Mushi:Vol6 Ragnarok 03
Ragnarok 03: Peaceful, Everyday Heaven
From ★ Usarin (This is such an embarrassing nickname at my age) To ★ Sensei (Are you still a teacher?) Subject ★ Edict (how nostalgic) Body ★ Hello. Hello. This is Milady Usarin. Um, it’s been a long time since we last met… I’m not very used to this. Where I should start? My personality had changed quite a bit. Maybe you won’t even recognize me. Sensei, I’m here in this world again because of… reasons. I’m sending text messages right now, but I want to meet and speak with you. When would be a good time for you? I’m at Guriko-chan’s place right now. Guriko-chan grew taller. How many years had it been here? Well, there’s so much I want to tell you. That’s all for now.
FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū TO ★ You ungrateful Student! Subject ★This is not the time for pranks Body ★ Guriko, you bastard. Do you know that there are certain limits to jokes? I didn’t leave Milady’s phone with you so you can conduct these repulsive pranks on me. You are such a disappointment that it’s torture for your teacher. I’m telling you right now: you can go die if you think this is funny. You look like you are always doing nothing at all, and you are a useless repeat student whose grades never improved. You really are a shame to our school.
FROM ★ Usarin TO ★ Sensei Subject ★ I can understand why you won’t believe me… Body ★ It’s really me. I’m sorry. And… Sensei, your attitude towards Guriko-chan is really awful. Ahh, this is so awkward. We haven’t contacted each other for so long. Of course, anyone would have issues with adjusted if their old acquaintance popped up like this. Then… should I mention some embarrassing memories that only you and I would know? Like what happened in the karaoke room when we first met…? And the first swimming class in high school…?
FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū TO ★ … Subject ★ … Body ★ Are you… really Milady? You are back?
FROM ★ Usarin TO ★ Sensei Subject ★ … Body ★ Yes. I’m sorry for the suddenness, Sensei. It is more like I’m here to bother you again. This world doesn’t really need me anymore.
FROM ★ Sakaki Guryū TO ★ Usagawa Rinne Subject ★ I’m heading over right now Body ★ … Can we hold off the texting for a minute? I want to listen to your voice, on the phone, not through texts. I still can’t really believe it. I just don’t want it to be a dream!
That was when they stopped texting. Then Rinne’s phone rang loudly, and she pressed the receive button, took a deep breath, and smiled.
“… I’m back, Sensei.”
“… Welcome back, Rinne.”
That was when I walked out of the room, afraid to interfere with their conversation. I haven’t told Mom and Dad yet that Rinne will stay over tonight.
Was I also crying? My heart was calling out to Rinne silently as I watched her body quivering with emotions.
Welcome back, Rinne.
“I have the most shocking rumor of the week! I, with my cute smile, will now be your narrator!”
“… Wow, Miku hasn’t changed at all. You’re still bright as usual.”
“… I like this clever part about Miku.”
“Ahaha – thank you. But even if you treated me as an idiot, I can still tell the difference between sarcasm and actually praise.”
“Hahaha, hehehe.”
“Hmm, I’ll get you back for this later. Did you guys hear those rumors? It’s about that Man-Eating Demon the TV kept talking about. They looked like this – with a sharp head – and kept killing people. When they found the bodies, the victims’ hearts were pierced through, and their brains were sucked out. It’s really mysterious!”
“No, no, to be honest, that’s just plain scary. But, um, those man-eating rumors… aren’t they just made up fake news?”
“… Huh? Really? What’s that about, Kae?”
“Ah. You didn’t know, nee-san? Isn’t being a rumor mill the only talent you’ve got?”
“You talk too much, Megumi-chan. Seriously, I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently. Where am I supposed to get the energy to gather rumors? See, somebody was making a huge ruckus next to my place at night… when I got up in the morning, the whole area was full of blood – it was stinky and ugly. I won’t be able to sleep properly these days.”
“Isn’t that scarier than the Man-Eating Demon?”
“But the police already came by and said there was nothing to worry about… I had a quick look at the… corpses? All those corpses had the same face. Maybe they were actually marionettes.”
“Hehe.”
“But what about this idea of the rumor being fake? Do you know anything about this, Kaze-chan?”
“Mmm… ah, my Mom works in the hospital. She said there were lots of weird patients these days. They would come to the hospital, but there was nothing wrong with them. However, their families keep asking for them to be examined. It’s really annoying.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t get it. But there was something in common amongst all these ‘patients’ – they were all victims of the Man-Eating Demon.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Miku, you’re such an idiot.”
“… Am I an idiot, Rai-sensei?”
“Miku, I don’t believe people should lie.”
“Hehe.”
“I’m saying the claims about people being killed by the Man-Eating Demon were all fake, because those people were still alive. That’s why even the police said the Man-Eating Demon’s victims were all dumb fakers. They probably didn’t mean anything bad and just wanted the attention. Those ‘victims’ should all be dead, not alive in the hospital, so they were obviously lying.”
“Mmm… yeah. You are right. Man, that’s lame. I was hoping for something crazy to happen in our town. The kind of stuff from stories, you know?”
“Don’t think like that. Those kinds of scary stuff should only happen somewhere else. Our lives should be peaceful all the way to the end.”
“That’s so boring.”
“But Kaze-chan… I’m a bit worried. Why were those fake ‘victims’ sent to the hospital and not the police station? If those people who were ‘killed’ were still alive, their families should be at fault too. If it was clear that the victims were making things up, their families should have taken them to the police, right?”
“Um, Rai-sensei, that’s my concern as well… The families all said this ‘person’ was someone else. They said this person was fake. The family members asked the hospital to prove this person to be fake, or they asked the original family member to be returned to them…”
“…”
“…”
“… What is all this mess?”
“Who knows. It stinks. Miku, don’t get too involved in this. You might actually end up being an idiot if you get too curious, you know? We are happy and optimistic university students. We should pass our time in a more relaxing way.”
“Yeah… huh, this does sound really scary. Speaking of scary stuff, I’m not even young enough to talk about silly rumors anymore… I’m almost twenty. Wow, I’m almost a responsible adult, right?”
“Hehe… Aha, ahahaha!”
“Ume-chan, why are you laughing so loud like that?! Did I say something THAT funny?! And all of you, why are you all laughing your asses off?! This is RUDE! Bastards! Stop laughing! I’m not an idiot! Not an idiot! Seriously! Stop laughing!!”
It was early morning when we arrived at our destination.
We were flown here via a helicopter that Sakaki Ganhō forcibly borrowed from the Japanese Self-Defense Force. In his eyes, this country had as much value as a vending machine. I was very excited to fly, so I was happy, but Rinne looked rather depressed. I knew exactly why, but I couldn’t help her.
“…”
We had to endure this heavy mood for three hours. Our destination was an industrial plant already familiar to me. There was an evil facility hidden underneath this sprawl of grey factories before the destruction of the world, previously named the Eternal Institute, where all sorts of foul research were conducted.
The current world was completely changed, moving along a peaceful trajectory. However, the secret underground institute was still there. It was now the place where the Sakaki Organization – with Sakaki Ganhō as its head – researched the bygone old world and the state of the new world. Personally, I have very little interest about the structure of the world. Besides, the current world didn’t seem to have much to do with me –
But I can’t say this for the current situation.
“Ah, this is it, Rinne.”
I lowered my head, took Rinne’s hand, and walked with her to the entrance of the institute. I briefly turned my head to look behind me and sighed when I saw Sakaki’s pallid and wane face.
Sakaki had been like this ever since last night, when he rushed here to meet Rinne. I didn’t really understand what he was feeling, but I wished he wouldn’t act so gloomily in this already tense situation.
And Rinne was somehow also gloomy. Seriously, I was going to become depressed at this rate.
“… This is so depressing. If you two don’t get on well together, then I’m gonna dig out your eyeballs.”
