Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi

Chapter 1

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Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi Volume 1 Prologue

G.o.d created the world on Monday.

G.o.d separated order and chaos on Tuesday.

G.o.d defined the numbers on Wednesday.

G.o.d allowed the flow of time on Thursday.

G.o.d looked over at every corner of the world on Friday.

G.o.d rested on Sat.u.r.day.

Then, on Sunday, G.o.d—

The place was like a natural cemetery.

Originally, the place was a lush, fertile hill, but at present it was densely covered by overgrowth, with boulders scattered all over. Arid wind blew through the remnants of living beings, a tree stood straight in solitude on the bald hill, not a presence of a single human could be sighted.

Just to restore the forest to eighty percent of its former glory would take over a hundred years. That was how barren the land was.

In a corner of this piece of land, a Grave Keeper was currently waving her shovel with great efforts.

The job of a Grave Keeper, of course, is to maintain the cemetery.

The girl continued to try her best to dig, using her entire strength, she stabbed the shovel into the ground, then used it as a lever to scoop up the soil into the basket.

Ai, who was kneeling down on the ground, exhaled out, proceeding to gaze at the western horizon. Reflected from her sight, she could see the sun setting, the breezing wind also began to feel cold.

Ai, with an expression full of resentment, looked at the setting sun. After a while, she forced herself to get out of the pit. The surrounding area was composed of similar looking graves.

Taking a glance at the countless graves, Ai muttered to herself,

“Job done!”

She carried the equipment down the hill. At the foot of the hill was a wooden cabin and a well, which Ai used to clean the equipment. These tools had been used for a whole day, as such they were dirtied black.

Ai used her hands to soak the equipment in water, then grabbed a stool and a brush while rolling up her sleeves. After a good while of preparations, Ai washed the equipment clean. Washing away the sediments, laying it out in the sun, also lubricating various parts of the equipment. She groaned as she swiftly carried out her tasks. The pail, the sickle and the hoe were sparkling under the rays of light.

At last, Ai lifted up her partner.

The shovel.

The shovel had a simple design. A wooden shaft with a silver metallic head, on the surface patterns of trees and roots were engraved, an evidence supporting her claim as a Grave Keeper.

Ai carefully washed her beloved shovel.

The well, the wooden cabin, and the equipment were all provided to her by the villagers. In response to their goodwill, she treasured them dearly. Finally, she stored the tools in the cabin.

What was left on her hand was just the shovel.

“See you later, everyone.”

She closed the door with a *bang*. The tools sparkled for one last time.

After tidying things up, Ai checked her appearance. Touching the cheeks with her hand, she discovered that her face was smeared with mud, her fingers were also dirtied. Sighing, she took off her shoes and shirt, and loosened her hair.

Her beautiful golden hair were like another sun in time of dusk.

Ai only used the water to clean out the filth sticking to her hair and skin, resulting in it changing from red to a golden l.u.s.ter, comparable to a gem, buried in the ground for eons, being unearthed.

But the action of her washing herself, compared to when she washed the tools, was much more hasty.

She complained that the water in her mouth was too cold, and ignoring the fact that there were still bubbles left over on her body, Ai put on her clothes.

First, she put her delicate hands and feet into the gloves and shoes accordingly.

Then, she tied the iron hammer, spoons, and all sort of tools with her leather belt.

Next, she attached the hook and some other accessories onto her outer coat.

Afterwards, she combed her hair, put on a straw hat, and pulled it down to her chin level.

Finally, she picked up the shovel, turned around and flipped it over, then placed it on her shoulder.

Like this, Ai finished wearing her Grave Keeper outfit.

The sun was setting in the far distant mountain, signaling Ai to go back home.

---

Today, the digging of the 47th grave had been started, hoping that it will be finished by tomorrow—

Strolling along the mountain path, she danced around singing happily. She continued to flip over the shovel, incessantly causing noises, while humming as she walked towards the pitch-black mountain path fearlessly, and jumping as she advanced forward. There was no way Ai could tumble over because she knew every nook and cranny of this place, even what kind of bird lived on a certain tree.

Not much time later, after finishing her trip, what entered her vision was the scene of the night sky and a village. The never-ending fields stretched far and wide, light was shining out from the households. A long and narrow sized village was being concealed between the mountain valleys.

Ai had stopped humming.

She then cleared her throat, and proceeded to inspect her attire—are the clothes tucked in, are the shoelaces untied, is there any speck of dust on her?

Lastly, she slapped her face to encourage herself, eliminating the expression on her face.

Grave Keepers are the protectors of death, the envoys of death, and lastly—the G.o.ds of death themselves.

Ai firmly believed that the expression a Grave Keeper ought to have was an expressionless face.

Making up her resolution to maintain dignity, she then walked towards the village.

She straightened her back, lowered her line of sight, and as her shoes were made up of iron and leather, step-by-step traces were created on the muddy ground. Carrying the shovel on her shoulder like a gun, exposing the imposing insignia on the shovel"s head, though she was small, she still exuded an oppressive atmosphere.

