Vol 4 Chapter 4 (1/2)
Syetable Juice and Tomato Juice
”Hehe!”
The ruous to his looks Indeed, he roared with laughter as he clapped his hands, though he wasn’t congratulating anything – or anyone
He only laughed and clapped because he couldn't hold it back
”It's starting”
He ain
”Aha, ahahaha, ahahahahaha! What is this? I'ood a buddy God is to ?”
He was an extraordinary man
Startlingly tall, but not sinewy at all His long black hair, which was painstakingly taken care of,his surroundings
This ered, shoulders shaking with merriment
”Where is everyone else?”
He stood atop a tall chier spewed out se point was like a sentry tower, from which he could see the entirety of the seashore and the industrial district What’s h of course, it was only due to his eyesight, which rivalled that of a telescope, that he could see such minute details
But everything, buildings and crowds alike, ht
In the sky above, the hts on Earth, but the place Zekiguchi was at was gradually drowning in an infernal blackness
”Crybaby – she still hasn'tcowardly as always Doesn't she know that, while she'sherself, the world is gradually getting destroyed?” But Zekiguchi stopped in the ht, which could see in the dark as well as functioning as a telescope, to a certain direction
“Oh?”
Ar the peace of the evening as they slaughtered everyone in their way and pushed relentlessly forward
”Ohoho, not bad The Pale Horses does she want to destroy this ordinary town in the fla everything into this – of course, 'Love Song' is her lifeline”
Zekiguchi Nashi+nori muttered to himself and occasionally smacked his lips
”Tch, why ae habit”
The girl who used to stay next to Zekiguchi would always beco next to hio everywhere with him
”Ume-chan –”
He pronounced that name, then shook his head, as his usual cold sed on his face
” I' by myself”
Zekiguchi Nashi+nori opened his arht
”Coin!”
His low snigger echoed above the city
She kept running, running, running, running on as if she had endless staetable juice and was an is like ”Let's rest a bit” ”Please, I'”
Breaksun was al and talked as if she was about to die
”Wh, hat's wrong Why are we running like this, Kajiri? Ack, ack! Can't has it got to do with being high-spirited? The spirit to keep going? The spirit to run till we reach the end of the horizon – Ack!”
”That has nothing to do with running Besides, I'm older than you, Breako”
The red haired boy – the Greater Fraghed when he sa she was al
”Hey, hey hey, feelings of being tired are less Why do you still have that kind of sensation? Do you even knohat our situation is right now? Why are you still so slow?”
” Situation? Um – Ah!”
Breaksun suddenly lifted her head and looked around her Her face began to turn pale and she started to shi+ver as she rested her chin in her hands, looking completely different from her usual demeanor
Kajiri frowned and asked: ”What's wrong?”
”Where are we?!” She yelled with a fully serious face
”Huh?” How did she suddenly get so confused? Kajiri wondered if she if she could it be
Breaksun grabbed Kajiri's shoulders and shook him all over
”Where are we? Who a! Why?! Why did it end up like this?! I was brought here by force! Did I have to call off my job?!”
” You still haven't figured out what's going on?!”
Kajiri looked around in alarm, completely contrary to his usual idiotic expression He was afraid their argu the situation worse for them
They were currently being chased, after all
However, Breaksun's 'innate ability to conceal oneself' twisted her cause and effect, and this even included Kajiri, which meant no one noticed them at all
Kajiri shook Breaksun forcibly and took in a deep breath, then began to explain the situation to her
”Listen, Sterilization Disinfection and Unpleasant Counter-Current – basically,us in order to use our abilities I just fought theht and we still don't know their full capacities Those two excel in fighting For the on a Pachinko machine That's e need to run away quickly Do you understand?”
”Ok!” Breaksun raised her arht to himself
He had lived with Breaksun for a while now, yet he still did not understand the way she thought – or rather, Kajiri had no idea as going on in her head
Breaksun tilted her head and crossed her aran to smile
”Basically, we have soht? Ok, Ok, no probleerous anyways I didn't plan to work there for too long anyways”
According to Breaksun, a wo on the roadside during the day Joker invited her to go to this building every night as a singer to perform Kajiri couldn't understand why Breaksun could only be noticed by others when she was singing
”Joker-san just greetedhard'”
Kajiri put his hands on her shoulder and narrowed his eyes towards Breaksun, as e name Was it a fake name?”
”Isn't Nikuyama Kajiri a worse name?”
”Didn't you give me that name?”