I haven’t said that catch phrase in a long time.
Sakaki Ganhō was a man of indeterminable age, but he looked young. His hair was swept back on his head, and he wore an expensive shirt and leather shoes. He was the leader of a wealthy and vast organization, with a fair share of its money obtained through illegal means.
He was Sakaki Guryū’s father and the leader the Sakaki Organization, the largest super conglomerate in the world. Before the final battle that destroyed the old world, He had possessed a particular interest towards Apples and Greater Fragments and repeated cruel experiments in the Eternal Institute until he was ultimately killed – that was his backstory.
I had never met him face to face (though I seemed to have met him when I was unconscious?). I knew nothing about who he was, how he died, and why he was killed. Of course, he didn’t remember any of that himself, either. The current world was completely reset, and his evil deeds were all erased.
There was no right or wrong in this world. Everyone believed they were right, and just called whatever was blocking their way ‘wrong’. Our God and monsters were the same. Were we in the right, or were we wrong? It was a problem we often faced. I personally wouldn’t call the final battle justified.
I had once casually crushed people’s dreams and destroyed human lives. It must have made sense for other people to regard me as evil.
Sakaki Ganhō was the same.
He was a bona fide villain in his “previous reincarnation”, but his evil was understandable. If the world changed, then his views would also have changed. Sakaki Ganhō still had that bizarre and fervent aura of harboring an unquenchably desire within, but at least he was a trustworthy ally on the surface.
This underground facility was called The Eternal Institute in the previous world. Now, the research facility housed ‘The World Institute’, a facility with an equally strange name. Sakaki Ganhō was there to greet us when we got out of the lift. As soon as he saw Rinne and I, he became as talkative as he was before.
“Ohoho, welcome to my Institute. You are very welcome here. Please accept my sincerest apologies about the crudeness of the facilities and the lack of refreshments. But do feel at home! Ohoho, God Herself and the Original Poison Apple are both here. What a sight! I, Sakaki Ganhō, will ensure that my descendants remember this meeting for all eternity.”
What an extrovert. He was so happy to meet God – I mean, Rinne. Dressed in that pristine shirt, he looked like an idiot. His only hobby was staying in the institute and working tirelessly while also managing the entire Sakaki Organization. What an idiot and an energized workaholic.
Ganhō’s passion and energy made Rinne hesitant. I had to do my best to keep her engaged. I glanced around alertly while observing Ganhō. There were countless monitors in this room, observing every corner of the Institute. The multitude of screens displayed researchers in lab coats busy at work. They were definitely not conducting bloody experiments like before, though.
The plasma screens kept flickering, making my eyes hurt a little. I would honestly crazy if I stayed here for even a few hours.
I couldn’t see anyone else here. It seems that no one except Sakaki Ganhō liked to stay here. Ganhō was locked in here almost 24/7, managing the entire corporation with the help of digital equipment. His hobby was to stay inside the World Institute and investigate the brand-new world, after all.
The old world was destroyed – the world full of monsters, where the Final Battle erupted with multiple fatalities, was gone.
And then… there was this current world, this brand-new peaceful world.
Ganhō was trying to find out the differences between these two worlds. He conducted experiments and investigated the world’s composition. That was how he spent all his free time. That was the kind of man Sakaki Ganhō was.
“Ah… Thank you. I’m really being a bother to everyone.”
Rinne lifted her eyes to look at Ganhō. She was the God of this world, but she was very humble, and greeted him with a bow.
“How should I introduce myself? Um, Err… I’m Usagawa Rinne.”
“Ahh, you’re so approachable! You are God, yet you bow to me! This is an incomparable honor!”
Rinne didn’t use honorifics towards him, and he didn’t use honorifics in return. Sakaki Ganhō was surprisingly blunt in his speech despite being the head of an enormous conglomerate. He was watching Rinne with an odd look. Rinne’s appearance did not change much from when they separated after the Final Battle - she was still wearing a high school uniform, and her light-pink hair had ribbons tied to it. The God of this world was unchanged.
Sakaki’s eyes were dark and bottomless as he looked at Rinne, and nodded with intense interest.
“Ahh… I still find it hard to understand the whole situation, even though I saw it with my own eyes. An ordinary girl like you is in fact the Supreme Being, the God of this world, Snow White.”
“No… um… I’m very sorry. I’m a failure of a God.”
Rinne kept speaking humbly and it made Ganhō laugh.
“Hahaha, I don’t think you are a failure. Thankfully, you are not an old man with stubbles. Great! I am relieved! If you were actually like the God we had imagined, then I would kill Him without mercy. But if you are our God, then perhaps this world can still be saved. Ah, Jesus Christ, let us drink to our cute God.”
He made a pretentious pose and kept up his weird soliloquy. Was this a tradition in the Sakaki family? I was still thinking about this when the automatic doors opened soundlessly behind me and a woman emerged from it.
“Don’t act so intimate with God. You will be punished for that.”
Someone we have yet to see suddenly appeared.
Her carefully brushed long blonde hair reached her waist. The long white dress and the gloves she wore were both baggy and pristine. Her bottomless green eyes were full of a calm and divine light. She held a pure white parasol in her hands, and looked as if she was a beautiful lady leisurely drinking tea in an aristocrat’s garden –
“Ah, could you be Joker-san?”
Rinne called out at her even faster I did, and instantly blushed after that. Rinne then walked towards the blonde beauty, grasped the other woman’s hand, and smiled.
“I’m so honored to be able to meet you! Wow… I was a Meat Doll and barely responsive the last time I met Joker-san. This is the first time I’ve looked at you closely. Wow, you are so beautiful… your skin is pristine white, your eyes are so deep, and your long blonde hair… Guriko-chan! Look! Look! It’s Joker-san! Joker-san!”
“… Um. God, I am not some scenery. I’m very uncomfortable with your intense response right now.”
Joker stood still and allowed Rinne to play with her long blonde hair. The decorative bells on her clothes and her jewelry made chiming sounds.
Joker mumbled with a pitiable look.
“Hold on… You are nothing like what I had imagined. God should be more holy… purer… ehh, but someone as energetic as you aren’t bad either… in other words, eh, God, please don’t drag me around just because I’m a timid person…”
“Ahahaha. Joker, should we cut off your messy hair and offer them to God? How does that sound? Ahaha!”
Sakaki Ganhō laughed happily. Joker glared at him and yelled with a blush.
“Shut up, useless man! I’d rather have anyone but you laugh at me! You make me so angry, Ganhō! I hate this about you the most!”
“Really? But I love everything about you from the bottom of my heart, Joker!”
“You’re so annoying! Go die!”
“Seriously, Joker, your personality is so cold on the outside but so passionate on the inside!”
“Don’t just put me into those infuriating categories!”
As Rinne looked at this couple from the sidelines, she started to nod emphatically. Despite the loud bickering, this couple in fact loved each other very much. Rinne then pointed at Ganhō.
“Ah! I finally got it. You are Sakaki Ganhō-san?”
“…?”
Sakaki Ganhō lowered his head at this sudden question. Together with Joker, the two of them bowed reverently to Rinne.
“Yes, God, that would be me. I am the current head of the Sakaki Organization – Sakaki Ganhō.”
“Ah. Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Rinne returned the bow with uttermost reverence and smiled demurely.
“Ah, it is really the same as Guriko-chan had said. The dead were restructured under a setting of peace. It’s the same for Ganhō-san and Joker-san… Mmm, I’m so happy to see this. People who opposed each other can now become friends.”
Rinne held onto her own hands and gave a huffing laugh reminiscent of an old woman, completely incongruous to her petite appearance.
“This is great. This setting is so touching. To think that I can personally experience this after the end of the story… it’s a supreme joy. Mmm, everything is finished, no conspiracies are left, and nothing weird happens anymore… this would be the ‘Specials Disk’ for a game, right? Then, this would be a special service for the readers. I’ll use this as my inspiration. Novels like this would be very rare…”
Those words made no sense. Rinne just looked very excited and pointed towards Joker and Sakaki Ganhō.
