Ch.100Chapter 15. Daily Life (4)

“Oh my.”

That was the first thing Kagami said when we met in front of my house.

Did she think I would be surprised?

It wasn’t the first time Kagami had shown up unexpectedly like this.

Besides, lately I’d been dealing with someone far worse than Kagami. As long as she didn’t bring a transparent monster with her, I didn’t feel the need to act surprised.

Not that I was suggesting she should bring one.

“Today you’re not being irritable the moment you see me.”

“…When have I ever been irritable?”

“Uuu.”

While I was furrowing my brow in response, Koko hid behind my back.

“Oh? Was that not the case? Have you been treating me kindly every time we’ve met until now?”

Well, I suppose I haven’t.

“…”

Feeling somewhat dumbfounded, I silently headed toward the house, and Kagami naturally followed behind me.

“Meow.”

As soon as I entered, Kuro ran straight to my feet.

I picked up Kuro and went inside. It was fortunate that I always made sure to leave plenty of food in his bowl just in case. It seemed Kuro hadn’t gone hungry.

I refilled Kuro’s empty bowl with cat food and filled his water bowl.

I also cleaned the litter box.

Kagami stood quietly in the corner, waiting for me to finish my tasks. She seemed to understand that I wouldn’t like it if she touched things here and there.

Normally I would wash up right after coming home, but today Kagami was here. It seemed a bit awkward to ask her to wait while Koko and I bathed, so I set up the table and brought out some cups.

When I opened the refrigerator, I saw it contained far more ingredients than when I first started living here.

Not that it was completely full, though.

Ah, it’s still here.

I took out a half-empty two-liter bottle of oolong tea from the refrigerator.

I poured it generously into cups for Kagami, myself, and Koko, and as I sat down in my seat, I felt oddly satisfied. Now I even have drinks to offer guests. Though I did serve Kagami food the first time we met.

“So, what did you come to talk about?”

Leaving Koko to gulp down her oolong tea beside me, I asked Kagami directly.

“Well, I suddenly have so many things to tell you these past few days.”

Kagami, unusually, raised her gaze absently as she gathered her thoughts for a moment before speaking.

“First, are you feeling alright? I heard you lost a lot of blood.”

“Losing blood is just part of my daily life.”

“How many teenagers in the world do you think think that way?”

Kagami asked with a bitter smile.

Quite a few, I’d think? East Asia might be relatively peaceful so we don’t really notice, but somewhere on Earth’s surface, there’s always a war going on. Obviously, many teenagers are dying too.

Well, if they lost as much blood as I do, they’d probably die before it could become their daily life.

“Since you seem fine on the outside, let’s move on.”

Kagami seemed to realize I was thinking cynically, so she shrugged and moved on.

“I didn’t know that when you asked me to find a place full of flames, you meant to jump into those flames.”

“Did you come here to blame me?”

“I wonder.”

Kagami tilted her head. She looked like she wasn’t exactly sure what she thought herself.

“Rationally speaking, your death would only be a loss for us.”

“…Because you created me?”

“That could be one way of looking at it.”

Kagami nodded, but that didn’t seem to be all.

“For us, you’re the only one who can effectively stop my sister now that she’s started moving.”

“…”

I stared at Kagami for a moment before speaking.

“If I’m related to the Outer God… wouldn’t that alone be reason enough to serve me?”

“That alone would be reason enough to serve you, but.”

Kagami looked back and forth between me and Koko before speaking.

“What if I told you this was also related to both of your safety?”

“…”

“We don’t know exactly what my sister is trying to do yet. But we all know it’s certainly nothing positive.”

That’s true.

I don’t know her exact purpose… but she’s probably thinking of some grand-scale nonsense to give meaning to her existence, like summoning a god to destroy the world or becoming the world’s ruler to commit tyranny.

“So?”

I asked Kagami, who seemed to be emphasizing this point while beating around the bush. Kagami leaned slightly toward me with a rather serious expression.

“If Kosuzu causes people around you to get involved because of your existence, and if her goal is you yourself, the high-ranking people in this country won’t leave you alone. Think about it. You know very well what purpose your body was created for.”

“…A body for a god.”

“That’s right.”

When I answered as if confirming, Kagami nodded.

“Not many people in the world know the exact intention. Most would probably think your existence is a human raised inhumanely by evil cultists. That’s why you can use abilities that aren’t human.”

“…Does Koko think that too?”

“There’s no reason she wouldn’t. Whether you transform blood or transform your entire body. To people, you’re both just pitiful young girls.”

“…So?”

“If the government is after you, and beings who can create monsters invisible to human eyes are after you too, don’t you need a safe place to take refuge?”

I think I know what she’s trying to say.

“But, you people are.”