As they talked about trivial things like this, Breaksun suddenly had a strange expression on her face, as if she suddenly felt soht
”darabbed Breaksun's hand The two of the the busy street in front of the station He looked past rows of fast food outlets and karaoke bars, and dived into one – a karaoke bar that looked rather worse for wear He pressed Breaksun against the wall near the entrance and whispered: ” Be quiet, Breako Just pray like this”
“… I’m not called Breako Huh? Ah – Fine”
Breaksun deliberately covered her enuinely pray
Kajiri held his breath and grabbed the crucifix dangling from his neck
So played in the shop The shopkeeper looked very leisurely where he stood, yawning behind the counter
There was nothing significant there The clock on the as already pointing at ht Another day had passed by
“…”
As he tried to suppress his breathing, a riot broke out in front of the shop All the passer-bys were looking at so in surprise
Of course – Kajiri thought this as he hid near the entrance of the shop and showed just half of his face, looking out intently
Those people in long dresses were talking further down the road as if they were the only people there
Sterilization Disinfection, Unpleasant Counter-Current, and that girl calling herself Gankyū Eguriko had chased after thee of clothes, and everyone was looking at them
He tried to listen carefully and heard their voices
“… They completely disappeared”
“You’re the one who said they went this way We should have turned right at the first intersection; that would be the right choice But really – I can’t feel them at all…”
“Stop fighting~ U together?”
“No We still don’t know everything about their battle abilities It’s dangerous to split ourselves up…”
da Breaksun and Kajiri However, they did not sense Kajiri and Breaksun at all, and walked past them with the crowds
“Phew…”
Kajiri finally let go of Breaksun’s hand, which he had kept in his grasp, once the figures of the three women disappeared around the corner
This ability was truly very convenient when escaping, though not very useful when trying to follow other people PoisonCatastrophe’s corrosion of cause and effect – the ability to completely erase the relationshi+p between herself and everyone else
“Kajiri?”
Breaksun looked surprised as she reached out for Kajiri She put her hand on his chest, and iainst it too
“Kajiri, did you just grow some breasts?”
“…Huh?”
What was this idiot talking about at such a tense ht as he put his hand on top of his shi+rt His chest had indeed gotten bigger despite hi television shohere Kajiri actually turned out to be a female character!
Kajiri took out the thing he was hiding under his shi+rt
“… An apple?”
Breaksun tried to bite into it
“Mmm”
Kajiri briefly thought that owners s
Breaksun looked up and took the apple away from her mouth
“Urk It’s metallic”
“It’s not for you to eat You should know that just by looking It’s probably ht… it’d probably get you lots of money if you sold it”
Kajiri puffed up his chest proudly, but Breaksun smiled rather confusedly
”Stealing is a crime, Kajiri But thank you”
Breaksun lowered her head and looked seriously at the apple
”But this is such a pretty apple Why would it be underneath the floor board? Why is it hidden there?”
”Hoould I know? It's probably someone's secret stash Rich people back in the days used to hide their treasure, and ed to even utilize those treasures How stupid”
Breaksun laughed heartily at this Kajiri then suggested: ”Should we rest a bit, Breaksun? Those guys are still circling the area It's better to hide using your power than to carelessly walk around”
”It would be good to rest I haven't walked this , I can barely move anymore”
She wobbled towards the counter as she said this She smiled at the sleepy receptionist and wrote down her naister
By writing down their na a trace for other people to follow –
”Please give us a room”
The employee didn't answer, as if he didn't notice Breaksun He even mumbled sleepily 'there are no custo Breaksun; it was only that he did not notice her It was the disconnection between cause and effect due to her corrosive power, the curse of being unable to connect with anyone – that hy Breaksun had all sorts of obstacles in daily life She couldn't pay when she bought things at the oods back even after she paid
”Ah! He can't detect me after all”
There was a trace of loneliness underneath her smile She dutifully took out her wallet and paid
What cancelled the effect of her corrosion of cause and effect? Was it the Lesser Fragment known to her as the Apple, or just the owners of Greater Fragainst the property of her Fragment, which twists causes and effect? Kajiri pondered this Or perhaps he rong, and she sis quicker?
She had always been alone She would never be reht Kajiri's hand and smiled tenderly at him
”Alright, let's sing Kajiri, Kajiri, come here Letkaraoke for so long!”
” I don't understand you at all!” Kajiri grabbed hold of her hand despite his
Why would her ability to corrode cause and effect only disappear when she was singing?
Breaksun pouted without even finishi+ng one song For soe juice on their deep-fried snack Breaksun was renored by the attendant, and mumbled unhappily
”People are certainly incapable of living alone There are definitely people out there who think its fine to live on their own, but that's a disease”
”a disease?”
