering, she then spun toward the wardrobe with the leftover momentum. She threw it open with the same energy with which she had opened the window and saw her coats hanging neatly there along with her culottes.

She suddenly realized that she didn’t know what clothes she was wearing. She looked down, and saw the shirt and underwear that she normally wore.

And she began to wonder, quite naturally, who it was who had gotten her changed.

Probably not Kiriko, she thought. As for Yuri...that was quite possible, but she couldn’t tell whether the one who’d changed her clothes was the uncaring traveler or the father taking care of his daughter.

That left Scar. She would be the best of her companions.

“...Ai?”

Ai heard Scar’s voice from behind just as she was thinking about her. She turned around and saw her lying on the other bed.

“Scar-san! It’s time to get up! Good morning!”

“...No, it’s already noon.”

“Eh?”

With her enthusiastic greeting met by a dispirited reply, Ai pulled out her pocket watch from inside the coat and checked the time. The hour hand pointed at twelve.

It was then she noticed that the sun did seem rather high up in the sky.

“Scar-san...why didn’t you wake me up…?”

“...I did…”

And so her question of blame was met by an answer of even greater blame.

Scar told Ai that both she and Yuri had tried to wake her, but she’d been too deeply asleep to be roused.

“...To think you managed to sleep all the way till noon... You have me impressed.”

A little apologetically, Ai scratched her head and asked the question that had preoccupied her a moment ago—“Was it you who helped me undress?”—and Scar replied with a “Yes.” Good.

“...Ai, you’re always so lively, aren’t you…”

Ai looked more closely at Scar, and only then saw that she seemed drained somehow, dressed only in a shirt and even now in bed, curled up beneath the covers.

“What happened? Are you too lazy to wake up as well, Scar-san? Or did you eat too much last night?”

“...How do you say it? Is this the feeling called sadness?... Ai, please do not group me with you in your mannerisms and behaviors.”

Ai walked across the floorboards to the bed, held her forehead to Scar’s to see if she was feverish. She wasn’t, and she didn’t look particularly ill either.

“Do you feel unwell?”

“...My chest hurts. My head hurts too, and I feel sick…”

“Right. Is it that voice from before—can you still hear it?"

“Yes...”

Scar turned away from Ai and looked directly in front of her.

“I wanted to find its source...”

“You mustn’t. Please stay here and rest.”

“Alright,” she returned obediently.

“...Now, what should I do? Do you need a doctor?"

“I don’t know...are there doctors who can treat Grave Keepers?"

“Aren’t there?”

“Who knows…”

“...Wait, Grave Keepers fall sick?”

“I’ve never heard of it happening before…”

Ai came down with the flu once a year, but it didn’t seem like she’d be the best reference for Scar’s present condition.

“Yuri said that he’d buy some medicine on his way back, so I should just stay here like this...and wait and see if I get any better…”

“Ah, really? Yuri-san’s gone out?”

“Yes. He looked quite busy, having to go fix the car and replenish our supplies… Oh, he left a note.” Saying this, Scar handed a piece of paper folded in half to Ai.

On the note was written:

“Do not, under any circumstances, leave the hotel.”

Technically, that was a message conveyed through a myriad others. The ones like, “There are many dangerous people among the dead, so don’t leave the hotel,” or, “If you cause a ruckus, it’ll be almost impossible to clear up, so don’t leave the hotel,” were reasonable enough, but, “The air this season isn’t good on the throat,” was clearly just needless fussing. And, “Look out for cars,” was something you’d only say to a person leaving the house.

Ai folded the note into a paper airplane and flew it out of the window. Although the paper must have been heavy, soaked full as it was of that ramblingly incessant ink, on attaining freedom it flew high up into the blue Ortus sky.

“Scar-san.”

"...Yes?”

“Please answer my question honestly. Do you need looking after as you are?”

“No, not at all.”

Scar even waved a hand to emphasize the fact.

“If you stayed here, you’d only make it worse... Do you want to go get something to eat?”

“A-Aren't you being a little too forceful here…?”

Ai was a little hurt, but she nonetheless went and dressed herself. She pulled on her culottes and socks and did up her bootlaces, changed her shirt, tied her hair, set her straw hat on her head and swung on her coat.

She went over to the window.

“Should I close it?”

“...Yes, and the curtains too.”

Ai pulled the window closed and drew the curtains across.

“Well, I’ll be off for some food then.”

She stood by the door as she spoke.

She didn’t really need her hat and coat just for that, but Scar refrained from pointing it out to her.

Instead, just as Ai was hurrying out of the door, she called to her back-turned figure, “Did you bring your permit?”

Ai’s embarrassment at that mistake was quite substantial indeed.

* * *

Ai dashed out of the room, but naturally, she didn’t have the faintest idea of where she wanted to go.

She first headed to a corridor and, after peering left and right, found a staircase and descended to the first floor. Something told her that she couldn’t let herself be discovered, so she walked on tiptoes. With the floor plan at the first floor stairs, she found a place where there was water, and there washed her face and drank hugely to quench her thirst.

Signs of past students filled the dormitory building. There on the blackboard was still the name of a student punished with cleanup duty, and there in the umbrella stand was still stuck a baseball bat. The display cabinet placed beside the main doors still held dozens upon dozens of medals and trophies, while the lost-and-found box, long since been forgotten about, still held a blue notebook within, awaiting its master. Ai picked up the notebook and flipped through the pages.

“Actually, I am quite hungry after all.”

She announced this to the statue of some unknown notable situated between the second and third floor, and began searching more boldly through the dormitory building. Her plan was to find Kiriko or Yuri and get some food off them. Deciding to focus her search on the first floor, she spent her time running to peek at the front door, and heading to the janitor’s office to explore. A lot of things captured her interest on the way, but right now her primary objective was to find food to eat.

So Ai ran to check the canteen. She crossed the entire length of the room, peering with a baffled expression at the place where used bowls and plates were collected.

And in the kitchen, a certain Keira Venna saw all this as it went on.

“What’re you doing over there?”

Caught completely off-guard, Ai leaped up in fright and looked frantically around for the speaker.

“This way.”

Keira looked at Ai from over the counter that connected the kitchen and the canteen.

“N-Nice to meet you! My name is Ai Astin!”

“Hey. Nice to meet you too. I’m Keira Venna, the manager of this place and its cook.”

Ai stood at attention and summoned up a voice from the depths of her being.

“I-I just wanted to say, I didn’t have anything to do with the globe on the second floor falling down! It was already on the floor!”

“...So you’re confessing before anyone’s even asked you about it... You’re a funny kid.”

Keira disappeared back into the kitchen, and Ai was left standing there at a loss for a good while.

“Here.”

Keira returned and plonked a tray on the counter.

“Huh? What’s this for?”

“It’s for you. You're going to eat it or not?”

Ai stood on tiptoes to peek up at the tray, and found that it was laden with freshly baked bread and a thick, rich stew.

“Oh! Thanks for the food!”

She took the tray from the counter and scurried over to a nearby table, and began to dig in.

“That was great!”

Ai had finished the bread and stew in just a few mouthfuls, and now she was carrying the tray back into the kitchen.

“Um, Keira...you’re a really good cook…”

“Really? Well, thanks.”

Keira was sitting on a chair in the kitchen with a newspaper in front of her, and she didn’t even look up from it as she answered. She was solidly built and looked to be middle-aged, and her face always seemed to wear a slightly ironic smile.

Ai placed both hands on the counter and pushed herself up, so that she could see over it.

“I didn’t know the dead could cook so well, you know.”

Then the tray was off the counter and in the air, speeding towards her head. It connected. What shocked Ai the most as she stood there blinking in confusion wasn’t the pain of the impact, but rather that she couldn’t tell what was going on.

“Let me tell you, kid, 'You’re a really good cook' was fine by itself. You didn’t have to add that bit about the dead. D’you think that just because we’re dead doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to be good at cooking? How about we sit you down for a lecture from old Miss Keira here on cooking with science, and how we don’t need to use our senses for it, huh?”

“Ah—No—I meant—I’m really sorry!”

Ai, who had since fallen below the counter, had to push herself up again to deliver the apology.

Keira placed two cups in front of Ai, and the warm bitter fragrance of tea began to issue from them.

“Here. Have some.”

One cup was larger than the other. After giving it a little thought, Ai decided that it would be best to be polite, so she picked up the one that looked small enough to be part of a toy set.

“Blergh!”

The tea in it was concentrated to the point of being thick, and was both scalding hot and very bitter.

“Silly, that one’s mine.”

Keira lightly removed the cup from Ai’s hand and sipped at the dark-colored liquid within.

“You've never had dehva tea before, right?”

Ai nodded a few times in response, and began sticking out her tongue experimentally. So bitter was the tea that even now she was unable to speak.

Dehva tea was a specialty of Ortus’. The first draft that the dead took was both thick and bitter. The second, the Living Blend, was made with the used leaves of the first and was therefore half as strong. That was the blend in the larger cup that was pushed toward Ai, and which she now raised carefully to her mouth.

Keira took care of Ai as if on a whim, returning occasionally to the kitchen to check on something that was cooking in the pot. It was during one of these times that Ai addressed Keira’s turned back.

“E-Excuse me!”

“What is it?”

“Do you know where Yuri-san and Kiriko-san went?”

“If it’s the tall one you want, he left right when morning broke.”

He’d said that he had to take the car to be checked and repaired. He’d also asked where the telegraph office and drugstore were, it looked like he’d be heading there as well.

“Kiriko’s probably at work, but he’ll be back by dusk.”

“Does Kiriko-san live here?”

“Yes... Oh, but if he’s gone to the castle, it might be nighttime before he returns.”

“The castle?”

“To see the princess.”

On hearing this, Ai was reminded of when she first met Kiriko, and he’d mistaken her for a princess.

“Kiriko-san knows the princess?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I heard the princess treats him like a friend. What, didn’t he ever tell you anything about it?”

“He only said that he had to run errands all over the city...”

“That’s what he does. When he’s here he runs errands for me, and when he’s at the castle he runs them for the princess.”

Ai was so impressed that, without really noticing it, she soon slurped up all of her tea.

She returned her teacup to the counter, thanking Keira for the tea as she did so.

Then she checked the clock. It was just noon then, and there was plenty of time left in the day.

But there was nothing for her to do in that time.

Ai rested her chin on the counter, alternately watching Keira as she worked and tilting her ear to listen to the clock as it ticked away the time.

This was the first time she hadn’t had anything to do since she left the village.

“Excuse me…”

Ai couldn’t stand it much longer.

“Excuse me, can I go out into the city?”

Keira’s face took on a pained expression.

“What did the tall one say?”

“He didn’t say anything at all.”

Well, he hadn’t.

“...Then I don’t have any reason to stop you. But be careful. Ortus has been closed for nine years now, and just about everyone’s forgotten how to behave around living people like you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“But, Keira-san, you seem...perfectly normal to me.”

“I am a cook after all, so I get to see the living from time to time… Well, where’re you planning on going?”

“I saw this Mask Street on my way here yesterday, and I want to go take a look…”

“Ah, there’s good. Did you bring your permit?”

Ai flashed her new entry permit at Keira.

“If you get lost or need help, show this card to anyone nearby, preferably the ones in the shops. Also...hey, put this on.”

Keira took from a drawer an object completely incongruous with its surroundings, and handed it to Ai.

“A mask?”

“If you’re heading to Mask Street, then of course you’re going to need one of your own! Plus, you stand out a little too much, so this’ll help you blend in a bit more."

Ai looked at the mask. It was shaped like a fox’s face and seemed filled with all the exciting mysteries of a different country, much like the group of dead they saw yesterday.

The smell of cardboard and glue flew up her nose.

“Does it look good on me?”

“Not bad, isn’t it? Let’s lower your hair now… Also, don’t wear that long coat of yours out, put on this jacket instead.

Ai’s golden hair billowed down from her shoulders to her back, a yellow blanket wrapped around her body.

She looked for all the world like a straw-hatted golden fox.

“Not bad. Now go on, it’s your debut.”

Thoroughly enjoying this, Ai barked once at Keira.

Then, she dashed out to the noonday street.

Part III

Cats, horses, oni, monkeys, eagles, dragons, weasels, cows, tigers, elephants, owls, men, faces dead, and faces living.

The street was packed with masks. Every wall of every building was covered and crowded with them, and not only the storeowners but shoppers strolling back and forth seemed to have grown a second face over their own. This was no fancy-dress party, and every person wore only the most normal clothes about, but their masks were so fantastical that the contrast lent the scene the surreal tint of a daydream.

Ortus had a great demand for masks.

Most of the dead modified their faces in some way or other. For the conservative, there was makeup; for the radical, facial reforming. There were many ways to be found for the dead to play with their appearances, and of them the simplest, and consequently most popular, was the use of masks.

To satisfy this need of the populace, on Mask Street shops had opened up selling masks of every shape and form, from street stalls for the inexpensive goods to luxury stores for bespoke tailoring.

The street was wide and rose on a gentle incline. Among customers here just for the masks were tourists, wandering about in search of fun, and numerous cafes had sprung up expressly for their patronage.

There, a corner off the street.

An alleyway opened off from the main road, and there a small fox crouched behind the mask stand of an abandoned stall.

As if out of its den for the first time, the fox peeked left and right from behind the stall’s sign. There was a green luster shining out from beneath the two slits of the mask, one which took anticipation and excitement and combined and doubled them into a wild synergistic mix within its owner. She stared out at the truth before her, that this almost violent swirl and flow of people, of a kind she’d never witnessed before, was composed entirely of the dead.

“Oi, Shorty.”

As if unable to watch this any longer, a young lion from the neighboring stall addressed the fox.

“You’re blocking the masks from view. If you’re not here to shop, clear off.”

The fox turned around. Her accoster was seated in front of a stall laden with the cheap kinds of masks seen everywhere else on the street, jostling for space on a rack already enlarged with the addition of a metal ladder. It looked to be just that sort of stall opened up by a craftsman yet to make it big, with mask quality varying wildly between low and high, and the amount sold depending more on how well the seller could exhort people to buy them than on how well they were made. Based on this standard, the lion’s conduct probably wouldn’t even warrant a pass. At the present moment he was sitting on a worn rug in front of the stall, so preoccupied with putting finishing touches on an unpainted mask in his hands that he ignored passing customers one and all. His words to the fox were, clearly, quite unmeant.

The fox stayed as she was, watching the lion; then she suddenly dashed out from the stand, not away as the lion expected but towards him, stopping and sitting herself down at his side.

“…Oi.”

“Ah—no—then—I’ll leave right away, it’s just…I’m a bit tired…”

It was only upon hearing this that the lion looked up from his hands and had a proper look at the fox’s mask.

His eyes widened beneath wooden slits.

“Oi, fox, where’d you get your hands on this mask?”

“This? It’s not mine. Keira-san lent it to me.”

“…Ah, was that it? I see.”

Mystery solved, the lion nodded few self-satisfied times to himself and continued on with his work, ignoring the fox seated beside him.

The fox breathed a sigh of relief at having been allowed to stay here, and wiped at beads of perspiration which had formed beneath her mask.

She was exhausted.

Ai had seen so very many new and interesting things today, and now she was content to ease her tired eyes and sit with her knees hugged to her chest, experiencing the floodlit chatter of the world around her with only her ears. There was one sound constant among the hubbub, the rough scraping of knife on wood as the lion started carving yet another mask. In her eyeshut darkness Ai felt only that this repeated sound was somehow relaxing, and her body began to loosen as a wonderful languor almost like sleep crept up on it.

Slowly, just a tiny crack, she opened her eyes and saw before her a sight as if from a dream, in which reality was as insignificant as a soap bubble and high away from the ground.

“Hey.”

Her elbow suddenly bumped into something and she raised her head: the lion had his hand out to her, and was offering her a small bag of some sort.

“…What’s this?”

“Flavor sticks. They help with tiredness.”

The sticks in the bag were made of herbs boiled down until they were soft. Ai took one and, poking it beneath the mask, placed it experimentally into her mouth.

“Woah! The mint is so strong!”

“That’s why I said they’d help.”

The lion chucked from under his mask. Ai had been shocked when the taste first hit her, block of solid freshness that it was, but now found after a bit of determined chewing that it wasn’t so bad after all. Before long, her tiredness vanished without a trace.

“I kind of feel like drinking something now. Something simple, like water—that’d match this flavor quite nicely.”

“We got nothing like that here—and besides, what if you got to go to the toilet after drinking it? We’ve got so few toilets here in Ortus that you can count them on the fingers of your hand.”

“What? Really?”

“Ain’t it obvious? The dead don’t have to eat, so they don’t have to shit either. We’re not like the living.”

At this point a somewhat unusual customer wandered in. If the proprietor of this stall was strange, this customer wasn’t far off either: the two conducted their business entirely with motions of their hands, neither saying a single word.

Ai waited patiently until the cat-faced customer departed.

“How did you know that I’m alive?”

Thanks to her straw hat, mask, and new jacket there wasn’t a single inch of her flesh which showed. By rights no casual passer-by should have been able to tell that she was alive. Unlike yesterday on the car, when she was gawked at by everyone she saw, today nobody on the streets took any notice of her.

“Your mask…”

The lion took a chewed flavor stick out from behind his mask and tossed it into a nearby bin.

“I made it for Keira-obasan back when I’d just gotten out of school.”

“Oh? So that’s how you knew?”

“…Even without the mask, the fact that you wanted a drink and were tired would’ve tipped anyone off. You’re doing a pretty bad job of hiding your identity.”

“I wasn’t trying to.”

“That’s exactly what you got to do, you idiot, or you’ll end up raising hell.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Let’s go with an example here.”

The lion tucked his chin and tilted his head, and the play of shadows on the dips and bumps of his mask coalesced into a single solid expression.

It was an expression of deepest weariness and simmering anger.

“If you were dead, and saw a living person in front of you, how’d you feel?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Okay, so with me seeing you like this, how’d do you think I feel?”

“…I don’t know.”

So the lion told her. That to say he didn’t feel envious was nothing short of a complete lie.

“Don’t go around flaunting your life in front of the dead.”

“…”

Ai nodded meekly.

“…I’m sorry.”

“You got nothing to be apologizing for…I mean, this is an issue concerning us and us only. You’re alive, we’re dead. That’s all there is to it, so don’t go feeling sorry or anything.”

Despite his words Ai remained as she was, curled unmoving in a fetal position.

Seeing her like this, the lion began jiggling his leg in discomfort; then he took the bag of flavor sticks and handed it to the fox.

“Come on, let’s turn that frown the other way round. Eat up.”

“Huh? But I’m still…”

“Ah, never mind, just take the whole thing.”

He stuffed the bag into her hand.

The lion grunted and slapped his knee in displeasure, and began to call out, as he should have many hours ago, “Cheap masks! Get ‘em cheap and get ‘em good!”. He was doing a rather bad job of it. Hearing him as he tried to solicit customers, the fox’s face broke beneath its mask into a small smile of gratitude for this man.

* * *

As evening approached, the flow of people on the street swelled. Along with it rose the voices of the mask sellers as they worked to draw customers, and even the lion’s stall grew busier from buyers coming in and out.

And yet, in the face of this increased business, the lion was closing up.

“You’re not selling any more, even now that business is improving?”

“It’s exactly because business is improving that I’m doing this.”

Quite matter-of-factly, the lion then added, “Because I wouldn’t be able to make masks otherwise.” Ai didn’t know whether to be dumbfounded or impressed at this.

“Well, see ya.”

The lion packed up his masks and tools and got up, and into the space he vacated immediately swarmed other mask sellers to open up their stalls.

But Ai just didn’t want to part so soon, and followed behind the lion’s rattling toolbox as he walked. He went downhill along the street, and she went with him; and he ignoring her all the way until he finally turned into a small alleyway.

“… Hey, you’ve got to be going home too.”

“I want to stay and chat with Lion-san a while longer.”

The lion turned to face her. The dimness of the alleyway fell in shades on his mask, spelling out his solid and forceful rejection even before he spoke.

“Go—home—right—now. The sun sets fast around these parts, one minute you’re watching it sink and the next it’ll be gone. Ortus at night ain’t anything quite as nice as I am.”

“…Lion-san’s not that nice anyway.”

“What’d you say?!”

“Fine, since you insist! Goodbye!”

And the fox ran off on light footsteps.

“…Huh, stupid, hell if I care.”

Then he sighed, and hefted up his luggage.

* * *

“I said, you should be going home now.”

A teashop on the outskirts of Mask Street.

The lion sat fuming at a second-floor table that overlooked the street, disapproval emanating from every part of his body.

“Longer! Just a little longer! I wanted to see that one!”

The fox was leaning her body over the balustrade, watching with excitement the Hyakki Yakou procession beneath.

It was already evening.

“I’m serious, get home. You’re hungry, ain’t ya? I’ll get told off by obasan now.”

“It’s okay!”

It wasn’t as if there was anything to support that statement of hers. The lion, spent, hung his head and gave up.

