Interlude - The fact you are seeing this reflection (End of the 1st Volume)
Translator+Edit: Thy Unsus
Lying down as is, the little girl was staring at the ceiling absent-mindedly.
How long she had been like this, she didn’t understand well. She was in this condition when she came to.
It seemed she was half-asleep.
She was thinking things like she had been like that for a little while, but she didn’t remember clearly no matter how much time passed. Given that it couldn’t be helped, the little girl got up.
Thereupon, she noticed she was inside of a coffin. It was a gorgeous thing which used satin fabric for the lining. The coffin was awfully large if compared to her body.
“Just like a vampire.” (Little Girl)
The little girl was surprised by her own voice. It was a very young voice that was beyond what she expected it to be.
Trying to touch her body, she noticed she was grapsing something tightly in her hand. She was holding a round stone, but she didn’t know why she had such a thing still.
She touched her body and face. By no means could she say she had an adult body. Her clothes were a pink dress with frills attached.
Indeed, it appeared that she was a child. The inside of the room slowly became brighter as she thought about such a thing.
It was a little girl’s preferred room which was overflowing with stuffed toys and lovely furniture. The only thing different was the existence of the coffin among that.
At the point it became sufficiently bright, a woman wearing a red dress appeared suddenly.
『The fact you are seeing this reflection, it appears as if my project went smoothly. I died, and you survived.』(Lain)
With the person appearing, the little girl was relieved. She had been on the verge of thinking she’d be troubled as is as one would expect.
『Let’s explain from your true character first of all. You are me.』(Lain)
The little girl tilted her head. She didn’t properly understand the meaning.
Thereupon, the woman continued to explain in order to answer that problem.
『My name is Lain TendouLain Tendou. I am referred to as a sage in this world.』(Lein)
The little girl understood what sages and this world meant. It seemed she held knowledge like that but didn’t know who she was.
『And, you are a duplicate produced from me. As a result of maximumly prioritizing becoming the most different body, you didn’t inherit any memory that had to do with my personality.』(Lein)
It wasn’t only her memory although it was duplication, her appearance seemed to be very different.
『It was a plan with the aim to make that figure into a different body. It’s bad for you but it tends heavily towards my preference. It is the appearance I once desired and wanted to be. At any rate, even with me being called cold and unpleasant, I wasn’t called cute, etc. From around my childhood, the expression of my eyes were bad and what not, but it appeared I was called terrible as I killed some people.』(Lain)
What kind of person she was was on her mind as she said thus, but she put off confirming it.
The reflection may not playback ever again. It was necessary to listen reliably to her.
『If I speak of why I took a roundabout method like this, it was for the sake of avoiding Yogiri Takatou’s attack.』(Lain)
Yogiri Takatou.
The little girl’s heart beat quickened just as she heard that name. His matter, she knew that power.
And then, she mostly understood why Lein did such a thing.
『I will inform you about this place you are in next. This is my hiding place which is above ground. This room and this casket were also my things, but they are your things after this. Since there are also plenty of assets, it’s fine if you go to live as you like. You and I are completely different existences; I am unable to force you to do anything.』(Lein)
The little girl had no choice but to be at a loss, even with her saying thus.
With her own existence being produced, she had no memories of the past. She had no inkling of why it would be fine, even with her saying she could live as she likes in such a state.
『Well, after understanding the story up to here, I have a request for you.』(Lein)
That wasn’t an order, but it would be for the sake of making sure she wouldn’t exist as a substitute for Lein’s purpose.
She was afraid of befalling to Yogiri’s power.
Lein spoke of her request.
“What is that, it’s sneaky.” (Little Girl)
She thought thus.
There was no objective nor purpose in life in the little girl who just woke up, so she also didn’t have a standard to judge good and bad. If she was asked for a favor in such a place, she wouldn’t have any choice but to do that.
“Well, in any case, apart from the favor, I’ll go meet Yogiri-san.” (Little Girl)
In her, there were feelings of deep affection towards Yogiri Takatou.