”You'd get lonely”
Clank, clank Kajiri bit the ently and sat down on the cheap chair next to his: “It’s not a virus Loneliness can cause diseases on its own”
“…”
“But it can be cured by having people beside you”
Breaksun looked at Kajiri tenderly Her green hair seeently patted hi a puppy
“… Kajiri cured me”
“Mmht blush was creeping up his cheeks “That’s enough Stop touching me You’re hot!”
“Don’t be shy! Come on Ahh – it’s comfy to feel someone else’s body temperature”
“Pervert!”
“Pervert?! Why? This is normal interaction between humans”
She inherited PoisonCatastrophe’s power from her father, the corrosion of cause and effect, this ability that removed all her connections with other people as if it was a curse Breaksun hadn’t had body contact with other people for over ten years Now she was feeling attached to other humans, and craved the warmth of someone else
When he left her, her father said this –
Find Single Rooets unbearable
Her father was perhaps concerned and worried about his daughter, who could not control her power
Therefore, he told her that Single Room should be able to remove PoisonCatastrophe’s power
But Breaksun felt it didn’t matter whether her poas removed
On the one hand, it was very convenient to live with this power On the other hand, she was very satisfied as long as Kajiri stayed next to her She never thought about re this lack of freedom, nor did she wish Kajiri to suffer because of her wish
“Because Kajiri…”
They had deep-fried snakes and there were oil stains on theirup tissue and wiped Breaksun’s mouth
How convenient
“You’ve always stayed in that forest on your own, right? You didn’t have a single companion, just like me You were very very lonely, and passed all your days on your own, right? Did you ever wonder – how good it ood would it be if only hu alone?”
“Mmm…”
But Kajiri didn’t answer either yes or no
Don’t worry, Breaksun’s gentle look seemed to say to the boy as even shorter than her
“If humans never experienced loneliness, then ouldn’t feel happy toti good friends Sometimes, I think it’s better if humans don’t seek perfection”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” Kajiri looked rather upset and sat cross-legged on the chair
He looked savage, and yet quite cute Breaksun s out of his mouth
“Just try to think of this as a hu that they were lonely, that they were confused, and they died without any sense of satisfaction That was very sad!”
“So their lives were boring?”
“I don’t like this about Kajiri at all… it’s not cute at all Why are you looking so spiteful? I do have to think about humans once in a while I’m a poet!”
Breaksun got rather e list in her hand, and said in a low voice: “But it’s unnecessary for Kajiri to discard your life to get rid of people’s loneliness We want to love others because of our loneliness I like humans who need such attachments”
“Hmm?”
Kajiri didn't see a ~”
”But it's very unhappy to not sing in a karaoke I coh as it is already”
”You ht?”
”Ah, that's right, tragic, not unhappy japanese is such a difficult language!”
”Which language have you been speaking all this time?”
”Erk, you're not cute at all, Kajiri How coh you've been locked up for hundreds of years?!”
”I learnt the necessary knowledge from the Mushi+”
Kajiri said those incomprehensible words and muttered to himself in a daze
”So why do you not feel tense at all, Breako? We're currently being chased! Those guys will kill Breako until not even a finger of yours is left in this world Why are you still in awith your brain?!”
”Don't call ht now”
Breako waved her hands above her head enthusiastically and
”Alright alright Kajiri already lived for centuries, right? You don't have a lot ofrelaxed, because you feel it won't matter anymore even if you're killed?”
”How can I possibly give up that quickly? I have lots of things left to do I need to kill those who locked me up in the forest - Ulti, PoisonCatastrophe I need to kill them all”
”Revenge? What an e to killenigestures in such a tense moment
At the sight of that, Kajiri slu
”There are a or watching movies; those are very fun Didn't Christ also preach to love your enemies?”
Christ did say that when he was being hotly pursued by his mortal enemy, the Devil
But that had nothing to do with the current situation His revenge would be pointless, and wouldn't it be such a waste to spend his important and precious life on such a tiresoht about Kajiri
Breaksun hugged Kajiri, as pouting, in her arave him a relaxed smile
”Yep, we escaped froo see a e Let's go do so fun I heard that movie is a neork made by a famous director after four years, and it's very popular in America”
Faced with Kajiri, as cos, Breaksun started to bring up one irrelevant topic after another If they didn't knohen their life would end, then they should just spend it little by little in happiness That was Breaksun's belief
She was really feeling superbly happy right now There were no ulteriorin an ordinary manner This was a precious moment that Breaksun has almost never had in her life up until now
Breaksun Henseler brothers, but no elder brothers or sisters There were fifty-five women she called 'le friend, and of course never had a lover However, she had recently had someone who stayed beside her
”---”
Kajiri suddenly lifted his head, and looked around rapidly That alaresture, like that of a feral animal, made Breaksun's smile disappear and she looked concerned
”Kajiri”
”I hear a strange sound”
He stood up quickly and spoke in a low voice
”What is this - is this an earthquake? What's this, is this wailing?”
