Original chapter: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0383ht/73/

 

 

 

As soon as she climbed into the car, Renjo held out a plastic bottle.

 

"Want some? You said you couldn't handle black coffee, so I got you a café au lait."

 

She couldn't imagine him drinking café au lait. He had likely bought it specifically for Kiori. Was he that shocked when she refused him last time? Being shown a strangely unhateable side of him made her lose her edge for a moment.

 

"Thank you."

 

The bottle she received was still warm. When she opened the cap and took a sip, the faintly sweet taste and warm sensation passed down her throat and into her stomach. The warmth calmed her feelings, if only slightly.

 

"I’m relieved you’re safe."

 

"Me?"

 

"Contact was cut off right after you told me about the threatening letter. I was worried."

 

"Ah..."

 

"Has anything changed since then?"

 

"...Yes."

 

Kiori pulled out her smartphone and displayed the image she had been sent.

 

"Wh— That’s a picture of a corpse. Why do you have this?"

 

"I was investigating the death of the nurse named Tomizu. When I spoke to the people who were at the drinking party with her right before she died—"

 

"Those people... they died?"

 

"Yes. And on the very same day I spoke to them."

 

Kiori gripped her phone a little tighter, speaking as if making a confession.

 

"They died because of me. I never thought they would resort to such direct threats."

 

"And you?"

 

"I was safe. But it wasn't just this woman. Another man was killed, too. It hadn't even been a few hours since he spoke to me. And I thought I was being so careful about being followed."

 

"The opponent is a professional killer. Amateurish, makeshift precautions won't work against them."

 

"Since then, I’ve been refraining from conducting interviews."

 

"Isn't that for the best? Your safety is the most important thing."

 

However, while holding the bottle with both hands, Kiori slowly shook her head.

 

"Someone precious to me was attacked by the protesters."

 

"They aren't members of the Kaisei kyou, are they?"

 

"Hundreds of people have died because of the Kaisei kyou. When that kind of hatred swirls around with nowhere to go, there’s no safe place in this city. It can bare its fangs at anyone, anywhere."

 

"Even so, they won't die."

 

"Can you really say that? When Tomizu’s associates were killed, I thought it was 'too fast.' Unless they investigated the targets' behavioral patterns beforehand, they couldn't have killed them on the same day they met me while making it look like a suicide. I think—those two were scheduled to be killed even before that."

 

It was a slightly excusatory logic, but it served as a rationale for why they were killed within a few hours. At the same time, it saved Kiori's heart, if only a little.

 

"So, because you made contact, they just moved up the execution date?"

 

"Yes, just because they participated in the same drinking party as the target. The Kaisei kyou has become so hypersensitive that they will kill for just that."

 

That was precisely why it was unnatural. The fact that Kiori had not yet been killed. It was as if she was being protected by something.

 

"The Kaisei kyou has spread its roots throughout every part of Hikarinomiya City. Just living normally puts you at risk of touching them."

 

"Haa... All right. I see you have no intention of stopping."

 

"I understand that you'd be cautious, Renjo san, since you have a wife and daughter."

 

"I feel guilty too, you know. Using my family as an excuse. Even though I’m a cop, all I’m doing is acting as an informant."

 

Saying so, Renjo pulled out a photograph. Depicted in it was the nurse who had been stabbed repeatedly.

 

"And it’s a duplicate."

 

However—it wasn't the photograph that caught Kiori’s attention. It was his wrist. There was an adhesive bandage stuck to it.

 

"Sorry about that. Even though I pulled a stunt like waiting in ambush for you, I don't have much info."

 

"No... Just the sentiment makes me happy. Besides, I got a café au lait."

 

"What am I, a delivery service?"

 

"Ahaha, it was delicious. Thank you for the treat."

 

Afterward, amidst a calm atmosphere, the two exchanged light small talk and parted ways. They didn't particularly touch upon the Kaisei kyou, instead asking about Renjo's wife and daughter's recent situation, and him showing her photographs. Noting that his daughter had grown considerably since she last saw a photo, the two lamented the flow of time. With a six-year acquaintance, they sometimes exchanged talk simply as friends. Triggered by a call Renjo received from his superior, Kiori got out of the car.

 

She watched until the form of Renjo's retreating car vanished—

 

"Haaah..."

 

Exhaling a deep breath, she crouched down on the spot. It should have been an enjoyable time, yet it felt as though she had been tightrope walking over a bed of nails.

 

"I want to believe it’s a lie."

 

She pulled out her smartphone and displayed the image. It was the nurse's corpse, the same photograph Renjo had shown her. Modern photographs have high resolution; when enlarged, fine details can be seen. What Kiori confirmed—was that nurse’s fingertip. Adhering to the nail of her index finger was something like a skin fragment with a slight bit of blood.

 

"Despite saying you were good with machines, did you not realize that if you send it as an image, it can be enlarged?"

 

The wound on Renjo's wrist.

 

The smell of coffee.

 

Kiori’s actions being perfectly tracked.

 

These were merely a list of circumstantial evidence.

 

Kiori was arbitrarily harboring doubts and becoming anxious all on her own.

 

It was just that Chihiro had been attacked and injured, and her heart was weakened.

 

She told herself that.

 

Because wasn't that the case? Hypothetically—yes, only hypothetically—even if Renjo was a person on the Kaisei kyou's side. Then what about his family? Since the people who participated in the drinking party were close in age to the nurses, a contradiction would arise there as well. 

 

Above all, those words, lamenting Yoshino’s death to that extent and vowing revenge against the Kaisei kyou—are you saying he had already betrayed her six years ago? There was no way such a thing could be true.

 

Yes, this was only circumstantial evidence to the last, and could not become certainty. No matter how much was piled up, it might become 99.9% close to 100% without limit, but it would never reach 100%.

 

Just suspicion.

 

An assumption that was black without limit.

 

Along with a deep breath, Kiori once again told herself that.

 

"At times like this, people probably feel like praying to God."

 

That didn't mean she sympathized with the Kaisei kyou, though.

 

 

◆◆◆ 

 

 

After that—fortunately without incident—three more days passed.

 

On this day, a second anomaly occurred at Hikarinomiya Academy.

 

Once again, a hole opened in mid-air, and rubble and corpses fell.

 

But the situation was different than before.

 

The hole generated in the sky not just over the Academy, but Hikarinomiya Fantasy Land as well.

 

As for the falling rubble, for the Academy it was mostly the school building, and for Fantasy Land mostly amusement rides, but there were parts where they were mutually mixed together.

 

Also, it was said that most of the discovered corpses had their faces deeply gouged out, and among them were strange corpses in a state mixed with mascot costumes.

 

Since the identities of several people were determined from their belongings, amusement park guests were discovered at the Academy, and vice-versa, it is thought that after vanishing, the Academy and the amusement park existed in the same place.

 

However, even with understanding such things, the fact that there were zero survivors remained unchanged.

 

More dead were confirmed than when the first floor fell, and Hikarinomiya City was wrapped in further sadness.

 

Also, because other skeletal remains besides the gangrenous corpses were discovered, the pursuit against the hospital and the administration intensified.

 

Hikarinomiya’s city hall, police, fire department, education, and other functions were quasi-forcibly halted, and collusion with the Kaisei kyou was beginning to be exposed.

 

However, as usual, individuals from the Kaisei kyou core did not appear in public, and the investigative agencies that had come from outside the city seemed unable to grasp their true substance.

 

Many media outlets rushed to the citizens determined to be believers, but their mouths were tight, and not a single person tried to speak about the cult.

 

With things like this, people's eyes naturally turned toward the Hiyami Group, which was determined to have ties with the Kaisei kyou, but at this timing, President Hiyami Gosei and his wife, Manami, went missing.

 

But with an incident this grand, it wasn't just the media that moved.

 

A great movement trying to investigate the Kaisei kyou was also being born on the internet.

 

The incident of the urban legend streamer committing suicide in Hikarinomiya City began to be discussed as potentially being murder based on newly emerged eyewitness testimony, and triggered by that, the high number of suicide victims in Hikarinomiya and the suspicious nature of the death situations became topics.

 

Evidence contradicting the suicide rulings was discovered in several cases, leading to a situation where the prefectural police began to move.

 

On the other hand, Kiori spent her days visiting Chihiro every day and going to her sister's, encouraging her.

 

Naturally, she was also handling her job, so she couldn't really take time to investigate the Kaisei kyou.

 

No, perhaps that too was merely an excuse.

 

If she had the will, she should have been able to investigate even by pushing herself a little. 

 

Although she had tried acting tough in front of Renjo, her heart seemed more weakened than she thought.


 

 ◆◆◆

 

 

"It’s truly quiet... Though outside it’s probably a great uproar. It seems bodies aren't being carried here anymore, either."

 

Chihiro muttered so to herself, alone in her hospital room.

 

Since the problem came to light, people decreased from the hospital day by day.

 

When the patients first all desired to transfer hospitals at once, the doctors and nurses had desperately tried to persuade them.

 

But after it became clear that the hospital was involved in disguising corpses, they began moving to actively transfer patients instead.

 

Inquiring with hospitals outside the city or outside the prefecture to confirm if beds were available—never would the nurses have thought they would become busy with that kind of work.

 

And it is said that once that work settles down, they intend to all submit letters of resignation.

 

Or rather, at the current stage, a significant number of people had already left this hospital.

 

After all, despite new rubble being discovered at the Academy and amusement park, and corpses for hundreds of people being found once again, this hospital was leisure itself.

 

Because they had lost that much trust.

 

"I have to think about changing jobs too."