The Hyakki Yakou procession on the street was originally a performing troupe. Their work was somewhere in between that of a busker and street entertainer, sometimes breathing fire and sometimes spinning magic tricks. They’d hand out fliers too, advertising in both sweet whisper and angered condemnation the Bolivier Apparel clothes store. It seemed almost as if advertising was their main job and performing just an aside, but Ai had no way of confirming this.

It looked as if they quite liked being cheered on, especially if that cheering was loud. Perhaps the fox seemed particularly enthusiastic as she watched them from the second floor balcony, because troupe members would occasionally toss her flowers and release doves in her direction, and in the end four performers even stacked themselves into a human pyramid to address her at her height.

“Let’s buy go some purchaseable intelligence now! The Narle Mask shop, at your service!

“R-Right! At my service!”

The fox took the fliers, and the performers immediately broke apart, leaving the air empty but for the clangor of the street.

But Ai continued to look upon it, as if something remained there that only she could see. And after a while, she took the flier and folded it carefully on the table.

“You don’t have to treat it like that. It ain’t some national treasure or anything, y’know.”

“I want to!”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry, I’ll just mind my own business, then.”

The fox couldn’t fit the flier into her pocket, so she took everything out to sort them. There were the flavor sticks she’d received from the lion, and along with them some bitter-flavored sweets she hadn’t had to chance to examine and hairpins with little decorations attached. All had been given to her for free.

The lion glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and began to speak to himself in a tone which conveyed a fervent and exasperated desire to sigh.

“…I knew it. I’ve known it from back when I was just a little kid, running around causing trouble for others. Someone me would only ever have the very worst of luck…”

“Did you say something?”

“Nothin’ at all”, the lion replied, before lapsing in to a silence and wondering why he’d gotten himself into a situation like this.

Back at his residence after returning directly from the teashop, the lion suddenly remembered that he was going to buy brushes on the way home. This really was nothing more than a task forgotten, and if it had been any other day he would have gone straight back out with a tut and a shake of his head. But today he found himself looking for excuses. He told himself that it wouldn’t matter if he bought it the next day, and forced himself to sit himself down and continue his work.

But he was restless.

Though the work of his hands was one that called for concentration, the lion found himself imagining quite easily the little fox, lost on the paths of Mask Street. The more he mulled over them the more fantastical the scenes in his mind became, until corpse-hustling toughs and wizened crones out to kidnap children began to surround the fox of his imagination.

The second time he slipped up drawing lines on a mask’s cheek, he made up his mind. He flung a ferocious streak of red across his lion’s mask and dashed out of the door. Looking very much like a real lion, his eyes blazed apart the darkness of the alleys, arcing golden trails in the throbbing air.

Night fell deeply, and the crowds waxed in even greater number. There was another stall now where the lion’s stood in the day, and its owner reported seeing no such fox come by. Untiringly, the lion immediately left and began running along the uphill road, describing the fox to those people he knew whom he passed, asking them to look out for her as well. He had just prepared himself to find her even if it meant overturning the whole of the Ortus nightscape, when there she was before him.

She was in the Gorius Mask Store, one of the larger and more famous ones on Mask Street. Its owner was Gorius of a Thousand Faces, a man advanced in his age and just as well-known as his store. And she was sitting in his lap, his hand running along her head and patting her golden hair.

The lion hurriedly wiped his mask clean from its badly made-up state and, with profuse apology, approached the fox. Across the vastness of the city and its numberless streets, he had managed to meet with her again.

It was a meeting of vain and hollow joy.

Thinking that this was an opportunity he might never have again, the lion had thanked Gorius humbly for looking after her. Then he had taken the chance to ask him, if he wouldn’t mind, to remember his name.

And Gorius’ response had been one typical of his character.

“A lion does not borrow the authority of a fox.”

The words had fallen like the lash of a whip. Beaten, the lion scrambled, stumbled, ran up and away and out of sight. The fox started then: refusing the invitation to stay from the much-survived old man, she took off without the barest hint of hesitancy in the direction the droop-tailed lion had gone when he ran away.

The lion couldn’t remember very well what had happened afterwards. All he knew was that he had told the fox, again and again, to return home.

Perhaps the fox didn’t notice the lion’s dejection: she stayed excitably by his side, talking, pointing, annoying him to no end.

The lion rested his chin on a balustrade, and looked down at hubbub he’d years ago already grown accustomed to.

There was something new there, something unfamiliar which he’d never seen there before.

“It’s the Princess.”

“Huh?”

“There, the ‘brand new comedy-tragical drama’ from Silver Ring Theatres, Koroshiohake and the Princess of the Dead. They probably don’t have government authorization, with a title as risky as that.”

There was a young woman sitting on a palanquin where the lion pointed. Her cheeks were painted crimson and her skin powdered white as snow. She had clearly been made up to resemble one of the living, but surely the princess wouldn’t wear makeup as heavy as this.

Nor would she be anywhere near as sociable.

“Brand new plot! Brand new plot! A whole new story to add to the Ortus mythos! A brand new comedy-tragical drama from Silver Ring Theatres! Hello, ladies and gentlemen! I’m Amietta! I’ve been lucky enough to be picked for the female lead for this production! Please keep supporting me, everyone!

The woman handed out fliers from the palanquin in a friendly and intimate manner.

“They shouldn’t even be doin’ this. Hey! You! Joke of an actor!”

The lion suddenly gave a great bellow, making the fox jump from her chair in shock.

“What kinda shit princess you trying to be? Looks no different from any country girl I know!”

The woman looked around for the speaker before spotting the lion and glaring straight at him as she spoke.

“What do you want, you joke of a mask maker? Got a problem with our interpretation? Bad news: the classy kind of princess that weirdoes like you want is just the kind we won’t do! If you like fairy tales that much, why don’t you go sleep with a storybook under your pillow?”

The lion immediately raised his hands in surrender. Throwing down a “Shut the hell up, bitch!” as a parting shot, he retreated to the rear of the balcony.

“So what if I’m a bitch? Everyone! Do you like me tight, or do you like me loose?

The woman flapped up the hem of her dress in a provocative motion, baring to view her smooth white legs. Watching men began to hoot at the sight, transforming her into an instant celebrity, and fliers disappeared into the crowd with the speed of flight.

“That’s Belivera. We were classmates.”

The lion was sprawled on a table, looking for all the world like a joke of a man.

“Her dream was to act a leading role in the Enkinza Troupe.”

He gazed at the dancing princess on the street with faraway eyes.

“—She even said that, when she did, she’d wear one of my masks onstage.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, and she also said, ‘Make sure you become the best mask maker in the whole of Ortus.’ Huh, who’d she think she was?”

“That’s tough…”

“It was alright, but…”

Under the slanting lamplight, the lion’s mask seemed to smile with a grim ferocity.

“It was my dream, after all.”

Then he added, in a low voice, “And it’s not like it was anything special of a dream.”

And there was a quiet applause.

“That’s amazing.”

He turned, saw Ai gently clapping her hands.

“You’re really cool, Lion-san.”

“Don’t clap, you idiot. Stop it.”

The fox, gazing on the lion with excited eyes, ignored him.

“Jeez…You, what dreams you got?”

“My dream?”

“Yeah.”

“Eh—No—That’s…”

The fox was suddenly flustered and tongue-tied.

“Will you…laugh at me, after hearing it?”

“Don’t plan to.”

“Or get scared away?”

“…Your dream’s one that scares people away?”

The fox hemmed and hawed for a little while, then picked up her courage and, a little tentatively, spoke.

“I want to save the world.”

“Oh?”

He didn’t laugh, didn’t draw away in shock or fear or contempt. He accepted this answer of hers with a quiet respect. But his craft hadn’t been advanced enough to depict emotions on masks: seeing no change on the lion’s expressionless features, the fox worriedly asked him:

“Y-You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Nah. What, did you get laughed at for it before?”

“Um, I told Kiriko about it, and he said ‘What a foolish dream’…”

“Him, huh…”

The lion’s tone had abruptly changed.

“Don’t take what that idiot says seriously…”

In his words was an undercurrent of rage which he couldn’t conceal. Ai heard it, and didn’t say anything more.

Right away the lion realized that he’d soured the mood and wanted to talk about something nicer, but the words wouldn’t come. Ai turned her gaze back to the street, faking an interest on the proceedings below.

The lion gave up on talking. He’d make Kiriko pay for it later.

After all, it was all Kiriko’s fault.

Interlude: Kiriko and Ulla

On Monday, God created the world.

On Tuesday, God took a fatal blow and died.

On Wednesday, the Devil was victorious, and cursed the world.

On Thursday, the curse spread throughout the world.

On Friday, God perished together with the Devil.

And on Saturday—

"On Saturday, the dying God gave a certain human the power to correct the world."

Kiriko said this in a gentle tone, coaxingly.

"And that person is you, Ulla."

He looked over at her and found that the usual response had indeed made Ulla pout again. She tightened her tiny chin and her white cheeks puffed out. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Kiriko felt a little calmer at the sight of her cute face.

"If you stay here, you can save the world."

The Princess said she did not do anything herself.

"You don't have to do anything, God didn't give you the power to test you …Ulla, you just need to study, eat, and live your day to day life, and the world will slowly be saved."

Even if I'm just playing? Just eating a snack? Just sleeping?

"Of course. But Ulla, you have to be careful, you can save the world if you live, but not if you die…Think back to the end of that paragraph—on Sunday, the world was saved. You have to hide in the safety of the Palace and just wait for the coming Sundays. Everyone will protect you, and of course I will. So…"

Kiriko let out a long sigh.

"I absolutely forbid you to go out."

This made Ulla rebellious, and she did not say anything all day.

It was evening by the time Kiriko returned to the streets after his work in the City. The already somewhat feeble early spring sun intended to set early, and turned red beyond the outer walls.

"Woah, it's cold."

Once he stood beyond the City walls, Kiriko buttoned up the top button of his shirt. It was so cold that he regretted not putting on a scarf to go out, wearing only a plain white shirt, a dark blue blazer and pants of the same color, and clearly he was not warm enough.

Kiriko rubbed his hands against his exposed cheeks and neck to keep warm, and from time to time, he tidied his light blue hair that had shrunk due to the strong wind.

Then he looked up at the castle he had just walked out of.

Kiriko looked at the spire, smiled slightly, and said.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

The bus arrived.

The dilapidated bus went through all the ramps of Ortus, and when it braked, it made a puffing sound, as if it was gasping for breath.

Kiriko showed his pass to the driver, and boarded the bus. The steel armrests were so cold that they seemed to suck away body heat.

Kiriko felt the vibration of the engine under the wooden floor and kept his eyes on the spire outside the window. As he began to sleep, the bus finally left.

The bus ferried Kiriko out of the Palace, severing some of the loneliness he felt.

The bus continued to ferry and release people as it drove downhill, and it did not take long to reach the bus stop at Main Street. Usually, Kiriko would have sat all the way to the dormitory near the end of the line, but Keyla had asked him to assist with the shopping on this day, so he disembarked.

The street lights were already on. The long, cold soles of boots could be seen dancing on the stone pavement, along with the alien shadows of the Dead.

Most of the dead had a declining appetite for sleep, and some did not sleep for a whole year. The nights in Ortus were very long, and the people love the moonlight, as befitting of the inhabitants of the land.

Kiriko walked along the road, greeting people he was acquainted with from time to time. When someone asks, "How is Princess doing?" He would reply, "She's doing well, and seems to be getting prettier." When a friend asked, "Do you want to come and play?" He replied, "Maybe next time."

"Brother, you’re sleazy to be able to go into the Palace any tme."

"Sleazy ~~!"

"I-I have work to do …"

The Ugul siblings grabbed Kiriko’s legs and dragged them to the front of the grocery store, and they only let go once they were hit on the head by their mother.

The lady apologized profusely, and Kiriko added a few ingredients to her order and put them in a bag. He declined the lady's offer to help with the delivery and made his way to the end of the street.

Then he turned around and looked at Ortus.

The hazy lights of the Palace were visible beneath the night sky. The Main Street extending from there had its lights lit too, one by one, giving color.

Everyone was smiling in this scene.

Kiriko felt happy too, and then he spotted something amiss, so he had a closer look.

(The mask on the street…is that Belibella? Heh…she’s playing the Princess?)

Once he saw his classmate sit on the palanquin happily, Kiriko also inadvertently leaned over.

Instead, an unexpected voice was heard.

"Ah! It's Mr. Kiriko."

The little golden fox ran across the street and stopped in front of him.

"…Hold on, Ai?"

"What hold on? It's me."

Ai said and quickly quickly lifted the mask, revealing the watery Living face, Kiriko hurried to help her put the mask back on.

"Why are you staying out here so late at night!? You should have someone with you, right!?"

"Don't worry! I'm with Mr. Lion! Look!"

Kiriko was wondering who the lion was, and looked in the direction Ai was pointing, but only saw the alleyway was dark.

The darkness opened its mouth.

(Hey, fox, you go back with this kid, I don't care.)

Kiriko heard this voice.

"…Shad?"

(No, I'm Mr. Lion—I'm leaving then.)

"Ah, Mr. Lion, please wait! We'll see you tomorrow!"

Ai energetically said goodbye to him.

The darkness listened, and came to a sudden stop.

(…Like I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. Don’t come back.)

"I won't listen, I'll come back."

(… Don't joke about it.)

"I'm not joking."

(…)

The darkness seems to have made up its mind.

(…Looks like you’re not going to listen to me …)

—A hand came out of the darkness and slapped Ai.

The fox mask rolled a few times in the alley, revealing a bright face that the dead would never have.

"Hey, Shad! What are you doing!"

(Shut up, you conman.)

Ai slowly teared up and reached out to rub her cheeks.

"…It hurts."

(Get out of this city while you're still in pain … and go back to Living where you belong with happy memories.)

The mask that rolled to the boundary between light and darkness showed a sharp outline and then faded into the darkness.

(You don't know the dark side of Ortus.)

The night said this, and nothing more.

†

Beneath the sporadic electric lights, the two of them chatted while going back to the dormitory. But this so-called conversation was mostly Ai talking. No one asked her anything as she happily told Kiriko about the day's events. How she met the lion, how she was separated and reunited with him, and also there was the troupe of demons and monsters.

"And then Mr. Lion was so scared that he kept apologizing to Mr. Goliath. It was really unbearable! He definitely doesn’t know that the old grandfather hates that kind of attitude."

The two of them trekked down the stone path with the sound of clicking footsteps. This area used to be a school district, but since it closed a year ago, it has been in the middle of the urban renewal area, and the whole street was full of empty houses.

They did not encounter anyone on the way, and they kept passing their shadows under the passing street lamps. Ai's shadow, unlike Kiriko's, was jumping around from time to time, looking very happy.

"I think Mr. Lion should be a little more thorough in being strict. He’ll be cooler."

"… Oh, heh, I see …"

She had been talking about Mr. Lion, or Shad, since the beginning.

Kiriko did not know how to answer, and mumbled vaguely. Incidentally, Ai's maskless face had the little mark of a slap imprinted on it. Ai did not say anything about it, but she did not seem to be pretending that it was not there.

"…Ai, you think Shad is nice?"

"I don't know Shad, but I really like Mr. Lion."

"Uh, but, he hit you …"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't care, but I really don't… I think he definitely felt he had to do it."

"…………Well, you’re really calm…"

Is that so? Ai said, looking a little embarrassed,

" I've spent some time with someone who uses violence as a bargaining tool. A slap or two isn’t a big deal."

"I-is that so…"

"By the way, that guy is my dad."

What would be the best response?

"Mr. Lion was a little like Dad!"

Kiriko did not know how to answer, but Ai seemed very happy, so he just said, "T-that's nice."

"Yes, I'm glad."

"You're glad!? …You're really weird …"

"W-why do you say that all of a sudden? How rude."

"How so? You’re really a very strange Living. you came to the city of the Dead by yourself and made friends. A normal Living would have a dislike for the Dead."

Kiriko has seen Living in the past, and whether they were businessmen or officials, many of them were particularly insistent. Some would not enter the houses, and insist on doing business outside; some people would not eat Keyla’s food even though they were in the dormitory; some would lecture him haughtily just because they were still alive, thinking that they were the only ones who were right; some people were so bad-mouthed that they would say with a dated ethic that had been expired for more than fifteen years: "When people are dead, they should not wander around, they should go into the grave and not cause trouble for the rest of the people.. You should ask gravekeepers to bury your brains before they rot and start 'acting out'." Kiriko was so used to such habits that he did not bother to get angry.

Ai instantly put away her naive look, looked ahead and said,

"After all, I was raised by the Dead."

The realization and shock came to Kiriko's mind at the same time, and his throat was stuck, rendering him speechless.

"So, that's how it is? Where did you live before?"

"It's destroyed."

Ugh.

"That’s…………sorry, I don’t know what to say…"

"By the way, my dad destroyed it."

"I’ve been trying my best not to retort, but I can't take it anymore! What the hell is your dad up to?"

Ai looked at the third streetlight in front of her and said.

"That can't be helped. Everyone was very nice to me, but there was a side to the village that I didn’t know of, that hides the 'evil' that would kill people…it was a matter of time until everything got revealed…"

"…"

"And then my dad died too."

A bug circled around the lamp alone at this time of year, then fell to the ground and died, almost as if it could not bear the loneliness and committed suicide.

Not wanting to step on the bug's carcass, the duo naturally pulled apart. They then continued to maintain this distance.

"Say, Mr. Kiriko."

"What is it?"

"What is this 'dark side of Ortus' Mr. Lion speaks of?"

Kiriko cursed out at Shad on the stone path before saying,

"… Who knows? Ortus isn’t a perfect city, so of course there are all kinds of problems. If he’s just talking about the dark side, who knows? Like our diplomacy never goes smoothly, and the world situation is changing every minute. If you take a closer look, you will see that there are always Dead who ‘act up’, and on the other hand 'spirited', and on the contrary, the 'Dead who are lifeless' is also a problem. There are a lot of problems when you think about it."

"That's true. I can think of a lot of problems quite easily."

"…"

Kiriko fell silent.

"You’re not telling me …?"

Ai lowered her head sadly and pushed back the hair that had fallen on her cheek.

They came to an old street lamp. Only here was the light was extraordinarily weak, and the color of dusk was rich.

"I …"

Ai opened her mouth naturally.

"I'm a gravekeeper."

"………Huh?"

The light bulb flickered.

"Technically, I'm a hybrid born between a gravekeeper and human, and I'm lying about my age, but I'm actually twelve. Mom's name is Alfa, Dad's name is Kizuna, Julie is Dad's friend, and Miss Scar is the gravekeeper I met."

"Wa-wait! Wait a sec!"

Kiriko stopped in his tracks and looked at every corner of the street. No one else was there.

"…Is it true?"

"It's true."

Ai's eyes remained natural, and there was nary a tinge of deceit.

"… Why are you telling me this…"

"Nothing in particular."

"… You're lying. You’re definitely up to something."

You’re always like this, Mr. Kiriko. Ai was a bit dumbfounded and said.

"I’m not planning anything, I just thought I'd better tell you first."

"…I can't believe that."

"That's not my responsibility."

Please do something about it, so Ai said and started walking towards the bright place.

Kiriko was almost left behind, so she jogged to follow.

"Ortus doesn't allow gravekeepers to exist! If someone tips off the police, you'll be killed and stuck upside down in the grave!"

"You're not going to tell on me?"

Kiriko's footsteps suddenly stopped, and Ai followed suit.

Kiriko scratched the back of his head hard.

Ai looked at it and smiled. Her smile infuriated Kiriko so thoroughly that he just wanted to pull her cheeks.

"Ouch! Bud lar uu dwing!?"

"Shut up, or I'll hit you harder—ouch!"

Ai aimed a kick at Kiriko's shin. The cheek was pinched on the top, but a sharp kick was thrown from the bottom.

"What are you doing…"

Kiriko cursed, flicked her on the forehead, and took a step forward. Ai followed suit, rubbing her cheeks.

Ai said she just wanted to tell Kiriko, and she did not say anything more, but just walked forward in silence.

Kiriko was the one who could not stand the silence at first.

"…Now I know why you say you want to save the world…although I don’t agree with that."

What Ai handed to him was too heavy, and his words contained what seems like a reactionary anger.

"Let me ask you a question…what do you mean by saving the world, specifically?"

Ai stopped rubbing her cheeks.

"Tell me, is there a Dead in the world you want, and is there a place for the Dead?"

"No…"

Ai answered him honestly, without any deception.

"I think the simplest way to save the world is to return the world to 15 years ago, when someone was born and the Dead would die. Although I don't know how to achieve it yet, but I think I just need to move towards this goal."

"Is there a Dead in the world you're talking about? Is there a city that exist for the Dead? Is there a parade of demons and monsters at night, and everyone laughing and having fun?"

"… No."

Ai looked down at the stone road.

"I just hope the Dead can all meet the 'happy ending' …"

"What and what?"

Kiriko did not hide his contemptuous tone.

"Who decides what is a 'happy ending'? The person himself, right? You say you're going to help everyone get a happy ending? Hmph? I'm sorry. If someone's wish is to 'die after destroying the world to be happy', will you also help them?"

