Mushi to Medama

Chapter 19

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Night 5: Vomit

Saibara Mitsuki’s diary, 4th April, 2003

I heard writing a diary can help people to look at themselves objectively. However, I have some doubts towards that claim. That’s because my big sister said that to me, and she’s someone who’s obviously incapable of evaluating herself objectively. In fact, it must be a fake claim. But I momentarily believed big sister’s words and bought a diary, so I am an idiot.

This will probably become a diary full of self-derision, accusations, hatred, and be altogether despicable. However, I’ve decided to waste large amounts of paper, pencils, and my time, to record every day of my life until I despair at my feelings of emptiness and stop.

My personality is such that I am easily bored. Plus, every day is boring as well. I don’t think I’ll want to write for very long.

This empty world, this boring life, and this boring self.

I’d say I won’t write for more than three days.

But I also hope big sis won’t force her own hobbies onto me. I found a few years’ worth of diaries while cleaning big sis’s room, and that scared me. Their contents were pitiable and twisted, as gloomy as big sis herself.

I’m the same.

Unpleasant Counter-Current has two personalities.

The parasitism of the Greater Fragment twisted the personality of the human Saibara Mitsuki, giving birth to the personality of the angel and that of the fallen angel. As an angel, she normally loved others with a pure and innocent heart, only metamorphosing into the personification of retribution, reflecting evil back onto evil-doers if she detected malevolence. However, if Unpleasant Counter-Current, whose role was to uphold and dispense justice, started to hate, fear, and blame others – then Mitsuki’s heart would become that of the fallen angel. And in that role, she would continuously destroy everything around her, until both the malevolence that filled her and her soul were completely spent.

Terror. Hatred. Vengeance. If the world allowed the ‘angel’ of justice feel such negative emotions, then it deserved to be destroyed. This one-sided slaughter was also Unpleasant Counter-Current’s ‘role’.

However, the Bible dictates that fallen angels can never destroy G.o.d, the world, or humans.

Thus, the fallen angel would be destroyed at the end of her rampage due to her inescapable fate.

Yes – even fallen angels were only a p.a.w.ns created by the omnipotent G.o.d, who used fate to eliminate fallen angels to prove His absolutel power and justice.

She couldn’t see anything.

Her sight, hearing, and smell were all gone. She was confused. Her sense of taste and touch were also suppressed. Mitsuki’s body had lost the majority of its functions.

She didn’t know how long it has been due to her lack of sensations.

She also couldn’t tell where she was and what was being done to her.

It seemed like she was placed onto an operating table and her body was being toyed with.

The angel and the fallen angel were battling within Mitsuki’s mind.

“Crunch crunch crunch.”

Hearing? Touch? What nerves remained in her feeble body felt something and reported it to the brain.

“Crunch crunch crunch.”

This sound?

This feeling?

This incomprehensible, throbbing, painful feeling. She smiled when she saw its true face.

It was so ridiculous that she laughed out loud.

“Ha –”

She was being eaten.

“Hahaha –” She opened her eyes a crack, purely out of willpower, and saw an unknown monster eating up her feet, arms, and flesh. Those were ordinary, common monsters. She had destroyed countless monsters like this with Tatsue, Mitaka, and Mina.

Her friends… Mitsuki’s consciousness was instantly enveloped by happiness as soon as she thought of this. But she soon heard the unwanted voices of human researchers around her and stopped thinking.

“We’ve only fed ordinary Apple-Holders to monsters so far. But this is the first time we’ve experimented with the owner of a Greater Fragment –”

“I heard that a Fragment eaten by monsters will disappear? A Greater Fragment plays a role in the world. If one of them disappears, we don’t know what would happen to the world –”

“She’ll regenerate as long as we leave her sensory organ alone. Let them eat everything except the heart.”

What are they –

Saying?

What are they saying?

I don’t get it, I don’t understand. What are they talking about while watching me getting eaten up?

The future of humanity?

A dream towards eternity?

The search towards the truth?

Mitsuki shivered. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking.

Her thoughts were cut off every second, getting dimmer and dimmer.

She wanted to vomit.

Malevolence – circulated throughout her body with her blood.

“Stop…” Mitsuki begged with the last of her strength.

“Stop. Don’t – eat me, dissect me – anymore – stop.”

“She’s talking about something –”

“Ignore her.”

“We’ll discover the composition of immortality, and benefit the entire human race –”

The entire lower half of her body had already been devoured by the monsters, but these researchers didn’t even flinch.

Mitsuki felt that – just like her – other humans were perhaps also being cut open, toyed with, and killed throughout this Inst.i.tute. The malevolence of the monsters and the Apple-Holders swallowed up this profound sin and this h.e.l.l.

“You want to know the composition of immortality…” Mitsuki spoke frankly as she twitched. “… that’s impossible. Don’t make me laugh. Puny folks like you… you dare to want to defy G.o.d and obtain truth?”

The researchers panicked and leaned backwards, walking away as they pulled out handguns. They don’t want to die that much? They’re useless even while alive. They will only hate each other and harm others.

“Stop being so arrogant, you fallen humans!”

Contrary to her tone and her words, Mitsuki’s face was covered with sadness - a sliced up face where pieces of bones could be seen, bearing no resemblance to the cute girl of former days.

Mitsuki begged farewell to those she loved with the last remnant of her consciousness.

“Mi-chan, Tatsu-chan, big sis, I’m sorry. I’ve already – ”

Mitsuki’s body bounced up. The surrounding machinery gave out sparks and exploded. People screamed. The entire room shook. The monsters who had just been consuming Mitsuki froze, opening their eyes wide in fear.

“Urk, hiss hiss hiss.” Mitsuki’s body started to crack.

“Uwooooaaaahhhh!”

The mouth in her abdomen, which she tried her best to seal off – opened up, releasing an unbelievable torrent of black liquid.

That sticky black liquid – so similar to the fire and brimstone that consumed Sodom and Gomorrah – swept monsters aside and dissolved them. The researchers were also enveloped and annihilated despite their cries.

Mitsuki stretched out her hand, wanting to stop that flood of malevolence, but even her form was soon swallowed up by the darkness, never to be seen again.

“What –”

Sakaki Ganhō stared wide-eyed at the darkening screens, which were blinking with a purple light. It had been so quick. While he was thinking, screams had come from the room experimenting on Saibara Mitsuki, right before some black substance erupted –

“Lab, lab number one! Report your status!” He kept calling into the phone next to him, but there was no reply.

