Mushi:Vol1 Ch5

Final Night : Don’t Look

The curtains were lifted. Before we continue the story, let us cast our eyes toward the apartment where Usagawa Rinne lived, a place where no real estate agencies were interested in whatsoever. The scene here was quiet, as if it was a nurturing place for a dimension of phantoms. We shall move past the corridor with the faded walls, a corridor that was not burnt by fire but was showing a smoky black sheen.

The door with a plate indicating ‘1A’ had an unnecessary door bell. Coming through the wooden door that required some skill to open, we move our sight to the two girls who were deeply asleep in the middle of the narrow, small room. One was the owner of this room, Usagawa Rinne. She had a head of neat short hair and skin white as snow. And for the one who tightly clutched Usagawa Rinne and battled intensely with nightmares... was Guriko. The girl named Gankyū Eguriko was moaning softly, drenched in cold sweat.

Nightmares were troubling her less after she started living with Rinne. Could it be possible that Guriko’s heart, sick from a millennium of wandering, was healing little by little after being touched by Usagawa Rinne’s gentleness? Her wolf-like messy hair, which wouldn’t stay down no matter how much she brushed it, was scattered over the bed covers.

This seemed very interesting, and they looked as if they were the very materialization of happiness. However, the two girls who slept next to each other were yet to know that the existence given to destroy this happiness was placed right next to their pillows.

“Pzzt, pzzt, pzzt.”

The Dream World Beast’s egg quietly cracked.

It was an egg as large as a human skull, with bright and colorful geometrical patterns scattered all over the shell. It was different from the egg of any creatures on earth. This egg was of a creature similar to Legion Bandanna, which Guriko defeated at the school two nights ago. It was a forbidden creature that should not exist in the peaceful human world. It obtained nutrients from eating Usagawa Rinne and Guriko’s ‘dreams’, and slowly built up its strength to hatch out of the shell.

Although Guriko told Rinne: “Things the Mushi gave you can be dangerous. Throw it away or break it!”, Rinne was too kind to ever do such a thing. At the end, Guriko also agreed optimistically that this shouldn’t be the egg of any particularly dangerous creature.

But Guriko was too naive. A Dream World Beast was indeed not a dangerous creature, but Guriko was the one providing the Dream World Beast with the nutrients – Guriko herself should count as a dangerous creature!

It was almost time. It was too late even for regrets. Everything was progressing towards the worst outcome possible for them. However, they did not know this, and only peacefully hungered after happy dreams.

– Dream while you can, dream happy dreams.

Once they wake from the dream, the end will be before them.

Can you hear it, the sound of the shell cracking, the sound of the Dream World Beast wanting to come out?

“Knock knock, knock knock.”

She always remembered that the sky was especially clear on that day. The unpredictable dark clouds that had gathered in the past few days were all blown away. The sun hung high in a windless sky. It was the ideal weather for going out. As the temperature wasn’t very low, there was no need for gloves. As she walked, she soon took off her coat too. The weather was warm, and the plants also grew sparkling and green as if they were happy as well. People’s expressions were spirited and full of happiness.

Usagawa Rinne hung her coat, which she took off, on her arm, and repetitively inquired Guriko if her clothing was appropriate. This was the outfit that she contemplated on for two hours before buying. Rinne was confident that it was fine, but that could just be her stubbornness speaking. However, even if she were to ask Guriko, who knew nothing about clothing or fashion, all she would get would be some utterly useless advice such as “any clothing is appropriate as long as it covers your body!" To note, Guriko said this with wide and incredulous eyes.

By the way, since Guriko only had one set of outdoor clothes, she was still wearing the school’s sailor uniform. Guriko usually wore Rinne’s casual clothes inside the house, but that would become quite problematic if she went outdoors like that. Guriko had previously ran into town with just her black pajamas on. That really scared Rinne. It looked like Guriko may lack common sense regarding some specific issues, which was truly terrible!

“No matter what you wear –”

Guriko was incredulous when she told Rinne, who was being very attentive to her outfit: “Sakaki wouldn’t mind!”

“That’s true, but...”

Watching Rinne, who was at a loss of what to do, Guriko sighed with exhaustion.

“Is this the heart of a maiden? I can’t understand it... anyways, no matter how worried you are, you don’t have time to change anymore. Therefore, it’s a waste of time to worry at all.”

“Uuuu –”

Guriko’s cold words made Rinne’s expression a little troubled. Guriko was speaking in her ordinary tone. She wasn’t angry, but Rinne still felt it could’ve been said in a slightly different way. Guriko was certainly clumsy and with a rude attitude.

The end-of-term exams have finished. Under Sakaki’s passionate teaching, the students in class 1-B all achieved high marks (except for one certain student). They were all showing off their good grades to their parents while preparing to enjoy the winter break. Rinne, who could not boast her good grades to her parents, and that certain student (Guriko), who had no parents to reprimand her for her bad grades, also have two weeks of winter break starting today. Although Rinne was still rather restless, she couldn’t help but feel settled for now.

Today was the day the three of them were going out together. Rinne had planned a happy day tour in order for Guriko and Sakaki to get along better and deepen their friendship. Rinne planned for the three of them to have fun till sunset to get rid of the apprehension Sakaki still had towards and Guriko, and also to change Guriko’s stubborn and deep-grained perceptions of Sakaki.

Rinne’s philosophy was that everyone should get along well together, that everyone should be happy.

But let us leave that aside for now.

“Sensei –”

Rinne greeted Sakaki, who had the attention of all the customers. She walked into the cafe in front of the station and sat down opposite Sakaki together with a stiff-faced Guriko. The heater was on inside and it felt very hot. Sakaki had also dressed up for today, and his glamour was worthy of a movie star. It was evident that he put a lot of thoughts in it. However, the more stylish Sakaki appeared, the more it emphasized Rinne’s poverty. This made Rinne more troubled.

But no matter what, Sakaki dressed up for her – that made Rinne feel rather awkward, but at the same time very happy. Trust and promises; Rinne stopped wondering if she was good enough for Sakaki. Since Sakaki definitely loved her, then she shouldn’t be holding back, and would need to repay him with all of her love.

Rinne thought thus.

“Hmm, milady is very punctual!”

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just got here.”

But then the amount of people swarming around the cafe had swelled up far too quickly!

In such times, an ordinary person would surely had shrank back, giving too much thought to the fact that everyone else was staring. However, Rinne and Sakaki were already used to it, and faced the attention with a nonchalant composure. Sakaki has a very noteworthy appearance. It would be too stressful to pay much attention to such things.

Rinne’s efforts in picking her clothes paid off. Sakaki said: “Milady, your outfit today is even cuter than normal! I thought you were a pixie.”

That compliment was too much for her. Rinne blushed red with embarrassment.

“Sensei is very handsome too!”

“Thank you... you, on the other hand, are exactly the same as always.”

Sakaki moved his eyes towards Guriko. Guriko jumped.

“Rubbish! Why should I dress up for you!”

“Gu, Guriko-chan, don’t be so harsh as soon as you start to speak... Sensei, you too. Today’s meant to be a happy day, isn’t it? Don’t say things that are too provocative...”

Poor Usagawa Rinne. The other two had sparks flying between them, while she only looked on with a helpless expression.

Being unable to sway Rinne, the other two could only compromise reluctantly for her sake.

“...This is at Rinne’s request. I want to get on well with you the best possible, but my personality is just how it is, and you’re not too malleable either. So for now –”

Guriko continued with an pure voice: “– let’s maintain the current situation for now. I’ll do my best to control my temper.”

“Then I’ll do the same. I’ll do my best to try trusting you.”

Listening to their incredible conversation, Rinne couldn’t help but feel funny and laughed out loud.

“You two are so similar! I really think you’d become good friends...”

It’d be great if they can become good friends. Rinne thought this calmly and quietly in her heart.

