Chapter 31 – Hierarchy

Яеａđ ｏｎ ＫаṫȒεɑđıｎ​ǵСα​ϝė

Creak. 

A crude wooden doll cautiously poked its body out through the slightly opened bathroom door.

As if it had eyes, the doll looked around before fully stepping out. After carefully scanning the surroundings and confirming there was no danger, it slipped back into the bathroom.

Not long after, the door opened wider, and a girl with dark circles under her eyes peeked out, her gaze unfocused. She looked like someone who had stayed up all night.

No, not just looked like—she actually had. After staying up all night, I felt like my brain had turned to mush.

The fact that I was describing my own actions as if observing someone else was proof enough.

Anyway, it seems like there’s nothing strange out there. Confirming that it was safe outside the bathroom, I slowly opened the door and stepped out. Each step felt like it weighed a ton.

I desperately wanted to dive into bed and fall asleep right away, but I was anxious that the mysterious being from last night might return while I was sleeping.

The house, which I had considered my safe haven until yesterday, no longer felt secure. How could I sleep in the same place as usual under these circumstances?

So, the choice I made was simple.

“If the sun is up… ghosts won’t come out, right…?”

I would go to the cathedral while the sun was still up and ask Sister Andreina for help.

Until now, I had avoided asking for help because it felt burdensome, but also because I believed I could handle things on my own if I tried hard enough.

But what happened last night wasn’t something I could handle alone. It wasn’t just any problem—it was a ghost! What could I possibly do about that?

So, even if I didn’t want to ask for help, I had no choice. Of course, there were other options like U.P., but I chose Sister Andreina for a very simple reason.

Isn’t it common sense that you need a clergy member to deal with ghosts? I’m not sure if Sister Andreina, the only clergy member on the Floating Island, can actually exorcise ghosts, but I believed in the natural order of things.

Clergy members and ghosts are clearly in a hierarchical relationship…

“Yaaawn…”

Enough with the unnecessary thoughts. It’s time to head out. I wiped away the tears from yawning and draped my robe over myself.

Since I had planned to clean it before sleeping, the robe was still dirty from yesterday. As I adjusted my appearance in the mirror, I put on the hood and looked at myself again.

A gaunt-faced girl wearing a dusty, dirty robe—I looked like a beggar who had been wandering the streets for days. If I went out with a tin can and begged, I could probably make a decent amount of money.

At least if I went to Sister Andreina looking like this, she wouldn’t turn me away. With my lips drooping, I staggered toward the door.

I unlocked the latch I had secured yesterday and cautiously pressed my ear against the door. I flinched, worried that a knock might come suddenly, but ultimately, no sound came from outside.

After taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door.

A clear, sunny sky greeted me. The warm sunlight made me want to close my eyes, but my sharpened senses from staying up all night prevented me from collapsing.

“Huff, huff…”

Staggering, I barely managed to keep my balance and clutched my pounding chest as I took deep breaths. I really thought I was going to fall for a second. Leaning against the wall to catch my breath, I lifted my heavy eyelids and looked down the long road ahead.

A quiet, deserted road. On a normal day, I would have appreciated the lack of people and the peacefulness, but after the unsettling night I had, it looked completely different.

It felt like something might jump out from between the buildings as I walked. I didn’t know what that “something” was, but whatever it was, it definitely wouldn’t be good for me.

But I couldn’t take another route. The path in front of me was the only main road; the others were alleys that would take me through shaded areas between buildings.

I didn’t deliberate for long. Hugging Doll 505 tightly, I started walking down the usual path.

My destination was the cathedral.

–

Yuika leaned halfway out the window, gazing at the clear sky.

“I wonder if something interesting will happen today…”

For some reason, she felt particularly bored today. Normally, she would have been tending to the potted plants she had taken up as a hobby, but for some reason, she wasn’t in the mood.

This was all because the Floating Island lacked entertainment. No matter how grand the reason for being here—to prove one’s worth to save the world—it was too much to expect people to stay in a place with only residential areas for ten years.

At least some people had voluntarily opened shops, which helped alleviate the boredom somewhat. Otherwise, people might have turned into machines that did nothing but hunt in dungeons all day, just to escape this stifling, dull place as quickly as possible.

Of course, there were people like Hosanna, who enjoyed getting stronger and practically lived in the dungeon, but even they didn’t find hunting enjoyable all the time, so a solution was needed.

‘Something to relieve people’s boredom… Is there anything like that?’

Yuika rested her chin on her hand and fell into thought.

The first thing that came to mind was, of course, a festival.

