19. Let Us Drizzle Honey over Unripe Fruit

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/21/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

By its nature, a church receives visitors of every age and gender.
That had not changed even now that Demi-Vamps had taken it over. People continued to arrive, knowing nothing.
Lilina Lengland.
This innocent girl, far younger than I was and still of school age, was one of them.
In her case, however, she had only recently begun coming to the church.
For reasons I did not understand, she had grown remarkably attached to me and seemed to visit solely to see me.
She was a tremendously energetic child who begged, “Play with me, play with me!” whenever she came. I did not mind, so we often played together.
I would sit her on my lap while we read, chase her until she caught me in a hug, or hold her hand—all perfectly innocent.

“Big Sister, let’s play!”

And so, as on every other day, Lilina came to the church.
I welcomed her with a smile from the bottom of my heart.

 

◇◇◇ Continue reading →

18. I Will Keep Calling It a Happy Ending

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/20/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

The next morning, after I woke, I received the news: a soldier’s body had been found outside the castle, and Leia had been discovered collapsed within it.
I had lain awake for a long time last night, lost in thought, and my body still felt heavy. But this was no time to complain.
I hurried to the room where Leia was resting and was relieved to find her looking better than I had expected.

“Thank goodness you’re safe, Leia.”
“Miyako …”

Her complexion was good, and she had no visible injuries.
Yet there was little strength in her expression, and her unsteady eyes watched me anxiously.
More importantly—

“Wait, Leia … you’re talking!?”

At my remark, Leia shyly covered her mouth with the blanket.
This might have been the first time I had ever heard her real voice.
I wondered whether someone had attacked her and destroyed Reese—but the black cat doll was sitting on the room’s table.
What had brought about this change of heart?

“I met Chigusa Hinata …”
“What …? Then was Ms. Hinata the one who attacked you? But why!?”
“Just as I told you yesterday, Miyako … had been affected by a charm. I think that vampire was … Chigusa.”

I had already guessed that Ms. Hinata was a vampire when Leia explained charm to me yesterday.
But that did not explain why she had entered the castle.

“There was another one with her. A vampire named Ellis. I think she was … after your life, Miyako. When I tried to stop her, Chigusa appeared.”
“She came to save her companion?”

Ellis was the girl who had called Ms. Hinata “Sister.”
If she had targeted me, then perhaps it was jealousy.
Ms. Hinata had called her merely a friend, but their closeness had not seemed like friendship alone to me.
Perhaps that was why she had come all the way into the castle to save her.

“Yes … probably. In the end, I was no match for her at all. Chigusa was so strong—nothing like the other vampires. If she had wanted to, she could have done something to you too, Miyako … But you were unharmed, so she did not come only to save Ellis.”

Leia hesitated to say the conclusion aloud.
But I understood well enough.
Chigusa had come to stop Ellis from killing me.

“Chigusa also … asked me to give you a message.”
“A message for me?”

Leia nodded without speaking.
It must have been humiliating for her.
Leia hated vampires deeply.
Vampires had destroyed her hometown, along with her family and closest friend.
Even so, because these were words that had to reach me, she took a long pause, wrestled with herself, and then clearly delivered Ms. Hinata’s message.

“I’m sorry. Thank you for everything, Mya-nee.”

The instant I heard those words, nostalgic feelings flooded my chest like overflowing snowmelt.
Feelings I had forgotten—feelings I had sealed away with my guilt—came rushing back all at once.

“Chigusa said it was goodbye. So … Miyako, you do not have to see her again.” Continue reading →

17. Where There Is Light, There Is Shadow; Where There Is No Light, There Is Only Shadow

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/19/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

Ellis slashed apart the orb of light with her claws.
Unable to maintain its spherical shape, the mass of magical power suffered a spell collapse. It warped, exploded, released a shock wave, and vanished.

“Ghh!”

