Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi

On Monday, G.o.d created the world.

G.o.d created “nothing” in a place where even the concept of nothing did not exist.

On Tuesday, G.o.d separated the order and the chaos.

G.o.d defined freedom and liberty, thus deciding the direction the world would travel in.

On Wednesday, G.o.d sorted the order of every number.

His tedious work brought about beautiful diversity.

On Thursday, G.o.d allowed for time to flow.

Numbers grew explosively, giving birth to the first humans. [1]

On Friday, G.o.d looked at every corner of the Earth.

Over millions of years of searching, G.o.d found this world to be ideal and had come to love it.

On Sat.u.r.day, G.o.d rested.

Billions of years pa.s.sed. [2]

Then, on Sunday G.o.d abandoned the world.

Fifteen years ago, G.o.d suddenly appeared in front of humanity and told them:

“Heaven is too crowded with people and this world will come to its end very quickly. Ah, I’ve made a mistake.” [3]

G.o.d just left behind these words before vanishing into thin air.

However the humans only wanted to sing and rejoice for spring while nature around them trembled in fear. Though humans had only existed in this world for less than a million years, this was their first time meeting G.o.d, but G.o.d was certainly already saying farewell.

From that day onward, humans no longer died.

Even if their hearts stopped, and their bodies festered, the dead would continue on with their activities.

From that day onward, humans were not born.

It was as if the factory that made humans stopped production, never to make another human being.

Soon, in the time after G.o.d left the Earth, people began screaming and vomiting blood - living on the verge of death.

The number of living quickly and suddenly decreased; the whole world filled with corpses.

Eventually, the Grave Keepers appeared.

G.o.d sent the Grave Keepers to mankind as one last miracle.

Grave Keepers did not grow old and nor did they know fatigue.

G.o.d gave them perfect bodies beyond man’s wildest imaginations. He instructed them to build tombs, and bury the dead that still wandered the world, to avoid disturbing people’s everyday lives. It was only after this, that people could peacefully sleep.

“To let the living sleep – that is the job of the Grave Keepers”

Youki had already repeated this bedtime story hundreds of times and the ending went like this: “Ai, you are a Grave Keeper; you need to protect everyone so they can sleep peacefully.” Every time, they would always arrive on this line of the bed time story.

“Ai?”

But tonight they only reached this point.

The room filled with treasures.

Like Ai’s work, this room was handcrafted by the villagers. Everything in the room, including the bed, cabinets, study table, furniture embellishments and various other little things were all handcrafted. Things from a stuffed teddy bear to a new small shovel were all neatly arranged together in the room. In the center, Ai breathed happily as she slept. With a murmured “Dear me”, Youki closed the book. “Sleep well, Ai. Thank you for all your hard work today.”

Youki pulled up her blanket, patted her head and quietly left the room.

“She’s asleep?”

Asked Anna, who was washing the dishes in the kitchen. She was wearing an ap.r.o.n and had her hair tied up so it would not interfere. She also sounded unexpectedly dissonant.

That night’s dinner may have had small portions but it certainly was tasty, there were 2 meat dishes and after dinner, there was even cake for dessert.

“We only got halfway through the story before she fell asleep, it must be because she ate so much today…I am very thankful.”

Youki put his hand on his wife’s shoulder, thanking her for her hard work. From the colourful look of today’s dishes, it could easily be seen that a lot of work had been put into making them. She turned her head around and asked:

“Youki, is this really what’s best? I know it lets me be a mother…but is this really what’s best?”

“Of course it’s what’s best. Weren"t all the villagers also in favour of this?”

Youki showed a warm smile and stroked his wife’s shoulder.

“I"m grateful for you accepting the proposal. Being a mother is a problematic role."

“No way, it"s okay with me. Because I love you. To be able to have a child in these times, it truly is like a dream… I am so lucky right now that it is starting to make me afraid. However…”

Anna showed an uneasy expression.

“To both of you… does this situation count as “lucky”[4]?"

“What does that mean?”

“Lately I’ve been thinking… what would be the most "happy"[5] to you and Ai."