Rinne’s wish immediately came true. They got together unexpectedly cordially once they removed their pride and apprehension. Even though it was awkward at first, they gradually understood each other. Guriko could understand Sakaki’s gentleness beneath his arrogance, and Sakaki also discovered Guriko’s goodness that was distorted by her clumsiness. It went without saying that it was Rinne who had painstakingly resolved the misunderstandings and misgivings between them.

Sakaki appeared to really sympathize with Guriko’s past when she spoke of it. He could also understand that Guriko’s incomprehensible odd behaviors were due to compelling reasons, just as Rinne had said. Sakaki apologized for his previous rudeness, and Guriko also forgave him. The wall looming between the two suddenly collapsed as if their earlier arguments were mere pretenses.

This miracle continued for five hours.

Bam! Bam! These brisk and intermittent sounds could be heard all around them. They were at a more boisterous town a bit further from Kannonsakazaki. This was the gaming zone next to the cinema, and Sakaki and Guriko were taking on a co-op shooting game. They each controlled a gun connected to the machine, and fired non-stop while aiming at the violent dragon going berserk in the screen.

This kind of shooting games, in which one can experience an authentic gun battle, was fairly in the current age. Sakaki and Guriko – who held a gun each – and Rinne, who was sitting in the middle screaming, all sat in the seats modeled after car seats. Their booth was separated from the outside through a curtain, and they were engrossed in the sound and light of the game.

An incredible unity had already arisen between the three, and they were treating each other in an honest and unreserved attitude. Although the conversation between Guriko and Sakaki were still sharp and Rinne couldn’t tell whether they were joking or fighting, that seemed to be their way of communication and Rinne no longer tried to prevent their arguments.

People have different ways of dealing with others. Compared to some honeyed words that don’t always seem to be true, Rinne felt that the straightforward and brutally honest way Guriko and Sakaki talked to each other was actually a good kind of relationship. People can become good friends even without deliberately trying to flatter each other.

Usagawa Rinne became a little less worried when she thought of such things.

Even if there was absolutely no hope in the future, we probably won’t lose to our enemies.

We won’t lose to fate, or to Mushi.

“Guriko! Your bullets haven’t been hitting the enemy at all! Aim properly, then shoot! That’s me over there! Don’t hit your fellow comrade, you traitor! Why are you only accurate when shooting at me? Just more or less aim properly!”

“Shut up! I’ve never played such a crazy game. All those eyeballs flying towards me is a mess on the screen. I’m gonna throw up soon.”

“Guriko-chan’s only played console games with a TV...”

Rinne stopped their scolding in a roundabout way, and smiled gently.

The game they were playing had some strange premises. Moments after dinosaurs appeared, UFOs started attacking from outer space. While they annihilated aliens, they got involved in a bank robbery too. There was no sense of continuation in the plot. Because there was no way of knowing what would happen next, it was pretty fun to watch them play. The scene suddenly entered in the microbial world, and the two were now fighting white blood cells.

Sakaki was very good with a gun (which was totally expected, since he normally practiced shooting with real bullets). As long as he didn’t get shot by Guriko, he wouldn’t die easily. Guriko, on the other hand, kept wasting coins and dying pathetically. Sakaki prepared a mountain of 100 yen coins, and there wasn’t much left by now. Still, thanks to that investment, the two seemed to have reached the end battle. The final boss controlling the robots began some senseless explanations. What a stupid game. Or was it a game that would make the players stupid? The game developer probably wanted to make a stupid game to start with. The plot of the game was very far removed from ‘a masterpiece that is both sensible and moving', as advertised!

The robot controlled by the final boss fired out scallops from rocket launchers. Sakaki accurately shot through the scallops, while Guriko took the chance and attacked the main body of the robot. However, for some reason, Guriko’s bullets disappeared without even grazing the giant robot.

“Guriko, did you aim before you shoot?”

“The more I aim, the more it goes off... is this machine working properly?”

“Don’t blame the machine. Wow, you got me again! Why don’t you aim at the giant robot? You’re aiming at me, who’s as small as a speck of rice – and how come you can actually get me?”

“How would I know. Ask my finger...”

Rinne looked at the two, who were conversing well together with a face full of satisfaction, and thought that it was great Guriko and Sakaki can get on well with each other. I hate to have two people I like fighting with each other. At least such a situation won’t happen now – although there were still a mountain of questions and there was no sign of a bright future, just being like this can give me a sense of being saved.

At this time, Usagawa Rinne had yet to despair about the future.

No matter how painful and how condemned the future that awaited her may prove to be, Rinne should still be able to get through the difficulties using her optimistic personality and live on happily ever after! It was because she had the strength to keep on living, and Guriko had also said that she will protect her.

And she will stay with Sakaki Guryū forever, or at least till his life ends.

Maybe Usagawa Rinne can stay beside him all the way till the end, and smile with him.

However –

“Crack, splish, crack crack crack.”

“Splat... uuuuu.”

Suddenly -

- The robot that continuously released scallops disappeared. No, it was more like the screen suddenly darkened, and all the pictures disappeared. Even the stereo that was going loud as a storm became silent. The lighting disappeared in the shop. When they drew aside the curtain and looked out, the entire shop was in a blackout.

“What’s wrong?”

Guriko was incredulous, and still held the toy gun in her hands.

“A blackout?”

“How rare. Is the power plant down?”

Rinne’s words were very practical. That should be the reason based on mundane and ordinary logic. Otherwise, perhaps a wire snapped, or that someone took off the shop’s fuse as a prank.

“Buzz... zzzz...”

It was a sound like the spluttering of flames or the chirping of insects.

“Sakaki... Rinne. Hey.”

Guriko called out to them with a panicking tone. The two of them, who were looking towards the outside, turned to Guriko.

“What’s up?”

“Something’s going on with the screen.”

Guriko said in an even voice. Following Guriko’s words, Sakaki and Rinne looked at the completely black screen.

There.

“Buzz... zzzzz... zzz...”

An alien scene was getting bigger and bigger on the screen, which had lost its power and shouldn’t be able to display any images. “Shhhhha”, the entire screen showed grey things that were writhing as if they were crawling. Worms?

No.

These were –

“Eyeballs.”

Guriko said succinctly.

Yes, they were countless eyeballs, and they were very lifelike. White eyeballs that didn’t seem to belong to anyone were dripping with slick eye liquid. Veins undulated on them, and they twirled like crawling worms.

“Urk...”

Rinne moved her eyes away out of disgust, and Sakaki’s face was also pale as a sheet. Guriko stared straight toward the odd picture. Soon after, the eyeballs focused into one image.

“Buzz... zzzz... zzz...”

It was the image of a girl.

No, it was something that resembled a girl.

Her body was made of insect parts. She had giant red composite eyes, antennae unique to insects, and a sharp mandible and claws came out of the her shiny black carapace. It was an insect. An insect.

The insect was dressed in a cute, flowing dress, and wore peach colored shoes. Upon closer inspection, the antennae even had a large bow tied to them. That was a very strange and completely incongruous outfit.

That existence which resembled both a girl and an insect was hugging a bear toy in front of its chest – a teddy bear. The bear had a simple appearance, and the round black eyes were sawed-on buttons.

“This –”

With a low voice, Rinne couldn’t help but speak out.

“This teddy bear –”

An incredulous expression surfaced on Rinne’s face.

It’s the teddy bear that I used to want a lot.

Guriko quickly turned to Rinne.

“You’re saying that’s – the one you told me before, the one that your dad won’t buy for you no matter how much you begged?”

“Yes. Ahhh. Why? What’s going on? What’s going on –”

Rinne was confused. Guriko couldn’t understand this situation either.

Countless eyeballs were squashed in next to the insect, and they were so real it was like they truly existed there. Their color and shape were completely unlike images that you would expected from a game. The girl-like and insect-like existence, surrounded by eyeballs, said in a low voice as it moved its antennae:

“... Mushi, eyeballs, a teddy bear... ”

It was as if the air around them suddenly frozen over in the blink of an eye.