In the blink of an eye, the ordinary karaoke roo
That’s right, shelling
The cheap walls were blasted apart, and debris flew everywhere The ceilingca down As if they were in a capsized boat, everything in the room suddenly was flipped upside down, and bowls and furniture miraculously started to fly in the air
”--!”
Debris flew everywhere There were pieces of the building all about them
More danger ahead - his instincts reacted faster than the warning
Bam!
A second bo sound of its launch and the impact waves that shook the entire world
”Ahhhh--!”
Breaksun screa on?
The initial attack had already all but destroyed the building the karaoke bar was in Dust clouds were all she could see She could sense nothing else Her entire body was enveloped by terror
Soth
”Breaksun! Don't open your eyes Close your mouth Relax your body Trust me!”
”Ah -- Ah, O, OK--!”
Breaksun relaxed upon Kajiri's urging, and allowed her body to go li All she kneas that so She could not evento Kajiri's instructions
She trusted Kajiri ---
Bam!
”---”
Another bo wind in the spreading dust stor wave of heat immediately followed
”Erk--”
This wouldn't do
Their ai more and more accurate
Do they already knohere we are?
No
This is very dangerous We are going to be killed
Although Breaksun jokingly said those relaxing words to calm Kajiri down, she didn't want to die either
She didn't want to die in such a ridiculous circumstance, didn't want to be killed by people she didn't even know about
She had never had any relationshi+ps with others since she was a child
She had finally found soh he did have a sharp tongue, his heart was very gentle He was a good houseood friend
She didn't want to die
”Uwah!”
It could have been a hundredth of a second or a thousandth of a second She didn’t knohich, but Breaksun felt the aura of that approaching bomb in that split second The boed its path in the dust It was going to completely destroy Kajiri and her existences
She understood these things without thinking
“Ah –”
Breaksun’s body instinctively triggered a defensive reaction
“Aaaaahhhhh! No!”
At that time –
The Greater Fragment named PoisonCatastrophe rejected the cause and effect of the approaching bomb
Humans are not machines manufactured from factories Therefore, every individual is different, with each having their own body and their unique ways of thinking
This was an indispensable and absolutely necessary destiny In order to eneticby coanism into a nehole
This created ordinary children, ingenious children, and also children of an inferior quality, though the common, streamlined e of normalcy
However, there are always exceptions, with a nu they are abnormalities
Statistically, one percent of humans think in ways completely different from others of their species
Seven percent within that group do not regard killing other humans as taboo
They are not afraid of blood They cannot iine pain experienced by other people, nor can they comprehend the idea of death
They are abnorenes or their upbringing
They will not feel confusion, nor will they need a command to kill
“The path of the third shot curved unnaturally”
These people would usually be oblivious to their mental differences and lead ordinary lives like other normal humans – at least in places like japan, which did not have an army
In the countries that did, they joined the ar times of war, and would realize the abnorhter of a battlefield
“According to data point 003, this kind of abnormality necessitates a quicker pace of attack”
In these places, they were treasured as outstanding warriors on the battlefield After the war, however, they would beco the fact that they did not fear killing other hu as ordinary huain when the next war arose, joining the vanguard to fight in the frontlines, over and over until their eventual deaths
This army was a collection of such people
Called the Pale Horses, they were the private arlomerate on Earth
According to the Bible, this is the naht the Apocalypse upon the world As such, the people croith this title were an army of killers that could not live outside of the battlefield –
“Continue the shelling until we can confiranization We have an infinite supply of boed no matter how many civilians die in the process”
There was no joy, no happiness, no fear, and no guilt associated with such slaughter
After all, causing death and devastation was as ordinary as throwing away garbage for these people, so why should they have any feelings towards it? As a group, the Pale Horses knew only how to kill
Guriko had lived for a long tis
There had been unpleasant ments with miraculous abilities Those could be deelance However, what she saw right noas inco on ridiculous
Tanks appeared on the busy street
“Huh –?”
Tanks roared through the town on this ordinary night, silhouetted by the lights in the shops
There were tanks, actual tanks
She couldn’t see anything else
Crude turrets and uns protruded from the heavily armored navy body of the armored vehicle
Acontrol tower and had a radio in his hand, see out all sorts of commands
The treads of the tank kept rolling forward,dense crowds of people