“For example, Joker-san, you were an enemy in the Last Battle and was a tragic character to the very end. However, now you are getting on along so well with the others… Displaying the hidden facets of a character’s personality… Having two former rivals fight shoulder to shoulder… Woah, that is so exciting. I should be able to use this… I really want to write all this down! But I can’t take notes now… I’ll need to remember all this!”
“…? I don’t understand this at all.”
Rinne was jumping up and down and Joker was looking at her in shock. The older women tidied up her messy hair and asked.
“God! God! Do you have a full understanding of the Last Battle? Is that why you made such a guess?”
“Oh? Mm, pretty much. I am God, after all.”
Rinne laughed happily. She scratched her head in a way that seemed she was irritated and shy at the same time. Rinne had grown stronger while she was away. For better or worse, she was also now in a better mood and became more steadfast and more extroverted, compared to her purer and milder personality before.
The girl who was the center of the world and its God said slowly, with a very friendly tone:
“'I' – 'Usagawa Rinne'- became a Meat Doll, a living zombie, halfway through the story. I ignored everyone else. But at the very end, when I realized that I was God, I understood the entire situation and grasped every story within my hands.”
She spoke quietly in a gentle and even tone, just like how she used to.
“I remember everything. How everyone lived and how they died - everyone was a part of me. Everyone’s happiness was my happiness. If anyone suffered from misfortune, then I would be equally unhappy. Joy, sorrow, pain, anguish, fortune… I remember them all. I can’t forget any of it.”
She then ran her gaze over all of us and smiled.
“It’s the same this time… I always wanted everyone to be happy in his new, re-made world. There were so many people who tried their best and were not rewarded, people who were always in pain… that can’t be right. All of that was my responsibility. I drank poison and caused all sorts of monsters to emerge. I got the entire world covered in darkness and pain. So, this time – everyone needs to be happy.”
“…”
Everyone stayed silent when faced with God’s declaration and creed and Her extremely innocent wishes. However, I was rather happy. Rinne was still the same. She was still the person I loved the most.
Ganhō didn’t seem surprised, either. He only shrugged and said in an exaggerated way:
“Mmm, we will watch how you strive to achieve that, O Mighty Lord. As for me, my evil and despicable acts were not out of my own volition. In the previous world, I was always mysteriously appearing out of nowhere, and then immediately disappearing from the pages. What a pitiable character. I will definitely be more pronounced this time. I’ll have an aura that will supplant my stupid son and become the male protagonist, especially as he’s standing there with his head down!”
“… Yes, why is Guryū so gloomy?”
As if she was looking at some odd creature, Joker stared at her son. Sakaki looked as if he was completely distracted and didn’t appear to hear anything that was said.
Rinne appeared very troubled as well. She gave a bitter smile.
“Well, I’m not sure what happened with Sensei… Yesterday I lit up a cigarette like I always did, and he just became like that –”
“… Milady… my cute Milady had fallen… she’s a delinquent, a delinquent now…”
Sakaki Guryū was reduced to an idiot mumbling to himself. He looked like a bona fide idiot, but he was depressed. Yes, the Rinne we knew was an innocent girl who never drank or smoked. But even if she smoked, he shouldn’t look like all his dreams were shattered.
Rinne put her hand on her cheek and gave a crystal-clear laugh.
“I’m sorry, the flow of time in this world is a bit different from mine – Even though it’s not as bad as Urashima Tarō and the Dragon Palace. I’ve been away from here for about… three years? That seemed to be right. But it has been almost ten years in my world. I have therefore changed from a sixteen-years-old tender fruit to a mature twenty-six-year-old –”
“Don’t say your age! Don’t say your actual age while looking just like you did before! You liar!”
“What do you mean ‘liar’? You’re horrible! Even if I’m older, I’m still the same person, Guryū-chan!”
“Don’t call me Guryū-chan! But yes, I am younger than you now!”
I looked on while this pair of stupid lovers argued with each other. Sakaki was depressed because Rinne was nothing like how she was before. But Rinne was still Rinne. Sakaki will accept her and fall in love with her again one day, even though right now he was being gloomy and annoying. Aaah, seriously, no matter how they treated each other, they were still so annoying!
“Ah, hahaha!”
Ganhō already figure it out and laughed.
“So that’s why. Guryū was always afraid of getting close to girls when he was a kid. It was as if girls were bugs to him… were you having some unrealistic fantasies about girls? Seriously, flipping out so badly just because of one cigarette? Which era did you come from? Poor Guryū… but somehow you look funny, so that’s fine. Ahaha!”
“You are the worst father ever. Poor Guryū – Mmm, I have no right to criticize Ganhō either, since I left him behind as soon as I gave birth and surrendered the opportunity to bring him up. This is so sad…”
Basically, they were both horrible parents. I fixed my cold glare on them for a long time, ignoring Sakaki and Rinne yelling at each other. Then I put up my hand.
“Ganhō.”
I asked with complete seriousness. After all, this man understood things hiding in the deepest level of the world, such as the Greater Fragments, monsters, the previous world, and the structure of the current world.
“We are not here for you to mock your stupid son. We have other businesses… you know this, right?”
“Of course. Who did you think I am?”
The man made a pretentious pose and a boisterous laugh.
“Ah, by the way, I was about to say this this. I am the protagonist this time!”
“The men in my family are all idiots… Hey, Ganhō, you can either die or shut up. Choose one.”
Joker lifted her fist and threatened Ganhō, getting him to shut up at long last. As the only person who could converse properly, she turned her eyes to me.
"I know what you are looking for. It’s about the incomprehensible, incredible, outright impossible phenomenon happening in this peaceful world, right?”
Guryū and Usagawa Rinne were still arguing in front of her.
“In other words, why did God re-appear in this world?”
God, the center of this world, Snow White, Usagawa Rinne – otherwise known as Akutagawa Shirayuki.
This current world was only a world she saw in her dream. Every element, everything that had happened, were only mirrors that reflected her mind and well-being. God was the center of the world, and her dream was the world itself.
Once upon a time, God hated the real world. She came to this world to escape and forget everything, living in the guise of Usagawa Rinne. Everything was just a beautiful dream, a happy illusion that occurred between the time she ingested the poison and her death.
Usagawa Rinne wished to escape from the real world. She wanted to create a world that suited her, one that centered around her, and live happily in it. She wanted to become the protagonist of the entire story and the avatar of the girl named Akutagawa Shirayuki. However, she didn’t choose to be destroyed together with this world. She chose to keep living and had returned to reality.
She overcame the poison within, returned to her real life, and managed to live peacefully until now.
The current world was very peaceful. That should be enough evidence to show she was living contently.
But why did Usagawa Rinne return to this world of Mushi and Eyeballs? Why? For what reason? For what purpose?
“A different seed of melancholy had appeared. I’ll show you.”
Joker started to work on the computer terminal. One of the countless plasma screens behind her – a particularly big monitor – showed a new picture.
I couldn’t tell whether it was a satellite image or a picture from a surveillance camera. It was just a very fuzzy and blurry picture. It was at night– it was dark, the lighting was bad, and visibility was very low.
A girl appeared in that disturbing scene.
I could only see her vague outline, and she didn’t look human.
Her head was very sharp, and the shape of her body was bizarre. She was holding either a spear or a long stick, which was very noticeable. She seemed to be deliberately avoiding the streetlights. With only the faint moonlight to go on, it was hard to see her clearly.
The only thing I could be sure of was that she was female.
Her dark red eyes shone brightly even in the darkness. She had a childish face, as if she was a prepubescent girl.
The girl wore a sharp hat and was lots of clothes. She was definitely holding a spear – a long and heavy spear with one of its ends dragging on the ground as she walked.