From simple fireworks displays to performances by volunteers or selling popular foods from their homelands—wouldn’t that be fun?

“Hmm… But festivals are one-time events, after all.”

It would definitely be fun, but festivals only lasted a day or two at most.

If there had been more people summoned to the Floating Island, they could have held grand festivals, but with a population of just over 300, it was difficult to organize anything large.

At best, it would be like the first day they were summoned, where everyone gathered in the central district for a brief celebration and that was it.

“If they were going to summon us, they should’ve summoned a thousand people or so.”

Yuika grumbled at the nameless god who had summoned them to the Floating Island. Of course, if that had happened, life might have been busier and more chaotic than the leisurely pace they had now.

No, maybe that would’ve been better? Yuika was seriously considering that when—

Suddenly, a head of black hair popped up above the window. Yuika stared blankly for a moment before jumping back in surprise. But soon realizing who it was, she pouted and scolded.

“Ah, really! I told you not to appear like that, Hanna. If it were someone else, they would’ve screamed by now.”

“…Sorry.”

The woman called Hanna replied softly before nimbly climbing through the window.

With her pale, almost ghostly skin and her entirely dark attire from head to toe, Hanna’s appearance might have been intimidating to some, but Yuika, familiar with her, spoke casually.

“When did you get back to the village?”

“Yesterday…”

“Really? If I had known, we could’ve gone to a café or something… Oh, but I was on a date with Mari yesterday. I guess I wouldn’t have had time anyway.”

“A date…?”

Hanna tilted her head, her expression potentially unsettling to some, but Yuika, who knew her well, understood that she was simply curious.

Yuika smiled and said to Hanna,

“I’ll introduce you later. She’s a bit shy, but just know she’s a very cute girl.”

“Is that so…”

“By the way, is something wrong? You look like you have something to say.”

At that, Hanna brushed her face. It was the same dull, expressionless look as always.

Though her face didn’t show any particular emotion, Yuika somehow sensed it and asked instead of voicing her confusion. Hanna then explained her reason for coming.

“You know I live in the southern district, right?”

“Of course. But if you’re going in and out of the dungeon, wouldn’t it be better to live in the northern district? Or here. There are plenty of empty rooms anyway.”

“I’ll… pass.”

Though her expression remained the same, Yuika noticed the slight droop in the corner of Hanna’s mouth.

‘Is that her “awkward” face?’

Or maybe it was her “burdened” face. As Yuika pondered this, she thought of the little girl who also lived in the southern district.

I wonder what Mari’s doing right now. She’s probably not still sleeping, is she? Since her clothes are supposed to be ready tomorrow, maybe I’ll drop by later.

As her thoughts drifted elsewhere, Hanna called her in her slow voice.

“Yuika…?”

“Ah, sorry. I know you live in the southern district. But why bring that up now?”

“Well…”

Hanna continued in a soft voice.

On her way home, she heard something like a scream and followed the sound to a house. Thinking someone might need help, she knocked and called out, but there was no response.

As a last resort, she knocked again, but a scream came from right inside, and she instinctively ran away. But after running, she felt guilty for leaving someone who might need help. So, she came to U.P. to figure out what to do…

That was Hanna’s explanation. Of course, it was much longer and slower, but Yuika quickly summarized it and said,

“…Is this something you need to come to U.P. for?”

“Is that so…”

“If it really bothered you, you could’ve gone back in the morning.”

“In the morning… I don’t want to disturb anyone.”

What on earth does that mean? After a moment of thought, Yuika figured it out.

So, Hanna thought that since she didn’t want to be disturbed in the morning, others probably felt the same, which is why she didn’t go back.

There were so many things Yuika wanted to say, but since the logic itself was sound, she held back and instead fiddled with her ear as she spoke.

“Hmm, well. I have some business in the southern district anyway.”

“Are you… coming with me?”

“Of course I’m coming. I have someone to introduce you to as well.”

Yuika answered and then suddenly looked at Hanna.

“…?”

Hanna tilted her head at the sudden gaze, but Yuika was deep in thought.

If I left Mari and Hanna in a room together and came back later, what would happen?

Mari, who’s shy around people, would definitely be overwhelmed by Hanna’s somewhat intimidating appearance (not her face, but her attire and demeanor).

And since Hanna isn’t the type to comfort someone like Mari, the situation would likely remain tense until I returned.

Yuika imagined Mari clinging to her the moment she returned and smiled mischievously.

“Well, shall we go?”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
So it wasn’t a ghost, but a person.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Professional girlfailure meets professional deadpan face.

A stare to the death!

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