“Yes. You probably see us as immoral. I don’t understand how a being like you can even consider ‘such things,’ but—”

Kagami’s upper body leaned further over the table. Since we were across a square table, the distance wasn’t particularly close, but I still felt a strange pressure and had to lean back slightly.

“But among those who are after you, is there anyone as pure as a blank sheet? Even if they were that pure, could they protect you and—”

Kagami’s eyes glanced at Koko.

“—that being? In the end, the only way to properly cooperate is to share everything you know. Can you accurately reveal the true identities of you and ‘Koko’ to those pure white beings?”

“…”

I looked at Koko.

“Wua?”

Receiving both the gaze of someone she was wary of and my gaze at the same time, Koko seemed a bit confused.

Suppressing a sigh, I poured more oolong tea into Koko’s empty cup.

“We’re already providing quite a bit of support for things like school fees. May I ask you honestly? Your friend—Miss Yuuki, was it?”

Ignoring my glare, Kagami spoke calmly.

“Don’t you think you can’t always rely on that person?”

“…”

“We can help you. Besides money, we can also prepare blood for you separately. We can provide a space where you can receive transfusions, though not at the level of a general hospital, and we can also prepare a place where both of you can evacuate when needed. The best part is that we don’t have to be separated from each other in the process. That would make you that much safer.”

“I…”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

The comment about Yuka was decisive.

Yes, I can’t keep receiving help forever. Even the things in this room—even the table in front of us was given to me by Yuka.

I’ve been working part-time jobs to try to distance myself from others’ help, but I’ve ended up receiving even more. Lately, even the manager has started looking at me with pity.

“A child doesn’t need to be ashamed of receiving help from parents. It’s natural not to be independent at your age.”

Hearing Kagami’s words, which sounded like a joke, I snorted.

Parents are just a matter of paperwork, and they’re not even commonly accepted as normal parents among people.

“There’s another positive aspect. Having you as evidence right in front of us would make gathering believers much easier. The more people we have, the more information we can gather. Of course, there are people with better infrastructure than us, but even if you cooperate with such organizations, would you receive accurate information?”

I had to narrow my eyes at those words.

There’s no evidence you would either.

But Kagami once again calmly deflected my gaze.

“…I’ll think about it.”

In the end, I had to leave it at that.

“You’ve made a wise decision.”

Kagami answered with a smile on her lips.

*

The next morning, I still felt strange.

It was because I had experienced both good and somewhat bad things in just one day yesterday.

The good thing was obviously the sports festival.

Although there had been several unpleasant incidents the day before, spending the whole day running around and shouting helped relieve stress quite a bit.

In my previous life, I wondered why I felt so stifled, but perhaps it was because I never had opportunities to release stress all at once like this.

The somewhat bad thing was, of course, meeting Kagami.

To be honest, I don’t feel particularly upset just because I met Kagami.

She wasn’t someone I could wholeheartedly like for various reasons, but at least she was friendly toward me and generally did what I asked her to do.

However, when she appeared in person, it usually meant that the conversation wouldn’t be pleasant—

“…A cult, huh.”

“Cult?”

When I muttered to myself while changing clothes in the morning, Koko repeated my word and nodded.

“…”

As I was wondering how to explain that word to her, I just silently patted Koko’s head.

While evading the topic, I was thinking about the proposal I heard yesterday.

Yes. A cult.

A religion that uses the character for “evil” (邪) as in “wicked.” Even Kagami had said that word directly to me.

I wonder if she was just trying to make it easier for me to understand, or if she actually thinks that way and proudly declares it—no, seeing how she normally works at a bar in that outfit, she “definitely thinks that way.”

Didn’t she say they hadn’t even decided on a religion name yet?

From the explanation alone, it sounds like a new religion without mercy, but from what I’ve heard about the Kurosawa family, it doesn’t seem to have such a short history.

Perhaps, like the Yuuki family, they weren’t a “specific religion” before but have only recently broken away.

Or maybe they abandoned the god they believed in for some reason and started serving another god.

…Setting aside the name “Shub-Niggurath” from the original Lovecraft mythology.

The name “Shura-Nirlas” in this world doesn’t seem like a name that would be conceived in the East, no matter how I think about it.

I wonder why the author didn’t explain such an important setting.

…Or maybe the character Kotone Kurosawa, whom I never read about in the original work, is a being forcibly created in the latter half. I didn’t even see proper foreshadowing, let alone any mention of her until then.

If there had been even a hint, I would have noticed it right after coming here.

Perhaps the content that was originally meant to end in a single volume was stretched out due to unexpected popularity, and then an “ending” became necessary?

But this world is not a novel. Although it closely resembles the world in that novel.

So in this way, another story had already begun behind the scenes of the original story.

“…Haa.”

“Kotone?”

“No, don’t worry.”

“Uu?”

Koko tilted her head at my words.

I’ll manage somehow.

Even if I join the cult, I have no intention of bringing Koko in with me.

