Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi:Volume9

Novel Illustrations

These are the illustrations used in volume 9:

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  Cover

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  Page 029

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  Page 059

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  Page 073

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  Page 093

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  Page 127

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  Page 177

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  Page 223

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  Page 261

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  Page 311

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  Page 345

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  Page 349

Prologue

Ai died on Saturday morning.

In the end, the Witch was right.

The silver bullet did not stop until it destroyed the world (Ai).

It was said that when a person dies, the body would be lighter by the weight of a candy ball.

It was said it's the weight of the person’s soul, or the weight of the lost willpower.

Would this happen to me? Would I be lighter by a candy ball?

I thought it’s be a bother. Some might be angry to hear this, but I don’t want to lose weight, and I would rather put on some more weight.

To be more specific, I need to put on another ten kilos. And I’m tall enough. I want to grow another thirty centimeters.

No.

I should say I hoped to, in the past tense, to be correct.

I won’t grow taller, I won’t gain any more weight. My soul is a candy ball lighter, and there’s a large hole in me. But my body’s cold and heavy, my bones creak and my flesh scrapes. It's neither hot nor cold. It's neither painful nor sad.

But even so,

I feel strangely, strangely sorry.

I feel like apologizing to others.

Dad.

Mom.

I'm sorry.

You definitely won’t want such an ending, but I can’t stop now.

Mr Julie.

Miss Scar.

I'm sorry.

Miss Dee.

Mr Alice.

I'm sorry.

But I don't regret it.

And I'm most sorry about that.

Chapter 1 - Wild Tiger

It was not her usual pillow. Once she noticed it, Ai woke up.

"…Hueh?"

The sudden soberness seemed like an extension of her dream, and she didn’t know whether she was dreaming or awake, and the thick pillow was so hard, it’s hard to believe it was for sleeping. "Get up already" so it seemed to make a fuss.

The bedding, blanket, and even the ceiling were so unfamiliar to her. Ai slowly got up from the bed amidst this scene.

"…This place is…"

It was a spacious, bleak space, with rows of empty beds, silver stretchers lying around in shambles. The air was cold, and the spacious room was so dry that it made her throat uncomfortable. The sky beyond the window was overcast, on the verge of snowing at any moment.

The place was awfully quiet.

It was as if all sound had disappeared.

Having thought so, Ai felt this might be the case, "Ahem" and she deliberately cleared her voice to see if that was the case. Luckily and naturally—her voice was not taken away, and her dry cough was momentarily stuck in her throat before it shook the air slightly.

"Erm…"

Amidst an ear-splitting silence, a single naked light bulb flickered.

"Why am I here"'

Ai looked around the room, having no idea as to why, and tilted her head.Just looking wasn’t going to help, so she decided to recollect her memories over the past few days. First of all,

"First—yes, about Miss Nein."

It all started when the witch's daughter, Nain Saikavathi, arrived in this town. She was a girl who had white hair and skin, and appeared from the black surface. She inherited much power from the Witch, and tried to save the world..

However, even with her omnipotence, Nein was simply a person, unable to save the world, and became an existence that would destroy it.

It was Alice who defeated her.

He evolved his abilities to the utmost limit, transforming himself into a ‘silver bullet that would destroy evil’, and tried to save the world by nullifying Nein’s dream. However…

"…Fufu, that happened."

Ai giggled. She started to recall. She recalled how she ended up standing before Alice at the very end when he transformed into a bullet, and intercepted him.

Nothing was solved, but the battle ended for the time being.

That was the scene she remembered most.

She woke up in Alice's lap, and forgave the crying and apologizing Nein.

Beneath the morning sun that resembled the sunset, her heart felt like it was drawn by the autumn sky.

Everyone returned to town. Ai felt elated and excited.From time to time, she encouraged the devastated Nein, and also pranked on Alice’s dry face. Yes, everyone returned to town, she sat on Julie’s cat, and then,

And then,

And then?

"Eh? And then what?"

Her memory was hazy thereafter. She remembered she woke up on Alice’s lap, and she remembered herself getting excited with Nein for some reason. But then…then…

"Unnn."

It was hopeless. She couldn’t remember.

"Well, that’s fine. I’ll just ask someone later. I probably can remember."

And the problem here was that there was ‘nobody’ she could ask.

"………Erm, excuse me~"

Ai called out from the bed. Her voice wasn’t loud, or soft, and a little half-hearted. Well, if she shouted too loudly, someone might get angry and shout at her. When she visited the Princess of the Dead, "Ulla! Let’s play!" Some people were rather unhappy. Furthermore, Ai felt that her throat was not feeling well..

The only response was silence.

"Hello~!! Is anyone around~!?"

She called out again, raising her voice slightly. But again, there was no answer.a little. But there was still no answer.

Now this was troubling. It was pointless to be scolded for running around, so perhaps she should remain quiet here.

But in any case, it was so unlike her to remain idle, and so she decided to deduce the situation by observing the room. She was not going to play as a detective lazing on a chair, but a detective on the bed.

First, she observed the window. The weather was downcast and cloudy, on the verge of snowing. It was right after noon, which meant that she probably slept a few hours since then..

She then looked at the ground. Before her was a flaming hill that burned brightly, practically ignoring the cold. At the top of the hill was a black surface in the sky, leading to the other world. People were queuing up on the hill, marching solemnly towards the new world.

Beyond the hill was a lake. Ai unfolded the map in her mind to calculate where she was. After some deduction, it appeared this was the town council in southern Ostia. It was no wonder then that the windows were so high. After all, this was the only building that would have such a tall building.

"Hmhm. Now things are getting interesting, aren’t they?"

Feeling like a famous detective, she scanned the room.

It was a dull room, but not empty. There were light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and many beds were lined up. There was also a slight medicinal smell.

She recognized this scent. It was similar to a hospital. It appeared this place was used as some medical facility.

"Speaking of which, I remember that part of the town council has been opened as an infirmary. So I guess this is that place…?"

Goo, she knew the time and place.

"…Now the question is, how did I end up here?"

Having finished her formulas, Ai pondered over the final answer. She lost her memory, woke up in the infirmary, and from these, the conclusion she could derive was…

"… Did I collapse or something…maybe…?"

She felt a little languid once she thought of this, and her breathing seemed stifled.

"No no no, but, well, I should be in perfect health otherwise. There’s no need for the doctor to check on me—ahaha—"

Hahaha. Ai let out a dry laugh at the surrounding air, giving her excuses to the surrounding chairs.

'…I don't need a single injection, even if it does come to that. I’m serious.."

If it’s the infirmary, her thought was that there would be an injection, and if it’s an injection, her first thought was the infirmary…so she thought, and for some reason, she felt that her best option was to get out of here as soon as possible..

So she had such a thought, when at that moment,

"'…! —!!!! ……!"

She heard a voice.

"'…? What now?"

She heard a few people’s voices. They were approaching as they talked. Ai was finally relieved to hear others talking, but she immediately frowned.

"—Shut up! Scram!"

Someone was howling away.The voice was an angry shout.

It sounded like an agitated man and other people trying to calm him down as they slowly approached.

"Let me through! Don't stop me!"

Ai recognized the voice, but at the same time, it sounded distant."

"What right do you have in stopping a father from meeting his daughter!"

She heard this man’s voice so many times.

"Shut up! I told you to shut up!"

But never before had he sounded so pained and anxious.

The commotion quickly reached the door, and then…

"Scram already! You liars!!!!"

The door was kicked down the moment those words were said. The red oak door slammed inwards, and the screws on the hinges bounced like loaches, falling to the hand.

Appearing beyond the door was the person Ai expected.

"Mr. Julie?"

Ai said with a bewildered look.

The man standing at the door was indeed Julie.

But his appearance had changed. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips were dry, his skin had no longer pale, but completely white, and even his stubble looked listless.

Beyond the door too were people, probably guards and doctors. They were grabbing onto to Julie's shoulders and hips hard, trying to stop him.

A mysterious tension gripped all three parties. Ai, was not sure what was going on, and decided to wave from the bed for the time being. The doctors were shocked to see Ai for some reason.

And Julie.

"Ai."

His reaction was most obvious, and most conflicted.

As Julie entered the room, his face was akin to a starving beast, hideous looking, but it relaxed the moment he saw Ai on the bed.

"Ai…"

The voice calling out to her was soft, and so did the face that gradually melted.

"Ai… are you all right?"

The big man staggered over, and knelt by the bed.

"Yes, of course I am."

Ai nodded emphatically.

"Really? Are you sure you’re alright? "

"Of course. I'm perfectly healthy…I don’t need to take any bitter medicine."

"Ha…haha, that's right …"

"Yes, and just to add on, I don’t need an injection… "

"Ha…haha…that’s right…haha …."

Julie dropped to his knees on the floor like a fallen wet sandbag. Ai felt a little apologetic, wondering if she had worried him after all.

"That’s right…haha …hahahaha! "

"Mr Julie?"

"Hahahaha!"

Julie suddenly burst out laughing. The manner in which he laughed hysterically was akin to a Karakuri doll.

"Come on, you liars, you see it! Hahahahaha! She’s completely fine!"

The adults gathered outside the door showed extremely bitter faces, but they still answered in rigid voices, as though fulfilling their duties.,

"…That's not true, Julie. We have ascertained—"

"Say what? You lousy doctors! Go back! Go back now! "

"Julie, listen! She's already—"

"Shut up! Just go back!"

"E-erm, Mr. Julie?"

Julie was so agitated, and Ai couldn’t help but yell at him.

Something was obviously amiss.

It was unusual to see such a lack of composure from Julie. He was akin to a a raging brown bear. It was impossible to think that any words would have gotten through to him in this agitated state.

"Mr Julie?"

"Ah. Yeah, sorry Ai, I didn't mean to be so loud. …"

And yet he instantly softened his expression the moment Ai called out to him.

"Alright, let’s go back. Scar and Celica are waiting for us…"

"Y-yes, that’s fine, but…"

Ai was still concerned about them in the background.

'Did something happen to me?'

"No, nothing happened…nothing at all…it’s obvious, right…?"

"Hmm. I hate it when people hide stuff from me. Tell me."

"Haha…I'm not hiding anything…you’re just…yes, a little tired. You slept a little.."

"…Slept a little?"

It was obvious that wasn’t the case. It was obvious that Julie was lying. He knew that Ai hated such lies…

"Ahh, yeah…more importantly, let’s go back. You haven’t eaten in a while, so you’re hungry, right? Let’s go back to eat.."

Julie tried to bluff. Ai felt that he was very despicable, but she didn’t have any urge to resist whenever food was mentioned, "Eat?" so she couldn’t help but wonder if she was feeling hungry said deceptively.

However,

"…Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

No, I don't fee hungry at all."

Julie's smile quivered like a crack in a badly made mask.

"Ha, haha, that's not true, right? Maybe I should get you something? What do you want?"

"You can’t, Julie! She can’t eat now! It’ll be harmful—"

"SHUT UUUUPPPPP!!!"

It happened so suddenly.

Julie spun and delivered a punch a nearby man that had unintentionally approached.

"M-Mr Julie!? What are you doing!?"

Ai was so shocked that she could not react. She could not believe he would act in such a barbaric manner.

"Don't panic! Calm down!"

The man who got punched yelled as he held his bleeding nose.

"Julie, We’ll remove you by force if you keep this up!!"

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UUPPPP!!!"

"It’s hopeless. Somebody get a tranquilizer gun!"

"Stop already! Calm down! What are we fighting over?"

"SCRAAAM! ALL OF YOU, SSSCCRRAAAMMM!!!"

"Oi! Someone go get Miss Scar! She’s the only one who can stop Julie now!!"

"Woah!" Everyone hollered. The doctors kept trying to coax Julie, who kept shouting at them to shut up. Ai just watched on dumbfoundedly. She felt like she was in a dream, unable to understand the reason for Julie’s madness and everyone’s confusion. She just wished  someone had explained to her.

Finally, the decisive words came out.

"Listen Julie! The first awakening is more important to the Dead than anything else! You’re doing something harmful here! "

Dead.

The word struck Ai’s ears hard.

"Did a Dead appear?"

She asked. Julie and the doctors fell silent.

The silence unnerved Ai. At this moment, Julie supposedly had the initiative, but somehow, the moment she uttered so, there were stares upon her.

"That’s trouble. We have to hurry—but where’s the Dead?"

Silence descended upon the room once again. For some reason, neither Julie nor the doctors would answer Ai’s question, and remained silent..

"That’s..."

Still, one of the doctors looked up with determination, and at that moment,

"AHHHHHH!"

Julie roared as though he wanted to override everything else.

"AAAHHHHHH!!! AHHHHHHH!!!"

The confusion swirled like a whirlpool.

The madness swirled like a tempest.

Julie crouched down by the bed and said with a strangely relaxed look on his face.

"Ai, let's go home. Right now."

"Please wait! Please explain first!"

"Julie, stop! Don't touch her!"

"Let's go home. This is a horrible place. We shouldn't be here."

Julie was driven to a corner, and looked really pitiful. His usually undaunted face was terrified like a child, his eyes vacant like glass balls.

"Mr. Julie—"

Let's go back."

Julie said as he tried to grab I. He looked so strangely distraught, driven by his sense of duty, that he tried to take his child away with him, blanket and all.

Ai did not dare to resist. Julie was clearly not normal, and she was willing to be abducted by him if it was just to buy some time and get him to calm down.

So, she rather extended her arms and jumped into his chest.

"Ai."

"Mr. Julie! I understand, calm down—"

They hugged each other.They looked full of love, like a true parent and child.

But,

"Kyaaaaaaahhhh!!! "

Ai shrieked in pain the moment she touched Julie.

Unable to endure this, she shoved away the body before her, and fell onto the bed.

"…A-Ai?"

Julie mumbled blankly as his hands remained outstretched.

"I-I'm sorry. …."

Ai panted hard. She looked at her own palms that were reaching out. The impact she just felt remained on her trembling palms.

Julie felt hot.

It was an extraordinary heat. Ai felt like she was burned by a flame the moment she touched him.

"M-Mr. Julie, what's wrong? What made you so hot…"

Seeing this, Ai noticed. She noticed accidentally..

No.

That was not the case.

Not at all.

"A-Ai…?"

Julie’s arms remained rigid as he kept staring at then, His reaction was the complete opposite to Ai.

His arms was covered in goosebumps, as though they were wrapped in ice..

"……Ah."

Seeing this, Ai understood. She understood accidentally.

"I see—"

Julie's face winced. Their hearts were in sync, and he knew that Ai knew.

"Stop!"

Julie tried to prevent Ai from saying it, as if the moment she said it, the guess would become reality. He lashed out at her, trying to overpower her voice and cover her mouth, trying to bury anything bad somewhere and pretend not to see it.

But it was futile. This was pointless. This fiction was the reality, and it had all ended long ago.

"In other words—"

"Don’t say it!"

It was the opposite. It was not Julie who felt hot, but that she herself felt cold.

After all—

"I must have died, didn’t I…"

Muttering a few words, Ai understood everything.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And Julie went crazy.

+

Scar was breastfeeding Celica at the first floor of the town council hall.

"Daw!"

"Yes, yes? You’re full now, are you not?"

"Uu!"

"Thank goodness…seriously, you.."

She loosened the baby sling and gently patted the back. The baby that had grown a lot over the last six months let out a small burp and immediately began to sail into dreamland.

Scar felt that Celica was being so carefree. Goodness, whose fault was it that she was bound here, she wondered.

Time to hurry. She buttoned up her shirt, held Celica in her arms, and quickly left the dining room. Once outside, she made his way to the main building of the town council. Midway there, she spotted a window with lights shining. Julie had gone ahead with Ai beforehand, and they should be there.

Ai collapsed.

Scar was waiting for everyone to return home when she received these news.

She really wanted to find Ai, but she could not leave Celica behind.

Thus, she decided to wait for them in the best way possible.

She swept the floor, cleared the entrance..

She arranged the flowers, and cooked.

She knew everyone would return home hungry anyway, and prepared so even at the expense of all the food in the pantry. She thought she should use them all on the dishes she had learned in the last six months. Baked wrapped river trout. Pig blood and bean pudding, tail meat curry, pan fried field potatoes. There was more; she baked soft white bread, sweet buns, and pastries. She baked a sponge cake, spread cream on it, and put candied strawberries, making a cake. She made more.

Scar baked hard black bread along with soft white bread. Aside from elaborate cooking, she made the stew she usually made, even making the pickled vegetables that Ai rather dislikes. Thus, there were some surprisingly simple dishes amongst the table filled with sumptuous dishes..

But that was fine. Scar felt that those dishes were the stars of the show.

Because it was everyday life that they were coming home.

For it was a daily routine for them to return home.

If it was not so, that would be a lie, no?

And Scar perfectly prepared for waiting and watited till moment. She had no doubt at all, firmly believing that would come home smiling and laughing, dragging Alice and Nein by the scruff of their necks.

And yet…

"……"

Scar initially trotted briskly, but as she appeared at the town hall, her steps hastened gradually, and she stopped by the time she reached the entrance.

The initial news sounded as though it was ‘no big deal’. A young boy had run over to pass a message from Julie, saying that Ai went to the infirmary for a while, probably because she was too worn out from solving the incident. "Welcome home." She had intended to wait at home and say so to everyone.

But nobody had returned home by noon, and she had no choice but to go to the town council.

Speaking of which, she did have a bad feeling when she covered the dishes with a piece of cloth, switched off the lights and closed the door..

The moment she arrived at the town council hall, she discovered that Julie had become quite erratic. "Don’t worry" "It’s fine", he just kept repeating such words to Scar, but he never would explain in detail, and was hostile to the passing doctors, before he was shooed out of the infirmary..

Then, just a few moments ago, the doctor returned and said something only to Julie.

The moment he heard those words, Julie stood up, and when Scar asked what happened, "Don’t worry" "It’s fine" he replied and left.

Scar was very tempted to go after him, but Celica was so restless that she had no choice but to stay behind.

No, that was just an excuse.

The truth was that she simply did not want to go.

Scar was a Gravekeeper. The characteristics had diminished within her, but her abilities had not dwindled in the slightest. She was strong, had the ability to bury the Dead, and…could sense the Dead.

Scar has been sensing a single Dead ever since she arrived here. The location was 50 meters northeast, 30 meters above her.

That was exactly the infirmary where Ai was supposed to be.

"…"

Scar had no idea what she had just sensed. She never thought of the concept of Death when she was a Gravekeeper. She never thought it was a good thing, or a bad thing.

But now?

"…"

Scar still had no idea. She did not know what she was feeling, or what she would feel. She felt a vague sense of taboo binding her body, preventing her from moving forward..

If possible, she wanted to stay here forever, and wished that she could head home and wait for Ai’s return without knowing the answer.

But she knew that would not be possible.

"Miss Scar! Thank goodness you’re around here! Please come with me!"

A young man came running down the stairs, found Scar, and grabbed her arm.

"Mr Julie is acting weird Please say something to him!"

"…Please wait."

Scar shook off the young man's hand and stopped.

'Before that, please tell me one thing."

"I don’t mind…but please hurry. Things are getting serious!"

"Is Ai dead?"

The young man stopped. He then noticed that the person before him had just lost a family member, like Julie..

"E-Erm…"

"Yes or no?"

"……Yes."

"I…see?"

Scar closed her eyes, instantly trying to seek out what she was feeling. Was she furious? Sad? Or delighted? Joyous?

It was difficult to summarize the outcome in a single sentence. If needed be however, the emotion could be described as ‘worry’.

I hope Ai is not crying, Scar thought.

"Daw."

Celica suddenly woke up and slapped Scar's cheek in a seemingly worried manner. Scar brought her face close and hugged her tightly in response.

"Let us go."

Scar was no longer lost.

"Please show me the way."

"Y-Yes!"

They climbed stairs.

She did not matter. If she had to be sad, so be it. If she had to be hurt, so be it.

More importantly, it would be better to meet Ai quickly.

It was time to let Ai see her.

 

Bang!

Then a gunshot echoed.

+

"Don’t come here! Get away! Don’t you dare approach us!"

Julie's eyes were dyed with madness.

"Calm down Julie! Just cool it—"

"I told you not to come near!"

Julie carelessly whipped out a pistol and pointed at them without a second thought. The doctors merely looked dumbfounded, unable to react to the outburst.

Bang!

The trigger was pulled without hesitation. The accuracy could only be described as perfect, and it Ai had not jumped over, the man’s head would have blown up like a crushed pomegranate.

Bang!

The second shot echoed through the air, leaving a small bullet hole in the stone wall. Even so, nobody moved yet

"Run!"

Ai screamed as she clung to his arm.

"Hurry!"

The doctors finally shrieked and bolted to the entrance. Bang!  A bare light bulb popped. The commotion ended like a firework thrown into a rat's nest, dissipating in a flash, leaving only the muzzle of a smoking gun.

"Don't come here! You too! You too! You too!"

But Julie's rampage did not stop. He pointed hi gun away and kept firing. "And you" Bang!  "And you" Bang! "And yooouuuu!" Bang!

It was a sight akin to a parent bear guarding the remains of its dead cubs.

"Why? Why won’t ‘you people’ leave me alone?"

The trigger clicked, and the bullets were exhausted. But Julie pointed the muzzle in all directions and pulled the trigger often enough to kill thousands. Click click click. Click click click. Click click click.

"It happens every time! You’re like this every time! You’re always taking my most important things!!"

Julie spun around, his heart in a frenzy, his soul raptured, his future in a mess, and he was torn to shreds.

He just wanted to destroy everything.

"Why!? What did I do? Why wouldn’t you let go off!!?"

He just wanted to destroy the ‘inevitable’ that filled the world.

Click! The bed was killed.

Click! The stone walls were killed.

Click! The light bulbs were killed.

Click click click! Click click click click click—the air was killed, the earth was killed. He pointed his gun at everything threatening Ai—his daughter, and squeezed the trigger. Click click click!

It was all ‘their’ fault.  These things were called stuff like ‘fate’ and ‘gods’, but they did not show even the tiniest of happiness or normalcy to Julie. No, the reality was harsh. They gave it to him, made him envious, and snatched it away from him when he wanted it, never giving it back.

Julie just wanted them to spare him, or that everything would die.

Click click click! The world spun around. Everything was destroyed, disintegrated, and the sun’s warmth would never recover. Click! The ceiling was shot. Click! The windows were shot. Click click click!  The world was shot.

"Why…why… why…just why…"

Finally, the gun was pointed at his own temple.

Click, click, click, click…and the empty metallic sound kept echoing.

"Stop, Mr. Julie! I beg of you, please stop!"

All the while, Ai was screaming. She clung onto his waist, reaching out, trying to snatch the gun. Julie however was so out of it that he didn’t manage to notice  Ai.

"Arrggghh! Eehhh! Mr Julie! Look at me! Mr Julie!"

Ai finally snatched the gun and threw it to the floor. The silever metal landed with a clunk. Ai called out his name and slapped his white pale hard. Julie widened his eyes and blinked away as though he had suddenly came to his senses.

"Ai?"

I mumbled.

"Y-yes, it’s me. It’s me…have you calmed down …?"

"No…"

Eht?"

"But that was only the beginning of a new madness.

Julie showed something akin to a smile, and said,

"…Noemi…"

Ai knew that name alone.

It was the name of Julie's dead daughter.

"N-No, Mr Julie, I’m Ai."

"What are you talking about, Ai? Of course I know that."

"Heh?"

"More importantly, let’s hurry. We don't want Hampnie Hambart to find us, Noemi."

"Eh? Eh?"

The madness nutured from sanity began to move in order. The spoilt gears started to use certain things as a sacrifice to keep running. The clock of madness moved at its own pace, shredding the past.

It began, and ended. Something went haywire.

"Let's go to the mountains. Let’s find a place there and live in peace."

"Mr Julie…"

"Whhatt, you don’t have to be scared even if Hampnie Hambart or a Gravekeeper comes,. Papa will kill them all."

"You can’t…you can’t…Mr Julie."

Ai kept shaking her head. Julie smiled gently, so gently that she had the urge to cry.

"What do you mean, I can’t…don’t worry, papa will always be by your side no matter what.."

"Mr…Julie…"

"Alright, let's go."

The strong, reliable arms hugged Ai firmly. He felt gooseumps due to the chill on his hands, but he did not appear flustered, and one had to wonder how he adapted..

The only thing left was the madness that had begun to swirl.

"No…no…"

Ai grabbed his shirt hard while she was in his burning clutches..

Julie was about to go ‘there’.

This strict, serious big man who loved common sense was going to the ‘other side’ for Ai’s sake.

Ai wanted to stop him. However, she could not, for she was Ai..

"Julie, stop!"

"Move…"

Julie reached his right hand out before the group and curled his index finger. However, he was not holding a gun. The gun Ai snatched was thrown to the other end of the room.

Even then, no one could relax anymore.

"I’ll kill anyone who gets in my way."

His outstretched right hand twisted as he pointed it at a young man with a muzzle –like darkness. Julie then slowly raised the nonexistent firing hammer in a motion he had done thousands of time before.

"Click."

Everyone heard.

'For the last time…back off.'

The big man raised a gun that did not exist, but nobody dared to laugh, and nobody dared to make a mockery out of him. Julie's madness had invaded the world, and the border between fantasy and reality had thinned to the utmost limit.

"No…Mr Julie, don’t …don't go…"

Ai frantically reached out her hand, but nobody could snatch away the gun from his hand. At this moment, Julie had indeed become a ‘monster’.

No one could stop him. Not the doctors, the young men or Ai could stop Julie's madness.

Only one person could.

"Do you include me too when you say to back off?"

Only the violet-eyed, broken Gravekeeper could do so.

+

"……Scar…?"

Julie's madness could not be any deeper, yet he simply crossed the line once Scar arrived..

"Daw!"

I'm here too! Celica reached her right hand forward.

"……Celica…"

Julie called out with the plain expression of one whose sanity and madness broke at once.

"What are you doing with your hand, Julie?"

"Ah, no, this is…"

He was not doing anything dangerous, and probably had no reason to be reproached, but Julie lowered his right hand that was pointing at his wife. This gesture simply caused the look of madness to disappear like a ghost in the light.

It was akin to the process of taking a broken clock apart to fix it. The clock was disassembled down to its bolts and springs, and it appeared to be more destroyed than it was at first glance. Nevertheless, it was still a necessary process.

"May I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, of course. ……… No."

But the mad clock no longer wants to be fixed.

"…Wait a minute."

The hand that had lost its power of madness continued to put at her, as though untilling to give up.

"Is something the matter"

Scar stopped. Celica was happy to find Ai, "Uu!" and kept pestering Scar to go faster. Scar too felt the same and just wanted to head over to Ai, wanting to pat the frowning face of despair.

And yet

Julie stopped Scar for some ridiculous reason.

"Scar…you were a Gravekeeper, right?"

Initially, Scar did not comprehend the meaning of those words. She could not grasp the reason why he had to ask something so trivial.

But once she saw his eyes, she understood..

His eyes were staring at her with suspicion and fear. She used to see lots of such expressions by humans many times..

It so happened to come from Julie, her husband, of all people,

"You're not going, to bury Ai, are you?"

He doubted her.

"'No, I’m not doubting you. It's just that, you know?"

Julie continued to make clumsy excuses. He was acting based on the inexplicable, matured sanity and madness.

"Answer me…are you…"

At that moment, Scar took a step forward and swung her right hand with all her might.

The sound of a paper bag bursting open echoed.

The blow rather shocked Scar, who was the one who struck it.

"Please pull yourself together."

Clecnhing her aching right hand, Scar let out a heavy sigh.

"What am I supposed to do if you are in such a state? "

"Ah…"

Scar gently reached out the hand that had just hit, and stroked his cheek.

"Please get a hold of yourself and return to your normal self!"

"But…"

Julie tried to come up with an excuse. But still,

He could no longer escape to the madness.

But sanity had no purpose..

"But-but…Scar…I can't go back…because…"

The right hand had warmth. The form of water borne from life flowed out. For the first time, Julie said,

"Because Ai…is already dead…"

Like a strong dike breaking apart, like a ripe fruit bursting, he was at his limit.

"Ah…ah…ah…!"

The eyes that were completely dry with age, were wet with tears, and a whimpered escaped from the large throat.

'Ah… ah, aaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Julie cried. He cried like a child, like a baby. The crying that was only filled with sadness immediately filled the hearts of the people.

Celica suddenly began to cry, triggered by the big man's tears. She appeared to be driven by fear, and was terrified as she kept crying..

Aaahhhhh, aaahhhhh!

Fugyaa, fugyaa.

It's like rain, Ai thought.

The rain of tears landed on her, Celica's new tears and Julie's old tears burned like flickers of fire with the exact same heat.

"I'm sorry…Mr Julie…"

Ai reached out and stroked his cheek. His tears were hot, like molten iron.

"I'm sorry…"

It was the first time she saw him cry. In hindsight, Julie was the one who always had others cry on him, nad never cried to others before..

The cheeks soaked in tears were of the same temperature as a flame.

It was the temperature of life.

"I'm sorry…"

Ai felt strangely sorry for some reason, and couldn’t help but apologize.

"I’m sorry…Mr Julie…"

Ai did not cry. So instead, they cried for her, and their teardrops landed on her..

"I'm sorry…"

Fugyaa, fugyaa.

Aaaahhhh, aaaahhh.

The first snow of the year fell outside.

+

Please let the four of us discuss this.

The doctors were mostly reluctant to comply with Scar's request. However, given that Ai herself too pleaded for this, they reluctantly accepted the request. They gave a few words of advice before leaving.

The infirmary was thus left to the family. It was not the apartment they were used to living at, and there was no food prepared by Scar, but the four well-traveled people quickly became accustomed to this place, and soon after, they were back to the mood of a family. As per the doctor’s advice, they moved the bed to the window to keep the Dead cold, and even brought a little heater and hot water pouch for Celica. Ai was acting way too normal, and Scar took the initiative, so the atmosphere was not too bad. The terrifying thing—and also, deflightfully—the four of them gradually became accustomed to Ai's death.

The family huddled in a circle and talked forever..

They talked about that dazzling sunrise on the day they met.

They talked about the night they spent in the wilderness, wandering around in the blue car..

They talked about the many Dead they met in Ortus.

They talked about the friends they met in Goran.

There was so much to talk about, and they just went on and on. Most of the stories were just trivial memories, but surprisingly, there was so much that Ai did not know about, which shocked her. They said that when Ai first started her journey, she often cried to sleep. She had no idea. On that note, it seemed Scar never realized that she was fond of eating raisins, and was taken aback when everyone said so. Celica never cared about whatever they said, while Julie wept as he recalled the past.

The snow was falling in the sky. The snow absorbed all the sounds and heat as it slowly piled up, and it was as though the world cease to exist except for this room.