"…I won’t."

"That's a strange answer. You’re contradicting yourself. You clearly distinguish between those who you want to help and those who you don't. What do you mean by 'happy ending', when in the end it's just a happy ending 'in your opinion'?"

Ai could not answer.

"Ortus has simply stopped praying for endings."

"…I see."

"You've seen how people live in the city, right? We're already happy."

"…I understand…"

"Hmph, I think you haven’t thought about it. You never even thought there would be such a group of people who died, continued to live and adapted to this world."

"………Yes…"

"It's great to want to save the world, but have you asked the world first? Did the world ever ask you to save it?"

"...……No."

Ai was completely overwhelmed. With her head down and tears in her eyes, she just walked on, not even looking at Kiriko.

Kiriko knew that he went overboard, but the words of reproach kept coming out of his heart.

"…I understand your situation. Your life was so miserable before, and it's no wonder that you have such an exaggerated dream. But, frankly, you can't carry it."

"…………………"

"Why don't you just give up on saving the world?"

Ai sniffled and stopped talking, and Kiriko too fell silent. He said what he wanted to, and there was nary a tinge of spite left.

The dejected girl walked next to Kiriko, her head down to a point where her expression was not visible, and her blonde hair looked lifeless in the weak light of the street lamp.Kiriko scratched the back of his head, wondering why he bothered to rile her like this. He did not understand why he had said those overly harsh words. Usually, even when he met Living who were sarcastic or pretentious, he was able to handle it very well, no matter what they said.

But for some reason, after hearing Ai's words, he could not hold back any longer.

Kiriko sighed deeply and was about to say, "I'm sorry, I went too far."

But Ai was one step ahead.

"… But, Mr. Kiriko, I won't give up."

She lifted her gaze.

"… Why?"

Kiriko asked.

"Because I've decided that I can't give up until I do."

"…I see. Well, whatever makes you happy."

Yes! As I like! Ai said, and then she looked up at at Kiriko with a prying eye, looking coy for some reason.

"Then I’ll do as I please then …I have a little something to ask you, Mr. Kiriko …"

Kiriko had a hunch that it was best to run away on the spot.

"Please don't run."

He had only taken one step forward when his sleeve was grabbed by Ai.

He did not have to turn around to realize that her green eyes were glowing with curiosity.

"Mr. Kiriko, why are you alive?"

Ai wrapped her left and right hands around his arm as though she was climbing a rock, and appeared right in front of him.

Kiriko himself ate, drank, went to the toilet, and slept.

These are the reactions of Living, and this is the city of the dead.

"Say, why?"

Kiriko averted his eyes from the green ones, as if she was too dazzling.

"…What? Are you denying my existence …?"

"Please don't move the goalposts. Why are you the only one who can live in the city of the dead?"

"…"

Kiriko should have hated this. He hated it when someone grabbed his hand like that, came up to him, stared into his eyes, pretended to be familiar with him, imposed her past onto him, and barged into his heart without permission.

However…

At this point, he did not feel the need to nitpick about that.

"I'm a Dead."

"…Hohooo …"

Ai did not refute and accepted the answer.

"…I've never explained it to anyone, so I'm just going to say what they told me, is that okay?"

"? Yes, of course …"

So he said.

—There used to be five people of different genders, ages and upbringing, but they just got along and lived happily together. They also had a very happy vision of the future, imagining that some of them would get married and have children join the circle.

But then the world ended. The five remained as five, and the circle was closed.

The five of them did not like this, so they went to the witch.

They wanted a descendant who would inherit them.

So the witch said.

"If you really wanted children, your wish would have come true already."

They, of course, retorted, saying that they really wanted to have children.

"Is that so? But, unfortunately, since the wish didn't come true, that's all there is to it. So all I can do is to twist your wishes to make them come true."

The five of them said that even so.

The witch immediately took the right eye of Vuella, the left eye of Orius, the heart of Diva, the phallus of Wreck, and the sheath of Pox, and then took a sufficient amount of bones, flesh, and brains from all of them.

The five of them died immediately.

And the parts that were taken out were put together to make the sixth person.

"That's me."

Kiriko took a step forward, as if to emphasize the end of the story.

"And of these five people, you met Wreck and Pox and, right? Together with Diva, Orius and Vuella, the six of us are called the 'Defective Pentagram'."

Ai was so shocked that she closed her mouth that could not stop talking, and followed behind Kiriko, stepping on the new shadow from the new streetlight.

"No one knew what the result of such an attempt would be, but I heard that it was successful. Perhaps the ingredients used were alive, I act like a Living even though I’m a Dead. I have to eat, use the bathroom, and most intriguingly, even the gravekeepers don't seem to recognize me as Dead, so I'm not buried and I can walk outside freely."

"… But doesn't that mean you're a reborn Living?"

"No, it doesn't. I was made thirteen years ago. My appearance back then was already fourteen…but my body has only grown a year or so every ten years since then."

"? Then how old are you Kiriko?"

"…Seventeen or eighteen, I think—it's just that five of them thought I was younger."

It seemed they really thought of Kiriko as their own child, and that child would never grow up in the eyes of his parents.

"…By the way, why did the remaining five, that is, Pox and the others, turn out to be half and half like that?"

"I heard it's to complement the missing parts."

"? Since they’re Dead, it doesn't matter if some parts are missing, right?"

"Well, everyone thinks so too…so they say it's only the witch who wants to do that."

Ai stammered, unable to speak.

"She's going too far …"

"I heard it was too much, and it seemed no one wants to think about the witch, so I don't know the details…hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

Kiriko suddenly frowned and stopped in his tracks.

"Well…you already know, so I won't act anymore. Wreck is contacting me."

"Eh?"

"After all, our brains are blended together. Their brains can connect to me individually."

Ai was dumbfounded.

"He said the Living sent a representative to negotiate."

"…What's going to happen to them?"

"He said they’re going to discuss this next. Well~~ and also conditions like aid and such. Sounds tiring."

Ackk~ Ai gave a rude reaction.

"Don't you feel disgusted by this?…I feel like throwing up just imagining it."

"I got used to it…for thirteen years."

He said and stepped forward again.

There were not many steps left in the road, and the lights of the dormitory could be seen ahead.

"Well, hurry back. Aunty is waiting."

"Ooh, there's something I want to ask …"

"Ueeh? What?"

"Yes, I want to ask you which tea stores you recommend, because I also plan to go shopping tomorrow!"

"…What’s that about?"

"What do you—what are you talking about?"

"That’s what you ask after I just asked?"

"???? Is it weird?"

Kiriko hung his? head and glanced at the green eyes that were lower than him.

"You're a weird kid."

Ai kicked him in the shin.

Eagerly waiting for her later in the dormitory were Keyla, who had become a hell jailer, and Julie, who had turned into a beast.

Ai thought she nearly died.

Chapter 3 - The Stars

Part I

Unfortunately, it happened to rain the next day.

It hardly rained in Ortus, and when it did, it usually occurred in early spring and autumn, without much precipitation, just enough to slightly wet the ground.

Despite this small amount of rain, the mummified bodies of the Dead had it rough too. The rain would attract mold and maggots, and the excess moisture would exacerbate decay.

So on such days, they would spend their time in a zero-humidity sauna called a ‘hot air bath’ that was completely off limits to Living.

So it was said.

That was written in the special edition of ‘Life After Death ~Spring~’ that I have. The back of the report also stated, ‘It’s all the more important to be comfortable in this gloomy rainy season! We have 12 kinds of indoor amusement facilities! Welcome to Yumoke Hyper Health Park with your family and friends! (※If you are not mummified, you will be denied admission as appropriate)"

And thus the streets were empty.

Ai suddenly realized.

"I’m so bored~~!"

The foggy rain rustled on the windows of the room where Ai and Scar were in.

The next day, Ai was so energetic that she did not remain cooped in bed, and once she obediently had her breakfast, she tried to sneak off to Mask Street again. Ai was not a child who would be obedient just from a few knocks on the head or an hour or two worth of lectures.

Naturally, the adults tried to keep a closer watch, but she still slipped out in the morning and headed for the street. It was drizzling lightly when she got to Mask Street, and the vendors and customers that had been so busy yesterday had disappeared.

The place where the lion had set up his stall yesterday was also empty.

It was as if the whole street had closed, making Ortus a real ghost town.

Ai returned to the dormitory with heavy feet, unable to find anything to do, leaving her to fret by the window.

"…Ai?"

At that moment, a voice just woke up from the bed.

"Ah, Miss Scar, you're awake?"

Ai was glad to finally have someone to talk to, and immediately left the window.

Scar slowly propped herself up and looked around the room in confusion.

"It's… noon? I've been sleeping until now?"

"Yeah, we're the opposite of yesterday. Do you want to eat?"

Scar’s bed had been replaced with a hospital bed. There was an enamel basin and kettle on the side table, an iron stove with ash-covered coals, and a pot with a lid on top of it.

They were prepared by Keyla, with some help from Ai.

Ai put on some gloves to avoid getting scalded, and opened the lid of the pot, which contained a sweet cereal with ginger and honey.

"…I do not have much appetite…"

"It's good to eat a little."

"…Is that an order?"

Ai was not happy with this statement.

"It's not an order, but … I want you to eat."

"…I shall eat it."

Ai fed Scar a bite, and the latter unexpectedly ate a lot. In this case, Ai made a deliberate effort to fill the first bowl more, but Scar still finished it.

Ai took the empty bowl and uttered.

"…I didn't order you though?"

"No… I did not expect to have such an appetite after the first bite."

Ai heard so, and gave a vague smile.

Diva said, pulling the hem of the white robe, bowed, and waved the stethoscope hanging around her neck.

“As you can see, I'm a doctor♪”

Well, she certainly was dressed like one.

"…Are you here to see Miss Scar?"

“Yes, I'm little Diva, Ortus' doctor♪ Well! Since I'm here, no matter what the illness is, the medicine will cure it! You don't have to worry♪”

The more Ai thought about it, the more worried she became.

She silently pointed to the right half of the person in front of her and shook her head repeatedly.

"…I can understand how you feel. She’s bad at everything but medical skills. Do you want her to take a look?"

"…Since Mr. Kiriko said so, I will let her in …"

Ai reluctantly let the duo in.

"Then I'll wait in this room."

Kiriko waved to Scar, put down the medical bag he was carrying in his right hand and closed the door.

“Well, let's get to work♪ Gosh, it's been a long time since I've seen a living patient, so I guess it's time to go back to the basics once in a while♪”

"…You're a doctor who specializes in the Dead?"

“Hmm?”

"And such a person is helping the Living?"

Ai herself found these sarcastic words inexplicable, but said them anyway.

“I’m the messenger of health~ Whether the patient is alive or dead, it's all the same to me♪”

"…Is there anything healthy or unhealthy after death…?"

“Of course there is~”

Diva said with a downhearted voice. Her reactions were always exaggerated.

“A Living’s ailment or injury is almost always physically visible, while a Dead's ailment is visible psychologically~ As people would say, they ‘become temperamental’. For example, the three Great desires go awry, or the concept of life and death disappeared—these are well controlled through brain surgery, drug prescriptions and psychological counselling methods, but a Dead's mental state is always unstable~”

Ai listened with wide eyes.

“Well, it is a sore point you are talking about, little Ai. I've been doing psychotherapy lately and haven't touched surgery at all, so now psychology has become my specialty~”

"…Hmm?"

“Ara, what do you mean by that?”

"Nothing in particular."

Ai walked ahead with big strides.

“Fufufu, you’re really cute♪ … and so weird♪'

“…Say, if you can change that weird tone…”

'She's really weird though~. And don't worry, even if I say something I shouldn't, Pox and Wreck will take care of it for me~'

We're not sharing your body to help you clean up after your mess…

The two of them continued with their strange interaction as they walked across the room and sat down in front of the hospital bed.

Well, good afternoon, Miss Scar. where are you not feeling well?

"…I have a headache and a slight urge to vomit. And my chest hurts."

“When did it start?”

"The day before yesterday, I had been feeling sick since I entered the country, and it seems to be the worst yesterday…"

Is that so? Ai asked in surprise.

'Well, let me take your temperature... put this under your armpit... what about your period?

Scar suddenly closed her mouth and said something vague. There were no more children born in this world, the phenomenon of wet dreams and menstruation still existed. Gravekeepers however did not have such physical phenomena.

Ai was in a cold sweat, and began to think that it was a big mistake to let them meet.

"No, I do not have a period."

“Oh, I see—chronic illness?”

Diva, being a doctor, did not press further pertaining to such delicate issues.

Diva asked a few more questions.

Have you changed your hobbies recently? Do you feel emotionally unstable? Have people ever said that you are unstable? Are you worried about the future?

“Well, thank you for your cooperation—you have a slight fever, so pull your shirt off your chest and let me see—"

Scar unbuttoned the front of her blouse to reveal her slightly red skin and white cleavage.

'Ara?

"…Is something wrong?"

“Ah, no, no~♪ it’s nothing~”

Diva instantly showed a surprised expression, then took the stethoscope and placed it on Scar, asking her to breathe in, breathe out, breathe in again, and then repeat the whole procedure from the back.

“……………………Hmmm………'

"Excuse me, is there something you see…?"

Diva's attitude became quite serious since the beginning of the consultation. It should have been a blessing, but in this instance, it gave a sense of foreboding.

"Did she have a serious illness…?"

“Huh? No, it's not that. It's just,"

Diva stretched out her index finger and pointed.

'You are gravekeepers, no?'

 

The air immediately turned. Scar and Pox were tense.

"Ah, yes, of course. Miss Scar is a gravekeeper."

“Ara, you're pretty honest. And Ai, can you open your mouth and let me see?"

"? Ahhh..."

Ai opened her mouth wide.

Hmm~~? Diva took a closer look.

“As expected♪ I'm sure you still have your third molar, not to mention your fourth. Ai, you're not under 15, are you? About 12?

Scar was emitting tremendous murderous intent as she started to ponder how to turn this room into a battlefield, and Pox in turn was trying to prevent it from happening. Scar immediately thought of three possible ways to get the shovel under the bed, but two of which are probably traps; Pox in turn weighed the downside of letting Scar get her weapon against taking Ai as a hostage. The value is probably zero. Being in a room with gravekeepers in close proximity was overwhelmingly unfavorable.

In a situation where sparks were flying from the murderous intents, Diva added fuel to the fire.

'You want to ask me how I can tell? It's very simple ~ because her body is so perfect. There is no flaw in her skin, and her internal organs are almost perfectly symmetrical. How in the world could there be such a person?'

Diva was good as a healer, but she was bad as a fighter, and Pox just wanted to beat her up.

"Ah, huh? That’s weird, Miss Diva, you figured it out by yourself?"

Ai's airheaded reply was completely inappropriate for the situation, and Scar desperately hoped that the former would be more concerned about the deathmatch beside her.

“That's for sure♪ How else would I have known?”

Pox made up her mind that she was going to shoot Scar when she moved.

"I thought Mr. Kiriko told you that."

Scar made up her mind, and when Pox moved she was going to act.

“Huh? Little Kiri told me…what this is… wait, does he know about this? He knows who you are? He knew and didn't tell us? Well, that means…”

Then everything moved.

“It’s amazing, Pox! Little Kiri is hiding something from us! And he just heard it from little Ai who only met him days ago!”

Diva reached out and hugged Ai. Pox could not keep up with the unexpected movement and fell forward; Ai tried to stand on her own, trying to hold on to the weight of an adult; Scar pulled Ai's collar, trying to ensure the latter would not be taken hostage.

As a result, everyone felt under the bed in unison.

The first to act in the chaos was Diva.

“Thank you, thank you, little Ai♪ The boy is really shy, and only two or three friends can talk to him in such depth. So I'm asking you, please be good friends with him. I'm so touched I want to cry ♪ Is this what motherhood is all about—ah but! He's hiding something from us! Is this the so-called rebellious phase!? Wait a minute Pox! What am I supposed to do as a mother? Little Kiri has made a friend! And he's in his rebellious phase! He's about to enter the second stage of his life!”

"E-erm! What are friends!? Th-that sounds very terrifying~~!"

In the moment Scar and Pox drew the shovel and knuckle at each other, they immediately realized it was stupid, and put down the weapons.

The four people got up in a hurry, and the two people at the bottom never noticed the deadly fight going on above, and chatted excitedly as if they were talking about the most important thing in the world.

“What are you talking about! If you're not his friend, how can he talk to you with so much depth♪”

"Friends?"

Ai took Diva's unexpected words.

"Mr. Kiriko and I, are we friends?"

'Of course, of course♪”

Pox did not think so, but she could read the mood, and did not say anything.

"……"

“'Oops, what's wrong♪”

Ai said with a flushed look on her face.

"This is the first time…I've … made a friend."

Ehehe, she giggled coyly.

Diva was overwhelmed with cuteness.

“So cute! This kid’s too good for me! This miracle is too miraculous! Little Ai! Do you want to change to a more neutral first person pronoun?”

“Diva, calm down, don't force people to fit your checkbox.”

"B-boku?"

“Little Ai! Don't pay attention to perverted demands!”

It was too late.

“Fuaaaaaaa!!I can’t take it anymore! I can't stop this! I can't endure anymore! Ohhhhhhhh, Diva! Launching (Coming)!

I told you to calm down; no one knows what you're talking about.

The left half yanked at the right half. Diva inhaled, and calmed down a little. Pox in turn looked at the other two with a look of regret, shame, shame and regret. ♪

“…I do have to apologize to both of you, in many ways.”

"…No, we don’t mind."

“That's right♪ Don’t mind♪”

"I don't want her to come back to life!"

“I’m a Dead after all♪”

So they said as they worked together to pick up the medical records scattered on the ground.

“…So anyway, what are you doing…”

“Uh oh, time to diagnose now♪ Otherwise my value to society is gone.

well…Even though we found out about this, there's no need to say anything, right? After all, they want to keep it a secret too…let’s just play dumb, shall we?

Oh, I can’t do that♪ ~ After all, I'm a doctor—I have to prioritize the patient♪

Diva said and reverted back to her serious expression.

“So I have to tell you - I wonder if you would like to hear my diagnosis of the gravekeeper?”

"Please tell me."

Scar replied.

"What exactly do you think I have?"

Diva replied.

“False pregnancy.”

 

…’False Pregnancy’.

False pregnancy is a disorder of the mind and body in which the body reacts as if it is pregnant, even though it is not. Such cases became more frequent fifteen years ago, and has become one of the three most common physical and mental disorders in women. It can also occur in deceased people and may result in a case of psychosis, so such instances should be diagnosed by a doctor as soon as possible (this does rarely happen to men).

Such was written on a copy of the ‘Health After Death! A Simple Health Handbook for Families~’.

“Chronic nausea, slight fever, change in hobbies, colostrum secretion, and the answers to the consultation just now, they all point to this as the result. So I have a question for you.”

Diva glanced at Ai, then whispered in Scar's ear.

"No, I have no experience."

“Really? … I'll just ask. Did you ever want to have children?”

"I do not think so.”

“Hm. What a contradiction. The symptoms fit perfectly… but the premise is completely wrong. I have never heard of a case where someone had a fake pregnancy without wanting a child…hmm, is there any other reason that might be related?

Scar obviously did not know how to answer either.

"As for relevance, I suppose, I heard a voice…"

“Voice?”

Ai recalled that Scar once mentioned so, and nodded repeatedly.

“…What kind of sound? When did you hear it?”

"When I first entered the city, and also when I just fell asleep, I would hear … the voice is very small, calling out to me, 'help me' …"

'…'

Three people whispered in a circle of two.

"Did you figure out anything?"

“Uh-huh, ‘little voice’ and ‘help me’, I think that can be interpreted as a child, right?'

'Pox just likes to get carried away—but from a physician's point of view, I'd like to refute that argument.”

The final verdict was "I don't know".

“But in the meantime, take care of your nutrition and get some rest. If you can get up and move around, try to move as much as possible. You don’t need to force yourself to rest, and on the contrary, I’d rather you move around♪ Have a little change of mood♪”

"Is this fine?"

“This is a very rare case, but the treatment should be the same. It's just an incredulous situation however, so if there are any changes in her condition, be sure to let me know immediately. Don't forget to write to me when you leave, too♪”

Diva said and started to put the equipment into her bag.

“I'll ask Miss Keyla to adjust the food, but I won't be able to prescribe medicination.”

"E-erm …"

Diva/Pox finished packing up, Ai called out to them with trepidation.

"Is this really okay? We lied when we entered the country, that …"

“As long as you don't say anything, no one will find out♪”

"But Miss Diva found out."

“……Goodness, do you want to see me turn into a crazy doctor that much?”

Ai's words caused Diva's expression to change. Her face showed an extremely lecherous smile and a scholarly look that threatened the lives of everything she saw.

“Frankly speaking, we have two interesting subjects in the form of ‘a girl under 15’ and ‘a gravekeeper with false pregnancy’♪ Either of them is a wonderful specimen to discuss about our ‘next generation issues’♪I would like to dissect you and see you from the inside out♪ And stand on a line nobody had been yet♪'

Diva touched Ai's chin with her cold right hand, and her gray eye looked at the green ones with great anticipation.

