The criteria for what is considered ‘normal’ varies from person to person.
Most people live their lives believing they are normal, and thus they judge anything that deviates from that standard as abnormal.
However, my current situation is too far removed from such ‘normalcy’ for comparison.
No matter how subjective the criteria may be, there’s usually some common average, isn’t there? I’m straying far beyond that average.
So it’s no surprise that even after entering a morgue in the body of a high school girl, I didn’t feel anything strange for quite some time. After all, I had already seen corpses several times before. To be honest, considering the condition of the corpses I had seen, the ones I was looking at now looked quite intact.
Those bodies with neat cuts on their wrists, blood leaking out until they died. In fact, the wounds on their wrists were neater than the ones I make—mine are always torn and ragged, ripped apart from the effort.
“……”
If there was anything slightly concerning, it was the people beside those corpses.
The individuals clad in white coats were likely people working in forensic medicine.
That in itself wasn’t enough to worry about, but somehow all their gazes were fixed on me. And on Koko, who was tagging along with me.
It occurred to me then that I might look a bit too young to be in such a place.
A bit…fresh. I’d recognized my abnormal situation the moment I came to this world, but the way the people around me accepted it so easily was gradually dulling my senses.
Do those people know my true identity? How I fight? Even if they did, there’s no way the atmosphere wouldn’t be awkward with something that could instantly stab and kill them right in front of their eyes.
“There are no signs of resistance.”
Miura said.
“So, it’s not murder, right?”
“There were no witnesses. Killing someone who doesn’t resist is still murder.”
“……So, you mean they just waited quietly until someone came and cut their wrists, and then got killed just like that?”
When I furrowed my brow and said that, Miura nodded.
“Such things… do happen?”
My previous occupation was quite close to witnessing deaths. I’ve even seen locations that could be considered murder scenes.
But that didn’t mean I was always seeing only those places.
Miura seemed to think for a moment at my question.
Was it strange that I asked?
“In 1978, there was an incident where members of a religious group overseas died en masse. Most were suicides, but there were also signs of murder, and most of the children who were killed were young kids.”
“……”
“And there was a similar incident in 1987. That’s just counting collective suicides, and there are far more cases if you consider smaller scale incidents. So I don’t see why this current incident shouldn’t be seen as something that happens, although it is peculiar.”
With a grim expression, Miura looked down at the corpses.
It was a young woman. She seemed older than me, presumably an adult. The face was ordinary, and her hair fell to the nape of her neck.
There were no special wounds on the rest of her body.
“There are various ways to avoid instinctive fear. The conclusions aren’t clear yet, but there’s a possibility she took drugs.”
I couldn’t help but agree with that.
After all, I was the same. Every time I fought, even if it wasn’t quite casually, I was still fighting while cutting my own wrists.
And the amount of blood I’ve shed would seem enough for anyone to die multiple times over.
I looked down at that corpse again.
“Is there… anything we can find out?”
Noticing something in my expression, Miura cautiously asked.
I shook my head.
Then after pondering for a moment, I said, “Rather, Kagami would probably find out more.”
“I see.”
Slowly nodding in response to my remark, Miura said, “Should I cooperate?”
“……If you need to, then sure.”
I didn’t think Kagami had such a closed-off personality. And it’s not like the social interactions always opposed the government. If it had been so, then from the very start, Kagami would have likely found it very unpleasant that I was cooperating with Yuka and would have done everything possible to stop it.
As for the Church… well, they probably already dislike me for doctrinal reasons.
“Understood.”
Miura said.
“So, what should I do now? Can I just go back to my daily life?”
At my question, Miura shook her head again.
“They gave me orders to… ‘protect’ you. Since we don’t know what might happen.”
“……”
Is that how it is?
Is that what’s going to happen?
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think it’s your fault.”
Miura has a daughter.
And that daughter is also my friend. For whatever reason, it would hurt her heart too much to be hurt.
A public servant position is generally something one seeks out of their own will. And for a typical—‘normal’ public servant, of course, quitting would be allowed.
But for a position that might be considered ‘not normal,’ the story might be different.
For instance, someone who knows facts that the other ‘normal’ people shouldn’t know.
In such light novels, the government is usually represented as a stubborn and rigid entity, sometimes even foolish.
Humans who stick to their own way of doing things often end up with a colossal mess.
Perhaps such things were happening even in the night parade of one hundred demons from the original story.
I don’t know who Kurosawa Koto Ne is.
