In the high sky, before the writhing dragon, there was a small existence.
A girl with long black hair.
Though it was expressed as a woman, it didn’t feel like she was truly a person.
It wasn’t a person; it drew in the surrounding substances to express a human appearance, but that skin wasn’t smooth.
Especially since the body was held together by the tentacles that had been writhing sky-high until just moments ago, it felt even more that way.
Was there too much of it to create just a humanoid body? The leftover parts formed ‘hair’.
The being flying high in the sky, and the hair stretching out endlessly behind her.
Like corpses submerged in water, that hair was writhing and spreading in all directions.
Yuka, upon seeing that, recalled Koto Ne and Koko. They didn’t resemble her at all, but somehow…
“What a pitiable sight.”
A voice was heard.
It wasn’t a sound that reached the eardrums. It felt like it was directly drilling into the brain.
“I wonder what made you like this.”
The woman approached Koto Ne as she spoke.
Now there were no tentacles left around Yuka and Koko.
Only the shattered and split floor remained. The park-like appearance from before was nowhere to be seen.
“Even with such power. Even though you could have become a benevolent spirit and enjoyed divine blessings if you had set your mind to it.”
Kagami had no way to stop the woman who reached her hand towards Koto Ne’s body.
“Why did you make such a choice?”
The woman spoke.
“By losing even yourself, what exactly did you want to achieve?”
Could that be a god?
Is she the god that Koto Ne worships?
It looked that way to Yuka. After all, there were many gods in this country.
Each mountain has its own shrine, and each shrine venerates the local deities. It would be a story difficult for religions that worship a singular god to understand.
However, the ‘gods’ that Yuka knew weren’t like that.
The world was unnaturally quiet.
Except for the woman’s voice and Koto Ne’s groans, it felt as if all other sounds had disappeared.
Only then did Yuka realize.
In this situation, missiles weren’t flying or fighter jets taking off. If there were anyone awake on this land, they couldn’t possibly have missed that monstrous thing in the sky.
Slowly, the woman’s hair began to move.
“No way!”
Koko shouted.
As if she understood what that act meant.
What Yuka could recall was using hair as a weapon like Koko or Koto Ne. Was that hair trying to chop Koto Ne apart?
Yuka wanted to help somehow.
But with only a knife, there was nothing she could do in this situation.
———!
As the hair touched her, Koto Ne twisted her body.
It was a horrific scene.
The figure of the dragon had already started to dissolve and melt again, and Koto Ne had turned into a formless mass of flesh.
Thin black threads wrapped around it, the flesh writhed and let out a dreadful scream.
A normal person would feel fear.
Both beings seemed like they would bring calamity to this world.
But Yuka shed tears.
Even while witnessing the incomprehensible spectacle, she was thinking of Koto Ne.
How could she not? At that moment, the being who had given up on herself was none other than Koto Ne.
Please—
That plea might not have just been a request for Koko’s protection.
Yuka looked down at her sword.
It was shining with a black light. That appearance seemed very indifferent.
“Despite everything, you are the child of fortune.”
The woman said, as if delighted.
“—I see. I’m curious about how you will move. What if you, yourself, destroy the world?”
“……!”
Chills ran down Yuka’s spine.
It was the most intense sensation she had ever felt.
It felt like hair bristling all over. In an instant, her blood turned cold, and the sensations in her hands and feet gradually faded away.
“Ah—”
“Koto Ne?”
Koko asked, in a slightly weakened voice, her eyes unfocused.
As if to question what was happening.
———!
Koto Ne was still twisting her body, but for some reason, her head, or what could be called her head, was looking down.
And below her were Yuka and Koko.
For some reason, the woman with hair wrapped around Koto Ne seemed to be smiling down at them.
*
Kagami ran.
Everything blocking the path had disappeared. Even the tentacles that crashed down, breaking the roads and buildings, had completely vanished.
To put it accurately, even the dead parts seemed to have floated upward.
The road was still cracked, but where it seemed impassable, she jumped over the walls of nearby buildings or crawled over crushed cars, and kept running.
In the process, her shrine maiden attire got considerably dirty. There were even places where strange red liquid was oozing out. Had she tripped and gotten hurt somewhere?
Despite that, Kagami didn’t let go of the mirror in her hand.
…Kurosawa’s longed-for deity was in the sky.
If it had been Kagami from just last year, she would have given up on everything.
To give up everything and merely kneel on the ground, wishing for this world to disappear entirely.
But strangely, she didn’t want to do that now.
For the first time since her sister left, she wanted to live.
Yes, until she could properly look at the existence of a daughter—
Until she met a being who treated her like a proper human—
Kagami had just been living on.
There were no lingering feelings at all.
———!
Koto Ne was groaning.
Tears streamed down her face.
After all the effort to save her, this was the state within a mere day.
Well, she was that kind of girl.
She simply came to realize too late that she was just that kind of girl.