I didn’t understand the meaning of this image at all and furrowed my brows.
“… What is this?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t really know the details myself.”
The skin on Joker’s Caucasian nose creased in a frown, and a look of regret appeared on her face. At the same time, Ganhō put on a serious expression and followed up with complementary information.
“This person was nicknamed the Man-Eating Demon in town. She is the root of the rumors that have been terrorized everyone. You should have heard of her too, right?”
“Ahh…”
Now that she mentioned it, Echi did talk about this at cram school yesterday.
Man-Eating Demon… huh. Rather than a demon, it was a bit more like what Echi said about a clown…
But I have no memories about this person. This person seemed to be… separated from the world of humans. She was not a monster, but she was also not a human…
These red eyes… It was as if she was…
I was recalling something. I was diving deep into my memories and remembering something when Ganhō interrupted me.
“Well, we couldn’t control how the public perceived her. There were so many rumors. This person – this Man-Eating Demon – was seen wandering around the town, attacking people, and then eating them.”
“So, this is really a ‘man-eating’ demon…”
Joker said casually and carelessly.
“To be precise, she only ate the heart and the brain. The rest of the body was left alone. In that case, the name ‘Man-Eating Demon’ was not quite accurate…”
“The heart… and the brain?”
Maybe the heart made sense, but I couldn’t understand why she would devour the brain. The heart was the foundation of our existence. Those who possessed a Fragment would use their heart as the vessel for the Fragment. It made sense for her to hunt down others with Fragments and eat the Fragment to obtain power. It made sense for beings different from normal humans to aim for the heart when attacking monsters and Greater Fragments.
But the brain part was really puzzling.
Eating the brain… that wouldn’t achieve anything.
“Why the brain?”
Ganhō shook his head.
“I don’t understand it myself. I probably won’t understand it unless I question the culprit directly. There might be some special significance, but I don’t have much to go on for a hypothesis. I just don’t get it. Maybe it’s just her fetish… like how you always dug out eyeballs?”
“I’m not a pervert like that. And I haven’t dug out human eyeballs for a long time.”
I fixed my glare at Ganhō while Joker tried to calm us down. Mmm, I can’t help myself when it comes to having arguments about this… I have already become a normal human and I really prefer not remembering how I used to be. I don’t like it when others mock me for who I was.
I was no longer a monster that dug out eyeballs.
I’m just Itsuwara Kuriko, a useless 19 years old repeat-year-student one could find in any high school.
“The problem is –”
Joker dragged the conversation back on track with a loud voice.
“This Man-Eating Demon seemed to constantly target those with a Greater Fragment.”
“… Like you guys?”
The Greater Fragments.
The seven supreme beings who split the responsibilities of God into seven equal parts.
Single Room, of Genesis.
Sterilization Disinfection, of Noah’s Flood.
PoisonCatastrophe, of the Tower of Babel.
Unpleasant Counter-Current, of the Angels.
Melodia NoiseTear Song, of the Messiah.
Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest, of the Devil.
And the Beast of the End – God Mushi Emperor.
The only ones whose location I knew for certain were Single Room – Nikuyama Kajiri, PoisonCatastrophe – Breaksun Hanselmine, and Melodia NoiseTear Song – Sakaki Joker. Well, PoisonCatastrophe went a bit funny. Strictly speaking, Breaksun may not even count as a Greater Fragment. And to make things worse, Kuroki Tatsue inherited the power of Melodia NoiseTear Song even when she didn’t have a Greater Fragment inside her. Without a Fragment to provide her with energy, Tatsue’s abilities were limited. So… she might be on the same power level as Breaksun? The relationships between these Greater Fragments folks were really complicated.
“The Man-Eating Demon seemed to have fought both Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current a few days ago.”
Joker smoothly stated as she pointed to the image in front of her.
“The surveillance cameras didn’t capture all of the fight, unfortunately. This is only a part of it. At the very least, we managed to capture Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current facing off the Man-Eating Demon. It was accidentally captured by a military satellite passing in orbit.”
I couldn’t understand how she could easily access and examine images captured by military satellites, but it was probably an everyday occurrence for people like her. After all, the Sakaki Organization was a super conglomerate that could control all the army in the world if it wanted and instantly trigger a Third World War.
Something bizarre happened on the screen as I thought about this.
There was a woman with long white hair tied into a braid. She was kneeling on the ground with her arms wrapped around her stomach, as if she was injured.
A girl wearing a hat with big round years was standing next to the white-haired woman, seemingly protecting her.
Gazing at the two from a far distance was the Man-Eating Demon with its pointy hat.
“Oh!”
Impulsively, I yelled at the monitor.
“Mina! Mitsuki! You…”
They couldn’t hear me. This was just a picture. But I was very happy. They were my companions who once fought together with me and supported me in the Final Battle.
Sterilization Disinfection – Saibara Mina.
Unpleasant Counter-Current – Saibara Misuki.
The Saibara sisters were still in this world as Greater Fragments. I didn’t know whether them retaining their roles were a strike of good luck or misfortune, but I was just happy to see them alive and unchanged.
I quickly turned to Joker with concern.
“Where were they? Were they really Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current? Why were they with the Man-Eating Demon….”
“Now now. Calm down. I understand what you must be feeling.”
Joker gave a bitter smile and explained calmly.
“We are quite sure that the white-haired woman and girl in a high school uniform were the Saibara sisters. However, I’m not sure if they were still playing the roles of Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Currently, despite the police finding dents on the road that only Sterilization Disinfection should be able to create. Mmm, it might be reasonable to assume though…”
Her words were careful, but I felt her assumptions was correct. Mina was still Sterilization Disinfection, and Mitsuki was Unpleasant Counter-Current. They didn’t change, but they would have lost their memories before the world was re-made. Even if we met, they would only be apprehensive of us… anyways, I was still quite happy to learn that they were around and remained unchanged.
“And yesterday…”
As Joker’s voice sank, my mood also plummeted.
“… the Man-Eating Demon attacked this Institute.”
“…!”
I couldn’t help but look at Ganhō. He nodded with a nonchalant and calm expression, making me feel that no damage was done –
“Mmm. This is, after all, an Institute established by the Sakaki Organization, the greatest business conglomerate in the world. I defeated her without having to show my face… The Man-Eating Demon had demanded Melodia NoiseTear Song to appear and stated she had something to say. Perhaps that was also why she contacted Sterilization Disinfection. I presume she was here because of my Greater Fragment. That would be the most likely reason.”
She then looked towards God, who was still chattering loudly and comfortable with Sakaki Guryū, and said:
“We don’t fully understand Man-Eating Demon’s goal yet, but it’s best to be careful. If she noticed God is here, then there is a high chance God would become a priority target for her. After all, God is more important to this world than the Greater Fragments. We can protect Rinne if you need it, though we can’t guarantee her absolute safety even within this facility. Or should we seek the assistance of PoisonCatastrophe and Single Room?”
Melodia NoiseTear Song – Sakaki Joker – then looked at me and spoke in a low voice.
“Perhaps you, too, can’t remain completely detached from the battles that will descend upon us. I won’t force you to do anything, but I hope you are prepared. This world as it is now is rather strange, with the return of God and the presence of the Man-Eating Demon… No one knows what will happen.”
“…”
Yeah, I know all this.
I know this even if you didn’t mention it.
But – what can I do?
I’m not an immortal anymore, and I’m not much stronger than a human in a fight. Can I still protect Rinne as I am now?
Even though the World Institute tried its best to search for the reason behind Rinne’s re-appearance, they still came up empty-handed. But the danger that had already presented itself – the fearsome enemy, the Man-Eating Demon – was a different story. After some discussion with Joker, I decided to temporarily leave Rinne in the Institute to protect her.