“……Mister. Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Last time, about Kudan’s prophecy. I actually lied.”
Miura stared intently at me.
I stared intently back at Miura.
“Uu…?”
Koko tilted her head as if to say what that meant.
“Didn’t they say a huge disaster would strike Japan in a few years? That was just something I made up. The prophecy I heard wasn’t that.”
“Would you tell me the reason you lied back then?”
“……Because I can’t trust high-ranking people.”
It’s true that calling a collective rigid-headed may be accurate, but it might not be quite right when talking about individuals.
About government exams… I’m not sure how it is in Japan, but they probably have some kind of tests or assessments. Naturally, those in positions of power have to be intelligent.
The problem is that when such people come together, their previous traditions, rules, and regulations harden like they’ve had adhesive applied.
Once there are rules, people settle into them and become self-serving.
…So then, I just have to let them know that flexibility of thought is necessary for survival.
“Then, are you saying you’ll tell me about the real prophecy now?”
“Yes.”
Right. I don’t know what kind of life Kurosawa Koto Ne lived in the original story.
Perhaps she bled even more than I do now and suffered much more before she died. There’s no telling unless I return to my original world and re-read that novel. So, I might never know.
However, I am different from Koto Ne in this world.
I’m not in such pain. I have friends, people who care for me, and my life is generally satisfying.
Thanks to the people around me, I’ve managed to understand what normalcy is even in this world.
So, even in this situation, I want to be of help in some way. I want to protect their normalcy, their daily lives.
“Soon, many people will die.”
The people around me, those I’ve never seen before today, exchanged glances.
They didn’t murmur or shout.
They simply looked at me as if they were perplexed by what I was saying.
“Yōkai will pour out into the world. To the point where it can no longer be hidden from people.”
Of course, the area that would be most heavily affected would be around the school where the protagonist goes.
…Did a student die there? I can’t quite recall about that.
And I still don’t know why something like that would happen there. After all, I left right before that plot thread could unfold.
To be exact, I just kept forgetting to read the divine authority.
“……”
Miura gazed at me quietly.
Was she assessing whether I was lying or not?
“I see.”
Then, shortly, she nodded and said that.
Her expression didn’t exude any significant emotion. Maybe she didn’t fully believe what I said.
“I will certainly relay that information. For now, could you please wait?”
At Miura’s words, the only response I could give was a simple nod.
*
The room prepared by the higher-ups was unexpectedly clean and nice.
To be precise, it was just a hotel. Somewhere in Tokyo. I’ve never really roamed around Tokyo Station, so I don’t know exactly where this place is.
“……I have work to do.”
“Uu?”
As I muttered to myself, Koko responded immediately. Of course, even if she reacted quickly, her expression and demeanor were somewhat glum. No matter how nice the room is, being trapped inside isn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
Outside the door were big men sitting. They were different from the yakuza men from Yamashita-kai, giving off a much more professional vibe.
Not that Yamashita-kai’s men looked weak or anything, but you get the difference, right? There’s a world of difference between someone who’s dipped their toes in and someone who does this for a living.
…No, regular people wouldn’t even have to confront either of those types.
Unknowingly, I felt a bit sad realizing that I took that for granted.
“Kotone, are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
I was just a bit worried, that’s all.
I still hadn’t contacted the boss. The same goes for Shii. I left Kuro back at home, and my cell phone was confiscated.
On the way to this hotel, I had an unpleasant experience where they covered my face with a black cloth. The story I heard while having the cloth over my head was, ‘Please cooperate, this is for your safety,’ but that safety didn’t seem to include Koko and me.
Koko didn’t resist during that process, probably because I was just going along with it.
That said, they didn’t tie me up or cuff me, so I just went along with it for now.
“……Do you not look okay?”
“Yeah.”
At my question, Koko nodded.
“Kotone, you were smiling just a few days ago.”
“……”
That must mean I’m completely the opposite now.
I wanted to force a smile, but it didn’t seem like that would be possible.
“It’ll be alright.”
In the end, the answer I came up with was that vague reassurance.
I had no choice but to believe in it. I still didn’t want to die. There were still plenty of things I wanted to do.
After all, I had just welcomed a new year.
“Kotone…”
Koko looked forlorn.
She sat beside me.
We quietly spent some time sitting side by side without saying anything.
*
The door opened about ten minutes later.
A knock was heard first. It was a rather polite knock.