Everyone was speechless. They couldn’t even move their fingertips, and were completely drawn in by the alien scene before them.

The disgusting monster continued with a cute and girly voice: “... that’s right, they are the things that you fear and desire. Things that exist in the core of your lives. I was born from ‘there’, born from consuming ‘that’.”

This downright chilling, uncomfortably spooky thing kept talking: “... Glad to meet you, Mother, I’m the Dream World Beast. Thank you for providing me with nutrition and giving birth to me in this world. You let me obtain such a strong power.”

“Dream World... Beast.”

Sakaki said softly: “You’re that egg’s...”

The Dream World Beast ignored Sakaki’s presence, and kept staring at Rinne and Guriko.

“... A Dream World Beast grows by consuming the ‘dreams’ of humans. The living essence of humans are mixed in ‘dreams’, so it’s very nutritious. For monsters like us, who can’t be counted as living creatures, eating the ‘dreams’ of you, who have Apples, provide us with a very great power.”

“She” continued talking with that chilling voice: “... I’m your ‘desire’. I’m your ‘fear’. I’m the most primeval thing in your lives. You are the ones who made me into this shape. Mushi, eyeballs, a teddy bear –”

This thing’s appearance was actually something like that.

“...This is your essence. Although this form is a combination of the ‘dreams’ of both of you, I am very happy. I have obtained such a strong body!”

“You’re saying that this is the essence of – Rinne and I?”

This terrifying monster.

“... Yes. My shape is your ‘desire’, and also your ‘fear’.”

The Dream World Beast stretched her hand, and pointed towards Guriko.

“... You’re scared of Mushi, scared of that absolutely invincible enemy. No matter how much you fight them, how many you manage to kill, Mushi would never die out and would always spawn out more. That existence that killed your family –”

“Chirp”, the Dream World Beast made a sound like the cry of birds.

“... At the same time, you desire Mushi. Killing Mushi is the meaning of your existence. If all the Mushi were to disappear, then you’d lose the meaning of your life. Therefore you’re afraid, and at the same time desire, those Mushi.”

Guriko didn’t answer. She only pursed her lips tightly and stared at the Dream World Beast.

The Dream World Beast then looked at Rinne.

"... You are the same.”

Rinne was startled.

“... You are also afraid of the teddy bear that changed your life. A teddy bear is just an allusion here. It represents your 'desire'. You lived for 15 years without getting what you wanted. You always longed for the subject of your desire, but at the same time you’re afraid that such a thing would never appear.”

The Dream World Beast looked at Sakaki.

“... Even if the object of your desire had already appeared, you still often feel afraid, afraid that the feelings you derive from the object – be it love or a place to belong in society – would one day disappear. You are afraid from the bottom of your heart about the possibility of being separated from Sakaki Guryū. The contradiction created from your heartfelt longing for Sakaki Guryū is embodied in this teddy bear...”

Rinne fell onto a chair and shivered. She would of course have such a reaction when her innermost thoughts were suddenly pointed out. The Dream World Beast continued without a pause.

It looked straight toward Gankyū Eguriko.

“... You love and hate eyeballs at the same time.”

Guriko didn’t make a sound.

“Your own eyeballs have long become murky and lost their shine in your endless life. Therefore you want to gouge out others' pretty eyeballs. You long for beautiful eyes, you want to possess them, and you are afraid to be looked at by beautiful eyes. It was a fearful contradiction created from jealousy – you became less and less like a human due to this hobby. Gankyū Eguriko, Eyeball Gouger; what an allusion of a name –”

“You’ve been –”

Guriko’s barrel-like eyes stared straight toward the space before her, and spoke to the Dream World Beast with a pure voice.

“– chatting away annoyingly for quite some time. Thanks for this tiresome mental test. So, what do you want to use that thing for? The monster we gave birth to? Mushi?!”

“… My my…”

The voice –

“You discovered me. What a sharp sixth sense!”

– changed.

The voice was like the falsetto of a man or the contralto of a female. It was a chilly and enthralling sound.

Guriko glared at the screen.

“A newborn baby can’t possibly know this much about us. It doesn't matter if it was a human, animal, or a monster. A baby is still a baby. Even if it grew by eating our ‘dreams’, can a newborn baby explain these ‘dreams’? These emotions are only known by you, who’ve been observing us!”

“... How perceptive!”

The voice said delightfully: “This Dream World Beast is indeed still a baby! It can’t tell right from wrong, and it only has an immature intelligence, which I can easily manipulate. However, I need to correct one thing! It’s not ‘us’ who want to use this monster for evil deeds... ”

“Puft,” the gaming console made a noise.

“... But me as an individual. Do you know what that means?”

“Crack”.

“Crack, smack, craaaaack, crunch crack.”

There was the sound of something crumbling. It sounded as if the earth was cracking apart. It was an ear-splitting sound.

It could be heard in the entire gaming zone complex.

“Boom –”

As if this entire building was being crushed by some weight –

“You bastard!”

Guriko gave a short yell, then sprinted through the crowd after grabbing Sakaki and Rinne’s hands. Guriko rushed out and ran with an unbelievable speed while dragging the other two. At the same moment that they escaped the gaming zone, the entire building crumbled down in the blink of an eye as if it was perfectly timed.

Guriko deflected the debris with her two hands, and saw the giant monster with its back to the sun.

It had a giant body and smashed the building with only one foot. It had dark crimson complex eyes and a sharp jaw. It was just like the creature they saw on the screen in the gaming console. It wasn’t wearing a flowing dress, though, nor were there eyeballs wriggling beside it, but that was definitely the Dream World Beast that appeared in the picture.

Watching the enormous giant monster, Guriko couldn’t help but swear out loud.

“You monster!”

That was the true form of the Dream World Beast, which hatched due to having eaten the two girls’ dreams.

I was really too careless. Gankyū Eguriko thought as she lifted up her head to look at the Dream World Beast currently destroying the town. How could she not have sensed such a – such a gigantic and powerful monster? Could it be that she was too engrossed in the video game? No, that was not it – she didn’t feel any dangerous aura. The Dream World Beast should have triggered her vigilance, but she felt nothing even as she looked at the creature with her two eyes. How could she have no feelings of alarm toward a monster with such a terrifying fighting ability, and could flatten shops with ease and dig up a building with just one hand?!

But she understood it. It was because this monster was born from eating the ‘dreams’ Rinne and I had. That way, the Dream World Beast should only have the scents of Rinne and myself! Guriko certainly wouldn't consider Rinne and herself as targets, therefore she couldn’t feel alarmed at this creature.

But that wasn't the important part.

“Sakaki.”

As Guriko ran further away from the Dream World Beast together with Sakaki and Rinne, she said.

Sakaki, who was walking at the front, turned his head to answer Guriko.

“What?”

“You take care of Rinne for me.”

Guriko had made the decision in her heart a long time ago. She had desired to have a place to die for a thousand years. However, since she had nowhere important for her anywhere, it didn’t matter whether she lived or died. However, she had already taken back her humanity, and could now make a decision to fight for someone else.

Rinne noticed Guriko’s thoughts, and her face paled.

“Guriko... chan, could it be that you...”

Guriko smiled gently.

“Rinne, you must keep live. You’re worth it.”

“Guriko-chan...”

Rinne looked as if she was about to cry.

“Don’t worry, I won’t die! That’s how I’m constructed!”

Guriko turned around in the blink of an eye, moved her eyes away from the two of them, pulled out three spoons that she hid in the pockets of her uniform, and threw them. The spoons sparkled beautifully under the sunlight with a silvery sheen. Guriko swiftly dodged from the people fleeing the scene. She ran up to the rooftop of a shop and stood like an invincible warrior. She cast one look at the other two, who were walking away, just as Rinne was looking at her. Guriko murmured in a small voice: “Sorry...”