Had Mitsuki’s rampage destroyed the room? No, even an immortal could not defeat armed researchers, not when she had been dissected and had lost large amounts of her body.

Moreover, it wasn’t only that laboratory experiencing abnormalities.

Lab number one – which had experimented on the Greater Fragment Unpleasant Counter-Current – was only the epicentre. The rooms next to it had been consumed within seconds, and the rooms next to those a few seconds later. They were enveloped with darkness one after the other, with the monitors showing no more images. Some kind of black liquid had swelled up like a corrupted wave and destroyed everything within.

Ganhō finally remembered what Melodia NoiseTear Song, who didn’t usually show up, had said to him. That existence with an unknown gender, who told Ganhō about the existence of Apples and Kobitos, said this with a very sad voice.

– I told you to kill Unpleasant Counter-Current, but you seem to have made her an experimental subject.

– Ignorant fool. You don’t know the true terror of Unpleasant Counter-Current.

– Get Berobōchō to finish her off before it’s too late.

– Is that so? What a pity. Then do as you please – Ganhō.

– I’m going to run away before Unpleasant Counter-Current unveils her true powers. So scary, so scary…

“Hmph, how can this be? How can something like this happen? Hey, command central? Immediately use Berobōchō and Dullahan to sort out the situation. Lab number one on the bottommost level! Quickly!”

The ‘role’ of Unpleasant Counter-Current was that of the Angel of Judgement, an existence that dealt out punishment for human sins based on the degree of evil.

He had certainly heard of this theory. However, this was not the conclusion he had reached after capturing her and experimenting on her. Ganhō did not believe she was a supernatural existence like G.o.d - rather, that she was merely an existence with some special abilities, an existence that he could use, study, control.

But what Ganhō was seeing with his own eyes now was indeed something supernatural - the ultimate end of fools in legends who were punished by divine retribution.

Everything was torn down, destroyed, and annihilated. Ganhō’s ambition – this Inst.i.tute set up to discover eternal happiness – was being gradually destroyed.

“Hmph!”

Ganhō shook his fist at the screen in anger. A terrible feeling encroached upon his heart, and he turned away.

That black substance would invade into this room soon. It was too dangerous to stay. But even if the Inst.i.tute were completely destroyed, he could always find somewhere else to start anew as long as he was alive.

Thus, he must run away.

His research so far had not been enough to a.n.a.lyze the Seven Kobitos. He had been too eager, too rash. He"d never thought it would come to such a nightmarish result. Melodia NoiseTear Song was right, I am a fool. However, a great human in the past left these words of wisdom – Failure is the Mother of Success. I will prepare again, start my research again. Then, then –

“Father, where are you going?”

Tatsue, lying on the ground, said this calmly. Her expression was cold and arrogant, betraying no fear towards the destruction shown in the monitors.

“It’s rare that G.o.d had prepared an appropriate retribution for you. I think you shouldn’t run away, but bear it.”

Her careless expression and voice enraged Ganhō. He walked up to her and kicked her in the ribs.

Tatsue whimpered and closed her eyes in pain.

“It’s just a small setback!” As if trying to convince himself, Ganhō covered his face with his hands.

“Eternal happiness – surpa.s.sing death, controlling fate, reaching the truth. That is the true salvation of humankind. How can it possibly stop here? I must again…”

Remaining on the ground, Tatsue opened her eyes and looked at her father with a sense of challenge. “Saving humans? Don’t make me laugh.”

And yet, she laughed.

“You’re mercilessly ignoring the agony of the people in front of you, sacrificing them for your pointless goals – someone like you would save humans? How unbearably ridiculous.”

“Don’t just say pretty words, Tatsue!” Ganhō swore in a low voice and stomped on Tatsue’s head.

“That’s how humans have always evolved. We conducted innumerable animal experiments in order to eradicate evil diseases. We herded animals to have a healthier life and better nutrition. Are you so stupid that you would not eat pork out of pity for the pigs, and so starve yourself to death? I’m not like that. I’m willing to eat animals, plants, or even humans, in order to keep living!”

Seeing Ganhō roaring like this, Tatsue looked sad.

“I see. So that’s humanity.” She would not be silent no matter how he stomped on her. This made Ganhō even more angry. “If humanity truly bears such great sin, then perhaps it should be annihilated here.”

She murmured in despair. Ganhō kicked her forcefully one last time: “I won’t be annihilated! I won’t die! I am –”

Ganhō ran away, running away from his fear of death. He was the CEO of the Sakaki Organization, who should have obtained all the happiness in the world from the moment of his birth. However, he was struggling and trying to escape fate like countless people who had gained nothing in their lives and died in despair, yelling that they don’t want to die.

Left behind by such a man, Tatsue steadfastly called out to the image of encroaching destruction despite how weak she was from the pain of Ganhō’s kicks: “Ki-chan! Please hold on just a little longer.”

Her sad words contained a blossoming love.

“Our friends will soon save –”

But Tatsue’s head fell and she lost consciousness. On the monitors, the inky black scene that rampaged throughout the Inst.i.tute spread further outwards each second.

"Woah, looks like we are too late?"

"Zeki-kun! Over there, there"s a car driving away!"

A tall male was running with incredible speed, making him almost invisible to the human eye. No - to be exact, he was not running as a normal human would, not with legs and moving arms.

"Clang clang clang clang."

Wheels.

There were wheels like those of a car growing out from the soles of his feet. The wheels rolled rapidly, thrusting him forward with an astonishing speed.

The girl without arms said out loud on top of Zekiguchi Nashinori"s shoulders, who galloped along the earth without moving.

Zekiguchi muttered in surprise after hearing her words.

"You can still see at this speed? Ume-chan, where?"

Zakiguchi"s lupine eyes rolled inward and instantly formed more intricate and bigger eyeb.a.l.l.s, making his sight sharper. He smiled after having confirmed the ident.i.ty of the man nervously driving a car in the direction the girl - Long-Armed Demon - was looking at.

He had neat clothing, hair brushed backwards on his head, and a dominating gaze in his eyes that looked down on everybody.

"Oh, Ume-chan, bingo. Isn"t that young Ganhō?"

Zekiguchi hissed his laughter and changed direction, pa.s.sing through an empty factory in the dry outside air. The speed of the car was so fast that the body of the car and the tires whined in complaint, but Zekiguchi was faster.

