“…What a… truly detestable outcome.”
“That woman failed to protect you. Dying together with her enemy can be considered dying in a fitting way… ah, what a pity… such a pity…”
“No matter. Now that you’re dead, I will only cherish myself even more. You wouldn’t want to hear my mourning or sighs anyway. If you still had the chance to leave last words, you’d probably try to dump the task of looking after the problem child on me… heh. This departure is simply the retribution for your greed deserved.”
Tch… After all, you were still my keeper. I’ll clean up the mess you left behind…
Rest in peace?
Hmph.
Then die with your eyes open.
I’ll drag you forward with me until we reach the ending you wished for.
…
“…I’m sorry…”
“Is your apology meant to get rid of me? Is that it? Nine swords behind your back aren’t enough to satisfy your obsessive-compulsive disorder, so you want to round it up to ten? Do you even remember who you are anymore?”
“I’m sorry, but… it’s already too late to turn back! Everyone… one by one, they’ve all turned into that! You could have stopped it! If it’s you, you could definitely have kept everyone normal, so why—!”
“I like beautiful bouquets and enjoy admiring them when the mood strikes me, but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to become a hardworking gardener. That’s outside my considerations.”
“You’re still like this! You’ve always been like this!!! How can you remain so unmoved?!!”
“Because I will not perish, and I love myself far more.”
“You—!!!”
There was no longer any room for conversation; both sides realized this.
Then what came next… was slaughter between kin—
She gradually awoke, opened her eyes, and was greeted once more by darkness.
“Just a dream…”
It had been a very long time since she last had one…
Perhaps it was a dream connected to her past self… unfortunately, after waking, the only thing she could still recall was the white-haired woman with nine swords hovering behind her, face twisted in fury.
Though her appearance could be considered pleasing to the eye, she was ultimately just a little inferior to me.
Besides, since I’m still alive, that woman probably isn’t having a good time even if she didn’t die…
Slowly stretching her body, she heard the crack of joints rubbing against one another, and the girl’s eyes lit up.
No crater, no alarm; just like blinking, Kyoumi suddenly found herself on an empty street.
“Waking up early plus a strong desire to come here… looks like this is the same type of manifestation as Tohka’s that time…
If I can master this method of appearing…”
Then there would be no need to ever put on those shackles called sealing again.
Normally, after a manifestation accompanied by a spacequake, she could instinctively sense roughly how much time remained before she would naturally vanished; this time, she felt nothing.
But the very fact that she wasn’t being rejected by space meant she could stay here for a long time.
In that case, there was no rush to find that boy; wandering around and having fun first sounded nice~
The sky was overcast, the earth silent.
Occasionally the wind howled, raindrops weaving together like a great net flung over the city by someone’s hand.
Kyoumi didn’t dislike rain.
In fact, it was precisely because of this rain that the streets had become quiet and empty.
Appearing out of thin air on a normally bustling street would have been far too conspicuous.
If one thought about it that way, it almost seemed as though the rain had come at the girl’s whim.
Spirits don’t catch colds, and spiritual power can repel rainwater.
Being alone for too long inevitably becomes somewhat boring, but Kyoumi never felt lonely.
There were far too many things in the world worth patiently admiring.
The girl strolled leisurely, wandering through the rain-soaked city, surveying the metropolis that usually bustled with life.
Every now and then, humans carrying disposable umbrellas from convenience stores would cast curious glances, but they all had their own lives to live.
Very few actually came over to ask questions, and those who mustered the courage to intrude on a stranger’s existence were casually brushed off by the girl.
Not causing trouble for others seemed to be the consensus in this country, but Kyoumi only sneered at the notion.
The more a group lacks something, the more loudly they proclaim it; just like that boy named Shidou Itsuka.
Because they realize the importance only after losing it, they forcibly impose what they consider precious onto others.
If they could correctly understand their own greed, that would be one thing, but in his case, he genuinely believes he’s doing it for their sake.
Still, sealing is indeed more beneficial for kin who crave an ordinary human life; for now, there’s no harm in it.
While habitually planning the future in her mind, the girl’s body naturally came to a stop, and her slightly wandering gaze gradually focused.
Kyoumi loved beautiful things; flowers, birds, exquisite dolls, beautiful humans; even when lost in thought, anything beautiful could instantly catch her eye.
…There was a girl; no, perhaps “little girl” would be more accurate.
Cute and unique; rather than a coat, the garment looked more like a rabbit, a lovely green cape with a bunny-eared hood and a long, round, fluffy tail wrapped around her body.
Since only the back was visible, the front couldn’t be seen, and the hood completely covered her head, making even hair color impossible to determine.
Yet, by pure instinct, Kyoumi was certain: this was a young lady as adorable as a doll.
Surely a white-haired, red-eyed sexy loli.
Making such an irresponsible guess, the corners of Kyoumi’s mouth curved upward in delight at having found her prey.
She quietly approached from behind the girl who was lying against a tilted claw machine in a toy store.
This was bound to be a beautiful encounter.
Preparation?
Unnecessary.
Reason?
Also unnecessary.
Simply because I am here, and any encounter with me is destined to become a wonderful memory.
She declared it so, certain of it.
Therefore;
“Human dolls are made so exquisitely these days. If you hugged one in your arms, would it talk just like your companion~?”
Leaning in lightly from the side, Kyoumi’s gaze fell upon the girl’s delicate face.
As expected, she was indeed a girl cute as a doll, but unfortunately, her appearance differed slightly from the guess.
Light, ocean-blue hair that drifted like seawater, clear eyes of the exact same shade.
She looked a little younger than Kotori, with an immature face that instinctively aroused protective urges in humans; even spirits were not exempt.
“…?!”
As if she hadn’t expected someone to speak to her, the girl froze for a moment before letting out a voiceless squeak, yanking down the brim of her hood with one hand to hide her face.
It wasn’t quite like an ostrich burying its head, at least ostriches don’t raise a single rabbit hand puppet that looked rather comical.
“Ya-ho~ Big sis suddenly appearing really gave Yoshino a huge scare~”
The very next instant, the rabbit puppet’s mouth opened and closed, producing a distinctive, slightly shrill voice; perhaps some kind of ventriloquism.
“Popping out like that feels super ~ ghost-like! So scary, so scary~”
The puppet shook its body.
Rather than lamenting, it gave more of a sarcastic, reproachful impression, but that wasn’t something Kyoumi particularly cared about.
The girl rested a fingertip beneath her chin, watching the puppet’s movements.
The rabbit, primarily white, naturally had red eyes as well, and much like the bandage over Kyoumi’s own eye, this close look revealed that the actually rather cute puppet wore a pirate-style eyepatch over its right eye.
In a certain sense, Kyoumi’s judgment had not been wrong at all.
“Mmm~”
A white-haired, red-eyed sexy loli is right here, isn’t she~
Deciding this, Kyoumi gracefully reached out and gently shook the soft pink paw of the puppet’s forelimb.
“It was my mistake for startling the adorable Miss Yoshino. So, may I have the honor of learning the name of this beautiful lady now before me?”
“I might have fallen in love with you at first sight~”