“…….”
Yuuki shut his eyes tightly, holding the mirror.
And he followed the words of the person on the other end of the phone.
[The mirror is an object that honestly reflects your appearance.]
It seemed like someone had started moving, as faint footsteps could be heard. The voices of those around also filled the air.
Among those voices, Yuuki recognized one.
[Without any exaggeration, whether the being looking into the mirror wishes it or not, those who exist in this world in ways that escape the laws of this side will come to understand how false their own reflections are by looking into the mirror.]
Despite the sounds of movement, the voice remained calm.
At least, it seemed to be trying to be.
[Thus, these beings instinctively fear that mirror. Just by looking, they would be drawn back to the world they once belonged to.]
“…Then, it would have been better if they hadn’t come over from the spirit world in the first place.”
Yuuki couldn’t understand why he muttered such words.
The situation was too chaotic. He thought he didn’t even know how to accept what was happening.
If it were a dream, he wished he could wake up. Unfortunately, it was too vivid for that.
[…It’s a transaction.]
“A transaction?”
[The beings below in your world become thorough predators in this one. We cannot know what the spirit world is like. But one thing is certain: those who wish to cross over from your side, and those who lend us their ears, do so because there’s something to gain by coming here.]
“…How do you know all of this so well?”
And why did they seem so confident in handling this…? Yuuki thought, recalling the events from last year.
His sister Miho had suddenly collapsed, seemingly on the brink of death. And then, Koto Ne had resolved the matter in some manner.
And that person’s mother who had tormented Koto Ne.
…He couldn’t precisely recall the voice. He hadn’t seen her directly that many times. He could vaguely remember her face.
So thinking the voice on the phone resembled that woman’s was merely conjecture.
[…….]
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
“…Keep telling me.”
He was utterly scared. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure this was the right approach. Even if the monsters outside his house were beings that escaped reason, he had no certainty that he could solve things in the same manner that also defied reason. If it had escaped the natural order, could there even be a system in place?
Having those thoughts, it simply seemed logical to say those words.
Because he didn’t want to die like this. He couldn’t think of any alternatives.
[Do as I told you earlier. Focus your mind.]
The woman on the other end spoke again.
[You must endure at the front until we arrive.]
“…Got it.”
Yuuki took a step forward.
A voice from beyond the door shouted. It seemed like a fight was ongoing.
“Yuuki.”
“…That’s what the person your dad called said. If I don’t go out front to protect, I can’t allow it.”
“……”
His dad’s complexion darkened.
[Oh, and there’s one thing to be cautious about.]
The woman on the phone spoke.
[You must never, ever look directly at the mirror. Using a force that defies reason to govern that which is already beyond reason will affect you—no, it will also affect us.]
*
I will kill you if you stop.
That determination was rendered meaningless as the police were being immensely cooperative.
Was it because they saw Yuka’s family charging through the enemies unscathed to where we were? No, it was probably because a situation was unfolding that we could not resolve on our own.
The minivan that entered the hotel had only a slight crack in the windshield, but that was it. The vehicle itself was still intact.
“Here.”
Before we got in the car, Kagami pulled something out of her handbag and handed it to the neighbor uncle.
That was… a talismans. There were already a multitude of talismans prepared in her handbag.
But it didn’t seem like a mere talismans. It was more similar to the design Yuka had used when she dealt with Nue on the school playground.
For a brief moment, the gazes of Yuka, Grandpa, and Yuka’s father were fixed on that talismans.
But no one said anything.
Kagami, who had handed over quite a few talismans, spoke to the uncle who looked dumbfounded while holding them.
“Since you’ve researched ‘folklore,’ you must understand what kind of talismans that is, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“If you use that knowledge, it should at least create a barrier to protect the people even if the remaining monsters come down from above. There should be plenty of offensive talismans left.”
Before he could say anything more, Kagami stepped into the minivan with us.
And before anyone could stop it—of course, they didn’t stop it—the minivan swiftly exited the hotel in reverse.
I was anxious.
Of course, Yamashita had ties to Kosuzu, so she would know the location of that place. In fact, she had also tried to create an opportunity to kill Mori.
So, if Kosuzu decided to attack, she could attack at any time.
…I was thinking of the discomfort I had felt during Christmas.
I had bled way too much in a place that had so undeniably been part of my body. I had even gone so far as to cut my wrist to ask Nirlas about it again.
I had been a fool.
When I felt that discomfort, I should have anticipated the situation earlier. Then maybe now—
—Now, could I have stopped it?