He changed direction as he turned and jumped into the air with incredible speed, commanding loudly from right above the car of Sakaki Ganhō: "Destroy it!"

"Mmm!" Long-Armed Demon answered and screamed as she used her revived powers: "Ahhhhh!"

Two unbelievable indents suddenly appeared on the sides of the car, as if an invisible giant flattened and twisted the car with two hands.

The car turned over exaggeratedly with a blast of noise.

After the car landed, Long-Armed Demon smiled on top of Zekiguchi"s shoulders, who had removed his wheels and stood casually on the ground.

"How is it – aren"t Long-Armed Demon"s arms very strong?"

"Mmm. Well done, well done."

Zekiguchi patted her head in praise as he watched Ganhō, who was climbing out of the wrecked car with difficulty.

Ganhō saw these two abnormalities and screamed at the top of his lungs: "Long, Long-Armed Demon - and Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest?"

Zakiguchi maintained a smile on his face as he watched Ganhō and asked evenly: "Ohoho, little Ganhō, is that crybaby around somewhere?"

Although he thought someone as shy and timid as her wouldn"t stay around, Zekiguchi still asked Ganhō this question. As he expected, Ganhō kept muttering "I don"t know" as if in a trance.

The ground continued to shake. This was no earthquake, but the Eternity Inst.i.tute below ground suffering from a metamorphosis of the worst kind.

"Sorry, Ume-chan, I need to deal with little Ganhō. You go on ahead and save Yono - that"s Gankyū Eguriko. If you can, finish off Unpleasant Counter-Current and end the entire incident. The entrance of the Inst.i.tute is the factory with the words "BABEL" over its door."

"Mm-hm." Long-Armed Demon jumped down. She looked at Zekiguchi after landing lightly on the ground.

"Zeki-kun, Long-Armed Demon will try her best, so don"t discard me, ok? Don"t leave me alone, ok? Long-Armed Demon won"t leave Zeki-kun again."

Hearing her agitated voice, Zekiguchi nodded with a smile and watched her leave. Then he immediately moved his eyes back onto Ganhō and his expression hardened.

"Alright, little Ganhō, you really made a huge mess for me. What should I say - I shouldn"t have allowed Melodia NoiseTear Song to establish the Eternity Inst.i.tute as her hobby from the start... Seriously, although you are my good friends in terms of effectively helping me gather Apples, you are no longer necessary since you are now hindering me from my goals, right?"

As Zekiguchi said this and walked towards Ganhō, who was lying on the ground, the latter put on a desperate expression.

"Wait, wait! At least spare my life! What do you want to know? What do you want to obtain? I am Sakaki Ganhō. No matter what you may want, I can -"

"What do I want?" Zekiguchi laughed and hugged himself like an actor on the stage. "What I want is a tale in which the jealous queen manages to defeat Snow White. Can someone like you give me a story that overturns good and evil, and twist the commands of G.o.d?"

"Wait -"

Perhaps noticing that Zekiguchi"s att.i.tude has changed, Ganhō yelled out loud, trying to stop the other. Zekiguchi paid no attention and his face was impa.s.sive, while his body shook once.

"You allowed Sterilization Disinfection to escape because you missed the chance to destroy the temporary sensory organ she built in his head."

From Zekiguchi"s feet, arms, head, shoulders, abdomen... All over his body...

Countless needles stretched out.

These innumerable sharp needles from Zekiguchi"s body pierced every millimeter of Sakaki Ganhō"s flesh, ripping it apart. Blood flew everywhere. The needles penetrated the heart, the sensory organ where the Fragment resided, and pulled it out.

"Aaaaaa..."

What was Ganhō thinking in his last moments? - His hand remained stretched towards the sky, his eyes gazed upwards towards the heavens, and he drew his last breath.

"Mmm, being pierced with so many needles, of course you"re going to die."

Zekiguchi said with a soft voice. He felt all over Ganhō"s corpse and smiled when he confirmed the lack of life there.

"Excellent, little Ganhō. Dying here is a rather happy ending, isn"t it?"

"Hehe." The devil named Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest smiled.

Awesome.

Long-Armed Demon was once again excited at her own supernatural power.

"Bend!" The tough steel bars were bent.

"Fly!" The machines blocking her way were blown away.

"Break!" With Long-Armed Demon"s command, the solid wall shattered and scattered as if it was merely a sand castle.

"Ohoho, hehehehe."

Long-Armed Demon had just kept running since she invaded the s.p.a.cious underground Inst.i.tute through the factory Zekiguchi told her about. Nothing could stop her. Whether walls, floors, ceilings, unknown machines or scaffolds, Long-Armed Demons could completely shatter them just by stretching out her invisible arms.

She couldn"t even use chopsticks after she lost her ability. After having lived powerlessly as Aizawa Ume for a few months, Long-Armed Demon realized just how convenient and how powerful her invisible arms were.

She casually destroyed everything around her and laughed in happiness.

"Ahahaha! How is it - Long-Armed Demon"s two arms are very very long! They are also very powerful! They won"t lose to anyone!"

Long-Armed Demon yelled and rushed down the stairs joyously. Zekiguchi"s orders were to save Gankyū Eguriko and finish off the existence named Unpleasant Counter-Current.

She didn"t know what Unpleasant Counter-Current looked like, and she ran along the Inst.i.tute looking for anyone who might give her more details.

Strange tremors kept coming through the surrounding walls and the floor, making it hard to run. Zekiguchi did say something about counter currents, but Long-Armed Demon didn"t understand that. Just what exactly happened in this Inst.i.tute place?

She heard human screams when she descended onto the lowest floor.

It was completely dark, and there were unsettlingly tragic screams. Long-Armed Demon knotted her brows and carefully approached the direction from where the sounds came.

This place seemed to be a dim prison. There were prison cells with iron bars along the corridor, from which a heavy stench of mold and decay emanated.

Humans, their eyes full of fear, were packed into these cells like lab animals.

Seeing a small girl approach them, these people showed a confused expression at first. However, they immediately moved closer to her and yelled while holding onto the iron bars: "You, you! Help - help us get out of here!"

"Help us escape!"

"It"s so scary! So scary! I"m so scared!"

Long-Armed Demon was a little frightened by these animalistic cries and took a few steps backwards, but she did give this some serious thought.

Zekiguchi said to kill everyone involved with the Inst.i.tute, but these people look like they were victims taken in here. It should be fine to let them escape.

"I get it. You guys back off a little bit! It"s dangerous!"