Looking up at the Dream World Beast, Guriko realized her body was shaking.

“... Even with an immortal body, it would have to take a few years for me to resuscitate once the body is completely destroyed – I won’t be able to see you for a while. How lonely.”

Guriko suddenly clamped her mouth shut with her hand.

“Would I feel... lonely?”

The Dream World Beast found Guriko, and emitted insect-like cries.

“Chirp – chirp –” ‘It’ stared straight at Guriko without blinking.

‘‘The Dream World Beast was probably instructed by the Mushi to attack the three of us. If I don’t stop it, those his next target will be those two.

“How human am I! Thank you... Rinne, Sakaki.”

Her words ended. The rest of it did not need words.

Guriko approached the giant Dream World Beast without fear, and stared at it straight on. ‘‘Dream World Beasts should be harmless creatures with no power of destruction, right? Could it be that Rinne and I changed its nature? The two of us have already twisted cause and effect, triggered miracles, and ate the Apple of Eden. We could have actually managed to change the anatomical makeup of the Dream World Beast so much. I have to take responsibility and finish this instead of Rinne, who is far too gentle.

“Mom... Mom.”

The Dream World Beast’s answering cries sounded like it was calling for its mother. Although it may be a delusion... no, it shouldn’t be! Controlled by Mushi and having to fight its mother, this pitiful baby only had its voice left to express its true nature. Therefore, its mouth kept crying: “Mom... Mom. Mom... Mom.”

“Sorry.”

Guriko clutched her fists and said: “Mom – has to kill you.”

The slaughter began. As the crowd left quickly, there were no humans around them anymore. Bricks and dust fell like rain. Guriko stood there majestically, and faced the giant Dream World Beast that blocked the sun. Guriko must be the only one who could keep the Dream World Beast at bay here.

“Wham”, the Dream World Beast unhesitatingly put down its enormous front feet. If it stood on her directly, even Guriko would be flattened. Guriko jumped to the shop rooftops and dodged the attack impressively. Then she jumped directly on the Dream World Beast’s dangling arm and ran up to its shoulder in one dash. As if frightened, the Dream World Beast eagerly tried to use its other front limb to swat her off. However, Guriko dodged that strike as well, and landed on the face of the Dream World Beast, which is about as the size of a small shop. She dangled beneath the antennae and wondered where she should strike. Panicking, the Dream World Beasts emitted chirping cries and twitched anxiously.

– Take this!

Guriko mercilessly threw out the spoons in her hand, but those spoons bounced off the Dream World Beast’s tough carapace and fell on the ground. Guriko clicked her tongue in amazement, and swung towards the Dream World Beast’s complex eyes while still clutching to the spoons left in her hand. Those was her only weapons. Therefore, if her next attack still had no effect, she would have no advantage whatsoever. As she accelerated, Guriko forcibly stabbed the spoon into the complex eye.

It was a violent stab. The stab didn’t go in as deep as she imagined. Insect eyes were made of tougher material and were different from those of mammals. Although Guriko had a lot of raw force, she only managed to pierce it after a lot of effort.

The Dream World Beast was immediately enraged when its body was wounded by that stab.

“Roooooooaaaaaar –”

The Dream World Beast ignored its own injuries and swung at Guriko violently. Although Guriko shifted away in the blink of an eye, she was still too close and received a direct hit. Her body flew away as she felt the impact. Guriko coughed up blood as soon as she hit the ground.

“Urgh...”

She felt like her entire body was broken. This destructive power was simply incomparable. However, Guriko still managed to wipe off the blood on her body, and feebly stood up while leaning against a wall. Guriko still did not give up even when covered in blood.

“Don’t you dare that think that such things... are enough to kill me!”

An unyielding spirit burned in Guriko’s eyes as she yelled towards the Dream World Beast: “Come on! I’m still alive!”

But Guriko did not know.

She did not know that the worst possible development was going on, regardless of whether she managed to defeat the Dream World Beast or not. Guriko did not realize that, and that lack of realization was her mistake and her misfortune.

The final countdown had begun. Everything was simply a preparation for this march toward the helpless end. Rinne meeting Guriko, Guriko kissing Sakaki, the rampage of Legion Bandanna, the hatching of the Dream World Beast - it was all a script prepared by the very worst existence for its unknown purpose. Only the one who created the script could obtain happiness in this story. The only happy one would be that ugly creature who controlled the Mushi, controlled the Dream World Beast, and wanted to obtain the Apples.

“Do you – believe in God?”

A casual young man suddenly appeared casually. The crowds huddled in fear around them somehow all disappeared. An incredible silence surrounded them. The young man’s terrifying voice, sounding both like a male falsetto and a female contralto, seemed extraordinarily loud. Dressed in a purple robe and holding a large crystal orb in his hand, the young man had removed his cape, and his eyes sparkled with a faint reddish light.

Sakaki Guryū and Usagawa Rinne suddenly froze. Sakaki had long determined this young man to be an enemy, and his vigilance was understandable. After all, Rinne had once been strangled by this youth and his companions - she was almost killed. However, the young man seemed to knew very well that Sakaki’s vigilance was useless and continued to speak calmly: “It doesn’t really matter in the current situation whether you believe it or not. There was indeed an existence called God! I don’t know about right now, but the absolute existence called God did indeed exist in the past. However, even if it was God, a living creature is still a living creature. It could be wounded, could become sick, and of course had a limit to its lifespan. The inability to evade death is the destiny of all things alive, even for God. God was terrified of the death He would one day face, and attempted to escape that fate.”

The Mushi walked quietly towards the two. Sakaki got Rinne to hide behind his back.

“Therefore, using all of His knowledge and omnipotence, God created the forbidden fruit. Using almost half of His own soul, God made the Apple Tree grow in the Garden of Eden. The Tree soon budded and grew, and formed those red fruits. The soul of God, which swelled in size and power due to having absorbed Earth’s nutrition, was contained in those fruits. The fruits multiplied the pieces of God's soul from one to a hundred, and from the hundreds to the tens of thousands. God wanted to increase the size His soul this way. Suppose that God’s life span was a thousand years, then the half of the soul used to create the Apple Tree would have five hundred years of life in it. But the Apples could multiply. After a hundred years, the Apples would probably multiply to a thousand times of its original amount. Therefore, if He ate the fruit harvested from there, then God’s life span would also multiply by the thousands. If this went on, then God would undoubtedly obtain endless life.”

“However – ” The fortune teller stopped in his tracks, and laughed at Sakaki.

“It was all going well when the Apple Tree first started to bear fruit. Then Something happened. The two humans sent to protect the Apple Tree – Adam and Eve – ate the first Apple, and with it consumed five hundred years of God’s life. Of course, I was only giving an example when I said God’s lifespan might a thousand years. No one knows what it truly was. It may be ten thousand or a hundred thousand years. Although no one knows how many years it was, Adam and Eve nonetheless ate half of it. In His rage, God wanted to chop them to pieces. However, thanks to some other existence, the two actually managed to escape from God.”

“Pfft”, the young man questioned with a laugh: “What do you think that existence was?”

This man – he wasn’t a Mushi. Mushi didn’t have such expressions. Mushi didn’t have such a cunning and hideous smile. Sakaki stared right at him and screamed.

“You bastard –”

“That existence is called ‘Snake’.”

A smile emerged on the young fortune teller’s face like a snake devouring its prey as he quietly pronounced his name.

“The Snake longed for immortality. No, no, all creatures possess the wish to be immortal! But the Snake’s desire exceeded that of all others. It didn’t want to die. It wanted to live on. It didn’t wanted to age. The Apples of Eden was therefore something the Snake wanted very much. That was why the Snake manipulated the two humans who guarded the Apples of Eden. It told them to go steal the Apple with complete seriousness.”

The fortune-teller laughed.