We didn’t know whether the Man-Eating Demon could sense Rinne. Melodia NoiseTear Song never wrote her name on any of Sakaki Organization’s promotional material, but the Man-Eating Demon still found out about her and came to the Institute. We had no means of knowing when or whether this enemy might detect Rinne and try to get close to her.
Rinne appeared to simple be a tourist in this world, but her return should be in no ways as trivial as that. It was sad, but I still had to tell her that she must not do anything rash before we made sure of the reason behind her reappearance and the true aim of the Man-Eating Demon.
Even though Rinne got a bad mood from that and complained, she understood it was because we were worried about her. She agreed to this after voicing her displeasure.
“Guriko-chan, you need to take me everywhere to sightsee after things blow over, okay?” Rinne’s face was taunt and looking downwards as she mumbled. I nodded and looked at her.
Mmm, I’ll definitely take you to sightseeing, Rinne – God.
I’ll show you this world, a world that you didn’t allow to fall.
And that was the situation. We still needed the assistance of PoisonCatastrophe and Single Room. However, it was too dangerous for Rinne to leave the World Institute, and where those two lived didn’t have telephone lines. No, they might have a phone, but it wouldn’t be connected. The Sakaki Organization could probably find these two if it really tried, but if I could get it done faster and in a more reliable way from a personal visit. That was why I ended up visiting them.
Sakaki said he wanted to stay in the Institute to protect Rinne. He also said Ganhō and Joker wouldn’t completely trust him, since those two were the antagonists in the previous Final Battle. He was using his own parents and said a lot of extreme stuff about them. But never mind. He could do whatever he wanted.
Anyways, he had a bunch of reasons for not coming with me. He was the one who wanted to protect Rinne more than anyone else. This made me happy, but also a bit lonely.
“… Lonely? Hmm.”
I snorted at my own thoughts and walked towards the Institute’s exit. It was then that I heard hurried footsteps coming from in front of me out of the depth of the corridor.
Pitter patter. Pitter patter.
“H-Help! Help! Someone! help me!”
“…………”
The girl running towards me was dressed completely in black. She wore a black frock, had black gloves on, and even her hairband was black. The entire outfit was so austere that it bordered on funeral attire. However, there was nothing ominous about the outfit. She was very cute, almost like a doll, and the clothes suited her. Her face looked very young.
This girl running loudly towards me was Sakaki Guryū’s adopted younger sister. Wait. No. She was his actual sister… she was Sakaki Ganhō and Joker’s daughter. She was Kuroki Tatsue, one of the few people who retained the memories of the ‘previous world’ in this re-structured reality.
I was rather concerned. I didn’t speak up, but nor did I ignore the girl screaming for help. I stretched out my hand and grabbed her neck.
“What’s wrong? Don’t run indoors… seriously, young people these days…”
“Huh?! Have you ever seen someone like you, grabbing a person by the neck when they were running away and screaming for help?! Also, the gap between our ages shrank by a good amount when the world was re-constructed! So, stop talking about ‘young people’!”
Tatsue kicked and thrashed as if she was a puppy. I have heard that sons take after their mothers and daughters take after their fathers, and that was indeed true for the Sakaki family. Tatsue was as annoying as Ganhō.
“What happened, Tatsue-chan? Calm down and tell me.”
I lifted Tatsue using my height advantage and narrowed my eyes at her. If the Man-Eating Demon was launching an attack, then I must be prepared.
But when I heard the sounds behind Tatsue, I knew immediately it wasn’t anything as dire as that.
“Tatsue! I found you! I see you over there, Tatsue!”
“I won’t let you go outside, so you ran away from me... It’s a matter of time before I catch you, Tatsue. Even your family heirloom, the ultimate ability to control Melodia NoiseTear Song’s power, won’t be able to help you.”
Two young men appeared in the corridor as they mumbled to themselves.
I remembered them both and I also understood why Tatsue was running away.
“…Tatsue-chan.”
“What?”
“… Being popular is tough, isn’t it?”
“Are you mocking me? You are mocking me! You wanna fight?! I won’t lose to you now! I’m gonna give you a good taste of my ability!”
As Tatsue screamed, the two boys came up to her (and me, who was holding her up) and moaned as if they were zombies.
“Ta-tsu-e…”
“Tatsue--…”
“Ah! Ah! Please don’t come near me! You are dead! This isn’t where you are supposed to be! Save me, Buddha-sama! Save me, priest-sama!”
It seemed these two boys took delight in watching Tatsue’s desperate struggles and were very devoted to playing these tricks on her. It was very fun to see Tatsue-chan being teased.
I sighed and stated honestly.
“… Tatsue-chan, you brought this upon yourself. You’re at fault for dating both of them.”
“I’m not dating both of them. I’m not dating them both. I… I’m not that kind of girl. I – I –”
It was very fun to see Tatsue-chan puffing her cheeks out and almost crying.
Then I turned my gaze towards the boys standing in front of her.
One of them was Takamikado Mitaka, a slender boy with very pale skin and very myopic glasses. He didn’t look fashionable at all with his very lame hair and clothes.
He was Tatsue’s childhood friend in the previous world. He was later killed and diced up by the monster named Berōbuchō, and re-awakened when the world was re-made. Therefore, he was no longer dead, but alive and full of energy.
And the other guy…
At first glance, one could mistake him for a girl. He had a kind of slender body completely different from Mitaka. While Mitaka simply looked frail, this boy had an inborn, natural aura of beauty. He had pale hair that reached his shoulders. His skin was very smooth, as if he was a reptile and not human. He had a pair of golden irises and wore a heavy frock, completely ignoring the hot weather.
I turned my gaze and addressed the second boy, an old good friend with whom I had spent a long time.
“Yo, Snake. You’re using the previous version of you? Huh.”
“What do you mean ‘previous version’? Wouldn’t it be disgusting to have two people using the same face?”
The boy with the longer hair smiled lightly as he replied in a relaxed tone – he was the last member of the clan of Snakes, whose ancestor tricked both God and men and was expelled from Eden.
“Mmm, even this body is temporary for me. This person fears my original form as a snake. Are you very repulsed by reptiles, Takamikado Mitaka?”
“You are being too loud, demon! Taste my crucifix!”
Mitaka pushed up his glasses and shakily took out a crucifix from his pocket. Snake looked at him with mockery written all over his face and smiled as he brushed his hand through his hair.
“Hahaha… Mitaka is very fun. You are not a Christian, but you are waving a crucifix at your opponent… there’s no way it would have any value or use in your hands.”
“Shut up! This is what I came up with after a thorough investigation! You are the original traitor who committed the original sin in the Garden of Eden, and your expulsion was recorded in the Bible! The Snake feared God’s power and should also fear the crucifix! That’s also why Christians use these kinds of symbols!”
“You are such an otaku and you’re so annoying. It was my ancestor who was expelled by God, so there’s no way these things can harm me. And stuff like the crucifix belong to Jesus Christ, not Jehovah. Why should I be afraid of a dude born in a barn and had a full beard? The idea that the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost are the same Trinity was only glued together by humans at a later time.”
“… You two seem to be getting along well.”
Tatsue was hugging me tightly. I felt rather annoyed that I got dragged into a mess again. I sighed. I should have left the Institute earlier. Besides, these kids should be going school. Why were they wandering around here, not even staying at home?
Snake shrugged and narrowed his eyes as he chuckled.
“You call this ‘get along well’? If we are really getting along, then I would be eating Takamikado Mitaka’s flesh and fusing into him. We didn’t exactly have a tearful goodbye. That’s why I think Mitaka is cute. I’m very interested in him.”
“That’s disgusting. Terrible demon! Have some garlic!”
“Ah, that sucks. That’s really terrible. Snakes have a very sensitive sense of smell, you know?”
Mitaka threw garlic everywhere, then chased Snake as the later ran away. Are they like this every day…? I have heard rumors about how boring these people are…
“Tatsue-chan… are you okay?”