Was it too late? I had left behind far too many trails in this world. Not just Yamashita. At school, home, even while riding the subway.
I had classified everything stained with my blood as trash and threw it away…
Ah, right.
How many hospitals had I gone to, bleeding?
“……”
A chill entered my body.
“It’ll be okay.”
Yuka, who sat next to me, said.
“They say they’re holding on. And it won’t take long to drive here, plus there aren’t many cars on the road.”
Yuka seemed to be harboring not even an ounce of suspicion.
“Koto Ne…”
Koko, seated next to me, placed her hand on my arm and spoke.
“…Yeah.”
Right.
Maybe it would be okay.
No, it wouldn’t be okay. I was in the midst of such an event. However, at the very least, I thought the situation might not be entirely my fault.
We still didn’t know anything. No one on that side could properly explain what had occurred.
So… no.
It shouldn’t be.
With trembling hands clenched tightly, I tried to persuade myself of that.
Nirlas had yet to say anything to me.
*
It didn’t take long to get to where Yuka had said.
Yuka dashed out of the car with a sword drawn, and I followed suit.
Flames were igniting all over the house. Fire trucks were spraying water around.
But no one was in the ambulance.
“Has anyone gone inside?”
“Wha—?”
As Yuka approached with her sword, one of the police officers controlling the scene looked startled and responded.
“Uh…”
Then, staring at me and Yuka with swords in hand, he had a blank expression as if unsure how to react.
In Japanese law, simply brandishing such a sword in public was considered a crime.
“Y-Yes. There are people inside.”
Upon hearing the response, we immediately rushed inside.
“Hey, wait a minute—!”
A voice calling from behind, but naturally, we didn’t look back.
It must have been far too sudden for those people.
Normally, not many would rush into a fire. And especially not with swords in hand.
The one leading the charge was Yuka.
What lay ahead was…
“Hacha!”
I shouted instinctively.
A giant feline, singed by flames here and there.
But the situation was different than when we fought last time.
Ping!
The sound of a bowstring snapped, and an arrow flew from behind. The arrow shot forth at a speed even I couldn’t track and struck the giant cat’s forehead.
A painful howl echoed, and in the meantime, talismans flew in.
The blue flames of the talismans weren’t that large, but it was enough to stick to Hacha’s body.
The cat’s mournful howl wasn’t exactly a pleasant sound to hear.
As the red flames of Hacha were consumed by the blue flames, Yuka quickly closed in on Hacha.
Hacha swung its front paw. Recalling the past, even merely evading that might leave a burn.
But the blue flames couldn’t harm a person.
Scrape.
Yuka’s ‘Mumei’ glimmered under the light and with a single swoop, Hacha’s right paw was severed, and before Hacha even processed that, her sword quickly moved, lopping off Hacha’s head.
The head dropped, still with its mouth agape, rolling on the ground.
Thud.
A sound was heard near Yuka.
Connected to it were long, black needles. The ends tied to black threads.
Koko’s hair. The thing that resembled ‘Solitude’ easily neutralized Hacha with Koko’s attack.
It wasn’t transparent but rather…
“…Red.”
I unconsciously muttered.
It was indeed red. The figure itself somewhat resembled what I had seen before, but her fur, skin, and eyes were simply red, as if crafted from red clay.
Or perhaps I should say, it looked like she was covered in blood?
“Koto Ne…!”
When I turned at Yuka’s cry, I saw Nue charging at me, jaw agape, crawling from the ground.
Smack!
An arrow embedded itself right in its throat. As the talismans ignited, Yuka cut off Nue’s head once again. The yōkai was vanquished once more.
And that yōkai was red again.
Upon regaining my senses, I found myself sitting on the ground. Had I fallen backward out of surprise? Only then did I feel slight pain in my body.
And warmth. Although not every part of the house was engulfed in flames yet, large fires were erupting nearby, the heat reaching my face.
And the pain from my wrist.
The blood wouldn’t stop.
I continued to bleed onto the ground.
Nirlas still hadn’t said anything to me. Hadn’t asked anything.
When Nirlas had not asked, it was only when I had done something with that power that Nirlas seemed to find joy.
“Koto Ne!”
Yuka roughly grabbed my arm, pulling me up. It wasn’t out of malice. It was out of urgency; she needed to get me moving somehow.
Sounds of weeping rose all around.
I could hear people sobbing and the cries of the yōkai I had encountered until now.
Yes. The cries of the yōkai I had faced until now.