But.

Her right hand suddenly withdrew, and her eye was turned away.

I won't do that. Of course I'm very interested, but I still won't do it.

"…May I ask, why?"

“Because I'm not strong enough.”

The right arm gently hugged the left half of her body, and the left half gently hugged back.

'I'm not strong enough to face such a huge problem. I know what I will become once I start to take on this ‘research to save the world’—my whole life will be swallowed up by this dream and I will become ‘spontaneous’. I will leave my friends and family behind, give up all the things I cherished that were ambiguous to begin with, and never come back. I will never do anything to you, because I know I will do this.

“…I don’t really understand.”

“Dreams require sacrifices, that’s all♪—I’m a doctor, and I want to continue as one…”

Ai wanted to ask more about the dream, but it seemed Diva did not want to talk about it anymore.

“Well then♪ We're going back to the Palace.”

Diva/Pox stood up and walked all the way to the door, Ai took the initiative to pick up the bag and follow them with.

“'Ah, yes, yes♪ Little Ai, do you…”

Diva opened the door, handed the bag to Kiriko, and then asked,

“Do you want to make friends with Princess?”

Kiriko showed a disgusted expression so obvious that it was a bemusing sight.

Part II

Ai gave a big yawn.

She blinked her eyes, trying to shake aside her sleepiness.

They were at the Ortus Palace Visitation Hall.

While the whole of Ortus was white in color, this castle alone was made of black stone. The hall where Ai was led by the guards was also made of lustrous black marble, and from the floor to the ceiling, there were stars shining in the darkness on all sides.

At first Ai was very moved by the sight, but after waiting for so long, the stars and the darkness only had a hypnotic effect.

At the invitation of Diva/Pox, Ai went out with great care and preparation. It was the people in the Palace who invited her, but Ai ended up waiting and waiting and waiting.

She waited in the dormitory till the afternoon, and when she arrived at the Palace, her identity was checked, and then she was led to the waiting room. She waited so long that she worried if they had forgotten about her. She was almost worried that they had forgotten she was there, and when she finally arrived at the visiting room, she still had to wait.

Ai rubbed her eyes, yawned again, and nodded off to sleep.

At that moment, the stars flashed.

A group of Dead in suits appeared in a corner of the room without making a sound, pulling a veil before the throne. Then men and women dressed in the same way appeared in the corners of the room, standing straight in place.

Before she knew it, there were three more figures at the edge of the room, and Kiriko was among them.

"Her Highness Ulla is here."

With a gruff shout, the innermost door opened, and a small shadow came silently to the center, into the shadow of the throne.

"Lord of Ortus, Her Highness Ulla Hecmatika is here."

The head priest frowned, for Ai did not get up to salute. Kiriko felt some sympathy from the sidelines— after all, it was no wonder Ai was overwhelmed by the suddenness of her visit.

"Guest, state your name."

The Dead barked.

"…"

Ai did not give her name.

"Guest, state your name."

"…"

Kiriko was a little surprised and looked towards the lower seat to find Ai sitting deeply in her chair with her head down and not saying anything.

"Excuse me."

Kiriko immediately stepped forward and walked three steps in front of Ai. The chief priest's piercing eyes shot at his back, but he ignored them.

"Guest, state your name!"

Ai couldn't even seem to lift his head.

"Ai, I know you might be nervous, don't be too serious, just stand up and state your name …"

"Guest, state, your, name!"

 

"……zzz, uhhhh, I can't eat anymore …"

 

It was the worst scenario.

Thus echoed the sleep talk even God Himself could not defend.

The head priest gritted his teeth and glared at Kiriko with a murderous look, and even the experienced guard had shivering shoulders, trying to resist the urge to laugh.

"You brat! What do you take a visit for—"

"You idiot! Wake up!"

"Huh? Ah, no, I didn't sleep, I just had a little dream, after all, it’s common for me to dream at this age."

"Wake up and stop sleeptalking! Ritual Chief!"

Kiriko pre-emptively looked at the old man who was trembling with indignation.

"As you can see! A child this young can't pay a courtesy visit! Please leave it to us, the 'Defective Pentagram'!"

"But…"

Kiriko trotted over and whispered in the ear of the head priest.

"You are the ones who insisted on following the full set of rituals. That's why she’s like this.”

The Ritual Chief still refused to give up.

"…Are you implying that our kingdom shall be responsible?"

"No, the responsibility is still mine."

The old man then greedily asked for a guarantee, and Kiriko held back as he responded very calmly.

The old man exhaled through his nose in displeasure, stopped acting pretentiously, and clicked his tongue.

"Ai, I’m sorry… it should have been simpler, and we didn’t need to make it so formal, but the Ritual Chief insisted…goodness. What kind of attitude is that old geezer putting on in front of Princess …"

"H-huh? Where is this place? Th-the same place as before? But what's this curtain for? Is there something behind it? Actually, when I heard we were going to the Palace, I imagined it would be like a party, so I only ate a little bit for lunch. And I was obedient in my dream not to eat the whole roast chicken."

"—! You super-duper idiot!"

Ai lifted the curtain without hesitation. Kiriko reached for her collar, but was a step too slow.

The curtain lifted gently.

Behind it sat a young girl.

The girl's hair was darker than any black stone in the hall, and her skin was whiter than any white stone in the country. The contrast between black and white was like a light that shone all around. The throne alone looked rigid, but it became more majestic and magnificent when the maiden sat on it. The light pink dress on the girl resembled a vase with flowers adorned on it, and looked mesmerizing.

A Princess so perfect, she seemed to be directly derived from a fairy tale.

But there was a catch…

She could not see the Princess’ bridle and eye patch.

The girl’s mouth was wrapped in several layers of thin leather straps, all the way down to her nose, and her eyes were also covered by a belt.

There were no words in Ai's mind, just pure emotion, a feeling of seeing something extraordinary. Her emotion was so strong that it did not cause ripples in her heart. She simply greeted the girl like a child reaching for the light.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ai—Ai Astin."

The young woman did not answer, but only tilted her head slightly.

"You're so rude! How dare you talk directly to Princess …”

Kiriko recovered, immediately stood in front of the girl and shouted at Ai, but someone immediately stopped him from continuing.

The young girl unhappily pushed away the back before her, opened the notebook she had secretly brought with her and held it up in front of her.

“Ulla Eulesse Hecmatika.”

These words were written on the paper.

“This is my name.”

The notebook flipped smoothly, revealing the words of her introduction. The words she had prepared beforehand were particularly kind, full of warm welcome.

“Please take care of me.”

Ulla flipped the notebook and showed a smile with her cheeks.

Ai smiled back.

But then she realized the girl could not see her smile, and felt a little sad.

 

Ai was taken to a tea room of cold stone walls filled with warm air. There was a haphazard assortment of artwork, an ancient dragon bone lined up next to a globe, and a black cat yawning on the back of a ceramic tiger.

Ai and Ulla sat face to face in the sand, while Kiriko sat next to them in an arch.

"Where did you come from?"

"Huh?"

Ai was so focused on the décor that she didn't hear the words.

"Princess is asking you."

Looking back, Kiriko put her right hand on the arm of the chair, and Ulla extended her index finger to write on his hand.

"Uh, uh! There are mountains to the east of this city, and I came from the village on that mountain."

"You grew up in that village?"

"Yes."

"Why did you come out to travel?"

"Because the village is gone…"

"I forgot …better not ask about this any further …"

Kiriko had cold sweat trickling down. Why? This word lingered on the back of his right hand. He was terrified of both the Princess who wanted to ask about this, and also Ai, who would probably answer bluntly.

"Excuse me, does Princess not speak out loud? And her eyes are also …"

However, Ai also asked a question that a normal person would feel uncomfortable asking …

Kiriko sighed discreetly.

"How dare you look down Princess? How can a commoner have the honor of hearing Princess speak in her own voice and having Her Highness look at her with her own eyes?"

“Kiriko is so obstinate.”

"You should learn more manners, no, maybe some common sense before you do that."

“I keep asking him to just call me Ulla, but he'll only do it when we're alone.”

"I see."

"Do you get it? You're too casual in every aspect of your life and your table manners are not up to snuff. Okay, starting with dinner today, I'll be watching you from start to finish."

“Ai—ah, can I call you Ai?”

"That’s fine?"

"Oh? You're a good listener, aren't you? Thank goodness."

“You can call me Ulla too.”

"Ulla."

"Why are you suddenly calling by her first name?…Wait, Princess!"!

The two tried to hold their secret conversation with the right hand and the notebook, but they were immediately broken up.

“Ah, I'm sorry, I should have elaborated that we should call each other so when we’re alone.'

"It isn’t a question of whether I knew it earlier or not! Please don't mess around! Rules are rules, Your Highness, you must abide by it!"

“I have obeyed. I didn't speak out loud.”

"Don't take it out of context!"

“You see, Kiriko is very obstinate, right?”

"That's right, so stubborn."

The two girls bonded in a few moments.

"By the way, when Kiriko first met me, she mistook me for 'Princess'—for Ulla."

“Oh really?”

"Huh?"

Kiriko did not remember that at all.

"Yes, that's why I was looking forward to this visit, thinking if we looked a bit alike …"

Ai has blonde hair, Ulla has black hair, and her face did not look alike in any way.

"If there's any similarity in features, it's the fact that we’re alive, I guess."

“Why did Kiriko get it wrong?”

"Ah, no, that…I was a little dizzy…"

“? You met in a daze?”

Right, the situation was dire.

Kiriko decided to shut up Ai who was about to explain first.

(Uh-huh, what are you doing?!)

(Shh! Quiet!)

The two took advantage of the fact that Ulla could not see as they tugged at each other's cheeks and whispered to each other.

(Ai! I'm begging you! Play along with me!)

(Why?)

(I didn't tell her I was in danger!)

(…You're hiding something from her?)

Ai's eyes became serious.

(Please, I don't want her to worry!)

(…Forget it, it's fine …)

"—Yeah, it was nighttime, and Kiriko was sleeping, using the moonlight as stage lighting, and dancing in a grass skirt…looking back now, I was too stupid, I shouldn’t have bothered."

…Damn brat…

"I-I see. I’m sorry that you had to witness such an embarrassing scene."

"No no no, you don’t need to apologize. That’s okay compared to the parodies later on, like, what’s with that ‘'water-cooled twin-cylinder engine' imitation?"

“Wow, that sounds like fun. Kiriko wouldn't even perform that in front of me.”

She immediately became interested when she heard this kind of topic …

Kiriko just wanted to run away on the spot.

Ai gave a fiendish smile and attacked.

"—But what relationship do you two have?"

“Our relationship is…”

"Ahhhh enough! I'm a classmate of Princess! And also a teacher!"

"???? Can these two relationships co-exist?"

"…I'm individually connected to the other five, so I can draw knowledge from their memories."

“How sleazy.”

"It's not my fault!"

"That’s sleazy."

"Say, you two…"

Kiriko hung his head helplessly.

"… I'll say it up front, there's nothing to envious about this … This kind of connection has really worn out ego. Before I met Princess, I really didn't know the difference between the five of them and myself …"

Once she heard that, even Ai felt a little sorry for him.

"…Ah, I was rude."

“…I didn't even know that was the case before.”

Ulla spread out her notebook unhappily, and then used the pen to express a strong emotion in her heart.

“I told you Kiriko was sleazy, no?”

†

No response today either.

Julie went to the repair shop, and then walked all the way to the first place, where she met Gokoku. In the afternoon, I went to the grocery store and the store, and then went to the telecommunication office. He didn't get the response he was expecting, so he made four telegrams and returned to the dorm.

Julie had recently learned how to distinguish Scar's expressions, which were all smiles, but with traces of other emotions mixed in. From the way he had learned to tell, Scar seemed to be very happy with her meal.

Ai was so excited that she didn't listen to anyone during dinner, happily talking about the events of the day.

Ai came back to the room and kept talking, and Julie was familiar enough to picture the young girl named Ulla in her mind.

Again there was no response on this day.

Julie went to the repair shop, and then walked all the way to the Main Street, where he met Orias. In the afternoon, he went to the grocery store and others, and then to the telecommunication office. He did not get the response he was expecting, so he made four telegrams and returned to the dormitory.

Scar’s ailment had improved greatly, for her face was red, and she had some appetite. Julie handed her some free raisins to eat, and she silently took them and consumed them. Julie had recently learned how to distinguish Scar's expressions, which were all smiles, but with traces of other emotions mixed in. From the way he had learned to tell, Scar seemed to be very happy with her meal.

He drafted a letter at the desk for a little while, and Ai returned, a tad earlier than the previous day. Ai was so excited that she did not listen to anyone during dinner, happily talking about the events of the day.

Ai was still talking when she got back to her room, and Julie was familiar enough to picture the young girl named Ulla in her mind.

"That's great."

That was pretty much all Julie said in return, but Ai did care about it at all and was having a great time talking about it.

They were chatting in Julie’s room, so as not to disturb Scar’s rest. Julie was at her desk looking at papers and Ai was sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet wobbling around and a shovel in her hand that she had not held in a long time.

Ai could not say enough, and later faced the shovel as she said slowly,

"Maybe…"

She acted like she was reporting to the person on the shovel.

"Maybe I've made two friends at once…"

The shovel did not answer, so Julie stood up and touched Ai's head hard with his rough hand.

"That's great."

"Yeah. Ehehe…"

Ai finally stopped talking.

Julie sensed this and sat down next to her. The mattress sank deeper in his direction, causing Ai to almost roll onto the bed.

"Instead, Ai, I need to talk to you about something…can I?"

"Yes."

Ai heard his serious tone of voice, and then sat upright.

"…I heard that someone in town knows who you are."

"Yes."

Ai answered boldly.

"Is that not allowed?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with that."

Julie's voice did not contain any anger.

"… I thought that you would scold me …"

"I'm not going to scold you. … Didn't I say 'I'll help you' on that hill? Honestly I don't know any way to fulfill your wish, so I can only help you out, just do what you want. Of course, I will complain, after all, I also have to take care of my own sanity."

"…Thank you very much."

"But it's still too close. If the person found wasn’t one of the 'defective pentagram', I really wouldn’t know how big things will escalate. Best case scenario, we get deported, or worse, we’ll lose our lives, or worse, we’ll be buried after death, or even worse, we’ll be taken for experimentation. Do you know how serious that is?"

"No, I don’t know."

Her answer seemed stupid, but her voice was calm.

"I just thought that we’d be fine since you weren’t so insistent, Mr Julie."

Good grief, this kid, so Julie clicked his tongue.

"You really think highly of me…but is that really the only reason?"

"There are also things like Kiriko's personality, the atmosphere on the street, and our strength, all of which are more or less taken into account. But I guess in the end, it's all about intuition."

"Intuition."

"There is also a blind guess."

"Blind guess, huh."

Julie wanted to sigh, but since everything went so well, he could not say anything more. This child, in spite of her innocence, could sometimes make everything look so seamless that one wonders if her innocence was an act.

"…You really can grasp such things so naively, huh…how shall I put it? Like, you know how to read the mood, but you don’t really know how to use it…you’re very polite, but so disoriented…and openly trying to cheat your way out of things…"

"Excuse me, are you complimenting me or undermining me?"

I don’t know either, Julie replied.

"Mr Julie…"

Ai asked.

"Mr Julie, you know this city very well, right? About Mr. Kiriko and the others too."

She’s very perceptive about such things, so Julie thought.

"………………My wife."

After losing his wife, Julie traveled around to find a place where the family could live together. But the world was not as open to the Dead as it was at this point, and the whole family was stranded at the border.

"At that time I also came to the city…but I couldn’t compromise after all, so I didn’t stay here. Later, I also went to see the 'witch' and asked her to help embalm my wife, but she refused me and instead helped us solve the housing and other problems, large and small."

"? She refused and still helped you prepare?"

"… She said 'Your mortal happiness is boring, but your misfortune is great. If I can help your misfortune, a signature is nothing. You know what happened after that, right?"

The Dead was destroyed by Hampnie Hambert, and his daughter died, Julie followed and tried to die but could not, and finally arrived here.

"At that time I made friends with one of the 'defective pentagram'. I was just a friend to one of them though, so it seems Kiriko didn't realize. I so happened to meet this friend, Orias."

"Another person that’s half left and half right?"

"Yes, just not quite the same as the other three."

Julie said as he caught his breath, and looked at Ai.

"…According to him, he wants us to leave the country and never enter again."

Ai’s wavering feet suddenly stopped.

"I did say we’ll be deported at least, right…his offer is way better than that. After all, he only wants us not to come back, not permanently banished."

Her feet stopped still.

“Will I not be able to meet Ulla and Mr Kiriko, the friends I met here, again?"

Julie replied, as if in self-defense.

"…You can write to them."

"…You’re right. Ulla and I are like pen pals…hahaha … haha …"

Ai said and hung her head in frustration.

"…Today Ulla asked me in the Palace: 'You're not staying at Ortus?'"

"That’s!"

Julie turned her head in a very exaggerated manner.

"Of course I understand, Mr Julie."

But Ai was very calm.

"I refused her."

"…You already found out?"

Found out what? So Ai asked. Her eyes looked hollow and distant, as if she was looking at the end of the wilderness.

"I just want to ask, Mr Julie, did you think notice that I found out? Do I look that foolish?"

"…"

Ai looked into the distance with an unemotional expression and continued talking to herself.

"Mr. Lion is also really simple, saying something like 'you do not understand the dark side of Ortus at all', and he so happened to say that to me…I can’t blame him, after all, he does not know what kind of deception I was in which I grew up."

"Ai, you…"

"I have the best nose for this kind of scent."

Ai laughed, only this time, she said it with great glee. Julie was heartbroken and wanted to stop her from going on, but he could not.

"I say Mr Julie, why didn’t you live in this city with your dead wife and your still alive daughter then?"

"…"

Julie did not answer. Ai casually revealed the secret.

"I know. Because Ortus is the Dead's city, and this city only allows the Dead to exist, not Living—so if Living still wants to live in Ortus, what should we do?"

Julie still did not answer.

"The answer is simple, just die."

Ai slowly turned her head.

"When did you find…?"

"…I just imagine a little bit, felt there were some things I was doubtful about. When you have doubts, you can find hints everywhere. Like this school…and the words of Mr. Lion…don’t you think?"

While saying these words, Ai's eyes too regained life.

"Why…"

She was furious.

"… Why didn't everyone tell me about this? Whether it's Mr Julie, Kiriko, Pox, Wreck, Diva, or Mr Lion …"

The green eyes burned with anger, and the searing sun-like heat hit Julie.

"… I'm not hiding it from you, and Ortus is open about it."

"But you are hiding it from me, aren't you?"

The child's eyes burned with anger, and the adult then looked away.

"…I'm not blaming you, because I can understand how everyone feels...but... …"

Ai sat on the bed, hands clenched so tightly that the bones almost cracked. Her muscles were tense, her body temperature rose, and the anger burning in her eyes was almost murderous. She desperately pressed her body, enduring the anger that should not be vented towards anyone.

"I really hate this. I don't want anyone making decisions for me behind my back anymore, and letting me know when it's already too late."

The villagers used to hide everything thoughtfully, and she too pretended to be kept in the dark, maintaining a façade and a false world.

To say goodbye to all this, Ai said,

"I'm determined not to live in the dark anymore—I decided that I’m not going to close my eyes, cover my ears, and live like the walking Dead."

"…Really?"

"Yes, so Mr Julie, please tell me all about it in the future. Don't worry about me getting hurt or unhappy, because it's all up to me to decide what happens to me."

"… I understand."

Julie raised his hands to surrender. Ai assumed that Julie would never hesitate to lie or hide once he felt the need to do so.

"I believe you."

But Ai lied too. The two made a pact to lie to each other.

"…But what are you going to do when you know this?"

"You should have told me first what Ortus's attitude is towards immigrants, and the reasons for doing so."

Julie spoke up.

Ortus' immigration policy had always been ‘they would never refuse those who come, nor pursue those who leaves’, and in principle, it would accept all Dead who had come to seek asylum, and refuse the Living. As for those who had arrived accidentally, they will be sent to a nearby colony for free, and will be given a place to stay for the duration. Only the Living who had nowhere else to go will they be asked to die before settling in.

"But why do they have to die, when Living can live together with Dead?"

Julie shook his head firmly.

"It's not possible, for several reasons. First of all, the infrastructure of Ortus was built with Dead's needs in mind, and only a small part of the area has running water and sewerage. The hospital here only has psychiatry treatment, and most importantly, there is no way to supply food, because the land is a barren place where no one can live. There is always a way to deal with tourists like us, who only appear once in a long while, or people who do business outside the city gates, but it is impossible to supply a large amount of food forever."

"… But, if that's the only problem …"

"Well, yes, if these are the only problems, it's not a big deal. It's going to be hard, but it's not impossible…But, Ai, Ortus has a far greater force than these problems that is rejecting the Living …"

"What is it…?"

"It's the feelings of the inhabitants."