Suddenly, an old man lifted his head up from within the field. Ai pretended to have looked by accident, using her eyes to take a quick glance at him. The person in question was of course the blacksmith Yuuto, who helped create tools for everybody.

After a brief moment of watching, the head immediately disappeared from the field. Ai thought to herself that he must have been frightened by her aura, and as such, she raised her fist up high representing that of a victor.

"Hey~~everybody listen, Ai-chan is back~~"

However, Yuuto came back quickly, moreover, along with his shouts, almost ten villagers sprang out. Each of them wore ragged clothes and trousers, and a straw hat atop their heads. Mixed in the crowd were villagers both young and old, the majority either had wounds all over their bodies, were blind, or were handicapped. Those who didn’t tend to the fields also appeared, this is how bustling the fields were in spring.

Apparently, everyone was waiting for Ai’s return.

Ai unhappily twisted the corner of her mouth. Nevertheless, she immediately stopped in her tracks. Lightly bending her knees and bowing down, then heaving up her shovel, she fluently recited the lines of a Grave Keeper:

“Good evening everyone, today also I have upheld my dignity as a Grave Keeper, a.s.sisting the living to ensure that they lead a happy life...”

But as she finished saying up till that part, her voice was drowned out by the villagers’ clamor.

“Why are you so late?! Didn’t we say you need to come back before dark?” “Are you hungry?” “Right, there’s still some left, eat up!” “There’s lemonade too!”

She couldn’t maintain her dignified posture for any moment longer. The villagers casually caressed her head, an old lady was handing out snacks, and an old man was eagerly looking forward to talk to her.

Ai sighed while in the middle of the crowd.

"I don’t want either snacks or lemonade! All the food I eat has already been prepared at home. Please don’t mind me, and continue living your life."

Ai strongly a.s.serted the Grave Keepers’ zeal, but the villagers only perfunctorily nodded in accordance, not willing to release her.

“You people!”

At that moment, a shout could be heard from afar, a young man was walking up the terracing while waving his hand.

It was Yohki.

Ai caught a sight of the reliable helper and let out a grin.

“What are you all doing? Spoiling Ai! Well well, don’t just crowd around here, please get the work done and go back home!”

Everyone presented at the scene looked guilty. After all, on the notice board last week, this was posted: “Please don’t feed the Grave Keeper.”

Anyhow, it had already happened. Ai firmly stood beside Yohki and gazed at the villagers, those who quickly noticed her gaze had already fled, for the remaining were too afraid to leave her sight.

In the end, there were only the two of them left. Ai triumphantly hummed as she raised her head up to look at Yohki as they laughed away happily.

“Okay, Ai...no. Grave Keeper!”

However Yohki donned the same cold eyes, like when he previously confronted the villagers, as he looked at Ai.

“Haven’t I said not to accept food from others! Why are you such a glutton...?!”

Ai couldn’t overlook this sentence, after all she had clearly rejected already. Therefore, she intolerably said,

“I zid fezusd erefyfing! Fid fitdow ze zsasefent!”

I did refuse everything, please withdraw the statement—that"s what Ai was trying to say, but n.o.body understood the meaning because her mouth was stuffed full.

“...”

Yohki’s icy cold gaze gave her a chill.

Ai put up a squirrel-like troubled expression, and in the next moment swallowed down whatever was in her mouth, then continued her excuse, “These are unforeseen circ.u.mstances.”

“...These too?”

Perhaps it was because of Ai’s funny appearance that he didn’t get angry, but Yohki just silently pointed at her hand. In her right hand was a cup of lemonade, in the left were a huge amount of snacks. The body does not lie.

For the shovel, which represents the owner ident.i.ty as a Grave Keeper, was stuck in the ground.

“You! Really!”

Yohki with his hands akimbo, loudly scolded. This was the well known “Angry Yohki” that every villager feared, since it was boring and lengthy.

But Ai just treated it like a pa.s.sing wind, in through one ear and out through the other. Her mind was filled with unrelated topics. She intently stared at the artistic black eyes and beautiful-shaped ears of his.

Ai truly thought that Yohki was really beautiful, among the people in the realm of mortals. His black hair and eyes were very ordinary, yet when one looked at the person as a whole, it gave off the feeling of a brilliant temperament.

“Yohki is so beautiful.”

“Huh?”

The scolding Yohki couldn’t help but be at a loss for words.

“...Ai, have you listened to what I said?”

“Yes! When I grow up, I will be Yohki’s bride.”

“You didn’t listen at all!”

Yohki seemingly having a headache, crouched down and used his hand to knead at his eyebrows. Ai, recognizing that she was out of his field of vision, quickly took the opportunity to clear everything in her hands.

Just when the last piece of cracker entered her mouth, another voice could be heard.

“h.e.l.lo~~What are the two of you doing~~?”

Turning around, she saw that a young woman was walking over along the village’s path.

“Ah, it’s Anna! I’m back!”