Anna seemed to avoiding the question[6]; she took Youki’s hand off her shoulder, walked up to the window, pulled aside the curtain and gazed out into the night sky.

“Someday, you two are going to leave this village. Holding hands, leave down all the deceit... Then, in about four or five years of life in a new place, Ai will have grown up. I"m sure that she would be beautiful. She is going to love you as well...this is naturally...the best way to happiness.”

“You’re talking about this matter again.” [7]

Youki let his wife turn her body around before kissing her.

“This route does not take into account the most important prerequisite…the one I love isn’t Ai, but you.”

“You say that now, but after a few years, who knows? Also, in the future I will just grow older[8]; on the other hand, Ai will grow more beautiful…"

“Anna.”

Youki hugged her tightly, wanting to express his views through his att.i.tude.

“Anna, trust me, no matter whether you are sick or healthy, I will always love you, respect you, and remain sincere to you.”

He said this and kissed Anna’s hand.

“…When we die, let us slept together.”

In this world where the dead remain wandering, Youki left this single vow – saying that when they die they would not remain wandering, but instead, share the same tomb.

“… Mm.”

After hearing Anna’s reply, Youki hugged her once more. It was only at this point that he felt his stiff arms and body soften.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Mm.”

While saying this, Anna lightly escaped his hug. It wasn’t the same as his normal embrace.[9] Anna casually picked up her bag, organized her things and got ready to go home.

“Do you want to go back?”

“Mm. Originally I wished to stay overnight... but, I can no longer do that anymore.”

Anna then added: “After all, you already said that you wanted me to trust you.” Weakly, she smiled. Her

smile made Youki feel a good deal of heartache, and he could not resist saying:

“…If it’s just for one night, then the villagers won’t…”

“You can’t.”

Anna immediately interrupted him.

“If you say these kind of things, how can you become a role model for everyone? I’ll be leaving now.”

Anna tightly clenched her husband’s hand, and then opened the door.

At the same time, the door to the kid’s room opened.

“…Anna… are you going back now?”

Ai rubbed her sleepy eyes while standing there.

“Ah, did we wake you up?”

While the two adults were looking at each other in confusion, Ai took advantage of the situation and ran over.

“…Anna, I don’t want you to leave...” [10]

She spoke these words like a kid, before wrapping her entire body around Anna’s stomach.

“Wait, wait a moment! Can you not put on that expression like you’re going to cry? Don’t we do this all the time already?”

“But Anna… today you are obviously someone"s mother…”

Her drowsiness and the exciting night she had made Ai scared to be alone.

With no other choice left, Youki stretched out his left hand onto Ai’s shoulder and said:

“Ai, don’t cause any trouble for Anna. Don’t you normally sleep alone?”

“But mama… you are supposed to… sleep on the same bed with your family.”

Youki took a deep sigh.

”Ai.”

When Youki becomes angry, his voice becomes coa.r.s.e, and his hand strength also becomes firmer.

“Ai, what’s wrong? You aren’t the type of child who is spoiled, right? Don’t be so stubborn.”

“Ai, return to bed!”

But, Ai just continued to ignore them and kept her head bowed without saying a word.

The amateur parents didn’t know whether it was ok to hit or shout at their child and the mother froze in shock and pain.

“Ai, it hurts! Let go, my make-up will…”

“Ai, this is going too far!”

Youki made his decision and intervened by firmly gripping Ai’s shoulder.

At that moment, Ai widened her two green eyes and glanced at the two adults.

Her eyes were filled with tears, but it look dry and pain due to hunger[11].

What kind of expression was she giving off?

Youki was startled by the wave of chills he felt. He knew something significant had just happened, but he had no clue what is it.

He had experienced this kind of situation in the past, but he had never seen Ai behave this way before. The Ai he had saw was more sensible, more free-spirited, could always understand what adults wanted, had her own opinions and wasn’t petulant. In the past she had been scolded, but had never needed to be beaten; she had been annoying, but never truly unbearable. Youki had always thought she was this kind of child.

This child was now testing his patience, acting annoying and using her whole body to express her desires.