Ortus residents are all Dead, of course, no one was born here. Most were shunned by the Living, exiled to the wilderness and rendezvous together. The persecution by the Living was so great, most of the wanderers were buried by the gravekeepers. Groups like Ortus were the same, mostly nomadic in nature, discriminated in all aspects, and often on the verge of extinction.

Thus, such a place was a haven to those. They did not have to be discriminated against by the Living, they did not have to fear gravekeepers, and they were guaranteed a place in the international community. In a place like this…

"Can you blame them for refusing to live with Living?"

"…"

"There's going to be friction between the early Dead and the current Dead—the same guys who up until yesterday were discriminating against the Dead—if the Living is allowed to live here, Ortus would have been divided into two factions and would have fallen into great chaos."

"…"

"Ai, it will take you a lifetime to solve this kind of problem. The job may take more than a year, ten years, or even a hundred years."

"If it takes that much time …"

"By that time there will be no one left alive. Yes, that's the biggest claim of the opposition. No matter how hard they try, in another hundred years, all Living will be dead … they are waiting for that time."

Ai was so shocked that she said dejectedly,

"I can't believe this idea …"

"But it makes sense."

"Does it …? I don't think it makes sense. I just think it's a dead end …"

Ai said, resting her hand on her cheek and closing her eyes. When Julie felt that he should say something to comfort her, and started to think of what to say…

"Yes!"

Ai shouted as she got up.

"What's wrong?"

"Let's put this on hold!"

"Y-you’re so energetic about this, and you’re saying to put this aside first?"

"Don't worry! I'm just pretending to be energetic!"

Ai was right. She swung the shovel and dismantled the air, bouncing around meaninglessly.

"Indeed…I think you can put it aside first. You should see more of the world and develop your ego."

"Yes, I'm going to put it on hold with all my might."

"Putting it on hold? That's a good one. … Let's start with what we can do."

"Okay."

Ai replied with a very fine God, and then finally got to the point.

"Then I have one thing to ask Mr Julie."

"What is it?"

"Please look up Ulla Hecmatika."

Ai said this to Julie from a distance where no one else could hear her.

"I'll look for opportunities to try too, but I just think something's wrong."

Julie sighed at the tricky request.

"Why is she still alive?"

The third night came equally to everyone.

†

 

But thanks to the game, neither of them had the time to discuss about sensitive issues, which was the only point he was really thankful for—

"It's my turn—five steps. One, two, three, four, five—ah."

Ai stopped on a grid.

"'Age increases by five years.' Well, that makes me ninety-six years old now, and I need to check for dementia. Roll Roll three dice…for twelve points. Where's the equation sheet?"

"Here."

Ai then calculated the average life expectancy, made a health checkup, and then calculated the insurance amount. After all that, she finally said.

"I am dead at the age of ninety-six. Surrounded by two husbands, six grandchildren, twelve great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren."

"………………Heh……………… Huh? What about the game?"

"It's over."

"Wait, it's over!?"

"Yes, the game's tagline is ‘Reenact your life rigorously! Experience a different life in a game!’"

“It's fun.”

"It’s really fun."

"… Well, that's right. I don’t mind since you two had fun."

"Oh my, I won a lot."

"Ahhh, so that's a win."

"Yes, it says 'Everything is good if the result is good! Let's welcome the happy ending together! That's a pretty good line."

"……Hmm,'Happy ending', huh?"

Kiriko tried to sound as flat as possible, but Ai immediately assumed the worst and averted her eyes blatantly.

"This game…was from a long time ago… more than fifteen years …"

"That's right… well, let’s pack up. It's late."

Ai did not say anything more, and helped to pack the game. Cold sweat quietly trickled down Kiriko, since it had been a thrilling day. He had been on tenterhooks since the previous day.

“Is it over already?”

"Well, it's late, I have to get back before dinner time."

“Ai, will you come back tomorrow?”

Of course! Ai replied energetically. To be honest, Kiriko did not want the two of them to meet again, but he had no authority to stop it.

“What about the day after tomorrow?”

"Probably."

'What about the day after tomorrow?'

"That's…"

That would be the day when Ai had to leave Ortus and could not visit her at the Palace. It seemed Ulla too knew about this.

"I don't think…I’ll be able to come."

'I see…'

There was an awkward silence.

“If only you’ll stay in Ortus, Ai.”

"I'm sorry, as I said yesterday, I can't agree to this in any way."

Ai decisively refused. Kiriko was uncomfortable with her attitude since yesterday. There was an unshakeable firmness in those words, a far cry from Ai's usual sloppy and soft attitude.

—No.

He had seen Ai speak with such firmness before.

A creepy feeling suddenly raced down ran down Kiriko's back.

At this point, Ai looked exactly the same as she did when they returned to the dormitory to days ago. Back then, she revealed to Kiriko of her identity as a gravekeeper.

“… Why? For your dream?”

"Yes. That's why I…"

I can't die yet.

The second half of the sentence, which should have been followed by this, did not vibrate in the air.

Kiriko stood up without a sound and covered Ai's mouth.

So you knew. He looked at her with such a shocked expression. His heart was pounding, while Ai looked calm, as if she had already seen this coming.

Ai frowned, wondering why Kiriko had to stop her from saying it.

“?That’s why you…?”

A few seconds of silence struck Ulla as these words were written on the open notebook.

‘Please, just don’t say it!’ Kiriko pleaded with Ai. ‘You better explain this later.” So Ai shot back with such a look, and her eyes relaxed.

"…I still need to keep traveling."

Ai's vague words restored the atmosphere to normal.

Ulla's blindfold covered everything, and she did not notice anything.

 

Ai was waiting on the bus home.

"Okay, please tell me … why did you stop me just now?"

They were riding the bus down Ortus City Street, sitting next to each other, with no one around to hear them.

"…I can't talk about it now."

"Then when can you tell me?"

"…I'll tell you when you leave the city."

Ai frowned unhappily.

"What's the use of delaying like this? Even if you don't answer, I'll just go ask Ulla tomorrow."

"No, you can't do that."

"? Why …?"

"I just got contacted by Pox/Wreck."

"So what about…"

"Wasn't there a town last time?"

"You mean the town that was hit by a tornado? And what about …"

"One hundred and five residents have applied to immigrate to Ortus."

Ai looked back in shock.

"That means…"

"Well, you probably assumed correctly—- they'll die and become residents of this City of Death."

Kiriko's expression was tinged with grim determination.

"They had no place to go. Even if they kidnap me or the whole town becomes bandits, it’s only a matter of time until they die out. Since they’re already at this point, they might as well die right from the beginning."

At that moment, an alarm sounded throughout the city. The ominous sound was like the call of a strange bird beckoning the end times, echoing through the evening sunlit Ortus and causing Ai's inner eardrums to wail

"Ortus is under martial law. From now on, all gates shall be closed, and the commercial area at the South Gate will be cordoned off. All passing, and all incoming passengers will be required to stay in the quarters registered on their entry cards—do you hear me?"

"Y-yes."

"Then Kiriko Zubreska has informed Ai Astin—and vetted through the others. You are to return to your dormitory immediately in the shortest possible time, and never leave my side. I've just been informed by the soldiers that if you wander outside alone, you will be arrested without warning."

"Please, please wait! How can you be so rude!"

"Shut up, I know it's rude without you saying it! This whole thing was already brutal and cruel!"

The uneasiness that had existed before had disappeared from Kiriko's expression, leaving only a relieved expression of relief and a stubbornness that pretended to be determination.

 

"The massacre of one hundred and five residents will take place tomorrow morning, so if you don't want to die 'as collateral', don’t ever leave the house."

Part III

Kiriko escorted Ai back to her room, and ensured that she, Julie and Scar were all there before leaving.

Ai was escorted into the room, and paced around the room like a raccoon trapped in a cage. Starting from Scar's pillowside, she walked past the dresser, around the two beds, behind the desk where Julie was sitting, and then to the window to look outside. It was dark outside, the usual festive lights had disappeared, and there was nary a whistle in the night breeze.

"…Ai, do you want to calm down?"

Scar said as she lay helplessly on the bed, Ai then regained her senses and stopped in her tracks.

"I'm sorry, Miss Scar… are you feeling okay?"

"No…"

Scar remained unwell even after her diagnosis, and her condition remained poor. She was not physically ill in any way, but psychologically, she remained weak and feeble.

"It is really noisy…"

"Ah, sorry, did I wake you up …"

"I am not talking about you…the cry for help…how am I supposed to save her?"

It seemed that what bothered Scar most was the auditory hallucination she had mentioned before. She still spoke calmly, but she did not seem sane.

"… Please go to sleep. You'll be fine once you sleep."

"Yes…I will."

Ai sat on the edge of the bed and helped Scar to brush away the bangs that fell on her face, stroked her head, and kept going for a while. Ai found herself doing exactly the same thing as the adults who took care of her did when she was sick as a child, and after a while, her mood slowly calmed down.

"Is she asleep?"

"Yes, she's sleeping soundly."

"… Let's go next door and talk."

Julie said, walked to the next room and sat down at the desk that had become his assigned seat. The door was unlocked, and the only thing visible outside was darkness, so it did not seem like someone was watching.

He closed the door and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Do you know what the situation is?"

"More or less. What about you?"

Naturally, the two exchanged whispers and information.

Julie did not have any new information about the current situation.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to save them?"

"Of course."

Julie sighed deeply.

"…You definitely haven’t thought about how to save them, and what to do after that …"

"Of course."

"I guessed so…"

Julie sighed again, having a big headache about it.

"… Anyway, let's exchange all known information. I've checked on Ulla."

"Did you find out anything?"

"I asked around every chance I got…but it was only for one day and I couldn't really ask much…everyone’s really protective of her, adored her, and really put their trust in her…it's just…"

"Just?"

"How should I put it? Some people didn’t react the same way. It's not like respect, but like, reverence? No, it's closer to fear, I think."

"…Hmm, I can't really figure it out."

"Yeah, I couldn't figure it out either. So I was going to go to someone who should know, but…"

Martial law had been issued.

"… But maybe, this person will come to us instead."

"? What kind of person?"

"You should be more familiar than me. I asked to deliver a message, so he should right about …"

At that moment,

There was a knock. It did not come from the door, but from the window.

"? What is it?"

Ai went to the window and opened the curtain.

(It's me, open the window.)

"Mr. Lion!?"

Somehow, the lion mask appeared outside the window, and Ai hurriedly opened the window.

"What are you thinking!? This is the third floor!"

"I'm used to it. No big deal…get out of the way."

The lion showed excellent athleticism, and deftly entered the room. Then he looked around without letting his guard down, and when he saw Julie, a wary look appeared on his mask.

"… Hey, fox, what’s the point of writing this letter to me?"

"What letter?"

"Ah, I wrote that."

The lion made a feline intimidating sound and glared at Julie.

"… Mr Julie, what kind of letter did you write?"

"This."

The lion took a piece of paper out of his pocket and it read.

"To Mr. Shad Wahls, please help me. ~Ai Astin~"

"I thought it was strange, not only is the wording wrong, but that brat Rico also said that the person who sent this letter is a strong man, and you wouldn’t have known my full name …"

"Huh? So you don't know?"

"That's right! Mr. Lion is Mr. Lion, because at that time I was just a small fox …"

"I see, I really don't get it…well, I don’t, but you came for her, thank you."

Julie said, bowed to the lion, who looked back at the top of Julie’s head.

Ai really did not expect that the lion would risk scaling the walls and arrive here just because of a mere piece of paper. She did not think he would do such a thing.

"Mr. Lion, are you here to save me?"

He probably would answer ‘How could I’ or ‘Don't be silly.

But that was not the lion's answer.

"You're right."

"Huh?"

"I'm here to save you."

The lion mask was always expressionless, but the lion controlled the subtle light and shadow etched on the mask, showing a myriad of expressions. Ai herself assumed she could distinguish between them.

And based on the method she learned, the expression on the lion's mask was ‘anxious’.

"I heard that you met Princess?"

"Yes."

"Listen to me, don't meet with her again."

"…Are you saying the same thing as Mr. Kiriko?"

The lion mask showed a ‘relieved’ expression.

"So he's against it too…It seems he finally has a little conscience…"

Conscience?

Ai was confused by this statement. Just moments ago, when they heard the ominous siren on the bus Kiriko said that he would not let Ai meet Ulla again, and there was no conscience to be seen on his face. His face was … metaphorically speaking, like the look of a parent determined to protect a child, no matter what bad things they would do.

But the lion did not see that look on Kiriko’s face.

"Why are you separating me from Ulla? Is this helping me?"

"…You should stop running into the street and stay here until the day you leave the country."

"Please answer me."

"I beg you, just listen to me!"

"Then please tell me why."

"Shut up, you little brat! The world is full of things you shouldn't know! Behave yourself!"

"Again!"

Ai exploded.

"That's the reason again! Everyone is making decisions for me, telling me how I'll be unhappy and unfortunate! Who do you think all of you are! I'm the one who should decide all this! It’s up to me to decide whether I’m happy or unhappy! You're not telling me anything! You lie and deceive me! What's the point! Have you ever thought about what it would be like for someone who didn't even know it was happening until everything is in a mess!?!"

"! You brat!"

The lion grabbed her by the collar and raised his right hand.

"If you want to hit me, sure! If you want to kick, sure! If you want to beat me to spit blood and beg for mercy, try if you want!"

"I-I won’t go that far!"

"Then please let go!"

The lion was stabbed by words, and his trembling hands put her down. Ai's feet hit the ground heavily, and her head was lowered due to the downforce.

"Uuuu."

And then, Ai,

"O-oy fox? What's wrong with you?"

"Uu, hic, uu, uu~~ …"

Ai cried.

"O-oy! Why are you crying at a time like this! This is ridiculous!"

Ai cried, and only she knew why she was crying.

The two hazy core thoughts of the past collided in an explosion, and one of them shattered. The desire of ‘hoping for the Dead to die happily’ was shattered by the conviction that ‘the happiness is determined by the person himself’’.

Two days ago, on the way back, Kiriko said, "What do you mean by 'happy ending', when in the end it's just a happy ending 'in your opinion'?" Those words pierced her heart, and they were further convicted by so.

Ai cried because her dream had been shattered. But the reason she cried was not understood by anyone, and only confused Julie and the lion.

The lion stood frozen in place watching her tears. Her tears would not stop.

The Dead could not cry, or at the very least, not to the extent of a fountain of tears.

The lion's mask did not show any more expression. The light merely illuminated the mask, and the shadows merely formed on the mask. There is no subtlety, and the mask was as silent as the face of a Dead.

"…Don't cry."

The lion's words sounded as if someone from afar had played a tune that drifted with the wind.

"With the crying … too thief la … I tell you just … do not cry."

By no means did they understand each other. The lion did not understand why Ai was crying, and Ai did not understand why the lion had changed his mind.

But despite that, they decided to.

The Lion began to speak.

 

"A year or so ago, there were a few Living in Ortus."

"I understand."

Ai nodded and asked,

"That's you guys, right?"

The lion mask, still expressionless, turned a pair of dark holes toward Ai.

"So you already knew?"

"Well…I knew by looking at this dormitory."

Ai looked around.

From the moment she heard that this was a school, Ai had always had questions. Why was there such a well-equipped dining room in the dormitory? Why was the water and sewerage so well-equipped? The whole building had signs of years of use, and it did not look like a temporary addition. Ai then saw from the students' unhealthy graffiti in the toilets that this was originally a school for Living.

Then she imagined where the students had gone, and felt a chill in her heart.

"Wait, don't jump to conclusions…I may not be the right person to say this, but things aren't as bad as you think."

Lion stopped Ai from assuming the worst.

The students who attended this school before were living children brought in by immigrants.

Since Ortus was established here nine years ago, people have been trying to immigrate, Dead or Living. They had nowhere to go, no home to return to. Neither Living, nor Dead, who simply want to avoid the gravekeepers, have any attachment to life.

Ortus, of course, accepted these people after they died, but the only exceptions were the children who were still alive. Even the most radical opposition did not oppose this measure.

No one wants to take children into eternity at a young age.

Ortus left them a period of time for their self-awareness to awaken.

The children would live until they were fifteen years old, when they choose one of two paths.

That is, to live or to die.

If they wanted to live, they had to leave Ortus, and if they want to die, they could stay.

"The ratio is about eight to two. 80 percent chose to live and 20 percent chose to die."

"…That many people chose to leave?"

"Well, then 70% of them came back soon after. It's just a trip, to put it bluntly. What is said is to broaden their horizons and go out for a year or two…this is especially true for the last batch."

Most children ultimately wanted to stay in Ortus. Their parents were banished from their homeland because they died, and the children were forced to leave their homeland because they were alive, as though they were a contrast formed through a distorted mirror. But the difference was that they are not rejected by their homeland, they could return at any time if they gave up one thing.

These children, who grew up surrounded by death, really did not feel that life was something so sacred that it had to be protected.

"I came to Ortus nine years ago and died a year ago. I was fifteen years old."

There was still no expression on the lion's mask.

"Most of the people who come to Ortus do not come alone. Some with their families, some with their friends. But I was, on the contrary, abandoned by my parents in this city."

No, it might be impossible to say. He was fifteen a year ago, which meant that the lion was seven when he was abandoned. Everyone knew how valuable children were at that time, and the favorite commodity of the body snatchers was children. Obviously there would be a high demand for them in the black market, and clearly no one would abandon these children that easily. He believed that his parents had the hardship of not being able to raise him themselves, so they placed him here.

But the lion threw away that hope. He did not allow himself to be comforted by the excuse that ‘my parents just had a hard time raising me, not abandoning me’, nor did he allow others to see him that way. As a matter of course, he became a delinquent, and a serial offender who often sneaked out of the dormitory.

The lion did not live his life with hatred.

However, he refused to be indoctrinated in school with Ortus' favorite subjects—scented morals or glorified history—until he was old enough to die. To the lion, school was akin to a place for chickens or pigs, and he was not allowed to stay there.

He preferred masks.

The lion has loved Mask Street since he was seven years old. At that time he put on the little lion mask and ran around in it just like Ai did over the past few days. He always hung out with the Dead, occasionally returning to school, and ran away once he scented upon the foul stench of the Living.

"I died without longing, without regret."

So said the lion.

"In terms of masks, there is no place in the world more advanced than Ortus. I decided at once to die on the night I turned fifteen."

The adults were against it. At that time, the rule of choosing life and death at the age of fifteen was already formalized, and it was also generally believed that death at the age of seventeen and above was the best way to form a personality. Moreover, the lion was a problematic child at that time, and the teachers thought that more time should be spent on his personality development.

But the lion had already made up his mind that if the adults did not allow it, he would kill himself, so the teachers had to compromise.

So he died on the night of a new moon.

"The only people who died that night were me and Belibella. They made us both dress like we were in the hospital, had grain for a week, and then fast for a day or two, and then they took us to the Palace. We were pretty nervous because although we knew what would happen if we died, we didn't know how we would die. And those who had died before kept it a secret to the end."

—-That was a long wait.

The adults told them to stand in a ceremonial room in the corner of the Palace. It was a hut built for the cleansing ritual, and it was torn down every other day.

In other words, the two of them should die in this hut.

"But no matter how you look, I just couldn’t see the murder weapon. And then there wasn't even anyone in the house, except for Diva/Pox and a few guards. Even when we asked them where the embalming was to be done, they wouldn't answer."

Then some time later, when the moon that could not be seen was up in the sky, the adults called them both to present themselves before the Princess.

"I was so surprised, I didn't know why Princess had come to such a place. But everyone else was kneeling, so I had to follow suit."

Then Ulla appeared, led by Kiriko.

"At that moment, I wanted to ask why that guy was there, but I didn't care about such things right away."

Whenever Ulla appeared in front of people, she always wore a blindfold and a mouthpiece. It was the same then.

"And then the kid took those off.”

The straps covering her eyes and mouth came off before the confused pair's eyes.

Then Ulla opened her eyes and mouth and let out a little yawn.

"Princess was so sleepy that she seemed to have been taken there while she was asleep. It was an honor that after she murmured a few words, she noticed the two of us staying in front of her. I still remember Princess's first words were: 'Who are you? The others didn't say anything, so I had to cheekily teach her manners by saying, 'Before you ask someone's name, you should say yours.'"

Belibella immediately slapped the lion down, kowtowed and begged for forgiveness.

Ulla was startled by the situation, then smiled quietly and said, "This is the first time I've met someone who doesn't know my name." And that's how Ulla learned to give her name.

"And that's how we got to know each other very quickly."

Amazingly, none of the attendants stopped it. But it wasn't long before Ulla yawned again, made a promise to "see you later" and left.

"At that moment, our hearts had stopped."

 

†

 

Kiriko climbed up the dimly lit dormitory stairs with a long sigh. It was the fourth day since those people entered Ortus. The curfew would not be lifted all day tomorrow, so they could not do anything on the fifth day. He believed the same would happen again on the sixth day. At this rate, the Princess and Ai would not see each other again, even on the seventh day.

Everything seems to be going well, but Kiriko was feeling gloomy.