Tatsue had climbed up my body and was straddling my neck. I looked at the dark-clad girl, who was the center of this chaos. She hung her head and looked very tired.
The entire world was re-constructed. All the dead were resurrected. The world was re-structured in a brand-new and peaceful ‘setting’. That was how it had continued to operate up to now.
The only ones who did not go through a ‘reset’ were those who lived past the final battle. I was an exception, as I became a normal human after the Poisoned Apple was removed from me. I was the only one who was given a new ‘setting’ while retaining the memories of my ‘previous life’-
However, this re-construction was full of unexpected ‘bugs’. There were all sorts of awkward, contradictory, and incomprehensible events. Ganhō was investigating this in the World Institute, yet there were still more puzzles than solutions.
This was one of the most severe situations.
Takamikado Mitaka was dead in the previous world. He was cut up and killed by Berōbuchō, and Snake took over Takamikado Mitaka’s body and identity after eating Mitaka’s flesh. Tatsue then fell in love with Snake in this form.
There was always the question of who Tatsue actually liked. Even though I am very new to the emotion of love, I can still comprehend this.
Kuroki Tatsue liked ‘Takamikado Mitaka’.
But was this ‘Takamikado Mitaka’ the boy she grew up with, or the Snake who borrowed Mitaka’s appearance? The question was whether she liked his body or his mind.
For Mitaka, it was as if his childhood friend, the girl whom he liked and liked him back, was taken away from him by a wayward demon. There was no way he wouldn’t accept or forgive this. Even I would feel jealous and angry if someone took over my identity and became happy without my knowledge.
Snake also wanted to become Tatsue’s lover. However, Tatsue liked “Takamikado Mitaka”. He was only borrowing that man’s appearance and identity, and he was doomed to fail.
It was so troublesome. In some ways, it was the troubles of idiots.
If Tatsue sided with one man, then she couldn’t side with the other. However, both boys were “Takamikado Mitaka”. If I had to describe it, it was like her lover had split into two. Tatsue must be very anxious, so I understand why she would be running away like this.
Hmm, but I won’t interfere with these problems. These problems should solve on their own with time. I stood aside and watched the three of them crying and angrily yelling all at the same time. Suddenly, I thought of something and asked Tatsue:
“Why are you guys here in the Institute? Why aren’t you at school?”
“… Father and Mother called us here.”
Tatuse looked happy as she spoke of her parents. A smile surfaced on her face for the first time today.
“There were rumors about things that ate humans. A monster was going around attacking strong people, wasn’t it? Snake and I aren’t normal humans… we would be in danger if we were attacked. We are going to stay here and remain out of trouble until the whole thing blows over. By the way, I didn’t ask Mitaka to come. He followed us here.”
Mitaka had a sharp ear and heard everything, even though he was arguing with Snake. He instantly blushed red.
“I’m Tatsue’s servant! Why shouldn’t I follow her here? Besides, how can I bear leaving Tastue alone with this strange thing in such a weird place!”
“… That might be true.”
Tatsue lowered her head in confusion, then said brokenly:
“But – but if I was attacked by someone stronger than me, then Mina-san and Mitsuki-sama should have warned me. Or maybe I am just that much weaker than the Greater Fragments? I’m the incomplete vessel of Melodia NoiseTear Song, and Snake is a very weak monster, so maybe...”
“Hold on.”
I looked at Tatsue in shock and asked:
“Did you just say Mina-san?”
“Mm? Yes… Saibara Mina-san, and Mitsuki-sama – Mi-chan. They should be fine even if I went into hiding, right? Those two are very powerful… If we end up fighting that man-eating whatever, it’s best to stay together, no?’
Ahh, I finally remembered those distant memories.
I was tricked by Melodia NoiseTear Song and opposed Tatsue… then, even in this world, Tatsue and Snake were together with Mitsuki and Mina. They had been helping each other as close companions no matter what. They were always connected in the ‘previous world’, and their connections in the previous world would ensure they will meet again. There were contact points even in this re-constructed world.
I can’t remember. Or rather, I had already forgotten… I haven’t met Mina or Mitsuki in this world yet.
Tatuse tilted her head, then frowned. She then took out her black mobile phone.
“Ahh, there’s no signal… Right, we are underground.”
She then lowered her head. Looking up at me, she nodded with a serious expression.
“Even though I haven’t seen or spoken with Mina-san yet, I’m still a student at Kannonsakazaki High School just like Mitsuki-sama. So, we are physically close and are friends. Since Mitsuki lost her memories of the ‘previous world’, she won’t lie about it at all. If you asked her one question about the Greater Fragments and other things, she will just tell you a bunch of stuff.”
“Ahh, you two are in the same school huh.”
I already graduated, and I’m a useless repeat-year-student who no longer went to school. I didn’t know many students from the other years even when I was at school. It was the first time I heard about Tatsue and the other students in my school.
Anyways, communicating with Mitsuki must be fun. As Tatsue remained sitting on my shoulders, I let her in on a secret.
“Then, Tatsue-chan… Could I please as you explain things to Mitsuki and Mina and ask them to come hide in this Institute too? They don’t have the memories from the previous world anymore, and it would be especially hard to convince Mina. Please, Tatsue. Your older brother is deeper within the complex, and you should go ask him about how to ensure our victory. This is perhaps the greatest disturbance since the Last Battle… we need to gather all the friends we can find.”
“I don’t understand this at all.”
Tatsue smiled and said in a low and very gentle voice.
“But it is my earnest wish to work with Mitsuki-sama again. If this doesn’t turn out to be anything bloody and is only a beautiful adventure instead…”
“Nothing bloody will happen. We will do things slowly and do them well… Is that okay, Tatsue-chan?”
Tatsue finally climbed down from my shoulders and ignored the two boys fighting like two bloodthirsty beasts.
As Tatsue – who had recommenced yelling and calling out for help – ran further away from me, I waved at her and walked away. I should at least say a few encouraging words to her.
“Well, do your best!”
“It’s not about doing my best! W-wait… I don’t understand anything about that man-eating mess. Tell me what is going to happen! Guriko?! Guriko!? I can’t act just on this information! Urk, I hate you! I won’t leave you alone even if I become a ghost. Guriko, you unsympathetic brat!”
The Sakaki gene probably meant the family was doomed to be troubled with romantic problems for their whole lives. Please, God, don’t let me get involved in these things. Even though they look fun, it will only stay that way if I remain looking from afar and doesn’t get involved.
Even though it was lonely –
This was the right place for me.
“This is POISON valley. All who have no business here are forbidden from entering.”
…
This was a building that looked like a newly built retirement home. The soft colors of its exterior gave out a very modern feeling, as if aliens lived there. Contrary to its design style, this building was called ‘POISON’ and it was abnormally grandiose and tall. You can’t grasp its entire form without standing back a little from it.
I had gotten off the car with the Sakaki Organization staff about 30 minutes ago and walked the rest of the way here. Cars cannot drive up close to this building due to its special characteristics. In some way, this was the most abnormal place on earth. Single Room – Nikuyama Kajiri – and PoisonCatastrophe – Breaksun Hanselmine – were the ones living in this strange place.
“… I’ve always wondered why it was called ‘Poison Valley’. ‘Poison’ is the name of its owner, so that makes sense. But ‘Valley’…”
I pondered during the short respite after I pressed the doorbell.
“I’m coming! Who is it?”
The porch was rather delicate compared with the gigantic building. A muttering figure appeared when the rather heavy doors opened.
“There are entry and exit points everywhere in Poison Valley. This kind of architecture is extremely confusing. I never know where I am. Is this the actual front door? Or is this a random exit? I don’t get it. Mmm, it doesn’t matter anymore. Ah, it’s you. What a rare guest.”
A thin boy, shorter than me, appeared at the doorway.
His dark crimson hair and eyes were unbelievably beautiful. He was wearing very fitting shirt and jeans and an apron – maybe he was cooking. He wore a crucifix as a necklace, and it dangled over his chest. This boy was Single Room, the existence considered to be the closest to God.