Long-Armed Demon shouted with a serious expression, and the people backed off.

Having made sure everyone had backed away, Long-Armed Demon released countless "arms" with a powerful yell.

"Woah!"

Those iron bars, which would not even bend under the strength of the strongest human wrists, were instantly twisted apart as if they were no tougher than cooked noodles.

"You"re awesome!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

The imprisoned people thanked her one after the other and ran away. Some of them even had tears in their eyes.

Just what had they been subjected to down here? Long-Armed Demon pondered this as she replied to their happy expressions with her own soft smile.

Compared to torturing, hurting, or killing others -

It felt better to make someone smile out of happiness.

"What a surprise."

There was suddenly a low voice.

“I am surprised at your appearance, but I am most surprised at you saving humans.”

“Who’s there?”

Long-Armed Demon turned towards where the sound was coming from, but she couldn’t see very well due to the darkness.

She walked carefully deeper into the corridor, and didn’t forget to bend the iron bar with her ‘arms’ to help people imprisoned inside.

At the end of the foul-smelling prison – within a particularly strong cell –

“Ahh –”

Long-Armed Demon unconsciously shut her right eye. The eyeball there was gorged out by the person sitting in front of her.

Long-Armed Demon can’t forget that.

The pain… and the terror.

“Gankyū – Eguriko-san.” That person showed a disgusted face when Long-Armed Demon called her name.

“Just Guriko is fine.”

She had an unique wolf-like hair cut and eyes as deep as gun barrels. She had also somehow lost both her arms just like Long-Armed Demon – she was Gankyū Eguriko, an opponent who had once humiliated Long-Armed Demon and defeated her.

“It’s been a long while, Long-Armed Demon.”

“Mmm –”

Long-Armed Demon nodded and bent the iron bars of the other’s prison while keeping up her guard.

Guriko seemed somewhat surprised. Despite not having her arms, she got up lithely and walked towards Long-Armed Demon.

“Why are you saving me?”

Long-Armed Demon turned her face away at the question: “Zeki-kun said – he said he will be troubled if Guriko-san dies… Long-Armed Demon doesn’t like you anyways. Long-Armed Demon would be happier if you die.”

“Zekiguchi… Nashinori?”

Guriko p.r.o.nounced this name as if she was thinking about something, but her face instantly returned to its former seriousness and she began to walk along the corridor.

“Never mind. I don’t know why you are here but – it’s time to run away, Long-Armed Demon.”

“Run away?”

Guriko anxiously looked at Long-Armed Demon when she heard the latter’s surprised tone.

“Can’t you feel this? Can’t you feel the vibrations and the vengeance that’s driving us to do evil? This aura? This scent? I can’t explain it, but it’s bad, and this place is very dangerous. You helped me a lot in getting me out. All in all…” Guriko said all this in one breath, and suddenly lifted her head.

“What?”

There was a strange sound. The sound of things grinding against each other, or nails scratching away at something. Long-Armed Demon noticed it too. Her expression changed, and she stared at the ceiling. At the same time as the drilling, shattering, and shrill sounds were coming through, a disturbing laughter could also be heard.

“Bam, scratch scratch, squeak squeak squeak.”

“What is this?”

Guriko was appalled and ran towards the entrance. Long-Armed Demon hurried to follow her.

“What’s wrong, Guriko-san? You know that laugh?”

“Yes, a despicable monster.

Then she p.r.o.nounced a name that surprised Long-Armed Demon.

“Its name seems to be… something like ‘Berobōchō’.”

Berobōchō? That Berobōchō?

As Long-Armed Demon widened her eyes, the silver alien form went through the ceiling and showed himself.

The scene in front of him made it impossible for him to believe this to be reality.

The intermittent earthquake, the people with terror and confusion on their faces, the countless monsters in a riot, and the SWAT teams wearing riot gear and spreading out everywhere.

This industrial area in the middle of the mountainside, devoid of uniqueness or liveliness – it was still ordinary when Takamikado Mitaka returned to his original ‘snake’ form and escaped through the bars to seek help.

That was only some minutes ago, no longer than an hour. That was enough for the world to be stained by h.e.l.l.

“Oi – Snake.”

A remarkably striking man with blond hair and blue eyes stood amidst this place dominated by madness. Sakaki Guryū turned with shock to look at Mitaka, who had already reverted to his human form.

“Guriko and Tatsue are really in there?”

Mitaka, who sought help from the outside after Mitsuki’s urging, chose this man out of desperation.

As an Apple-Holder, this man should be immortal, and therefore more useful than an average human. He was also the next CEO of the Sakaki Organization. Even if he proves to be useless on the field, he would be able to summon up the army or SWAT team just for being a Sakaki. In fact, Sakaki’s involvement alone had rapidly mobilized numerous soldiers.

Half a year ago, Mitaka had targeted the Apple belonging to Usagawa Rinne, the girl whom Sakaki loves. He had heard of this man’s experiences, situation, and abilities. Sakaki was perhaps not enough to be the opponent of an unknown monster, but Mitaka believed Sakaki was definitely the best of humans when it comes to abilities.

Of course, Sakaki did not believe Mitaka at first. He would not respond no matter how the latter begged him. However, when Mitaka bit himself with his own sharp fangs, cried and begged and told Sakaki that he was willing to do anything to repay this favor, Sakaki finally made a move. He and Guriko had both changed – Mitaka murmured to himself in reminiscence.

Changed? I don’t know about that.

That’s not important. Now I just want to save my hard-earned friends. Eternal life means nothing to me. I have already found a happiness that is incomparable even with immortality.

– Tatsue.

As he remembered her face, he could not remain calm any longer.

But –

“Ohohoho, what a ruckus.”

Another man, who was being propped up by Mitaka, spoke those incongruous words carelessly. Contrary to his tone, he had a serious look, but that could not be ascertained due to the long fringe covering his eyes.

He said his name was Nageki Kurukiyo.

He appeared to be a detective despite his appearance. He was also wounded, and even moving took a great effort.

The three of them met each other close by. Once he knew they were headed to the same place, this man demanded to accompany them. Mitaka couldn’t remember the exact route due to his hasty escape, but Nageki somehow knew this place and they finally arrived here under his guidance.

He was a great help based on this, but it was not the time to relax – how did Nageki know where the Inst.i.tute was?

“The entrance of the underground Inst.i.tute is that factory with words on it.”

Mitaka dragged Nageki and moved towards the factory as quickly as he could.