 

While complaining so to herself, she was looking up how to write a letter of resignation on her smartphone when suddenly a nurse entered the room.

 

"Oh, did you become free again?"

 

Chihiro called out to her with an exasperated face.

 

It was common for nurses to come to her room, she being a colleague.

 

Most of them came to complain using a check-up as an excuse.

 

It was because the number of patients had decreased considerably, so the number of people with time on their hands was increasing.

 

However, the situation was different this time. The woman who came had cold sweat floating on her temples and was acting suspiciously.

 

"He-Hey, Aogara san... Can you listen to this, even if you think it’s a ridiculous story?"

 

"What's with the ominous intro?"

 

Chihiro floated a wry smile. But the colleague, with a profoundly serious expression, brought her face close to Chihiro’s ear.

 

"Shimakawa kun might be killed."

 

"Wh-Haa?!"

 

Unintentionally, Chihiro raised a loud voice. Then the colleague hurriedly held her index finger in front of her lips, cautioning her with a "Shh!".

 

"S-Sorry. But why would that happen? Or rather, he was still here?"

 

"Of the limbs, the only one remaining is his right arm, one eye is gone too, and he isn't regaining consciousness. You can't easily move a person in that situation."

 

"That he'll die... by any chance is his condition not good? No, if so, they shouldn't say he'll be 'killed'..."

 

"I accidentally heard the Director talking to someone in his room. That way of talking, since it’s a superior, I wonder if it’s the Board Chairperson."

 

"And he said he'll be 'killed'? Did he really say it?"

 

"Precisely, that they will transfer him to a facility after making it look like he died."

 

"'Facility'...? This is a facility for treatment, isn't it?"

 

"By any chance, it might be that rumor."

 

"The Kaisei kyou one? You mean the actual Director was connected?!"

 

"That corpse swap, the evidence is almost solid. There's a rumor the Director might be arrested soon."

 

"A last grand job before being arrested..."

 

"Hey, Aogara san, what should I do? Is it better to just pretend I didn't hear?"

 

"As expected, I can't let it be like that."

 

"But!"

 

What came to the colleague's mind were the two nurses who had died just recently.

 

"It seems talk is emerging that Tomizu san and the others weren't actually suicide but murder."

 

"If I recall, Tomizu san was spreading that rumor about this hospital’s basement room."

 

"Yes, talk that she might have been killed to silence her. To be killed for just that, you know? This grand a matter, if it's known I eavesdropped..."

 

Then why are you talking to me about it?—Chihiro thought internally. Had she just been lonely?

 

"Even if you say that... Even if you talk to me, I can't do anything, you know?"

 

"Do you have an acquaintance among people who seem able to handle this kind of thing? A police officer, for example."

 

"A police officer is..."

 

If Yoshino were alive, she might have listened. By any chance, the dangerous organization Yoshino was pursuing before her death might have been the Kaisei kyou, after all.

 

But she was no longer here. However—

 

"Ah, that’s right."

 

"Is there someone?"

 

In Kiori’s case, she was working as a newspaper reporter, and she should have had police acquaintances.

 

Thinking that, Chihiro pulled out her smartphone.

 

"I’ll try consulting with a person I can trust. Absolutely do not talk to anyone and keep quiet, all right?"

 

"Thank you. I’ll come to ask what happened later."

 

"Don't have too many expectations."

 

The colleague left, again acting suspiciously. With that demeanor, she seemed likely to be suspected by the Director, but would she be all right?

 

Anxiously, Chihiro watched her retreating figure, then sent a message to Kiori with her smartphone. 

 

 ◆◆◆

 

 

When the evening sun was about to set and the sky was about to grow dark, Kiori was walking toward her sister's house, with a grocery bag in one hand.

 

Having finished work, she had finished shopping on her way home and was trying to have dinner together with her sister and brother-in-law.

 

The message from Chihiro arrived on her smartphone exactly at that time.

 

Just seeing Aogara Chihiro’s name made her cheeks relax involuntarily.

 

But seeing the content, Kiori’s expression stiffened.

 

"Shimakawa Daichi will be made to look like he died? In order to take him away to a Kaisei kyou facility?"

 

Why?—thinking that, she reached the answer in an instant.

 

The vanishing of Hikarinomiya Academy was due to a Kaisei kyou ritual.

 

It is thought that by offering a sacrifice, they intended to summon the God called Giraiguu.

 

The only one who came back alive from there was Shimakawa Daichi.

 

For the Kaisei kyou, he would be a living witness who knows the World of God.

 

It was natural, in a way, to regard him as special.

 

Of course, she had absolutely no imagination whatsoever as to what on earth they intended to do after taking him away.

 

That said, society too was focusing on the sole survivor.

 

Although it was said he was in critical condition and unconscious at the moment and it was unknown when he would wake, suspicion of ties with the Kaisei kyou was attached to the hospital where Chihiro worked.

 

If he died at this timing, the hospital should be suspected first.

 

"Do they intend to do it knowing they will be suspected...?"

 

For the Kaisei kyou, human life was too light.

 

That might not be an exception even for believers.

 

The mayor was cut off too.

 

There was no sign that even the Hiyami Group was being protected.

 

 Rather, if they themselves were living shields—then would the Director of that hospital also bear sins and scatter his life for the sake of the Kaisei kyou?

 

Chihiro added, 『Though I don't know if it’s true』 but Kiori knew.

 

"No, those guys will do it."

 

Just how many people had been killed up until now?

 

For people like them, kidnapping a single boy should be effortless.

 

Kiori elicited further detailed information from Chihiro, then turned on her heel.

 

"Sister, I’m sorry."

 

Saying so, she hurried to the place where she had parked her car.

 

She would send a message of apology to her sister later, she resolved in her heart.

 

And exactly when she got into the car, a thought occurred to her.

 

Is this a problem I can resolve alone? 

 

Hypothetically, say she was to take Shimakawa Daichi out from the hospital.

 

The person is a high school boy; it would be difficult for a single woman to carry him.

 

Although Chihiro had recovered considerably, she was still an admitted patient.

 

She wanted manpower.

 

But the people she could involve were limited—

 

"I wonder if I should ask the Shimakawas."

 

If it was Shimakawa Daichi’s parents, they would probably cooperate happily.

 

But that simultaneously meant exposing the two to danger.

 

Given that it was expected those two would answer without hesitation, Kiori completely grasped the right of choice.

 

"It is about their son, and it would be bad if it was thought to be a kidnapping... Let me get their cooperation. What I can do alone is negligible."

 

Kiori was powerless.

 

Particularly against the Kaisei kyou.

 

Having felt so upon witnessing human death, she steeled her resolve and made contact with the Shimakawa couple.

 

"Hello, is this Ryo san?"

 

『What is it, Ushizawa san?』

 

Though she had made the call—when she thought about it carefully, the Shimakawas didn't know much about the Kaisei kyou. It was necessary to explain from there.

 

"Actually, I have a very important matter regarding Daichi kun."

 

『Did something happen to Daichi?!』

 

Hearing "important matter," Ryo pressed forward.

 

Kiori, after taking a breath, began a story from which there was no turning back for them.


 

 ◆◆◆

 

 

『Understood. For now, we just have to head to the hospital, right?』

 

"Yes. Let’s take Daichi kun out after meeting up."

 

Although surprised, Ryo believed Kiori’s story. Since the wife, who was listening beside him, seemed cooperative too, Kiori decided to head to the hospital for the time being.

 

『It would be good if we could talk and take custody, though.』

 

"Since you are the parents, I think you have that right. However, I don't believe the hospital side will let him go."

 

『That's right. Having produced that many dead, they are not people to be trusted.』

 

As the Kaisei kyou, they should want to forcibly tear him away from the Shimakawa couple. 

 

Depending on the situation, there was a possibility they would resort to actual force.

 

Then it’s better to take Shimakawa Daichi out secretly without being known by the opponent. 

 

It came to that conclusion.

 

If parents were present, even the police should understand the situation.

 

Kiori, having finished the call, tried to start her car.

 

At that time, a notification rang from her smartphone.

 

Did Ryo send a message for some kind of supplement?—thinking that, on the display she saw:

 

"Renjo...san."

 

The name Renjo Masayoshi was displayed.

 

Her heart throbbed so hard it felt painful.

 

Unintentionally holding a hand to her chest, she swallowed hard.

 

No matter that a call with Mr. Shimakawa was inserted in between, the timing was too good.

 

Was it a coincidence?

 

If it was a completely unrelated topic, that might be the case.

 

But if by any chance, a chance in ten thousand, it was related to the content Chihiro conveyed to her—

 

With trembling fingertips, she touched the screen.

 

The message was displayed.

 

『While bored due to being ordered to stay at home, information came in that Shimakawa Daichi is being targeted.』

 

『What will you do, missy?』

 

99% became 99.9%.

 

Therefore, if she believed in that 0.1%, Kiori could still believe in Renjo.

 

It was already a prayer.

 

Precisely because she knew it would not be granted, she felt like entrusting her wish to something substanceless.

 

"Chihiro just now heard that from a colleague and told me."

 

Yes, it truly was a talk from just a few minutes ago. And Chihiro had also said this to that colleague:

 

"I strongly reminded her not to talk to anyone else."

 

Then via whom did Renjo know it?

 

"The possibilities for conveying to Renjo san are only Chihiro, the Director, and Kaisei kyou people."

 

No, one more person.

 

There should be a person who would convey it.

 

Of course, her will was not there.

 

Likely, even without wishing, automatically.

 

Kiori balled her fist.