Scar brewed a pot of tea. It was a souvenir someone had given to them back in Orus, a rich tea for the Dead. There were also incense sticks that were given to them a long time ago. There used to be one whole bag, but they gradually used them up, and had almost none left..

"Ahaha, is that so. Right, Mr Julie…Mr Julie?"

It was dusk, and snow covered everything.

"…He fell asleep?”

Julie was asleep with his head resting on Ai’s pillow. It was to be expected, for her had been running around everywhere over the past few days, and probably hardly slept at night.

"Let him sleep."

Scar unfolded a blanket softly and wrapped it around him. The big man looked worn out from all the sky, and showed an innocent smile. Celica too was the same. They were wrapped under a blanket, curled like a ball and sleeping soundly.

"You’re not sleepy, Miss Scar?"

Rolling up her thin sleeves, Ai set a small cup down on the cot. The cup was left with just a little bit of hellishly dark rich bean tea.

"I had some sleep pior to this, so I feel fine. Do you not feel sleep, Ai?"

"I'm fine for now…and will I feel sleepy? "

"Who knows…?"

Hmmm, the two of them tilted their heads and pondered. It was unspeakable that both Gravekeepers would not know, and Ai giggled. It would be really awkward to discuss such a cheeky topic if Julie had been awake, but thanks to this little chuckle, they felt better.

"…Ah. I know this may be weird to ask, but does your body feel well? "

Once Scar asked so, hmm, Ai tilted her head once again. Was she really alright?

She lifted her arm and check her pulse. Naturally, it had stopped. She tried breathing, but she felt that she did not feel suffocated even after she held her breath. She did not know whether her body temperature was normal, but since she felt it was a only a little warmer than the outside air, it appeared to be rather cold..

Ai lifted her arms slowly and shook them around, finding something a little amiss. She felt that muscles and bones were rubbing against each other, and it seemed like ‘they were moving because she moved’. Also..

"Ack."

She coughed again.

"This…probably isn’t a cold, but something’s stuck in my throat.."

"The doctors say they have done the bare minimal postmortem."

"Postmortem?"

"I do not know the doctors, but it is said to involve neutralizing the stomach acids and washing out the stomach…"

"Ueh."

It was said that from the moment of death, the Dead would inch closer to death, the mucous membrane of the stomach would be dissolved by the stomach acid, and the organs would cease to function, no longer processing the wastes inside the body. The body would thus erode slowly.

What about her? Was she fine?

She died, her heart stopped, and her body would rot. Was she fine with that?

Scar, who had learned to care so much over the last six months, soon realized the meaning of her own question,and looked apologetic.

"I guess?"

Ai however gave such an answer. She had died, her heart had ceased to beat, and her body was rotting, but she was fine with it.

No, truth be told, being able to say she was ‘fine’ in this situation showed that she was not fine, but Ai was fine. She was not exactly in such a fine condition that she was not fine, but she was fine.

"More important, do you know what happened, Miss Scar?"

"I do not know much either…"

They exchanged information briefly, Ai talked about the showdown against Nein, and Scar spoke of everything that happened since the morningUnfortunately, neither of them knew any details. They did not know why Ai had died or where Alice and Nein had disappeared to.

But in any case, they did not want to wake up the sleeping Julie and ask him..

There was no hurry. not anymore.

More importantly, Ai just wanted to talk to Scar.

It seemed the latter felt the same too.

"Ai."

"Yes."

"You died, no?"

"…Yes."

The surroundings were terribly quiet. Snow was falling outside the window.

Scar observed Ai carefully, and closed her eyes.

"In times like this, human cry, I believe…"

She opened her eyes at a big man next to her.

"How do you feel right now, Miss Scar?"

Ai was aware it was a terrible question, yet she did not really tink it was the case. Lots of time and significance had accumulated between them, and the words they spoke did not simplhad more than superficial meaning.

Scar stared at her palm silently. Her eyes were like the ripples on a clear lake. She was desperately trying to read something from them.

"…I do not understand…"

It was the act of naming a newborn being.

"My heart rate is increasing…so is my blood pressure…I am perspiring…I suppose this is the phenomenon…however, I do not really understand how I should react to them."

Ai did not reply. She knew very well it was pointless.

"…If I have to say, the closest experience will probably be at the rooftop of the World Tower. When I learned that I was no longer a Gravekeeper…the sense of loss I felt…might be similar to how it is now. Yet, it feels a little different…Ai, do you know what that is? "

Scar’s eyes were anxious. They did not look anything resembling a Gravekeeper, and looked so anxious, unsure, and she resembled someone who was on the verge of being crushed..

It was exactly like a reenactment of World Tower. The moment when it began, it ended, and when it ended, it began again.

So, Ai said.

"I don't know."

Ai showed a smile. A smile that would have Scar reproaching her for being a traitor.

Please decide on your own. Miss Scar, for yourself."

"…That is…quite a task."

"Yes, but everyone does it.

"I see… so everyone is doing it. Goodness…I do increasingly feel that being human is tedious, no?”

Scar suddenly lifted her right hand and touched Ai's cold cheek.

It was sudden, but Ai was neither shocked nor uncomfortable with it. Scar’s hand was as natural as Ai’s, and Ai felt that it was expected that she would be touched. Her feelings were emitting from the scorching fingertips like signals. The trembling little finger conveyed confusion, the intertwined finger conveyed regret, the stiff middle finger conveyed tension, and the powerless index finger conveyed disgust.

The thumb conveyed nothing gently touched Ai’s unscratched left eyebrow before leaving.

"…"

Scar hugged the left hand as though she was collecting something, closed her eyes, and let it sink into her heart.

"…I still…do not understand this emotion…"

And from the depths of it, she found something that Ai did not understand, and named it.

"I have decided. I shall call this my grief…"

Ai nodded quietly. She neither disagreed nor agreed.

'I shall think, decide, and continue on every day from now on…"

"…Yes."

"Thank you, Ai, for teaching me to grieve and for giving me another piece of personhood."

She was like a machine trying to assemble herself. In this world, Scar had nothing other than her mission as a Gravekeeper, and finally stood on her own feet, until she gained a heart and a name.

Hence, she burst into tears.

"You fool…'

The scorching arms grabbed Ai's body; Ai too grabbed Scar with her hands, and buried her face into Scar’s chest. At this place where where her father's and sister's tears had flowed, she received her mother's tears as well.

'Ai…you fool…"

"I'm sorry."

Ai felt very apologetic for some reason.

All she could do was apologize.

"I never wanted…to experience this at all…"

"I'm sorry … I'm sorry XX—"

—I'm sorry, Miss Scar.

That was what Ai had assumed she wanted to say. Her heart was calm, and would not falter. Logically, she could not have misspoke,

And yet, all she said was,

"I'm sorry…mom…"

Perhaps these words were not for Scar. Perhaps Ai had mistaken the warm, soft person before her for the one she should most apologize to.

"So foolish…'

But the next moment, all the mistakes vanished with these words.

Both of them continued to weep, like the snow that fell silently.

Chapter 2 - The Ghost Falls Over

Snow fell. It fell upon the town of Ostia.

People were all looking at the snow. There were those headed for the New World, those remaining in this world, both Living and Dead quietly gazed at the falling snow.

When it first started falling, people stared at this little miracle with mesmerized looks. This did not last for long however, for they immediately let out clattering sounds that came out in the form of white air, and started hurrying off. The snow piled taller, and was truly beautiful, but at the same time, they possessed a danger that would rob humans of their heat mercilessly and kill them.

In this situation, the eternal flame created by the Witch Trial, or Madame Express, played a major role. It intercepted and consumed almost all acts of violence, but never did anything to those violent against it, so people grabbed the flames and ashes and shaked a portion with every person. The fire on the hill was broken into small pieces and scattered over the city, burning like human souls in people's clutches and the corners of the streets.

White snow fell from the sky, red flames rose from the earth.

It was an illusory scene. The town that was dubbed the gate of Heaven and Hell, displayed a grandeur befitting its description while silently approaching the end of the year

And in a corner, there was a building filled with extraordinary livelihood..

Cabelty Hotel. It was decorated in an unnaturally flamboyant manner amidst the ruins of Ostia. The vast gardens were trimmed, and the fountains were in perfect working order even in this cold weather. Also, there were several cars, carriages, and other unidentifiable vehicles parked at the roundabout.

A party had already begun in the inner hall. The fish from the lake and the wild game from the hills were really appetizing, and the waiters handed out hundreds of jewel-toned wine glasses. The cheerful music of a bygone era was played, and the mood was certainly bright.The people gathered here were all visitors of Ostia with special status. The men were clad in suits as black as ink, and the women were gorgeous as flower beds; these were the aristocrats of Fellmigora. The men in green military uniforms with piles of medals hanging from their heads, wearing death masks richly adorned with jewels and precious metals were the Dead of Ortus.

There were thousands of people shivering in the cold air, on the verge of dying, yet the people indoors were consuming lots of heat and precious supplies like it was flowing water. Of course, they were not having their ordinary small talk, for the Heaven and Earth they spoke of was this world. They paid a visit to this super miraculous town with a ‘door leading to the otherworld’, and exchanged courtesies with those they hardly met—not just from countries far away or unrelated, but even countries that were in a state of war..

"Yaa, it's been a while. And it's nice to meet you all for the first time."

A girl walked between them like a lubricant, speaking to these people whom she was definitely not on ‘good’ terms with.

Dee Ensy.

She wore a shiny black dress that looked like melted, flowing petroleum. It was a somewhat plain and perhaps even out of place attire for a hostess.

"I’m glad you can make the trip. Let me introduce everyone."

But no one pointed this out, for Dee wasn’t the one to go along with the mood, but to create it. Her actions were a breath of fresh air and people would actually wonder the significance of her dress for futile reasons.

"—Phew."

Four hours had already passed since the party began. The party had gotten into full swing, and hardly any new guests had arrived. Dee seized an opening during a conversation to escape.

"Good, nobody saw me…haaa…I’m tired~ …"

She slipped into a small room that she had found beforehand, abandoned her fake expression, and sat down on a chair. Thinking about it, she had not sat down for half a day. She spread her thighs wide and let out a big sigh..

'Alright, time to have a full rest."

Saying that, she took out a baked bread of cheese and salami from her dress. It was a prize she had seized during her escape. Dee gobbled on it, downed them with some soda water, and then let out quite a burp..

"…Goodness, what’s with that appearance of yours?"

"Ack ack ack!!!"

At that moment, someone suddenly spoke up from behind. Standing there was the Deformed Maccia Electus, the ‘Destructive Fist’.

"Wh-what, it’s you, Maccia…ack ack!?"

"Ah enough, stop talking."

Maccia hunched over his huge body and knelt down, patting her little back with his scarred hand that symbolized his ability. He was not dressed in his usual rags, but in a freshly tailored dark suit.

He was an individual without any backing, but he was well qualified to be present due to his powerful ability. Five representatives tried to hire him over the past few hours.

Needless to say, it was not a nice story to say that he was assisting a little girl who had just choked on her food and was coughing incessantly.

"Seriously, I wondered if you were off doing something in the shadows when I saw that you were gone, but I didn’t think you’d be stealing a bite here."

Maccia's responsibility was to keep an eye on Dee. He tailed her to see if she, who had once tried to burn the world down to cinders, had reformed completely.

"No, I hardly had the chance to eat anything though."

"You had plenty of opportunities during your breaks, right?"

"This won’t do. When ‘whispering’ to people, Maccia, I can’t be eating."

"…Is that some kind of Ghost trick or something?"

"Nope. Mom said that I can’t talk while eating."

"……"

"But really, having a body of flesh and blood is really inconvenient. I get hungry, thirsty, and tired every time I ‘whisper’."

Truth be told, Maccia was uncertain as to whether he did fulfill his role. Dee’s thought process was way beyond him, and was not something a mere warrior could stand up to.

But Maccia was no longer troubled by this. Perhaps he was being used, or being lied to, and perhaps he was being brainwashed by her ‘whispers’. Nevertheless, Maccia knew very well that to worry over such matters was trying a dangerous thing.

That was why he clenched his fist and charged forth on the path he believed in. Such upright honesty was the truth realm of this Destructive Fist, who had triggered a miracle and evolved it further.

Thus, Maccia said,

"A report has arrived. Do you want to hear it?"

"Of course."

Dee tossed the water bottle onto the carpet and frisked through Maccia's suit for her makeup kit. She had him carry all kinds of tools for such instances..

"…We haven’t been able to track down that Witch's daughter yet."

"Hmm~."

Dee answered absent-mindedly. Maccia glanced aside at her and saw her emotionless face be dyed differently with white powder and red.

"…Continuing on. We haven’t found Alice yet.."

"Hmm~."

She still did not show any expression, and was as dismissive of it as though she was listening to yesterday’s weather report..

It was said that Alice and Nein both disappeared at some point while Ai was being treated. Their whereabouts remained unknown.

"I guess we don't have to do anything about them for the time being."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. That was a natural disaster. To be honest, we don't have the resources to deal with it."

"…Got it."

"And?"

"And also…Dust Believer, who was headed to Ortus…had just returned."

"Huh?"

Dee frowned. Dust Believer was a Dead with powerful powers, and also acted as an emissary whose actions were affirmed by Ortus, the city of the Dead.

Supposedly, she was to return to Ortus with Madame and Isola to Ortus, the city of Dead,.

"She’s back…why?"

"I don't know."

"No, that’s not how you should respond, Maccia. You’re not some errand boy."

"Ehh, I don’t want you to scold me now. Damn that bone woman. She wouldn’t answer no matter how I asked. She said she had some royal decree…"

While Maccia tried to wave off the hand that was tugging at his tie.

"I told you we simply have to meet."

A noblewoman appeared as she pried a curtain apart.

The two of them were startled by the sudden sudden appearance of a third person, and hastily got up. However, they soon realized that it was an old acquaintance, and relaxed.

"What, isn’t that you, Dust~!? Don’t scare us like that~!!"

"My apologies, Dee, I am in a bit of a hurry…"

Standing there was the aforementioned Dead,, Dust Believer. She was wearing a solemn dress a blood-red maiden would wear, and a mask with a teary was plastered on her face, dressed for a masquerade ball.

But Dee knew that her excessive adornment was no longer just a costume or a decoration, but part of her own nature, her physical body, so to speak.

"Well, anyway, welcome. Anything you’d like to eat?"

"Then, some hot charcoal, please."

What’s that about? Maccia wondered. Seriously, that’s why I don’t get the Dead. Those guys have some weird tastes.

"That’s what she said, Maccia,"

"…Am I supposed to get it or something?"

"Who else?"

"……"

"Ah, and please get me my drink, too."

Maccia silently got up from his seat and went down the staff aisle to the kitchen. He explained his needs to the chef he was acquainted with, (though it did not appear that the chef understood), and managed to get some charcoal out of the oven.

"…Here."

"Thank you very much, Mr Destructive Fist. I shall forgive you for calling me ‘bonewoman’ just now in return."

"……"

He felt she was really an enigma.

"I shall oblige."

The noblewoman took out the red-hot charcoal from the ice pail, and brought it to her mouth, eating it like a confeito, chewing on it. The white bones shone momentarily beneath the mask glowed with the fire sparks."

"Oh my, Cypress? This is nice. It is a little lukewarm, though."

A powerful Dead like her would not feel stimulated from ingesting food if she never did this much.

"…So, what happened?"

Dee said as she snatched the soda water Maccia had brought over, and asked a few questions. There would not possibly be such direct conversations during those few hours where people were being discreet with their words, and this was something only she could ask to those in the room that were well acquainted..

"There is a slight change of plans, so I returned earlier."

"Change of plans?"

"Yes, apparently the Band is moving much faster than expected. They shall rendezvous three days after departure"

"…Wow …"

The freshly painted makeup was distorted.

"…Seriously?"

"Certainly. I suppose they will be here in a day or two."

"…I see. It’s finally here."

"Hey, you don't mean the…?"

Shh.

Maccia's lips were about to mumble the decisive words, but an amber-painted fingernail stopped him.

"Don't say it, Maccia. After all, it’s said that you’ll die if you say that person’s name."

"Y-yes …"

Obviously, it was a superstition, and even Dust Believer grimly denied it, but Maccia chose to remain silent.

"Anyway, I brought the news. I expect you to welcome them with the appropriate courtesy."

"Yes, I get it. Thanks for telling me, Dust. Love you."

"No no, Dee Ensy, I love you too."

Dust Believer left, toying with the last of the charcoal like a candy ball.

It was at times like this that Maccia was reminded of how his thought process far differed from them. Of course, he knew what they were talking about. But he could not understand ‘why’.

He felt that whatever Dust Believer said was truly important. However, he did not understand why she had to use up so much heat to the point where she needed to replenish with charcoal, all to deliver these words..

Recently, all he could think about was the great meaning behind the words Dee Ensy said.

The things he never thought of before might, just maybe…

Perhaps there was a reason why she destroyed his hometown.

So he thought.

"Maccia...earth to Maccia!"

And thus, Maccia would think.

"Y-yeah? What is it?"

"You’re still asking? Any more reports? Or are we done?"

"Uh, no."

He thought about the impact his words might bring to others.

He thought about how words were more capable of breaking people's hearts compared to fists or bullets.

What would happen to Dee if he reported so?

So Maccia wondered..

"…The hotel staff wants to hear about tomorrow's guests. And also—"

Hence, he deliberated the topics. He instinctively pushed ‘that matter’ to the back, and started off by informing Dee of some reports that were in a sense unimportant. She would make a comment or two each time, but never gave any instructions or showed any emotion.

"Is that all?"

"Y-yeah, that’s about all…and, there’s also something that may not be worth mentioning, but…"

And thus, ‘that matter’ was spoken of in such a manner..

"…Apparently, the girl called Ai is dead after all."

"Hmm."

Maccia stared at the freshly painted rouge and waited for something to appear there. Sadness, shock, anything, he thought he should be able to see something.

"Is that so?"

Not there was none. Dee used Maccia's scarf to wipe off the excessive rouge, and got up with a nonchalant look on her face.

"…What do we do now?"

"At this point, there is nothing I can do."

"I don’t mean that…"

Maccia grabbed Dee right when she was about to return to the party, and chose his words..

"You're not going to see her?"

To Maccia, their relationship was extraordinary. After all, Dee once got down on her knees and begged for Ai’s life. Macchia stared at Dee. It would be understandable if Dee completely gave up on the party, "I’ll go right away!" and answered Maccia so. Such a person would not be suitable to be a leader, but for her, this should be the correct choice. Or if Dee were to answer "I shall not see her", that too could be seen as Dee prioritizing her role as a leader. However, she said,

"Hmm? I guess so. Maybe I'll show up when the party's over and I have time."

"……"

"What's up, Maccia?"

"…it’s nothing."

There was Dee's smile, perfect as usual. Her face was tinted with white powder and red, and her heart was armed with experience and reason, showing no openings.

"Yes, This is fine."

At this point, Maccia decided not to scrutinize Dee's heart through this matter.

If she was going to be hurt, it would be Ai Astin who hurt her, not Maccia. It was that cold infirmary, not this warm hotel. That was the truth he firmly recognized..

Thinking so, he felt a little …

""What?"

"No, it's nothing…"

Maccia eventually shook his head and bent his arm to escort the noblewoman out. Dee however latched onto that arm and went out.

But the distance between them did not really shrink much, and Maccia felt a little lonely.

+

The party was over.

Everything had to end.

As the organizer, Dee still had work to do. She gave a formal farewell at the party, and left the hotel. She praised the staff, nibbled on a small snack as she hopped into a car, and simply removed her dress. She threw her stockings onto the face of a nagging Maccia, and went north in the car. She showed up at the black surface management headquarters, spoke a few words, and went west to the guards. Finally, she arrived at the town council hall in the center..

By that time, it was already midnight.

Dee alighted from the car and found a strange group of people.

"Hey! Hear me out! Where’s the one they call the Witch?"

They were a bunch of Dead dressed in rags. They were grabbing the sleeves of staff members on the street, desperately pleading for something.

"What's going on?"

"A bunch of Dead that arrived this morning. They probably wanted the Witch's daughter to revive them or something."

"…That's pitiful of them."

Nein was so cruel to show hope and then take it away.

"Do you feel sorry for them?"

"My plight’s rather similar."

"…That certainly seems to be the case."

"Not that there's anything I can do about it though"

Dee then ignored them as she entered the town council. She left the leftovers from the party to the staff that were working overtime, and opened a bottle of wine. Amongst the documents left on the table, she sorted out only those documents that had the words ‘read these or I’ll kill you!’.

Still, as soon as the day was over, everything that had to be done was done.

It was over.

No, to be precise, there were still plenty of things to do. The documents were piled up, and there were still many letters that had to be written.

But it was not that she had to do so for the time being..

Dee removed various events from the balance of priorities in her mind. After removing the party, the town, the Dead, the documents, the scale tilted to a side, pointing out ‘that thing’ that had to be done..

On the tilted plate was a weight with only the word ‘Ai’ written on it.

"…"

Priorities. Priorities. Everything was about priorities.

It would be wrong to abandon the party and work and look for Ai immediately. In this world where everything had changed, it was not permissible to prioritize personal actions such as the death of someone close.

On the other hand, it was also wrong not to deliberately avoid meeting Ai. If she lost her balance by doing so, her priorities would be skewed..

Dee relaxed herself as she sat on the chair, and honed her thoughts further, weighing the reasons for whether she should or should not look for Ai.

The result was.

"Maccia."

She let the backrest creak, and stood up like a doe.

'I'll see Ai before I go back. You stay here."

"…Understood. "

With a look of different intent, she went through the room, and onto the corridor. Nobody passed her by, and she could hear her footsteps echo loudly. She stepped on the shadows cast by the light bulbs, and went outside.

Snow.

The hard footsteps were followed by a damp one, and the pure white air faded into the fine snow that was about to land on the floor. Dee walked over the snow, as if she were making the first stroke in a freshly unloaded notebook.

The lights in the east tower were already dimmed. She borrowed a lamp at the entrance, asked Ai’s whereabouts, and climbed the dark stairs alone.

To be honest, she was still lost..

She had managed to fool him until the very end, but in fact, Dee had no idea how to face Ai at all.

No, she felt that it was not something to be decided prior to this, but something that could occur spontaneously. However, she had toyed with so many feelings, and met so many deaths. For the ‘Ghost’, the death of a good friend felt like a common occurrence.

No matter how great a tragedy it was, people would one day get accustomed to them. In that sense, she might be the one most accustomed to such tragedies. She had witnessed way too many deaths of many whom she had interest in, and just one more was not a big deal. Most importantly, in this world, Death was no longer something to be shunned, but merely a milestone that would arrive sooner or later.

There were still many who were bound by the common sense of the prior era, and would go out of their way to avoid so. One of Dee’s objectives was to break this common sense. In a certain way, this matter was one that should be celebrated.

She felt increasingly happy as she thought about it, and beamed. She felt that she was regaining her old self. Given the family’s usual self, she believed that they would be wailing away. Her first word when visiting them would be ‘congratulation’. Damn it, I should have bought flowers..

Yes, this was the way. She should break common sense just as when she was the Ghost. Dee’s grin deepened. At this moment, it would be them who would react. Would Ai be angry? Bewildered? Dee would bet her supper of steamed bun on the latter. If she won, both of them could eat, and if not, neither would eat. She would tell Ai about this. Surely, the latter would be stunned and say, "Seriously, Miss Dee!" Ah yes, such is the way of the Ghost, my old self.

Let's become the Ghost again. So she decided.

Let's destroy Ai’s everything. So she thought, and at that moment,

"Kya!"

Dee fell to the floor with a solid thud. It seemed that she got tripped up by the stairs while she was thinking of something. Luckily, it was the last step, and she was unhurt.

"…Damn this stupid foot."

But for some reason, Dee was slow to get up..

She remained prone on the cold floorboards, and stared at her sore, creaking ankle.

She had a feeling it was an omen that she was tripped up right when she was about to become the Ghost. She could perfectly control her thoughts and body when she was the Ghost, and act independently..

Hah… hah… her breath turned white on its own, and she felt it was a bother. The heart thumping felt annoying.

A chill ran down her spine. The people of the past used to call it ‘a ‘bad premonition’ or ‘sixth sense’, but she never believed in such things.

At that moment, Dee was still oblivious of one thing. Her thoughts could only be established based on certain assumptions.

"…Hmph, I don't care."

She stood up, climbing up the stairs as she ignored the aching ankle, even humming as she hopped. She acted irresponsibly just as when she was the Ghost.

She continued down the hallway. The lamps illuminate each of the infirmaries, and she felt like a fool for being so bothered just moments before..

"Oh, this one?"

Dee gripped the doorknob without knocking and opened the door without any resolve.

"Pardon my intrusion~------…?"

She nudged aside the door that was just leaning on the wall for some reason, and peered inside to see complete darkness in there. Dee brought the lamp into the room and found that there was nothing but an empty bed and medical equipment.

"…It’s here, right?"

She reeled her head back to check the nameplate on the door. It was definitely Ai’s room.

"…Pardon my intrusion!"

Dee walked in while carrying the lamp that was feeble as a human soul. The room was a little messy, and there were signs of a fight.

The light bulbs were not switched on. It was lights out, and the electricity supply had been cut off.

"Ai, are you there? Uncle? Scar?"

The scene before her really showed too little sign of people waiting for her, and maybe they had moved elsewhere—so she thought as she went further in, despite not feeling any human presence in the room.

"Ai?"

Then Dee found Ai.

There was a bed dragged to the windowside, where it was snowing outside, and Ai was lying on it.

"Mmm, you’re here. You could have given me a holler."

Dee murmured as she went to the bed, but Ai did not answer.

"Ai, are you sleeping?"

Dee, who has dealt with numerous Deads, knew that they would follow their old habits while alive, and desire to sleep and eat. If the desire was too much, they would end up ‘selfish’, but if these were satiated in moderation, they would have a stabilizing effect on the mind. It was to be expected that Ai would want to sleep on the first day of her death, and celebrated even.

"What~? I took some time out of my busy schedule to see you~ "

……

"Hey, wake up. Let’s chat."

……

"Oi~Ai~ I’ll prank you if you don’t wake up…Ai?"

……

"Hey, Ai. Wake up or I'll prank you…Ai?"

………….

"Hey, Ai…."

Suddenly, Dee felt something ominous about the sight of Ai lying before her.

Ai was sleeping like an ornament, sleeping like a Dead.

No, that was wrong. She was dead, as if asleep.

"H- hey, Ai, you~"

Once she realized that she could not play dumb anymore, Dee felt very uncomfortable. Her chest felt tight, and her head was spinning. She felt like she had not buttoned correctly, and there was a great misunderstanding, but she did not know where it was..

"……Ai, wake up~"

Dee finally had enough, and shook the blanket hard. Ai did not wake up however.

"Ai! Ai!"

Dee called her name and shook the blanket. Ai still did not wake up. Dee was increasingly emotionally unstable. She did not know the reason, but she felt a mysterious impatience burn my heart.

"Hey, I’m calling you"

Finally, Dee gave Ai a little slap on the cheek.

"—!!"

She felt the coldness.

She withdrew her hand as if she had touched a flame. Such was the shocking feeling left on her right palm.

"A-Ai?"

It was to be expected, since she was dead. Dee quickly realized so and regained her composure, and also quickly noticed that it was no guarantee of anything.

The anxiety left her breathing hard, and her white breath leaked out in gasps.

In any case, this was way too weird, no?

The Dead usually had shallow sleep. It was to be expected, for the Dead were not truly sleeping, just imitating it. But Ai just never woke up, so why was that?

"No way…"

Then Dee realized the possibility.

In this day and age, Death was not the end. That was correct.

Death was no longer a big deal. That was also correct.

But that would only apply to those who had similar thoughts.

Ai once said, "My dream is for all Dead to have a happy ending." She did act reservedly, but she did have a little disdain against the selfish Dead.

Why did Dee not foresee that possibility before?

She even buried her own father for the sake of this belief.

Would someone with such a firm mindset make an exception for herself?

"……A…i"

Was the a possibility that Ai was not sleeping like a Dead,

Or not dead like she was asleep?

Was she not simply, dead?

"……!"

Her reason whispered that it could not be possible. Given Ai’s style, she might accept Death, but she could not bury herself. That was what Dee’s Ghost ‘whispered’.

"Haa… haa…!"

But the noisy body did not listen to these whispers. Her heart was pounding and her ragged breathing drowned out the little whispers. Her soul was telling her to ‘calm down’, but the body shouted back ‘shut up!’

"Hah—hah!"

Dee just wanted to go back to being the Ghost, and just wanted to have that invincible body where all sorts of tension and fatigue seemed so alien to her. She would not be disturbed by her heart, and would not be tripped by the stairs.

At that moment, the Ghost and Dee Ensy were perfectly separated.

"~~! Ai! Hey Ai! Wake up!"

Dee wanted to save Ai.

She wanted to destroy common sense and use all words to get Ai to live on, even after Death.

But she never dreamed that she would not even be given that opportunity.

She knew what the discomfort was.

She had misassumed. She assumed that Dee Ensy's idea of death was the same as Ai Astin's. She got careless, thinking that she should party first, and was so late..

"As a leader and a friend, when is it appropriate to go see a dead friend?" She found it terribly awkward of her to be wondering about such a problem. Stupid Ghost, stupid Dee, all this ended long ago when you were eating your pudding.

"~~~~! Ai!"

Dee never dreamed that this was where it would end. There was still so much more to tell. And yet she could no longer speak, laugh, or get angry, and she could not experience the scenes she could see along with Dee. Nothing was resolved. This was definitely wrong, but Ai would never be able to hear her complaints again.

"Ai, open your eyes!"

It was then that Dee first understood Death. It was not a new stage of life, and was not the end of the physical body.

They would never meet again.

That was Death.

Tears spilled. Breath oozed out like a bellows. Her heart was noisy and annoying. Her vision was dyed black, and she couldn’t stop the nauseous feeling. Her head hurt, so much that it felt like exploding. She did not know what to do, or how to react. For Ai died. Ai had died after all.

And then,

"Ai!"

"Eh? Ah, yes. What is it? Sorry, I was just sleeping."

Ai simply woke up.

"……Eh…?"

Dee's legs buckled, and her body dropped to the floor. "Unnnn~!" Ai stretched herself before Dee.

"Yes, it's me, Miss Dee. Feels like it's been a while."

Her body that resembled a lifeless one until a moment ago slowly got up and stared at Dee with her eyes wide open, the smile so gentle that it was unbelievable..

"It's nice to see you again."

Those were perhaps the words Dee most wanted to hear in the world.

Thus, this was why Dee could not hold it in anymore.