Youki knew that he must act now. He knew that the decisions he made in the past had been acc.u.mulating to this moment and he must act right now. But, he couldn’t; all he could do was stand there motionless, clenching his fists.

After a long pause, time seemed to start moving again, though it wasn’t like thawing snow, rather it was like something rotting or disintegrating.

Ai’s entire body emitted a disheartened look and she slowly released Anna from her grasp, as the strength in her body was slowly drained away. Youki saw that the situation was already over, yet his body still refused to move.

Just as the last droplet of light fell from Ai"s moist eyes--

The air beside her started to move.

Anna gently knelt down and hugged Ai.

In the past, when she spoke, she would fear crinkling her clothes or smudging her make-up but, now, she didn"t have the slightest worry about these things, displayed by the fact that she was holding Ai in her arms.

This action was just like a real mother.

“Ai.”

Her voice was calm, making her sound like a different person.

The despair in Ai"s heart that left Youki quite, quite helpless immediately vanished without a trace amid Anna"s hugging and shouting.

“Mama can’t sleep together with you.”

Anna gently touched Ai, who frowned with dissatisfaction.

“But I will always be with you. I will always, always be your mother, okay?”

“But…”

“Good grief, you don’t believe me? You’re already this old, and you still ask me to sleep with you…”

Upon hearing this, Ai seems to be embarra.s.sed and her cheeks blushed red while she wriggled her body.

Anna urged Ai not to move as she pulled out her handkerchief and wiped the tears and mucus off Ai’s face. This action seemed to make Ai feel even more embarra.s.sed, so she took the handkerchief out of Anna’s hand and wiped her own face.

“Are you alright?”

“… I’m fine now.”

“Can you sleep by yourself now?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Ah, right, we might as well get Youki to sleep with you.”

“No! I’m fine! Good night!”

Ai said this while rushing back into her room. Anna didn’t worry as she watched her daughter leave.

“… So what is the current situation?”

Youki stretched his neck as he finally found the strength to move. Without looking at him, Anna said:

“… In other words, at that exact moment, I became her mother.”

“What do you mean?”

“You still don’t understand? You are too unreliable as a father.”

“I am truly ashamed of myself.”

“Hehehe, it doesn’t matter, one day you will also understand.”

“I hope so, ah…”

In the end, Youki couldn’t do anything—this thought made him feel so powerless and regretful.

“Don’t you know? When a family forms, the father is always the last to know. The first one to know is always the mother who is pregnant with her growing belly, and the father is always the last one to realize. That’s why this is very normal, so you don’t need to worry.”

After saying this to comfort Youki, Anna smiled and walked out of the cabin, without the slightest hint of unease or embarra.s.sment on her face.

Youki inexplicably felt that she had ditched the two of them, so he felt lonely.

He reluctantly shook his head and began to clean the gla.s.ses and bottles of wine left on the table. He realized that the gla.s.s in his hand felt a little bit heavy and after taking a closer look, it turned out that the gla.s.s still contained some leftover wine.

Youki looked at the gla.s.s and saw his own reflection; he saw his own heart and how it’s purity had been corrupted by the sins he had committed.

After a bit of hesitation, Youki drank what was left in this gla.s.s.

He then took the wine bottle, poured himself another full gla.s.s and drank it all in one mouthful.

Ai had a mother; Anna and himself had a daughter. All the villagers approved of this situation, and he was grateful for that.

But, even so, why was it that this wine tasted so sour?

Changing the cups, he drank another gla.s.s, but it still tasted foul. No, the foul taste wasn’t from the wine, but the person drinking it.

The bottle was now empty but Youki did not feel even slightly intoxicated.

He didn’t want to open another bottle, so he decided to go to sleep, pa.s.sing Ai’s room on the way to his own.

With his entire body feeling as if it was being attracted to something, he stood in front of Ai’s room, opened the door slightly and looked in to see the small Grave Keeper sleeping happily.

After seeing her like this, Youki felt a sense of relief before closing the door again.

“Ai…”

He didn’t say goodnight, but instead said:

“…I’m very sorry…”