She shielded her eyes with an arm against the flash that filled her vision and braced her feet against the blast that threatened to fling her away.
Perhaps because she was exposed to the light, her skin prickled as though it were burning, though it was not quite painful.
Once the shock wave had eased somewhat, she sprang sideways to evade another orb that had already closed in from the front, then fixed her eyes on Leia.
It was the human who was casting the magic. Reese, the doll, was no more than a means of communication.
Ellis did wonder why Leia did not speak with her own voice—but she immediately discarded the thought.
There was no need to think about someone who was going to die anyway.

“Haaah!”

Ellis leapt at Leia.
She appeared to mean to take her head in a single swipe of her claws.
Though she saw Ellis coming, Leia did not even try to evade.
Was fear keeping her body from moving—or did she have some other means of defense?
Suspicious, Ellis nevertheless kept enough room in her thoughts to react at once if some spell intercepted her.

“So predictable. I suppose that is all you inhuman things ever are.”

The doll spoke.
Reese raised its cloth fist and stepped in front of Leia.

“You think a stuffed toy can stop me?!”
“I protect Leia. Otherwise, there is no point in my being Reese.”

Reese jumped and caught the claws descending toward Leia.
With a clang, as if metal had struck metal.
It was not ordinary cloth; magic had likely reinforced it.
Ellis retreated from the doll for the moment.
But Reese would not let her get away. The black-cat doll scurried toward Ellis on two legs, leapt, and threw punches in rapid succession at her face, stomach, and legs.

“Give it up. Dodging will not give you a chance!”

Ellis continued to evade Reese’s attacks by the narrowest margins.
But she knew there was no end to this if it continued.
Reese was not her only enemy. Leia had already created another orb of light and was about to send it at her.

“You are in my way!” Continue reading →

16. The Reckless Battle of a Maiden in Love

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/18/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

When I left the church and returned to the castle, Leia was making herself at home in my room.
I did not remember giving her a spare key, but unlocking a door was doubtless effortless with her magic.
Watching her lie on my bed and idly kick her feet, she looked strangely young.
Judging by her appearance, Leia was probably about Chigusa’s age. Yet now and then she wore an oddly mature expression.
Surely she could not be older than I was. Still, people called her a witch—could I really assume she was the age she looked?

“Hello, Miyako. You’re back. We helped ourselves to your room first.”

The bipedal black-cat doll sitting on the table—Reese—rose to speak to me.
Leia slowly pushed herself upright as well, remaining seated on the bed as she watched me in silence.

“Going by that expression, you got a nice change of pace. My advice was right after all, wasn’t it?”

Reese puffed out its chest smugly.
I could not argue with it… though running into Chigusa had been pure coincidence.

“I’m not sure it was thanks to you, Leia, but it did clear my head. I think I’ll keep taking walks from tomorrow on.”
“I’m glad. Generally, I cannot recommend that a woman walk through the city alone, but I doubt you have anything to worry about, Miyako.”
“It still doesn’t feel real to me, but you’re right. I don’t think I could lose to just anyone anymore.”
“If anything, you must take care not to kill someone by misjudging your strength. By the way, Miyako, where in the city did you go today?”

I had expected it to ask.
But of course I would not tell them about Chigusa.
The kingdom wanted fighting power.
If they learned she was at the church, they might try to bring her to the castle.
And then—she would have to face the students again.
That would be far too cruel to do to her. It was not merely a matter of earning her trust.

“I only took a walk today, but I did pick out a few shops I want to visit after tomorrow.”
“Shops? Food? Clothes? Trinkets?”
“Food, I think.”

Clothes and trinkets interested me too, but I did not yet have the peace of mind to enjoy them.

“Then I recommend the confectioner’s on the main street. Their cream pie is simple, but it’s wonderful! The crust is crisp, it’s filled with fragrant cream, and if you have one fresh from the oven, well…!”
“…Do you want me to bring you some?”

Reese and Leia both shook their heads at once.
Apparently they did want some. I would make sure not to forget tomorrow.

 

◇◇◇ Continue reading →

15. Forgotten Things

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/17/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

As Ms. Hinata held me, my thoughts were in complete disarray.

I had certainly seen her corpse.