“Adam and Eve were completely fooled and decided to steal the Apple. Of course, that was meant to be handed to the Snake. The Snake couldn’t bear to have any other immortal creatures apart from itself, so it burnt down the Apple Tree. The Snake thought that the Apple should have about 500 or 5000 years of life in it. Therefore, the Snake believed it should be able to do what God did after eating this Apple. The Snake should be able to plant new Apple trees, and make itself truly immortal!”

“However –“

"Something outside of the Snake’s plan happened. While the Snake was burning the Apple Tree, Adam and Eve each ate half an Apple. The Snake could do nothing. It decided to let Adam and Eve escape from the Garden of Eden for now, and resolved to think of a way to take their Apple away later. The Snake also left the Garden of Eden afterwards, but it didn’t give up on immortality! Nonetheless, the Snake’s life was very short compared to the two humans, who almost lived forever. The Snake died after expressing its immense regret to its children. Of course, its children inherited its will... even now, the descendants of the first Snake are still seeking the Apples of Eden.”

As if he was talking about himself, the fortune-teller went on placidly.

Could it be – Sakaki thought.

Could this guy be –

“Let’s leave the business of the Snake alone for a while. Adam and Eve, who ate the Apple, wanted to leave the Apple to their descendants too. Therefore, the two of them recreated the Garden of Eden in the crossroad between life and death, a realm where only humans can reach. They buried the Apple there, nursed an Apple Tree, and that place still contains an Apple Tree even till today. Usagawa Rinne –”

The fortune-teller stared at Rinne. Rinne jumped.

“– It was that Apple Tree you saw when you were close to death.”

“Ahhhh –”

Rinne wailed and instantly broke down. She couldn’t imagine it was a tree with such a profound background. It was too scary, and this incredible and ancient burden almost snapped Rinne in half. She had eaten the Forbidden Fruit that the Snake, Adam, Eve, and even God Himself had pursued with a crazed fervour.

So that was the reason. It was truly too great a crime.

“The possibility of any human discovering the Apple Tree is very low, and it seems that humans who are capable of eating that Apple are even fewer. The Apples of Eden grow very slowly and don’t bear fruit very often. Also, Apples tend to hang at rather high places. Not many people are willing to climb up the tree to pluck an Apple.”

“It’s because I was thirsty.”

Staring into empty space, Rinne murmured to herself in a rather hoarse voice: “That was why I wanted that apple very much.”

“In other words, you ‘really wanted to keep living’. You had a depressing life where nothing happy ever happened to you, and so you wanted to live more happily. That wish was then expressed in the form of ‘thirst’! Since the Garden of Eden is located in the world of the soul, the workings of the mind will change into the workings of the body and be expressed physically. So that is how it works... This always makes me excited.”

But the fortune-teller continued as if he was impatient: “But even though we knew so much, we can’t even approach the Garden of Eden. Only humans can enter the spiritual realm of humanity. That rule applies even to the surviving half of God. Yes, The remaining half of God’s soul that was carefully preserved survived, and He vowed to take back the Apples taken by men.”

“And the creatures He created for this purpose are the Mushi.” The fortune-teller said with a smile. “Historically, crowds of Mushi had appeared to humans in all sorts of forms. Some were called angels, and some demons. Demons helped men to fulfil wishes in exchange for the human’s soul – that was a common theme, wasn’t it? The demons that appeared in such stories were the Mushi. They must take the soul of the person in order to obtain the Apple, as the Apples take root in the soul. Moreover, as long as the human does not surrender his soul, then the soul cannot be forcibly separated from the flesh. But if there was even a little bit of thought along the lines of ‘I don’t want my soul’, then the soul could be taken from the human. That was the reason why demons helped men to fulfill wishes. The soul cannot disobey the conditions set out in the contract, therefore demons – Mushi – helped certain men to fulfill their wishes with the their souls as the price. There were Apples within their souls.”

The fortune-teller shifted, put down the crystal orb, and continued with a smile: “That was the original job of the Mushi – the job for which they were created, I’ll have you know. They have only one purpose, and that is to take back the Apples of Eden, then offer the Apples up to the Almighty for Him to enjoy. What a laudable virtue! What a pitiful existence! They actually willingly let go of the Apples – the Apples that can grant immortality!”

A distinct expression of contempt emerged on the fortune-teller’s face.

“How stupid, how foolish! I would never do such a thing. If I was to offer the wondrous Apple to a God whom no one knows whether He exists or not, and who may even have already died – I would rather eat the Apple myself.”

“You bastard, you've –”

...already eaten an Apple.

“You bastard –”

Sakaki called the same words out again.

“Of course, I am Snake!”

As he spoke, Snake moved his hand out from beneath his long robes, revealing the pistol that he took from Sakaki the night before yesterday at the school. Damn, Sakaki thought. If the opponent was a monster, then he could just run. But it wouldn’t be the same now one of them has a gun. That was why Snake took Sakaki’s gun.

“Milady, run –”

"Bam" "bam" "bam"

Three bullets slammed into Sakaki as blood splashed everywhere. Sakaki’s body was crumpled up with Rinne’s, and the two of them fell backwards together. Sakaki’s blood spurted onto Rinne’s face, and she screamed.

Blood, blood, bright red blood. Sakaki kept bleeding. It wouldn’t stop. It simply kept flowing, flowing away with his life.

Blood.

“Don’t worry. He won’t die, but it’ll be very painful!”

Snake said softly. Rinne called out meaninglessly to Sakaki, who had already lost consciousness.

Guriko was still fighting the Dream World Beast far away. There was no salvation. There was no hope.

Rinne sobbed and cried, but Sakaki did not respond to her cries.

“… I pretended to be a Mushi because it was very easy. I accidentally discovered a human with an Apple about 50 years ago, and I took away his Apple. Apples have the power to twist cause and effect and create miracles. Most Mushi don’t have abilities to think; just using a little of the Apple’s power can easily trick them. For example –”

The red in Snake’s eyes disappeared, and golden eyes with reptilian slits showed up.

“Changing the color of my eyes, changing my voice - just these little things made those guys sincerely believe I am their comrade. Once they began to trust me, the rest was easy. I could just tell the Mushi some nonsense to manipulate them, and I could obtain information concerning humans with Apples at the same time. After all, my aim is to eat as many Apples as possible and live forever. It was very convenient to achieve this if I pose as a Mushi. I’m just a little bit foreign to their way of speech though.”

Snake smiled. It was a very evil smile. He looked at Rinne, who was glaring at him while hugging the blood-covered Sakaki. She knelt on the tarmac road with overwhelming sadness and anger and stared silently at Snake. Snake became very irritated.

“What are you glaring at? Are you sad because that man was shot? Ahaha, wake up! It was obviously your fault that this man is shot.”

“My fault –”

Rinne said with a shaking voice. Tears welled out continuously from her eyes.

“Yes. It was your fault. If you hadn't fallen in love with Sakaki Guryū – then he would never have been shot here by me today, and would definitely be living a happy life.”

“Me – it’s because of me?”

Rinne’s heart wavered. Snake didn’t let this opportunity pass and he went on: “Yes. You are the one who brought misfortune to Sakaki Guryū. He died because of you. If he hadn’t met you, hadn't saved someone like you, hadn't fall in love with someone like you, then he would not have died. You’re the one who brought misfortune upon Sakaki Guryū.”

Snake repeated the same words and slowly approached Rinne, who was shaking all over. Rinne was confused due to the shooting of her lover, and Snake wanted Rinne to feel that everything was really her fault.

Aha, it’s time. Snake smiled cunningly.

“Would you consider giving me your soul?”

Silence –

Rinne couldn’t understand his words. She stayed mute, unable to speak at all. Seeing this, Snake moved up to her face and smiled. It was an angelic and at the same time devilish smile.

“That’s the only way to save Sakaki Guryū!”