“I must save Tatsue and everyone else, so that’s why I am going. What about you guys?”

“Of course I’m going.”

“Alright alright, I’m going too.”

Sakaki replied firmly, while Nageki lifted up his hand and chimed in. Mitaka looked at them doubtfully as he ran, and spoke while furrowing his brows: “Do you really understand what’s going on? An unimaginably twisted world should have covered the entire underground facility by now. You can’t just step in there carelessly due to curiosity or interest.”

Sakaki ignored him and moved quickly forward, while Nageki also ran forward while leaning on Mitaka’s shoulder and smiling.

“Hehe, it seems our positions are different, but we have very similar goals. If I were to turn back here due to fear, then I wouldn’t have even come here in the first place. I don’t think stopping us now would work. You are a very considerate young man.”

“I’m older than you.”

Mitaka replied with a slightly twisted expression and kept dragging Nageki forward. Mitaka was much shorter than Nageki, and dragging him like this was starting to tire Mitaka out. But this wasn’t the time to care about this. They needed as much manpower on their side as possible.

Mitaka wanted to save Tatsue and everyone else. Sakaki also wanted to save them, but he also seemed to want to investigate within this Inst.i.tute to find something about the secret of the Meat Dolls. As for Nageki’s goal, it appeared simply to be the destruction of the Inst.i.tute. He also mentioned he wanted to look for a girl who had gone missing.

Everything was tangled together in complicated ways, making it impossible to be understood.

So Mitaka decided not to think about this anymore.

Now he must be focused in achieving his goal.

I don’t know what three lone weak humans can do together, but I can’t leave behind my important friends.

I can’t leave behind Mitsuki, who was crying alone in her dark cell; Tatsue, the first person to give me hug; Mina, the person who listened to my uncertainties.

I won’t live as the remnant of the house of Snakes that betrayed G.o.d and tricked humans eons ago.

Nor will I live as the human Takamikado Mitaka, who held a twisted love towards Tatsue.

I will live and act as myself.

“Half a year ago, Gankyū Eguriko asked me what my goal was. I couldn’t answer that then, but I can answer it now!”

Following behind Sakaki, who kicked down the door of the factory, Mitaka ran alongside Nageki. A few monsters were uncontrollably destroying everything within the building, making it impossible to go near the entrance leading underground.

“This is – my answer!”

Mitaka’s actions spoke louder than words. He did not stop even for a second and kept running as if he was whipping this appallingly weak human body to its limit.

There were suddenly crisp gunshot sounds.

One was from Sakaki, who was running ahead of them. The other was from Nageki, who was beside Mitaka.

Blood spurted out in beautiful patterns from the bodies of the monster. They fell to the ground in agony and roared, but the two men quickly riddled every monster that approached them with bullets.

The incredible detective smiled as he looked at Sakaki with a joyous expression: “Ohoho, this is the first time I’ve seen an ordinary person with such a good aim.”

Sakaki frowned out of distaste and looked away: “And this is the first time I’ve seen a detective wielding duel pistols.”

They soon arrived at the stairs, but Mitaka was strangely feeling very tired.

– Mom. Mom, who is it? Is it a visitor?

– Ume-chan, don’t come out! Quickly, run….

– Why, Mom?

– Ume-chan, run!

– Why… why is there a knife coming out of Dad’s mouth?

“What-a-beautiful-night-“

Aizawa Ume – Long-Armed Demon – sang an incongruously lively song in this dark place with innumerable prison cells as if grasping onto a fleeing hope.

Her expression was empty and her body shook, with her singing voice reverberating with some strange emotion.

Her song reverberated against the walls and the ground, falling upon the silver monster – the incredulous existence that Melodia NoiseTear Song called ‘Berobōchō’ – who spun down from above.

In its metallic, mineral-like body, only its long, drooping tongue was organic. And as if maddened with delight, it sc.r.a.ped its knives together and sang after Ume’s voice.

“The-Moon-is-beautiful-“ Hearing that abnormal sound, Long-Armed Demon’s face fell.

“Humans-are-annoying-”

Ume closed her eyes and bit her lips, as if she was enduring something. Then she looked at Guriko, who was standing on the spot, and asked with a timid expression: “Guriko-san, what did you say this thing was – called?”

“What? Oh, I’m not very clear on the details!”

Guriko made a half-hearted reply as she thought about how to escape from this crisis without having either of her arms.

“Its name should be Berobōchō. He was a human, and was modified by someone called Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest. That’s what the person calling herself Melodia NoiseTear Song said.”

“Berobōchō – Ultimate ShieldThe Weakest, modified?” Long-Armed Demon’s face fell with an agonized expression and she looked down on her feet, muttering to herself.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong – Zeki-kun, Long-Armed Demon doesn’t understand!”

“Uwahhhh!”

Berobōchō was not kind enough to allow her to maintain her confusion. It rushed towards them with a roar and lifted its blade-like right arm – and it swung down towards Long-Armed Demon without hesitation.

“Ahh –” Long-Armed Demon opened her eyes wide and jumped aside quickly. Her eyes were two b.a.l.l.s of flame.

“You, you!”

Berobōchō’s face was smashed with a powerful force, and its great body shook. That ability which gave Guriko so much trouble – that invisible arm akin to a psychic power – seemed still to be around.

However –

“Shing shing shing.”

It was completely useless? Instead, Berobōchō made a delighted sound and stood its ground again. Its head, reflecting a dull light, was not even dented.

Long-Armed Demon could only jump around with her legs. She stared angrily at the silver monster and moaned in a low voice.

“I remember this feeling. I dream of it – every night. I can’t forget it, how can I forget it. You destroyed everything in my life! You destroyed my life, destroyed Aizawa Ume, made me into a demon. You are the one who made me into Long-Armed Demon…”

Long-Armed Demon screamed in anguish and got up, and she kept releasing her ‘arms’.

“So you’re still alive, Berobōchō! But I dismembered you! You are the robber who killed my parents and cut off my arm. How bold! Berobōchō, that’s how the magazines called you, no? You are the robber who stabbed knives into the back of the victim’s head so it would come out of their mouths; that’s how you killed, Shigue Benimaru!”

She roared like an animal and attacked Berobōchō with the fury of an a.s.sault rifle.

“Fine! Come at me! My nightmare, my nemesis, my sworn enemy! I will send you to h.e.l.l no matter how many times you come to me, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d robberrrrrrrrrrrr!”