But that didn’t matter anymore.
“You really look like a girl with an apron like this. Man, you really are disgusting. Do you want an older woman to say you are ‘super cute’?”
“Why are you invalidating everything about me just because of my apron?”
The boy called Nikuyama Kajiri gave a bitter grin as he tackled my sarcasm head-on. He looked at me with some jealousy.
“But you are still super tall like before. Just want did you eat to grow so tall?”
“Who knows. I want to know that too.”
He overused his powers during the Final Battle, causing his own existence to crumble and ultimately died. That was why he didn’t remember things from the previous world. However, Breaksun, the foreign women who lived with him, survived the previous battle. She explained the situation to Kajiri, and he therefore knew a fair bit about the issue at hand. In fact, Kajiri was initially still isolated deep within a forest in the rebuilt world. Breaksun went and brought him out of the forest at a later time. Everyone should have been resurrected under a peaceful ‘setting’, and I didn’t know why he alone was subjected to such bad treatment. As Single Room, with the power to change the ‘setting’ of the world, he was affected quite negatively when God reconstructed the world. Did he awaken to an unfortunate situation? I didn’t know.
Regardless, Breaksun brought him back in one piece. The two of them had lived peacefully in Poison Valley since then. Perhaps it was God’s plan for Breaksun to meet him again. They had a thread of destiny that went all the way back to their previous lives. They were lovers destined for each other… hahaha, it was really embarrassing to say this.
Kajiri smiled. He tilted his head and waved at me:
“Hmm, I don’t know what’s the point of this, but let’s sit down and have some tea. Today is a rare holiday for us, but Breako should have left already… because of something… Oh. Oh.”
His body suddenly started to twist and twirl in a strange way as he spoke, as if he was dancing.
What was going on? Just as I furrowed my brows, a number of children literally popped into existence in the room, filling the place with laughter.
“Ahh –" "Kuriko-chan, Kuriko-chan –" "Yay –!" "It’s been so long since I saw you!”
These sharp and chaotic sounds hurt my ears.
Lots of young kids appeared out of thin air. They were of various ages, but their faces all looked incredibly similar. They were all dressed messily in various colors and were the strangest phenomenon inside Poison Valley.
These children were emerging like bubbles. I tried my best to recognize some of them. Even though they kept popping up, I wasn’t really surprised… but I couldn’t feel their presence up till the moment they appeared.
My entire body was suddenly constricted by hugs. Someone was even hugging my face. I could only hug these kids back, ignoring the risk of having my body crushed. Wow, they are heavy. They are warm too. But this… hurts… so much… These little ones laughed loudly and seemed very happy. They huddled around me and chirped like birds.
“Aaaahhhh – !” “Kuriko-chan, Kuriko-chan!” “You grew taller, taller! You’re so tall!” “Hey! Hey! It’s my birthday today!” “Kuriko-chan, will you have lunch in my house today? Will you? Will you?” “Kuriko-chan!” “Ahh! Long time no see! Long time no see!”
What an unbearable noise. This should be classified as an attack.
Right. Who were these kids? They were the children of the previous PoisonCatastrophe. They were buried within Melodia NoiseTear Song’s body in the previous world as Fragment vessels. Since the entire world was re-built, these one hundred and forty-three children – Breaksun’s siblings – were all revived. They were all living in Poison Valley and formed a mighty force.
They weren’t considered Fragments, but since they inherited the power of the Great Fragment and were potential vessels of Fragments, they all maintained PoisonCatastrophe’s capabilities to a certain extent. Most of them were old enough to understand what was going on. However, while some of the older siblings already mastered this reality-bending power, a lot of the younger ones couldn’t control their powers well and used it haphazardly. What a pain.
The power of PoisonCatastrophe was to corrupt cause and effect, and to twist causality. It could twist this world at will and could even control destiny itself. If this power multiplied on top of itself, it could well explode and ruin the physical reality within Poison Valley. It would be a world where the same door can lead to difference rooms every time one opened it, a world where water could spurt out if one turned on the stove. All sorts of incomprehensible things could happen here. Therefore, the only ones living here were those with the power of PoisonCatastrophe and the one person who could rewrite the world, Single Room. Even if the Man-Eating Demon invaded Poison Valley, it wouldn’t be able to achieve a single thing in this unpredictable place.
Anyways.
The power of PoisonCatastrophe was tightly connected with song and sound. Its power laid within in the sound waves the owner of the Fragment they emitted. Humans not used to this sound could faint just from hearing it. Therefore, as these children of PoisonCatastrophe kept laughing and running around me, my body sensed danger –
“Hey… kiddos, don’t mess with the guest.”
Kajiri gave a sign, and the kids surrounding me immediately scattered. Of course, this annoyed some of the kids who wanted to keep playing with me. They started to curse Kajiri.
“Tch – !” “Kajiri is so unreasonable!” “What a dictator!” “Seriously – ??“ “I want to play with Kuriko-chan! I want to play!” ‘Don’t interrupt us, Kajiri you idiot!” “You are a midget too!” “Midget midget!” “Bean-sized!” “We still have a future! Kajiri looks like he’s old enough to drop dead!” “Kajiri you midget!” “Dwarf – !”
“…”
The whole room filled up with chaotic chatter.
Kajiri grabbed a raw egg and threw it at the children. He was already an adult, but he roared at the kids with a terrifying expression.
“You bastards… The thing I hate the most in the world was to be called a midget! That is unforgivable! You midgets stay where you are! Bastards, I’m gonna make sure you taste these raw eggs!”
Then he completely lost his temper. To be fair, since he looked so much younger than his age, I originally thought he was a midget, too.
The children were used to this. They all ran away from Kajiri and disappeared into empty space one after the other, jumping and laughing in joy as Kajiri threw eggs around.
“Tch –! Tch –!” “Kajiri is angry!” “Full retreat!” “We are fighting, Kajiri is fighting! Breaksun-nee told us about this!” “Run away! Run away!” “Aha –!” “Kajiri would get angry over nothing!” “Bye Kuriko-chan! Come play with me afterwards!” “Hahaha!”
They scuttled away, quick as little spiders. Kajiri’s hair was standing on their ends in rage. He was going to thoroughly punish the children while looking like his hair was on fire. I looked at them and genuinely felt that, as always, this place was the very semblance of peace. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Ah! Kajiri, and Kuriko is here too. Good morning?”
One of the seven equal parts of God, one of the Greater Fragments, the manifestation of the Tower of Babel, PoisonCatastrophe, was here. She was the only superior existence who could control causality at will. She looked friendly as she waved, but also looked like she just woke up.
She was a woman of uncertain ethnicity. Her green hair was as thick as vegetable juice. Since she never slept in a reasonable way, her long hair was a mess. She was wearing childish pajamas that looked like a frog. She half-laughed, as if she was not really awake. Even though her messy attire made her hard to recognize, it was still difficult to hide the charm and beauty of her tall figure.
Her name was Breaksun Hanselmine.
In the previous world, her heart was taken away and she lost the power of PoisonCatastrophe. She was also one of the only survivors of the final battle and therefore retained the grim memories of that world. When the world was re-made, she obtained the Fragment of PoisonCatastrophe again and created Poison Valley to bring up her numerous siblings. These children were modified into Fragment vessels in the previous world due to Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest’s ‘modification of the flesh’ skill and could not control their powers. However, they gradually learnt to better control the Fragment of PoisonCatastrophe after some training.
Mmm, she didn’t look like a great celebrity at all. Just a silly older sister for her siblings.
She lived in one of the countless bedrooms in the deepest bowels of Poison Valley. Her room was the one covered in music posters and anime stickers, and the floor was littered with music equipment and instruments. There wasn’t even a spot to stand. The owner of the room also had to curl up in the corner and sleep in a sleeping bag. It really didn’t look like a bedroom.