That was only one of the plans that were prepared for the sake of avoiding Yogiri’s power.
However, for her who didn’t know anything besides that, that feeling was a very important thing.
Or that may also be a calculation by Lein.
But, she didn’t care.
Her feelings towards Yogiri Takatou.
Only that was shining inside of her.
The blade which entered from the top of its shoulder came out through its flank.
The monster in the shape of a person was cut apart diagonally too quickly.
While its giblets and blood scattered, the monster tumbled down, and died.
The diffusion of its soul began immediately, and the long-haired girl who sliced the monster and killed it, Ryouko Ninomiya, absorbed most of that.
The other party members received the leftovers, but that amount wasn’t something insignificant.
“Ryouko, another attempppt. I’m not earning the most experience pointsss.” (Asuha)
It was Asuha Koriyama who said so. She was the beauty coordinator.
This place was the middle of the primeval forest. The ones fighting, who were aiming at the Imperial Capital while raising their levels, were Yogiri’s classmates.
They were in a party of four people, and they had been raising their levels.
Their strategy was simple.
With Ryouko being the strongest in the party members, she was bestowed with Charm Up. Thereupon, the monsters who were in heat would appear one after another, and she would cut down absolutely every single one of those.
With it being done like this, the people other than Ryouko were able to raise their levels relatively safely.
Although the experience points, the quantity of the soul, absorbed was in proportion to the range. The level of Ryouko who was fighting on the foremost line was protruding.
“Let’s end here for today. I think the Charm Up will wear out before long as well.” (Ryouko)
Ryouko swung her sword lightly. The blood and fat completely scattered with only that. It wouldn’t be just her sword. Ryouko boasted overwhelming power, but of course, a big part of that ability was also because of her weapon’s performance.
“Oh weeelll. It would become night if we continued as is. Is everyone also fine with that?” (Asuha)
Asuha confirmed it with the remaining two people. The people who hadn’t fought enough weren’t able to oppose, etc., and the party decided to return to the camp.
There were great numbers of tents established in an opened space in the primeval forest.
Most of the classmates had gathered in this place.
They broke up the party upon returning to the camp, and Ryouko entered her tent.
“Hello! Ryouko!” (Carol)
There was a preceding visitor. However, this place was a personal use tent which was given to high-leveled people. It was against the rules to enter arbitrarily.
“Can you not enter arbitrarily?” (Ryouko)
With blue eyes and blond hair, she was a girl who didn’t look like a Japanese person in any way.
Carol S. Lain. She was a foreigner, which could be understood from her figure and that name.
She came to Japan at the same time of the senior high school matriculation, and she was enrolled in the same class as Ryouko for two consecutive years.
She was holding a smart phone in her hand, and she was touching this and that.
That, which was supposed to have been lost a little while before, was Ryouko’s smart phone.
“Err, I’m sorry. It was something rude despite me picking it up.” (Carol)
Ryouko collected herself immediately. Although she thought about for what reason she had entered the tent arbitrarily, it appeared it was because of the kindness of bringing her smart phone. But even so, her attitude now was one which forgot to thank her.
“Now. now, please. don’t. worry.” (Carol)
“Don’t speak haltingly? It’s a little irritating.” (Ryouko)
“Is that so? Well then, I’ll stop.” (Carol)
Carol was able to speak Japanese very smoothly. Speaking haltingly was her trademark gag.
“This, what place did it fall?” (Ryouko)
“Aah, I found it, or perhaps I should say, I took it secretly! Yes, by all means.” (Carol)
As she handed over the smart phone along with a smiling face, Ryouko became dumbfounded
“So, I came to return it because I seemed to have completely used up the battery.” (Carol)
She confirmed her smart phone. Her remaining battery had become less than 5%.
“For what reason?” (Ryouko)
She didn’t understand her aim. The likes of a smart phone was useless no matter what the reason was in a parallel world, and it was supposed to be of no use even if she stole it.