No matter how many viscous descriptions appeared in the light novels of that era, there are aspects that aren’t much different from today’s light novels. Especially the endings, which are usually happy endings. Even if some characters die in the middle.

All the beings who commit evil deeds are destroyed in the end, and the male protagonist and heroine ultimately survive to reach a happy ending.

This side has deviated from the story, but well.

I guess I can think of it as having both a male protagonist and a female protagonist.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yes!”

Koko smiled at my words, so I smiled too.

I have a lot to do today.

Since it’s Sunday, my part-time job starts a bit earlier, and I need to return the lunchbox I received.

The manager said I could keep it, but I’ve already received too much.

I think I’ve gotten too used to just receiving things, taking it for granted.

It’s better not to have too many debts. Even if the other person doesn’t want to accept repayment, it still remains in your heart.

*

I went to my part-time job a little earlier than usual and returned the lunchbox to the manager.

“I told you that you could keep it.”

The manager said as she took back the lunchbox.

I had considered filling it before returning it. After all, the lunchbox wasn’t the only thing I had received.

But with my cooking skills, it would only be filled with tasteless food.

And I don’t know when the manager eats, so suddenly preparing a lunchbox might be inconsiderate.

“Hmm?”

The manager was a bit surprised when she heard something rattling inside as she received the lunchbox.

When she opened the lid, her eyes widened slightly.

Inside were a few chocolates and candies.

I’m not sure about the manager’s taste, but I’ve often seen her taking out cake and eating it with coffee. So I thought she might like these things.

“Thank you for coming.”

I said, bowing slightly.

“Koko and I picked out the things inside together.”

“Umm… you didn’t have to do this.”

“If it weren’t for you, we would have just bought bread from the school store.”

“…I see.”

The manager nodded quietly in response and closed the lunchbox lid again.

“I’ll… enjoy these. Thank you.”

The manager said with a small smile.

Though it was a very small smile, it seemed incredibly bright, perhaps because the manager’s smiles were rare.

*

And so, the sports festival ended.

It felt a bit empty that it was over in just one day despite the long practice time, but the process was quite enjoyable, so it didn’t matter.

There were various events prepared for the second semester besides the sports festival. The school trip was next month, and the cultural festival was the month after that.

There were also Christmas and the end of the year, which are indispensable in light novels.

Well, monsters will probably appear during these events, but I just need to stop them.

Monday morning was surprisingly no different from usual.

Although the sports festival was just two days ago, we couldn’t keep dwelling on it. Well, that’s how everything is. Even the Olympics or World Cup, which happen once every four years, quickly fade away after they’re over.

Everyone lives their ordinary lives like that.

Light novels are stories about what happens when that daily life is shattered. Well, there were occasionally light novels that were just about daily life itself.

Koko and I headed to the rooftop.

Although the weather was getting chillier as summer ended and the sports festival passed, it wasn’t so cold that we couldn’t bear being outside yet.

“Kotone. Koko.”

As we were standing side by side, absently looking up at the blue autumn sky, we heard someone calling from behind.

When we turned around, Yuka was there.

As usual, she was holding bread in both hands.

“Here.”

“Waa!”

When Yuka handed over a melon bread, Koko cheered.

…Yes, this is also daily life.

Long ago, the moment I crossed over here, I had already stepped into the extraordinary.

But even the extraordinary becomes ordinary when repeated daily.

Everyone tries to maintain their daily lives. Working, studying… whatever it may be.

So, I’m just trying to move forward diligently like “everyone” else.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing, all of a sudden.”

Yuka answered a bit awkwardly when I thanked her.

Yes.

Whatever the outcome may be.

“…”

We leaned against the rooftop railing side by side, eating bread.

There’s a fence surrounding the rooftop, so there’s no risk of falling backward.

As we were eating in the cool autumn breeze,

“…Hey, Kotone.”

Yuka called out to me.

“Yes?”

When I turned my gaze toward Yuka at her hesitant voice, she fumbled for a moment before saying,

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm?”

I tilted my head.

But Yuka didn’t seem inclined to tell me what she was worried about.

Hmm.

If Yuka is acting like this, it must be quite an important matter.

On the other hand, the fact that she’s not telling me means it might be a sensitive issue.

Later, I’ll wait until Yuka tells me.

Without pressing her, I finished the bread I was holding without leaving any.

Even after finishing her bread, Koko stared intently at the plastic bag in her hand as if wanting more.

“…Should we go get something else to eat?”

There should still be plenty of dorayaki in the literature club room.

Seeing how well Koko and I eat, Izumi stocked up on them. Even cutting into her book-buying money.

I wonder if that’s okay, but well, she must be doing it because it’s fine.

I decided not to worry about it too much.

“Let’s go!”

Seeing Koko energetically answer my question and take the lead, Yuka and I followed behind her with wry smiles.