I froze when Kajiri showed me this room, heaving a deep sigh as I looked into the doorway.
“Seriously… look at the time. This really isn’t the time for an employed person to wake up. Never mind. Just… please tidy this room a bit. Seriously, how are you able to sleep in a place like this…”
Since I had no ways of entering this room, I could only talk while standing at the door. I don’t remember ever seeing any place as messy as this. She probably had a reason to keep these things, but still…
“Yawn…”
Breaksun made a big yawn and stood up slowly. She was limpid as she walked towards us, as if all her bones were removed. How did she not trip over when traversing this messy room? Maybe it was because of PoisonCatastrophe’s ability? She twisted all causality and refused to connect the mess at her feet with herself. She really wasn’t wasting her abilities.
Breaksun quickly walked up to us and leaned against me tiredly. We were about the same height and her hair kept rubbing against my eyes and cheek. It was very annoying.
She smelled sweet and warm, like people who just woke up.
I closed my eyes and softly mumbled.
“Hey, Breaksun, how did you get fatter? You’re really heavy.”
“Cos walking is a pain… Kuriko, I wanna go eat breakfast. Please carry me to the dining room…”
“…”
This useless bastard… anyone older than kindergarten age would not claim walking was a pain. Even a primary school student won’t be so stubborn.
“Please, Kajiri.”
Kajiri, standing next to me, helped this annoying foreigner onto my back. Then, he swiftly wiped away the drool around her mouth and tied her hair into a proper braid. That was very impressive. No, Breaksun became so useless because he looked after her so attentively. I smiled.
“Seriously… Breako is always like a child.”
“Ba~ba~ bu~ bu~.”
They seemed to be conversing somehow. They really have a very close relationship.
…
Anyways, we then walked to Poison Valley’s dining room.
We ran into a few of Breaksun’s siblings. They either talked endlessly or ran circles around me. Nothing major happened.
Breaksun was already working as a signed singer and earned the most money in this family. She was an adult, and she used her job to maintain the expenses in Poison Valley to allow everyone to live peacefully. Everyone got on well with each other here, as if it was a multi-cultural country.
Breaksun’s voice was called ‘the voice of the witch’ and was loved by people all over the world. She was therefore pretty successful as far as singers go. I would hear her songs even if I was just walking around town.
Her tunes and lyrics felt very strange for me. I feel tired every time I heard it. However, people reacted to it very positively. I don’t understand this world at all.
I don’t watch TV, so I don’t really know about these things. But Echi was very jealous of the fact that I am Breaksun’s friend. This useless and strange foreigner was really nobody special. Even if Breaksun’s situation had changed, her personality didn’t change at all. She always seemed nonchalant and careless. That was the only trait she shared with other celebrities.
I sat down on a chair in the dining area as I thought about these unrelated things.
It was almost lunchtime, and I was going to have lunch with Breaksun. Lunch… lunch should be eaten at around noon. Even though Breaksun insisted it was breakfast, it should be lunch for a normal person.
Kajiri put on an apron and was about to go cook. He asked Breaksun and I to wait, then disappeared into the kitchen. The person closest to God was now a chef and manservant… well, it didn’t matter. It just felt so peaceful.
For some reason, whenever I sat here, I would always get a throbbing headache. I endured this as I explained to Breaksun the purpose of my visit as well as everything that had happened recently. Yes, I was not here to relax. I came here to specifically seek the assistance of PoisonCatastrophe and Single Room so that the tragedy of the Last Battle would not be repeated. I can’t forget such an important task.
“… But, in that case… is it because…?”
Breaksun put a straw in her mouth and sipped her coffee, then tilted her head. You won’t see something like this on an ordinary person. Even though she was an immortal, her senses did not completely disappear, and she could still taste coffee. Her face also became red because of the heat.
“Is it because Ring-bell appeared in this world again? Um, did that child return because she was once again running away from reality?”
“Ring-b… Ahh, you meant Rinne.”
For a brief moment, I didn’t realize who she meant. Breaksun was referring to Rinne using the latter’s nickname, just like she had done in the previous world. Breaksun was Usagawa Rinne’s neighbor when they both stayed in the same apartment building in the previous world. She knew Rinne and interacted with her. It was normal that Breaksun had a nickname for Rinne.
Whatever. I shrugged and asked Breaksun.
“We are not sure why Rinne appeared again. She didn’t mention it herself, either. If she came here to escape her reality, the she looks a bit too relaxed… I feel that she didn’t return here out of her own volition. She’s here for a reason.”
There weren’t monsters appearing, and she definitely didn’t ingest poison. The entire world was calm. The appearance of the Man-Eating Demon was making many people concerned, but it wasn’t anything big enough to break the world. However, I still have questions, but I wasn’t desperate. Rinne’s reappearance just felt like an accident, or rather, an incident…
“Is there a – a special reason for it?”
I tried my hardest to think and looked up blankly. Breaksun scratched her face.
“Could she be… on a holiday?”
“If she’s after a holiday, then she would have come back countless times already –”
Even as I said this, the proposition felt right.
Rinne would have told me if she was just here for a holiday. Rinne would never allow all of us to worry so much about her if she was only here for pleasure. Even though Rinne was a very different person now, deep down she was still the same – she was still the gentle Rinne whom I liked. Therefore, even if others doubted her, I would believe in her. Rinne was just like who she was before.
In that case… why did Rinne come back?
The question appeared simple to my mind.
The world gained peace after the Final Battle and all conspiracies were shattered… it was worthy of celebration. Then why did these troubles arise again? Didn’t we resolve everything with Rinne? Didn’t she decide to keep living in the real world?
This world was a mirror that reflected the heart and body of God – in other words, Rinne’s wellbeing.
Then, what kind of internal mindset was projected through our current events?
“… Mmm, I can’t think of anything right now. I’m better off resting. Well, I’m pretty lazy, so I’m gonna go sleep.”
Breaksun slammed her face on the dining table and started to laugh.
“We’re here thinking so hard for that idiot, but there’s no point. I was involved in so many things in the previous world, but I had no idea what was happening around me…”
Breaksun waved her fingers and looked a bit lonely.
“So, Kuriko, stop thinking about those difficult stuff. Eat well and rest well, then go see Ring-bell. Let Kajiri analyze her ‘setting’ and we can figure everything out. If it’s still confusing afterwards, we’ll put out heads together and talk it through.”
Breaksun said softly as if she was singing.
“Kuriko, remember that we are not God, so we are not omnipotent. Since we are not omniscient or omnipotent, it’s impossible for us to understand everything or protect everyone. We just want to stay with our loved ones and hug tight the people we want to protect in these really difficult situations. We will do anything for them – that is what we mean by loving other people.”
She then smiled gently with a soft hint of sorrow. It was probably a rare expression for her – her solemn face was very beautiful.
“I couldn’t protect Kajiri in the previous world. I led him into my life without thinking. I treated him badly and caused him to die. I don’t want it to happen again… I’m really clumsy, and I’m not clever, so maybe I do look like a loser. But I will protect him this time. I am going to work hard for that. You are the same, Kuriko…”
Breaksun lifted her head. She had a full smile and made a feeble victory sign.
“So, don’t carry too much on your own shoulders! Be happy and work hard. Don’t worry. Me, Kajiri, Joker-san, and everyone else will be your friend. Kuriko, don’t show me that annoying face. Smile, smile~”
Breaksun reached out and pulled at my face, pulling my cheeks upwards to resemble a smile.
“Urrkk…”
My hard face and heart had softened a little thanks to Breaksun before I even realized it.
Mmm.
Yes, I shouldn’t think so hard on my own. I should be a bit happier too…
| Return to Ragnarok 02: Marionette of blood and flesh and bone | Back to Main Page | Forward to Ragnarok 04: 29 year old bachelor, Bored every day |