 

Gripping it tightly, very tightly, biting her lip, then, with trembling fingers, she typed characters.

 

"Renjo san."

 

Alternatively, perhaps she would be saved if she threw everything away here and dashed out of Hikarinomiya City.

 

Just Kiori.

 

But how much meaning would there be in that act, in that result?

 

"You were extracting data from my smartphone, weren't you?"

 

Strength didn't quite enter the finger pressing 'send'.

 

But at the point she called his name first.

 

Probably, because he over there should understand.

 

Steeling her resolve? No, give up.

 

Detach herself, and send.

 

Continuously, while understanding it was meaningless, she added this mockingly:

 

『Since you’re good with machines』

 

Alternatively, was that also a kind of sign?

 

Had he been repeating it as one of the warnings?

 

I don't know.

 

Now, everything about Renjo.

 

After Kiori sent the message—for a while, a reply did not come.

 

But it was marked as read.

 

He read it, that text.

 

If that was not fact, based on Renjo's personality, a playful reply should have come immediately. 

 

Yet there was a gap.

 

That raw, vivid gap increased the credibility.

 

And—what was sent next was a single photograph.

 

Inside a dim room, a photograph of a woman with a gag, her limbs tied.

 

"Si... Sister!"

 

Kiori screamed with a trembling voice.

 

Depicted there was the figure of her restrained sister.

 

Who should be at home now—no, by any chance because Kiori had said she was coming, she might have been shopping beforehand.

 

There, by Renjo, kidnapped.

 

Following the photograph, he sends a message:

 

『Come to my room. Otherwise, 15 minutes later I kill this woman.』

 

From here to Renjo's house was about 10 minutes by car.

 

That too if things went smoothly.

 

15 minutes—not even the luxury of being lost was given.

 

Alternatively, precisely because he knew her current position, did he specify that time?

 

"Sister... Sister, why her?!"

 

If killing, kill me.

 

At the point she thought that—Kiori realized.

 

It should have been that way up until now too.

 

Involving surrounding people, not herself, and then warning not to approach.

 

Hypothetically, that might be due to Renjo worrying about Kiori’s well-being in his own way. 

 

Without question, it was a method that could not be understood.

 

 

◆◆◆

 

 

Kiori sped in her car, aiming for the apartment building where Renjo lived.

 

He should be living here with his wife and daughter.

 

It was four years ago now, but she had actually met them before.

 

Was Renjo bringing her sister into that room and confining her?

 

If so, what on earth happened to his family?

 

Arriving at the apartment building, Kiori stood before the elevator.

 

But since it wouldn't descend, losing patience she ran up to the 5th floor by the stairs.

 

Dashing through the hallway, without pressing the intercom she opened the door to Renjo's room.

 

"Sister!"

 

"Mmmgh! Mmmmgh!"

 

From beyond the inner door, groaning voices were heard. Hurrying to rush in there, what leaped into Kiori's eyes was—

 

"Hic... Wh-Why, hanging..."

 

The hanging corpses of Renjo's wife and daughter dangling from the ceiling.

 

And the figure of her sister restrained, lying down on the floor.

 

Her body trembled with terror to the point that she couldn't even breathe.

 

But, first she had to save her sister.

 

With hands shaking violently, she took time to remove the restraints.

 

Fortunately, scissors and a cutter were placed on the desk.

 

They were likely left so she could rescue her as long as Kiori arrived.

 

"Kioriiiiii!"

 

When the ropes were undone, her sister hugged Kiori while crying.

 

Kiori, hugging her back, while truly rejoicing from her heart that "I’m glad you are safe," still could not understand the sight before her.

 

Why are the two dead? No—it’s strange for hanging corpses, the skin color is too good.

 

"Sister, what on earth is this?"

 

"I don't know. Hey Kiori, th-that man, that is, who is he?!"

 

"Renjo san... a detective, who should have been chasing the culprit who killed Yoshino together with me."

 

"A police officer?! As expected the police too are being dominated by that Kaisei kyou thing, aren't they?"

 

"Yeah... probably. I didn't think even Renjo san was one of them. Um, so Sister, these hanging things, aren't real, are they?"

 

"I was surprised at first too. But, probably... I think they are dolls or something."

 

"Right, right? Because—his daughter is still small."

 

The greatest contradiction was there.

 

Kiori had been shown family photographs by Renjo several times.

 

Of course the wife aged, and the daughter grew.

 

If things went smoothly, she should be a middle school student now, yet what was hanging here was no matter how one looked at it around the middle grades of elementary school.

 

If dead at that age, a family photograph in a grown form could not possibly be taken.

 

"Let's get out of here. After that together with your husband to outside the city—"

 

The instant the two tried to escape, power went on to the television which had been off.

 

Her sister screamed, and Kiori was riveted to the screen.

 

Depicted there was Renjo's figure. Before the hanging dolls in bad taste, he was sitting in a chair looking here.

 

『Sorry for not being able to talk directly, missy.』

 

"Renjo san..."

 

『I’m not there, but it wasn't a lie that I said I’d kill 15 minutes later. If no one came, at the instant the timer reached zero that room was supposed to be enveloped in flames. I’m relieved your sister didn't have to die.』

 

"What ridiculous things are you saying!"

 

『The instant you entered the room, you were surprised, right? Those hanging from above, are taxidermy specimens of my wife and daughter.』

 

The instant she heard that word, Kiori’s head refused to understand.

 

Not dolls, but taxidermy.

 

In other words—

 

『The Kaisei kyou people, so that the bodies would not be damaged, did the preservation processing on the very same day they died. Since that day, they have been hanging in my room.』

 

The two are dead.

 

What’s more, several years ago.

 

Kiori's heart pained.

 

Then, what was that photograph she was shown?

 

『At first, every time I saw them, almost every day I vomited and cried. Apologizing, apologizing, lamenting that it was my fault. But being a strange thing, within less than a year you get used to it. Now, I even feel a kind of cuteness.』

 

"Crazy..."

 

『Did you think it's crazy? Me too. But, you get used to sadness. Four years ago, when the hanging corpses of the two were lined up before my eyes when I returned home—and while being pointed at by a man standing there I was told 'It's your fault'. Sadness greater than that does not exist in this world. That's why I’m okay.』

 

"Why? Why did those two have to be killed..."

 

『Same as Yoshino. Punishment. Stuck your nose too far into the Kaisei kyou. But I, fortunately, was a police officer. I was a person usable for the Kaisei kyou. That's why, I received very kind words, that if you do as told only you will be allowed to live.』

 

In Renjo's words, there was a thorn somewhere. As if to say that he himself did not accept it. It’s that I had no choice but to do so.

 

『You already understand, right? The photographs I showed up until now, the one who did that, was me. Every time photographing the corpse I killed myself, I showed it. If you investigate the room, many more photographs will be found. If you want, good to take them.』

 

"Who would want them...!"

 

『I thought if I showed them like that, someday you all might pull back.』

 

"As expected... for that objective."

 

『Cheekily, when obeying the Kaisei kyou I thrust conditions at over there. That is the condition that when killing Kiori chan and Tsumori I will do it. Not let other people lay hands. If not so, missy would have been killed by those guys long ago. But, over there didn't just accept conditions, either. Then in exchange, so that you can be used more conveniently, they told me to do this.』

 

Gloopily, Renjo's face melts away. It was a video like watching a horror movie in bad taste. And what appeared from below was a shaved off, ugly form with exposed meat.

 

"N-No way..."

 

『Were you surprised? To me, already, there is no face. I might not be me. Might have died on that day. A miserable form to the point that one can think so, isn't it?』

 

"When you killed Tomizu san too you approached while changing face."

 

『If I paste this “part of Giraiguu” to face, I can change form freely. Even impersonate others. Like that, I killed many people. Tens... No, already going on three digits.』

 

"..."

 

Already, Kiori could say nothing.

 

No, to begin with this was recorded, so there was no meaning in responding in voice, either—surprise, she lost even the energy to react.

 

『That’s why there’s no resistance to killing. Since I was born and raised in this city, I’ve even killed former classmates, you know?』

 

Indeed resistance seemed not to be there, Renjo floated a light smile remembering when he killed classmates.

 

『Yes, in short the reason I didn't want to kill Kiori chan and the others, was that that much affection was springing up. Now that both wife and daughter are dead, you were existences that collateralized my precious humanity. I didn't want to kill, no matter what.』

 

Kiori could not understand what Renjo was saying.

 

She understood he was trying to protect.

 

But, collateralizing humanity, affection springing up, normally—that is not something distinguishing killing or not killing.

 

Their values ​​are completely incompatible.

 

『That feeling hasn't changed now either. I beg of you Kiori chan, somehow like this, won't you go exit Hikarinomiya together with your sister? If so I will overlook.』

 

Renjo descended from the chair, kneeling down on the ground, begging Kiori.

 

『I beg of you, like this!』

 

For more than ten seconds, he remained so rubbing his forehead on the floor.

 

That was not acting or anything, it was undeniable true feelings.

 

That was precisely why Kiori could not accept.

 

Before long Renjo raises his face.

 

That eye glance was a creepy one harboring deep darkness that Kiori had never seen.

 

『Even so if you say you want to expose the Kaisei kyou—I am at the hospital. If you want to regret, good to come.』

 

In a low voice harboring murderous intent.

 

If coming, no more special treatment, he said.

 

A kind of death sentence was handed down.

 

Kiori felt a strong chill.

 

Stomach pained, and nausea also surged up.

 

It was a different kind of disgust than when witnessing corpses.

 

But it did not change in terms of death.

 

Kiori thinks.