Her power exploded with a bam and Berobōchō’s body tilted under the shockwaves.

However.

“Clang, shing!”

That was only momentary. Berobōchō immediately broke through Long-Armed Demon’s disorganized attacking arms and walked straight towards her.

“No way – it didn’t work?”

Long-Armed Demon opened her eyes wide and her face became serious. How can this be…? Guriko also wondered. Long-Armed Demon’s attack was enough to smash tombstones and dismember human bodies, and its power can be compared to a cannon. This thing took a few hits straight to the face and didn’t even receive a wound, let alone falling down. This monster – was the strongest Guriko had ever seen in terms of defensive abilities.

Guriko didn’t know the relationship between Long-Armed Demon and the monster.

All she knew was that Berobōchō was attracted towards attacking Long-Armed Demon like a bee drawn to flowers. It moved over, moved closer to her – and made that alien pose Guriko saw before in the factory, putting both its arms above its head.

“Long-Armed Demon, run!”

Before Long-Armed Demon, who was staring at it in shock, Berobōchō turned into a silver spintop. Obeying centrifugal force, it twirled all its limbs – those sharp knives – horizontally. Anyone would be killed instantly if they were caught in there.

Long-Armed Demon hit the ground with her ‘arms’ at the last minute and jumped upwards. She then stepped powerfully against the ceiling and jumped out at an angle, landing behind Berobōchō and escaped.

“Ha, ha – ha.”

Long-Armed Demon’s breathing was getting faster and faster and tears were even swelling out of her eyes, whether because of terror or tiredness. She definitely didn’t have enough experience with battles, and she didn’t seem to know how to deal with an enemy her ‘arms’ could not handle.

Guriko and the Long-Armed Demon stood with Berobōchō between them.

But this monster completely ignored Guriko and only attacked Long-Armed Demon. Was there really something between them that Guriko didn’t know about?

“You… why, why… why won’t you die?”

Berobōchō was pushed down by the invisible fists together with some weak banging sounds. A small distance away, Guriko said towards Long-Armed Demon, who was fighting in the same way over and over: “Long-Armed Demon! Aim at the tongue! Berobōchō’s entire body is hard as armor, and the only part made of flesh and blood is the tongue!”

Long-Armed Demon’s expression became hopeful again after hearing Guriko’s suggestion, and she smiled cutely.

“Hehe, Guriko-san is as cunning as ever!”

“Shut it.” Guriko didn’t like the other’s bluntness and frowned.

“That aside, hurry up and finish it off! I’ve got a bad feeling about this. I want to escape from here for no reason.”

“Mmm –” Long-Armed Demon took a deep breath and looked at Berobōchō with determined eyes. The silver monster, appearing like the personification of knives, rushed towards her fearlessly like a beast!”

“Hya!”

Long-Armed Demon put all her power into her ‘arms’ and locked her target as Berobōchō’s tongue, the only organ it has exposed.

Instantly.

Berobōchō’s two arms crossed over each other.

It detected Long-Armed Demon’s target was its tongue, so it moved to defend itself? Though it was. .h.i.t right on its face with the invisible fists, Berobōchō didn’t seem to care. It laughed as it cut a X-shaped pattern in the air.

What did that mean?

It was as if Long-Armed Demon’s untouchable and invisible arms were cut.

“Huh, no!”

Long-Armed Demon’s entire body bend backwards and screamed painfully. She then stared at Berobōchō, who was walking closer to her, with an agonizing expression.

“No, no way… Long-Armed Demon’s two arms – the crystallizations of energy – were all cut up.”

“Long-Armed Demon!”

Guriko yelled and rushed forward. She jumped up and landed a flying kick on Berobōchō’s back. She already knew Berobōchō only has blades on its arms and legs based on their previous encounters.

Berobōchō lifted up its leg and waved its arms about in an annoyed manner to keep Guriko occupied.

So its target was Long-Armed Demon after all?

For just a moment, Guriko thought she should just leave the girl behind as bait and run away, but she shook her head and got rid of that thought. She saved me. It would be cold to leave her here and run away.

Guriko laughed at herself.

– Look at me, talking about reverting back to a monster.

I can’t even be completely merciless and cold. How am I like a monster at all?

I can’t maintain my position as a human, not can I return to being a monster – Guriko smiled and took hold of the spoon in the chest pocket of her shirt with her mouth, then blew it out.

“Clang.”

As she expected, this strike bounded off Berobōchō’s hard skin and landed on the ground. However brief it was, that did manage to divert its attention. Guriko called out to Long-Armed Demon during that time.

“Long-Armed Demon – listen, I have a plan.”

“What? Huh, yep!”

It seemed the rumor about Berobōchō having being a human was real. Long-Armed Demon appeared to know it.

That’s got nothing to do with me. But the question is – even though Berobōchō had almost lost all its ability to talk, it could still understand our speech.

Just then, Berobōchō defended when it heard me say ‘aim for the tongue’. So what should I do? That’s easy. I’ll have to use a roundabout way, make it so the opponent won’t understand our goal even if he can hear us.

It would be a gamble to see whether Long-Armed Demon can understand my words – but I see no other options.

“Long-Armed Demon, Berobōchō’s defences are too powerful! You can’t defeat it with your attacks!”

“Mmm – I hate to admit it, but it seems to be the case… And?”

Long-Armed Demon kept punching at Berobōchō from a distance using her ‘arm’s, while genuinely listening to Guriko’s words. She seemed to have an honest, straightforward personality. Did she forget that her eyeb.a.l.l.s were gorged out by this woman a few months ago?

This kind of honest personality can be fatal on the battlefield, where each party seeks to kill each other. However, Guriko didn’t dislike this version of her.

She called out to Long-Armed Demon, her face full of seriousness.

“There was a story like this in Greek mythology.”

All her opponents, starting from Snake and Sterilization Disinfection, loved to talk about myths. This made Guriko think there might be some hints into the situation in myths and spent a long time in the library, devoting herself to reading books concerning mythology. This was one of the topics that somewhat interested her.

“Herakles, who was told to perform twelve great labors, had to fight the Nemean Lion as his first trial. The Nemean Lion had a hide that cannot be scratched by any sword or spear, and claws that could tear everything apart.”

Guriko evenly laid out the outline of the story. Herakle’s Eleventh Labor was to fetch the Golden Apples and even though she thought this may be connected to the Apples of Eden, she could get nothing out of it after reading the story thoroughly. The story of the Nemean Lion was something she read about while looking up the Golden Apples.