+

A little while later, Scar, Julie, and the others went to get their chores done; Scar went home to deal with the food and prepare for acceptance; Julie went to apologize to the doctor and asked him about what a Dead needed to take note of. Celica obediently fulfilled her important task of going back to sleep..

When Dee heard this, "Is this the time for that!?" she lashed out. "Auu…" but she then noticed that she misspoke, and froze up. It seemed she was stung by her own words.

As for the three of them, Ai was no longer worried. They spent the richest time together, and Ai was confident that even without saying any more, they would understand.

Instead, she was more worried about Dee.

"I was a little surprised."

Ai sat on the bed and patted her stomach area. There, to her surprise, was that former Ghost who was crying away, burying her face there like a little child.

Ai will never forget the look on Dee’s face the moment she woke up. She bawled and screamed so loudly, the voices echoed throughout the tower, and even the guards came to check if anything happened. Back then, Dee clung to Ai’s belly and would not leave.

Ai naturally patted Dee's head like a mother cat would do with her newborn.

"I thought you’d never cry, Miss Dee."

……"

"In fact, I thought you’d say ‘congratulations’ or something."

"…………"

The fact that the Ghost, who had quite a glib tongue, could not refute a single word left Ai really uncomfortable, so she did not say anything and merely continued to pat her hand. Ai combed the iron-colored hair with her fingers. Dee’s hair was severely damaged mostly because of overwork. Ai took a brush from under her pillow and brushed her hair carefully, and was concerned about that makeup, so she washed it off with water.. Dee was like an overfed cat, not resisting at all, and let Ai do whatever she pleased even though her crying face was seen as Ai washed her face.Nothing ended until Ai got carried away and started braiding her hair.

"…Actually..."

"Yes?"

"…I was actually going to say that…"

Dee said with a slightly calmer voice than before, but she remained in Ai’s clutches and did not let go.

"I was going to congratulate you and smile, Ai."

"Yes."

"And then it seems like you guys just resolved everything after an argument, and now I feel like I’m the one who doesn’t know what’s going on. "

"No, when you say that…"

"I don’t feel like me…"

Dee pressed her head hard onto Ai’s belly.

"I’m the Ghost. Unlike before, I chose to become the Ghost. I chose to become a real monster that would whisper, pass through walls, and become someone else."

"…Yes."

"And now I already like this just because one of my best friends is dead…I can’t continue anymore…"

"My my."

Ai felt like she was spoken of harshly, but she did not refute and merely passed the head. Dee would not listen, "I-Im not a kid~"and appeared to dislike this gesture as she flailed her arms about.

Ai knew exactly what was bothering Dee. However, she did not know how to express it, so she started off by asking carefully.

"Miss Dee, you’re sad that I'm dead, right?"

"Yeah…"

"But you think it's wrong, right?"

"…Yeah."

"Why is that?"

Both of them were acting like a real mother and child as Ai let Dee cry on her belly, asking the reason for those tears. This was fine. At this point, she probably was more exalted than all the Living.

"I have a dream…"

"What kind of dream is it? "

"That’s…"

This might be the first time Dee was converting her dreams into words. She paused for a moment, and then declared who she was.

"I want this world to become a ‘normal world’."

Ai nodded.

"There are Dead, there are Living, there are Gravekeepers, there are Deformed. But everyone thinks this is normal. I’m going to build such a world slowly, starting from this town.."

"Well, that's a nice dream."

What a pretty dream, Ai thought.

But at the same time, such an ugly dream, she thought as well.

"I've decided that I'll give up a thousand people, even thousands for that dream. But I…"

Naturally, Dee had already noticed beforehand. Her dream could save millions, but she would have to abandon the tens of thousands who would be omitted..

But still, she had decided to move forward.

So she intended, but

"Boooo…Aiii~"

Yet she cried only because Ai had died..

Dee could not forgive herself for this.

"…You don’t have to be so pessimistic."

Ai gently patted her good friend's head.

"Feels like this happened before, right?"

"…You’re lying…I wouldn’t cry to you, Ai."

"It’s the complete opposite of how it is now. I was the one crying, and you encouraged me."

"……"

Dee probably recalled too, and did not say anymore. Yes, the current situation might be similar to the time when Ai inadvertently revived Alice.

At that time, there was a conflict between Ai Astin and her dream, and they tried to destroy each other, screaming.

"But I just can’t do it."

It was what Dee had taught her, but Dee herself did not understand, which Ai found a little funny.

"I just can't…my mind knows very well, but my body just wouldn’t obey…"

"Yes."

"My heart thumps, my blood rushes up my head, and my ears are screeching, everything is stopping me…I could have done a lot better without them…"

The cause for everything was here. The biggest enemy to one’s own dreams would forever be oneself.

Ai realized it when she failed that time, but Dee’s enemy was the ‘body of flesh that had revived’, and it was very cruel..

"I wouldn’t be like this when I was the Ghost. I was whole back then, and my heart was mine…"

She might be stronger back when she was the Ghost compared to this moment. Her lack of a physical body and emotional volatility were perfect for her dream of ‘ending the world’.

"I didn’t need such distractions…"

Dee said. So Ai replied,

'Then do you want to die?'

It was then that Dee finally noticed something was amiss.

"As long as the heart stops, as long as you stop breathing, you won’t be bothered by ‘those’ anymore."

"Ah…"

Dee then realized to ‘whom’ she was saying ‘those words to.

"…S-see? This is what I mean."

Dee was aware that she said something harsh, but she just had to say it. Ai was very ‘calm’ as Dee had said.

"…I know I have to keep nodding, but my heart’s still distracting me…I know it’s just a stupid instinct, but..."

The contradictions were blaming Dee. Various components in her heart just could not come together, which left her in pain..

"… No, maybe I should have done that; I intended to die when Madame appeared, and maybe I wouldn’t have lost to my instinct, and I could have died…"

"Wait wait wait, Miss Dee, Miss Dee!"

Ai found it a little funny, thinking that people really were incredulous..

Someone who could observe others clearly would end up lost as an outsider when viewing oneself. Even the things one would be certain of would feel offputting once there was a little change..

But that was fine.

For that was what friends were for.

"Miss Dee, I have a question."

"Sniffle…what?"

It really was a re-enactment of that day. Ai shared a portion of the thing that Dee gave her that day..

"Why did you have such a dream?"

"Why…?"

"Why do you want this world to be normal?"

"That’s…"

Again, Dee was silenced. And then, for the first time, she converted this dream that came too naturally to her, which she never thought of, into words.

"It's for…myself."

Fortunately, unlike Ai, she did not make a mistake there.

"I want to live in a world like that…a world where Ai, Alice, everyone can understand, and I want to be in such a world…"

"Ahh, that’s a very nice dream."

This time, Ai could nod.

Now once again, Dee Ensy's dream took shape.

"In that case, you just need to start thinking from here. There won’t be any contradiction then. Didn’t you say so yourself, Miss Dee? Saving the world is just an ‘afterthought’. "

"Ah…"

It appeared Dee finally remembered, and the expression she showed was really similar to Ai back then.

"Miss Dee, you wanted to create a world where people don’t have to feel sad about dying, right?"

"…Yes."

"But you felt sad when I died, and because you feel sad, you feel that your dream was shaken."

"Yes. Yes."

"But that doesn't contradict anything. Because your dream hasn't come true yet."

"… Yes!"

While combing Dee’s damaged hair, Ai untangled her good friend's heart. She brushed through those tangled thoughts, and straightened out the knotted thoughts.

"Dreams exist in the future, not now. So if you dream of ‘some day’, you need to prepare for that day."

"…Yes."

"So I think it's okay to be sad now."

"………Yes."

"Tears are definitely shed the moment we stop crying."

Ai herself was quite a crybaby.

She felt the crying and finished crying were inseparable. No matter how sad one might be, how unbearable it was, the tears would take the sadness away and soothe the soul a little. Thus, Ai liked to cry.

But she would not cry anymore.

Her eyes were beginning to parch, and could not let anything flow.

But that was enough. Because her own tears had taken another form that flowed down Dee’s face..

"I'm sorry, Miss Dee."

"Yes …"

"I’m sorry…for making you sad."

"Yes…yes…"

Dee, the Ghost, the whisperer who tried to destroy the world with just words.

Said not a single word more as she cried in Ai's arms.

+

Julie felt that Scar had become much more human these days, but also had more eccentricities instead.

After preparing to move out, Julie returned to Ai’s infirmary, only to see his wife not enter for some reason, and instead peer in outside the door..

"…What are you doing?"

"Ah, Julie."

Surely Scar too was done with her preparations. She brought some clothes to keep Ai warm (given the situation, it was to keep her cold instead), and coaxed Celica on her back..

? Why aren’t you going in?"

"Someone’s here …."

"!? Alice!?"

Bending down, Julie peeked through the gap. He had assumed the big damn idiot finally showed up to meet Ai.

But it was Dee in the room.

She was kneeling by the bed, clinging onto Ai …and apparently crying.

He was shocked, and also enlightened.

"I see, so that’s why you were waiting outside."

"Yes, it appears they have lots to say."

"Hmm."

But there did not appear to be anything to worry about. Dee was crying, and appeared to be able to talk to Dee. A peaceful time occurred between the two of them, and there was even laughter.

"…Looks like she really cried."

"Yes, and she really bawled so loudly, Ai and Celica have to admit defeat."

"Hoh? Now that’ll be quite a sigh…how long ago was that though?"

"…About thirty minutes ago, I suppose."

Of course, this was the reason for Scar's troubled look. It seemed the two girls were in the endless talk mode girls usually would have. Given the situation, the two of them would most probably be chatting the entire night.

Julie would have given them some time if he could, but the situation would not allow for it.

"Ai, it's me. I'm coming in."

He knocked on the door without saying another word, and heard frantic voices from inside "U-Uncle!? W-Wait a minute!l"

At the same time, Scar apologized, looking sorry.

"My apologies, Julie…"

"No, it’s fine."

He would bear the slander of being called indelicate and inopportune. In fact, Julie had the tendency to willingly take such a brunt.

"Oi~, are you done yet?"

"Come in~."

Julie waited for Ai's reply and opened the door. He had assumed there would be Ai, sitting on the bed, and Dee, poised as always while sitting there, showing no signs that she had cried before…but he was wrong..

"Wait! Uncle, not yet! Read the rood! Wait, Ai! Let go of me!!"

He saw that Dee was struggling like a cat that had been doused with water, and Ai pinned her to her belly, not letting go.

"Don’t wanna~. It’s rare to see you act so cute, Miss Dee. I want to look at you a little more. I’m not letting you go!"

"…What are you two doing?"

Julie shook his head, looking dumbfounded.

"Come on, you can leave the flirting for another time."

"I'm not flirting!"

"Tch."

"Don’t ‘tch’ me!"

Julie naturally smiled and gently patted Ai’s head. Ai acted like an old cat as she nudged her head up his hand..

His arm felt goosebumps like before, but Julie was no longer afraid of this phenomenon.

"…Hmph, weren’t you two flirting out there?"

"What, little girl? Are you feeling jealous? Sorry about that."

Julie said, and then patted Dee on the head as well. "I don’t mean that! And even then, I’m not asking for headpats!" Dee murmured and tried to duck away, but Julie’s habit was to give chase after she ran away, "watch me catch you to ruffle your hair good" and thought so.

"Gyaa! Ai just combed my hair!"

"Ugh. Mr Ju…dad, you’re really indelicate."

"Hahaha, sorry about that…now then, shall we head home?"

Julie curtly apologized as he prepared the wheelchair. He had Ai sit on it, and got ready to head home.

"Wait, answer one last question."

Before they left, Dee said.

"Ai, what are you going to do now?"

Julie gasped. It was the question everyone had abstained from.

"Will you continue to exist?"

Her words did not sound disturbed, and her face showed no gloom. Dee looked at the Dead with a brighter expression than the sunrise and sunset, even if it blinded the other person.

"Or do you want to die?"

All eyes turned to one corner of the room. There was a Dead, one who had just turned thirteen, looking at everyone with eyes like the moon that no longer emitted a radiance.

There was a gentle smile on his face.

She’s scary. Julie thought. He always felt that her personality always scared him. The intelligence, the madness, and the fact that he could not understand Ai left him sad and terrified.

"…Miss Dee, Miss Celica."

Ai called out everyone’s names, and discussed her own death with a smile on her face.

"Mom…"

Surely the reason was because he felt so distant from Ai. He was certain that this child would one day leave him, and that became a fear that bound his heart.

And indeed, that did happen.

She, too, had abandoned him.

Even then,

"Dad…"

"Yes?"

Julie said. Softly.

He killed off his fear, hid his tears, and lied as always.

If she was going to leave him, he thought, so be it. He was no longer hesitant. He would just remain. That was what he could think..

And then,Ai said,

"Three days, please."

At this moment, the child still looked apologetic.

"I'd like to think about it for a while."

+

Let me think, Ai said. Three days to think.

Dee wondered what she would be thinking about. Was she thinking about ending it, continuing to live on, or when to end?

She wanted to think. She wanted to think about whether she wanted to live or die. The words sounded so strange and horrible. How many people actually thought of this issue properly in this world fifteen years ago? Dee naturally did not. She, who remained trapped in that day fifteen years ago, never thought she would have died when she fell out of a window..

But in this world, everything was different. Everyone had to decide for themselves whether to live or die.

How cruel a fate was it? On further thought, while the end called Death was cruel, it might truly be a form of salvation. Everyone had no choice but to kowtow their heads when the god of death would appear without care of their will.

That God was no more. He had mysteriously abandoned the world and disappeared somewhere.

All that was left in the world was the child of God. The child of God cried while holding some incomplete omniscience. People could no longer find an excuse. Death was no longer an unreasonably abrupt end, but an end point of one's own volitional choice.

In other words, Man had to decide till when he would live on to..

After all these, Dee felt guilty about what she was doing. She wanted a world where Death was the norm. Most people would not have noticed how terrifying this was, and accepted the ‘Ghost’s whispers. It was exactly what a whisperer would do, the ‘Witch of the West’ at her best. These people would gladly receive Death, and then realize that the Deathscythe that was supposed to be wielded by the Reaper were unwittingly handed over to them.

It would mean they had to decide on their own value. They had to decide on their own end, their own life, for themselves. Puny humans had to personally finish such a sacred task, no matter how terrified or sad they were..

But those who can do that were still good.

If they could not decide, what awaited them was something really terrifying. It was something more terrifying than an end, called ‘eternity’.

At this moment, Ai was a prisoner to this intangible hail.

That was why Dee could not say it. She definitely could not say anything that would get Ai to remain just for the sake of it.

"I'll see you later then, Miss Dee."

Dozens of minutes later, they were at the roundabout before the town council hall. Ai was seated in the blue car, the window pulled down and she bowed to Dee, who remained alone.

"Make sure of it! Alright!? I’ll never forgive you if you dare get buried beforehand!!!"

Dee nodded her head at the same speed as the snowflakes that were fluttering around. The Ai immediately felt the heavy atmosphere, and she lowered her eyes apologetically.

"Yes, definitely. I’ll let you know as soon as possible, Miss."

"I don't care about that! That's why …that's why…I don't want you to be buried…"

"… That’s."

Here we go again, Ai gave an uneasy look. Dee’s heart would throb whenever she saw such a face..

"I'm sorry, Miss Dee, I didn't mean to make you feel restless…"

"Y-yes, I know that. I’ll wait since you say you’ll think about it…but, think of this as me pleading. I still want to be with you… "

"Yes, me too."

Those words were true. Ai certainly felt the same, and wanted to be with Dee.

But that was no guarantee of anything, even for her.

She did not know. Dee did not know at all. She felt that there was a 99% chance of it being the case, but at the same time, she felt that the remaining 1% was the true Ai.

"Ah! When you say three more days, when is it technically!? Three days including today!? Or three days starting tomorrow?"

"M-Miss Dee, you’re desperate."

"Of course!"

"Erm, then, three days starting tomorrow…I'll make the decision on the morning of the fourth day."

"Hmm. Okay. …"

"See you later."

And the blue car drove off. The car spewed pure white exhaust gas, and the chains on the wheel screeched away as it disappeared into the town formed by darkness and white.

"…Now then."

Instantly, Dee switched her consciousness. She had to clear her thoughts a little, and rewrite her ‘Ghost’ mode as the ‘Dee Ensy’ mode. She sneezed, rubbed her hands, and went towards the town hall.

There were two main possibilities..

One was that Ai chose to be buried.

Once that happened,, in a sense, Dee’s choices were simple. She had to keep objecting until the very end, and nothing else. Until then, she would cry and pout, and cry way more than she did just then. She might even have to roll about on the floor, and even grab Ai’s leg..

On the other hand, it was hard to imagine that Ai would choose to remain. It might be the mixed signal that someone like Ai would say, "Please wait."

So what was Ai waiting for?

Or who?

"…That’s obvious, right?"

Puffing out a pure white warmth of loneliness, Dee decided on a future course of action.

"Where did those two go two…"

She stared into the town that was shrouded in darkness, and begrudged those two who were probably hiding in this town.

"Ai’s waiting for you…"

Chapter 3 - The World's Sounds

The snow that had been falling all night suddenly weakened as dawn broke, and in the morning, a reborn silver world appeared before people. The snow piles were so light that they could be blown away with a single puff, and the townscape glittered like a sugar art, dazzling.

In such situations, the ones who would not remain silent were the dogs and the boys. "Hey you" They would shrug aside the reproaches and the impressed stares of adults and girls and trample all over this little miracle. These boys were probably over 15 years old, and should have joined the ranks of the adults, yet they seemed excited at this moment for some reason.

The cooking had begun in the town.

The flames of Madame, which had been packed in a brass box to warm people up, became a small stove when the lid was opened, and began to heat up the cold food. People picked the fresh snow into the pots and boiled them into soup or tea to warm their cold bodies.

The town was filled with various sounds, from trampled snow to melted snow to adults grumblings and children cheering. The fresh snow released all the sounds that were devoured the previous night.

"Then papa, mama, I’ll look for her again today. I’ll be home by nightfall!"

In a corner of this town was a family amidst the queue headed to the black surface. The elderly parents brought along a young daughter who they gave birth to much later in their lives.

This daughter had separated from her parents and was moving westward down the main street. The sounds of the streets rained down upon this girl. Puppies barked as they slipped beneath her feet, and the food stall vendors sold hot grilled skewers as they called away.. They are delicious, cheap, and warm. Take a bite and your cheeks will fall off!

"…Gulp…if I find her, I need a souvenir, right? "

One had to wonder what the girl was looking for as she asked anyone and everyone she met and slowly made her way down. In any case however, she did not appear to be anxious, and went over to any cheerful sounds whenever she heard it, and would excuse herself to buy something she fancied.

"♪"

She took a bite of the crispy pork skewer, and heard the juices popping between her teeth. She could hear crisp sounds of frost being shattered beneath her feet. The town of Ostia was filled with such cheerful sounds, and the girl was enjoying herself as if she were at a concert.

She heard the sound of snow falling from the roofs.

She heard the boys cheering as they pelted snowballs at each other.

She heard the sound of the sun as it floated behind the clouds.

She heard the gentle wail of Madame’s flames, along with the sound of the otherworld echoing from the hilltop..

Finally, the girl found a clue to the sound she was looking for.

"Ahh, it can’t stand the weight of the snow anymore…looks like we need to shovel it, or things will get really troublesome.".

She arrived at a building about three blocks down the street, and I heard a ‘pompous’ speaking voice. It appeared the building could not withstand the weight of the snow, and a hole broke through the roof. Thus, they were inspecting this accident.

But to the girl, the incident itself was not important.

What bothered her more was the familiar voice in the center of the room, the one that sounded most pompous.

"E-Erm! You must be Miss ‘Witch of the West’!"

And so Tanya Swedgewood called out to Dee Ensy.

+

Ai once pondered the difference between dying and sleeping. Surely the people of the past wondered the same. After all, Death was often associated with ‘eternal sleep’, and was often associated with sleep.

It was very dangerous think about such things that could increase the risk of bedwetting, but the young Ai just could not help but ponder the subject.

She felt that from a sensory point of view, sleep and death were two totally different things. After all, how could they be the same when she never experienced sleep, while having slept every day? Just the thought of this question kept her sleepless..

But at the same time, she had an increasing feeling that both were the same.

What would it mean, for example, if she died in her sleep? Would I be able to properly notice so and realize, "Ah, I died"?

Or would she want to realize it?

If there was a Heaven or hell, she would have noticed. But at this moment, those places had arrived.

Thus, would she have to think for herself?

"……Nnn~"

With these thoughts in mind, Ai slowly sat up.

Maybe it was just her, but she felt that her body was stiffer than when she usually woke up. Her Her muscles were stiff and difficult to move.

Ostia used to be a city for the Living, and there were few plasticators, lacking in experience. They reminded her to be cautious of rigor mortis, so it seemed the symptoms were not too serious..

"Nnn…"

Ai was wearing a pair of pajamas so thin that her calves peeked out, and went to the windowside. She did not feel cold ever since she died. She grabbed the curtains and looked out.

"Woah--amazing!"

It was a world of white outside. The red bricks, gray cobblestones, and black hill were all stained white.

A puppy and a boy ran down the road before her. Seeing them run, Ai too had the urge to run.

But,

"Ah, this is bad. It’s blinding …"

According to the plasticator, the pupils expansion and contraction would not function well after death, and even the tiniest of lights would feel very stinging. From this perspective, the shiny white snow was not a kind opponent to her.

"Well, it can't be helped."

Ai could only give up, pull up the curtains, and return to the bed.

Knock knock. She heard two knocks on the door.

"…Ai, it’s me. Are you awake?"

It was Julie. "Yes~, come in~" she called out.

He did not enter however, and called from outside the door.

"Actually, there’s someone looking for you…what now? Do you want to meet her?"

"I have a visitor?"

Given how cautious Julie was, it probably indicated that the visitor was not exactly someone she was familiar with. Ai decided to put a stole over her pajamas, and put on cotton socks. Though she was not cold, she realized that the other party might be taken aback if she was too thinly dressed..

"Come in~"

She wondered who it was, and the door slowly opened before her. Standing behind the door was a girl dressed in puffy clothes.

She was tall for a woman and had a slightly tan skin that gave her a somewhat exotic look. Her hair was long and lightly tied up, tucked into her coat along with a scarf.

Her eyes were tightly closed and never opened.

Ai recognized her.

And she too heard Ai.

"Heh? Miss Tanya?"

Her name was Tanya Swedgewood, and she used to be the class president back at Goran Academy where Ai studied at. She was blind, and because of her Deformed ability that manifested, she was trapped in the academy. Later on, she was freed thanks to Ai, and was living with her parents. That was supposed to be the case…

"Woah. Woah. What brought you here, Miss Tanya!? It's been a long time!"

Feeling nostalgia, Ai walked over and raised her hands for a hug while forgetting her own situation.

"…………"

"Miss Tanya?...Ah."

Ai finally realized what was going on when she saw Tanya evade by taking a step back. The latter had her eyes closed as she looked at Ai, clearly looking skeptical, unable to hide a look of disbelief. And then,

"Tch!"

Suddenly, Tanya pursed her lips and made an exceptionally loud chirp. It was similar to the sound of a large bird asking, "What happened?"

In fact, that tongue clicking was basically asking who she was. The shrill sound waves quickly filled the room, creating reflected waves. The speed of sound indicated the temperature of the room, while the sound bouncing off the walls and furniture telegraphed their shape and distance. Tanya gauged everything like a dolphin or a bat. The results were immediate; Tanya understood everything.

"…Erm."

Ai too knew that Tanya knew, so she smiled at Tanya. She weakly moved her cheeks, tahaha, and just laughed. It seemed a little weird that she could not show a serious face at a time like this, but she had no idea what other expression she should show..

But Tanya had yet to arrive at that point..

"Tch, tch!'

"Miss Tanya?"

"Tch! Tch!"

Tanya’s ability ‘clairvoyance’ was an exploration ability she created from her blindness. It could determine light, heatconcepts, and other information through sound. Her power was so unique and powerful that she could even measure things more accurately than people that could seeperson.

However,

"Tch! Tch! "

"…Miss, Tanya…"

"Tch! Tch! Tch! "

But no matter how good a person’s eyes were.

"Tch! Tch! Tch!"

No matter how sharp her ears were,

"Tch… tch…"

It would be pointless if that person did not have a heart to accept its meaning.

Tanya chirped again and again. "Tch…tch…", like a little bird looking for its parents, she kept chirping, hoping for the answer she wanted.

"…Ai."

"Yes."

But she could not find it anywhere, and she chirped for a last time. It was a thing humans had created, for their senses were inferior to animals, and the name was called ‘words’.

"…You’re, really died, aren’t you…"

"Yes."

Tanya cried. It was the only function left in her useless eyes.

"You idiot…"

"Yes."

"You’re an idiot, Ai…"

"… yes."

The heat of the embrace from the Living scorched Ai’s body, but she did not resist.

She received the soft, warm embrace as Tanya buried her face into Ai’s chest, crying. Ai then recalled that she used to fear her living body. To her back then, living was a fear in itself.

"I’m sorry…Miss Tanya."

"Yes…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Yes…yes…"

There was only sadness swirling. There was no madness or delusion, but pure sadness that rightly circulated.

Tanya was only grieving for Ai.

+

"…But actually, I had a feeling this day would come …"

An hour or so later, Tanya finally stopped 'charping’, and was gradually able to talk.

Tanya sniffled away, and the two of them snuggled together while sitting on the edge of the bed, shielding themselves from the incoming torrent of emotions. Tanya appeared to be a bigger crybaby than she used to be.

"'Eh~~? Is that so?"

In contrast, Ai remained calm the entire time. Unlike Tanya, who was experiencing the death of a friend for the first time, Ai was used to causing others grief. Naturally, she did not wish for this, but the people really were unpredictable, and seemed adaptable to any given situation.

And in terms of being unpredictable, Tanya was no slouch either.

"Hmm, I was worried when I saw you. When I first met you, I thought, ‘Ah, this girl is dangerous’."

"I-Is that so? I didn’t think it was that bad. …"

"How could it not? It’s really serious. You really don’t know how serious it was?

"Ehh~, really?"

"Yes, really."

There were ten or twenty things Ai wanted to object to, but she could not defeat the crying girl, and remained silent..

"So when we parted, I cried so hard, knowing ‘I can no longer see you alive’."

"S-So that's what you were thinking …?"

"I thought so. That's why I was so relieved when the letter arrived."

After they went their separate ways six months ago, the two continued to send letters to each other. Ai would write letters once a month to friends whom she knew where they lived, like Ulla and Tanya, on her recent situation.

But at this moment, Tanya appeared.

"Speaking of which, how did you end up here?"

Ai tilted her head, wondering that it probably was not because Tanya heard of Ai’s death. This place was far from Tanya’s home, and it probably would take a month’s journey to make it here. If she had heard of an obituary, it might be a little too fast. The letter Ai sent out right after she returned home had yet to be delivered.

"Are you alone?"

"Nope, I came with papa and mama…Ai, do you know of the ‘black surface’? It’s a door that leads to the normal world from this town, and people says that it’s ‘a miracle that saves this world’…"

"Of course I do."

"Ah…were you involved in that too, by any chance?"

"Well, sort of."

"Wow, I knew it."

Tanya had a conflicted look on her face as she cried and laughed.

"'Wow, so you saved the world after all, Ai?"

"…No. I couldn't save the world after all."

?" After all…what do you mean?"

It appeared she had to discuss this after all.

"Miss Tanya, the truth is, I've given up on saving the world."

"!"

Tanya stood up, so startled that her blinded eyes opened slightly.

"… I see."

But for some reason, she was soon convinced before hearing the explanation, and sat back onto the bed again.

"I knew it…"

"? You knew?"

"Yes. You have that ‘sound’."

Her clairvoyance could convert any piece of information into sound, and this ability could even grasp complicated information in a very objective manner. Surely this was the situation.

"…What kind of sound do I have now?"

Tanya used to say that Ai had ‘the sound of the rainbow that reaches the moon’. Ai did not really understand the meaning of words, but she always felt it was akin to a vague, feeble, fleeting dream that she could not reach no matter how she stretched her hand out. But at this moment,

"…I can’t hear any rainbow sound from you. I only hear ‘a shattered moon sound;"

"Moon?"

"Hmm…the Dead mostly have the shape of the night, but yours is a little different…there’s a bit of warmth, a feeling of a hurt light…"

"??? Is that so?"

"Yes, you’re really a little strange after all."

Tanya seemed like she was sorting out her thoughts rather than explaning.

"It sounds like you're like light in the darkness, like darkness in the light, and as soon as you're about to be filled in by a differnet color, you’ll flip over and hide the colors the outside world has dyed you is…

"I see …"

Ai did not understand what Tanya was saying. Tanya’s world was hers alone, and Ai would probably never get to see it.

Still, that was fine.

'It's kind of embarrassing, isn't it?"

"Mmm. I don't mean it as a compliment A Dead is a Dead. I can’t believe you’re making such a sound…"

"But still, that’s fine."

Ai put her head on Tanya’s lap and fawned around like a cat. It was not exactly important, but Tany seemed a little plump compared to before. Her thighs felt comfortable to lie on.

"Somehow, I've grown to like the moon."

She did not exactly dislike it before, but starting on this day, she was fond of it..

"I see…that’s fine then. But wait…what were we talking about anyway?"

"We’re talking about the reason why your family came to this town, Miss Tanya."

"Ah, that’s right…you know, Ai, we're thinking of going to that new world."

Ai jumped up nd looked at her. Her eyes met Tanya’s closed eyes..

"That’s..."

It was not that she had not thought about it. Ever since this black surface was opened, Ai had a feeling her friends might choose ‘the other side’. After all, Julie, Scar, Dee, Alice, and even herself could have made that choice.

But in Tanya's case, the situation was a little different.

"B-but, if you go there, your ability will disappear, right?"

Beyond the black surface was a normal world where children were born, people would die—and the Deformed would lose their power.

It would be a different matter of it was someone with power stronger than the new world, a ‘Witch’ class level at that, but given the extent of Tanya’s ability, she might not have a shred of it left.

In other words, she would be blind again.

"…Are you okay with that?"

"Yes."

But Tanya had no hesitation.

"It's not what I wanted in the first place, I’m okay"

"Fufufu, is that so? Well, then you don’t have a choice then."

Ai was pleased for some reason. It seemed that Tanya had grown more resolute since that time..

"I’m just worried about everyone else…"

"Speaking of which, what happened to everyone?" all?"

They were referring to the five plus two friends who ‘voluntarily graduated’ from Goran Academy together. Ai had no idea of their whereabouts as they were still moving.

"Well, it seems everyone arrived at their destinations safely. I sent them a letter before I departed for here. Ah, I heard that the academy shut down."

"Heh?"

Ai could not help but look dumbfounded.