 

Probably, the person called Renjo Masayoshi died 4 years ago. 

 

Seeming almost like he is now a zombie surviving by devouring human life.

 

 

◆◆◆ 

 

 

When Kiori left the room, first she aimed for her sister's house.

 

There she met with her sister's husband, sending the couple, the two of them, to the station by car.

 

In order to move to outside the city by train.

 

She also considered a taxi, but that space is a kind of locked room.

 

Hypothetically if the driver was Kaisei kyou person, it cannot be stated to be safe.

 

In that respect, public transportation would without question deliver to outside the city.

 

At this time people are numerous too, so possibility of harm being inflicted inside the train car is low.

 

"Kiori is not going?"

 

When she let her sister off the car before the station, she asked anxious through the window.

 

Kiori up until here, had not conveyed what she would do after this.

 

Because it was easy to imagine being stopped with full power, to speak simply.

 

"I am aiming for the hospital."

 

"What are you saying. That man is there!"

 

"Yeah, and there Chihiro is too."

 

"That might be so but... if you die there is no meaning! Report, and have the police go."

 

"If so if Chihiro dies, that is the same as me dying."

 

"Kiori... you even to that extent"

 

Sister too knows that Kiori and Chihiro are best friends. But she noticed for the first time now that it was a relationship more than that.

 

"Because Chihiro is my lover. My life, I’ve decided to be together with that girl until the end."

 

She said so, starting the car.

 

"Wait, Kiori!"

 

Her Husband stopped her who tried to cling to the car body.

 

Kiori bowed head through the mirror in thanks, and aim for the hospital for real this time.

 

 

◆◆◆

 

 

Shimakawa Ryo was impatient.

 

Receiving contact from Kiori, immediately aimed for the hospital as a couple.

 

And before the hospital room where Daichi was, they were waiting for her arrival, but—voice was heard from a nearby room.

 

When straining ears to listen, ominous words were heard, like regarding when taking custody, how to falsify the corpse.

 

Apparently the Director was talking to someone.

 

At the point performing at a place like this where it can be heard by someone, as expected impatience is there.

 

Particularly regarding the Director, despite situation where hospital’s survival is endangered, he should feel like a hole is opening in stomach.

 

People without leeway make mistakes normally completely unbelievable.

 

Ryo once detached himself from the spot, talking together with wife Kumiko at corner of hallway.

 

"Did you hear that?"

 

"That man person, said to take custody now..."

 

"Time is no more. Bad for Ushizawa san, but me and you have to do it."

 

At that time Ryo's smartphone rings.

 

"Who is this message from?"

 

"Ushizawa san, huh. 『Because it is dangerous there please escape』..."

 

"Why suddenly such thing?!"

 

"A dangerous guy seems to come, courteously with photograph attached. In short, it’s decided that Daichi is targeted."

 

"Increasingly, we have no choice but to do it, haven't we."

 

"Opponent is one old person. If striking from behind and making lose consciousness it can be handled somehow. Even if dangerous guy is there, we can just escape before discovered."

 

Ryo brought folding chair from nearby room.

 

Folded, intended to use as blunt weapon apparently.

 

On other hand Kumiko balled fist of handle of wheelchair for transporting Daichi. And standby at corner very close to room where Daichi was.

 

A bit later Director walked.

 

He stopped in front of the room and reached for the door—but without a word, Ryo swung the chair up and brought it down on the director's head.

 

"Ugh... gh..."

 

Goh, blunt sound rang.

 

He raised groaning voice, losing consciousness.

 

"Not dead or anything right?"

 

"Now there is no leeway confirming, Daichi is priority!"

 

Two enter room.

 

And detach cords, IVs connected to Daichi’s body, lifting body and placing in wheelchair.

 

In hospital room alarm is loudly echoing.

 

Soon nurse will likely come.

 

Driving wheelchair, two hasten to exit room.

 

"Shimakawa san?! What are you doing!"

 

"No good, already discovered. Hurry up Kumiko!"

 

"Yes!"

 

Ryo driving wheelchair, trying to outrun nurse.

 

And couple came before elevator.

 

"Come quickly! limited only to times like this why is it on different floor!"

 

"D-Dear, that person!"

 

From stairs side, Renjo shows figure.

 

Behind them was a nurse who had been following the Shimakawa couple, but perhaps sensing something ominous, she stopped a short distance away.

 

Renjo floated smile, pulling out police notebook from pocket and approach two.

 

"Howdy howdy, as you can see, I am a detective—"

 

"You are Renjo Masayoshi"

 

"Ah... Kiori chan, taught you."

 

In an instant, expression vanished from Renjo's face, and he aimed gun at Ryo in silence. Ryo pressed forward as if shielding his wife and Daichi.

 

"Dear, that is..."

 

"There is no need to falter. Even detective saying so, no good can easily discharge fire"

 

Next moment, sound of gun echo in hallway, blood exploded at Ryo's shoulder.

 

"Gwaaah!"

 

"Nooooo!"

 

Ryo's groaning voice, and Kumiko’s scream echo.

 

A bit delayed nurse also surprised, people begin to gather in vicinity asking what happened. 

 

Renjo without care approach Shimakawa couple while gripping gun.

 

Ryo opposing grit teeth enduring pain, standing at the spot.

 

"It's really just like what Ushizawa san said."

 

"What would missy have said."

 

"Because heart is dead, hesitancy not to kill people seems not to be there."

 

"As expected of reporter, has eye to see."

 

Said so, Renjo releases second shot.

 

Next hit at stomach, Ryo while groaning “Ugh, guwooh...” still did not fall.

 

"Stubborn, isn't it."

 

"Dear, Deeeaaaarr!"

 

"You take Daichi and escape! This guy... I stop. Uwooooh!"

 

While raising war cry, Ryo rush at Renjo.

 

Simultaneously elevator arrived. Kumiko while shedding tears, board together with Daichi.

 

Renjo tried to release third shot, but Ryo's tackle faster than assumed and he couldn't get in time.

 

But he did not agitated.

 

Such a linear movement can be dealt with by simply throwing it away.

 

After that even if chasing Kumiko, should make it in time before elevator door closed.

 

Renjo placed feet on Ryo, intended to make lose balance.

 

However, his opponent's core strength was unexpectedly strong.

 

Furthermore, he is in a position that makes it difficult to throw him. 

 

"Not amateur, huh."

 

When Renjo noticed so, Ryo smiled while staining mouth corner with blood.

 

"I was in the wrestling club back in my student days. I guess you underestimated me because you thought I was just an amateur!"

 

Ryo grappling with opponent.

 

Renjo clicked his tongue in annoyance at the unexpected amount of trouble.

 

In the meantime elevator door closed, Daichi and Kumiko move to 1st floor where exit is.

 


◆◆◆ 

 


When Kiori arrived at the hospital, she slipped inside through the night entrance.

 

The hospital interior was in an uproar.

 

It seemed a commotion had broken out on the upper floors.

 

"Did Ryo san already make his move?"

 

Or had Renjo done something?

 

Regardless, her priority right now was to get to the floor where Chihiro was.

 

She ran to the elevators just as one arrived at the first floor. The doors opened.

 

Inside, Daichi sat in a wheelchair, accompanied by Kumiko, whose face was pale with shock.

 

"Kumiko san!"

 

"U-Ushizawa san... That man... Ryo san...!"

 

Distraught, Kumiko crouched down on the spot.

 

Daichi's body was slightly stained with blood.

 

Renjo must have fired his gun.

 

The blood drained from Kiori's face.

 

If that was the case, staying here was dangerous.

 

Kiori stepped up to Kumiko and rubbed her back.

 

"For now, let's take Daichi san and escape. We have to, for the sake of Ryo san who helped us."

 

"Y-Yes... You're right, we have no other choice..."

 

Regaining a sliver of her composure, Kumiko stood up and stepped out of the elevator.

 

The two of them headed for the exit side by side.

 

But just before stepping outside, Kiori stopped in her tracks.

 

"Kumiko san, there's still someone I need to save."

 

"Eh?"

 

"You two go ahead and escape first. Can you use Shimakawa san's car?"

 

"It's parked nearby, but... it's dangerous! That man, Renjo, is here!"

 

"I know. Because his target is me."

 

And given his tendencies up to this point, he would undoubtedly target Chihiro.

 

Since he absolutely refused to kill Kiori herself, he would try to break her spirit by killing the people around her instead.

 

"...I understand. But please, be careful."

 

Just then, a sharp clack echoed as something touched the floor ahead of them.

 

"It's already too late for that."

 

Renjo's voice followed immediately. He had jumped down from the upper floor.

 

The moment their eyes darted toward him, he fired.

 

Kiori reflexively grabbed Kumiko and threw them both to the floor, rolling to avoid the shot.

 

The bullet struck the wall, scattering sparks.

 

It was a purely reflexive action.

 

Dodging it was a complete miracle.

 

"You've got great reflexes, missy. Maybe you have a talent for being a killer?"

 

"Renjo...!"

 

"Don't give me that scary look. I haven't killed anyone close to you yet, have I?"

 

"You... What did you do to Ryo san?! What happened to him!"

 

Splattered with blood, Renjo looked at Kumiko and gave an eerie smile.

 

Guessing the answer from his expression, Kumiko's eyes went wide as she completely lost her composure.

 

"N-No... NOOOOOO!"

 

At the very least, Ryo had been driven into a state where he could no longer move.

 

And judging by the fact that Renjo had caught up with Kumiko—who had taken the elevator—he must have leaped down the stairwell from the upper floor.

 

"You monster."