(Pox to Vela—it's past the scheduled time, what's going on?)

Kiriko would temporarily pause his thoughts whenever someone else's thoughts poured into his head, and he had to pause for a moment and relay Pox's message to Vela.

…Recently, he felt particularly tired when doing so, especially with all five people connected. The fatigue will feel like a lingering bad chill. In the past, he could handle a day’s worth of connection as easily as breathing.

There had been frequent requests to connect the entire time, and it is clear that all five people were active.

But Kiriko was just blindly fishing.

"…What can I do? No matter how good the other five people are, I'm just a kid after all …"

The chief priest naturally could not ignore a massive ritual of a hundred and five immigrants. Kiriko was kicked out in a matter of seconds, so he came here to see if the three of them were staying in line.

When he arrived to the top floor, he walked step by step through the corridor he had been accustomed to as a student, thinking that he had forgotten which room they were in, and before he could search her memory, he saw light leaking from behind a door.

I’ll be more than happy to take her spite or scolding—just as Kiriko raised his hand with that thought in mind, he heard voices talking from the room.

(At that moment, our hearts had stopped. )

It was Shad's voice.

 

†

 

Is that a metaphor? Ai first asked.

The literal meaning, Shad replied.

"Fox, have you ever heard of the Idol of Murder?"

"Well, um."

"That's Ulla."

"What?"

"Those eyes were the eyes of death. Those words were the words of death. That body was brimming with death. No living thing could escape. None shall escape the Idol of Murder. ’.' What it says is the truth, a legend created to hide Ulla."

Ai and Julie both listened with great confusion.

"All Living who were seen by Princess, or heard her speak, or touched by her, would die on the spot."

"T-that’s so outrageous!"

"There is such an outrageous thing."

The lion looked like he was vomiting blood when he said this.

"Ortus is a group originally created by Princess. From the moment she was born, a single local tribe of Living became Dead on the spot. There’s lots of evidence, like unusual war stories, unusual betrayals. Do you want me to tell you she's killed tens of thousands of people over the years?"

The lion's impassioned emotions spread to every corner of the room, even the windows were shaken.

Hearing these words, Kiriko decided to show himself.

 

"Shad, you're causing me trouble. How can such things be leaked to outsiders?"

 

He opened the door with a big, hearty smile on his face.

—It doesn't matter, it's only a little secret, there's plenty of ways to fix it.

"…Kiriko, is what he said true?"

Julie preemptively asked the question, and Kiriko pretended to think about it.

"It is true…this matter is indeed a secret, but the heads of the neighboring countries and some of the more perceptive people have long been aware of this."

Julie murmured "I see", and then slowly got up.

"You know the danger, and you let Ai into the Palace to meet Princess?"

—Ah, he has a problem with that? But it's better this way.

"Mr Julie may not know, but Ai should know I'm not lying when she saw Princess like that."

"… So that's really a seal…”

Ai said this in devastated. Kiriko maintained a smile on his face as he turned around to face her and say,

"Yes, after all, you are Living, of course I would have taken care of that."

"Even so, you still let Ai risk her life!"

"So I must be present when they meet."

"And what does that guarantee?"

"Mr Julie, please wait, it's not important."

"How can it be unimportant!"

The thunderous roar added to the chaos of the scene. Kiriko was quietly pleased as his smile intensified. None in the room had discovered the deeper secret.

"Shad."

Kiriko continued to speak, trying to expand the chaos.

"Why did you do such a thing? It's not like you to do that."

"Don't give me any more of that nonsense, you pretender, my reasons are the same as that angry uncle's."

"Is that so? But I think you want to say something else?"

Shad whispered "damn brat", and then he hunched down build up his strength, as if he was a carnivorous beast ready to pounce on the prey.

"… Since you have said so, I will tell you. I can't stand Princess' current situation anymore, every time she goes out, she has to wear a blindfold and a mask on her face."

"What can be done about it? Her power must be kept secret."

"There is nothing to keep secret, you said yourself that it is no longer a secret!"

He said with a low, beastly growl from his throat.

"Even if everyone already knows, secrecy is still important. If we don't leave Ortus, even if we disclose the secret and unseal her, we probably won't have a problem, even if we have to live on the street. But we want to keep this secret relatively vague to the neighboring countries. You understand that, don’t you!?"

Shad was speechless for the first time.

—-Shad really only thought of this, and did not think of the more important things.

Kiriko secretly showed an impish face.

Julie tried to interject, but Shad pestered, "We're not done yet." The confusion was just right, and it was about to descend to the level of an old argument.

—-It worked, that's good. If that's all, there's no need to show up in a hurry, I was too worried. Neither Shad nor these guys even found out about it.

Kiriko won.

"Mr. Kiriko."

Supposedly.

 

"Does Ulla know about herself?"

 

The words brought silence into the room. The words themselves were so inexplicable that both Julie and Shad were confused.

If not for Kiriko's expression, they probably would have ignored it and continued to assert themselves.

Kiriko looked at Ai with an expression as if he was staring at death itself.

The lion asked Ai in confusion.

"Hey, fox, what did you just say? What do you mean when you ask Princess about not knowing herself?"

"The literal meaning."

Ai repeated calmly.

 

"Does Miss Ulla not know her own abilities?"

 

Kiriko's legs were shaking and he could speak, and a cold nausea ran through the bottom of his stomach. The day he had feared had finally come.

Shad retorted as if he were speaking for Kiriko, who said nothing.

"What the hell are you talking about? How can you not know what you're capable of? From what I've heard, it's a power she had from birth, how could she not have noticed it?"

"If she was born like this, it's more likely that she didn't find out. … If she became like this later, she would know that the situation is different; but if she was like this from the beginning, then it would be common knowledge to her."

Kiriko could say anything. Ai's argument was too solid to find any weaknesses.

"If only the Dead will appear before her eyes, it is possible to instill the wrong concept of Mankind's world into her. For example, tell her that these Dead are Living, right…"

"Is that…possible?"

"Of course you can. Mr. Kiriko, am I right?"

—No, no, no, no. Don’t give a reaction!

Kiriko grabbed his chin with his trembling right hand, his left hand grabbed his right elbow, and his whole body stiffened. He could refute what Ai said, because Ai was just sorting out the facts in her own head, and he could not argue back. On the contrary, he was the one being confused, and might accidentally reveal the fatal flaw.

It was useless to say anything.

It was also useless to not say anything.

The silence lasted long enough to create a force that would prove Ai's words right.

"No, no! How can this happen!"

When he realized that he could not acquiesce and spit out these words, it was too late and no one believed them anymore.

The comprehension soon spread to everyone's expression.

Kiriko's knees went weak.

"Wait a minute, what is this? So we've unwittingly become your accomplices?"

To lie to someone, the bigger the circle of lies, the better. From this point of view, the entire city of Ortus was being used, used to lie to Ulla.

"Damn you!"

The lion grabbed Kiriko by the collar of his shirt and clenched his right fist to hit him.

"Mr. Lion, please don't do this, what's the use of hitting him?"

Ai, who had been very calm, spoke up.

"Well, well."

The lion immediately dropped his fist.

The whole scene was already in Ai's hands.

"But fox, you think of such things that I did not think of."

"My nose is very good at picking up such things. I'm used to it after all."

Ai said and stood up.

She disappeared without a trace.

"Mr Julie, please let go of me."

A gust of wind hit Kiriko and the lion, and they both noticed Ai had moved. They looked in the direction the wind was blowing and saw that Julie, the only one who was ready, had grabbed Ai's left hand.

"Ai, calm down, where do you want to go?"

"To find Ulla."

Ai seemed calm. At least she was calm at the moment.

"Why?"

"Why…you don't understand?"

"Yes, I don't understand."

The green eyes were laced with madness.

"Because she is me!"

Blue reason retorted.

"No, Ulla is not you."

Madness seeped deep into the green eyes, refusing any intrusion of sanity.

"No! She is me! She's who I used to be! I was the same until a few days ago! She was the same as I was when I let people lie to me in the village, and let them be nice to me! She's waiting for someone to save her! I know!"

"Really? Did she ever say that?"

"I know without her saying it! Why don't you understand? Mr Julie, you should understand!"

"No, I don't understand, I just don't understand."

The blue and green eyes collided violently, madness and sanity fought each other.

"I'll say it again! Ulla Hekmatika isn’t Ai Astin!"

"—!"

Julie twisted Ai's hand. No matter how strong a gravekeeper was, there was still a difference in weight. Julie continued to shoot verbal arrows from a distance where Ai had no way to escape and no place to hide,

"What do you want to do when you get to meet her? Even though they lied to her, they loved her. Even if you want to change this fact, who is going to be happy?"

Ai could answer. Even so, her mind and body, driven by madness, could no longer stop. Finding out that Ai saw an opportunity that she might be able to save herself from the past right within her grasp, and just could not resist. She knew there was a chance to save what Hamphnie Hambert had given up for his justice, and could not let go.

"Fuu!"

The small body kicked Julie's knee and shoulder, and then went around to his back. His right hand was twisted and dislocated without resistance.

"Ai, wait!"

Ai crashed through the window and disappeared into the darkness of the third floor.

 

Chapter 4 - Alone in Solitude

Part I

I want to save her.

This will and blood flowing through the veins kept her legs going, and she knew nothing of fatigue.

I'm going to save Ulla.

Her body was full of power, and the legs worked faithfully, her eyes bloodshot, and the moonlight was amplified exponentially.

Ai raced through the night in Ortus. The city full of Dead did not need to sleep at night, and it was so bustling beyond imagination everywhere, so there were few roads to walk. Half the night had passed by the time she arrived at the Palace.

And unfortunately, she had made the trip for nothing. From a distance, she could see that there were few people in the Palace, and the minaret where Ulla was staying had no light at all.

Ai immediately turned back, descended the hill, and without landing on the ground, jumped straight from the roof to the next roof, looking as if she were swimming in the night sky.

After descending the hill, Ai ran across the wheat field with the speed of a beast. The fatigue that had accumulated in her feet that she had ignored with her utmost was almost overwhelming her. But Ai kept on running.

At last, she reached the outer walls of the city.

Of course, the gates were closed and a large group of guards were on guard.

It took her a long time to find a less crowded area at the edge of the city walls, and she walked a short distance. Ai clutched the toe-long protrusions on the wall with her fingers, and climbed up, occasionally falling down and hitting the brickwork with a sharp sound, which made her sweat.

Beyond the walls was a line of wilderness and sky.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Ai was basically unconscious.

She then regained her senses. Once she saw that the situation was dire, she looked to the left, and found that the world was already tinged with purple, and only then did she notice that she was now at the southern wall.

Ai's mind, which had not worked for a long time, then wondered if she had forgotten the more important question of where the 105 Living were staying.

She ran. Although there was no basis for it, she just ran to the east.

Many thoughts came to her head as she began to function.

Why was she running like this? What was the intention of the rush?

The sand scraped against the wilderness under her shoes, and the pebbles she kicked somehow got into her shoes, stinging the already compressed soles of her feet. Ai frowned at the dull pain, but she did not slow her pace.

The sky ahead was already white as a fish's belly, and the night was fleeing to the west. The ‘morning’ would begin at this moment, and in the next moment, it would flow into the past.

I must catch up! She thought to herself.

Catch what? But then she asked herself.

It was as if reason and emotion were separated, and a heatwave hotter than the sun and an icy river colder than the moon were stirring in her body.

The moon, which was about to sink into the wilderness far behind, asked, "You keep saying you want to save her, but how exactly are you going to save her? Are you going to destroy all the deception surrounding her like Hampnie Hambart? Or do you have some other amazing way to make everyone happy?"

The sun in the foreground gave an answer. I don't care about that.

But the sun's logic still trumps the moon, which barely hangs on the horizon and sank. The ‘non-negotiable justice’ of saving lives was rising ahead, shining even brighter.

Ai looked over.

She did not know how many corners she turned, but finally, she saw the East Gate before her, and a group of Living was wandering before.

There were about a hundred of them.

These Living were dirtier and unhealthier than any of the Dead she had seen in Ortus. Each one was weary to the core, dragging their feet in the purple twilight like phantoms.

They were confronted by about thirty Dead, several of whom Ai had seen in the city. They were all Ulla's guards.

In the center of them was a palanquin, richly made of ebony and gold. The inorganic appearance resembled less like a palanquin used to carry people and more like a holy ark used to carry important sacred objects.

The palanquin was placed on the ground and the curtain was lifted.

The guard took a young girl by the hands and led her out respectfully. She was dressed in the same twilight gown as the air around her, with several layers of tulle draped over her, and looked like a Dead in a coffin.

Then Ulla Hecmatika stood up.

Two attendants respectfully helped her to take off her coat. With the veils off, her shoulders looked cold in the wilderness.

Then the bonds were finally removed.

The straps tied around her mouth fell to her feet, and the straps covering her eyes were swept away by the strong wind before they hit the ground and blew all the way to the outer wall.

Then the sun ended the night.

The idol of murder opened her eyes.

No one whimpered, and the death sight penetrated the group of Living with the speed of light.

The group of Living fell to the ground from front to back as they were sear by the stare of the idol, along with the sun. None remained alive, and there was no pain on their faces, not a single wound on their bodies. Life was simply devoid from them.

This was the end of the killing, and all those who could die died.

The sun witnessed this moment, rising from the horizon, and shone so brightly that the idol of murder looked a blinding.

When the whole group of Dead stood up, the first action they took must have been to look at their hands with incredulous expressions, to touch their chests, and then to understand what had happened, to awaken from their tired emotions. Their emotions varied, anger to panic, but when they turn their eyes to the cause of the change, they change to the same emotion.

Fear.

The idol of murder merely stared blankly at this sight.

Ai could not see her expression from this position.

Ai watched this from the back right of the palanquin, a hundred meters away. She stood frozen in place, watching the massacre unfold.

The guard seemed to have spotted her and pointed at her, not knowing what to say.

Ai did not react, but just stood there in a daze.

Suddenly Ulla seemed to notice a noise behind her and in a very unconscious movement …

She turned around.

"Idiot, what are you doing standing still!"

A blue car suddenly appeared in front of the eyes, the back seat door opened, the upper half of the lion peeked out and grabbed Ai like an abductor.

"Uncle! Drive!"

Julie did not answer and just stepped on the gas.

"No! I-I!"

"You idiot! Do you want to die!?"

Ai was thrown into the back seat. She wanted nothing more than to see Ulla. She just wanted Ulla to see her, to tell her that there was someone right in front of her who wanted to save her so badly.

But with the black shades down on all the windows, the idol of murder was nowhere to be seen.

†

Silence engulfed the ride back. Ai slept like a Dead, and the other four were in almost identical fatigue, looking at the glittering city streets in the sunrise.

"… What's wrong with her?"

Kiriko, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked back at the back seat and said so. He could not see it from his perspective, but Ai was already lying on the back seat exhausted. The sunshade of the backseat window was still down so that she could sleep well, and the light was very dim.

"…Mr Julie, why is Ai like that? One minute she was so calm, and the next minute she was…why exactly?"

Julie took two right turns, one left turn and drove through three blocks in silence before answering,

"…She is a hybrid born to a man and a gravekeeper, you know that, don’t you?"

Kiriko nodded, while the lion in the middle row showed no reaction, his face propped up by an elbow..

"She inherited the characteristics of both Mankind and gravekeepers. In the past, there was a village of Dead who survived using her status as a gravekeeper to ward others off from other gravekeepers."

The traffic police made the ‘stop’ signal at the intersection.

"Ai grew up in that village."

"Go ahead."

"The village people deliberately made Ai think they were Living, and made up a fable for her, basically using it to bluff her …"

"So that's what she meant by 'she is me'…"

Ulla and Ai were obviously so different, but the outcomes they received were so wonderfully similar.

"…It's not time yet."

Julie turned the steering wheel hard, and went from the street to the alley.

"If it had been a while longer, if she had been a little older…I'm sure it wouldn't have come to this. Just another year, no, another six months, then she should be able to forgive you, and even really save you. Maybe she might even develop a friendship with you guys and become really good friends … but not yet, now you'll just mess up badly when you touch each other."

Through the alley by the masked street, the dormitory approached. All the bags were packed and ready to go.

"I'm going to leave as soon as I pick up Scar."

Julie said.

"… I know. I'll contact them first."

Kiriko replied.

"Sorry for leaving a big mess for you to clean up…my sincerest apologies."

"It’s not really…"

Another ‘stop’.

That's when the light came into the car.

“?”

Kiriko and Julie both looked back to see where the light was coming from.

The lion opened the back door and got out of the car.

"This is where I'm getting off."

He said and closed the door gently.

"Then I'll go, uncle, say hello to the little fox for me."

"…You don't want to see her again?"

"Yes."

The lion said, and walked down the street without looking back.

"?…Then let's go."

Julie mumbled these words and stepped on the gas.

At this point Ai was no longer in the car.

Part II

(Is there something else you want to do?)

(… Yes.)

(…Then I will find a way to let you go.)

 

The lion let Ai escape, but Ai was so tired and exhausted that just exiting the car and walking here drained her completely.

Ai stayed in a park on a market street in the outskirts of Ortus; once she got out of the car and ran in the direction where no one was, she arrived at this place without realizing it. The park itself was well maintained, with dense vegetation, and the colors looked particularly bright to Ai, who was used to the yellow sand of the wilderness and the white stones of her hometown.

Then she found a small pavilion.

The pavilion itself was very small, with only a wicker lounge chair inside.

Ai sat down with the intention of resting, but her body was like clay that had been drenched in rain, and she was softly poured into the mold of the lounger.

It did not take much time for her eyelids to droop.

The needles of the cedar trees swayed, and the shadows that fell on her face passed at the speed of light. The green glow penetrated her eyelids to comfort her eyes, which had been staring into the darkness.

When no one moved around anymore, the birds flew back and chirped. In the hazy mountains in the distance, she could see a small green bird that she had never seen before, and it was seemingly within grasp, tilting its head incredulously.

Ai gently closed her eyes and let time pass.

The world did nothing for this young girl who had lost so much, except to cast a warm sunlight.

Ai was a little sad, and cried with her eyes closed.

"Big sister, what's wrong with you?"

Big sister?

Ai was shocked to hear someone call her that for the first time, and slowly opened her eyes.

Next to the recliner stood a young girl, a blonde of about nine years old, dressed in a one-piece work suit like a gardener, with leather gloves on her hands.

And she was, of course, dead.

"Sorry, this is actually Grandpa's seat … ah! No, it's okay for you to sit. Because big sister looks so sad …"

She called Ai a big sister again.

Ai had assumed she was the youngest in the world.

The girl who would eternally be nine years old stared at Ai coyly and squirmed, using her body to express "I want to know more about you". She then could not hold back the emotion and blurted out.

"Excuse me, are you… a Living person?"

Ai nodded. The young girl's eyes widened and she grabbed the armrest of the recliner and shouted.

"Wow, it's great! I see a Living for the first time."

Ahhh,

"Big sister is so beautiful! But the skin is too smooth, it seems strange … ah, sorry, this is beautiful. It's pretty, but…"

Argh, Give me a break.

The young girl continued to point out with her fingers how strange the Living was, and was surprised by every difference.

That was the common sense of Ortus.

In the place where the Dead was commonplace, it was abnormal to see the Living.

Ulla was not the only one who was deceived by the lie, no, the lie had ceased to be a lie and had become common sense.

It used to be a common belief throughout Mankind that burying the Dead was a matter of course… but at this point, that common sense has become one of many opinions.

Ai closed her eyes hard and saw Kiriko smiling lightly. "The Living will die out, and it’s a matter of time until the whole world will be left with only the Dead." The young girl in front of her seemed to embody this future world, smiling innocently at this Living.

My world is being destroyed. My dreams were destroyed.

I thought the world should feel more troubled. I thought the world would be more troubled by the fact that children were no longer being born, that Mankind was no longer dying, and that there were gravekeepers.

But that's not the case.

The world has already been saved and doesn't need any help from itself.

"Wow, wow, I'm sorry, big sister. I'm sorry, don't cry."

No matter how hard Ai closed her eyes, the tears still came out and ran down her cheeks.

The world was very considerate and took great pains to wipe away her tears.

†

She woke up and realized that she had fallen asleep.

The trees were rustling in a wind different from that of the morning, the sun had come to the other side, and the air had become very cold.

The little girl had disappeared.

Her gardening tools were still in place, and Ai assumed she would be back, but Ai had decided to leave. If the grandfather she spoke of had come, staying would probably only add to the trouble.

Ai rummaged through her pockets to find something to give her, and found two candies. The bushes seem to be ahead of the night and are dark and narrow inside.

Ai suddenly remembered that she had yet to ask for her name.

Looking back, the pavilion was still surrounded by the daylight, leaving a calm and warm atmosphere. Then she ran away without looking back.

†

The inner courtyard of Ortus Palace.

There was an unusual crowd of people, all of them attendants of Princess on her tour. From the honor guards, the ritual guard, the city mayor, the medic, the bearer and the jester, and the technical inspector, everyone was relieved to be back in the familiarity of the castle.