"C-closed down?"

"Yes. It seems they couldn’t hang on any more after that, and I heard that the school was disbanded soon after we left."

"EhhhhTeh Ping (talk)…"

At that moment, she felt like they were a bunch of idiots for working so hard to escape..

"…it seems like at the start of the year, they couldn’t cover up many problems, in many ways. It’s said that no matter the town or village, they couldn’t ignore the issue of the Dead and the Deformed any more.."

"I, see…"

Fifteen years. That was the timeframe required for a child to become an adult and for the world to come full circle. Physically and mentally, everything had changed, and the common sense that struggled to exist through deception, and the collapse of the school was probably a foregone conclusion.

"So what happened to Miss Mimieta, Miss Memepo, and Miss Momorency?"

Mimi, Meme, and Momo, the three sisters, were Ai's only remaining friends at Goran Academy. Three minds shared two bodies, and they were noble princesses. After much deliberation, they did not run away but stayed where they were.

The moment she mentioned it, Ai immediately thought of them. They were princesses, but they were very naughty, and never begrudged their predicament. They even boasted proudly "We’ll always be together no matter where we are!" and refused Ai’s invitation to escape the Academy."

It was so nostalgic. Ai really wanted to know what they were doing.

The moment she thought so.

"Did you!" "Call for!" "Us!?"

It happened all of a sudden. BAM! The door was slammed so hard, it could have been blown off its hinges. Hyah! Tanya screamed and hugged Ai. The open door slammed into the wall beside them.

Over there was a girl standing with her arms folded proudly.

"It’s been a while, you two!" "How are you two!? "Yahoo~!"

The girl was dressed in obviously one-of-a-kind cowhide boots, a bright red dress, and a rabbit-fur coat.

Something was amiss though. They heard a girl, but there seemed to be three people talking..

"You’re…."

Ai recognized this person.

They were the Gedenberg triplets, who shared 1.5 personalities.

They were the aforementioned.

Mimi (or Meme, or Momo) entered the room with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Wh-what’s going on, everyone!?"

"Nothing, we quickly went back to our old home." "And then everyone else viewed us differently." "Deformed are becoming commonplace, so our family had us enter the social world".

It appeared the rumors of much upheaval in the world was true. The triplets said that after Ai and the others escaped from the Academy, they returned to their homeland. They said they were treated much better than before, and those Deformed were really exalted.

"Hoh~, that actually happened~"

"Yes! And that’s why we got sent here..." "Something about Ai being here..." "We snuck out for a bit to say hi."

"I didn't realize that. …

Ai naturally smiled. These were the only friends she had always been worried about, but she had nothing to worry about after all.

"Then again," "I can’t believe it." "Ai’s dead~…"

"Tahaha…"

It seems she was the one causing worry instead.

"……" "……" "……"

They probably received news prior to this, for the triplets showed no expression, and di not look really sad. This might be because they had witnessed the death of a kin..

"Huh? But why are you alone?"

Suddenly realizing this, Ai mentioned this to seemingly change the topic. Back in the Academy, two of them were inseparable and did everything together, but only one was alone.

"Did you…"

Their ability was due to the death of one of three sisters, Montmorency Gedenberg, triggering an incomplete Dead revival. In other words, if another body was lost…

"Ahh, that’s not the case." "The other body is now back at our homeland Fellmigora."

?" What do you mean?"

"You see, we can all use two bodies, right?" "In other words, no matter how far it is, the message comes over right away." "So even if two bodies are far from each other, we can communicate over long distances."

"Ahh, I see."

In other words, it appeared the sisters were used as a fine telegraph replacement, and added as part of the delegation. It seemed the country had given up on pretense and immediately started using Deformed for convenience."

But the sisters were not to be outdone. They used them back in the same way to meet a friend while on work."

"And then—..."

"Miladies...!"

At that moment, another noisy voice rang again.

"Miladies! Where are you?"

"Tch!" "Looks like they've found out already." "A noisy one is here."

Who? Tanya and Ai both tilted their heads, and a tragic scream pounded up the stairs,

"! There you are! Miladies! You will put me in trouble!!"

Bursting in while panting away was a short boy with a flushed face. It was a face that Ai knew well.

Third Angel, Noellfaen.

He was a nobleman of the southern empire of Fellmigora, and also Dee’s associate (?), wielding the power of light as he negotiated with the town and Dust. He first met Ai during the Madame incident, when they were adversaries. They hardly had the chance to speak to each other, so Ai knew nothing about how. But then…

"Seriously! Please spare us already! The attendants were crying!"

"Tch~!" "We just ran off for a while. What’s wrong~?" "Great uncle, you meanie~"

Ai could not imagine that a person like him would be screaming in such desperation. Noellfaen truly looked like a teacher who was at a loss dealing with his mischievous children, devoid of the image of the uppity and powerful adversary.

"Pardon us~Tanya should be here first…wait, why are the triplets and Noell here too?"

"…What’s going on?"

Saying that, Dee too arrived. It appeared she had just taken time off her busy schedule, for she was carrying papers and escorted by a bodyguard"

"Ah, Miss Dee, thank you for your help earlier …."

"I-It-It’s the Ghost!" "It’s the Witch of the West!" "She’s really here! Hyah!"

"Ueehh, they say three women together means trouble, but you’re so noisy with just one person."

"Ah, Miss Ai, apologies for not greeting you beforehand. My sincerest condolences for your loss. I shall drag them away, so please forgive me…"

'Oiii~ Ai. I brought tea for the guests…we got more people now??'

It was a mess.

The space that was once empty until a few minutes ago became cramped. A large group of friends and acquaintance had gathered in the room, and she could not get off the bed..

This left Ai really delighted, and she exchanged looks with Tanya before they laughed away

+

Night fell.

Ultimately, Dee did not stay that long. She left some snacks and tea for the Dead as a souvenir, and was immediately dragged off by Maccia.

The triplets, by contrast, were much more persistent. They had to coax Noellfaen, who was nagging at them non stop, until he could not say anything more, and they stayed for luncha and even afternoon tea. Further questioning showed that they were bethorthed. Feeling shocked, Ai wondered, to which of the triplets he was engaged to?

The three sisters finally left after they had their sweets. It seemed their statement that they were fine no matter where they were rang through, and even their farewell was dry and refreshing.

The noise in the room gradually died down, leaving only Tanya behind. And soon, the noise would disappear.

"It's time for me to go back…"

"Already?"

The midwinter sun moved quickly, and was at the far side of the lake's surface. Tanya, growing impatient, finally spoke the words.

"You can stay overnight here…"

'No, I can't. Papa and mama are waiting for me, and I have to queue…"

There was a  crowd currently queuing to the new world, and an incredible disorderliness was present. Sometimes, the queue was in blocks, and sometimes, it was a normal queue. She had to report for a roll call at night, or there was no guarantee she would be skipped over..

"Then, please let me send you home."

"Eh, but…"

"I haven’t moved in a while, and I’m kind of bored.

Ai slowly got up, and began to wear her coat and muffler.

"Alright, let's go."

"But are you okay?"

"Yes. Ah, but I need to tell Mr Ju—dad, since he’ll be worried."

Ai walked out of the room and went downstairs, but could not find Julie. She asked Scar, and learned that Julie went out to greet Tanya's parents. Adults have adult relationships. So be it, she should send Tanya back and return home with Julie..

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes."

Tanya's overprotective concern left Ai feeling like she was back to a little girl again, and she felt a little awkward. Tanya seemed to be somewhat motivated, sniffling as she led Ai, opening the door..

There was snow.

Fluffy snowflakes fluttering down from the dark sky silently filled the landscape; Ostia was completely covered in snow and ice.

Tch, Tanya chirped, and frowned.

"I hate snow."

"Why?"

"Because snow covers everything, and only the sound of snow will be left."

It was rare to see Tanya complain with her cheeks puffed.

"And furthermore, snow absorbs sound, and makes it hard for me to hear."

"Hmmm? Is that how it is?"

Bubu, Bubu, the snow beneath the feet echoed. Tanya was right in that just from walking on the snow, the usual sounds seemed so distant. Hardly any cars drove by, and the shouts of the hawkers seemed soft..

If there were at least some sound in the body, this silence would be a little better. Unfortunately, nowhere would there be any voluntary sound occurring in Ai's body.

"……"

Eventually, the snow took the sound away from both of them as well, and the conversation ended.

Bubu, Bubu, they stepped upon the snow as they walked on, and they felt that the footprints were the only proof of their existence, but soon, they would disappear, buried by new snow. This body, without heat and sound, had as faint a presence as a wilted tree.

Ai suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to breathe, and as she inhaled and exhaled, the breath did not turn white.

"Ai?"

Suddenly, Tanya called out. Her voice was filled with confusion, and she stretched her hands around as if she had truly lost her sight.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Ah… there you are."

"? Yes, I've been here the entire time…what’s wrong?"

"…This is why I hate the snow."

Tanya said something Ai did not comprehend again, and grabbed the latter. She hugged Ai hard, and then held the hand..

"…Please, say something."

"??? I don't mind, but…"

Tanya held Ai's hand like a child scared of getting lost, or a mother afraid of losing her child.

It hurt a little.

"Ah, speaking of which, how long does it take to wait your turn?"

"The staff said it would be three days…but there seems to be lots of mistakes going on, so I don't know if it's going to be earlier or later."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah…maybe I won't be able to come back tomorrow."

Ai stopped.

And she immediately started walking again.

"…I’ll miss you."

"Yes …"

Once again, snow took away the conversation. The silence did not last long this time.

"Ai."

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go to the New World too?"

"No, no, no."

Perhaps Tanya did not know that the Dead could not go to the New World. It was an absolute rule set by the black surface.

"No. I know that."

"Then why?"

But of course, Tanya knew that beforehand. Despite knowing that, she invited Ai to the new world.

"I know. I know that not too long again, the real ‘Witch’ was in this town."

"…Miss Tanya."

"Rumors really spread when I was on my way here after all…they say that the Witch has the power to revive the Dead."

"……"

"I wish that you will continue to live."

"……"

"Ai, you won’t fulfill my wish?"

"…………"

Bubu, bubu, they continued to step on snow.

Ai felt that she could feel Tanya’s feelings as they walked on. Truly the snow would take away the sound, but in contrast, it amplified the little sounds. The strength from from the hand, the white breath from the throat, they both conveyed Tanya’s feelings..

"Miss Tanya."

"…What?"

"I'm thinking now."

"…Yeah."

The snow fluttered around them was like white walls, and they whispered to each other as they snuggled up together in this small room. The world was small, and nothing separated them.

"No, I’m not exactly thinking, right now, I’m, well, confirming."

"Confirming…?"

"Yes, I'm sure I already have the answer."

"Eh?"

Ai stopped and gently nudged forward. The destination they were headed to, the boarding area, was built before them..

"And I intend to finish this confirmation two days later. I won’t hesitate then. "

"… I see, I don't know what it is, but it sounds like you, Ai."

"I'm a little flattered to hear you say that…this decision has nothing to do with my confirmation though—-Miss Tanya."

"…What is it?"

"I won’t be going to the New World."

Tanya took these words head-on. Her eyes were closed, her heart was opened, and she took on Ai's words with this one and only power in this world.

"No matter what happens, I'm going to stay in this world."

"…I see."

"Yes."

Whether Ai lived or died, this decision would not change, for she so loved this world.

"…Yes."

Since Tanya said so, it meant that she had some decent determination for this. Ai did not say anything more, for the two of them came to undertand each other well.

"Then, it can't be helped…"

"Yes."

"…Seriously, I’m really a little jealous of the world that Ai loves so much."

"You’re part of this world too, Miss Tanya."

"…But soon, I won't be."

"Yes, so I would like you to stay here if possible, Miss Tanya."

Ai says with a mischievous look on her face.

"Aww…the tables are turned."

"Fufufun, so your answer is??"

"…Uu, I'm sorry. Did I say something harsh?"

"Not at all. I’m very happy."

There was no contradiction between wanting to be with them and not being able to be with them.

No matter how much she cared about Ai or how much she wanted to be with Ai, Tanya never made the wrong decision. She had decided, just as the triplets had done, never to be separated from her parents again.

Ai had no qualms about that mindset.

Ai hugged Tanya from the front. The thick clothes did not convey heat, and in contrast, did not freeze Tanya.

"Farewell. Miss Tanya, I’m glad to meet you one last time."

"…yes, I’m glad to meet you two…

Various goodbyes were coming their way. Life and death, this place and that, today and tomorrow. The sadness, the grief, slowly took shape and flowed out from behind Tanya's blinded eyes.

""Bye bye Ai, please take care…"

"Yes…you too, Miss Tanya…"

So they said, but they did not separate. They merely let their hearts be linked while remaining quiet under this silent falling snow..

They did not let go of their embrace until the arrival of their parents.

Chapter 4 - A Dead Friend

The wilderness was covered in snow, as if a bottle of milk had been smashed. The soil, the grass, and the insects were all sleeping, blanketed in the frozen season. The seal had spread to the edge of the continent and would not be lifted until spring.

The only people moving energetically under such circumstances were the humans. They were holed up in on the streets, trying to fight back against the ending season like infants who hated to sleep.

"Uuu, it’s cold, cold."

There was a stretch of wilderness the northwestern part of Ostia. There, the more energetic bunch of humans were gathered. They were the rebels who were fighting against sleep, andinstead were trying to subjugate it.

"Achoo! I’ll catch a cold at this rate~."

Standing there with her arms folded as she wore a thick coat was Dee Ensy. Her clothes were as thick as a rabbit’s fur, and she she buried her face in several layers of mufflers.

"…You could have hidden in a building or something.?"

Maccia Electus said as he exhaled white breath. He formed a stark contrast with Dee, and was wearing only a light jacket for mobility. He stood at where it was windy, and should be a lot colder  than Dee, but he showed no signs of it..

"I can’t welcome if I hide indoors though?"

"…Can’t you do that a little later?"

"No no no, these things are pretty important, okay?"

Dee was not the only one present, for there was the chief guard, the chief procession officer and their subordinates. There were not simply citizens gathered here, but also  Dee’s ‘personal friends’ and several brave emissaries from other countries attending this..

Clearly they were not the type to dawdle in the wilderness.

Despite this, they flocked together under the cold weather, staring westward and refusing to leave.

They shivered in the cold, wasting time for what amounted to gold, for they believed it was worth the wait.

"Speaking of which…three days passed since we were contacted, right? That is way too soon."

Maccia said as he gazed west into the wilderness. The sun was already setting over there, though it was hard to see through the thick clouds.

"Are they really coming tonight?"

Maccia glanced at Dee,. The latter’s confident smile did not falter.

"She'll come."

"On what basis?"

"Actually, I’m friends with ‘her’."

"…What did you say?"

This surprised even Maccia.

"But that’s when I was the Ghost, so I never saw her recently, and I can’t even if I want to. Since ‘she’ said she’s coming, she’ll definitely come."

"…,You really trust her."

"Kinda."

Maccia only knew of a few people that could make this Ghost feel so confident, and basically, they were Ai and the few Witches. At the same time, he felt very impressed. He never met her before, but he could believe that person was worthy to be trusted.

"…Well, let's wait and see."

Since she was someone Dee Ensy could trust, Maccia Electus too could trust. Thinking that he had no other choice, he steeled himself for a resolve to keep waiting, paced his breathing, and exhaled. Since Dee said she would wait, he too would wait even if it took them until the next morning.

But fortunately for him, his resolve was short-lived.

"…No, it looks like that won't be necessary."

It happened right after the conversation ended.

"Look."

The index finger wrapped in cowhide pointed west. But she was not pointing at the sun, but at those who arrived in place of daylight.

"Th-This is…"

"What a …"

A buzz propagated through the group. The group of seasoned diplomats were as bewildered as feeble sheep. Their bodies trembled and their eyes squinted in horror at what had crawled out of the twilight.

 

Pii raa ppii rirari, Pii ppii rirari, pii pirarii♪

 

The sound of a fluter can be heard through the wind.

 

Boom! Boom! Boomkalili! Booor! Boor! Boomkalili!

 

The vibration of the big drum struck the bodies.

 

Aaa lilasooo raa soo raa riii♪

 

The singing reached their ears, and although they were cheerful and joyful, they were also terrifying, and people could not help but shiver.

Dee and even Maccia were no exception..

The festival music grew louder and louder. Contrary to their leisurely movements, they ran through the wilderness at a ridiculous speed and quickly grew in size.

"Pipiraripirapipipiiilrariririrarurirurarurirura!

A man with instruments hanging all over his body played the flute as though he was playing his own. No, it was no metaphor, the flute was definitely hanging on his body."

"Haahaa~! Paapaa~ "

The man shouted and inhaled hard, letting the air flow through his body before relaxing it as sound through the earholes.

"Paaa! Paaa! Paraliiipaaaa~!"

The accordionist beside him was no longer even in human form. Like a scale insect, he continued to play his deformed music while shrinking the bellows made of his own skin.

"Du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du! Don! Don! Donkalali!!"

A drummer followed. He was using his belly as a drum, and the tremors shook the pebbles off the ground..

"Ahahahaha! "

A portable shrine appeared behind them. It was made of gold and silver, jade and lapis lazuli, lacquer and enamel, it was as big as a hill, and resembled a legendary turtle walking with the world on its back.

"Oi…"

"What?"

They would arrive in a few seconds. Maccia contained his fear as he called for Dee. He felt that if he relaxed, he would run away.

"Honestly, you must be regretting a little!"

"I guess!"

Their teeth were no longer clattering because of the cold. Dee was not someone who would be scared of the Dead at this moment, but she was still terrified of certain individuals, no, a certain person amongst them.

"But there’s no turning back now!"

Ortus, the land of the Dead.

Usually, this country's buildings would be decorated with a statue of a pretty girl, one of the ‘Idol of Murder’ that could kill the Living with just a look.

However, the figure was nowhere in sight on the portable shrine before them.

After all,

 

"Thank you for welcoming us, people of Ostia."

 

An energetic youthful boy's voice descended from the portable shrine before the. With so many Dead around, he was the only Living, and yet he seemed like the weirdest of them all.

 

"The Princess is grateful too."

 

And then,.

 

The sun was taken down.

 

The music was played.

 

And eternal sleep was denied.

 

 

Ulla Euleus Hecmatika arrived.

+

The next day passed peacefully as well. Tanya, who had just said her sad goodbyes the day before, showed up before noon, looking a little awkward; Dee and the triplets too found time to visit. Julie was busy studying under a plasticator to take care of Ai, and gathered ice locks outdoors. Scar and Celica were the only ones spending their time as usual.

The snow on the streets slowly piled up, and those that had nothing to do while queuing started shoving away, while those staying at areas with heavy snowfalls built igloos and added a dormitory.

Alice had not been caught yet, and neither was Nein.

Nobody knew where those two went. Aside from Alice, there were many people looking for Nein, ‘the grantor of all wishes' but neither could be found.

Ai, however, was not too concerned. She did not know the details, but she was certain that they would soon return, and she had an idea why they had disappeared. She decided to wait here calmly, without panicking or making a fuss.

"Hmmm. This is troubling."

Thus, at this moment, Ai was holed up in her room writing a letter. She chatted with Tanya the previous day, and recalled that she had not been sent any letters recently. This letter was for Ulla and Kiriko, both living in Ortus, the land of the Dead. They were the first people Ai had met and the first friends she made on her journey.

The last letter was written right after she returned to this world, and perhaps it had not reached her yet. After so many things had happened, she had to write something and inform them. It would be troubling if they got angry at her later and said, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Nevertheless,

"What shall I write …?"

Faced with a blank piece of letter paper, "Hmm" Ai grunted,.

It had already been an hour since she decided with a relaxed mood to write a letter, but she could not write anything at all. She started off writing "Hello Ulla and Mir Kiriko, are you doing well? I’m fine here." And then she suddenly realized that I was not fine.

"Now this is really troubling…"

Most of the cliché openings were sealed off, and Ai has remained huddled in this position for a long time. The letter paper was whiter than the snowfield.

She never expected to fail from the very first sentence. It was more difficult than she might assume to announce her own death.

It was the case especially for Ulla. Ai had once approached her in what amounted to an illegal raid and revealed her secret. She did not want to do the same thing again, and had to be cautious. It would be difficult for her to write if she was to be cautious though.

"I don't want to write something too depressing…"

Ulla was a princess of Ortus, the land of the Dead. Their people viewed Death as a second Life, where they would begin life anew again. When writing to such people, she could not write anything too negative about Death. However, it was difficult to write it casually. If it was too casual, she might be dismissed as a joke.

The letter she should write had to be serious, but not too dark, full of humor, yet straight to the point.

"Hmm, I can’t do it~"

Ai cheerfully tossed aside her pencil down and stood up. She could not come up with any good sentences at all, and her thoughts were spinning.

She hopped onto the bed, and plunged into the blanket with a soft sound, remaining still like stone. The blanket was filled with cold air, and felt a little chilly to touch.

"…"

Ai thought about Ulla, the princess of the land of the Dead, with her superpower ability to ‘unequivocally kill all Living’.

Ulla once said that Death was not a bad thing. How would she view Ai then? saw herself?

Will she feel sad?

Upon thinking so, Ai too felt sad. Over the past few days, Ai had caused sadness to many, and she was so devastated that she was tired. She felt that her view of how others grieved over her death was exceptionally rude, but everything, including such thoughts, left her worn out..

Because—and she could never say this to Julie—Ai did not regret her death at all.

Of course, it was shocking to learn that she could not eat any more food or grow any taller, and she hated it. She thought that if she had to die, she should die after she gained some weight. It was different from regret however. She believed that no matter how many times she was revived, she would have jumped in at that moment, at that place, to stop Alice and save Nein.

She would not give up for this purpose, even though she knew she would die. Even if Julie lamented, Scar grieved, and her friends shed tears, Ai would still make the same choice again. She never had any regrets about it..

But,

("Because Ai…is already dead…)

(I have decided. I shall call this my grief)

(Waaaahhh! Aiiii!)

 

Still, it was painful to cause others sadness.

"………"

Julie and the others never blamed Ai for her choice. But they definitely would not have assumed this. They feared to discuss as to why Ai gave her life up for the two of them.

I didn’t ask to be praised, so Ai though.

But still, Ai wanted anyone, just anyone, to pat her on the head and say, 'You did well.". She hoped for someone to acknowledge her reason d’etre, and acknowledge who she was at that moment. Otherwis...

 

"Wow, just as I thought."

 

(…… hmm?)

She had unwittingly fallen asleep, and for a moment, Ai did not know where she was for a moment.

She opened her eyes. She saw the exact same scene as before, her usual room..

It was quiet and still.

She laid there, pondering why she had woken up. She thought she heard someone's voice…

Oh well.

Even the Dead would sleepwalk, and Ai felt so devoid of strength to think of anything. She fell deep into the depths of sleep, and was pampered by the soft thighs supporting her head and gentle hands caressing her face. She felt very hot recently whenever she touched people, but amazingly, those hands was cool and comforting.

"Look, Kiriko, Ai is very cute after all."

She heard a voice she might or might not have heard before..

"Hmph, this brat might be a little cute if she doesn’t act or say anything…goodness me though, why is she sleeping when the Princess has just arrived?

"Woah, do not be angry. What can she do after all? It appears she really suffered lots…"

Who could it be?

That was the only question that stuck with Ai, and she turned her head to the ceiling. And then,

 

"Ai, you worked so hard again…"

 

Her eyes met Ulla Hecmatika's, who was patting her on the head.

Some dream this is, Ai thought? Since Ulla was a princess who stayed for in Ortus, she could not have appeared here. After all, this was too good to be true. How could someone just appear the moment she thought of meeting that person, and even say what she wanted to hear? Ai was not so young anymore to believe in such a gentle miracle.

And speaking of which, she neither knew of Ulla's face or voice, yet she recognized her, and bviously, it was a dream.

That was probably why Ai was able to accept her presence so easily.

"Ulla…?"

"Ah, you awake?"

Ulla was exactly as Ai had imagined. Her hair was as black as if sewn through the night, her skin was like wax wrapped in a cold, thin dress. The eyes she never got to see before were moist as freshly hardened obsidian.

Ai was somehow pleased to find her reflection in those eyes.

"…Nice to meet you for the first time."

"Eh? It is not our first encounter…ah, I see, it is our first time seeing each other. "

"No, Ulla, I know how this pattern works. This brat’s just sleeptalking."

Ai was really happy. There was no sadness or awkwardness at all in the Ulla before her, just simply happy to see her, and accepted her as a Dead..

"Miss Ulla."

"What~is it?"

"Miss Ulla…"

"Hmm? So, what is it?"

"……Can you pat my head…just a little more?"

"See? She’s sleeptalking now."

"Goodness Kiriko, be quiet."

Even Kiriko had appeared in the dream. Ah whatever, since it was a dream, it should be a dream made of candy and milk, and all those obstructions should return to reality..

Ulla's hands were gentle, smooth, and pleasant.

"Fufufu, it's Miss Ulla, Miss Ulla. …"

"Wo-woah? Why is she so cute? What should I do Kiriko…"

"I don't know, Do as you please. I shall welcome Master Celica.."

Ai put her face at Ulla's soft belly, and gave a puffy smile..

"Miss Ulla, will you listen to my story?"

"Yes. What~is it?"

"You know…"

Ai then began to tell her story. In her dream, she talked about her past, her feelings, how her dream to ‘never give up until I give up’ finally ended in futility. She talked about whom she met, whom she bade farewell to, what she thought of, what she accomplished, and what she gained and lost.

Ulla listened like a mother or a big sister. She did not say a single thought, "You worked hard" and only commented so.

Ai felt like she was blowing bubbles. Every time she spoke, every word she said, the scent of life frothed, and the bubbles that were dyed by the dreamlike colors let out an iridescent glow.

"So pretty."

Ulla described Ai's life as such.

"Is that so…?"

Ai felt embarrassed. She did not think those words were a compliment..

Ah, it's a dream, so Ai thought again. In her blissful dream, she continued to blow out more dream bubbles.

She was dreaming. She was in a dream within eternal sleep.

Suddenly, she felt an understanding in her heart. Everything was a dream. Whether awake or asleep, the Dead would continue to dream. A dream of the bottom of the water, a dream of the goldfish circling around in a bowl. A dream of Hell. A dream of Heaven. A dream of beasts. A dream of grass.

People would dream even after death.

And they would never wake up again.

Dreaming of Heaven created Hell, and dreaming of happiness created misery.

This world truly was a giant jewelry box. Dreams would collide with dreams, hurting each other. The mere existence of Heaven would have it resented by Hell. Beasts would kill plants just by living. Thorns were prickly to not get killed.

Ai wanted to ask about thorns, does your dream have any thorns?, or ask about wolves or sharks. Would they dream of claws and fangs, even at the end of sweet ideals?

People dreamed of them at least.

Even after Death, humans had to continue living, and the dreams they made were carved from claws and scars.

They clawed to ‘desire the world’. They tried to seize it like it was a beautiful stone. Basically, that was what it meant to save the world. Nobody was going to confiscate the word, but Ai just yearned for something that did not exist.

Everyone had dreams. Just as an egg would dream of what lies beyond its shell, so too would people dream within the eggs.

But both were shattered together, and the world is about to sink into silence.

Ai felt that she understood a little of Alice's feelings. She thought of that silver boy who was trapped in emptiness and became sharp as a blade..

Once people died, they would feel everything was like a dream.

People, scenery, stars, sky, everything was a dream.

It was as if the colors had disappeared, and everything that was witnessed felt so hollow..

Ai had no regrets. It was true. She believed that no matter how many times she was reborn again, there would be no other ending.

But,

"Miss Ulla… I'm dead…"

But little by little, the fear grew.

She feared that she could not grow tall, that she could not gain weight. She was afraid of herself, that she might forget to breathe, and feared the time that would soon be passed. She feared the warmth of the Living bodies..

Ai feared that her body would be parched, that her muscles would wear out, that her body would rot, and that she would only be left with bones.

'Hey …Miss Ulla… I've always been scared…"

It was a fear she could not tell anyone. Not to Julie, not to Scar, and naturally, not to Dee. If she were to say so, she would hurt them gravely. If she cried and screamed that she was really scared, Julie might actually have a mental breakdown..

Thus Ai decided not to be afraid. It was not difficult to do so.

The way to forget fear was simple. She had been doing that for years, and she knew what to do.

She simply did not have to think about it.

It was fine as long as she did not notice her anxiety and fear. It was a simple truth that everyone in the world would do every day. Was it not? If people were to think of Death all day loing, that would actually kill people.

""I know that. I know that it’s not something I should think about."

It felt like it was peering out from a dark hole..

Death.

Or eternity.

The thought of it caused Ai to feel sick to her stomach, her vision to turn black, and her heart to shrivel.

"But I told them that I shall think about it."

That was why she could not think about it anymore. She was in a hole, and not thinking about it was her escape..

Still, she was scared, scared, and scared.

But at this moment..

"…Hic…"

The tears finally began broke from a dam. There was no shape, no dampness or glitter. But they were tears, sobs.

I finally cried, Ai thought. She did not cry for anyone else, but for herself, whom she felt sorry for. She cried for the thirteen-year-old Ai Astin who had died.

"Hic…of course…I don’t regret it…and I’m prepared for it…but…why…did I have to die…?"

She could not say those words to anyone else, not to Alice, not to Nein.

 

"I…wanted to live a…normal life."

 

Nein would probably hang himself if she saw Ai in this state, while Alice would become sharper, like an empty husk. Thus, Ai could not say so, not to anyone..

There was only one person she could say this to.

"Yes, You worked hard…"

That would be this already-deceased Princess of the Dead.

"Ai, you really did your best."

"Sniffle… really?"

"Really really, I think you are amazing."

"…Like, really really?"

"Yes, really really really. And you are cute."

"C-Cute has nothing to do with this…"

Ai was increasingly unable to dismiss this as a dream anymore.

She had no idea as to how or why this happened, but at any rate, Ulla appeared here in reality. Ai slowly came to understand this. Her drowsiness gradually lifted, and her thoughts became clearer. Ai wanted to stay in Ulla's soft lap for as long as she could.

But it was no longer possible. After all, she had decided to ‘think’.

"Ah!"

Ai pulled her shiny hair back in the darkness, and hopped out of Ulla’s clutches. Her hand was on the soft bed, and she looked directly into the eyes that were of the same height..

See them and you die. The eyes that were fabled to do so had the color of night..

"It's been a long time, Miss Ulla. "

"Yes. It has been a long while. Ai…are you awake yet?"

"Yes."

"Thank goodness…hmmm."

For some reason, both of them felt very awkward. Their hearts were connected, but it was their first time talking face to face with each other, and this situation left them a little awkward..

It was the first time that Ai had felt happy to be dead. Just the fact that she could talk to Ulla made her very happy..