Rinne’s eyes widened. She loved Sakaki a lot, and felt that Sakaki was more important than her own life or her soul. If so, then all Snake needed to do would be to threaten her with Sakaki as a hostage. He had no need to kill Sakaki.

Snake said gently: “To put it simply, your soul contains the miraculous Apple, and eating it would resurrect a man who is near death. You should know this, since you have experienced it yourself – ”

A year ago –

Rinne almost died, but regained her life by eating the Apple.

“Everything will be alright if you just give your soul to me. How would you do that? Easy. You just need to say: ‘I’ll give my soul to you’, and acknowledge that fact from the bottom of your heart. Then the right of possession of the soul would transfer from your body to mine. I swear I’ll save Sakaki Guryū with that soul.”

“Milady...”

Having perhaps regained consciousness, Sakaki opened his eyes slightly and painfully uttered some words.

“Sensei! Sensei!”

Rinne screamed and cried. Sakaki continued to speak, doing his best to pronounce the words: “... No. Don’t listen to him. This bastard once said Guriko is the devil. I think he is the devil. He only wants to get Milady’s soul... don’t be fooled! Leave me alone. Milady, you should be able to escape. Run away, and keep living! That way, I'll be –”

"Bam" "Bam" "Bam"

Blood splattered everywhere.

“No!”

Rinne screamed. The impact of the bullets made Sakaki’s body jerk once again. The bullets avoided vital organs, instead striking at places where they would bring infinite pain. Sakaki moaned in agony as bright red blood soaked into Rinne’s clothes.

Rinne hit the Snake with her hands forcefully. “Stop it! Stop it! Why are you – bastard!”

Snake only grabbed Rinne’s wrist and slapped Rinne's face with his other hand.

Rinne landed hard upon the tarmac road. The side of her head smashed against the ground. Blood seeped out. It hurts. Oh, it hurts so much...but Sakaki hurts more. And his pain –

...is all caused by me.

“… Manipulating Mushi to place poison in the lunch and commanding Legion Bandanna to attack him were all to force Sakaki into a near-death situation!”

Snake continued happily. “I deliberately picked Sakaki Guryū as my target and spared you. The amount of poison in the food wasn’t enough to kill him. And, on the off chance that Legion Bandanna really manages to fatally wound Sakaki, I also planned to help Sakaki. Both attempts were foiled by Gankyū Eguriko... but I would have counted it lucky if they actually did manage to work. By the way, I only wanted to confirm your condition when I attacked you. If your Apple hadn't grown and you could still die – then I’d just kill you. Then it wouldn’t be as problematic as today. I could have ended everything with just killing you and taking away your soul. Although that plan failed at the end as well – it doesn’t matter since I’m about to achieve my goal anyways.”

Lowering his head to look at Sakaki, who was covered the blood, an evil smile emerged on Snake’s face.

“Alright. If you don’t want Sakaki to die, then give your soul to me. Of course, if you don’t trust me, you can also choose not to give it to me. The worst that can happen is that Sakaki will die. After all, he’s merely a stranger. He's not family; no one particularly close to you. So if you consider him as a stranger – ”

Stranger?

He is no stranger.

Rinne stared at Sakaki. Sakaki’s face had grown pallid from blood loss. Rinne felt the urge to scream. She felt dizzy, and her head was heavy.

No...no, I don’t want this.

I don’t want Sakaki to die. It shouldn’t be like this.

Rinne loved Sakaki.

“Sensei... Sensei.”

Snake wanted to use Rinne’s innocent love to take away her soul. That was the plan he came up with, and it was the most effective plan.

Rinne only hesitated a little bit.

How could this gentle girl choose otherwise, when Sakaki was about to die?

Rinne quietly said: “... I... will give you my soul.”

“Hehe.” Snake laughed.

“Hehe, hehehe.” He laughed.

It was a very evil laugh. The most devious and heinous laugh in the world.

A few drops of tears fell from Rinne’s face. She gazed at Sakaki as she spoke her final words: “... Sensei, I’ve always wanted to repay the debt that I own you. It was the life that you gave me and your love. Did I – repay it? Sensei... Guryū –”

Rinne touched Sakaki’s lips with her own.

“– I love you. Thank you.”

She then fell immediately to the ground.

Usagawa Rinne no longer moved.

– Obviously, Snake would never pity Usagawa Rinne, and those words he spoke to her were evidently lies. Snake never intended to save Sakaki. How could he possibly use such a hard-earned Apple on such a fool? Usagawa Rinne was a hopelessly kind human, and at the same time a hopeless idiot. She really did offer up her soul for Sakaki’s sake! Snake roared with maniacal laughter. It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, unbearably ridiculous. What a tragedy! What beautiful love! Wasn’t it outstanding?! Wasn’t it touching?!

And he had obtained a second Apple because of that.

Now, he was one step closer to eternity.

After the Snake laughed for a bit, he ate the soul – Apple – that he robbed from Rinne. He then walked towards Sakaki Guryū and pointed the gun at the man without hesitation.

How can I possibly fulfill my promise?

Usagawa Rinne had surely died a meaningless death. Honestly – did she really think that there would even be a remote chance for the Snake to save Sakaki?

“Unfortunately, I am not that romantic.”

The gun barrel was aiming at Sakaki’s forehead, who had already stopped breathing. The Snake laughed as if he felt genuine joy from the bottom of his heart.

“Bam!”

With a bam, the gun in the Snake’s hand was thrown away and broke apart in mid-air.

“– Urk!”

Snake, who still retained the sensation of pain, allowed a shade of agony to invade his expression. That flying missile did more than simply destroying the gun - it sank into the back of his hand, piercing deeply into his flesh with an agonizing jolt of pain.

“Uaaaa...”

Snake hurriedly looked toward the direction of the attack. In fact, he already could guess who it was. The weapon that pierced the back of his hand and drew blood was a spoon. There was only one person whom Snake knew used spoons as a weapon.

“Gankyū... Eguriko.”

“... I heard most of what you said thanks to my pretty fine hearing!”

Gankyū Eguriko replied with a sharp voice. She was walking towards the battle from the other side of the road. Her face was covered with blood, and even her sailor uniform was dyed crimson. Her eyes, like gun barrels, were full of anger, and she still sported that unique wolf-like hair cut.

Guriko's voice was full of rage as she swore.

“You piece of shit... you’re not even worthy of having me gouge out your eyeballs.”

“Where is the... where is the Dream World Beast?”

Snake tottered, not out of the pain of his wound, but more because of surprise. He did not expect Guriko to appear so quickly. Guriko guessed that Snake originally planned to take away Rinne’s Apple first. He would then attack Guriko when she was engaged in a bitter fight with the Dream World Beast. He would attack her until she could not keep up, and he would start to contemplate a method to take away her soul – that should be all of it.

What a boring plan!

Snake looked towards the sky. The Dream World Beast, which was destroying the city uncontrollably just moments ago, was already gone. Snake’s eyes widened and screamed in amazement.

“Could it be... it is already dead?!”

Guriko sighed quietly.

“You didn’t even feel that? So you were so immersed in your bad taste and your obsessed games, and you even slacked off on your surveillance of the surroundings? The Dream World Beat was already destroyed. It was burnt into ashes by bombs!”

“Bomb... bombs...?”

“Sakaki probably called them! It was probably the US Army stationed in Japan or the Japanese Self-Defence Force. The Air Force appeared and dropped a few bombs, so the Dream World Beast died. Maybe they reduced the bombs' power,= so there weren’t much of a sound and they didn’t really explode – they might even be those things called petrol bombs. I don’t know much about current military developments, but I do know when this country erupted into war some years ago, similar bombs were also used here.”

To be fair, those weren't called petrol bombs, but then Guriko didn’t know much about such things. All she knew was that the Dream World Beast was finished by just a few bombs. The Dream World Beast died, all the while calling for its mother. When Guriko thought of this, she couldn’t help but feel pity for that monster.