“The king ordered Herakles to skin the hide from that lion and bring it back. Herakles discovered he could strangle the lion instead of using any weapon to wound it. So he held the lion and strangled it. However, he was troubled with skinning the Lion, since the hide was too tough to be torn off.”

Does she get tired from keep using her ‘arms’? Long-Armed Demon started sweating and her breathing became faster, and her expression became strained. Guriko prayed she could understand the story and continued: “What do you think Herakles did?”

Berobōchō’s right arm hammered into the wall close to Long-Armed Demon. It was getting harder and harder for Long-Armed Demon to block her enemy’s attacks –

“He suddenly had an idea and tried to use the teeth of the lion, which could tear anything apart, to damage the hide. At the end, despite being very time consuming, he finally removed the hide… Did you get that?”

Seeing Long-Armed Demon had a puzzled expression, Guriko yelled out of worry: “Ahhh, lemme try again! Do you know how to polish a diamond? The hardest mineral in the world?”

“Mmm, hah, I know this one! I saw this on TV in Kurukiyo’s house. It’s that, you get a bunch of smaller diamonds, and you polish and grind them together like a file – Ahh!”

Long-Armed Demon finally realized what Guriko was trying to say and stared with round open eyes. Guriko smiled as she saw the other’s hopeful eyes.

“Now, do you get it?”

“OK.” Long-Armed Demon replied with a slight smile: “Come on. That was all? Easy.”

“Hwahhhh!”

Berobōchō made an ominous noise as if having detected something strange. Its two arms swung towards Long-Armed Demon and grabbed her invisible fingers. However, its arm strength was not enough to fling away those arms that could unearth and throw out gravestones.

“And now – Hehehehe!”

Long-Armed Demon laughed evilly.

At the same time, a cruel and unbearable scene began to unfold. Berobōchō’s two arms, which were knives on their own, began to be pulled towards its own neck by those invisible arms.

“Creak creak!”

“Eeee – eeeeeaaaaa?”

A piercing and heavy sound of grinding echoed throughout the area like the sound of some giant machine being operated.

Berobōchō’s two arms were grinding back and forth in order to severe its own neck.

Since they should have the same hardness, the arms should be able to cut open the neck when grinding against it with a high frequency.

If they can cut it open, then they can cut it off. If its neck can be cut off – then it can be killed.

“Eeee, eeeeerr, aaaa.” Its neck was instantly cut open by the two rapidly cutting knives approaching from both sides. And then – Berobōchō’s head bounced off like a toy.

“Woah – ahahahaha!”

Long-Armed Demon roared with laughter like the Devil himself. She stared at Berobōchō’s headless corpse, which was spurting blood and slowly falling to the ground. A plain human body seemed to be encased under that armor-like tough skin.

“How was that? Even a robber is only a human! How can you win against a demon! Ahaha, hahahaha!”

As if she was discarding something important to her, Long-Armed Demon had an expression that said she had let everything go. She looked just like Guriko a few months ago, when she swore to revert to being a monster. She can never go back to normality, Guriko thought this as she looked at the bloodstained Long-Armed Demon.

“Hehe.” Long-Armed Demon laughed and ran merrily towards Guriko, as if she was a child showing off her good grades to her parents.

“How did I do? Was Long-Armed Demon good! Guriko-san gave me the best suggestion!”

“Wait! Wait, wait! Don’t jump on me! I don’t have arms – I can’t catch…”

“Bang.” The two girls without arms happily rammed their heads together.

Dullahan.

It was not Long-Armed Demon and Guriko, who were fighting for their lives, that stopped the Eternity Inst.i.tute from disintegrating when it approached destruction, no, bordered annihilation from Unpleasant Counter-Current going out of control – nor was it Sakaki and his friends invading the building, nor was it Ganhō who was busily escaping, nor was it the powerless researchers.

Dullahan.

It had no consciousness, no emotions, and only acted mechanically according to the orders given to it. This strange monster could be called the grandest masterpiece amongst the achievements of the Eternity Inst.i.tute.

Either fortunately or unfortunately, not even one of those researchers who would have praised Dullahan’s wondrous reaction were left.

An existence consisting of only a head was looking at that monster, which was crowned with the name of the headless knight in Celtic mythology, with a gaze full of disgust and shame.

“What bad taste.”

The lowest level of the Eternity Inst.i.tute was separated into four sections.

The north side had a row of laboratories, numbered one through eight. Laboratory number one was all but destroyed due to the black corrosive torrents that Mitsuki gorged out.

The eastern side were prison cells.

The western side contained elevators and stairs, and other public facilities.

The south side had a small room that allowed one to review the entire Inst.i.tute.

That was the room covered with monitors where Ganhō and Tatsue had their conversation. Ganhō had already run away, leaving only Tatsue lying unconscious on the ground.

A gla.s.s container with Mina’s head inside was placed near the entrance of the room, close to the open door. Mina looked worriedly at Tatsue, who had fainted on the ground. But she could not move, and therefore could not save Tatsue.

Mina had been shut up inside the gla.s.s container ever since her arrival and was carried about by Ganhō.

She therefore obtained a lot of information concerning the Inst.i.tute from Ganhō.

He seemed to want information regarding the Fragments or the Kobito from Mina, but either fortunately or unfortunately, he left Mina behind and ran away as soon as the emergency was declared.

Emergency.

Mitsuki turned into a Fallen Angel, and lost control of the Unpleasant Counter-Current.

This was Mina’s greatest fear.

The being that told Mina this information – G.o.d Mushi Emperor – said that as the Fallen Angel, Unpleasant Counter-Current would ultimately exhaust the power of her Fragment and die from energy depletion.

Mitsuki will deplete the power of her soul – her Fragment – to release this black corrosive torrent that can dissolve and consume all.

How much time was left before her Fragment becomes completely depleted?

Mina could not bear being immobile when Mitsuki was in such danger.

“Dullahan, that’s what Ganhō called it, right? The headless knight from Celtic mythology? Whoever named it wasn’t too bright.”

She was looking at the central hall that connected the four quarters of the lowest level. Something was using the white mist sprayed out of spray cans, and stopped the black corrosive current from swelling out of the north side –

“Keep going, stop it there!”

As Mina waited for backup, whether any was coming or not, she spoke to the image of Dullahan on the screen with irony.

“It is your ‘role’ to destroy all ‘malevolence’ – my body.”