"I'm back. I've brought Master Celica—wait, you finally woke up?"

At that moment, Kiriko opened the door and entered with a soundly sleeping Celica in his clutches.

"Welcome, you two, You’ve made a long trip here."

Ai said in a firm tone, as though dividing a line between dream and reality.

"Welcome."

 

Kiriko explained that they (along with the Deads of Ortus)  visited this town as part of a world tour.

"We originally planned to have the Princess walk outside. Otherwise, she would be trapped in Ortus."

Apparently, the rumor the perception of the Dead has changed considerably in the past year was true, and Ortus, the pioneer of post-mortem technologies, was thus in high demand in other countries.

However, there was a strong sense of rejection within Ortus regarding the Living, who had changed their stance, and they felt that there was no benefit to cooperating with the Living..

It was Ulla who sparked the conversation. She was imprisoned based on special rights, unable to seek achievements within her country, and took a gamble to seek it externally..

She came to this town as part of it.

For Ostia, it was a mutually beneficial encounter, as it gave recognition as a a place where the ‘Princess of Death’, who had been shrouded in secrecy for decades, had visited. For Ortus, it gave them a connection to an important bastion to all of humanity in the future, and so this was a mutually beneficial interaction for both sides.

"Eh? Then you shouldn't be here, right?"

Ai said. She was not sure of the situation, but surely they had lots of things to do..

"Well, thats correct, but it is fine as long as it is a little while."

"Is that so?"

"Ah, the audience had already ended. We have the Living everywhere here, so there is no party for the Princess to attend. Might as well that she has time.."

Ai looked at Kiriko. He had a youthful body and soft hair resembling well-whipped cream. He was still the same naggy, thin boy.

But even so, he was different from before. Ai had no idea how to answer if she was asked this question, but she felt that he had softened considerably.

"I am exhausted."

Ulla let out an ostentatious sigh as she rested her head on Kiriko's belly.

"I mean, I will not kill people, right? "

"Y-Yeah."

Ai had no idea how to answer the statement that sounded as simply as stating what she dared not to eat..

"So when I meet a living person, I have to dress in some really troublesome clothing."

Ulla Hecmatika could kill people.

Anyone she saw or met or called for would all die.

It was the highest ranked instant death ability in this world infested with abilities..

Thus, she had to cover her eyes, skin, and voice when she met the Living. It took Ai a lot of effort just to speak to her back in Ortus.."

"I’m glad that you’re dead today, Ai."

"Ah, I see…"

Once again, Ulla stated so plainly. Julie would have been furious to hear it, and Ai’s face froze up. Then, perhaps noticing Ai's reaction, Kiriko said,

"Hey Ulla, this isn't Ortu… "

"Ah, I see, am I being rude …?"

Ulla tilted her head and asked worriedly, but she probably did not understand the strangeness of what she had just asked. She looked as though she was unfamiliar with exotic customs, she would try to respect and imitate them, and was unnatural as a result.

"I-It's all right."

It was not a lie. Ai was shocked, yes, but this shock left her comfortable with at the moment.

Ai truly recognized that the two before her really saw Death as just another phenomenon. Death was thus nothing more than a second birth, nothing to grieve over.

There was really a group of people who thought so.

This fact really touched Ai’s heart. They were not sad about Death, and even celebreated. It was an unusual kindness, but it put Ai's utterly abnormal mind at ease. She felt that the pressure of ‘common sense’ that had been tormenting her over the past few days were gradually eroding.

"I’m really glad to meet you, Miss Ulla."

"Yes," I'm very happy, too."

"Heh heh heh."

"Fufufu."

Eheufueheufu. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder with each other, rubbing their cheeks together, like young kittens deepening their affection.

"Oh yeah, you’re dead too right, Miss Ulla? What happened?"

Thus Ai could simply ask this question. There was no doubt that Ulla had died.

"Ahh, this? Look."

Without hesitation, Ulla began to peel off the front of her clothes. Her slender neck was exposed, and her modest lumps and white belly touched the night air. Regardless of how things unfolded, Ai was perplexed by the situation before her. Leaving Ai aside, Kiriko too was present. Was this fine? Was she really alirhg with them?

The two, however, remained normal. Ai was puzzled by this somewhat mature response. Erm, do they not care about such things? Or are they already used to it?

"Look."

Ai, who no longer cared much about death or anything else, still obligingly looked at Ulla's fingertip. There, on the left side of her chest, was a scar that could only be seen if one looked closely.

"What is this scar?"

"I was shot."

"You were shot!?"

It happened after Ai and the others had left, Ulla and the others apparently engaged in a very radical power struggle, and it was said that during the process, she was shot and killed by one of the old men's subordinates.

I was lucky.

"Lu-lucky!? How so?"

"Because I was shot, the people stood on my side. The timing was perfect, so it was a big help."

So there was such a view? Ai was shocked to hear such a notion.

"Eh? But, don’t you feel sad or anything?"

"Me? No, not really. I was already 15 years old, and I felt that as the leader of Ortus, I knew I had to die soon, so I was totally fine."

"Is-Is that so?"

"It seemed those old men did not think so, and it was a lot easier after that."

"Huh, amazing… "

"Yes. I was really lucky.."

It was no longer a matter of disdaining Death. Ai felt a sense of respect that bordered on bewildered. She felt like a fool for having spent the last few days pondering this. Truly this was the Princess of the land of the Dead, her viewpoint and thoughts were completely different..

"… Ai, do you hate this, by any chance? "

Ulla seemed so blasé discussing her own death, yet her expression crumbled for the first time..

"Eh? How so?"

"…Actually, Kiriko told me to be careful when talking about this…because it might hurt you, Ai…."

"That's—"

Not true. She could not deny this completely. Her current self could understand Ulla’s thoughts and resolve, but she had no confidence of doing so if she was still alive.

She felt that Ulla’s thoughts or resolve could be understood through talk. As to whether it would hurt her, surely the answer would be yes. She would have cried like Julie and Dee did, regardless of how Ulla felt about it.

Even though she knew that this might end up hurting her.

"…It's hard to do this." …

It occurred to Ai that perhaps the smallest actions she did might have left little scars in other people’s hearts.

For example, if she was sad about someone, and felt sorry for that person, but if that person did not think so, how would it turn out? Surely that person will then feel pitiful for the first time. In fact, while the person might not be the case, the person would be ‘sad’.

"But! I don't care right now!"

"Kya!"

That's why Ai hugged Ulla to break this grief, and pulled her face to the wound, headbutting it.

"I see…that’s good.…"

"Yes!"

The two were finally able to interact with each other without any hesitation.

Black in white, white in black, evil and good, positive and negative, everything has a pro and a con, and Ai felt that ‘there was some benefit to being dead’.

This was not possible in the fact. It had nothing to do with Ulla's ability or Ai's position, but because their hearts were not linked. Back then, they were in the deep darkness of Ortus, and the embrace they had through Kiriko was not complete, so they had only been in touch for a short time.

Surely it was the same this time. Even though they understood each other, and their hearts were as one, it might seem like a littler interaction. That was fine however, for Ai was rather looking forward to the future. Because time was truly as long as eternity.

And they embraced each other for a long, long time.

 

"Daw?"

 

And,

"Oh, Lady Celica's awake."

Celica Hecmatika woke up, interrupting the atmosphere and conversation.

+

Ulla and Celica, both born as princesses in the land of the Dead, walked different paths in life, and had not met for at least half a year.

"Daw?"

Celica, who was being held by Kiriko, woke up and gazed at the unfamiliar face before her. "Nnn" squeaking away. Given her expression, clearly she had forgotten who this person was, but she had an innate eye for people, and immediately judged Kiriko to be ‘harmless’.

"Woah. Sis. It’s been a while."

Ulla stood up quickly and went over. to her. Ai was a little sad to be left alone, but it was to be expected. The sisters were reunited after a long while after all."

"Woah owah, sis, why does it feel like you’ve grown so big?"

Ulla teetered over and sounded excited, This baby was probably the only one in this world that could cause the the princess of Ortus to behave like that.

But,

"Uu~"

"Eh…"

The baby relentlessly rejected her sister's hand that was joyfully extended to her. Ulla tilted her head, unable to believe this fact.

"S-sis?"

"Uuu~"

The baby again rejected her. Of them all, only Ai knew this was the very attitude Celica would show whenever she refused to eat a dish she hated..

"…Maybe, she doesn’t remember me anymore…?'

Ulla’s face looked as though it was the end of the world.

"S-sis! It's me, Ulla! Your little sister! Did you forget me!?"

"Daw!"

"Wooahhh...!"

"Miss Ulla, given the situation, I don’t think she forgot you."

Saying that, Ai stood up and went to Kiriko. Celica seemed to assume that Ai wanted to hug her, and immediately heightened her alert, clinging onto Kiriko.

"Ah! Sis, you can’t! That’s mine! And you too Kiriko! Return my sister to me! "

"Wait wait, please calm down, Miss Ulla."

Ai relentlessly caught Celica while the latter escaped, much to Ulla and Kiriko's shock. Kiriko was particularly upset, saying, "How dare you treat the princess like that…," but sometimes, when raising children, there should not be mercy..

Celica was not happy when Ai touched her and still tried to run away.

"She doesn't seem to like the Dead."

"Eh?"

"No, I think it’s just because the Dead is cold."

Celica basically loved to cuddle and piggyback, and when she was in the mood, even to Ai..

However, since two days ago, she suddenly refused to be touched by Ai, which shook Ai greatly. Julie and the others tried to console her, but the answer was soon revealed. She simply hated the cold..

"So, you see, if you put on gloves and a jacket and touch her, she won't get angry. "

Ai actually would like to keep her a little warmer, but this truly was too difficult, so the most she could do was to put on some thick mittens and gently touch her.

"Ah…"

"Uu!"

Following the advice, Ulla touched Celica through the gloves. "This is more like it" The baby let Ulla lift her up. She really did not forget, and soon showed a happy smile, one glad to be reunited with her little sister.

It was supposed to be a touching reunion, but she still reisted, saying "I hate cold things". Ai showed a wry smile at that way of life, but at the same time, she was a little happy. Ai then remembered that one person accepted her openly from the beginning.

"Goodness…you’re too carefree, sis,…."

"Uh!"

"But it’s okay…I love you…"

There was a pair of special sisters. The younger sister was the symbol of a nation and an incarnation of the god of death. The older sister was an impossible baby who chose to abandon her position and simply live.

There was no mistake however. The younger sister was hugging her younger sister and spoiling her in a very normal way. This would have been an unacceptable scene in the past. It was a very symbolic image to Ai.

The one existing baby in this world was hugged by the little sister that had lived many more years than her. In the old world, it would have been called a crazy scene.

It was no different in this world..

Sanity was nowhere to be found. Surely in the future, there would be more hardships. The common sense and fads created by the forefathers had nothing to prove that they were correct anymore.

Everyone will have to assemble oneself like parts. Just like Ai.

No, perhaps it was the same even when she was alive. She simply might not have known. Even in the old world, everyone should choose..

To choose to llive or die.

"I kind of envy you two."

Ai said.

"We are on the same page, aren't we?"

Kiriko replied.

Ai slowly closed her own eyes, just as Scar had done. She licked her eyes behind her lids as if doing so for the first time in her life, shutting out the world and diving into her self consciousness.

Ai pondered. She pondered, about death, about life, about the past, about tomorrow, and about herself.

What kind of person was she?

And what kind of person did she want to be?

She had blonde hair from her mother, and the soul from her father.

Shewas born fearful and without a single ounce of courage.

 

Still, I want to be something, and I charged into the storm. I’m definitely a meteor.

 

"Ah."

At that moment, a torrent of images struck Ai's brain. A missing moon, a light in the darkness. It was as if she was connected with Tanya's world. A rainbow in the night, a rainbow in the sky, shattered and scattered to become a star. She could have stayed in the safe sky, but she missed the people, and fell to the earth.

Even though she knew she would be shattered..

Yes, that’s the outcome after all..

I made it this far because I like it..

Whether it’s in the present, past—and in the future.

 

"Miss Ulla, Mr Kiriko, Miss Celica."

 

Opening her eyes, Ai said.

 

"I have decided."

 

She did not wait three days for an answer.

And Ai made a decision.

 

Interlude

It sure was a mess last night. Julie Dmitriyevich thought. It was late at night when a hoard of of Dead suddenly appeared out of nowhere, including Kiriko, who requested to Ai. Really, it was exhausting.

Julie was not exactly as bloodthirsty as a mother bear herding her cubs. No, he might have such tendencies days ago, but he had calmed down now (probably), and he intended to agree when someone asked to meet Ai..

However, the guys had no idea of how civilian life was like, and when a bunch of people showed up (even the Dead that appeared to be performers!), they said something like ‘you may die if you hear the Princess talk, so please evacuate the folks nearby’, shooing out the neighbours..

Thanks to this, Julie was left apologizing all through the morning.

Furthermore the Dead kept saying things like, "Give Lady Celica back"! and "Is that a Gravekeeper!?" the entire time. Truth be told, if it had not been for the arrival of Dust Believer and Diva, it might have turned into a fistfight.

Those Dead left just moments ago. It was just before dawn.

"Puuaaahhh…"

It was quite late in the morning, Julie was having tea in the living room when he heard Ai yawn.

The sound of slippers being dragged along came from upstairs, the door was slowly nudged open, and behind it was a sleepy-looking Ai. With a subconscious homing instinct, she scrambled to her seat and sat right opposite Julie, the westside seat where the sun shone upon it. She probably looked drowsy or dazed as she pulled back her chair to escape the direct sunlight, and leaned to the back of the chair.

"Good morning, Ai."

"Good morning…Mr…Julie…"

"Not Mr. Julie, Dad."

"Good morning…dad…"

Ai was too sleepy, and was obedient. Julie showed a wry smile out of sight, and went to the kitchen..

"Looks like you had quite a blast last night."

"Nn…yes, that was, really…fufufu."

Ai probably recalled the happiness she experienced as she gave an unpleasant looking smile. Julie paid no heed as it was common to see..

"That's good."

"Yes, it was good."

Julie boiled some water and brew a pot of tea in a newly purchased pot. A few tea leaves were put in, but the water quickly turned black. It was the new tea for Dead which Julie had just bought yesterday.

"I brewed some tea."

"Thank you…m~ bitter!"

Ai chugged down the viscous tea like it was strong liquor, and had some sugary snacks. Her appetite had greatly reduced compared to her glutton self before, and Julie was  saddened for some reason.

"Anyway, where did Miss Scar go to?"

"She’s taking Celica to those Ortus folk."

It might not be surprising after all. Celica was in that state, nbut she was very popular with the Dead. It appeared that she was viewed as an Idol back in Ortus. Apparently, as Ulla and Ai had monopolized her yesterday, the others had much pented up frustration.

"That is surprising. You didn’t stop them?"

"She’s happy to be pampered, so I didn’t really have any opinion…of course, I’m not going to hold back if they plan to abduct her like the last time…"

"Down boy. Calm down."

Julie felt that it was unreasonable of him to be spoken to like a horse or a cow.

A moment later.

The conversation ended.

The two of them suddenly stopped talking. Snow gently landed outside the wals, the sun was blotted, and the shadows on the table became hazy, disappearing into the wood grain.

Both of them drank tea together. At that moment, ‘I feel happy’, Julie suddenly thought.

And he was surprised at himself.

His daughter died, and might be gone forever in two days, yet he felt blessed, which really shocked him. To Julie, being ‘happy’ was supposed to be something more perfect. He felt that having a wife, a child, no illnesses, good life savings, a good job, and things went smoothly, and this would be what they called ‘happiness’.

But perhaps that is not the case.

His wife was murdered, his own child died, and even the new child died before him, but he might still be a happy man. So he thought at this moment.

That time without a single word said was probably a moment of perfection.

"…how are you doing?"

But Julie was just not used to happiness, and soon broke it up.

"Well, it's a little weird to say…but I’m fine…that's about it."

"Is that so?"

"Yes…dad, more snacks please."

"Fine, but no more for the afternoon then."

"Ehh~, stingy~."

"What do you mean, stingy!? How rude."

Suddenly, there was a hint of salt. His tear ducts had been I've been terribly tearful lately. He was not at an age where he was emotionally unstable, but he just had the urge to cry without knowing why. When sad, his eyes would tear up sadly, and when happy, his tears would tear up happily. He could do anything about it..

"…You seem more lifeless than me, Mr Julie."

Ai grinned away. Her smile still had the usual mischievous tone that prompted Julie’s tears.

"S-Shut it."

Julie had assumed that at this age, his personality would have taken shape, but it was then that he realized this was not the case. He reached to wipe his eyes, and turned his reddened eyes to his daughter.

And then, he raised the subject.

"…Today is the third day, right?"

"Yes."

"You said, ‘I'll think about it’."

To be exact, it would take another full day, or in other words, until tomorrow morning. Ai said she would spend that time thinking. Julie had no idea what she wanted to think about, but he knew there was something awaiting him at the end of it all..

"…I guess you’ll come to conclude next morning, right"

In other words, to live or to die.

"……"

He was the one who started this conversation, but Julie went silent without saying anything. What else could he do? Who could simply accept the biological death of his daughter?

Julie's wish is clear. He wished for her to not disappear. No, if possible, he wanted to catch that ‘Witch's daughter’ and revive Ai.

He said everything to Ai beforehand. He begged her right from the beginning, sobbing and showed no care for his own appearance. Perhaps that was why Ai said that she would ‘think about it’? This might be the result of Ai’s great compromise.

His best friend, Hampnie Hambart, bent his beliefs for the sake of his daughter and remained in this world for only one day more.

Ai, on the other hand, gave him three days. He was certain this number was beyond expectation, and he had to be glad about it. However, he just could not give up. Julie wanted to live together with Ai forever.

But that might be way Julie could not resolve this.

Just as it was not Ai who could stop him from losing control, but Scar, he was not the one who could get Ai to remain on this world.

Perhaps there was only one person that could do that.

…What the hell is that idiot doing, Julie thought. Doesn’t he know that Ai’s waiting for him?

"…Hey, Ai."

So Julie could only buy some time.

"What is it?"

"I mean, you don't have to make a decision in three days, do you?"

He asks pathetically.

"I don't think you need to hurry with such a conclusion, you know? One week, one month…no, even if it’s one year, nobody’s going to condemn you. After all, it's a once-in-a-lifetime decision."

"Mr Julie…"

"Hey, I beg of you. Ai."

The act quickly turned real as Julie wrapped the Dead’s hands.

""Please don't go away…I beg of you…it’s fine if you don’t want to revive, or if you want to leave, but please, don’t disappear…"

"Mr. Julie."

"Please…"

This time, his tears were real; Julie was so sad that he had to weep. He yearned that this image of his could move Ai's heart, if only a little.

"…Mr Julie."

The results, however, were more than expected.

"The thing is, I've decided not to be buried."

"—Huh?"

Ai simply said so, and Julie could not digest it simply, unable to comprehend what she had just said.

"—Eh?"

"So, once again, I shall be in your care again. Today, tomorrow, days later."

The little head was lowered, leaving a shadow on the table. "Ah, no, here too…" Julie could not help but bow and and lit his head again.

Before his eyes was the sweet grin of a mischievous child.

Seeing this, Julie finally understands the meaning of those words.

"A-Ai! Are you for real?"

Julie stood up so hard that he sent his chair flying, and questioned Ai. Ai simply nodded again with a relaxed expression.

"Yes, it's true."

"…Is that so?"'

The explosion of emotions had nowhere to go to as them landed weakly. The goosebumps he felt over the past few days melts away like a thaw.

It was an incredible sense of relief. Julie felt more relieved than he had ever felt in his life.

"…Thank goodness…"

The big man was going to cry again.

"…Thank goodness …"

I'm sorry for worrying you."

Ai gave a somewhat apologetic look. Thank goodness thank goodness Julie repeated.

"…No, that's fine. It’s no wonder that you’re distressed…but that's good."

"Fufu, Mr. Julie, that’s all you’re saying. "

"You make it sound easy. Don’t you know how I was going crazy being all worried…?"

"…I'm sorry,"

"Aren’t you always saying those words…seriously, I don’t have the right to be a father if all my kid knows is to apologize.."

Julie acted tough, but suddenly thought of something

"…Anyway, you’re okay with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You decided before you met Alice…"

"Mr Alice?"

There were two ‘what is this guy talking about?’ faces.

"Why did you mention Mr Alice?"

"No, like, since you said you’re going to wait three days…wasn’t it to hear out his thoughts? "

In fact, Ai had met various people over the past few days and heard their views about life and death. Many friends visited, and it was like a funeral of sorts.

Julie had assumed that the most important of them all was Alice.

"? No, it got nothing to do with him. I do hear out what others have to say, but Im just making sure. I’m not waiting for Mr Alice."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I can almost figure tell what he's going to say."

"…Is that so…?"

Julie still could not quite understand Ai's thoughts. He always had a hard time putting his thoughts into words, and never won a quarrel against his late wife or best friend. He can only understand things through the senses on his skin.

From that point of view, he felt this was certainly just like Ai, and that it was the right choice.

"Well, whatever it is, if you’re fine with it, that’s good."

"That makes things easier."

"…Want another cup of tea?"

"Please do."

Julie poured another fresh pot of tea into a cup. This tea made for the Dead was not only rich in flavor, but also has sterilizing and deodorizing properties that make it useful in moderation.

"Huh? No, no, no! Now’s not the time for that! Ai! Now that you’ve decided, you should go through with it soon! Actually, there’s a Dead doctor here yesterday. The suggestion is that you have a surgery called postmortem adjustment! Alright, I'll contact the guy—"

"Go-Goodness. Please calm down a little."

‘Goodness gracious’, such was the look Ai gave Julie as she looked at Julie who stood up..

"Doesn’t that take a lot of time?"

"Not just that. It takes a whole day before the surgery to get the molds and figures, and the actual surgery takes another day. After that, it’ll take at least six months for the drying and replacement process, and after that, it continues in phases."

"Ah, yes. I understand very well."

Julie whipped out some books and notes something out of nowhere and explained away. Apparently, he had been researching this topic for the past few days. He looked like a parent eager to educate his child. Ai felt grateful, but it really seemed tedious.

"Then let’s start tomorrow then.."

"But I hear the sooner the better?"

"I still want to keep to the three days deadline."

Three days.

Hearing that number, Julie stopped moving.

"…Is there a meaning to that after all?"

"Hm. I don't know. Maybe there is, maybe there isn't."

"What's that about?"

Julie had no idea.

"There’s no serious meaning to that. It’s true that I needed time to think, but the rest is just added bonus. Can you please keep it quiet from the rest?"

"I don't really get it…but alright."

He raised his hands to the heavens in surrender.

'I've content already. Just do as you please."

"Thank you. I love you, Dad."

"This brat… I love you too, Ai."

Ai hopped off her chair and skipped over to Julie, hugging him from the right flank and putting her head there. Julie rubbed her head with his own cheek, and both of them remained still for a while.

 

Glank gonk.

 

At that moment, the doorbell rang loudly "Sorry, is there anyone inside~?" and someone called out from outside.

"Ah! It's Miss Tanya!"

Ai slipped out of the embrace and put on her coat.

"Yes~! I'm coming!"

"What? You had an appointment?"

"We're going to the market together, and then we’ll go visit Miss Dee, and then I’ll going to visit Miss Ulla…"

For a daughter of this age, the father was merely of lower priority. Julie could help but show a wry smile. It was no wonder, for she would rather play with her friends than be with her parents.

Thus, he simply had to fulfill his role.

"Have a safe trip."

"Yes!"

"Reach home before dark."

"Got it."

"Don't eat. If you can't take it anymore, lick the incense stick. Do you have some with you?"

"I have some."

"And…"

"Ahhh goodness !I know everything!"

Ai ran out. She dashed out. She was moving, running, talking.

You’re so naggy, dad!

Ai laughed, and ran out of the house.

And Julie, left behind in the room, cried for a while.

Chapter 5 - Sunday Without God

On Monday, God created the world.

On Tuesday, God distinguished the order and chaos.

On Wednesday, God honed the numerical values.

On Thursday, God allowed the Time to flow.

On Friday, God overlooked every corner of the world.

On Saturday, God rested.

And so, on Sunday, God abandoned the world.

But those who loved fables were beaten to the ground, still thinking about Heaven.

They were tired of the life caused by fatal diseases, and had wishes and wishes and wishes.

But when fulfilled, there was no ‘me’.

People tilted their heads at the sky.

They could no longer move forth, nor look back.

And there was no reason to move.

For ‘my’ wish.

Was fulfilled with a ‘snap’.

And thus, the balance between life and death would be restored, and the glory days would come and go.

When did the dream become ‘I’, and when did ‘I’ become the dream.

Everyone became a dream, and ‘I’ disappeared and became a God.

But the end of the celestial sphere remained far away, and the newborn gods wept. ‘I didn't want to be like that,’ they wept and sang of their love.

Surely one day, God and Man shall part again.

Life and death shall be separated, dreams and people shall be separated, and the world will go past Monday.

Thus, the time Man (Ai) and God (Alice) could remain together would be no more than a thousand years.

+

In the end, nothing worrisome happened and the third day passed peacefully. Ai and Tanya held hands as they toured an entire row of stalls. In the afternoon, they visited Dee and the triplets with snacks. Ai had to visit Ulla in particular, as there would be quite a commotion if she visited Ai instead. The Dead suburb that was built overnight on the outskirts was surprisingly crowded with people, and even the Living, visiting with trepidation, were mesmerized by the masks and perfumes.

After returning home, Ai again wrote letters. This time, she wrote everything that happened recently and directed them to the addresses of the other classmates she heard from Tanya..

Time flew by.

It was night.

It had been a long while since Ai was alone, so she decided to sort out her luggage. There was a mysterious piece of paper she received from someone in Ortus, writing materials from Goran Academy, owl accessories and penguin containers from the World Tower and various other places, and a few other things. She removed these precious junk and dusted them off.

"Oh?"

Among them, Ai found several items that were really important. A fox mask given to her by the Lion, a makeup kit from Tanya and her friends, a snow globe given to her by Dee,

And Anna's perfume.

"…It’s very nostalgic."

This perfume was contained in a glass vial, and was used by Anna, her foster mother, one of the few mementos that Ai took along from the village.

The contents of the perfume had hardly diminished. Ai was reluctant to use it, and it had a strong smell as it was made for the Dead, so she had rarely used it until now.

Now, however,

"……"

Drip drip, Ai tilted the bottle silently. The fragrant drop landed on the back of her hand, spread out thinly, and was released into the air.

"Ah."

The memories themselves rushed through her nostrils.

‘That moment’ returned like a storm. The last night she stayed in that village, the manner in which she cried like a fool, packing her luggage, the night where she gave up and stuffed herself with sweets, the night she put on perfume for the first time.

"…Mama Anna. I'm sorry. You're right, this smells good. …"

Bowing her head in the direction of Heaven, Ai apologized politely. In her imagination, Anna and Yoki at her, goodness you. The stinging scent of soap and lemonade was pleasant to Dead's nose.

"…Maybe I should start putting on makeup and stuff.'

Ai capped it back, and put it away in the box, letting out a melancholic sigh. She had to learn how to put on makeup, not as a fashion statement, but as a matter of etiquette. Perhaps she should go back to Ortus and ask Lion to make a new mask for her.

She then unpacked the backpack Julie had been keeping care for. In hindsight, this backpack was a very important item that she had used since the beginning of their trip. The right button was loose and the corner of the lid was torn.

Ai took out the synthetic yarn she bought at lunchtime and knitted the backpack. She added three reels to thicken the bag, and and strengthened it with oil and wax.

Next, the straw hat. It was dried and tattered after two winters. It was a pity, but Ai decided to throw it away. It was woven during spring and to be discarded in winter, so she had no choice..

These were the Gravekeeper's clothes. They were tailored to fit her recently…but she probably would not wear it again. Ai I sprinkled camphor on it and folded it carefully.

A shovel.

"…I really feel nostalgic the more I clear them. "

Ai held up the shovel to reflect the light of the lamp. There was a  blurry reflection of herself on the dull bent surface, It was a crying and smiling face.

In the end, there was only one Dead buried with this shovel.

"……"

Kizuna Astin, her father who was with her for only four days, a kind man who was unwilling to stay with her.

……"

Ai took out a rag and some polishing powder, and took extra care of the shovel. She cleaned off the parched mud and polished the blade nice and shiny.

She then applied oil to it, , wrapped it in paper, and put them deep in the closet with the clothes.

"… Thank you so much for all you have done for me. Good night."

Bam, she shut the closet, and the tools reflected light for the last time.

She felt a little tired.

Deciding to take the rest of the day off, Ai put the tools away. She poured the washing water out from the window and closed the shutters. She went to bed and put a cup over Madame’s flame.

Within her blanket, she waited for the sleepiness to come. Recently, she felt unbearable as she had been forced to think about such bitter things at this time of the night, but on this day, she could finally get some peaceful sleep. Such was the power of having decided on something.

Starting tomorrow, she would probably be very busy again with surgeries and other things. However, she was glad that she could make this decision. The deadline of three days she had set was correct after all. While it was important to take the time to deliberate, if it got too long, she would be caught in a deadlock.

No, there was one thing Ai had yet to do.

"Mr Alice and Miss Nein didn’t return after all…"

She had assumed she would not get angry, but the moment she said so, her voice was unexpectedly resentful. Apparently, she was really in a bad mood.

"…Seriously, what were they doing?"

She said that, but she knew what they were up to. Most likely, theywere doing some really, really, really stupid stuff.

Three days. The time limit of ‘three days’ was actually meant for them. Her intention was for them to return by then.

But it was fine. Since they would not return, Ai knew their intentions, and she would take the initiative to look for them..

"Fuaa…well, whatever. We’ll talk about all these,  tomorrow…

The sleepiness finally arrived, and Ai wriggled under the blanket. She stopped her fake breathing and sank into the depths of death.

Kon.

And it happened right at that moment.

"?"

Kon. She heard that sound agao. Ai got out of bed and approached the window. Kon. There was a muffled sound banging on the lowered shutters. Kon.

Ai was struck by a premonition.

Kon.

The sound was probably caused by a pebble, hitting the same exact spot.

What should she do now? Ai’s face naturally curled into a smile. It was the smile of a cat that had seen its prey. She approached the window and leaned her face against it. Perhaps she should just ignore it until morning.

Kon!

"Whoa!"

The moment she had this thought, the sound got louder. It seemed the stones used were getting larger. Goodness, this violent guy. Immediately after that thought, the sound becomes louder. It seems to be turning into a big stone step by step. What a violent man. What will you do if the window breaks?

"…Well, I got no choice now, right?"

She opened the curtains, unlocked the glass windows, and opened them outwards.