“This, it was trial and error to see the surveillance tool. It was impossible in the long run, so I came to return it because I became unable to do anything with the battery worn out as is. Hey, can I have a little look at the place he is moving to?” (Carol)
The surveillance tool. It was a unique application installed on this smart phone, but the people who knew about that existence were supposed to be limited.
“……You, who are you?” (Ryouko)
“Takatou-kun’s stalker. The same as you, okay?” (Carol)
The surveillance of Yogiri Takatou due to overseas influence.
That would be plenty. It was natural to not take one’s eyes off if they knew an existence like Yogiri.
“Well, it’s fine no matter what person you are. Seeing that we came to a parallel world, there’s no meaning even if Takatou-kun is being observed.” (Ryouko)
That was Ryouko’s real intention.
If they couldn’t return to Japan anymore, there was no point in her surveillance mission and the like. It was maximum priority for her and her classmates to act for the sake of surviving now.
“Yup, I understand Ryouko’s thinking. It’s fine even if you move the surveillance tool if that’s the case, right? It wouldn’t be necessary to keep it a secret or something like that?” (Carol)
“If you were also observing Takatou-kun, don’t you have something similar?” (Ryouko)
“We prepared even things like dedicated satellites for Takatou-kun, and he was constantly observed. There’s no meaning if we’ve come here. But, Japan was connected to Takatou-kun from the start, so isn’t Japan superior with occult-related technology? You have it.” (Carol)
Ryouko operated her smart phone. She thought it was fine if she did as she liked if she wanted to see it so much.
She inputted the passcode and launched the surveillance tool.
Thereupon, Yogiri’s current status was displayed.
As far as his location wasn’t known because there wasn’t a GPS, but the rough distance and direction was displayed. Yogiri was in the direction of the royal capital according to that. In other words, he was ahead of even Ryouko and others.
“As I thought, he’s aliveee.” (Carol)
“But, Takatou-kun is in a sealed state……such a thing……the first gate is open……” (Ryouko)
She shivered. It didn’t mean that Ryouko directly saw that threat, but she was informed about the degree of unpleasantness the tragedy created by that power was.
“Isn’t it something not particularly strangeee? Since he sealed himself, I think he can undo it himselfff. Yup, thanks.” (Carol)
She finished her task already with that, and tried to exit the tent.
“Carol. What are you intending to do?” (Ryouko)
Ryouko called out to the back of Carol’s body.
“Nothing at present. Couldn’t I meet him eventually if we proceed as is?” (Carol)
“Are……you not scared?” (Ryouko)
Even though Japan had paid close attention, death was a story of a distant world somewhere at that point in time. However, now that his seal was removed, that danger became something imminent.
“Scared? Aah, I wonder if there’s a different way of thinking than that. Perhaps, do you think Takatou-kun is a monster?” (Carol)
“Is it different?” (Ryouko)
Killing people by only thinking. That would be an aberrant monster. She wasn’t able to be at peace of mind at all even if he was in his sealed state, so Ryouko’s feelings while she was in Japan were similar to sitting on a bed of needles.
“That’s right. I think it’s fine if you think about it very simply. An existence which rules the death of all living things. What is ‘that’?” (Carol)
“No way……” (Ryouko)
It was too simple, but Ryouko imagined her astounding response.
“We who know ‘that’ exists in reality are shaken, and as a result, there was no choice but to throw away our beliefs so far. Well, it’s something like that.” (Carol)
Carol said thus and left.
This new belief, it wouldn’t be something that changed even with them coming to a parallel world.
Ryouko who was washed away by the situation was thinking jealously only a little about that shaking.
Author’s Notes
Thank you very much for reading up until here.
This is the end of section 1. Because I think you will understand the general atmosphere and so forth if you read up until here, I’d be blessed if you would establish an evaluation once.
So, because this story has been made into a publication, I would be happy with you buying it if it was interesting!
The publication edition was upgraded with various things like newly written text, revisions, and easier to understand sentences.
In particular, because the newly written text of the volume of the protagonist’s past was a story which was only developed in the publication, those who have interest in the enigma of the protagonist, please read without fail.
Please treat me well!