Dullahan, the creature fighting against the black tsunami with a spray can each in its hand, was none other than Mina’s – Sterilization Disinfection’s – body.

The darkness of Unpleasant Counter-Current that wished to dissolve and devour all was battling against the whiteness of Sterilization Disinfection that stopped it midway in the lowest level.

“What’s that strange sound?”

“Don’t relax just yet, Long-Armed Demon.”

From the eastern side –

– Two girls without arms showed themselves after having kicked down the door to the wing with the prison cells.

Gankyū Eguriko – the immortal girl who lived a thousand years and specialized in gorging out eye b.a.l.l.s – and Long-Armed Demon, someone with supernatural abilities who chose to became Zekiguchi Nashinori’s servant in order to survive.

At the same time –

“Oh? This is quite a big s.p.a.ce. Where are we?”

“Sakaki… I trusted you because I saw you kept walking while looking very confident in yourself, but you actually had no idea where you were going?”

Under the leadership of Sakaki Guryū, the next CEO of the Sakaki Organization, Takamikado Mitaka walked down the stairs from the western side, carrying an unconscious Nageki Kurukiyo on his back.

They had looked for Tatsue and Guriko as they fought the monsters surrounding them. Whether out of pain or tiredness, Nageki had fainted halfway and Mitaka had to carry him.

Everyone stood still out of fear for a split second, but instantly shouted out the names of those they knew.

“Guriko?”

“Nageki!”

“Sakaki – what are you doing here?”

“What’s with that headless monster –”

Mitaka murmured to himself as he saw Dullahan, who stood alone battling against the black corrosive torrent with spray cans in its hands. It seemed it was thanks to this headless monster’s resistance that the black substance did not flow out. But he didn’t know how long that was going to last. He must find Tatsue and Mina quickly.

He looked around and paused when he looked towards the southern side – a human head, looking lost, was placed near the open door. She was somehow inside a gla.s.s jar, as if she was a specimen.

“Mina!”

“Oho, Mitaka… we’re saved. Your little princess is right behind me.” The head still looked composed and spoke with a charming smile even in this situation.

Mitaka looked in and saw Tatsue lying unconscious in an incredulous room full of monitors.

Mina and Tatsue were both alive – no, perhaps Tatsue was still in danger. Mina, on the other hand, was definitely still alive.

Mitaka felt relieved as he cursed his knees, which were weak with worry, and stepped forward.

However, an unfamiliar girl without her arms ran up to him and jumped straight up as if she was a rabbit.

“Excuse me, that person –”

“Hmm?”

Judging from how she kept staring at Nageki with a worried expression, Mitaka guessed she might be Nageki’s relative.

Would she be the girl he was looking for? Mitaka has the ability to sense supernatural powers, and he knew she was a monster –

No, she was something even more horrendous. And yet, looking at her face, which was on the verge of crying, he could not contemplate that any further.

Then something even more incredible happened. The girl did not touch Nageki, but he started to float in mid-air and slid smoothly to float next to her.

“I’ll carry Kurukiyo.” The girl muttered as if talking to herself.

“This feels like – our last farewell. You’re so stupid. You’re so weak, and you’re already wounded, but you still came to such a place…”

The girl started to sob. Mitaka couldn’t help but pat her head, then he opened the gla.s.s door and walked towards Mina.

Behind Mitaka, Guriko and Sakaki stared at each other and conversed as if they were lovers who parted many years ago.

“How is Rinne?”

“Same as ever. Did you get any useful information?”

“No. I’m sorry. I’m really useless… and I always leave you to suffer on your own.”

That was the first time Mitaka heard Gankyū Eguriko speaking so much like a human. It was so helpless, so emotional – did she realize that herself?

Mitaka decided not to dwell on it and smashed the gla.s.s jar that housed Mina’s head. Mina complained that his methods were so crude, but the eagerness in his heart didn’t allow him to wait.

He apologized to Mina, but his mind was not thinking of her at all.

It had only been a little while, but it felt like they had not met for a long while. Wearing a dress, she looked like a slender little doll. He walked towards her.

“Tatsue.”

He shook her shoulders and called firmly to her.

“Tatsue, Tatsue!”

“Mmmm, errrr…” She moaned painfully and blinked: “Mi… Taka…”

Mitaka took hold of her shoulders and helped her sit up. She smiled vaguely, as if still in the land of dreams.

“Is this a dream? Or is this… reality?”

Then he hugged her gently. She felt so warm.

She returned the hug tightly as if confirming his presence, then she made a relieved sigh and said softly: “Ahh, looks like this isn’t a dream after all.”

She stood up with him and looked straight at Mitaka.

Different from the forced impression she usually donned, an inner n.o.bility seemed to permeate out of her being.

“I’ve – I’ve always believed in you. I believed you’d come to me. I believe in you, the person who would appear like the wind every time I cried in the past and help me to eliminate the root of my worries.”

“Tatsue… I…”

Mitaka’s expression became serious. I am not Takamikado Mitaka. I am a monster who ate the corpse of that person, who was so important to you. I cannot live together with humans.

Just as Mitaka lowered his head and was going to tell her this –

“Mitaka-chan, you’re such an idiot.”

She addressed Mitaka as she used to do and pressed her lips to his.

She stayed there for about a second before separating. She smiled shyly as her entire face blushed.

“You didn’t stick to our promise and didn’t become an awesome person. You were getting worse and worse, more and more stupid – so I fell in love with Mister Snake, who borrowed your body.”

“Tatsue?”

Mitaka called out to her, but she blushed to the tips of her ears and turned around, walking out of the small room and moved towards Sakaki and the others, who were talking together.

“Oh dear? Why would Guryu onii-san come to a place like this?”

“Tatsue.”

Sakaki looked at Mitaka, who was still standing dazed, and Tatsue, and said softly with a defeated expression: “Say, don’t act so intimately in front of other people. It’s shameful.”

“Look who’s talking! I know all about you, and the daily life of Guryū onii-san with Usagawa Rinne: for example, the two of you would sweetly eat her homemade lunch in front of other people – at school of all places. That is unacceptable! I am so hurt! My love is pure!”

Tatsue said this with a loud voice as if she were getting a heavy burden off her chest, and she had on an uncertain expression.

Yet Mitaka – who held Mina in his hands – and Sakaki, Guriko, the young girl, and Sakaki and even Tatsue herself –

– They all ignored this and turned to Dullahan, who tirelessly fought against the darkness.

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