The first thing she saw was the moon. The snow seemed to have stopped before midnight, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Looking down, the town below was a world of shadows. Flames and snow swayed away/

Alice was standing at that corner.

He was next to the tree right before a house. He was just about to throw a pebble, and his raised arm was lowered awkwardly as he raised his eyebrows. "You could have hurried out earlier." He murmured with his lips.

Ai, on the other hand, simply closed the window without saying a word. The pebbles seemingly panicked as they started flying over. Ai opened the window slightly and had a peek downstairs, only to see a head three stories below her, bobbing up and down.

‘Next time, if you make such a face again, I’m slamming the door on you’, Ai gave such a look, and forgave him.

Alice heaved a sigh of relief and suddenly grabbed onto the wall. Eh? Before Ai could react, he he used the gaps in the stone and the gutter as footholds and quickly cleared the height of the building, three stories high.

"Hey! Wait, what are you thinking?"

"Just get me in there."

"Ah goodness! You’re really an idiot, Mr Alice!"

"I know that."

And with the midwinter cold wave blowing in, Alice climbed into the room. The curtains fluttered and a slight powdery snow fluttered.

"Goodness, you."

Ai closed the window angrily. There was no courtesy in Alice’s words at all, and she felt like an idiot for being so happy just a moment ago.

"Why didn’t you just come in normally?"

"…I can't…if I get caught by the old man, I’ll be in trouble."

"Then you should have taken the scolding there. Don’t you know how worried everyone was about you?"

"…Even so."

Both of them knew the place so well that they could walk through the dark room like deep sea fish. Ai sat on the edge of the bed, and Alice dropped his bags and sat down in a chair. There was no light. The full moon was enough.

Looking up at him from the corner of the room, Ai saw that he was very battered. He was wearing a shirt and pants that he obtained from somewhere, wearing a thin coat. He was also dressed like a saint from a picture book, carrying a large bag.

"What's with the baggage? Sp,e present for me by any chance?"

"…No way…no, actually, I did spend three whole days for this, so I can’t say this isn’t the case… "

"Woah, woah. Can I open it?"

'Wait, so it's not like that. … Hey! Don't touch me without permission! Sit down!"

"Wait, I told you that’s not it…oi! Don’t touch! Sit down."

Yes! Ai answered firmly, and sat back down right when she was about to stand upright. If she had a tail, she would have been shaking it. The last time Alice bought a present for her was on her birthday.

Ai naturally smiled. To her, having such a conversation with him was very precious, and valuable.

Speaking of presents, this conversation was already one. She was elated just thinking about what he wanted to say next, and what he had intended to give her. After all, it had been three days since they had met, and they were meeting under the full moon, without telling anyone.

Hence, Ai was silent. She acted like a maiden pretending not to know about the gift hidden in her date's pocket, smiled and waited for the words.

"I’m here today to talk to you…"

"Yes, yes."

Alice looked very serious. He tried several times to speak up, but he ended up stammering every time, worried about Ai’s reaction. Ai really treasured such a reaction, and was delighted as she thought about what he would say (the present)..

Thus,

"……You really are dead, aren't you?"

That one line left Ai grumpy immediately.

The smile stiffened into something completely different. The imaginary tail quickly disappeared and went someplace else. Ai crossed his legs and sighed.

"…Haha, I really don’t have the right to say this…"

Alice, however, did not seem to notice at all, as his voice sounded as enthusiastic as an actor who has just finished a performance without being able to capture the excitement of the audience.

"…But it’s  not too late! Ai, you can come back to life..."

"Stop. Stop, Mr. Alice."

Ai gave a gaudy , taps his forehead with a thump, and tells the stage manager to give him some acting instruction.

"…Is that what you want to talk to me about??"

"? yeah. What else?"

Amazingly, the actor had no idea what was the mistake he had committed. Ai let out a long sigh, having assumed that she had received a present, only to receive a trash can instead.

"Mr Alice, you really have such a habit, don’t you?"

"Hey, I'm being serious.""

"Oh my, you’re making it sound like I’m not."

Ai would have liked to have had a more meaningful conversation. No choice but to go with the flow though.

"Have you been busy about this over the past three days?"

"Of course!"

Predictably, Alice must have been running around the whole time looking for a way to save herself. It was so predictable to Ai, that she was not amused at all.

"After all, it seemed that I killed you…"

His face winced in pain. Ai did not want him to show such a face, and it might sound blunt, but she felt it was a little troublesome..

But, well, there was no other way to ask, so Ai had no choice but to lead him on.

"I don't really know what's going on around here, but can you tell me?"

"…How far back do you remember?"

"Up to the point where the three of us were coming home in the morning."

Even till this day, Ai could remember. It was a day when autumn was about to end. They woke up at the border of the town, and returned together.

"It happened after that. You got in the car and started to sleep. … and never woke up."

On Julie's drive home, someone noticed something was off about Ai’s breathing, and she was immediately taken to the town council infirmary. But by then, Ai's heart had long since stopped.

"Why did that happen? Was it a heart attack or something?"

"You idiot! How could that be possible?

Listen seriously! Alice lashed out, but Ai was no longer interested in the cause of death itself, nor did she want to hold anyone else responsible for it. If Alice said that he was the one who killed her, she would simply leave the matter as it was.had killed him, it would have been fine.

"Didn’t you try to block me when I turned into a bullet…"

"The final blow. The magic bullet (Alice).

That day, in order to defeat the Witch's daughter, he turned even his own heart into a bullet and fired it. Thus, his heart was shot out ‘as a bullet for himself’ and was targeted at the Witch's daughter.

However, at that time, Nein had already eroded the law of the world and became an existence equivalent to reason. Thus, Alice's target grew and flew towards the concept of ‘evil’. He could not counter Nein if he did not target such a great goal.

But it was also a dangerous act. ‘Evil’ and ‘people’ were inherently inseparable. Soon after, his bullet would evolve to the limit and shoot down even the tiniest of evil, and surely would kill even the kindest of people in this world. Even Ai would be no exception. After all, ‘good’ and ‘evil’ were just two sides of the same coin.

It is impossible to target evil only, but the magic bullet still primed itself at it. It was similar to Nein Saikavathi’s act of ‘destroying the world while trying to save it’.

The two dreamed of defeating an ‘evil’ that did not exist and ‘saving’ a world that had already been saved. And because of that, they wanted to destroy the world.

But they met. The Witch was born in a world without evil, and the Magic Bullet was born in a world without threat.

Therefore, the two of them finally came to be able to save the world. There was ‘evil’ and ‘those that would destroy’. Once both clashed with each other, they would disappear, and the ‘world would be saved’..

But there was a third person who hated that outcome..

Ai Astin, who loved them both, was there.

She became a shield, exposing herself before the silver bullet. She received Alice with her body, which was deemed the ‘the furthest thing from evil’.

"—But the story’s not going to end that nicely. It’s just that the last thing that was supposed to happen came first."

That was the view that would happen after Alice had destroyed all humanity.

After shooting down everything, Alice would revert back to being human, alone. In a world without humans, there would no longer be good and evil.

"There."

Alice's index finger reached out and pointed to Ai's left breast. There, wrapped in pajamas, two buttons were undone, revealing a little bosom.

Thank goodness the Dead would not blush. Ai quickly covered her bosom.

"…Thanks for telling me. But please don't stare at me too much. It's rude."

"You idiot. Like anyone’s going to look at such an unimportant thing."

"… Unimportant …"

"That’s not it. I’m talking about further inside."

Ai again looked at where the finger was pointed at, and found it was aimed precisely at her heart.

"…You didn’t hear from the doctor? My bullet is there now."

"Eh?"

Ai hurriedly looked into her chest and touched it with her right hand. There was no such wound, but her finger clearly felt something amiss..

"Do you understand now?…The one who killed you, was me…"

"So…that’s how it was"

An awkward silence filled the room. Murderer and victim. Living and Dead. There was an unprecedented divide between them, binding whatever he wanted to say. Alice's expression was that of a sinner who wanted redemption.

"Well, that’s fine."

"Huh?"

"I forgive you, not like I can do anything about it now."

"…Oi. I’m not joking. I’ll get angry if you don’t take this seriously."

"That's my line, The moment I wanted to see you, you were gone for three whole days, and when you finally showed up, you’re angry at me!? It would be one thing if you had asked me before doing all that. Then you’d understand how I feel in a few words."

"… no, but that’s."

What can I say, Ai could not help but show a wry smile. Alice was still unable to understand her feelings, and hastily dragged over the bag that was by his side..

"…Sorry that I didn’t come to see you…but! What else could I do to get you to revive!? "

"I told you that you should have looked for me. "

"Even if I did, you’d have rejected it!"

Oh?

Ai, who had been caught off guard by what she thought was an unfolding stupid conversation, started to listen intently. Alice smiled.

"…What, you thought I didn't know you? Don't take me for an idiot. I know what you're thinking. It’s not about you. It's about what I want."

"My my, how barbaric of you. I prefer you like this though, Mr Alice."

"Hmph, thanks."

Conversations should have some elements of surprise to be fun. Ai smiled once again and sat uprigt.

"Please…"

Alice hung his head weakly as he seemingly cupped her knees.

"At least, please revive…Ai."

"Hmm, what shall I do?"

"Let me pay for my sins."

"Oh, that's no good. Then I don't want to."

Alice really had been saying such annoying stuff. If he really wanted to atone for his sins, he just needed to buy a flower, anyone would do. Ai did not wish for him to pick off some flower off a precipice.

"…I’lll definitely revive you."

"I'm fine either way."

Ai did not really want to stay dead or revive. He just did not want to rely on powers or miracles to determine her own destiny (rule).

For she was certain this was the right way to walk the path of eternity.

Thus, she was willing to be persuaded if it was acceptable..

"…Goodness, you really are."

For the first time today, Alice smiled.

"It’s way easier for me if you go all ‘I don’t want to’, but you’re saying 'I'll listen if you can convince me’, and you’re so stubborn. That’s terrible of you."

"I don’t think I’ll get persuaded though."

"Don't regret those words…alrighty."

The saddlebag was placed before her. This was definitely Alice’s secret weapon. It was big enough to hold at least one child.

…? Somewhat, this luggage was….

"Get out."

Alice then turned the bag over. The content rolled out in a recoil, rolling under Ai's feet and facing the sky.

"Mmmm!"

It was Nein Saikavathi, completely bound ang gagged.

"Huh?"

Ai uttered in a dumbfounded tone, noting the condition rather than the person. The young girl was tied up with rough ropes on her arms and legs, and she was bound so tightly that it felt like her joints were locked together. Also, her eyes and ears were covered , and her mouth was stuffed with cloth.

"I've been chasing her over the past three days…"

Alice rubbed his shoulders hard.

Ai wondered why Alice was giving off a ‘see, I really worked hard at something, right? vibe.

"…Mr Alice"

"What?"

"In the meantime, would you mind jumping out the window there?"

"Why?"

"…You really don't know the reason…?"

After feeling very disappointed, Ai released Nein's restraints anyway. She cut the rope, and removed the earplugs and blindfold.

"…Puhaa!"

'Oh dear, you poor thing. It must have been hard for you to be chased for three days and three nights by such a brute… ruining your beautiful skin."

Rubbing the mercilessly carved marks of the rope, Ai removed the mouth gag. But,

"Hiii! Nooooo!! "

Nein fled, fearing her benefactor, She retreated back over the distance she was rolled, and hid behind Alice.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…"

"…What’s going on? I'm so shocked."

Covering her ears and closing her eyes, Nein hid behind Alice as if to escape something scary.

"Get out…"

"Noooooo!"

But of course, Alice was not going to stand on Nein’s side, as he messily grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out.

"Hey, Mr. Alice!"

"Look, Witch of Omnipotence! Look at what you and I have done!"

"I don’t wanna! I don’t want to see her! I can’t see her!! Nooooo!!!"

"If you don't like it, revive her! bring him back to life! ‘Fail’ for your sins!"

"Mr. Alice!"

Ai leaped with explosive force, and with her first step, she cleared the room and grabbed Alice's arm hard. It appeared that even as a Dead, her power as a Gravekeeper was still effect. Ai practically dislocated his arm.

"…Let go."

"Wha!"

However, Alice overcame Ai's strength with his arm strength alone. The ‘final blow’ was the power of probability manipulation he had shown in the previous battle. Even at this moment, he was still using this supposedly limited ability.

Ai finally understood the reason why she felt amiss. Alice never returned from that relalm, and thus, he had such hellish eyes.

"I told you, didn’t I? I don't care what you think. Come on Witch's daughter, bring Ai back to life quick…"

"No! I don’t wannnnaaa!"

"Oi, don't lie, brat. Tell us what you really think."

"R-really?"

Fending off Ai with his left hand and Nein with his right, Alice stared at the Witch with his fiery eyes.

"You want to revive Ai too, right?"

"Th-that’s…"

"I know. That's why you didn't want to see her. Because if you see her, you'll 'fail' …or you'll know you're not human…"

"No…no…that’s not it!!!"

"Of course it is."

Alice sneered like a villiam. He spat out venom that cornered the Witch.

"It’s simple, being able to 'understand' is already the beginning of corruption."

"!"

"Now 'fail' and bring Ai Astin back to life!"

"No—!!"

"Now!"

"Mr Alice!"

And Ai snapped.

She threw a bedsheet at Alice, robbing his vision, and sent a sweeping kick at him, sending his weight flying.

"You—big idiot—!!!"

Ai then launched a kick toward the center of gravity that had nowhere to escape to.

Alice shot out like a fireworks display. This was the first time Ai saw a human body bouncing off the wall like a ball.

Oddly enough, just as Ai said, the ball finally broke the glass window and flew outside.

"Heh…heh…heh…heh…"

Ai panted even though she had no need to, but it was to be expected after seeing such an inhumane act from Alice. Ai even felt that her heart that was supposed to stop had started again. That was how angry she was at his behavior.

"Ai! I just heard something…"

"Dad!"

A large man barged into the room, and Ai immediately barked an order.

"There's the dumbest guy in the world under the window there! Yes! There’s one amazingly stupid idiot! Please get him back here! "

"A-alright."

Julie listened obediently even though he probably had a lot of questions on his mind. Ai had the urge to go downstairs and lecture him, but compared to this trivial matter, there was something more important she had to do.

"Miss Nein, it's all right now. The idiot has gone away. …"

"…I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…"

Again with this reaction. Ai had enough. Her heart was shattered.

"Calm down. Don't worry, I won't do anything."

"No! Don’t come here, Ai! Get away from me!"

The little hands where the rope marks remained clear slapped aside Ai. Her feet, as thin as dead branches, clawed at the floor as she scurried away.

"Miss Nein!"

Ai held her body tightly, but determined not to let go as she hugged Nein. The child was hot like a flame.

"Hii!"

Surely Nein felt the exact opposite coldness, for she showed disgust on her face, and immediately realized this about himself as she got rid of this expression.

"I-I'm sorry…I…"

"It's okay."

Ai felt that anyone would be shocked and disgusted by touching a dead body, and felt that it was a natural reason. She did not think Nein truly meant it..

However, a child would not think of such logic, and this ended up hurting her. The look of fear deepened, and despair washed over her tear-stained cheeks.

"I'm sorry!"

Nein shouted again. All the stalling and deception crumbled and turned into a scream.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Goodness, what have you been apologizing for all this time?"

"I'm sorry! A! I’m sorry for killing you! "

"Oh, that's…really not an easy thing to apologize for."

Ai was bemused by this. At the same time, she knew why Nein was struggling.

In other words, they both believed that they were the ones who caused Ai Astin's death. It was stupid.

"If only I had…given up on my dream…none of this would have happened."

"Please don’t mind. It’s not something anyone could have dealt with."

"…It’s not that we can’t deal with it."

A voice came from behind. It seemed they came upstairs.

"Seriously! Can you not say such things? Mr—Alice?"

"…What?"

Have you reflected on your actions!? Ai was about to lash out at him, but she turned around to see Alice’s red and swollen face, and he looked strangely unhappy.

"What happened to your face?"

"…The old man hit me?"

"Why again?"

"…Because I stayed out."

"…Pfft."

Ai could not help but burst out laughing. On a closer look, there was a familiar slap mark on the red swollen cheek.

As to be expected of dad. This really is something suited to be settled with a slap.

"Pffkukku. Ahahahaha!"

"…Oi. No laughing."

"I'm sorry. Fufufu. Mr Alice, you’re right. Dad’s quite a nuisance."

"Yeah."

That Julie had already gone to sleep. Ai could not thank him enough for his thoughtfulness.

Ai…Ai…

Nein buried her face into Ai’s clutches, crying like a baby. No, it was not a figurative speech. She was indeed still a newborn child.

"I'm sorry…I’m sorry…"

She was just a child with tremendous power.

"…Ai, I need your help."

"Help?"

Another strange term was uttered. Why was she supposed to help him here?

"Yeah, so that she can 'fail' …."

"You keep saying that, but what is this ‘failure’ you speak of?"

"…Didn’t you experience it before? That ‘failure’"

She remembered. The ‘failure’ they could refer to was that incident alone..

The classroom at dusk. A collapsing world.

That was where Ai ‘failed’.

"…Just as when you revived me, I’ll get her to revive you…"

"Ahh, so that's what you mean by ‘fail’?"

It was the biggest mistake Ai made, a mistake that shattered her dream of saving the world.

Ai, who had vowed to make everyone's wishes come true, had trampled on Alice's wish to ‘disappear’, and revived him on her own accord.

Of course, at this moment, Ai willingly embraced the failure. Despite that, she was utterly defeated given the perspective of her fulfilling her dreams.

"You probably don’t wish to be revived, right…"

"Well that’s right."

"So if I force a revival, this one here will be ‘selfish’…"

"Hii!"

A ragged right hand grabbed the shoulder, and a Ghost whisper melted the Witch's brain.

"Hey, Witch's daughter. Don't you regret it?"

Once again, the flames of obsession flare.

"Aren’t you really sorry? Don’t you regret so much that you want to die? —But don’t worry. You have the power to make amends."

"But-but it's …"

"Betraying your dreams? That's all right, though, isn't it?"

He grab her slumped chin and forces her to look at Ai's face.

"You said it before, didn’t you? Even if you ‘fail’, you don’t care, and you can start over again. Then all the more you should use this chance to ‘fail’.. "

"T-That's…erm…that's… "

Nein's face shook with hesitation; Alice's face showed a fiendish grin.

"Now, do it, ‘Fail’. ‘Fail’ at everything and be happy…"

"Wait, hey, both of you, stop! Stop! "

"…Seriously, what’s with you? "

"That's my line."

Alice shot a hostile look towards Ai as though she was a referee. Ai in turn glared back with the same face.

"What are you doing, Mr. Alice? I don't like this."

"I thought you wanted her to fail too!"

"I did, but …ah seriously! Mr. Alice, please go out. Out. Out."

"What? I just …"

"Mr. Alice!"

"Alright!"

Chased away like a dog, Alice went to the corner of the room.

"Uuuu. Ai...Aiiii…"

"Yes, yes, I won’t ask anything now."

Ai let Nein cry on her belly without asking any questions, as though she was hiding a bird in her clutches. She gently stroked the marks of the rope and combed her damaged hair. She wanted a brush.

"Mr. Alice."

"…What."

"Can you grab that brush over there?"

"…Hey. Is that something I have to do now?"

"Of course."

"……, here."

Alice unwillingly handed over the brush. Ai received it and combed Nein’s hair. Each of them became neat and tidy upon being combed through. A brush or two, and Nein’s hair quickly regained its former richness.

"Alright now, Miss Nein, look up."

"…Don’t wanna."

"But your nose must be stuffy and painful, right?"

"……"

"There you go."

"Ue, nnnTeh Ping (talk)"

Ai wiped away Nein’s tears and let her blow her nose, and was reminded of many times. She recalled how her hair was braided in this room, how they slept together on the same bed. She loked the way the hair looked.

"Heree, it's done." "

"Ah…"

Ai turned the mirror towards her at an angle where the moonlight could be reflected.. The girl, still a little red around the eyes, had her hair tied in a bun.

"Have you calmed down, Miss Nein?"

"Uu. Uuuhhh~~"

It appeared this was not the case, for Nein cried again. However, her tears were a little different from before, and they were clear and pure.

"Uuu. Ai…Aiiiiii…."

"Good girl good girl."

It appeared the tears were not going to stop for a while as Ai just kept petting her head.

…Even then. Ai thought.

Alice's hell-colored eyes were waving flames.

Nein’s face was teary, for she was terrified of her own power.

In contrast to how severe they were, Ai’s normaly was a stark contrast to them, and she wondered where the difference came from. Of the murderers and the murdered, the latter would have suffered more, yet she was so normal, and could still care for others. In contrast, Nein and Alice had become as sharp as a plague.

She was not going to escape with the answer of ‘because everyone’s different’. It was to be expected, so it was simply a matter of fate and time.

Ai had Julie.

Ai had Julie and Scar.

She had Celica, Dee, and Tanya. The triplets, Ulla and Kiriko.

It was because of all of them that she was able to stay so calm. She had no shred of doubt in her mind.

Because they wre around, Ai could cry. Because everyone’s face shed tears for her, whose body was parched after death..

Because they laughed, Ai could smile. Because her friends rejoiced and taught her that even at the end of death, one could smile.

If she had such people in her life to begin with, perhaps she would not have harbored a dream. Most dreams were made at the expense of loneliness.

Those two were the result of that extreme.

The magic bullet ‘Alice’

The Witch ‘Nein’

"Hicc, Ai…Aii…"

Ai stared at the lonely back before her and the shadow in the darkness, and felt her heart was on the verge of tearing apart..

How lonely would people be if they had dreams that they could not share with anyone? How tragic were those who save the world, only to be stoned thereafter?

That was what frustrated Ai. As a part of the world that made these two lonely, She was increasingly filled with anger.

'Uu…uu…Aii…"

"Yes. What is it?"

Finally, perhaps calming down a bit, Nein bit her lip, lifted her head, and said,

"Ai…please…."

"Yes, yes, I'll listen to anything."

"…Please, give me a wish…"

"Wish?"

"Yes.…yes! That’s it"

Fire filled those eyes.

"Please! Please ask something of me! Please, like ‘revive’ me! "

The Witch begged. She probably knew the answer by now, but she still sparkled with her last hope.

"When that happens! I won’t have to fail!"

Nein hugged Ai's lap like a a child begging for her parents to buy something, beaming away as she hugged Ai’s legs, beaming away. She felt like as long as she did not look at the dire reality, her wish would come true.

"Yes! Let's do that! That’s all you need to wish, Ai! I can remain perfect then! I can save the world!"

"Miss Nein…"

"Please! Think of it as saving me! Yes? Okay?"

"Miss Nein!"

Ai hugged Nein’s shoulders. The coldness of her body stopped Nein, right when her words could not.

"…before you do that, may I ask you one thing?"

"! A wish, right? Yes! Of course! I'll make it all happen!"

Nein was elated with the unexpected result. Her smile hurt Ai.

"I’ll ask then."

"Yes!"

"You won't call me 'big sis'?"

"…Eh?"

It was the last promise they made.

(Can I call you big sis?)

Nein asked bashfully when Ai woke up In the wilderness.

"That's …."

The Witch’s Daughter, Nein Saikavathi.

The girl who had inherited everything from the Omnipotent Witch and was imbued with god-like powers was frozen before that question.

"Are you willing to?"

"…Will you make a wish if I call you that? "

"No. It has nothing to do with that. It just makes me happy. Miss Nein, you never called me that before, even though I told you so."

"…Big…"

"Big?"

"Big…sis?"

"Woah. Good girl. Thank you."

Ai kept clapping away, but Nein's face grew darker.

Ai actually did not know why those words pained Nein so much. She simply missed not being called that..

"…Big sis."

"Yes. Sounds good."

"Big sis…"

"yes yes. Wonderful."

"Big sis…big sis…big sis…"

However, Nein,

"Uu."

"Uuu?"

"Uuu, uuuuuuuu~"

Tears began to trickle down again.

"Mi-Miss Nein!"

"Uuu~?"

"What's wrong?" Does it hurt anywhere?"

"…I…never had a big sister…"

"Ah, that's terrible…"

"I…never had …any friendssss!"

"……"

"I…just need a dream…that’s all …!"

There was an emotion smoldering inside Nein that could destroy the world three times over. But none of that power leaked outward, only raging within her.

"Why!"

The young God is crying.

"Why did you have to enter my heart!"

A frail person would cry when things would not go his way.

"All I have is a dream! If only I could save the world! I don’t need any big sister! I don’t need any friends!  Stay out of my heart!"

"Miss Nein."

Ai did not meant to bully her, nor did she mean to hurt her.

Still, Ai had to say this.

"I don’t intend for you to revive me."

At that moment.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Nein cried.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!! Don’t!!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Nein…"

"Noooo! Donnn’’’ttt! I don’t want you to diiiieee!"

"I’m really…sorry …"

Standing between God and Man, Nein was about to be torn in half. Nein as a human desperately wanted Ai to come back to life, and yet Nein as God could not accept the fact that Ai did not want a wish.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nein…"

Ai embraced her with a body that no longer warmed her and stroked her cheeks, even though she was the very cause of her grief.

'Nooo nooooo! Waaahhhh!! "

Nein cried. The manner in which she grabbed Ai and cried was akin to that of a little sister who had lost her older sister.

"I’m sorry, Miss Nein…"

Ai could only apologize. Their wishes had completely missed each other, and no matter how they tried to get close, they would never intersect.

"Now then, what do you want to do?"

The magic bullet seized this chance to whisper. He put his hand on Nein’s shoulder, and lied to her,

Only this time, Ai did not stop him. She was no longer qualified to do so.

"Your last hope is gone…now all you can do is 'fail'."

"Fa…il…?"

"Ah, yes. Give up on saving the world, ignore Ai's wishes, and do what you want."

"Bu-but…"

"What? Didn’t you say so before? You said that you can always start over as many times as you fail…so what’s wrong with that? Even if you fail, even if you become happy, there’s nothing wrong with that…’… even if you fail, so why not? It's okay if you fail here and be happy …another ‘Nein Saikavathi' can do this ‘success’…"

"Another, me …"

Nein stumbled to her feet alone. She heard the devil's sweet whisper, and got up between dreams and reality.

"Come…."

Alice gently budged her back.

But Ai did nothing. She did not stop them, and did not encourage them. She silently waited for Nein to make her decision.

'It's okay…to fail…, it's okay for me…to be happy…."

"Ah yes."

The final whisper entered Nein’s heart, and she basically cried and smiled with a human expression.

But still,

"…No. …"

Eventually, Nein shook her head.

"! You!"

""No…even so…I don’t want… I can't give up my dream,… even if big sis dies…even if I can’t revive her…I can’t give up on this…"

"You'll never be happy!"

"Still!"

The die was cast. She made the decision never to return.

"'Still, I want the world!"

Teary, battered all over, her heart torn to shreds, Nein still did not give up her dream.

"I don't care how painful it is, how much I crash! I'm going to save the world!"

"What are you saying—"

"I'm willing to destroy the world for the sake of sake it!"

"What!?"

Alice was slackjawed. Nein was fine with destroying the world to save it. He was speechless in the face of this absurdly contradictory statement.

"Even though I killed Ai! Even though mama died! I still want the world! I want to save everything and everyone!"

That would be a declaration that no living person in this world would agree to. A metaphor for it would probably be a millstone that has lost its axis, a lawnmower that would grind everything over, or a blast furnace that was out of control. It was a disaster for everyone.

Except one.

"So be it!"

So Ai stood up, standing and crossing her arms like a senior to a junior.

"In that case, I have nothing to complain about! Please continue to work hard!"

Yes, that’s all. That was her implication as she clapped and returned to the bed, clearly glad that they were able to resolve this.

However, the two people before her looked like they had witnessed a bipedal pillar clock.

"…………... ...Huh?"

"What's with the looks on your faces, you two?"

Nein's shock was especially noticeable.

"Is-is this fine!?"

"Yes."

"But, but! Ehh!?"

"To be honest, I was a little lost, but since you could argue against Alice ven then, I got nothing more to say."

"Bu-but, I can’t revive big sis…"

"Seriously, how many times have I said that you ‘don’t have to’?"

Once she said that, Ai waved Nein over. After that proud boast, Nein sheepishly hesitated for a while, before leaping into Ai’s clutches.

Ai exerted strength in her arms.

"There’s nothing good or bad about that. You’ll do whatever it takes to save the world, won't you?"

"Y-yes."

"Then I have nothing to complain about…of  course, deep inside me, I really think ‘I really hope that you don’t do that’, but since you insist so, I can’t do anything about it.."

Burying her face into Nein’s soft hair, Ai kept sniffing her scent. Nein’s scent was sweet, with a bit of scent, and some otherworldiiness..

"I told you once that you should 'fail', didn't I? Otherwise, he said, you'll never be happy."

"…Yes."

"I’ll correct that."

One could never be happiy unless loneliness was forsaken. That was what Ai had assumed, but she was mistaken.

It was just an experience, the same thing as saying to someone, 'I feel sorry for you’.

Ai learned then that there were two kinds of loneliness.

One was the loneliness of being alone. a double-edged sword to attain one’s dreams.

The other was the loneliness that was created for others. It was a cage others created to protect themselves, pointing to one person and saying ‘that guy’s different from us’, a cage for humans to watch a freak show..

Ai was so close to being a part of that.

"There is nothing to cry about, Miss Nein."

Ai lovingly embraced the Witch’s Daughter who would destroy the world.

"Live as you wish, as you are, as you want to live."

"…Can I?"

Nein began to cry again, like an abandoned dog that has been betrayed and still believed in humans.

She would cry whether she was happy or sad. Ai thought about how Nein really took after her senior, and could not stop her wry smile..

"Can I…really?"

"Even if I say it's wrong, you'll still do it, won't you?"

"I don’t mean that."

"Fufuf. Sorry, just being mischievous here."

Saying that, Ai kissed Nein on the forehead. The bullied got angry..

"Even if the whole world denies your dreams and says you're 'evil,' I'm on your side."

"……Fueh."

"I won’t let you be alone. I may look like this, but I’m very clingy?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really, really?"

"Yes. Really really. But can you be this happy? "

Nein lifted her head and looked at Ai’s eyes.

"That means, 'I will never be saved by you,' you know?"

"Ah…"

Nein's tears temporarily stopped. She realized who she was fawning towards, her worst enemy.

"I support you, Miss Nein, but I'm not interested in the dream itself. Actually, I think it's absolutely impossible."

"Th-That's not true!"

""Really? Well then, there are already two people here that you can't save. Maybe there are many others."

"Uu, uuu~~!"

Ai realized for the first time as to why Dee and Alice loved to mess with her. It was really fun.