When Ai noticed her, her face brimmed with a smile as she ran over. Discarding the dignity of a Grave Keeper, her whole body was enveloped in Anna"s embrace, dancing around happily.

The woman was a dazzling person. She had black hair and black eyes, with heavy makeup applied on her face, along with perfume which was sprayed onto her body.

“Uh...!”

“What’s up, Ai?”

Ai, who was formerly in her embrace, suddenly backed off. She pinched her nose and said,

“Anna, you stink.”

Anna knitted her brows upon hearing this, and with a smile on her face, she struck a fist at Ai’s head.

“Ai~~? This is just perfume! You understand? It’s the smell of perfume! Don’t call it stink!”

Ai with tearful eyes, hurriedly apologized. Even if Yohki said a million words, Ai wouldn’t be scared. On the contrary, she would feel scared just from a hit from Anna.

“Anyways, it’s too early for you. You will understand the ways of adults when you grow up.”

Ai also very much agreed on this point, but the fear still lingered in her mind, hence she didn’t say it out loud, instead she just silently pondered.

Why perfume, why makeup? Compared to the fragrance of flora and fauna, Ai preferred humans’ original scent. She liked the kind of smell that could be sensed with that outmoded fashion when people hugged each other.

She had once asked the women of the villages before, but all of them revealed an awkward smile, saying vaguely, “You will know soon.” Will she be able to understand it in the future? No matter what, Ai thought that she would still be unable to understand.

However...

“Anna, I am back. You’re beautiful as always. Did you change the perfume? Such a nice smell.”

Yohki habitually kissed Anna, and praised her perfume. Anna let out a smiling face, then held onto Yohki’s hand.

It was always like this.

Ai stretched her green eyes wide open, and finally realized something.

“My goodness!”

Due to her childish jealousy, she pounced and interrupted the two, who were flirting.

“Wait, Ai! You will ruin my makeup. What’s the matter?”

“I would like to talk, Anna. I would like to talk with you—”

Ai told Anna what she had done today. Including the fact that she had started digging all forty-seven graves, found a new type of owl, furthermore, she also told her the story about the villagers giving her snacks.

“Afterwards, I had a talk with Yohki.”

For Ai, the scolding counted as just a normal conversation.

“Oh, what were you guys talking about?”

“I will tell you, Yohki will marry me!”

Yohki, who was at the scene, suddenly choked. Anna then spoke in a low tone of voice,

“...Aiya, you already have me, not sparing even a kid this young.”

“No, definitely not! You are mistaken!”

Yohki desperately explained in a disorderly manner. Anna looked at her panic-stricken husband, giving him a smile and spoke, “It is just a joke.” Then she proceeded to turn her head around and spoke to Ai,

“Ai can’t marry Yohki, because Yohki and I are already married.”

“Yeah, speaking of which, you are right.”

“About this point, do you understand now? Don’t go spouting nonsense.”

“How about I marry Anna?”

“...I don"t have a single clue as to why you are asking me this.”

“You don’t know, Anna? There are some countries that allow same-s.e.x marriage.”

“I don’t want you to show off your knowledge...anyways, I understand. I know that you like us very much, you like us so much that you want to marry us...but the thing is—if you want to express it, there are more appropriate ways for doing so.”

Anna gulped. Unknowingly, tension was building up between the two young people.

“You, with us...how should I phrase it...?”

Speaking up to this point, Anna stopped talking, and looked at her husband who was beside her.

“—Like parents with their daughter, right?”

“Wrong.”

Ai quickly replied.

“My mother is already dead, originally I was the one who dug her grave. My mother said that my father is the Man-Eating Toy, and that someday he will come and see me.”

Ai said this while laughing, not showing even the slightest negative emotions. The two sorrowfully looked at her.

“Ai.”

Anna hugged Ai, causing her to be shocked and rooted on the spot.

“Ai, your only mother is Alfa, your father will come to find you someday...but they are not here at present, therefore for a while...just for a while, can you let me be your mother?”

Anna spoke while trembling.

“...Anna as my mother?”

Ai, seemingly shocked, repeated the words once more. “Anna okaa-san”—these words sounded very sweet, and lightly seeped into her mind.

“Anna okaa-san!”

Ai happily danced around, and threw herself at Anna. She realized something as she turned her face away.

“Then Yohki is the father?”

“Should be.”

Father! Mother!

Ai resembled a kid receiving a present right now, incessantly shouting out Anna okaa-san and Yohki otou-san.

“...Well, should we head back home? I am all hungry now.”

Following up, Ai shouted, “Hungry!” Thereupon, she clutched Anna’s hand on the right, and Yohki’s on the left. She joyfully laughed between the two of them, quickening their steps on their walk to home. A small distance away from the village, there was a small house. That was the place that the three of them were returning to.

“Correct, Ai...”

Yohki pointed at Ai’s hand and asked,

“Your shovel?”

Ai’s right hand was holding onto her mother’s hand, and left hand onto her father’s. While both of her hands were busily occupied with her significant people, she had completely forgotten about the Grave Keeper’s symbol.

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