ばか！バカ！　馬鹿ー月！

Prologue I : From the Dwelling of the Death God

In this place, this was a fairly common matter…
“If… If we can escape and successfully become adults, will you agree to marry me?” A gentle-looking girl with flaxen hair asked as she cried.
The energetic eyes of the boy that seemed bereft of vitality gentled slightly... But he kept his blank and dry eyes fixated on the watery eyes of the girl.
“If we can escape and successfully become adults…”
‘That is impossible.’ The boy thought in his mind.
No, perhaps the girl knew this as well.
They would die.
They would die in this place…
This orphanage was filled with the stench of death. The air was thoroughly permeated with the smell of death. The stench of death in this world was so overwhelming, even the two youngsters could smell it.
So the girl’s wish would probably…
“If we can survive this… you and I……”
The boy never answered her. Because the girl’s mutterings sounded like a dream that was out of their reach, like a magical dream that could never come true.
“If we can survive this… you and I……”
At that point, their conversation was disrupted. A man who looked to be several years older and was dressed thoroughly in black came forward and grabbed the skinny shoulder of the girl, pulling her away, saying, “Time’s up. Don’t cry anymore. From today onwards, you no longer need those weak feelings. If you are weak, then you will die. You just have to remember that.”
Yes.
Remember that.
The girl understood.
In that split second, she revealed a timid expression.
“……Yes.” Then she nodded her head gently.
She took a secretive glance at the boy’s face, but his expression gave nothing away with his unmotivated dazed eyes and he never spoke.
“…”
Yes.
She knew this better than anyone else.
She was going to die, anyway. It was only a matter of sooner or later. It was meaningless trying to make a promise like this.
The girl’s expression hardened momentarily. Maybe she would not smile for the rest of her life, she thought deep down in her heart.
“Let’s go.”
Under the man’s persuasion, the girl helplessly walked forward. Walking towards a meaningless future……
There was no goal for her.
There were no dreams, either.
Most of all, there was no hope.
Maybe she would become this man’s puppet from today onwards.
A manipulated puppet.

At that moment—
“Hey!”
The boy suddenly shouted. His voice, like usual, lacked a domineering tone, but…
That lazy-sounding voice spoke.
“You cry too much. Don’t think of seeking death. You will be able to withstand all your trials. After all, you were always tough. I’ve never had the thought of dying, so…”
The girl listened to his words and could not resist turning back to face him. Her face was lit up with a myriad of emotions again. Tears spilled from her eyes.
When the boy saw this, his expression became distress and troubled. Finally,he smiled gently and said, “So you can’t die.”
“…Okay!” The girl nodded her head vigorously.

This was a distant childhood promise. This promise would be deeply engraved in the girl’s heart…