"Someday!"

"Yes?"

I'll save Ai someday, I promise!"

"I see. I'll be waiting then."

"Argh! You’re making fun of me!"

"I'm not making fun of you. I'm just worried."

"Ah."

It was then that Ai was glad that she had cried lots to Ulla. It allowed her to remain calm at this critical moment.

"'It'll be a rocky road…I know it very well. You’ll get hurt, you’ll be lost, you’ll be battered."

"Big…-sis."

"'If possible, I really want it to be like this. I want to hold you and let you hold me forever."

"Y-yes! I…feel the same."

But still, they could not stay together, for she could not give up her dream.

Thus, Ai wished for there to not be any loneliness, at the very least.

"…Thank you, big sis…"

It was time to say goodbye.

"I’ll…be going then…"

"Already?"

"Because I'm saving the world! I can't stay here!"

"I see…take care then, Miss Nein. Be careful of cars, okay?"

"Yes."

"Don't follow strange people, okay?"

"Yes."

"Don't drink unprocessed water. And be careful of what you eat…and.."

"A-argh, big sis, you’re naggy!!"

"Mm, how rude."

Ah. Before she realized so, Nein had slipped out of Ai’s clutches..

Light began to dance in the darkness. By some miracle, the Witch turned herself into light and faded away.

"…Whenever it gets too hard, you can always come back."

"Hmph, I won’t. The next time I see you, big sis, it’ll be when I save you!"

"You’re so lonely and you like to act tough."

"I-I won’t feel lonely!"

Nein's former bravado was back, and she puffed his chest with oomph.

"…See you then."

"……Yes."

Even so, she nodded obediently at the end, the light burst out, and returned to darkness.

Ai gently chased after the remaining speck of light. She reached out with both hands and caught it in her palms.

And the light vanished just before she could do so.

"……"

Still, Ai held on to what little warmth was left and did not move.

Chapter 6 - Final Chapter - Like Ten Billion Ants and One Ant

"That shocked me."

The two of them were the only ones left behind..

"I never thought you'd say something like that."

Alice stood right in front of the shattered window and said.

"Oh? Someone's eavesdropping."

Fufu. Ai giggled.

Her words were not just directed at Nein. They could also be directed to the boy with the hellish eyes.

"Mr Alice."

Ai waved her hand, Come here, come here as he would to a shy dog. The dog, however, seemed to be a wolf and was unwilling to be beckoned.

"I’m fine with standing here…I’ll be leaving right after whatever I say…"

"Mm, you’re saying such things again…I got no choice now. "

Jumping off the bed and covering herself with a blanket, Ai teetered in the darkness. On the way, she picked up Madame's lamp and incense stick and sat down next to Alice.

"…Hey, at least sit on the chair."

"That's my line. Seriously, it’s my room, so why do I have to sit on the floor…? "

Ai look out the flame, placed it beneath a kettle, and boiled some water to brew tea. She had noticed recently that incense sticks would become more fragrant when slightly roasted.

She covered herself with the blanket while staring into the flames. After a while, she felt like it was similar to when she was traveling.

"Here you go, Mr. Alice."

"I'm good…"

"I see. Then you can go home now. If you don't like it, sit down and have your tea here."

"….Tch. All right!"

Alice ruffled his head, and sat down with a loud thud.

"Tea …."

"Yes. Please drink it diluted."

"Food!"

"Here are some sweets, I don't eat any more, so you can eat them all."

"—------～!"

It seemed something in the current conversation hurt Alice, and he made no attempts to hide his displeasure as he wolfed down the sweets. He did not seem to be letting out stress by eating, and simply had not eaten in a long while. Ai felt somewhat comforted by his appearance.

"Another one!"

"Yes, yes."

Finally, Alice drank all the water in the kettle, and burped loudly.

"Have you calmed down?"

"…Yeah."

"That's good."

Ai was a little relieved to see him finally look like his usual self. It seemed Alice too was heavily pressurized by the presence of Nein, and he finally relaxed now that they were alone.

"…Say."

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you don't want to revive?"

"You’re still talking about that again?"

Ai licked the tea to wet her tongue. She already had an answer in mind, and it was something she discussed with many.

"Nope. I don’t plan to."

"Why not?"

"Because once you revive, doesn’t that mean that I’ll have to keep reviving? "

They say that when there is two, three comes after, but that saying was wrong. Strictly put, there should be infinitity.

Those who had experienced a miracle once would always wish for a second. Those who experienced it twice would wish for a third time, those who experienced it thrice would wish for a fourth until. The miracle would cease to be a miracle and would simply become ordinary.

When that happened, Life and Death would merely be reduced to completely similar concepts.

"I don't want that. I don't want Life and Death to be the same thing."

"Ahh damn it!"

Alice scratched his head as though he was shooing fleas away.

"I don't care what you want! I don't like it!"

"That's not my problem. Do something about it."

"Damnit!" How could you be so calm!"

It was thanks to Ulla and Tanya. Thanks to them, Ai was able to say those words to Nein.

If only Alice was the same.

"Poor Mr. Alice."

"Huh!?"

Ai patted his head. His short, hard, spiky hair was like hedgehog spines. His eyes widened, not knowing why he was being pitied.

"You should have looked for me right from the beginning, just like Miss Nein. Things wouldn’t have ended up this weird. Seriously, I wouldn’t know what would have happened if you delayed until past the deadline."

"Oi, was your three days deadline directed at us?"

"You see? You notice these unimportant parts right away."

The three-day period was meant as a threat to Alice and Nein, as if to say, ‘If you don’t come back by now, I don’t care what happens next’

"Back on point, Why didn't you show up in the first place?"

"I told you, didn’t I? Nein ran away! I needed her power to revive you –"

"You were scared."

With a single slash, Ai severed Alice's excuses.

"……"

No, Ai herself was probably the same. She was terrified of meeting Alice too..

Nein felt guilty, and was too afraid 'failure' to come to see her.

Alice was the same. He felt guilty, and was scared of his change..

"Both you and Miss Nein dared not to meet me. That’s why you two ran away.."

"~Ahhh that’s right!"

The magic bullet that destroyed the world stomped hard. Unable to bear the awkwardness, he raised his voice.

"Really, you're really an idiot…"

Couldn’t you have met me before you went off deciding on your own?

"I don’t know why you’re like that…you’re acting as if you're all alone in the world, worrying and deciding for yourself, and you ended up getting to that point,…"

Ai carefully stroked his sandy, coarse hair.

"I don’t know why you’re like this. "

"…How would I know? It just happened before I realized."

"You had so many chances to change…but you didn’t. Hmm~, what should I do about this?"

"…Oi."

A dark energy arose in Alice.

"Don't tell me you still think there’s still hope for me?"

"What do you mean by ‘still’?"

"…Like, you think I can possibly put down my gun, destroy my despair, and become a normal guy."

Menace was seeping out from the depths of his eyes.

"Hmmm~well I think the normal people you speak of can’t exactly be found everywhere, but, well, yes."

"I can't do that anymore…I'm probably not Alice Color…"

"Yes? What are you talking about?"

"…The fifteen-year-old Alice is nowhere to be found. All that remains now is what's left of him…"

The soul of a man whose dreams had been stripped away again and again, whose life and death had been repeated so many times, was so exhausted that he could not even remember his original form.

"…Ahh, so this is what you're talking about. I see, I get it, somehow. I died and lived so many times, so I will probably be worn out into something else. And once I do that, I can never go back…I'll probably turn to stone someday."

"But you're not a rock yet."

"No, I'm already one…a gunpowder-fired bullet.…oi, Ai."

The bullet found its target and took aim.

"You told that brat earlier, didn't you? If you can't change, that's okay. You also said it’s fine not to ‘fail’, right?"

"Yes."

"Then leave me alone, too. I'm just like the Witch after all. I can’t give up…I can’t change."

Suddenly, a pale glow suddenly seeped out of Alice's body. The color, which looked like melted silver, easily slipped out of the blanket that covered him and gathered before him.

He was certainly no longer a person, but something else.

 

"I’ll revive you."

 

Perhaps such an existence was called God after all.

"I've made up my mind. I won’t change."

The God of justice started to disappear after saying those words, without care of what concerns humans might have. His body began to glow again.

"And then I’ll disappear, and we won’t meet again…"

The light was the same color as silver. Alice and the otherworldly power were thus completely merged and indistinguishable.

"See you…."

The magic bullet tried to fly away. But,

"What are you talking about? Of course not, Mr Alice?"

Ai naturally pulled his hand and stopped him.

And there was more. She flipped him over, got him to sit down, and covered him with a blanket.

"Hey, Ai, ugh!"

Ai ignored him. In the meantime, she stuffed tea and sweets into his mouth and pat his head. Ai did not care if he was some bullet or some God. How could she let him go?

"You just love to say what you want…you don’t think about how I can agree…."

"Mofugamogu… gulp—.You! What you're saying is crazy!"

It appeared Alice had a proper upbringing, as he chewed and swallowed the contents before he started spitting words at Ai.

'Yes? What's so crazy?"

"You said that if I you can't change, that’s fine!"

"Yes, I did. But not you, Mr. Alice."

"Why not!?"

"Huh? Goodness, you don’t know that? You really are an idiot, Mr Alice."

"Yeah, sure looks like it! I have no idea! If you don't mind, I'd like to know!"

"Oh dear, I got no choice now."

Ai had a hand on her forehead as she shook it. She simply did not expect Alice to not notice something that obvious. It was fine if it had been just Nein, but not Alice. Was that not obvious? It was so obvious that she did not need to think about it..

Because...

"Huh?

"… Oi, what’s with the ‘huh’? Wait, are you—"

"P-Please wait a minute. Huh? Huuhhh?"

Ai reeled back her confident expression and tilted his head. This overly obvious thing that she did not need to think about seemed so illogical on second thought.

"Huh? That’s a little weird. Why? Why? Ehhh~?"

"…Oh, yeah, I forgot you’re such a scatterbrain…"

"Don't be a sore loser, Mr. Alice, help me think about it! Why am I helpless when it comes to you, Mr. Alice? It's not right! Do something!"

"Sure~ I'll take care of it. Rule of thumb, gotta knock a scatterbrain in the head to repair it."

"No violence!"

"Then no unreasonableness!"

Ehh~? Woah~? Why? Ai covered her forehead in shock. She felt like she was a great fool, and that her confident look just moments ago left her ashamed. She had no idea why she was so confident."

"…I’m sorry Mr Alice, I was wrong…it looks like you are right this time…"

"No, no, no! You never admitted wrong before, and now you’re doing it!? Are you that devastated!? "

"Because~~"

"No because!...ahh goodness, seriously. Why do I have to say this …?"

"Eh? Mr. Alice, you know why?"

"Probably."

Ai was not expecting anything, but Alice said he knew the answer.

"Please tell me!"

"Okay, but don't get mad at me, alright?"

"Of course!"

"Like hell you won’t…"

Somehow, Alice assumed a position of one who was about to be beaten up as he said,

 

"Isn’t that because you like me?"

 

+

 

"Huh?"

Perhaps as the speed of sound was slow; it took Ai a few seconds to understand the words.

"Like? Me, Mr Alice?"

"Y-yeah."

"……Like, the kind of like, between, a woman, and, a man?"

"Yeah."

An eternity of about a second passed.

"Haaaaah!?"

Ai screamed so loud that Celica woke up.

"What are you talking about!? What are you talking about!?"

"Ca-calm down!"

"Are you an idiot!? I mean, you're an idiot! You're a big idiot!"

It was a huge commotion. Ai threw everything she could find at Alice.

"How can I possibly l-l-l-li--"

—Like Mr Alice? Ai’s words trailed off midway through. It was very difficult to retort so out loud.

"~!! You idiot! I mean! Stupid!"

"I told you not to get mad!"

"There's a limit to how much I can control myself!"

Ai truly was glad that she was dead. If she was alive, she would be blushing, and even hyperventilating.

"Are you an idiot!? What are you talking about? There’s a limit to how conceited you can be!"

"No! I told you it hurts! Don't throw things!"

While Alice had been enduring for a while, he lost his temper when he was hit with the tea table,

 

""Then why did you kiss me the other day!?"

 

Ai froze up while she carried the cupboard.

'Ki-kiss?'

"Three days ago!"

"Th-That's..."

She involuntarily remembered an abominable memory in the back of her mind. Three days ago, I knew that number.

"You woke up after Nein and I battled! You spoke to Nein! And then when the three of us decided to go home!"

"Kya kya kya!!!"

Ai shouted, overpowering his words with a shout.

"N-no, I don’t mean that, alright! It’s a greeting because I got excited! And it’s just the cheek! It’s like a hug!"

"You liar!"

"A-and on this topic, didn’t you do the same too, Mr Alice!> See!? Over here! Here!"

The bangs were brushed back to expose an outstanding forehead. She was referring to the moment the sealed world collapsed. At the very last moment, Alice kissed Ai on the forehead.

"'Oh yeah I did! So what!!?"

"Straight to the point!? Th-that’s not fair! What’s that about!? "

"I am not inconsistent in my actions. Don't compare me with you who act without knowing what you’re thinking of!"

"I-I worry before I act too! But you…you’re horible!"

"I’m not horrible!"

"No! You’re horrible!"

"No! I’m not! That’s because!!"

 

"SHUT UP!!"

 

At that moment,

The bedroom door was slammed open, and appearing there was a fuming Julie, a half-asleep Scar, and a bawling Celica.

"…I would have kept my mouth shut if I could, but I had enough! You're bothering the neighbors! Shut up!"

""Yes.""

They instantly hushed their voices and lowered their heads while being scolded.

"Hmph, good that you know…as for you, Alice, I’ll give you another two, three slaps. Look for me later."

"Eh, why only me…"

"Kiss!"

"Alright."

Boom! The door was slammed shut, so hard that the snow on the roof fell off.

"……"

"……"

They returned to the window in silence., put away the mess and covered themselves with blankets.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~…"

Ai cupped her head.

"That’s not real~!"

She had romantic feelings for Alice. Dee too said such a thing, but Ai herself could not believe it. She felt that her feelings at this point were no different from how they were back then. She liked Alice, but not in a ‘fiery’ or ‘passionate’ sense as depicted in the books. This probably was different.

Then why did she kiss him?

…… Huh?"

Resting her chin on her knees, Ai pondered seriously. She felt like she had buttoned wrongly, and that everyone had realized it except for her. She had always been like that.

"…Mr Alice."

"What?"

"Do I like you, Mr. Alice?"

"No, I don't know."

"Huh?"

She felt as though the rug was pulled out from beneath her feet.

"Y-You jerk! Didn’t you say such things!?"

"Didn’t I say maybe?"

I can’t believe you…"

She was certain at that moment. She did not like Alice. Instead, she hated him. Yes, that was right, she really hated such people with no sense of delicacy.

And once she thought about it…

"…I feel angry for some reason."

The devil's tail grows out of Ai's rear. A horn grew on her forehead and a temper tantrum in his heart ordered him to lecture this yawning fool next to her. So Ai fought back.

"Hmmph, if you say that I like you because I kissed you, then by that logic, you like me too, don’t you, Mr. Alice ?"

But more counterattacks awaited her.

"Yeah, that’s right.."

This time, Ai was speechless.

"…………......Eh?"

"Eh your head. I told you I'm not contradicting myself."

"……Eh, that means."

I like you.

Ah, the moon was up. A full moon. Yay.

"Oi."

"Ah? Sorry. I wasn't listening. What were we talking about?"

I'm talking about me liking you.

"…………...…..."""

"Oi."

"…………Hya."

"Hya? What do you mean by 'Hya'?"

Her throat let out a sound she had never heard before.

"Hya, hyaaaaaa…"

"Ah, oi! Where are you going, Ai!"

Ai ran away, no longer knowing why. She hid her face and covered herself with a blanket as she ran to the other side of the bed.

"Wait, you!"

"Hyaaaa. Hyaaaaah…"

"Let me say something at least!"

Ai fled from the bed to the desk, the desk to the cupboard, and even part of the wall. The only words that came out were hyaa. Her heart, which should have stopped, was beating.

"Why are you running away!?"

"Why are you chasing after me?"

"Isn’t it because you're running!?"

"Because…because, because~!"

In the end, Ai ended up on her bed. She ducked under the blanket and hid inside, curling up like a dung beetle.

Ai would curl up like a dung beetle under the blankets. Hiyaaaaaaaa…"

"Hey! Get back here! Ai!"

"There’s no such person here! She’s not home! She’s not at home!"

"You idiot Alright, I get it, you idiot!"

Ai was in disbelief. What was going on? What was the situation? this? What is this?

Just a moment ago, she should have had a huge advantage! Alice was suddenly to be a stupid tangerine pumpkin who did not know what he was talking about!!!

I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. I don't know anything anymore

"Oi, enough already. I really put in the effort to say this."

"Hyaa. Hyaaa…!"

"……What, you went to bed after I confessed. Are you trying to tempt me? "

What is he saying!?

"! Mr Aliceee...ack ack ackGoho! Ugh—"

"Ahh, ahh, ahh! My bad, my bad! Those words were horrible! I apologize, so calm down a little! Okay!? "

"Ack! Ack! Uehh, ahem!!"

Ai kept coughing even though she did not have to breathe, and her head did not have to be overheated..

"Stupid…Mr Alice's…stupid…ack…"

"Yes yes I'm an idiot. I’m sorry. You don't have to say it while coughing like that, I know. Calm down."

The cause of all this spoke with a kind voice, gently patting her back. Ai was happy with this, and the confusion in her heart cleared in a jiffy.

"…That's a lie."

"What?"

"You say you like me, Mr Alice…that’s a lie."

"Why not? I thought I was pretty blatant about this."

"Huh? Like what?"

"Like say…I kissed you, as you said, and we held hands, and we lived together…and didn’t we play basketball together?"

"…Does basketball count?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

What should she do? His definition of blatant was completely diffierent…no, perhaps Alice was in the right, no? She did not know. Ai did not know anything.

"So now what? How blatant do you want me to get?"

"Eh, like, a confession…"

"I just did."

"……Going out on holidays, shopping …"

"We did that a lot before we came here."

"Giving presents…"

"Birthday."

"A-And kisses…"

"I did that too. And you kissed me too."

……Huh?

"B-But! "

"Woah, you shocked me! "

"But Mr Alice! I feel it’s different when you do so! Even with all these examples you said, I’m not convinced at all! You didn't give me that feeling at all."

"Of course not. I didn't really want to say this."

"Ah …"

The denunciations fall away.

"Actually, I really shouldn’t be here."

Again with that. He was making his own decision again.

He had been suppressing his life all these years, never confessing to the ones he liked, so that he could disappear without leaving any pain in their hearts.

For he sought death.

"…You idiot."

Ai collapsed onto the soft blanket and mumbled softly. An idiot. Alice was an idiot. And she was an idiot..

"…I’ve been shocked so many times…but this might be the biggest shock today …"

"Sorry about that."

"Mmm. Why are you so calm? I've been suffering."

"That’s because we have different life experiences. And I’m good at hiding things like this."

"That’s not something to be proud of."

"Sorry."

Ai put her cheeks by the pillow as she listened to Alice's rambling. She felt like she was listening to a bedtime story. The words were light and soothing.

Suddenly, Alice stroked her forehead. He was exceptionally adept at such timing, but one had to wonder if there was such a skill.

He was really good at such timing.

"…Hey, Mr Alice."

"Wha?"

"If you really like me…"

Ai hesitated to say everything thereafter, for it sounded like a threat. It sounded like she was taking a hostage and threatening him to do what she said if if he did not want anyone to be killed. Ai felt it was not an appropriate feeling for this. But even so,

 

"Please, stay with me…."

 

Still, Ai said so. She looked into his eyes, trying to sound as pathetic as possible, as if she was begging. She had a blade at his heart, ‘Do as I say’ threatening him.

It did not matter whether it was pretty, or despicable, or whether she had to get dirty all over. That was fine.

"Please don’t go anywhere, stay with me…"

Ai did not know. She never dreamed that deep within that feeling of liking, of love, was something so dirty and sticky. She never realized that the desire to be with someone was made of iron chains, and at the bottom of her affection, flames were swirling.

Ai finally understood why she had never noticed this feeling. Because love, the feeling of desiring the other person, definitely contained some 'evil’.

"Please change for me. Don't think of being alone anymore, and take care of yourself. You don't have to revive me…please don’t be sharp on your own."

A hand quietly reached out from the cold floor and touched Alice. It was a cold Dead hand.

"…I’m sorry."

But still, there were some things that could not be reached.

"'I like you, and I want to be with you. But …"

Ai nodded quietly. She knew. No matter how much she yearned and liked him, there were some things he could not compromise.

"…I can’t change after all…"

Just as overflowing water would never return to its vessel, a fired bullet could never return to the warm magazine.

No matter how much one yearned for it.

It was just an unfulfilled wish. Just as an adult would harbour hopes for a child, it was at the realm of God, tearing up in nostalgia.

"I tried to change, but I couldn't. Even if I wanted to change, I couldn't…so I guess I’ll definitely be such an existence…no matter what you say, Ai, I’ll insist on my own way."

"…You’re really hopeless."

"You said it’s fine."

Ai smiled. She was rejected, but she did not feel dejected. For she knew that it was something to be achieved, even if love and hatred were betayed. She called it a dream.

"So, Ai, I’ll definitely revive you!"

"I refuse."

Thus, she should remain at the exact opposite position.

"Why! Did you lie about what you said to Nein?"

"No, those were out of my own beliefs. Not you though, Mr Alice."

Ai knew. She knew that some beliefs could trump emotions.

But at the same time, there were also emotions that could trump beliefs.

"I don't know if this feeling is love or what. But, not you."

"So …why …?"

"I told you I don't know. "

"…Say, youuu."

Alice finally ran out of energy and lowered his head by the bedside dejectedly. Ai found him pitiful and cute, ‘good boy good boy’, patting his head.

"You poor thing, having someone be so clingy to you."

"…That coming from the person herself…?"

"Really, your wish could have been fulfilled by now."

"Yeah…"

Alice said listeless. Truth be told, if it was not for Ai being clingy, Alice would have disappeared a month ago, and there should have been many more chances to vanish..

"Prepare yourself."

She just could not stop grinning away. She really enjoyed having his head in her arms.

"You know, your wish will never come true. And you’ll never be alone. Because I’m here.."

It was the same line she used to say to her father, who was afraid of being alone in the world. But Ai had no guarantees back then, and and nobody could believe her words..

"What now? Don't you believe me?"

"…No, I'm freaking out because it's realllllyyy going to happen."

Alice lifted his head, clearly looking bewildered. Ai still could not help but laugh. This God-like existence was at a loss because a person fell for him..

"Let’s have a match."

"A match?"

"Yes, which is stronger? Your beliefs or my feelings? It's a match."

"…Woah, sounds like I’ll lose."

"Really? I think it’s pretty close. I might go ‘kyaa’ and all if I meet someone more handsome and has a better personality than you."

"… Ah?"

"Oh, are you angry? Nfufu! You’re angry~! "

"…, no, that's fine."

"Eh?"

"It’s fine if you can forget about me…as long as it makes you happy …."

"Ah! Hey! That’s unfair! Foul!"

"Then don’t say such things! You caused my heart to jump just no—!"

"Eh? Your heart jumped?"

"Huh!? What are you saying, you idiot!? Like hell I did!"

"Please don’t contradict yourself in two seconds! Your heart jumped, didn’t it? "

"Shut up!"

Ai sometimes stood up on the bed, or sat down, or rolled around, or ducked as she teased Alice. On the other hand, Alice sat in one corner of the bed and listened without moving.

They kept talking. They talked about their unbending beliefs. They talked about feelings that could not be erased. It seemed as if a conclusion had already been reached, or not at all.

The topic slowly drifted off, Ai talked about her friends, about how Tanya had gained some weight, about how Ulla's eyes were black, Alice talked about the last three days, about Nein's escape to the moon, about being frozen and buried under thousands of years of snow, about seeing his classmates outside on the southern prairie.

It was a moonlit night.

They were finally at peace; Ai's death and Alice's sharpness were gradually annealed by the conversation, and the stupid bedtime talk continued on..

It was happiness.

She had lost her life and would start rotting the next day, but she could lift her head proudly and say that she was happy. She felt remorse, but no regret.

She truly felt the ‘me’ and ‘you’ here were the smallest units of life.

"…Mr. Alice."

The sleepiness finally set in. She did not really need to sleep or feel sleepy, but her eyelids were getting heavier. Perhaps it was the peace of mind that made her feel this way.

"What?"

"Can you please tell me you like me one more time?"

"……"

Ah, he was embarrassed.

Ai knew very well as to what Alice was thinking. He started off a little embarrassed, and then tried to escape by making a joke.

"Hey, Mr Alice."

But Ai did not want him to do that. She wanted to hear him say that line again. She wanted him to put it into words.

"…I like you."

Alice actually said so. One had to wonder what feelings caused her to feel this way, but he said so earnestly. Her heart swelled. Her face started to smile on its own.

"Look. Is this okay?

"Fufufu, thank you very much. Ah, but one more time if you can. …"

"What? You should be happy with one."

"Because you’re so hard to understand, Mr Alice. Please express your attitude better."

This would not have been a finicky situation to begin with otherwise..

"Hey, Mr. Alice, why and since when do you like me?"

"Why have you been asking me the entire time? Then what about you?"

"I-I don't know yet, and it’s too early for me to talk about it…"

"Ahh, I see~. So you're in your own safe zone."

"I-I can't help it! I really don't know! I don’t know about myself…or your feelings. "

Ai was still insecure. She had been told that Alice liked her, but she still did not know his feelings. For he was too good at hiding his feelings.

"…I still don't understand why you like me, Mr Alice…hey, why? When did you start liking me? "

"Ahh…I don’t have a choice…"

Alice probably never thought of it before, let alone speak up. He started to talk about his own feelings.

"It's probably the last day when you saved me from the sealed city when I wanted to die."

"…Yes."

"Looking back, that's how it all started."

"…Ehhh~? What now? So it doesn’t matter whoever it is as long as that person saves you? Heh~ oh, I see~ "

"Maybe…but there’s no one like that who showed up."

Alice narrowed her eyes and recollected his past.

"For me, I seem to be very focused on becoming ‘this’. I feel alone at the very end. And it’s the same when I’m alive. Even my buddies who played basketball with me were like ‘your skills suck, so why can you keep playing?’."

"That's harsh of them."

"No, they weren’t bullying me or anything. I really was hopelessly untalented at shooting the ball into the hoop. To them, they just found it miraculous. It’s one thing if it’s about ‘the joy of playing a match’, or ‘being popular with girls’, or even ‘the joy of growing up’, but even I found it strange how I could be so passionate about basketball..

Still, it was Alice who could remain so devoted.

"Basically, I’m the kind of guy who’s so obsessed that no one’s able to keep up with eventually. No, that’s not the case, nobody could have kept up with me anyway, because my standards are different. I guess my reasons for playing basketball are different from others to begin with."

"Mr Alice, why do you like to play basketball?"

"Isn't it fun chasing bouncing balls around?"

"Well, yes."

"That's all."

"Are you a cat or something…?"

No wonder he could not improve.

"So before I know it, I'm all alone…some guys just look at me with kind looks, saying that this lonely me is one who’s ‘alone and proud’, but these guys admired me for how I was, and weren’t willing to be with me."

"Ah…"

"Wasn’t this the case at the final moments of the sealed world?"

Indeed, when that world crumbled, they respected Alice's wishes.. They cried, they suffered, but in the end they did as he said. It was because they were friends and they knew that Alice Color would never waver.

But just as beliefs and feelings were two different things, even Alice had his loneliness. He always concealed them, but he did have a will to live on.

"But you were different."

Ai only was the one who shattered it.

"Now that I think back to it, you were horrible back then…you dug up the fears I finally managed to bury, and even showed it to me. How much of a demon are you, …?"

"B-Because…"

"And in the end, you even destroyed your own dream just to save me. It’s really stupid…but even so, I’m…a little happy. Back then, I didn’t believe it. I felt that you couldn’t catch up to me one day, and that you’d find your own happiness . That’s what I thought…"

"Fufu. You underestimated me, right? "

"Yeah. No matter how I shoved you away, you kept leaning over and challenging me. At this point, if I had to be honest, I already lost."

"Too bad."

"Haha. Yeah."

Alice laughed. He did not seem so disappointed.

"It's just you, Ai."

This time, he looked a little disappointed.

"I've died so many times, reset the world so many times, and yet I’m still me. The only one who followed me and even dragged me along…was you, Ai Astin. You saved me, Alice Color, when even I had given up on myself…"

So,

"I love you, Ai."

Alice said.

"Well, you just saved my life, but to me, it’s almost a miracle…I’m very happy. I might look this way, but I’m a very simple man. Someone saves me, and I fall for her. "

"I see, so that’s how it is…"

"Yeah."

"……Hyaa."

Ai almost made another weird sound, and escaped to the blanket again.

"Oi, what’s wrong? What’s with you? "

"Hyah …"

Alice liked her.

She was finally convinced.

"Hey! I’ve said it already! Why don’t you confess too?"

"Con-confess what?"

"Do you like me? Or do you hate me?"

"Teh Ping (talk)!"

Alice was truly unfair. He said he liked her, and even talked about his memories,

"Th-that’s not fair!"

"So which one is it, dammit!?"

"!"

Alice went berserk. The blanket was pulled off.

"No! Nooo! Give it back!"

"Ai!"

On the contrary, Alice even breaks the gentleman's agreement and got onto the bed.

"Hey! Wait, mr Alice! I’m calling for people if you come here! Mr Julie will beat you up good!!"

"Call him."

"…Huh?"

"If you really hate me, call for him. I’ll relent if you do that."

Th-That was not fair!

"Ai."

"Hyah!"

Both hands that were flailing meaninglessly were caught.

"P-Please let go of me!"

"Then why don't you just shake it off? You have more power than me."

!" That's not fair! It's intimidation!"

"Who started it first? Come on, fess up!"

Ai really hoped that he did not look at her with such a face.

For her heart would stop, and she would be unable to breath.

"---!!"

Ai said,

 

"Hmph! I hate it when you’re like this, Mr Alice!"

 

Aww.

"Let go of me! Please go away!"

No, it was not the case.

Yet the words did not stop, and they flew out of his mouth, directed at Alice.

'I hate rowdy people!'

"……"

Shouting in the smallest voice possible, Ai did not struggle even with her hands caught, and just continued to reject him verbally.

"'…Understood. "

"Ah."

The flames left her hands.

"…Ssorry for scaring you."

Alice was seemingly doused in water as he cooled down. He got off the bed, faced outside, and slumped down, his back dejected like a dog that had been scolded.

Ai too was the same. She sank to the bed, cupping her knees.