 

"That's right, I'm a monster. I'm dead, aren't I? It's only natural."

 

"That's what they call being defiantly unrepentant. Dying isn't something cool!"

 

"Is it cool? Well, whatever. Everyone's going to die anyway. Looks don't really matter, do they?"

 

He pointed the muzzle of his gun at the two women again.

 

Was he aiming at Kumiko?

 

It seemed that even now, he had no intention of prioritizing Kiori's death.

 

"Oops, before that—I forgot something important."

 

For some reason, Renjo lowered his gun.

 

He then directed his gaze out into the deep darkness of the night.

 

"I told you I'd make you regret this."

 

He stepped into a nearby thicket and dragged out "something" he had hidden there.

 

"Chihiro?!"

 

It was Chihiro, bound and restrained.

 

She seemed to be conscious, but she was gagged just like Kiori's sister had been, unable to speak properly.

 

No, that wasn't all.

 

There was a faint bruise on her face, and clear terror seeped from her eyes.

 

"Dragging innocent people into this yet again...!"

 

"Kiori chan is an involved party, right? Then anyone involved with you is an involved party too."

 

"That's just a twisted excuse because you want to kill indiscriminately!"

 

"Can't be helped. The higher-ups want it this way."

 

Renjo pressed the muzzle of his gun against Chihiro's head.

 

"Mmph! Mmmmmph!"

 

"Stop itttttt!"

 

"Then try and stop me, missy. We're inside an unreasonable nightmare. It's a world where only inconvenient things happen—well, I originally wanted you to go through the exact same thing I did, but I can't quite do that."

 

"What do you mean...?"

 

As if toying with them, he lowered the gun again.

 

This time, he pulled a small bottle from his pocket.

 

It was dark and hard to see, but something red was wriggling inside it.

 

"Blood Sheep."

 

Renjo suddenly uttered an unfamiliar word.

 

"What is that?"

 

"A fragment of God created by the Kaisei kyou. Or perhaps it's God itself."

 

"I'm asking you what it is!"

 

"It was recovered from the academy. A blessed... well, creature, I guess? One that turns humans into apostles of God."

 

Speaking with a half-smile, he took the contents out of the bottle and brought it close to Chihiro's ear.

 

Kiori stepped forward to stop him, but Renjo immediately fired a shot at her feet, freezing her in place.

 

And finally, the earthworm-like Blood Sheep burrowed its way inside Chihiro's body.

 

"Mmph, mmgggghhh!"

 

"C-Chihiro..."

 

Chihiro twisted her body, overwhelmed by the tickling, disgusting sensation.

 

However, a change immediately overcame her body. She began to convulse violently.

 

"Guwooooooh! O-Ogh, mgghhoooooooo!"

 

"Please stop it, Renjo san! If you're going to kill someone, KILL ME!"

 

"You're the one who kept me alive, remember, missy? It's karmic retribution."

 

Chihiro's convulsions grew even more violent, and copious tears streamed from her eyes.

 

The force of her jaw biting down on the gag intensified, until finally, the cloth sealing her mouth tore apart.

 

"Ga, gaha, guga, Ki, o, ri—"

 

"Chihiro! Chihiro, hold on...!"

 

Snap.

 

With a sickening crunch, her neck bent at an unnatural angle, and Chihiro's movements stopped entirely.

 

"...Chihiro?"

 

Kiori rushed to her side.

 

For some reason, Renjo didn't stop her.

 

Kiori holds Chihiro's body in her arms.

 

Chihiro remained motionless.

 

"Chihiro. Chihiro! Chihiro! Chihiroooo!"

 

"U... a..."

 

Just when she thought she had stopped moving forever, Chihiro let out a faint groan.

 

Her body was still warm; she was still alive. Catching that sensation, a glimmer of hope appeared on Kiori's face.

 

But the next moment.

 

With a wet squelch, a red lump of flesh crawled out from her ear.

 

It was about the size of a human head—no, it was a human head.

 

It had grotesquely misshapen eyes placed at twisted angles, a warped nose, and a mouth stretched wide open, exposing bare gums.

 

"Chihiro chan got a new face. Just kidding,"

 

Renjo told such an unfunny joke.

 

"A... aah... What... C-Chihiro... A-AAAAAAAHHH!"

 

Faced with the abomination that had appeared right in front of her, Kiori's legs gave out, and she couldn't even speak properly.

 

Meanwhile, Chihiro's original head lolled limply, her tongue lolling out of a half-open mouth, drooling saliva, snot, and tears. She looked completely dead.

 

It looked exactly as though she had been hijacked by the new head (the Blood Sheep).

 

And "she" spoke.

 

"LONELY."

 

Extending its slippery red neck, it brought its gaping mouth close to Kiori.

 

"EVERYONE. I HURT, I'M LONELY."

 

From that mouth spewing out such a sorrowful voice, a slimy red tentacle extended, inching closer to Kiori's ear.

 

"Hyah, NOOOOOOOOOO!"

 

She could do nothing but scream.

 

The sheer force of her recoil caused her to turn her face slightly, avoiding the intrusion.

 

A slimy sensation brushed against her cheek.

 

Reflexively, Kiori shoved Chihiro away.

 

The fallen Chihiro slowly stood back up using movements that defied human anatomy, not even using her arms.

 

Kiori, who had fallen on her backside, scrambled backward as Chihiro crept toward her.

 

The creature's movements weren't very fast. But because of that, the time it took for it to approach felt infinitely, agonizingly long.

 

Renjo narrowed his eyes, observing the two of them with deep emotion.

 

"It's a beautiful night, Kinori chan."

 

"I hate this. What is this?! This has to be a dream!"

 

"I told you I'd make you regret it. It's over. Chihiro chan's parasitized brain is already full of holes. She'll never go back to normal."

 

"IT'S A NIGHTMARE!"

 

"That's right, a nightmare. One I've been watching for four years."

 

And one he had longed for. The end of the dream. The exact moment when hope ran out.

 

Suddenly—Kumiko, who had been quiet for a while, grabbed Daichi's wheelchair.

 

"U, uuuugh..."

 

Emitting a low growl like a revving engine, she glared at Renjo with bloodshot eyes.

 

Perhaps it was an emotion best described as resolve or pure determination.

 

Her husband had thrown his life on the line to protect her.

 

Now that she had survived, what was she supposed to do?

 

It looked like pure frenzy, but it was also the calmest judgment of anyone present.

 

Keeping a low posture, she rammed the wheelchair carrying Shimakawa Daichi straight into Renjo.

 

"A desperation attack...?! Tch, using your son as a shield!"

 

He hesitated.

 

As a pawn of the Kaisei kyou, Renjo couldn't afford to harm Shimakawa Daichi, who was being used as a shield.

 

Renjo leaped to the side, dodging Kumiko's charge, and immediately fired at her from the flank.

 

Kumiko took a bullet to the side and collapsed, while the wheelchair carrying Daichi rolled away.

 

Watching this unfold, Kiori was battling two emotions swirling inside her: terror and hatred.

 

She could no longer feel anything else—and she was forced to choose which one to succumb to.

 

She made her choice.

 

For now, she would surrender herself entirely to her hatred for Renjo.

 

The moment he fired at Kumiko, Kiori was already sprinting.

 

In her hand, she held the modified stun gun she had hidden in her bag.

 

"UWAAAAAAAAAAH!"

 

"Missy—"

 

The gun muzzle swung toward Kiori.

 

But she was faster.

 

Why did she conveniently have a modified stun gun on her?

 

Because Renjo had told her to get one.

 

He had warned her that since the people they were dealing with weren't normal, she should carry a powerful self-defense weapon just in case she was ever in danger.

 

Yes—precisely because he was the one who gave her that advice, Renjo's attention locked onto the stun gun for a fraction of a second.

 

Did you actually listen to my advice? A faint, wistful smile softened his cheeks.

 

Kiori pressed the stun gun against him, and a violent electric shock erupted.

 

"Ga... ah..."

 

Renjo's body convulsed, and the strength left his limbs.

 

"Hah... hah... hah..."

 

Kiori looked down at him as he collapsed to the ground, her shoulders heaving as she panted.

 

Soon, her heart—which had been entirely consumed by hatred and momentum—found room for another emotion, and an overwhelming emptiness washed over her.

 

"What the hell is this."

 

The man she had trusted was a murderer.

 

The woman she loved had become a monster.

 

And that woman was currently looming over the fallen Kumiko, pouring something into her ear.

 

"Hey, Yoshino... why did things have to end up like this...?"

 

Kumiko's body spasmed, and just like Chihiro, a red lump emerged from her ear.

 

The newly born face approached Kiori, chanting, "LONELY," and "HURTS."

 

To make matters worse, patients and nurses who had also been parasitized by Blood Sheep began pouring out of the hospital.

 

It was a scene straight out of a zombie movie.

 

It was so far beyond the realm of reality that Kiori felt a sense of reckless abandonment, akin to giving up entirely.

 

Past sadness, past anger, past terror—her emotions had lost all their heat.

 

Meanwhile, the wheelchair carrying Daichi, which had slipped from Kumiko's grasp, had rolled to a stop a short distance away.

 

Kiori turned her gaze toward it.

 

"If Chihiro isn't here, nothing has any meaning anymore."

 

So no matter what she chose, nothing would change.

 

She thought that perhaps the best option left was to just surrender herself to Chihiro.

 

But why? Even though her heart was dead, her body still tried to move forward.

 

Kiori ran to Daichi's wheelchair and hauled him over to her car.

 

With the horde of Blood Sheep closing in, she shoved Daichi into the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel.