“How much more misfortune do you want to create?! You’re the Snake, right? Are you the one hiding behind all these monsters? I was just thinking that there were too many Mushi in this town – so it was you who gathered them all here. All the puzzles are now solved – although it’s too late.”

Guriko narrowed her eyes with sorrow, and looked at Sakaki and Rinne's prone figures were lying on the ground.

“… Sorry. I couldn’t protect the two of you.”

Guriko completely ignored whatever Snake was yelling about. She walked slowly toward the two humans and knelt down quietly. Guriko was covered with blood. Her left wrist was twisted in an odd angle, and fresh blood kept seeping out of the skin. The blood mixed together with the tears that welled out of Guriko’s eyes, and flew past her cheeks like sanguineous tears.

After crying for a while, Guriko smiled bitterly. This wasn’t like her at all. She gave one wave of her hand.

“Boom”.

It was a wondrous sound. At least, that was what it sounded like for Guriko.

Rinne, who had lost her soul and no longer moved, quickly opened her eyes. Sakaki’s bullet wounds also slowly disappeared. With faces full of confusion, Rinne and Sakaki stared at Guriko, who was sitting next to them.

“Guriko… chan.”

Using her slight metallic voice that sounded like the swaying of bells, Rinne said: “Huh – why? Didn't I die ...?”

Sakaki was also full of puzzlement.

“My wounds – healed. How? This is –”

“Ahahahahahahahah!”

Someone was laughing.

“Ahahaha, ahahahahahahahah! Hahahahahaha! Ahahahaha!”

Snake was laughing.

“Gahahaha! Aha – ahaaaa! Hahahaha! Haha! Hahahaha!”

It was the sound of ridicule.

“How stupid, foolish, ridiculous! You idiot! You – Ahahaha, I didn’t think you’d do such a thing! I didn’t think you’d be so idiotic – that you'd be so stupid!”

“If even you are calling me stupid, then it must be the truth.”

Guriko said quietly: “But you don’t have the right to mock me."

“Of course I’m laughing. I’m laughing regardless of what you think! This really is too funny! You just did something ridiculous! It’s like you rushed into a fire but accidentally poured oil instead of water on it. You are foolish! So stupid that it's beyond everything else! How can I not laugh?!”

“Ahahahahahaha.” Snake laughed even louder.

Guriko ignored him.

She looked at Sakaki and Rinne with a genuine expression that hid her steely resolve within.

“I have now given the two of you Apples. These are my friends' Apples, and I have protected them for a long time. Because the heart lives within the physical body, you will both retain your body and personality – Gah!”

Guriko suddenly spat out a large amount of blood. Her regenerative abilities had decreased due to the reduction in the amount of Apples within her.

Rinne and Sakaki cried out in surprise, but Guriko continued with a smile.

“An Apple would only unleash its true power when its host suffered a serious wound – no, a fatal wound. It would heal the host’s wounds and reduce pain. That is the power of God. You have now eaten half of God’s soul. The miracles and the distortion of cause-and-effect should also be the power of God - provided that Snake was speaking the truth there.”

Although Guriko was fighting the Dream World Beast, she definitely heard the conversations taking place here. That was the result of having her bodily functions massively enhanced by the power of the Apple.

“… As long as you have God’s power, Sakaki, you won’t be able to die. The bullets won’t disappear, so you’ll have to dig them out yourself. It would hurt, but you'll just have to bear it. Rinne lost her appetite because her regenerative abilities were strengthened, and it was all because I gouged out your eyeballs. Your Apple began to grow rapidly after that fatal wound.”

Although it had only been two months since that incident, it already felt like a long time agao. For Guriko, it might well have been a lifetime ago. Perhaps that was because she had matured since then. Guriko, who had been stagnant for so long, became more mature after meeting Usagawa Rinne. The Apples she gave Rinne and Sakaki were gifts of gratitude. Without wiping off the blood that continued to spill out of her mouth, Guriko kept talking:

“Can I consider you guys as the people who are most important to me?”

That was honestly what Guriko thought. It was also the answer to the question that Rinne had once asked her.

“I like you two, and think that you are important to me. That’s the important emotion I had forgotten a thousand years ago. I have always lived like a zombie, lived without any purpose, like a monster that only knew how to kill Mushi and gouge out people's eyeballs. After meeting you and being able to spend some brief times together, I felt from the bottom of my heart that it’s good to be alive… I’ve been searching for you for a thousand years. I received salvation because I met you.”

Guriko's blood dripped on the ground.

“… It’s good to be alive.”

“Clack.” The spoon in her hand fell to the ground.

“… Guriko-chan?”

Rinne paused and called out to Guriko. She felt like Guriko was about to leave them for somewhere far away. Rinne, who was shorter than the other girl, hugged Guriko. Sakaki also hugged Rinne and Guriko.

Though they did not speak, Guriko understood their answer.

“… Thank you both. I’m so glad, so happy –”

She slowly shook them off, and faced Snake.

“ – I found something important to me. I met people who are important to me. My thousand-year-long life now has a purpose. Thank you... Rinne, Sakaki.”

Guriko told them that with a pure, pristine and innocent voice.

“Farewell.”

She quietly spoke this word without even turning around.

Rinne didn’t understand what she meant.

Snake laughed heinously, showing his teeth, giving out an impression of utter spite.

“You made a very foolish decision, Gankyū Egoriko. Even if you have an Apple, there are still countless ways to remove the soul. I’ll start with cutting you into a thousand pieces, leaving only your head intact. Then I’ll chop Sakaki Guryū and Usagawa Rinne into mince! They still have the sensation of pain, so I’ll torment their bodies until they beg me to kill them, to finish it off! If they give their souls to me, then you, driven to desperation, would also –”

“How pitiful!”

“What –”

Guriko's words stopped Snake, and his expression twisted.

“What did you say?”

“I said you’re pitiful! Snake! You are the stupid, the idiotic one! You have no right to laugh at others. You’re the most ridiculous one here. How can the most ridiculous person ridicule others? You’ve got to have a limit even when joking –”

Guriko continued with a calm voice.

“You’re the same as those Mushi that you despise. You seek the Apple to fulfill your ancestor’s pitiful dying wish, right? I have no idea just how many hundreds of generations ago that was, but you’re looking for Apples for that dead being, looking for one Apple after another. How foolish – no one will ever congratulate you no matter how many Apples you find!”

“What –”

Snake lifted up his eyebrows as if he was offended.

Guriko called out with a majestic voice.

“How is it your desire, Snake? How is it your goal? You're only acting on the reason that ‘my ancestor sought the Apple’. That is why you are seeking Apples by whatever means, right? You are acting according to the goal of another being. You are happy to achieve the goal of another – how idiotic, foolish, and pitiful! O Snake! I’m not the most virtuous creature on earth, but at least I won’t blame my own actions on other people. I’m a little bit better than you on that point.”

It was an enchanting sound that permeated the world.

“You blabbed a lot before you took Rinne’s soul, right? What was that for? Did you think it’d work as an Indulgence for you? No matter what a noble and heavy history you may carry, what you have done were nonetheless the actions of the Devil. You tricked humans and took their souls after killing them. No matter how hard you try to pretend, you are just a monster. And you are just a pawn controlled by someone else. You have no will of your own – though it is your choice to decide whether to attack the king or the rook, you can never remove yourself from that chessboard. You’re only a stupid tool."

“Stupid tool...”

Snake's expression stiffened. Guriko called out without a sliver of fear. “How stupid! You actually sounded pretty cool when you said your family has been seeking the Apples for hundreds of generations, and have carried this duty through the entire history of your clan. But then what? You kept going on and on about ‘my’ goals - so what is ‘your’ goal? Is it to obtain Apples? But that’s "your ancestor’s" goal. What’s ‘your’ goal? Who are ‘you’? Try to answer that. You don’t have an answer, do you, puppet?!”