She blurted out. That was her reply. She felt it was not right, that Alice was not right, that it was too unfair, too despicable. She felt that forceful interrogation was not the way to go..

Then, was she not unfair too?

"……"

Ai was silent. If he was cheating, so was she. He expressed his true feelings, yet she gave an excuse, saying that she did not know, and escaped. It was too despicable of her..

Then, what was the right thing to do?

What was the proper way to communicate her feelings?

"…Mr Alice."

"…What?"

"Can you turn around and look at me?"

She was certain she felt somewhere. A look of mixed grumpiness and regret looked back at her.

"……"

"……"

They looked at each other. The height difference was different from usual.

"…Sorry. Please turn your head the other way."

"What now?"

He went back to his original position after all. In such situations, both sides should be able to look at each other, but at this moment, this was the most she could do..

The bed creaked.

"Mr Alice…"

"!"

She inched her legs towards the edge of the bed and hugged him from behind.

"O-Oi."

"…I beg of you, please don’t talk. I’m already at my limit now…"

She could hear a heartbeat. It was Alice’s.

"……."

At this moment, Ai was still unsure of her feelings.

She was happy being with Alice. She enjoyed chatting with him. She wanted to be with him him.

As a matter of fact, she felt that she liked him.

But she was unsure if this feeling was love. It was not love at first sight as depicted in the stories, and it did not ‘cause her heart to race’, or ‘get hot all over’.

Thus, time to make a decision.

Just as some people decide and grasp even sadness and love for themselves, she too would have to decide.

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart beat faster and faster. She gulped.

She took a deep breath. Just one line, just one sentence would do.

"……I… like…"

And yet she could not finish the sentence. She was afraid fro some reason. This was the case whenever she tried to reveal her feelings.

But he did it.

"Mr Alice…"

"Hmm?"

So Ai said.

 

"I like, you too…"

 

The heart raced loudly. It was like a reply.

"…Maybe, but... "

You idiot, you didn't have to add that. …

Ai shrank like a slug being doused with salt, and leaned against Alice's shoulder. She felt hopeless, as though she did npot have the courage to do this. She should have asked how Julie and Scar did such things.

"Nn, me too."

Even so, Alice accepted such a useless Ai. He patted her on the head without roasting or laughing at her.

It was very good timing, and they remained motionless.

"…Fuaaa. "

Finally exhaling this huge breath, Ai flopped down on the bed.

"Haha, hey, are you alive?"

"No, I’m dead."

They laughed at this joke that was made in poor taste.

"I've never thought so hard in my life…"

"Sorry about that. "

"Really…fuaahh …"

Alice propped his elbows on the side of the bed.

"I'm a little tired."

"…Do you need some sleep?"

It was long past midnight.

"…I guess. This might be better."

It was said that it would be better for the Dead to live as similarly to the previous life as possible to avoid being ‘selfish’. Ai put her feet up in bed and crawled under the blanket.

"…Mr Alice, please get some rest too."

"In the same bed?"

"'You idiot… I meant your own room…"

She reached out and touched his cheek.

"…I’ve cleaned it."

"Thanks for that."

"…I don't want you to go away while I'm sleeping. If you like me, stay with me…"

Somehow, Ai felt awfully sleepy. Her body that was already asleep wanted to revert to such a natural state. e.

"Since you say so, what can I do? My fault for liking you."

Alice smiled.

"I'll stay with you."

You liar. With that thought, Ai fell asleep.

 

+

 

Perhaps because she was half human and half Gravekeeper, or perhaps because she had the body of a Dead, the sleeping potion he had put on Ai took a very long time to take effect.

"Now…"

Alice slowly got up before Ai, who slept silently. He could not let Ai know what he was about to do next. If she did, she would not forgive him. She would even hate him.

"…What are you going to do to Ai?

A voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw Nein standing there.

Nothing had happened a moment before, but Alice was not surprised.

"It's bad manners to eavesdrop,"

"I-I was merely keeping an eye on you in case you do anything wrong!"

"I won’t do anything wrong. In fact, I think you'd like it."

"…What are you going to do?"

Alice smiled.

"How many times have I said this? I'll bring her back to life."

"…That's not what Ai would want."

"So what?"

He knew how Ai felt. He also had a love to respect her will."

But still.

Alice Color would not stop.

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me… much less Ai Astin… "

The simmering magma in his heart overflowed. He could not live on like this. Alice just could not give up.

"…What are you going to do? You don't have the power to revive people, do you…ah, just to say this first, I’m not helping!"

"I know, Witch. Like who’s going to make a wish to you?"

"Ugh."

Nein, who lived to grant other people's wishes, showed an awkward face.

"Anyway, how did she die in the first place?"

Alice asks, pointing to the heart.

"That’s…."

"Yeah. I killed her."

Nein fel silent. Alice took the opportunity to rip off the blanket and put his hand on the corpse's chest.

"Wait! Hey, you!"

"I knew it."

"What do you mean, ‘I knew it’? You pervert!"

"It was the bullet back then that stopped Ai's heart."

"???"

Alice moved aside, "Touch it" and prompted Nein to touch. There was a hard block at the heart, within the gap between the fifth and sixth ribs.

"What's so odd about that?"

"It’s obviously odd. That bullet was my everything. But Ai blocked it, and changed me to my current self. So what is this bullet?"

"…Huh?"

"I knew it, Ai failed to catch it. That's why she lost his life, and I couldn’t regenerate completely."

"S-So you're saying the bullet in her chest is part of you too?"

"No, if anything, that's my main body."

Kneeling on the bed, he put his hand on Ai's chest. He focused his will on the stopped heart and the silver bullet on the other side of it.

Buzzer Beater. He recalled the feeling of that moment, the warmth with which Ai received me, and he would do it all over again.

"Alright Buzzer Beater, wake up. Let’s continue where we left off."

Alice whispered. A silvery light filled the room, as if crushed silver had melted. The light immediately and violently illuminated everything, filling Nein's vision.

"Wait! What are you doing!?"

"Continuing on from where I left off. I’m going to end this bullet that couldn’t hit the target and kept flying in the air!"

"You don’t mean…"

"Yeah!"

And so the end began.

 

"I'll give my bullet to Ai."

 

The light went rampant. Dreams were shattered.

"Stop!"

"Shut up!"

"This isn’t what Ai wants!"

"Still!"

Still,

Alice could not bear it.

"I can’t! Let this happen! "

Alice cried. He bawled like a child.

"Do-Do you want to die!?"

Of course. How could he be unscathed after killing someone and wanting this person to revive? The power of the magic bullet came from himself.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, then a heart for a heart.

"No! It’s one thing if you die! Do you know what you're becoming!?"

Nein could only watch. She granted all wishes, and she could not prevent anyone's wish from coming true. Even if it belongs to her enemy Alice.

"~! Ai won't forgive you!"

"I know!"

"She’s going to break up with you! She’ll say she hates people like you!"

"But still!"

He saw her smile. He saw her skip around. She usually looked happy, sometimes dejected. He heard her voice call for his name.

He knew Ai Astin, who was more dazzling than the sun, gentler than the moon, warm like a flame.

But eventually, the smile would harden, the feet that ran everywhere would rot away, and the heart would become thirsty and ‘selfish’.

And he could not endure the fact that he was the cause of it.

Will he die if he did it? No, or even worse? So what? It was already Hell for him. If he could not, his mind would simply die first.

So this was just selfishness. It's an imposition in the name of love. He knew very well. Ai did not want this, and did not want him to be like this. No, it was a selfish assumption. She would probably say, "It can't be helped," and eventually forgive him. He should stop using her as an excuse. Ultimately, it was just Alice who could not forgive his own ‘selfishness’.

"But I still want her to live…"

Why? Alice wondered. How did it come to this? He initially started off feeling happy about living, that just chasing a bouncing ball was fun, but before he knew it, the landscape had changed, and he ended up all alone.

He had no idea what went wrong. Was he wrong in stopping Ai? Was it when he tried to protect the town from Madame? When he tried to free his classmates? He did not think his sentiments were wrong. Then were his methods wrong? Was it wrong to choose self-sacrifice? But what else could he have chosen? Or is it wrong to think that way?

It was the same at this moment. Alice just wanted Ai to live. He was so fatally mistaken.

"That's enough, … as long as you're alive, that's all that matters…"

The light then began to reach Ai's physical body. As if in resonance, light also emanated from inside the body, revealing the shape of a bullet within.. But that light immediately changed shape, and became a mass the size of a fist.

The bullet began to pulse. At the same time, the light began to subside. Boom, boom, something disappears inside Alice. It was the familiar sensation of death.

"For that, I'm willing to be ‘selfish’."

Then the light converged and Alice's heart began to beat.

 

Goodbye.

His final words to her were a farewell.

 

+

 

Thud, thud, Alice slowly went down the stairs. Thud, how tedious and unbearable was it? His mind and body were not moving well. It took him at least ten minutes to get down to the first floor.

"…You’re leaving?"

It seemed this day was one where he was often called from behind. Alice wanted to slip out of the back door, but he did not react. He was in no mood for that..

Julie was waiting for him.

"Seriously, didn’t I tell you to meet me later…?"

"Old man…"

Julie apparently did not mind the cold and waited in the hallway that was unheated.

"I didn't know you were awake…"

"Coming from you after all the fuss you caused?"

"…Sorry, I just couldn't face you after all this time."

"Again with that. It’s going to be tougher from now onWhen you apologize, apologize right away."

"…I know, I know, but …"

That means you don't understand.

Alice was frankly depressed after being told something so typical of his elders. At this moment, he still felt guilty for being dishonest.

"Hmph. It’s rare to see you this obedient."

Bak bak! Julie slapped him on the back as he typically would.

"Looks like you got hit enough. I’ll let you off the hook for today."

"Ha ha… thanks …"

"'Mm…but what's with you?"

Julie pointed to Alice's chest. Apparently, the pep talk was also an opportunity to check on him. Julie was very shrewd when it came to such matters.

"Hmm? Ahh, this?"

Alice pried open of his shirt to reveal his chest. The chest was dented.

"…You don’t have a heart?"

"Good observation."

"…But that's weird, you look like you're alive though?"

Julie tilted his head.

"I don’t really get this either. I’m not sure about this, but I'm definitely alive."

"Even though you don’t have a heart?"

'No, it's not that I don't have it. I gave it to Ai after all."

"??? I don't get it."

"I know this is just a theory I have, but it seems that not only "death" changed fifteen years ago, but also ‘life’. Now that I think about it, it’s to be expected."

Since death had changed, life too would have been affected. In a very difficult way to understand that.

"For example, if a person's head works but his body does not, can you really say that he is alive? Conversely, what about someone whose head is the only thing dead?"

In the past, those who straddled the line between life and death would immediately fall to the side of death, and the line would be drawn. In this changed world however, the line was wide and thick, and people could even have the space to wander on it.

That was where Alice was.

"I’m now at a state where I can’t say that I’m alive or dead. I don’t know if I’m a suspect at large, but it seems like people will be sent back to this safety net."

"Hmmm…I don't know what that is, But in other words, you’re alive?"

"Well, that's the way it is."

"Oh, yeah! That’s good!"

Julie finally smiled, apparently worried about that.

"Well, when you started talking about giving your heart to her, I really wondered if anything would happen. If that's what you meant, no problem! Good job!"

"Haha, thanks…"

Julie's attitude that all was well as long as he was alive was both comforting and unsettling at the same time. There are people who were alive, but were in Hell.

So this old man has a peeping interest, he thought. And to think he said that the commotion woke him up. This bear of an old man.

"Well, I should be going now…"

"Going…where? "

"For now, I'll just head west on the Continent Highway…to any port town and seek out for information."

"What information?"

As expected, he had to explain this after all…

"A way to revive."

Julie stopped moving.

"…Eh, isn’t Ai revived already?"'

"No, she's still dead. She's the opposite of me. She got her heart back, and there’s a heart beating, but ‘she’s dead even though she looks alive’. Maybe there’ll will be a Gravekeeper who’ll pop by to bury her. Please take care of her then."

"……"

""What's with that face? Don't worry. It's not like I don't have any idea...

"No, that's fine. I’m not referring to that…"

Julie sighed, seemingly unsure as to what he should say,

 

'You're leaving Ai?'

"…What's with you, old man? Where's your usual overprotectveness? It's refreshing to get rid of the bad kid, right?"

"You idiot. That’s just my test. If you can't overcome such an obstacle, how’s that even love? When I had my first wife, her dad chased me with a hunting rifle."

"Don't carry on that tradition…"

"The fact is, the old you wasn’t a suitable partner for Ai."

"……"

Alice could not make a sound.

"But it's different now, isn't it? You got the resolve at leats. Do you still have to go? "

"Yeah…"

"I guess Ai will naturally get angry and not agree with your actions, but she’s not going to dig out her heart and go all ‘I’m returning this’, right? Maybe …probably…most likely."

"But still, I’m going."

"…I see."

Julie probably had plenty to say, but he swallowed his words.

"I get it. Then get going…but take this with you."

A silver light flies toward his nose. A light impact hit his right hand.

"What's this?"

It's a key to the west guard house. There’s equipment and stuff there, and a motorbike. Use them as to please.."

"Are you sure?"

"It's all right. I'll be merciless and pretend you stole it though."

"Ha, ha, please do…thanks."

"… Yeah."

A hug. A man's hug, A man hugging another man hard, slapping him on the back..

"…It’s way too obvious to go by the front door. Leave by the back…"

"All right, take care of Ai for me. …"

"I'll do it without you telling me."

Alice opened the door, and it was dimly lit. Dawn was already near.

 

"Alice!"

 

Julie shouted from inside the house.

"At least stay alive! It would make a big difference to a fool like you!"

That was the hardest part.

Alice darted off into the darkness.

Beneath the stairs he skipped past.

"Kya!"

"…Woah, who’s hiding here…wait, Dee? "

This time, it was completely unexpected. Dee Ensy was sitting on the hedge at the bottom of the stairs.

"What are you doing here …?"

He could understand why Julie was waiting in the doorway, but he had no idea why Dee had to wait here..

Until I saw those tears.

"Hic! Why are you here, Alice…"

"Wait, you don't have to run."

The moment she saw his face, with the corners of his eyes swollen, Alice figured out what was going on.

…What's with the 'use the back door', that old man….

"…You’ve been snooping too…?"

"Wh-what could I do? I came home and there was no one there…I went upstairs and saw Uncle there…so."

"I’m not blaming you. Don’t mind."

He was in no mood to think about how many were spying on him..

Morning was near. It would dawn in a few moments. There was a hint of morning glow in the east, and the dogs were howling for no reason.

For some reason, the two of them spent a long time in silence. No, in fact, it was short enough to be an instant, but Alice felt that it was dozens of minutes long. Dee most likely felt the same. If there had to be a reason, it would be because the vast amount of time that had stopped between them had already begun to flow.

'B-But I'm glad, Alice. You two got your feelings too!"

With a smile on her tear-stained face, Dee began.

"'You know, I never doubted that Ai liked Alice! But I wasn't sure if Alice liked Ai!"

Tears fell. They melted the snow and froze again.

"I was like Ai! I didn’t think you would fall in love with someone, Alice! That's why I couldn't even confess! I thought for sure I would be rejected! I mean, I didn't even think Alice would like anyone!"

"Dee."

"Even though you could get through to Ai! I didn't think your feelings would ever reach each other! That’s why I was relieved! I thought we could remain in this vague state forever! It’s just a misunderstanding on my part!"

"Dee!"

Alice hugged Dee. He knew he did not have the right to do so, but he did.

"I’m sorry…"

"Ah!"

Only the two of them knew how many meanings there were in that apology.

The story of Alice Color and Dee Ensy, born together, raised together, learned friendship and love, and then killed each other, had reached an end.

 

"U, uuuuu."

 

Dee cried. No matter how many tears she shed, they never dried up.

"I should be one…saying sorry…I-I…hadn’t looked at you properly, Alice…when I overheard you, I realized…I…I…I…"

"It’s fine I was horrible too. …"

If it had been just Alice and Dee here, and not Ghost or Magic Bullet, this might have turned out differently.

But it was like counting the years of a dead child, and there was nothing they could do.

"I'm sorry…I'm really sorry…you really felt painful, right? Lonely? But I…I…I didn’t notice it at all, and I say it’s just you, Alice…that’s why I couldn’t…and I gave up…"

"You're not wrong. That’s me, I really believed this about myself before I met her. I felt I was cool for being a loner.."

"Yep…you were cool …"

"Haha, thanks …."

Dee distanced herself.

"…But are you still living? She discovered such an important part about you, and you’re still leaving her…"

"…Yeah."

"…I'm sure you’ll go back to how you were, without Ai…"

"Even so, I’m going."

"I see…"

Dee did not try to stop him any further.

"…Take this."

"What's this?"

"A signature by the Mayor of Ostia and the Ghost, I guess it’s still useful in some places. Though if used in the wrong places, people may end up hating you…"

"That's good enough. Thanks."

"Nn…"

He could not remain for long. Morning was near.

"Bye bye, Alice."

"Yeah, bye bye."

It was a parting word they had said umpteenth time, but this was decisively different form the past.

 

"Bye bye, Alice…"

 

Even when his back was out of sight, Dee repeated the words.

 

"Yo Alice, you’re up early."

A stranger who was out shoveling snow said.

"Ah, young Alice. Just in time. Please have some of these freshly cooked food."

An unfamiliar old woman who had opened a stall gave him a steamed bun.

"Big bro Alice! What’s going on!? You’re out early in the morning."

"Just some stuff" He said to the security guard who was clearly older than him, and entered the guard room. It was still early, and a few men were resting inside. All of them looked at him and spoke to him in a friendly manner, "Anything you need?" "I’ll help." "Just tell us what you want.".

"Sorry, please pretend that you didn’t see it.."

Alice stole two pistols and 150 bullets from the armory and packed them in a sack that he had stolen as well. Also, he brought along some dried food in case of emergency, a blanket, and even a jacket worn by the man before him.

He took so much, and they did not complain, "Another secret? It’s fine. We’ve been with you for a long while." They had no intention of stopping them..

"Thanks."

But Alice knew nothing about them. Not their names, not their faces.

The same was true of those who spoke to them in a friendly manner back at the town. They knew Alice and adored him, but that was the trust built up by the old Alice Color..

Having had his memory reset so many times, it was common for him to be treated like a brother by strangers. But he just could not get used to it. The heroic Alice Color they described was different from him.

It was no wonder, for they did not match to begin with.

What they saw was Alice who gave up his own life to save his classmates. That ‘real hero’ who hid his fears, acted as a hero, and even believed himself to be one..

That Alice was not this Alice. This person’s name was probably a monster..

"But then again…the real me…isn’t around anymore, either."

He chose a motorbike. It was the worst situation for him as he had to ride on the snowy path, and so he wanted one that was light and had a firm grip. Also, one that had a sled. Alice filled it with gas, lifted the stand, and slowly pushed the bike. The crew did not notice anything unusual until the last minute.

He started the engine and let it warm up. Dawn was almost breaking. He pushed the bike onto the road..

"I don't remember…what kind of guy…I used to be..."

The overflowed water could never be regained again, and the shattered dishes would not mend. A fired bullet too would never return to its magazine..

Whether they hit or miss, they were destined to shatter and scatter.

He felt heavy. He was cold. He was hungry. Thinking about it, he had not slept in a long while.

"I'm being extravagant, really. … I'm such a …

But that fellow called God certainly really loved his irony, and actually let a hero who could somehow fool himself to meet an extraordinary one.

She, too, was a hero, a hero as great as he was. If not for him, she might have fulfilled her tremendous dream.

Their meeting was the best of times and the worst of times. The dream was shattered and fell to the ground.

The bullet that missed its mark was destined to rot there.

But Ai was different. She stood her ground.

And she reached out her hand to Alice.

And yet...

"Why can't I … change …?"

His breath was white. He had an increasing urge to cry.

The snow was harsh. His feet were heavy.

"I didn’t even think…of changing…"

Abandoning the people who loved him as a hero, and even the one who loved him as a person, Alice could not stop.

He did not want to stop.

This probably was where the biggest problem was. Just as one could not wake up a person that was awake, or put a sleeping person to sleep, he could not stop being himself..

Alice would become more Alice, just as the old Alice Color became Buzzer Beater, and Buzzer Beater became Magic Bullet, and surely, he would lose his name one day.

He was looking forward to that day.

"Yo Alice, you going away?"

Someone he did not know called out to him again.

"Shut up…"

"Wh-what’s with that greeting…it’s snowy out here. Be careful.."

He wanted to go somewhere else where nobody knew him, and die at a place where nobody would bother him.

He wanted to die alone in silence, by the sea.

He wanted to become a bullet, a dream with a direction. There was too much stuff attached to this body, like a sword with many blades. Once it stabbed in, it would not split, and would cling onto his body, not letting go.

And yet, there was someone who said she liked him.

There was someone who understood and accepted him as a person and as a hero.

…Someone…like him…

"Ah, Mr Alice, are you going out?"

Again. Someone called his name again.

"Shut up already…don’t talk to me when you don’t know anything…"

"Oh dear, you're in a bad mood."

Alice walked past silently and ignored this place. The bike was heavy, and even though it was winter, he was sweating all over just by pushing.

"We'll be out of town if we keep going. Where are you going to?"

This certainly was a persistent person."

"…I'll go anyway…even to the sea…"

"That’s tough."

"…Enough already. Don't follow me. …"

"My my, I’m not following you. We just happen to be on the same road. I'd rather you didn't follow me, Mr Alice."

 

At this moment, finally.

 

Alice realized that something was amiss.

 

He looked up. The morning sun begins to rise behind him.

 

"Woah!"

The sun emerged from the top of the hills, and shone upon the earth. The microscopic ice crystals, less than a micron in size, were instantly seared away and turned to dew.

"It's morning!"

Then Alice looked up.

"It's pretty."

The world was being reborn. The surface of the lake was stark white, and the white rabbits that had fully grown their winter coats were hopping around. The smoke from the furnaces were thicker, and people were all looking at the sun, which had not appeared in a long time.

"Right, Mr Alice?"

Standing in front of him was Ai.

Ai, dressed to the point of being bubbly, with an oversized furry coat, was snivelling due to the cold. She squinted her eyes at the morning sun.

Her hair was shining golden. Her eyes were moist wet with green.

And her breath was pure white and warm,

"…Ai."

Alice had the urge to weep.

"…You’ve…revived?"

"No no, what makes you say that? I haven’t come back to life. I’m pretty much in the same state as Mr Kiriko."

"Ahh…I see. …"

This puffy penguin-like fellow frowned.

"What's wrong with you? You’ve been spacing out for a while.".

"……Oi, what are you doing here?"

Alice spoke harshly..

"Erm, actually, I found out in my room that someone forgot something, so I thought of returning it."

"Oh?"

Alice straddled the bike as the engine warmed up sufficiently.

"That’s quite an idiot. Have you found him?"

"Yep. I found him."

A sparkle full of life spoke up, ready to abandoned its life.

"Mr Alice, I’m giving you back your heart. I don't want it."

"I refuse."

Brrrrrrrrrr, And the wind blew past. The air was like a rapid-fire gunshot; Alice had her hands on the grips of her bike, and Ai took a running stance.

"Then I don't have a choice."

"Huh?"

The moment the tension reached its peak, Ai quickly took a step back.

"Maybe some other time?"

"…Hey, could that be …?"

"Ah, don't get me wrong. This is a coincidence. We just happen to be on the same road…alright. "

"…Hey, by what coincidence are you riding on my tandem seat?"

"I guess it's called ‘inevitability’ …"

"Like hell it is! Get off!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Kya-kyaa! Ahahaha~!!"

Alice shook the bike from side to side, but Ai was enjoying it.

"It's useless, Mr Alice"

It was the biggest smile she had shown.

"You're a hundred years too young to run away from me!"

"Ha, then I'll spend a hundred years running away with it!"

"Ah! That’s a lie! Two hundred...five hundred...no! You’re a thousand years too early!"

"That’s way too long."

"Not really. I guess it’ll just be a moment."

Ai hugged the back before her. Her body was warm and soft.

"…So we’re going to stay together until then…"

"……"

"Alright?"

"…Like hell I know!"

"Ah, you’re embarrassed again."

"Shut up! Watch your tongue!"

"Ah, wait, I still got stuff to say—seriously! You’re always like this, Mr Alice!"

And then they started moving.

Out of the heavenly town, into the white wilderness, and back on the road again.

 

"Where are you going!?"

"I don't know!!"

 

They left their endings to each other.

Without knowing a single thing about the future.

 

Ai and Alice set their sights on tomorrow.

 

 

END

 

Afterword

Thank you for your time. How did you like the latest volume of ‘Sunday Without God’?

Actually no, I'm not talking about this volume alone. As this is the last volume, it’s not just a thank you for finishing this final volume, but also a ‘thank you’ for finishing the entire series, and a question of ‘how is this series’.

Phew~, it's over. Really, it's over. I feel like I can't believe it. My soul is completely gone. What shall I say?.

I don't know, even though it's the last time, but I can’t think of anything to say. In the past, I had so many topics I wanted to write, but I just couldn’t because the story hadn’t ended. Most of them were just apologies or just some excuses, so I don’t think it’s very appropriate for this volume, to all the readers who’ve read this volume until the end.

So, I won't apologize this time! Oh, that’s a lie. I'm sorry it took me so long to publish this. (I'm really sorry!) Ugh, that’s too casual of me. Well, it should be fine now. It’s backstage, and if I’m really bag, the editor will probably grade give me an NG (← a useless technique I learned during my four years as a writer).

Anyway, we've come a long way, Ai, me, and you.

Let me explain as to how I got to this final volume. It happened after I won the award, and the editor-in-charge immediately asked me discreetly "Can you keep writing?" (Fujimi's a good place!). I quickly came up with it back then, and it went pretty much as expected. (Of course, I hadn't thought about the contents of each book, and volumes three and four were completely improvised.)

But well, the actual writing didn’t necessarily go according to my initial plan. Ai, Alice, or the others, none of them were the type to be obedient, and I ended up panicking all the time.

But because of this, this work could go further than I expected.

I had to thank them. I couldn't have made it this far on my own.

And to you, the same thanks.

Thank you very much. Thanks to you, this story has come this far. In recent years, many works have come to an end due to reasons other than content (such as sales), but it is definitely thanks to you that I was able to reach this point. Thank you very much.

Also, I know this is personal for me, but thank you, Shino-san. I’m really glad that you were my first illustrator. Thank you too, Abaraheiki-san, the manga version is a treasure of mine. To the previous editor-in-charge, thank you for the trouble you caused me as a newcomer who didn't know how to go about doing things. To the current editor-in-charge, thank you for your thorough care, and please continue to take care of me.. Thank you also to the designers, animation staff, Kadokawa Bunko edition editor-in-charge, and the distribution staff.

Thank you very much, everyone. I consider myself blessed.

Now, even though this series has ended, just as Ai and her friends' lives continue even after the series ends, the world of Kimihito Irie doesn’t end here. I'm currently working on a story called ‘Magical Child’. This is a modern fantasy. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

I thought this was unfair to my female fans, so I decided to publish a new story.

A-and well, ‘Magical Child’ is more directed towards the male demographic, and I thought it would be unfair to the female readers, so I decided to release a new work.

It's called ‘Princess Kokran and the Wish Demon’. The story is about a lamp genie who can make any wish come true (who’s damn handsome), and a girl who happened to be the princess of the largest empire in the world (all my wishes have come true, so what?). This is, to put it mildly, my best work to date, so regardless of gender, please pick it up.

So, I'll see you again, somewhere, sometime soon.

Bye bye.

 

Kimihito Irie

 

 

Appendix - Ai's Hill

They slowly made our way through the snow-clogged mountain path. They let out white breaths as they used their snowshoes like skis.

Couldn’t we have waited until spring? Alice, who was almost buried in the snow, complained away. Well well, Ai calmed him down, and they hurried on. They crossed a peak, went past a stream, and got lost twice before arriving at the place.

The hometown was buried in snow.

There was hardly a trace of the destruction that Hampnie had left behind. The scars left by a year of wind and snow were emphasized. The warehouse was ravaged by animals and houses were crushed by the weight of the snow.

"Are you okay?"

Alice said.

"A little weird."

Ai answered and almost fell towards him. Alice hastily held her up. She beamed at his anxious face, and he too smiled back as he threw Ai into a pile of snow. The rest was war.

They decided not to go to her old house. She had better things to do than that.

They left the village and entered the hill again. They crossed fallen trees and bypassed falling rocks. Ai took three wrong turns, even though she used to be able to walk this path with her eyes closed..

It was as if the land had been created to be a graveyard.

The hill, which had once been fertile, was desolate, and fossilized stumps squeaked in the wind as the snow fell. There was no sign of life on the barren slopes, and the Dead were buried under the snow, not even breathing.

"Woah, they are buried under the snow."

"It’s a tough job."

The warehouse that was supposed to be at the foot of the embankment of the hill had already collapsed, and the two of them dug through the snow and wreckage to find shovels and hoes.

They shoveled snow, polished headstones, and tended to the graveyard.

They were sweating, and their white breaths melted the powdery snow.

Surely they would be buried under snow again the next day. She understood that. Despite that, Ai brushed off the snow.

She cleaned the graves of Yoki and Anna.

Yuto and Yoanna, Yuki and Abel. Kyon and Cain….

They cleaned up everyone, and finally, Ai,

"─ It's been a long time. Mom. Dad."

She felt like she was saying that she had returned home

Ai fell silent. For no other words came out.

Alice too was silent. He sat down next to Ai while silent..

The only thing that passed was a sad moment. Sadness, confusion, sleepiness, pain, love, hardship…

Kizuna Astin and Hana Astin.

They knew those two were not present here. All that remained here was a cold slab of stone and an old rotting body.

Still, Ai spent a long time there. If she could, she would have stayed with them forever, buried in the snow. But,

"It's cold."

Alice unfolded the front of her coat and wrapped Ai in it. The impatience weakened a little and soon became something different.

Ai smiled. She beamed, and grinned.

"…It's almost sunset."

"Are we done?"

Yes. She answered, and slipped out of Alice's coat. She stood up.

—If you ever feel lonely, you can come back. We have all the time in the world.

"Shall we go, Mr. Alice?"

Ai reached her hand out as if inviting him to dance.

"Yeah."

Their warm hands joined together, and together they stood up.

"Fufu, Mr. Alice."

"Hm?"

"We'll be together forever, won't we?"

Alice was surprised. He probably never dreamed that Ai would say such a thing. But,

"Yeah."

He grinned as he said so.

Overjoyed, he took that hand and walked away, holding her tightly.

There was an endless world before them. And there was an endless amount of time.

 

 

She still had an inkling of a feeling that she was dreaming.

 

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