But before I could answer, the door opened first. Not like I had any reason to be changing clothes, but still, isn’t that a bit reckless?
“Could you please come this way?”
This time, it was a very polite tone; however, the intent behind it was simply ‘Follow me.’
For a brief moment, I thought about saying, “What if I don’t want to?” but I quickly changed my mind.
Haaak!
From beside me came the sound one might expect from an angry cat.
…Upon hearing that sound from Koko, I quickly reconsidered. No matter how well-trained and sturdy the men were, they couldn’t withstand Koko charging at them in fury.
We needed to shed some blood soon, but I didn’t want that to happen inside the hotel. I didn’t want Koko killing anyone either.
“It’s okay, Koko.”
By the way, how long has it been since Koko made such a sound?
When she first learned to hiss, she’d mimicked me without even knowing that’s what it meant.
Now, both Kuro and Koko have changed a lot. Kuro has become more familiar with the surroundings, and Koko… Koko has become a much kinder child than when I first met her.
When I stood up, Koko stood up alongside me.
We followed the two men.
We walked through a rather upscale atmosphere of a corridor, and took a rather large elevator to go even higher up. Since my face wasn’t covered this time, I could easily tell what floor we were going to.
The building was about 20 stories high. We were on the 15th floor. Well, judging by the view from the window, it certainly seemed that way.
We went up to the top floor, the 20th.
“This way.”
“……”
Following the man, we arrived at a place that felt… reminiscent of something.
I had heard before about a ‘hidden floor’ in some hotel in North Korea. They said the elevator wouldn’t stop there.
They claimed there were no guest rooms on that floor, which meant there was no need to decorate, making it feel a bit rundown and bare, with North Korean security agents supposedly wandering around keeping an eye on everyone staying at the hotel.
The place we arrived at felt like that atmosphere.
Though it wasn’t an unfinished space without even any internal decorations like in the ghost stories, it felt very stark somewhere.
I was pondering why it felt that way when I realized that the lighting on the floor we had been on was warm and decently designed, while here, it was all about function and nothing else.
As we walked beneath the stark white fluorescent lights, I peeked around.
There were no nameplates on the doors.
“Here it is.”
One of the men guiding us opened a door. This room also had no nameplate.
It was impressive how they managed to find such identical spaces without any room distinction.
But since he merely opened the door and stood imposing like a doorman, I figured I wouldn’t get any decent answers by asking anything, so I just entered without asking anything.
And then.
“……Kagami.”
“……”
I locked eyes with Kagami, who was sitting inside.
There was no particularly inviting atmosphere. And given that she was all dressed up, she must have come with some kind of intent.
When our eyes met, Kagami’s eyes widened slightly, then moved to Miura, who was standing in the corner with a cane. Miura didn’t respond.
Did she perhaps want to contact me? Unfortunately, I had my phone confiscated when arriving at the hotel, so I couldn’t respond.
I wonder if Yuka tried reaching out.
She didn’t specify where to sit, so I just went and sat beside Kagami.
“……Coming here means you know what’s going on.”
Kagami said quietly.
I nodded in response.
“……”
Kagami made a complicated expression. So many emotions were mixed together that I couldn’t quite understand what it indicated.
At least I was able to identify a touch of ‘regret’ among them.
Kagami.
Not knowing what to say, I merely nodded.
After a few minutes passed, the door opened again and a man entered.
I recognized him.
“Oh, you’re…”
The dude who stared at me with his mouth agape was my neighbor.
He looked much healthier than the last time I saw him. At least he didn’t look sick at all.
“Kurosawa-sensei?”
Then, the man, who appeared even more flustered upon seeing Kagami, awkwardly glanced between us and eventually took a seat after gauging the atmosphere.
It was a while before another man came in.
No, this time it wasn’t just one. Along with the big man who guided me, several others with a similar air, and a few who looked around the same age as Miura.
In total, there were about eight people.
Their attire varied. Some were dressed in standard suits, while others wore uniforms that resembled police uniforms—not the kind you see on the street, but more like something you’d see on senior police officials on the news.
At a round table, the center was occupied by a white-haired elder.
He didn’t look particularly stiff. Somewhere, he had a vibe that would fit perfectly as a spokesperson for any political party on the news.
Is this some kind of meeting?
There weren’t even any socialties in sight, and there was no one to announce the start of the meeting.
“……Kurosawa.”
After a long period of silence, the elder finally spoke up.
“Could you tell us about the prophecy again? As detailed as possible.”
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