 

The rearview mirror reflected the tragic remains of Chihiro chasing after them.

 

But her own face reflected in the mirror looked just as exhausted and dead as a zombie's.

 

She felt there probably wasn't much difference between the two of them anymore.

 

"We're going, Daichi kun."

 

She started the engine and slammed the accelerator.

 

The voices of the Blood Sheep crying "LONELY" faded into the distance.

 

 

◆◆◆

 

 

As she drove, nearing the city limits, a breaking news bulletin interrupted the radio.

 

『Late tonight, a violent incident occurred at a hospital in Hikarinomiya City. The suspect is believed to be Ushizawa Kiori, an employee of a local newspaper, who reportedly fled the scene by car. There is also information that the suspect kidnapped a young boy who was hospitalized there. Police are currently investigating.』

 

Kiori instinctively turned into an alley on the left and slammed on the brakes.

 

She wasn't just shocked by the news.

 

Down the road ahead, she saw the flashing lights of police cruisers.

 

"After seeing that situation, how does it end up being my fault? Aren't the police from outside the city supposed to be handling things now?!"

 

Did this mean the Kaisei kyou's influence extended beyond Hikarinomiya City?

 

Even so, anyone who saw those Blood Sheep would realize something anomalous was happening.

 

Yet the police cars at the prefectural border were clearly stationed there.

 

They were likely setting up a checkpoint.

 

"I can't escape like this."

 

The road was blocked.

 

Left with no choice, Kiori turned the car around, aiming for the most deserted areas she could find.


 

 ◆◆◆

 

 

The car drove through dark mountain roads.

 

The radio had been spouting nothing but news treating Kiori like a criminal, so she had turned it off.

 

However, turning it off didn't erase the feeling of being hunted.

 

As she navigated the poorly paved roads, the only thought floating in her mind was a hollow, What am I even doing?

 

She couldn't save anyone.

 

She couldn't accomplish anything.

 

Fleeing with Daichi in this state, what was she aiming for? Where was she trying to go?

 

She was so cornered she began to think it might be better to just turn herself in to the police and explain everything.

 

Just then, Daichi stirred in the passenger seat.

 

"...What the. Am I... alive?"

 

"Wh— You woke up?!"

 

Kiori hastily pulled the car over to the shoulder.

 

Daichi slowly turned his gaze toward her as she cried out in shock.

 

"Who're you?"

 

"I'm... Ushizawa Kiori."

 

"Ushizawa... are you related to Ushizawa senpai?"

 

"Senpai? Oh, right, you're a first-year high school student—do you know Ai?"

 

"Yeah, the survivors huddled together inside the school. Ushizawa senpai was one of 'em."

 

"Ai is... alive...!"

 

It was the first "good news" she had heard in a long, long time.

 

She wanted to tell her sister right this second.

 

But if she carelessly made contact, she might drag her into danger again.

 

Kiori swallowed her feelings hard.

 

"That reaction... you really are family."

 

"Ai is my niece. More importantly, what happened at the school?"

 

"Hold on, before that, explain the current situation. My body's a wreck, so why am I being driven away in a car?"

 

"That's..."

 

Kiori gave as brief an explanation as possible about what had happened in Hikarinomiya City leading up to today. Including, of course, what had just transpired at the hospital.

 

"Dad... Mom... Even though they finally made it out alive, they got done in by the Kaisei kyou in the end...?"

 

"So the academy and Fantasy Land disappearing really was the Kaisei kyou's doing."

 

"Yeah, probably. I dropped out on the first floor, so I don't know the exact details, but."

 

"Dropped out?"

 

"I gotta explain what happened in there first."

 

This time, it was Daichi's turn to speak.

 

The internal state of Hikarinomiya Academy—it was even more unbelievable than the story Kiori had just told him.

 

At the same time, she understood why Daichi so easily believed in the absurd existence of the "Blood Sheep."

 

"So the Blood Sheep I saw at the hospital are like pieces of the monsters that were in the school."

 

"I don't know why they're still around. The whole place should have collapsed when my Brother, who became the Floor Boss, died."

 

"But you're alive, Daichi kun."

 

"That's... when the first floor collapsed, I prepared myself for death. Honestly, I intended to die with Brother. But..."

 

"Yuya kun protected you. Right?"

 

"To be honest, it was right before I lost consciousness, so I don't remember it clearly... but I felt like I was wrapped in something warm, something lukewarm. Brother must have risked his life to protect me."

 

Shimakawa Yuya had sought revenge.

 

But he surely never wanted to drag Daichi or Meiji Yoko into it.

 

His final act of atonement—that must have been keeping Daichi alive and letting him escape to the outside.

 

But even for Yuya, who had become a Floor Boss, that was an impossible feat.

 

Daichi couldn't have survived that collapse without paying the massive price of his eye and his limbs.

 

"I'm sorry I'm so powerless, even though your life was protected at such a great cost."

 

"Ain't there anyone on the outside we can ask for help?"

 

"Do you think anyone would believe me when I'm already being treated as a kidnapper?"

 

"Don't you have any photos of those Blood Sheep things? If we have evidence, maybe they'd make a move."

 

"I hardly had the luxury to stop and take pictures."

 

"...Let me confirm one thing."

 

"What?"

 

"I'm the only one who made it out of the academy alive, right?"

 

"Right now, rubble from the second floor and Fantasy Land is falling, but no one has been found yet."

 

"Ushizawa senpai hasn't even been found as a corpse, and famous people like Kuragane Marin and Hiyami Ruka haven't been found either. Is that right?"

 

"The daughter of the Hiyami Group? She was with you too? If she'd been found, it would have been a huge uproar."

 

"I see... then they might still be alive."

 

Kiori didn't understand how that related to their current desperate situation.

 

But she had no other options anyway.

 

If Daichi saw some kind of path forward, she had no choice but to trust him.

 

"Hey, can I borrow your smartphone, Miss?"

 

"Sure, but..."

 

Unlocking it, Kiori handed Daichi her smartphone.

 

Normally she'd hate the idea, but right now she had nothing to hide.

 

"What the, a new floor is dropping."

 

"Really? Does that mean the third floor?"

 

"The third floor, and it looks like a castle and some dirt got mixed in with it."

 

"That academy... I think it was three stories, right?"

 

"Yeah, all that's left is the roof."

 

Using his remaining right hand, Daichi seemed to be trying to contact someone.

 

Kiori watched him at first, but knowing it was dangerous to stay parked forever, she started driving again.

 

"Where are we heading? This road is awfully bumpy."

 

"The summit of the mountain."

 

"That's a dead end, ain't it."

 

"I just thought it might buy us a little time. If someone comes to save us while we wait..."

 

"You're so cornered you're wishing for help when there's nobody around, huh."

 

"We're in the same boat, Daichi kun. Speaking of which, is it really okay to trust me? I am a kidnapper, you know."

 

"The Kaisei kyou is way more untrustworthy."

 

"I'm glad you're reasonable."

 

"Let's hope that momentum keeps us both alive."

 

"Yeah... I wish everyone could be saved, not just the two of us. Chihiro..."

 

Chihiro had become a monster.

 

According to Renjo, humans parasitized by those things have their brains riddled with holes and can never return to normal.

 

She didn't want to believe it.

 

Or rather, she didn't want to believe this was reality.

 

She desperately wanted to believe that if she just woke up, it would be morning, Chihiro would be in the same room, and they would be having a lazy breakfast together—that such a normal daily life was waiting for her.

 

But this was reality.

 

BANG! The impact of a human body slamming against the windshield brutally shattered any escape into a dream.

 

What had dropped from "above" was the parasitized Chihiro.

 

Their eyes met.

 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

 

Kiori screamed and jerked the steering wheel hard.

 

The car crashed into the retaining wall on the shoulder, violently shaking the interior before coming to a halt.

 

The airbags deployed, slamming into Kiori and Daichi.

 

In the quiet mountain, the sound of car horns blares intermittently.

 

"Uwooooh! O-Ow... what the hell was that?!"

 

"U-Ugh... Chihiro... why is Chihiro...!"

 

With that movement speed, there was no way she could have beaten them to the mountain.

 

Which meant someone had brought the parasitized Chihiro here.

 

As if to answer her question, the sounds of multiple footsteps approached.

 

"What's going on, we're surrounded by weirdos!"

 

Surrounding Kiori's car was a group of about four suspicious individuals wearing robes that hid their faces.

 

They were armed with guns, but they clearly weren't police.

 

"The Kaisei kyou..."

 

They smashed the window, expertly unlocked the door, and dragged Kiori and Daichi out of the car.

 

"Let go of me! Do you know how many people died because of you?! Give me back my family!"

 

Daichi couldn't possibly resist with only one arm.

 

No matter how much he screamed, his struggles were in vain, and he was dragged toward the car they had arrived in.

 

Kiori, on the other hand, quickly pulled out her stun gun and thrust it into the neck of the first man.

 

Even through clothing, it packed enough of a shock to render someone immobile.

 

As the first man collapsed, another pointed his gun at Kiori.

 

"This bitch has a weapon!"

 

"UWAAAAAAAAAAH!"

 

In a desperate frenzy, she lunged at him before he could fire and bit down hard on the hand holding the gun.

 

"Damn it, it's already over for you! Behave yourself!"

 

Shaken off, Kiori tumbled to the ground.

 

But this bought her some distance.

 

She immediately scrambled to her feet and began running toward the mountain's peak.

 

However, Chihiro stood in her way.

 

"LONELY. HURTS. HELP."

 

The Blood Sheep approached while uttering creepy vocalizations.