Why did the fact make me feel so uneasy? Shouldn’t I have been happy about it? At least most of the yōkai here would be beings I had met before.
“…Let’s go!”
Yuka said, pulling me along.
Even if I was to be thrown out of the mansion, the danger remained the same. In the first place, the situation was way too urgent to think about leaving and coming back. We could all die if the inferno attached to the house spread even slightly, and if we were even a moment late, Yuuki and the remaining survivors would surely die.
“Run!”
Yuka likely felt that prolonging was futile, shouted.
I tried to seize my senses properly. I gripped the sword in my right hand tightly. Yes. I could still fight.
Let’s not think of other things now. We would think about everything after it was over. Even if everything were to be revealed then, I could think and solve things out after that.
Everything was urgent. Yes. Because everything was urgent.
That’s why I ran.
Without thinking at all.
“Yamashita! Yamashita Yuuki!”
Yuka shouted, and,
“Over here! Over here!”
Even when I heard the same call coming back.
“Mirror! Bring down the mirror!”
When I heard Kagami’s voice shouting.
Even when I realized that Yamashita hadn’t been hurt.
Even when I saw those who had been with him were still alive.
“Here, cover this up with this.”
“…You are.”
“I don’t think this is a moment for explanations. First, let’s get out of here and then we can talk.”
The moment I felt Yamashita’s gaze turn towards me as he listened to Kagami’s words, I tried my best not to think too much.
Feeling that gaze, I kept trying not to blame myself.
“Well, let’s go—”
Yuka began speaking but halted at the sound of a scream that resonated outside the mansion.
My body trembled.
I had continuously bled this whole time. Nirlas wished me to bleed.
Why?
If what was happening here was related to that—
Yuka grabbed my hand.
And began to run.
I followed closely behind her, holding the sword tightly in my right hand.
“Don’t think about anything!”
Did Yuka sense something?
“Right now, don’t say anything! Just run! We’ll think about what’s behind us later!”
I could hear calls from behind. Many voices. Sounds were also coming from the front. Also, several unfamiliar voices.
Those were the voices of people I didn’t know.
It wasn’t the first time seeing them today, but I still hadn’t properly seen their faces as we rushed out.
I thought I heard several gunshots. Maybe a car was speeding our way. Was all of this merely my imagination?
Everything felt like a dream. I wished it was just a nightmare.
Ah, I shouldn’t be thinking anything at all.
Just like Yuka said, avoiding danger was the priority.
…Avoiding?
Where to? Nirlas follows my blood. And I am bleeding. If Nirlas desires it, I will continue to bleed.
I looked down at my hands.
Yuka’s right hand was holding my left arm. Yuka’s hand was already covered in blood. My blood was splattered all over Yuka’s hand.
The moment I saw that, fear struck me.
My blood… I didn’t know what it was.
But could I say that there was no possibility in this situation? Would I be able to say for certain that I was not the reason for having created such a situation?
Yuka couldn’t say that either. That’s why she was dragging me along.
I tried to pull my arm free. But Yuka held on too tightly.
“Yuka—”
“Don’t say anything! Don’t say anything at all!”
“Yuka, I’m—”
“It’s okay! It’ll be fine! I’m not feeling any of that! R-Really!”
Even Yuka, who always remained calm in such situations, was saying anything now.
Ah, I see.
That’s right. Perhaps now Yuka could be feeling goosebumps.
For the first time, she would be fighting against monsters that had continually tormented humanity, monsters that crossed over from another world, with specially connected blood.
…What would her perception of it be if those red things were created from my blood?
And what kind of sensation would she be feeling from the blood flowing from me?
I felt nothing. I couldn’t even feel the chill that had been on my back. Why, only now?
Ah, why.
Why only now does this happen? If it were from the very beginning, if it were even before Yuka had known me—
“…I see now.”
I began to understand a little.
From the moment someone looked at me, there must have been someone thinking like this.
A fun little toy.
With that blood, I could do anything. I could create a sharp blade capable of slaying those that defy reason. I could also make a modern oxygen respirator to breathe inside buildings filled with black smoke.
Creating something ‘alive’ from blood was, of course, possible. Had I not seen it several times before?
But why didn’t I think that the little thing squirming could take on the forms of other monsters I had encountered?
Perhaps it was because I trusted too easily.
“Koto Ne! Yuka!”
“Koko, help!”
Yuka’s voice calling Koko, who was next to her, sounded like it was half in tears.