Kiriko walked away from the chaotic crowd alone and leaned against the wall to concentrate.

(I'm Pox, I don't see her at the east gate / I'm Wreck, same at the West gate/ Diva! There’s no way she’s with me! I’m so busy here that I’m dizzy! Don't contact me!/…/…)

The name Ai summoned several memories that did not belong to him. Kiriko desperately tried to keep himself from being overwhelmed by the memories of Pox, Wreck, Diva, Orias, Vela and the others, and tried to sift through them to find the information he needed.

There was nothing new to report.

Everyone was too busy with their own business to look for Ai.

Kiriko suffered alone from the feeling of powerlessness, and bit his lips as he waited.

"…Kept you waiting…"

At that moment, a man and a woman arrived in front of Kiriko.

Despite the difference in gender, these two people look very much alike. They were approximately thirty, wearing the same suit, and their faces and body shape seemed gender neutral. The man looked feminine, and the woman looked masculine.

"Orias! Vela! You're too slow!"

And he was indeed a woman, and she was also a man.

“I'm sorry.”

There was a thin line under the throats of those who said the words at the same time.

They were separated by this line.

They were the last of the defective pentagram, whose heads were swapped around.

"So, will the soldiers help find Ai?"

“They said they could add that to the important notices.”

"What's the point of that!?”

Kiriko stomped hard on the ground. He was trying so hard to find Ai, but the others would not.

The soldiers, guards or the retainers, all treated Ai as a lost child and ignored his request for treating her as a fugitive, or for added security.

He finally found Orias, asked the latter to submit a request, but only obtained this result instead.

"Damn!"

All the curses come back to himself instead. He insulted them so hard, but what was he doing!? He inherited their good blood, yet he was simply stomping his feet here?

Kiriko was completely anxious.

"…Kiriko…where is Julie…?"

"…He's more desperate than me!"

Julie complied with Ortus' rules so thoroughly that one had to feel sorry for him. He never forgot to seek permission from Kiriko or anyone else, and never overstepped the rules, whether he was outdoors while martial law was imposed, or looking out at the East Gate. He did not expect anything from the soldiers and Kiriko to seek Ai out. Him being so mature about the entire matter was a stark contrast to Kirko, who merely spent his time here, doing nothing.

"Damn! I'm wasting time. I'm going back! I'm telling you, don't call me just for this information! Next time send it straight to the head…"

“…Kiriko…”

The half man, half woman called out to him. It was Vela.

"What is it? I'm in a hurry, say something."

“Well…Princess's situation, Ai and Shad understood about Princess, right…”

"Yes…"

The half men and half women listened silently.

"… What do you want to say?”

At his urging, Vela made up her mind and said.

“Kiriko, we decided that we’re not going to hide this from the Princess and tell her. We’re going tos eek her forgiveness…”

"Are you kidding me!?"

Kiriko simply refused the proposal.

"How can you ask her for forgiveness after all this time! You just want to let go of your burdens, don't you! If that's the case, then why did you hide it in the first place!?"

But…Orias wanted to retort, albeit weakly.

"All of you who started this! If you want to do it, commit until the very end!"

“Kiriko… but, no matter which way you look at it…we can't hide it anymore…”

"I will keep it going."

“Kiriko…”

"I will continue until the last moment. If you don't want to do it, I'll tell all the lies. So do what you want, just stay out of the way."

Kiriko took a step with the eyes gathered on him and walked from the first floor corridor of the castle to the right hall. He exited the Palace, and then went towards the minaret where Ulla lived.

Ai would definitely come here.

The walls and guards could not stop her. She would arrive here.

—I won't give you what you want.

Kiriko took a breath behind the hedge and reconnected with the other five. He felt like he had been connected as many times today as he usually was in a month. His brain was almost boiling, and his eyes started to ache.

There was still no word about rom Ai.

He opened his eyes and looked around, thinking that it would be nice to see Ai hiding between the walls and the bushes in the outer courtyard.

—I knew it wouldn’t be that simple.

But Kiriko continued with his unnecessary imagination. He could imagine them finding Ai immediately, Julie feeling relieved, Scar recovered, and the three of them would disappear together into the wilderness. He would make amends with Shad, the adults would stop nagging, and the Princess would continue to live her life without knowing anything. And then…

"Everyone dies in the end…"

How wonderful it would be if everyone died.

"………………What the hell am I doing…”

Kiriko shook his head and stepped out again.

At that moment…

Kiriko saw a blurred shadow on the ground in front of him, “What the?” and without thinking, he looked up to see what it was.

As a result, he saw a bright darkness, a missing half-moon, and a pair of green eyes.

He was taken by surprise.

The green eyes got rid of the darkness and the moon, and came to the ground without a sound.

"Mr. Kiriko."

Right beneath the moon.

The place that was still empty until a a second ago was filled with a green-eyed child with brilliant blonde hair, standing there.

"Ai…?"

The sight in front of him was so unexpected that Kiriko suspected he was hallucinating. However, there was no doubt that she stood in front of him.

"You, what did you do?"

"I climbed the walls, jumped down, nothing."

"What the …"

Ai replied "I am a gravekeeper at least", and then smiled weakly.

Her smile was not as sharp as last night.

"You're going to tell Ulla everything?"

"…………Yes."

Ai said with a chuckle, scratching the back of her head timidly. Her demeanor was as normal, which reassured Kiriko a little.

"… If you don't mind, could you please stay out of the way? Don't look at me like this, I seem to be quite capable."

"Hold on! Listen to me!"

"What else is there to say when it comes down to it?"

"Princess is in a different situation than you are!"

"You still want to bring up this matter…?"

"No, you're mistaken!"

This statement finally made Ai frown in confusion.

"… What are you trying to say?"

"Your village wouldn’t have lasted."

The angry expression formed a definite shape, so thick that it was almost palpable.

"Wait, you listen to me. You should know that, right? The lies your village told you were destined to be exposed, am I wrong? Even if your father hadn't gone, it was a matter of time until the village collapsed!"

"…Yes…that’s right."

Ai's expression was extremely bitter, but still accepted the truth.

Kiriko clenched his fist, quietly pleased that Ai was still calm.

"So what…are you implying that your lies will never be uncovered …?"

"I wouldn't say that, but my lies will only last for a little while longer."

"…? What does that mean?"

"Sooner or later, all Living will be dead, won't they?"

Ai's eyes widened, as she accepted this as a matter of course.

“On Monday, God created the world.

On Tuesday, God took a fatal blow and died.

On Wednesday, the Devil was victorious, and cursed the world.

On Thursday, the curse spread throughout the world.

On Friday, God perished together with the Devil.

And on Saturday, the dying God gave a certain human the power to correct the world."

“W-what are you rambling about all of a sudden?”

"It's a false fable we made up, and there are other false stories in it."

Kiriko spoke another false fable that he had never told anyone about, that was hidden deep in his heart.

"The real fable has a different last line.

—Saturday night fell on everyone equally. By Sunday morning, no one had survived.

The Princess ceases to be Princess, and shall become part of eternity.

…That's the full extent of Princess' fable.”

"…I don't quite understand, what are you trying to say?"

"That means, well."

Kiriko answered. He even had a smile on his face, thinking that this statement was perfect.

"As long as everyone is dead, her eyes will no longer have meaning."

In a world where no new life is born, it was a matter of time until all Living become Dead.

"Our lies will only last until that day! That way, she won't be hurt!"

"I see."

Ai said the words "I see.", imitating the words of someone she knew.

Then…

"So that's what you had in mind …"

Kiriko was very passionate in his words, and on the contrary, Ai’s attitude was increasingly cold.

"Do you really think that this won't hurt Ulla?"

Kiriko's words were stuck in his throat. He knew that he had to immediately shout "Of course!" But the words just would not come out.

Ai's eyes and words pierced Kiriko's last line of defense. Once shattered, this defense would no longer be a wall of steel, but a papier-mâché wall made of lies and fear.

Even if everything would be over before she realized.

Even if she noticed before everything was over.

She would have been hurt.

For she was kind.

This they already knew.

"What else could I do!?"

Kiriko shouted out. He shouted, realizing that even he could not fool himself with his lies.

"Do you understand how the Dead feel!? Do you understand what it's like to love her and have to take advantage of her?"

Ten years ago, there was no place for Ortus to settle, and wherever they wanted to settle down, they were hindered by the ‘common sense’ of the time, fired upon with guns. The people of Ortus were shooed by people, told that ‘the Dead should stay still and die’, and the sight of everyone shot and stabbed was heartbreaking. Ulla's childish laughter at that time was such an important pillar in people's hearts…and they truly hesitated to use her magic eyes.

"I like her."

Kiriko said so. He had warm tears on his face. It was unfitting for a Dead at all.

"Kiriko Zubreska likes Ulla Hecmatika…I want to protect her…I want to protect her from all the outrageous realities around her. She is very kind, not only considerate, knows how to think about people, smiling is so cute, her laugh is so charming, her eyes are so beautiful …Ai, if it were you, what would you do? If you had the chance to protect such a kind girl from the cruelty of the world, how would you do it?"

In fact, Kiriko did not know who had first tried to hide the whole world from Ulla, but he could relate to that person's feelings.

"Can you not lie?"

"I like that girl…!"

Kiriko finally confessed. He cried and said the truth that he had never been able to say to anyone since he was born and gained feelings. It was at this instance that he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, and felt that he had been saved, and that he could accept whatever would happen afterwards.

His feelings were indeed conveyed.

"…You’re right… maybe I'll lie too."

Kiriko heard the words that gave him hope, and the desire in his heart awakened immediately.

"Then I beg you! Please spare us!"

His innocent mood has disappeared, and gave his utmost baring his foul-smelling fangs that had lied his entire life.

"That's right! If you tell her those things, Ulla will hate you!"

"…!"

"Don't you hate the people who freed you? You don't even regret it?"

Ai did not evade these words, but took them all in stride, gritting her teeth.

Kiriko was like a cornered rat, gnawing everywhere.

"Don't you ever think that you want to live your life among the lies of the villagers? Do you know that what you're about to do won't decisively save her after all!?"

"I know."

Ai looked at Kiriko with the expression of a loser.

"But, I'm still going to say it."

"! You crazy dog!"

Kiriko clenched her fist and lunged.

"You know what, Mr Kiriko? You’re not going to convince me by saying this is for Ulla’s sake."

Ai jumped lightly, closed the distance to avoid the punch, and wrapped her arms around Kiriko's neck in a hug-like motion.

"---Uhhhh! Gah!"

"Has Ulla ever asked you to lie to her?"

"!"

"Mr. Kiriko, you did say to me before 'Did you ask the world first? Did the world ever ask you to save it?'…those words coming from you, when you did something worse? You ‘fooled’ the world, and you don’t let it know that there is help …"

The oxygen couldn’t reach Kiriko’s brain, and his thoughts scattered. His brain failed to send distress signals.

"…I shall return what you said back to you."

The only words that remained on the edge of the dying consciousness were.

"Did the world ever ask you to lie to it?"

†

Ai did not know if Kiriko had asked the other five for help, so she decided to move the unconscious person instead. She could not move him too far, at most from the right hall to the inner hall, and she could not find a place to hide him, so she just dumped him aside.

She looked up at the minaret where Ulla lived.

There was light in the room. Ai was a little relieved and a little sorry. She was not exactly sure of her own feelings.

Her actions did not make sense from the point of view of a gravekeeper or from the point of view of saving the world. There was no reason to risk her life in a place like this, and telling Ulla the secret would not have freed anyone.

But Ai still could not stop.

She could not ignore the opportunity to ‘save herself from the past that could not be saved’.

Naturally, her hands reached for the minaret, grabbed the bricks and moved her body upwards.

The window was open.

"Ulla, it's me, it's Ai. Please don't say anything, and I'll have to ask you to cover your eyes."

There was a silence.

After a while, there was a clattering of footsteps and the sound of a cupboard being opened. Ai saw a familiar piece of paper stretched out the window, and it read.

“Ai? Is it really you?”

"Yes, it’s me—can I come in?"

“Of course.”

Ai rolled into the room with the same motion the lion had done before.

“What's the matter?”

Ulla gave a nonplussed, yet happy smile as she invited Ai to sit down in front of the big bed. She sat down on the bed, which looked big enough for five adults to sleep on, using the bear doll as a cushion, and reached out to flip through her notebook.

"I'm here to tell you something today."

“Tell me something?”

"Yes, about me and you."

Ai began without hesitation.

"I'm a hybrid born to a gravekeeper and a man."

The truth started to burn the lies.

"I was born in a village deep in the mountains, where the villagers raised me as a 'gravekeeper'."

The words were enveloped upon the flaming tongue that began to burn Ulla's world.

Ai was relentless, setting fire to every inch of the world so as not to leave any half-ash, any half-miserable wreckage.

She told everything.

She told of the days she spent as a gravekeeper despite her doubts; of the villagers who loved her but kept her away; of her struggle to get new parents; of how Hampnie Hambart ruined it all; of the time she learned she was a half-breed born to a gravekeeper and a ma; and of what the villagers did with this fact.

"So my village is a village of Dead…since I was a child, they have kept me in the dark, so I did not find out until recently … Ulla, you too. Your situation may seem completely different from mine, but my situation and yours are like two sides of the same coin, in fact, they are exactly the same … Please don’t be shocked and just listen to me quietly. You are the 'Idol of Murder’. You can kill a person by recognizing a person with your senses. Everyone else is dead. The people you assume are normal are actually Dead."

The truths that had been hidden since birth were revealed one after another, one after another, on the bed.

"s—and Mr. Kiriko has been lying to you all these years to protect you."

That was all she had to say.

There was something more she should have said, but she could not say anything. Whether it was to comfort or apologize, she desperately wanted to make this last moment last a little longer.

“Is that all?”

Ulla flipped open her notebook, as if to announce that the play was over.

Ai replied feebly,

"Actually…"

Her voice changed its tone as she replied.

"Actually, I wanted to save you."

The feeling of powerlessness and guilt tightened in her chest and strangled her throat.

"When I was in that village before, the way he saved me was to destroy everything and leave me free. I don't want to use such an outrageous method…I want to save myself in a way that my father couldn't."

Ai uttered to herself, But, I can't do it after all …

It was so sad, so sad, but the tears would come.

"I can't save the world, I can only 'destroy' it… I'm sorry, you must be… very angry …"

Ulla did not say anything.

"…I'll leave and I won't be in front of you anymore … It's okay if you hate me or if you want to break up with me. It's only for a few days, but I'm really happy that you wanted to be my friend."

Ai said and stood up.

“Wait.”

Ulla called out to her, flipping open her notebook.

Then she picked up her pen.

†

It was that dream again.

It was the dream I used to have when he was first ‘conceived’.

Pox, Wreck, Diva, Orias, Vela.

They gave up their lives to create him, and he, of course, failed to live up to their expectations.

They wanted a child, another person who was not who they were, not a replica of their brain.

(You are what you are.)

The old Kiriko could not understand this statement. At that time, he had no sense of self.

(You don't have a soul.)

It was Wreck who said that. (You're an automaton made from extra parts of us, not what we want.)

(I understand.) Kiriko answered that, because Kiriko was Wreck.

(Don't understand.) Wreck answered. (I'm begging you…don't understand us …)

And the six of them have been in Ortus since the early days. when Ortus was still young and a wandering group.

(Kiriko, I have a favor to ask of you.)

(I understand.)

(I told you not to understand.)

Kiriko was taken to the far end of the group, where there was a young child who was just learning to talk.

She was Ulla Eulesse Hecmatika.

(You have to lie to her.)

What Wreck asked him to do was not to be a babysitter or an escort, but to lie to this child.

(That's all those old people want. You have to create a world where she doesn't find out what she is. You have to bring us to life, to make Living and Dead change places, to make her vision meaningless.)

Kiriko nodded her head without thinking and walked towards the child.

(Your Highness Ulla, nice to meet you.)

(… Nice to meet you.)

(My name is Kiriko Zubreska.)

(Kiko Uureka?)

(Please call me Kiriko.)

(Kiko!)

(It's Ki, ri, ko.)

(Mr. Rabbit?)

(… Sorry, you don't seem to be listening to me. I wonder if you could please tell me where did that rabbit part come from?)

(Erm, Mr. Rabbit is not Mr. Fox.)

(Thank you for your guidance, I already knew that.)

(But, they're friends!)

(Is that so?)

(Well! So, Kiko is a friend too!)

(… I don't know what’s with the ‘so’ part, and I don’t know how we ended up here, and the name’s wrong right from the beginning…forget it, let's just leave it at this point.)

This was how the two of them met.

The times thereafter were turbulent, Ulla killed tens of thousands of soldiers without realizing it, and Ortus used death as currency to take over the hills in the wilderness.

But this had nothing to do with the change that took place in his own heart. Kiriko merely spent every day with Ulla, going about their daily lives together.

It was enough for Kiriko to become an ordinary boy who unknowingly fell in love with a young girl.

It seemed he had a dream. It was a very cozy dream, one very suitable when nuzzling in a warm blanket.

…it was a dream too happy for him to remain asleep on this cold ground.

The moment he thought of this, Kiriko woke up.

He instinctively jumped up and looked around.

After a moment of confusion, Kiriko roused his memory and immediately took off running.

"That girl!"

There was a lingering feeling that her slender arms were still vague, but it quickly disappeared.

He forced himself to run in the darkness of the night with anxiety and fear. His legs tripped and fell with too much fuel, and he had fallen twice by the time he reached the minaret.

The minaret at the spire were on duty as usual, and nothing was out of place.

"Uncle Zel, did Ai come here?"

"Kiriko? What's wrong with you! Why are you covered in mud!?"

"It's not important!"

Kiriko was bored by these people's simplicity, and he was further incensed by their incompetence when they reported to him that ‘everything was fine’.

Kiriko ignored the so-called etiquette or discipline and ran through the corridor where running was forbidden, climbing the stairs three steps at a time, without stopping to apologize to the maid who he had bumped into.

Second floor, third floor.

Fourth floor, Ulla's room.

He opened the door without knocking, which was enough to get him imprisoned for a whole month, but he did not care about that. Nobody was present at the desk, the dresser, the closet, no, no no, where did she go!?!

The bedroom.

There she is.

He could see Ai and Ulla sitting face to face on the bed. Ulla is sitting inside, and Ai is sitting against the door.

"…You're rather fast."

Kiriko knew it was too late because of her expression and those words.

It was over.

It was all over.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

He had assumed it was some strange sound, but it was his own voice. His head told him "What are you doing? Continue with the lies." But his feet had lost strength, his body slid down the door, his hands ruffed his head, and he tore hundreds of hair strands that fell to the floor.

"It's over…it’s all over…"

Kiriko looked up at the bed with a Dead-like empty expression, and Ai looked at Ulla with the same expression.

Ulla's gaze was focused on the writing in her notebook. Was she writing to scold him, or lamenting her cry? He wanted to determine through her face, but it was covered by an eye mask and a mouth bridle, and he could not see any expression.

—Forget it, it doesn't matter now.

There’s no way to receive her forgiveness.

Kiriko waited for the moment of parting, for the moment when Ulla’s hand would stop.

Let's go to the wilderness.

Kiriko thought as he listened to the sound of the pencil's tip.

Let's leave Paradise and go to the wilderness alone as a punishment for myself.

The day had finally come, the day of reckoning, the day when the crime was revealed and he was punished. It was a matter of time, but today was the day.

Kiriko wanted to take the opportunity to look at Ulla a little more, for he assumed that he would not have the chance to look at her anymore.

With her black hair and snow-white skin, the girl looked as beautiful as a doll with only these two dull colors.

But the real her is not like that. Even Ai did not know this.

The real her was actually more bright and colorful. She too had green eyes, red lips, and a lively smile. The colors and sounds that spread death were so tragically beautiful that he did not want them to be tainted.

But those days are over. She already knows who she was, what her song and her sight mean.

All that would change. Her kindness would surely not have saved her.

He would wander in the wilderness herself, and Ulla was deeply hurt.

—I believe Ai is hurt too.

Kiriko looked at Ai sitting on the bed. Ai, like Kiriko, waits for Ulla's words and awaits the verdict with the vacant expression of a sinner.

—It’s all fated.

He wished he had met her somewhere else, not as a cog in a machine of deceit, but as her purest self—but then Kiriko would not be Kiriko.

He wished the two of them had met in a different place. Like long ago or long after, when Ulla had no secrets and Ai did not carry a heavy curse—but if that were the case, he was certain they would not have met and would have found their own happiness.

It was destiny, and no matter how hard the struggle, this was the expected result.

Then Ulla's hand stopped.

The pen nib finished writing the last stroke and was gently put back into the pen box. The notebook flipped back to the top of the page.

The words written on the white paper were so vivid that one could smell the charcoal.

“I understand everything you've said.”

She turned the page.

“But, don't feel bad. I forgive you.”

““How can this be!?””

They both shouted in unison.

"'Ulla, you've got it all wrong! You are probably too frightened to think clearly. What I've done can't be forgiven that easily!"