 

When Kiori saw Chihiro's face, her legs gave out, and she couldn't move as she wanted to. 

 

Meanwhile, the Kaisei kyou group was closing in from behind.

 

"Chihiro... hey, Chihiro. It's me, Kiori. The Ushizawa Kiori who loves you! Hey, don't you understand?!"

 

"LONELY. LONELY. ALONE, NO."

 

"I don't want to be alone either! Come back to me, please...!"

 

No matter how much she pleaded through her tears, Chihiro wouldn't return to normal.

 

Her original head was merely leaking bodily fluids, looking completely dead.

 

"Ushizawa Kiori, come with us quietly."

 

The men behind her completely blocked Kiori's escape route.

 

Chihiro in front, a wall to her left, and a cliff to her right.

 

There was only one path left to take.

 

"...Ugh, OOOOOOOOOOH!"

 

Letting out a roar completely devoid of any charm, Kiori took the plunge and threw herself off the cliff.

 

"You idiot, how many meters do you think that is?!"

 

"She's dead."

 

"If we bring back a corpse, His Eminence will lecture us. You two transport Shimakawa Daichi. We'll follow her immediately."

 

"Understood."

 

The Kaisei kyou men quickly went after Kiori.

 

Meanwhile, the abandoned Chihiro moved to the edge of the cliff, staring silently down below.


 

◆◆◆

 

 

"Hey, wake up."

 

Kiori woke up to someone lightly slapping her cheek.

 

The first thing that entered her vision—illuminated by a nearby lamp—was Renjo's face.

 

"Hya—!"

 

Letting out an involuntary shriek, Kiori tried to scramble backward.

 

But her back hit the trunk of a tree.

 

After jumping off the cliff, Kiori had tumbled down the slope and collapsed in the middle of a densely wooded area.

 

It seemed Renjo had found her and let her rest.

 

"No need to be so terrified. Well, I guess there is. I'm the one who did it all, after all."

 

"Renjo... because of you, because of you, Chihiro is...!"

 

"I felt the exact same way, four years ago."

 

"Don't make excuses!"

 

"Yeah... it is an excuse. Everything would have been settled if I had just died. But Kiori chan, you're the one who kept me alive, aren't you?"

 

"Don't push the responsibility onto me with your twisted logic."

 

Faced directly with her hatred, Renjo smiled with satisfaction and sat down on a tree stump.

 

He then brought a canned coffee he had set aside to his mouth.

 

"It was a stroke of luck that a vending machine on the way here had this coffee. Some people say it's too bitter, but I like it."

 

"Don't change the subject."

 

"Yoshino couldn't drink it either. It made me worry that my sense of taste was messed up."

 

"What are you trying to cover up?"

 

"I'm not covering up anything. Just reminiscing. It's the kind of timing that makes you want to do that."

 

"I don't understand you."

 

"That's all you've been saying. Are my words and actions really that inconsistent?"

 

"The whole time."

 

"I see... well, after wallowing in this for four years, your mind's bound to get a little messed up."

 

Renjo gave a tired, bitter smile.

 

"Like I told you today, at first, my intention in showing you those photos of corpses was to distance you and Tsumori from the Kaisei kyou."

 

"...I know."

 

"Don't get so mad. I'm trying to answer your questions in my own way. You want to know why I'm still alive, don't you?"

 

"How does that connect to what we're talking about?"

 

"No matter how many photos of corpses I showed you... neither of you broke. You and Tsumori. On the contrary, it just fueled your motivation, making you more determined to expose the Kaisei kyou. I respected that. You were so radiant, so sparkling."

 

He spoke while gazing into the distance, as if looking back fondly on a time that would never return.

 

"That was, without a doubt, 'hope.' Seeing the two of you trying to push forward no matter how many corpses I showed you... gave me the courage to live."

 

"So... that's why you didn't die?"

 

"I'm the one who killed them, right? While taking those photos, I hated myself, I felt so pathetic, I wanted to die. But when I saw you two looking at those photos, it gave me energy. Over and over again. And because I kept doing it, a lot of people died."

 

"Your family is probably despising you in the afterlife."

 

"Yoshino and Tsumori too, I bet."

 

"Tsumori san is still—!"

 

"Apparently, his body was found."

 

"..."

 

"So, the number of people who will punish me has increased. That's actually a relief."

 

"On the contrary, maybe no one will even bother to punish you. They probably just don't want to get near you."

 

"That's harsh. Yeah, that's way harsher. Well, I'll find out the results once I get over there. I'll know whether I like it or not."

 

Renjo picked up the revolver sitting next to his coffee and checked the remaining rounds.

 

"When I let the Blood Sheep parasitize Aogara Chihiro, Kiori chan, you made a really great face."

 

"Your eyes must be rotting."

 

"It wasn't the face of hope that kept me alive. It was the face of despair I've always wanted to see."

 

"Of course it was... Do you have any idea how much I loved Chihiro...?! We finally, finally understood each other's feelings, we were just about to become lovers!"

 

"Perfect timing, then."

 

"Don't screw with me, Renjooooooo!"

 

Kiori tried to stand up in a fit of rage, but the moment she put weight on her right leg, an intense pain assaulted her and she collapsed.

 

"Ugh, guh...!"

 

"Didn't you realize until now? Your right leg is broken. Well, falling from that height, you're lucky it was just your leg."

 

"Damn it... damn it... To think I can't do anything when a piece of trash like this is right in front of me...!"

 

"Hey, no need to worry. I told you, right? I finally got to see your despair, Kiori chan. You didn't give me the courage to live—you gave me the courage to die."

 

"Huh...?"

 

"There are five rounds left. I'm going to use one now, so there'll be four left."

 

"W-What are you... planning to do?"

 

"To be honest, I thought you would give up back at the hospital. Experiencing that level of despair, it wouldn't be strange for your spirit to break completely. But you made it this far."

 

Renjo pressed the gun to his own temple.

 

Some say it's better to put the muzzle in your mouth to ensure a kill—but for Renjo, who had killed so many people, there was no way he would fail at killing himself.

 

"So—if you still intend to resist, use this gun."

 

And then, he pulled the trigger.

 

There was no hesitation.

 

Since he was already dead inside, this was merely an act to confirm that fact.

 

A dry BANG rang out, and the bullet pierced Renjo's head.

 

From the impact of the gunshot, his body, which had been sitting on the stump, toppled over sideways.

 

He buried his face in the dirt, motionless, a smile still on his lips.

 

"Renjo san...? Renjo saaaan!"

 

The first emotion that arrived was—sadness.

 

After all, they had worked together for six years.

 

Even though he had betrayed her at the very end, that time didn't just disappear.

 

Of course, there was also a feeling of having her grudge avenged.

 

But right now, the intuitive emotion that surged up momentarily chose to shed tears.

 

Dragging her leg, Kiori approached his remains.

 

"What... were you doing? Seriously, from beginning to end... breaking everything into pieces...!"

 

Both Tsumori and Renjo were dead.

 

Yoshino and Chihiro were gone.

 

Kiori had nothing left.

 

If so—what was the meaning of picking up this gun left behind?

 

"I heard a gunshot, this way!"

 

The voices of the Kaisei kyou men echoed.

 

Kiori, realizing she was gripping the gun, pointed the muzzle in the direction of the voices.

 

In the dark, and with her vision blurred by tears, what could she possibly aim at?

 

She couldn't see any meaning in it.

 

Moving purely on instinct now, Kiori pulled the trigger without hesitation the moment she saw a silhouette.

 

"Gaaah!"

 

"She's shooting! It's not Renjo! It's Ushizawa Kiori!"

 

In the darkness, she fired again at a silhouette that reappeared.

 

It didn't hit. It was blocked by a tree trunk.

 

She saw a face again, and fired toward it.

 

With her numb arm, she couldn't aim properly, and the bullet flew off in a random direction.

 

That left one round.

 

"Renjo's body confirmed. I believe the gun is his."

 

"That bastard, was he killed? No, did he die unable to bear his guilt?"

 

"That hit earlier must have been beginner's luck. The opponent is a single amateur, there's no need to be on guard anymore."

 

"No wait, what is that..."

 

The men exchanged words, no longer even trying to hide their location.

 

But a different set of footsteps—crunch, crunch, stepping on the fallen leaves—was approaching.

 

It was Chihiro.

 

Having jumped off the cliff to chase Kiori, her clothes were torn, and her body was covered in wounds.

 

"LONELY. PAINFUL. AM I BAD?"

 

"...Yeah, I think you were pretty bad too, Chihiro. Because you couldn't make up your mind."

 

"ALONE IS BAD. IT HURTS. IT ITCHES. BODY, FALLING APART."

 

"If I had just told you I loved you sooner, maybe I could have died more satisfied."

 

Kiori pointed the gun at her own left leg and fired at point-blank range.

 

"Ugh, guh... uu... fuuuuuu... w-with this... I can't... run away anymore."

 

Combined with her broken right leg, both her legs were now crushed.

 

She could no longer even walk.

 

Tossing the gun aside, Kiori opened her arms and waited for Chihiro to reach her.

 

"LONELY. SOMEONE, TOGETHER."

 

"I'll be with you. Together with you, Chihiro, forever. Even in the afterlife—"

 

Chihiro pushed Kiori down.

 

Then, spitting out tentacles from her monstrous face, she brought them close to Kiori.

 

She thought this was fine.

 

Even though this wasn't Chihiro, by convincing herself it was, she tried to choose the absolute best outcome within the worst possible scenario.

 

I was killed by Chihiro. 