Rather, she should have been less suspicious from the beginning.
Wouldn’t it have been better to forcibly live together than to leave her just sitting at home?
No, even if she was a child that couldn’t open her eyes, she hadn’t died.
It would have been good if she had never denied that she was her child from the start.
If she had just sat next to her, waiting until she opened her eyes.
If she had done that, maybe it wouldn’t have gone this far.
Even now, regretting it was pointless, but still.
“Koto Ne!”
Just like that younger sister always did, Kagami called out.
She should have called that name more often.
Rather than a distant title like ‘you’, it would have been much closer.
“Koto Ne!”
She didn’t think she would hear this voice.
But still, she wanted to.
It was already too late.
Since it was late, even if just a bit…
In the distance, she could see the kids who had left first.
Yuuki was almost collapsing to the ground while holding Koko tightly.
Koto Ne’s head slowly turned downwards.
The tips of her hair were surely looking at those two.
No, that can’t happen.
While Koko could be saved, Koto Ne must not kill Yuuki.
That would be far too cruel for Koto Ne.
Rather—
“Koto Ne!”
Kagami shouted with all her might.
It felt strangely remote, as if it were her own voice. Had she run so much that something in her body had broken down?
Kagami raised the mirror high above her head.
The white light reflected in the mirror illuminated Koto Ne’s face.
———.
The flesh twisted.
Like a puppet being manipulated, flesh erupted from the seams.
Seeing the scene of blood flowing below, Kagami shed tears.
Koto Ne—was turning her head away. Though black threads held her tightly, as if she didn’t care, flesh was being cut and falling away.
Towards Kagami.
Towards the mirror Kagami was holding.
The white light illuminated Koto Ne’s face.
Was it just her feeling?
Kagami strangely thought that Koto Ne’s face seemed to appear slightly in that white part.
*
It felt hazy.
But amidst such, could I still keep myself from being lost?
Why was that?
Buried beneath so many personae and mixed with so many secrets, I was somehow able to maintain the consciousness of ‘me’.
Though lacking sight, I could feel.
Looking around, all I could see were grotesque forms that I couldn’t understand.
Is human nature really only those twisted things?
Would I, too, become twisted and mixed like that—
—No, for some reason, it felt like such a thing wouldn’t happen to me.
“……This is.”
Though I had no mouth, I muttered.
I saw light swirling around me.
That light resembled ‘blood’.
Two small red droplets, dot-like, were circling around me, as if they were guarding me.
I reached out an invisible hand and tried to touch that red dot.
It was hot.
“……”
I didn’t know exactly what it was.
But strangely, there was a place that I could guess.
I had seen such things several times until now.
My blood.
But I couldn’t isolate ‘my’ flesh with my own blood. After all, that was not ‘my’ blood.
Then this is—
…Could it be possible?
I stared quietly at the blood droplet.
How could there be such blood droplets in the separately sealed flesh?
And that too, Sasaki siblings’ blood.
“……Ah.”
The hazy consciousness that had been faintly connected began to clarify again little by little.
The sense of levitation grew deeper.
Though my body was invisible and utterly formless, somehow I felt as if I was slowly rising into the air, or rather, slowly surfacing from deep water to the surface.
The white light shining beyond the surface surrounded my vision—
*
Huff, huff.
It was hot.
Even through the thick fireproof suit, the bright red flames felt overwhelmingly hot. It felt like my skin was burning even through the oxygen mask on my face.
Naturally, my body was drenched in sweat. I felt a pain as if something was digging into my shoulder. The oxygen tank was quite heavy, and if I carried it on my shoulder for too long, it would dig into my flesh.
My arms. I felt weight in my arms too.
Looking down, there was a young child. Perhaps five years old? I couldn’t be sure whether it was a boy or a girl, but it was definitely a living child.
The child’s face was covered with a mask. There was an auxiliary oxygen mask attached to the firefighter’s oxygen tank. It was meant to cover a survivor’s face when they found one inside. If there was only one oxygen mask, they could die from gas poisoning while bringing the victim out.
I moved my legs.
I had to get out of there quickly. The fire was spreading more intensely. Delaying even a moment would make it impossible to block it even with a fireproof suit.
From somewhere afar, I heard the sound of a building collapsing, engulfed in flames.
Water dripped from the ceiling. They must have been pouring water continuously with fire hoses to extinguish the flames. As the part of the roof that could no longer function as a roof, water would surely have fallen there.
Breathing heavily, I protected the child with my arms and hurried toward the exit.
“……Ah.”
But it was blocked. The earlier rumbling sound might have been the sound of the path I had taken collapsing on the entrance. The light line had melted and been severed in the fire of the collapsed building.
I turned my body without hesitation.
I had to find another route.
The flames showed no signs of stopping. The building was old and, in particular, that kind of building was too close together, making it easy for the fire to spread.
Moreover, paths were all interconnected chaotically, making it unclear where to go.
But I couldn’t die.