Guriko roared. Snake’s spine shivered with fear.

“I –”

Gankyū Egoriko didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence. She continued on. “What a pathetic and nameless snake. At the end, you’re the same as the Mushi. You will just pass the Apples to your ancestor, embodied in idea of ‘the tradition of your family’! Even if you discover, seek, and obtain Apples, you will still feel empty inside, right? Of course you will! Because that’s not your goal! The pawn itself does not feel joy in checkmate. Instead, it is the chess player controlling it who gets to enjoy the game. The player is your ‘ancestor’, while ‘you’ only serve as a pawn. O pitiful pawn, you who are controlled by the vengeance of the past and having piled even more sins onto your heritage, repent!”

Guriko yelled with anger.

“How dare you take away so many lives, create so much misfortune, and destroy towns and disturb peace all for such a meaningless reason?! You even wanted to sever the bond between Rinne and Sakaki, destroy Rinne’s pure feelings, and manipulate Sakaki’s love – you really are a Snake. Your existence is meaningless!”

“Uuuu –”

Even though his body shook, Snake still tried his best to rebuke Guriko in the loudest voice he could. “You said – I'm meaningless? You dare to call my goal – my dream, my dream of immortality - ”

“That’s the dream of your ‘ancestor’! Haven’t you realized that you’re been controlled?!”

Guriko yelled at Snake with a confident tone, while the Snake wobbled in shock.

“'You' don’t even have a goal, let alone a ‘dream’! You simply lived without a concern, thinking that you’d be happy as long as you achieve the dying wish of your ancestor! That’s not what happiness is! No one will ever praise you! You have nothing important to you, so you robbed away what's important for other people. How can I ever allow that to happen!?”

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! I, I’ve always – sought Apples! That’s how I lived my entire life! My father, grandfather, and all the family members who passed away before me – they were all the same!”

The Snake tottered where he stood. He looked truly pathetic. He had dedicated his life to the empty goals of ‘a family’s dying wishes’. Had he lost sight to the true meaning of happiness without even realizing it? That was why he was so lonely, so empty.

The Snake’s mind was riddled with confusion, but he still roared with pretended strength.

“It isn't - it isn't that easy to subdue me with just a few words of yours! I believe in what I work for, and I won’t let you walk away with those Apples of yours! Yes! I want those three Apples of yours. If I can get your Apples, then I’ll become even closer to eternity! Then – then – then –”

“Then what?”

Guriko continued with a quiet voice.

Overwhelmed with anger, the Snake screamed.

“Ahhhhhhh! Who cares! Who cares what happens then! I’ll think about that later! All I want are your Apples! Give them to me!!”

The Snake rushed furiously towards Guriko like a beast. His right hand, clenched into a fist, landed squarely on Guriko, causing her to stumble backwards. She most probably became weaker after losing two Apples in quick succession.

“Hah. Hah.”

The Snake panted as he stared at Guriko. His face looked like he was about to cry.

Guriko wiped off the blood coming out of her nose. To Sakaki and Rinne, who were standing still in a stupor, she muttered in a low voice.

“Sakaki, Rinne, run! I’ll take care of this. I’ll take care of this pathetic creature. Your abnormal situation is about to end. You can go home now - peacefully!”

Sakaki had nothing to rebuke her with, but Rinne called out with a serious face: “Guriko-chan, what are you talking about –”

“Sakaki.”

The stubborn expression on Rinne’s face showed she didn’t want to leave no matter what. Guriko called out to Sakaki instead.

“Sakaki, run away from me together with Rinne. Run as far as possible. You love her, don't you? Then remember protect her forever! And if one day you can’t bear to live any more, then give the Apple to Mushi.”

She then muttered these heartfelt words:

“Because eternal life – is really boring!”

It sounded more like a warning to the Snake rather than to Sakaki.

“… What, what are you blabbering on about?! I won’t let any of you escape. I’m going to chop all of you into pieces! I have two Apples now. You only have one, so you cannot stop me. Cease your meaningless struggles –!”

“You really are a rookie.”

Guriko replied briskly. The expression on Snake’s face changed.

“Rookie – ?!”

“The power of Apples aren't just determined by their number, you know. What can two immature green Apples do? Not that I’m showing off, but my Apple has had a thousand years to grow. How can a fifty-year-old Apple compare with a thousand-year-old Apple? Would the power of these unripe Apples increase at all, even if you have many of them?”

”But – ”

The Snake was screaming now.

“I could fight you to a stand still when I only had one Apple. Now that I also have Usagawa Rinne’s Apple, I’ll definitely be better than you!”

”Sakaki. Rinne.”

Guriko once again ignored the Snake and spoke gently to the duo, who still have not moved.

“Please get away from here. Please... hurry!”

”Guriko?”

”Please.”

Split. Splat. Split. Splat.

Crack – It was the sound of something breaking off or cracking apart. Sakaki and Rinne couldn’t help but feel that the sound was coming out of Guriko’s body.

Upon close inspection, Guriko’s back had turned red.

“Ahh –”

A scarlet flower was blossoming before their eyes.

Crimson wings grew out of Guriko's flesh, tearing through the skin on her back. They were shaped like the wings of fighter jets, and though they appeared so thin and fragile, the amount of wings coming out of Guriko was innumerable. Those wings wove together into two large feathery appendages, and expanded with a whooshing sound.

”… Let me tell you why I only use spoons when I fight.”

Snake was stunned speechless as Guriko spoke calmly in front of him.

“There are many other weapons, more efficient weapons, that I could have fought with. Guns, swords… do you know why I only use spoons? Did you ever stop to think about it?”

Who was she talking to now?

“… It was because I am afraid. I always felt that the savage part within me, a part of me that deserves no salvation, would be completely unleashed once I have a lethal weapon in my hands. For me, the spoon is a weapon that is within the limits of forgiveness. What my small and fragile spoons symbolized was... self-restraint.”

As she spoke, Guriko’s body gradually became more and more monstrous. Her unique wolf-like hair turned into a shade of blood-drenched scarlet. Her sailor uniform cracked with cackling noises, and her skin became covered with an insect-like carapace. Her limbs elongated, and she suddenly became twice as tall as what she used to be. Guriko’s entire body was thoroughly dyed red. She had become an ominously beautiful idol.

Was this – what God looked like?

Guriko make a low, mocking laugh.

“… You were saying that you can fight me to a standstill? Hah. Stop kidding. Do you dare to claim say that you have this kind of horrible power? A power that even you yourself can not control once it is released?”

Guriko’s wings raised up, and she flapped them down in the next instant.

A mighty gust blow the Snake away and smashed his body against the opposite wall of the arcade hall.

“Now, Snake, let me put what you planned to do into action! I will torture you until you beg me to kill you, to just finish it."

Sakaki and Rinne then heard a heart-wrenching wail. That terrible, pitiful sound belonged to the Snake.

“Sakaki.”

With a small voice, Guriko said at the very end.

It was a very pitiful, very lonely voice.

“… You’re still here? I thought I told you run away with Rinne.”

Sakaki gazed at Guriko, and Rinne kept calling out Guriko’s name.

Instinctively, they knew that they were about to say farewell to Guriko.

“Hurry up and go! I can’t suppress myself anymore!”

Her voice was no longer the sound of an innocent girl.

“… This is my true form. Not human, but monster. But living with you guys has given this monster some small shreds of happiness! Thank you... and good bye. Go back to your ordinary life now. As for all the abnormalities – I, Gankyū Eguriko, would be responsible for them, and take everything back into the darkness with me.”

Guriko, whose body had completely transformed, concluded.

At the final moment, she looked at Sakaki and Rinne over her shoulder.

Tears were falling from Guriko’s eyes.

“… Don’t look.”

Return to Night 4: Loneliness ← Kodoku → Insect Poison

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