 

If she could pass away thinking that, she could at least engrave Chihiro into her life—so she thought.

 

However.

 

Just before the Blood Sheep entered her body, Chihiro's body was kicked away.

 

"Now we can secure her alive, as ordered."

 

The Kaisei kyou man then used a baton-shaped stun gun to knock Kiori unconscious.

 

As her consciousness sank, she saw Chihiro reaching out toward her.

 

Kiori reached out in response—but their fingertips never touched.


 

◆◆◆ 

 

 

When she woke up, Kiori was once again in an unfamiliar landscape.

 

A cold space surrounded by gray walls, about the size of a school gymnasium.

 

Kiori's body was chained to that wall.

 

"Ugh, ku... now what...? Where have I been taken..."

 

Her broken right leg and shot left leg were left untreated, so they ached intensely.

 

With no signs of treatment, she had been brought here still wearing her tattered clothes.

 

"Who knows, I don't get it either."

 

Next to her was Daichi, similarly restrained by chains. In other words, this was apparently a Kaisei kyou facility.

 

『Welcome to our Cradle. You are the first heathen to set foot here without receiving baptism.』

 

An unfamiliar man's voice echoed through a speaker.

 

It seemed he was speaking from behind a window located high up in front of Kiori and Daichi.

 

『My name is Setaguchi Hiroshi. I serve the Kaisei kyou in the position of Archbishop.』

 

"That white-haired man... Setaguchi."

 

"Are you related to Setaguchi sensei from our school?"

 

『Ataru is my son. A very exceptional son.』

 

"It seems he hasn't come back since getting dragged into all this, though."

 

『He must have caught the eye of God.』

 

"You're awfully positive."

 

Twisting things with convenient interpretations even when they were wrong—the believers at the academy had done similar things.

 

Since even Setaguchi Hiroshi, who held a very high position in the Japanese branch, was like this, it couldn't be helped that the believers below him had similar thought processes.

 

『In fact, Giraiguu sama has answered our faith. The Blood Sheep are the proof. A new wisdom bestowed upon us by Giraiguu sama to reward us for successfully executing the grand ritual.』

 

"They're just failed zombies."

 

"Calling something like that a present, your God has no taste."

 

『Silence! It is because you mock Giraiguu sama like that that you are down there.』

 

"Calling it mockery just because I looked into it a bit. You're basically admitting that having it brought to light is inconvenient for you."

 

"I just woke up, I haven't looked into anything yet."

 

『However... the Blood Sheep have a slight problem. For some reason, they are too gentle.』

 

"Gentle? Those things?"

 

『Yes, after all, they do not kill people. In my opinion, this is not about reaching the True World, but a power bestowed by Giraiguu sama to remake this world into the True World. Yet, if they do not kill people and only increase their comrades, it is meaningless.』

 

Indeed, despite their appearance, the Blood Sheep didn't actually kill anyone.

 

They merely hovered and parasitized.

 

Their behavior was closer to living organisms on Earth than to a God.

 

Well, since they destroyed the brain, it was effectively no different from killing.

 

『Therefore, I would like you to participate in testing the improved Blood Sheep.』

 

"I refuse."

 

『Normally, heathen should not be chosen, but your being brought here alive is some sort of divine will. Please, savor it while thanking Giraiguu sama.』

 

"Forget me, didn't you bring Daichi kun here for a specific purpose?!"

 

『He is no longer necessary.』

 

"Because the number of survivors increased, huh."

 

『Yes, you are no longer a valuable sample. If the goal is research, we can simply use them. Now then, shall we begin?』

 

A door installed in the wall slid open, and humans slid out of the hole.

 

The Blood Sheep that splattered against the floor had a "face" portion that was clearly larger than before.

 

"S-SAD, LONE, LONELY, SHI, SHI, SHHH, CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK."

 

Its mouth had grown more than a size larger, and its white teeth clashed together, making a loud noise.

 

Instead, the words it emitted had become so garbled in pronunciation that it was difficult to even catch them.

 

Furthermore, red veins floated on the "host" human's head like a plant taking root, strengthening the impression that they were taken over by the Blood Sheep more than before.

 

Furthermore, the Blood Sheep that appeared were not just one or two.

 

Dozens—no, perhaps reaching a hundred, were thrown into the room one after another.

 

Among them were faces Daichi and Kiori recognized.

 

"Dad! Mom!"

 

"Chihiro... even Sister."

 

『It is collective responsibility.』

 

"Setaguchi... YOU BASTARD!"

 

How many times had she screamed today?

 

Kiori's voice was already hoarse.

 

And—no matter how many times she screamed, it would not reach the perpetrators.

 

『Your lives will remain as our data. Please, be eaten in peace.』

 

Unlike before, the Blood Sheep approached their "prey" with bare desire.

 

Running barefoot, there was no longer any human reason to be felt from their figures.

 

They were mere beasts aiming for fresh meat.

 

"No. This is wrong!"

 

Even Kiori, who had accepted death, rejected it.

 

With this, even the compromise of becoming one with Chihiro would not be fulfilled—

 

"HUNGRY. NGH—"

 

"Please stop, Chihiroooooo!"

 

The widely opened mouth bit into Kiori's shoulder.

 

The biting force of the Blood Sheep was extremely strong, easily sinking into the flesh and reaching the bone.

 

"A-GAAAAAAHHHH!"

 

As Kiori's scream echoed, Setaguchi Hiroshi nodded in satisfaction.

 

The teeth shifted left and right like a saw, crushing even the bone.

 

Unable to withstand the pressure, the bone crushed, and Kiori felt a pain so intense her consciousness almost flew away in an instant.

 

"——! I-GIIIIIIII!"

 

"K-Kuh. Stop... doing this to Dad, to Mom... Guuuuugh!"

 

Next to her, Daichi was also being eaten by his parents, suffering.

 

Furthermore, other Blood Sheep bit into the two, sinking their teeth into their legs, stomachs, arms, and their entire bodies.

 

Flayed alive, torn apart, eaten down to the bone.

 

『What a wonderful sight.』

 

Setaguchi looked down at it with an ecstatic expression.

 

Himself, protected by reinforced glass that prevents even missiles, and the two surrounded by filthy beasts smeared in appetite.

 

Those chosen by God, and those not chosen.

 

That overly cruel contrast.

 

That alone proved the righteousness of his deeds in continuing to believe in God.

 

『God chose us. God prioritized fulfilling our desires over your salvation.』

 

"NOOOOOOO! Help, hyu, helpppp, SOMEONEEEE!"

 

『Who will come to help?』

 

"They will... they definitely, will come. G-gaaah!"

 

『How exactly?! To this hidden underground facility, into a completely sealed room separated by thick walls, how could an ordinary human, not even blessed by God, possibly come!』

 

To break the heart of Daichi, who still clung to hope, Setaguchi ranted in excitement.

 

"Tell me, Shimakawa Daichi. Just who, defying the will of God, will come to help you?!"

 

"I will."

 

"Huh?"

 

And then, Setaguchi heard that voice whispering right behind him.

 

He involuntarily turned around.

 

There—stood a girl.

 

The believers in the same room were also astonished.

 

Because this girl—Kuragane Erika—had suddenly appeared in a place she should not be able to enter.

 

"If it's someone who killed God, it's okay to save them, right?"

 

Floating a smile mixing hatred and joy, Erika threw a knife at Setaguchi from point-blank range. 

 

Of course, it was not just a throwing knife.

 

In an instant, Setaguchi's body lifted and was slammed against the reinforced glass.

 

"Gaaah! Wha. How, d-di—"

 

And Dreamer pierced the glass, which was supposed to prevent missiles, slamming him against the far wall—that is, directly above Daichi and Kiori.

 

He was fixed by the blade piercing his abdomen, crucified as he continuously dripped blood.

 

"Kuragane senpai!"

 

Daichi, still being bitten, rejoiced with tears in his eyes.

 

Erika smiled at him, and passing through the hole Setaguchi had passed through, she landed in the space where the Blood Sheep were.

 

Then, the believer remaining in the previous room moved.

 

"H-How dare you do that to His Eminence the Archbishop...!"

 

When he pressed a button, a gun with a camera protruded from the space's wall.

 

With a machine gun, he seemed intent on killing Erika along with the Blood Sheep and Kiori's group.

 

However, at that moment, an explosion occurred on the ceiling.

 

"What is it this time?!"

 

The believers were bewildered.

 

Not just the room but the entire facility shook greatly, and what appeared from the hole opened in the ceiling was,

 

"Yoshino...?"

 

Inoue Yoshino, who was supposed to be dead.

 

She pointed the tonfas she gripped in both hands at the gun that appeared from the wall.

 

"How dare you do that to my best friend—Gatling Shot!"

 

The countless bullets fired destroyed them before aiming at Erika's group.

 

Now, all that was left was to process this massive amount of Blood Sheep.

 

"For now, I just have to cut down those gross things, right?"

 

Target setting.

 

All gangrenes existing in this room.

 

The number was within the allowable range.

 

If it was the current Erika, this degree of threat (despair), she could cut faster than a blink.

 

"Sword Barrage!"

 

She stepped one step forward.

 

In an instant, Erika's figure vanished.

 

The only one who could barely visually recognize it on the spot was Yoshino alone.

 

The girl dances on the stage of the three-dimensional space.

 

Slashes bloom profusely.

 

The buds of the Blood Sheep bloom crimson flowers.

 

The blade bearing the name of a dream tears the bowels of the nightmare, remaking it into a reality resembling a deus ex machina.

 

At that instant—all the Blood Sheep were destroyed almost simultaneously.