I didn’t want to die.
Even after my family had turned into that, even after my life had lost its meaning, I had never once wanted to die.
“……”
While exhaling, I kept walking somehow. My steps grew heavier. I was sweating so much that it obscured my vision.
And then I—
“……”
I found another child.
I wasn’t sure of where this was. I might not have entered the building I came in from.
Could all my colleagues have not come this far? Water was drip dripping above, but even so, I couldn’t completely suppress the flames.
I crouched down and looked at the child’s face.
The child was still breathing but in a state of unconsciousness.
For now, I tucked that child under my opposite arm and got up.
The weight of the child and the weight of the gear were already pressing down on my body, and now the weight of one more child was added.
It wasn’t unbearable, but my body was inevitably becoming more exhausted. The fire was still burning, and my field of vision was narrow.
After walking for a while, I checked the child’s condition again.
They were still unconscious.
I knelt down on one knee and pondered for a moment.
I didn’t come in here to die. I had never once thought about wanting to die. Even while unable to escape from life.
But still.
If I just stand here, holding this child, can they be saved?
I was taught there is no weight in life. I think so too. It isn’t appropriate to consider the weight of my life and the weight of the child’s life.
However.
But… the only person who could save this child here was me.
If I didn’t know, there would be no helping it, but the child was still alive, and my body was still functioning well. And above all, I had the equipment.
“……”
I took off my mask.
And placed it over the child’s face.
I lifted both children and stood up again.
The heat from the flames touched my face. But still, I could see a little of the path. In fact, it felt like my vision had cleared a bit since the glass had disappeared.
My stomach churned, and my head began to hurt from overexertion, but I kept walking.
Bam!
I heard a sound from somewhere. It was probably the sound of my colleagues using axes to break through the entrance to enter another building.
Following that sound, I walked, feeling somewhat dazed.
My steps continued to grow heavier.
Bam!
Bam!
The sounds gradually grew closer.
In the distance, I could see an exit. So far, the flames had not completely engulfed that area.
Crack!
And then, that door opened.
“There’s someone inside!”
Hearing that voice, I felt relieved.
As I continued moving forward, my colleagues outside rushed in all at once.
After seeing them take the children from my arms and run out again, my legs lost strength.
“Hey, pull yourself together!”
Someone grabbed my body and shook me while slapping my cheek with one hand.
I heard the slap sound, but it felt strangely distant.
Someone’s voice was calling my name urgently.
Being dragged out, I caught a glimpse of the clear sky.
Would those children survive? I was curious if they were okay. Especially the second child I had brought out seemed to have inhaled toxic air too much—
I was placed onto a stretcher and headed for an ambulance.
Someone kept calling my name while shaking my body.
…That guy who told me not to come near him back then. On the bridge. The one who found my family before I did.
…Since then, I hadn’t directly spoken to him. Seeing the people who were there kept bringing back that memory.
…Yet they all treated me well. They tried to understand.
In any case, they were all just kind-hearted people.
The voice calling me began to grow increasingly sorrowful.
Someone forcibly pulled that person away from me.
A mask was placed over my mouth, and a flash of light was shone into my eyes.
I heard someone calling my name, but I couldn’t respond.
That was the last memory.
*
Yeah. I don’t want to die.
I’ve never once tried to die.
I just did what I could, where I was.
Because it was something I could do. Something that only I could do.
In the white light, I opened my eyes.
*
In such a situation, Yuka thought she couldn’t just do nothing.
The mass that seemed ready to swallow both of them whole suddenly turned its head.
She wasn’t sure if running was the right decision.
But, would running allow them to survive?
Perhaps it would only mean extending their miserable lives by a bit, without any real meaning.
Koko had a blank expression.
Supporting the limp Koko, Yuka wielded her sword.
She tried hard to cut the threads that were within reach.
Trying to help in any way.
Not wanting to burden Koto Ne any further.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she moved with determination.
Snap, snap.
Was it the wind, or one by one, the threads wrapped around Koto Ne’s body fell away.
The wounds caused by those threads slowly began to heal, gradually.
Over and over, repeatedly.
Yuka kept moving for Koto Ne.
*
Koto Ne’s face was looking at the mirror.
Kagami didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
What was Koto Ne seeing beyond the mirror?
It was a mirror that reflected one’s essence. Given her form, it might even have an opposite effect.
But this was all she could do.
Even if Koto Ne were to open her mouth and try to bite Kagami, there would be no helping it, Kagami thought.
In the end, it was Kagami who had made Koto Ne like this.
“……I’m sorry.”
Kagami opened her mouth.
“……I’m sorry.”
Could Koto Ne hear her?
Would she even be able to hear?
Still.
Kagami prayed.
At least in these final moments, in the moment where everything would end.
That Koto Ne could continue to exist as Koto Ne—
Blink.
Koto Ne’s face blinked.
Seeing that face, Kagami’s heart raced.
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