"That's right! I can't accept it either, please say what you really mean!"

Ulla was forced back slightly by their aggressive attitudes, and then smiled slightly.

“This is strange, why am I being scolded instead?'

"Ulla, you don't understand yet … you don't understand how much I've lied to you …"

“No, I understand.”

Turning the page again, these words appeared.

“Because I already knew you were lying to me.”

Kiriko suddenly felt as though he was illiterate, for he could not understand what this sentence meant at all.

Then he could barely move his dry tongue and swallowed a drop of saliva from his tightly closed throat.

""Eh?""

Ai too echoed in unison.

“So you don't have to be so fussed over this.”

"Wh-when was it? When did you know everything!?"

Ai shouted.

Ulla turned the page again.

“I just found out everything.”

“Just now?”

“Yes, so I already knew only half of it –I knew vaguely that my eyes affected people, and I knew that Kiriko and the others were desperately trying to hide it—but they told me they were Living, so I don't know exactly what I did.”

"Then, then why didn't you say anything! Why, to pretend to be lied to—"

“Because I didn't think it mattered.”

"What?"

'Because I thought that if people didn't want me to know, then why should I know.'

—I'd forgotten.

I forgot that she was so kind.

But—so that's how it is, so I can kill.

Ulla gently touched the shackles covering her face.

"D-didn’t you feel hurt?"

Kiriko asked this with trepidation. He didn't have the heart to put it more politely.

“Well—I was shocked, but not hurt.”

"Why, why!"

Ai shouted.

"You should know that you are killing …"

That was all she said before she shut up. The second half of the sentence was something she could not say.

But Ulla had expected that.

'You mean to say, you know I killed someone?'

Then she turned the page.

“I'm not really sure what killing is all about, but, Ai, what I'm doing isn't likely to hurt me.”

"How is that possible…"

“Someone laughed as if a huge burden was lifted.”

She turned another page.

“Someone made a long, long last sigh; someone closed their eyes as if they had died. Those with weapons and frightened faces stopped fighting as soon as they saw me and all entered Ortus.”

She turned the page again.

“Some people cried out. Others did not join us and decided to wander in the wilderness. But everyone had a ‘relieved’ look on their face.”

Ulla turned her neck to indicate "Right, Ai?"

'Is death—or should I say me—really that bad?'

Ai closed her eyes hard.

"…I don't know."

“Yes, I don't know either.”

The words danced. Ulla moved her pen quickly and wrote out a few new pages.

“Ahhh, you're just going on a journey to figure out what you don't know.”

Ai nodded her head.

“—I think this is the first time our hearts are connected. Ai, you and I may be alike, but we're not the same after all. You're free, you hate cages, you're a bird in the air; but I'm different, I love the cage of Ortus.”

At that moment, Ulla touched her cheek gently. She wore on her face the things that bound her most deeply, and she said she liked them.

I think it doesn't matter if I don't understand something, so…

Ulla said with only a smile on her cheeks and turned the last page.

 

“Ai, I'm going to formally dismiss your words. I'm not ruined, so there's nothing to forgive or not to forgive from the beginning.”

 

After turning the page, Ulla closed the notebook and clutched it to her chest.

Kiriko crawled shakily to the bedside, knelt down and said to Ulla.

"…Thank you, Ulla. I'm sorry I lied to you before …"

—It's okay.

Perhaps the notebook had run out, for Ulla took Kiriko's right hand and wrote on it with her index finger.

"—It's great that you didn't break down…"

—Is that hyperbole?

“Because I thought that if it ever came to light…I feared that you'd hate your eyes, your throat, and will try to stab your eyes or boil your throat by drinking hot oil…”

—Eh…is that the impression you have of me, Kiriko?

Ulla was a little dumbfounded as she wrote these words.

—Kiriko thinks I'm too weak, I'm pretty strong though.

"Well, that's true…"

He had to admit this.

Kiriko capitalized on the fact that Ai could not see as he admitted this while shedding a tear.

—Speaking of which, Kiriko…

He immediately wiped away his tears and looked up to see Ulla looking uneasily to Kiriko's left. There was supposed to be Ai sitting there.

—Ai has been silent since just now …

Kiriko turned her head to look in Ulla’s stead.

 

"Fue."

 

Kiriko did not dare to understand.

"Uuu, uuu, wooooaaaaahhh12:39, 20 November 2021 (CET)"

The child's cries echoed through the room, tears dripping onto the sheets one after another.

Kiriko and Ulla could only listen to her cries, and then shrugged their shoulders as if there was nothing they could do about it, and spoke up to comfort her.

"…Goodness, you're so happy you want to cry?"

Ai covered her face with her hand and shook her head.

Kiriko and Ulla looked at each other.

—Then why are you crying?

The words were written on the right hand.

"Why are you crying?"

Ai wanted to speak, but she could not because she was crying. But she still managed to say with a choked voice.

"No…this shouldn’t be the case…uuu…how can… I shouldn’t be crying…"

—How could it be?

"It's not like that."

"Why not…obviously…!"

Ai managed to raise her tear-filled eyes and looked at both of them and said.

"I-I'm here to save you!"

—Yes, I know.

These words were written on her right hand.

"Then why am I the one who is saved? Why!? That's just the opposite! It's not right! I should be the one saving the world!"

Ai looked half dead.

"I'm clearly not on the side of being saved anymore!"

Ai hunched her back and started crying quietly. She looked so childish, it was heartbreaking.

Kiriko listened to the sad sobbing quietly.

To be honest, he could not agree with Ai's tears, because he would think she was crying for her own sake.

But Kiriko's heart still did not produce a trace of anger, the only thing he felt was…

…She was so pitiful.

Ulla leaves these words on his right hand and walked away. Kiriko wondered what she wants to do …

And then she hugged him tightly from behind.

(P-Princess! What are you doing?)

He felt so happy, but also felt puzzled, turned his head, but saw Ulla with an unhappy expression, "What are you still staring at?" She gestured for him to move faster.

Kiriko instantly showed a displeased expression.

As a result, Ulla immediately put on a very scary face. Even though he felt that it was very inexplicable that he had to hug another girl when he was being hugged by the girl he liked, he steeled himself and sighed in the end.

 

In place of Ulla, who could never touch Living, he hugged Ai tightly.

The cries became louder and came to his ears.

"You're so silly too."

He spoke in place of her, who could never make a sound.

—You say you want to save …

"Or be saved…"

—How can you be sure…

"How can you be sure of such things?"

Ulla's thoughts were conveyed through her right hand. There was no need for words, just clasped hands.

You've saved me completely. “You saved me, I'm not lying to you." I'm really glad that Ai came to this city. "I'm really glad to have been saved." Do you really hate being saved by us that much, Ai?

The blonde hair shifted from side to side, showing the struggle in her heart.

“The law doesn't say that people who want to save the world can't be saved by the world.”

Ai didn't move in Kiriko's arms, but kept crying.

“It's almost like you've been put under a curse…”

…Curse? So Ai asked.

“Yes, it's a curse that is almost comparable to ‘me’ being the ‘Idol of Murder’. It's like a curse to spend your life on a problem that you can't do, like ‘saving the world’, I guess?”

"Maybe…."

Ai raised her eyes.

"But, even if it's a curse, even if it's dirty, this is my dream."

"…Is it so?"

"I can't give up…until I do…"

"Is that so…"

Ulla patted Kiriko's head.

Give me a break, so Kiriko thought, but still obliged and touched Ai's head.

"… You're so dazzling."

Kiriko decided to take the place of Ulla, who could never look at Living, and remember Ai's sharp silhouette forever.

Behind the scenes

“There's someone I want you to meet.

Ulla said so after everything was over. So Julie and Scar were also brought into the Palace.

“My older sister, Celica Hecmatika.”

†

Julie made preparations to escape from the city before entering the palace and reuniting with Ai. He was not angry, and he did not lecture. He merely messed Ai's head roughly, as if to make sure she was still alive and well.

Scar too got out of the car, walking on her own, despite her faltering steps.

"This way."

Ulla and Kiriko let the group to the basement of the palace. Within a few steps, the stairs were already too narrow to breathe, and the exposed rock surface was so wet that it smelled mysterious.

The group slowly went down the stairs. Ulla was in the front, Kiriko was holding her, followed by Ai, Julie and Scar.

"Miss Scar, are you okay?"

It seems that by this point, Scar's condition has deteriorated significantly, and Julie has been supporting her.

"…I am…fine."

"You look so pale …"

"…Enough! Let us move forward!"

It was the first time they heard Scar yell at someone, and it startled Ai. It appeared Scar did not seem to notice her own abnormalities, and kept mumbling, "There is a voice…there is a voice calling me…", She was practically sleeptalking.

"…When we get back, I’m definitely getting you to the doctor, and ask for an injection…please come down slowly, watch your feet, the ground is a little wet."

After that no one spoke again, all the way towards the ground.

 

—When Ai stopped crying and the three of them let go of their hug, Ulla took out a notebook. It was Ulla's own memories, and she had planned to show it to Ai when she met her.

—I don't remember much about my parents.

The notebook that begins with this novel-like sentence.

My father died before ‘that night’ fifteen years ago, and my mother died after giving birth to me, so I don't know anything about them. But strangely, I have a vague memory of my mother, probably the moment of birth? That was the kind of memory I had. At that time, my mother was very eager to ask me a yes, I nodded.

I was told later that my mother did not want to have a baby because she did not like my father very much and her health was not good enough to survive the birth. Her body was so weak that a person would have given up on giving birth.

The rest of the article was supplemented by Kiriko's words, who told Ulla that, unlike the thoughtless sarcasm or rumors, they make sense.

Imara Hecmatika—Ulla's mother hated everything around her at the time. From the changed world, the nomadic life she married here, to her dead husband.

She even hated the name her husband left behind.

And what she hated most were the children he left behind. Her already thin arms and legs were reduced to skin and bones, and only her belly kept absorbing nutrients and swelling bigger and bigger.

To anyone's eyes, it was obvious that her body would not survive the birth. But by then the baby had become so precious that society took care of the pregnant woman and semi-forced her to give birth.

When the moment of delivery finally came, Imara died before she could even speak.

The physicians and relatives who surrounded her prioritized the baby over the mother, cutting open the abdomen with anatomical precision and without mercy.

In the haze of death, Imara glanced at the group of living people pouring into her abdomen.

Imara cried.

She threw out words of sorrow, grief and resentment to the world, spilling out her long-cherished wish that she could not say to anyone in the past and that no one promised to fulfill for her, mixed with tears of blood and amniotic fluid.

She prayed for people to die.

One had to wonder how many billions of people teetering on the edge tragedy made the same wish in the past. But their wishes never came true, no one granted them, and they died in vain.

The doctor and the villagers, of course, ignored her words, not even as a dream. Her wish should have died in vain, just like the wishes made by her predecessors.

But one person was naive enough to listen to this wish.

It was the posthumous child, Ulla Hecmatika, who was trying to crawl out of Imara's birth canal.

She inherited her mother's wish to ‘kill’ without any suspicion, and became a symbol of killing.

The other baby, on the other hand, resolutely rejected this wish.

She was Celica Hecmatika.

The twin sister of the idol of Murder.

†

The space beyond the stairs is surprisingly large. The rocks and air were still damp, and the space was as large as the dormitory.

There were already dozens of Dead inside, each of them in a high position of authority, along with Pox and Diva, so there seemed to be another entrance. There are so many people packed inside, if everyone was still alive, there would have been oxygen deprivation.

Under the watch of countless eyes, the group went from the center to the innermost part of the room. They were all called by Ulla, and no one knew the purpose of this gathering except her and Kiriko.

There was a pitch black sarcophagus at the far end of the room.

Ulla tapped the lid of the sarcophagus, and immediately a few strong men came forward and slowly lifted the lid and set it aside.

The coffin was covered with cotton.

Ulla poked her upper body in and reached into the cotton pile of the coffin, groping for something, and then suddenly stopped moving. She picked up the object she found, which looked like a skewed sphere.

"It's Her Highness Celica Hecmatika."

At Kiriko's words, everyone in the room exclaimed, and some even began to kneel.

It was a baby that was still wrapped in amniotic fluid, and the placenta had not even been removed.

Ai said, looking bewildered.

"This…is…"

"—Ulla accepted the wish of Her Majesty Imara to spread her power outward and become the Idol of Murder; on the other hand, Her Highness Celica firmly refused this wish and used the power for herself."

Ulla held the sphere with love and compassion. The baby seemed to be sealed in the dirty glass and did not move, its arms and legs shriveling, the placenta attached from the abdomen floating in the amniotic fluid, as if it was still in the womb.

"I-Is she still alive?"

"She's alive. If Ulla is the embodiment of death, then Her Highness Celica is the embodiment of life. Her desire to 'live' is most likely the most urgent desire in the world. Only she is not affected by Ulla's killing power, and this is the best proof of that."

Ai then realized that Ulla was holding the baby herself.

"But, but why isn't she moving?"

"Hm…we aren’t too sure either. Orias and some experts are saying that 'she stopped her time', but it does sound a little ridiculous. And even if that's true, we don't know why she’s still in this state. Despite the unusual circumstances, she has remained in this state steadily …"

Ulla had a worried look on her face and kept coaxing the baby even though she knew it was a waste of effort.

"Ulla says she's in a strange state…"

The baby, isolated from the world, was only slightly connected to her own sister.

Ulla said Celica had always wanted something, but had no idea what it was.

She said that it was only through the strong resonance she felt five days ago and continues to feel to this day, and upon further reasoning, and hearing Ai's story, that she finally understood what Celica wanted.

"Miss Scar."

Scar was so tired that her limbs were limp and she was barely able to stand with Julie's help. She slowly lifted her head and glanced at Ulla's hand.

 

Waaaaaahhh.

 

It was the cry of a newborn baby.

The round water bag broke, the placenta fell to the ground, and the umbilical cord dangled.

The baby that had been wandering in the birth canal for more than a decade was born at that very moment.

Waaaaaah! Waaaaaahhh! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Ulla desperately tried to hold on, ensuring that her sister would not fall. Neither the Living nor the Dead in the room could figure out what was happening, and merely listened to the sound that had disappeared from the world for so many years, completely mesmerized.

Only a gravekeeper made a move.

Scar escaped Julie's support and stumbled over. Her expression had the same anxiety as Mankind's, and her expression was very sorrowful.

Then Scar picked up the baby.

She held the crying baby in her arms, and her expression, which had been gloomy for several days, finally turned into a reassuring one.

The Dead shouted, "What are you doing?" To them, Ulla was the Princess on the stage and Celica was the Princess off the stage, and there were many who would give up their lives for the two sisters.

"Miss Scar! Please calm down! What's wrong with you?"

"Ai! I do not know! I really do not know! I find it ridiculous…but I just cannot help myself!"

The Dead's expression was more murderous, and the siren-like cries of the baby made everyone tense and drove away their composure.

"Anyway, give them back the baby first! Please calm down!"

"I cannot do it!"

"Why?"

 

"Because the baby is mine!"

 

This woman is crazy.

This thought came to everyone's mind, cursing the fact that the baby was in the hands of such a person. The reality was so confusing that some people pulled out their knuckles, while others brandished their blades.

Why are you idiots brandishing your daggers now!? Who’s taking responsibility if she falls over!? We need to negotiate! Is the other party listening!? We need experienced ones to handle them.

The chaos nudged the onlookers who were looking to pounce on the little baby and gravekeeper, and then,

The crying suddenly stopped.

Silence was instantly restored to the space, and the onlookers's eyes were directed in all directions back to the baby.

The baby sucked desperately at the nectar that was seeping out from under Scar's blouse.

Noticing this, Scar pulled the front of her blouse with one hand and ripped it open along with the buttons, exposing her breast.

The baby greedily took her nipple and kept moving the throat.

The guns fell to the ground with a clang.

Everyone exclaimed as if they had the pleasure of seeing God in heaven.

The chaos did not dissipate at all, but the sight of this long-lost act of God's holiness still made people bow down and sob with bodies that could no longer shed tears.

No one wanted to take the baby back from her anymore.

Because the fact was that the baby was finally back where it belonged.

“Thank you, Miss Scar. Thank you for being the mother to my sister.”

Ulla, with Kiriko's help, offered her thanksgiving.

At that moment, the surrounding Dead began to fumble, shouting "Bring a chair!" "Bring a lamp!" "Bring hot water!" "Call the doctor!" Everything that was needed was brought in quickly and surrounded Scar.

"Celica."

Ai looked from Scar, who was sitting in a chair, into her arms, and smiled.

"So you've been waiting for mommy."

And so Celica Hecmatika was born from the deepest depths of this earthly land.

The people thanked the great God and accepted this miracle.

But at this moment, no one knew the true meaning of this sight.

A gravekeeper was feeding a human baby.

A baby that could not have existed was born.

No one knew what this meant.

 

At the same moment.

The missing moon rose to the zenith, the cold wind swept over the rocky surface, crickets and bugs hid themselves in the earth to escape the cold. There was no life wandering beneath the pale, cold moonlight, and time seemed to stop still in the wilderness as the night passed peacefully.

There was a fire with a young man. The warm orange light of the fire was very faint, as if it would be swallowed up by the darkness, cold and silence around at any moment.

But this small flame was hot and tenacious.

A small pot hung over the fire, and there was boiling lead in the form of molten slurry. The fire burned entirely on charcoal, and burned white through the bellows.

The young man scooped up a ladle of lead slurry and poured it into the mold in his hand, and the liquid solidified silently in the mold. The young man waited for a while, tapped the mouth of the mold with a wooden mallet to remove the excess, tapped the handle, and poured the contents into the water tank.

The freshly finished slug rolled out, raising the temperature of the water slightly.

The young man repeated the action until the molten lead was used up. In the meantime, he changed the mold and the water jar once, and ended up with two different kinds of bullets.

Once done, the boy turned behind. There was darkness and earth, and two pistols that would soon swallow and spit these bullets.

Metallic in color, one automatic, one revolving.

But the young man's eyes were looking farther away—into the darkness beyond where the fire did not shine into.

The young man looked in the direction of Ortus.

He stared into the darkness with a serious expression.

After a while,

"Hachoo! —wooahh…d-damnit!"

The young man let out a huge sneeze into the wilderness, and nonchalantly returned to the fire as though nothing had happened. He picked up his knife and began to carefully scrape the excess off of each lead bullet.

"But then again…" he sniffled. "Ai Astin, huh…"

The lead shavings fell precisely into the jar.

"I never thought there was anyone in the world who’d the same dream as me."

The young man held the bullet up to the firelight and examined it, as if to see if it was sharpened properly.

"The world really isn’t simple."

The young man and the girl dreamed of saving the world.

Afterword

Rejoice, the second volume is published.

I know these words written by myself is pretty pointless, but I'm truly grateful that the second volume of 'Sunday Without God' is released. It is thanks to your reads that this volume is published. Thank you very much. For the first time in my life, I received what they call fan letters. These are my treasures.

Life truly is full of the unexpected.

For example, there was something I encountered.

It happened on a certain day, at the Ryugoku station of the Chuo-Sobu line. I was standing on the platform towards Chiba because of stuff. It was probably a holiday. The weather was good, and I could see many bringing their families.

One of these groups were a family, two parents bringing a boy who was probably in lower elementary.

So the boy suddenly shouted,

“That Chuo-Sobu train's really fast!"

I felt it was strange. The Chuo-Sobu line did have a Limited Express, but the boy was pointing at the local line which stopped at every station, so it probably was not fast or anything. For me, the train would accelerate obediently, and decelerate according to schedule, reaching the stations on time. Being too early or too later was no good, so I was curious about the boy's words.

And the boy continued,

“Look at how it's so new!"

I did not understand what he was saying at first, but on a closer look, I realized the train he was talking about was a new model, the still rare futuristic model.

New=new model=fast.

I was a little shocked. I probably used to think that way, the time when being cool was justice. I probably experienced thought processes like him, like whether it was anime or manga, the new version would surely be faster and stronger.

After twenty years, I knew too much, and could not no longer be that naive. Chuo-Sobu is Chuo-Sobu, and it did not matter to me whether it was a sparkling new model or a worn down old method

The father next to the kid listened with a '???' look,  so it seemed he had become a full-fledged adult (and just to note, the mother next to him was not listening at all, going "Oh really?"). I was pretty much in the middle, going "Kids these days..." thinking how I used to be like this.

…………………………Eh? Something seemed to be amiss. I wanted to talk about how 'Life is full of the unexpected', but the story here is more like 'kids have really interesting viewpoints'. Where did I go wrong? Well, it is a fine sorry[story?], so I shall leave it and not delete it. I do not have the time to rewrite.

Yes, I have no time. The emphasis of this afterword is not about how much the editor has been pressuring me, but I am really short on time. The editor told me this was a 'baptism', and I really do feel this way. I guess it would be something like que sera sera, or a blessing in disguise. Something like that.

Now then, I have used up all my regrets for tomorrow, so I shall end things off here.

Thank you very much.

This is all I have to say, and I earnestly wish for the next day we meet again.

Kimihito Irie

Translator's Notes and References

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