As if they didn’t know what to do amidst this situation.
“We have to escape!”
“Yeah!”
Why hadn’t Yuka realized? Why hadn’t I realized?
It must have been because I trusted too easily.
In the very first place, it wouldn’t be right to hope that an entity that defies reason would desire for it to exist within the bounds of human reason.
It’s all my fault.
I leaned too heavily on it. I thought it was a power I could use easily. I thought that if I granted what I desired, that would be granted in return.
But then what if what they desired was far greater than what I wanted?
“Ah, splendid.”
“…Koto Ne? — Ah!”
As my mouth moved against my will, Yuka turned to me.
And we both collapsed to the ground.
“Koto Ne! Koto Ne! Koto Ne—”
Watching me roll on the floor, Koko screamed, but her voice faded away.
As I lay there, I noticed that the blood I had shed coiling around me—’Chi’ was wrapping around Koko’s legs, arms, and body.
“Don’t do that.”
“There is something you desire.”
As I spoke, my mouth replied.
My neck turned. I could see the mansion door. People were visible beyond it. I didn’t see anyone dead, but I did see some pierced by ‘Chi’ in their thighs and calves. They probably got stuck while trying to escape from the ground.
Several cars had crashed through the next-door fence and into the house. Tires were being torn off completely. People stained with blood were coming out. Police officers were supporting others outside.
The blood I had spilled.
The blood I had shed while making it this far.
The blood I had carelessly spilled in alleys, some apartments, schools, hospitals, and mountains was moving. I could understand.
“Not yet.”
My lips curled up in a twisted grin. I mocked myself.
“Not a single person has died yet. Though they’re injured. Do you wish for it to end here?”
It wasn’t my fault.
I didn’t—I didn’t know.
“No, I did know. At the very least, I had anticipated it.”
A laugh echoed softly.
“I couldn’t help but peek into your head, straining to contain my curiosity after you shared your story.”
So Nirlas was aware of how I had come to understand this world.
That was cheating.
“I wonder if your reliance on the power of the foreign deity is an unfair advantage. Who set that rule?”
“You knew. You anticipated that Kurozawa Koto Ne, existing outside the story, would have played a key role.”
“Seeing those who are tied to her and serve her serve you.”
“So, would you dare to say you were unaware?”
“Then this is your fault.”
My mouth opened.
No scream, no wail came out. My voice wasn’t mine anymore.
“O, spirit of the world. An existence that should never have been. I wonder what you desire.”
What do I desire?
“Koto, you…!”
As Yuka stood up from the ground and swung her sword, the ‘Chi’ wrapping around her legs was severed by her blade, leaving nothing in its wake.
“What the world desires, you already know.”
It wriggled and squirmed.
I felt the ‘Chi’ on my left arm beginning to stir.
Yuka still seemed unaware.
“If the prophecy comes true, it will all come to an end.”
Nirlas borrowed my voice to speak.
Yuka limped over to me.
While I heard footsteps from the mansion, I couldn’t turn around.
“Koto Ne!”
It was Koko’s voice, panicked.
“So, what will you do?”
Would Yuka prefer not to tell? Or was it merely Nirlas’s whim?
This time, rather than borrowing my mouth, I whispered into my ear.
A hand placed on my shoulder, coaxing and manipulating as though controlling me.
But even knowing that, I could do nothing.
Rather, what if you had told the prophecy from the beginning?
What if you hadn’t lied today?
Would the outcome have been a little different?
It was my responsibility.
All of it.
I was.
“…I’m wishing for it.”
“Then as you wish, it will be done. As always, those who wish will not ask for more.”
“Koto Ne.”
Yuka reached me.
As she reached out to touch my shoulder, the pressure weighing down on me vanished.
The flames rising from the mansion glinted in reflection off Yuka’s sword.
“Yuka.”
“It’s okay, Koto Ne.”
“…Yeah. I know how to make it all okay.”
“…Koto Ne?”
“Yuka. I need a favor.”
I looked Yuka in the eyes. I could see no expression on her face. Yuka had completely hidden her feelings.
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”
My vision blurred slightly.
“I lied.”
She was just a child. A normal girl at the age of a high school student, sometimes having fun and being a bit foolish while hanging out with friends.
She was far too young to bear such weight.
I couldn’t save her.
In the first place, it had been an arrogant thought.
“The prophecy, what it said, that was me. I’m sorry.”
I spoke as if I were begging.
As if this might lessen my guilt.
It couldn’t… possibly work, but.
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