When the five students and I were “summoned” into that room with its enormous magic circle, one girl had burst apart beside it—

Her body had been damaged, but it was a sight that still gave me goosebumps to remember. There was no mistaking that face. It had been Ms. Hinata’s.

And yet, why was she alive?

And why was she holding me?

“Ah … Ms. Hinata, is it really you? Weren’t you dead?”

“Please do not go killing me off on your own. As you can see, I am alive.”

Even after I pulled away to make sure, she was still Ms. Hinata.

Yet perhaps what unsettled me was the smile on her face: she had never shown me one since we were reunited at school.

“We needn’t talk while standing. Shall we sit down for the moment?”

“O-okay …”

I needed time to collect myself too.

At Ms. Hinata’s prompting, I sat beside her on a chapel pew.

Was I imagining the small distance she left between us?

Once seated, I took a deep breath and asked her again.

“Ms. Hinata, why are you in a place like this?”

“When I came to, I was in a place that looked like a rubbish dump. I woke up there and wandered through the town, but it was somewhere completely unfamiliar, and I had no one to turn to. The person who helped me was a sister from this church.”

“And you have been here ever since?” Continue reading →

14. Stopped Clock

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/16/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

No human being is completed alone.
Though innate gifts matter, it is one’s surroundings that ultimately shape one’s character.

First love.
The first betrayal.
A mother who abandoned her.
A father unstable in his emotions.
Classmates brimming with malice.
And me, pretending to be her ally.

Through all those days, the profoundly self-loathing personality called Chigusa Hinata was completed.

“—In other words, I, too, was an accomplice in killing that girl.”

With a self-mocking smile, I said this to the friend who listened earnestly to my story.
Yet she did not open her mouth; she merely listened.
Because the one answering was not her, but Reese: a bipedal black-cat doll that moved by itself atop the table.

“… You take too much upon yourself, Miyako.”

Reese spoke in a girl’s voice.
The one manipulating the doll—my friend—was Leia Hersig.
She was a witch who lived in the royal castle, and the very person responsible for summoning us to this world.
By “this world,” I mean that this is another world.
In this extraordinary world, where magic exists as though it had sprung from manga or anime, we were summoned as “saviors” possessed of powerful magical ability.
I do not understand the theory very well, but apparently people from other worlds can wield tremendous power when they come here.

“But Chigusa really did die before our eyes.”

The girl I had once cherished like a little sister was somehow slammed into the floor and torn apart the very moment she arrived in this other world.
Already confused after being surrounded without warning by glowing magic circles and sent to an unfamiliar world, several students and I were thrown into still greater confusion by the foul-smelling corpse lying close at hand.

“And … I could not even mourn her.”
“That was the kingdom’s failure. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart.”

The body was immediately taken away, and I later heard that it had been discarded at the dumping ground.
I was devastated.
Since coming to this world, we had been treated like heroes.
Anything we asked for was given to us.
In fact, the other students had surrounded themselves with several women in lavish rooms and demanded great quantities of jewels, indulging in every luxury.
… Only the perpetrators enjoyed such happiness, while the victim was thrown away like rubbish.
I could not accept such injustice.

“Even so, does Miyako really need to live so frugally? You should ask for more, and forget the things you dislike.”
“I can’t.”

And besides, how could a room with a canopy bed be called frugal?
The other students’ rooms were apparently still more luxurious, but if I wanted the same, I would be made to live near them whether I liked it or not.
Part of why I chose this room was to put as much distance as possible between them and me.

“If you do not, Miyako will only break.”

Leia said it as though casting me aside.
But her words did not reach my heart.

“That is all right. If no one else will repent for Ms. Hinata’s death, then I should bear every sin.”
“That is exactly what I mean by taking on too much.”

The doll’s soft hand stroked the head I had bowed.
Even as I enjoyed the feeling, I continued reproaching myself: it was wrong that I alone should feel any comfort.

Continue reading →

Interlude 2: Träumerei Never Ends — Part Two

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/15/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

Chigusa sat facing me, an unusually somber expression on her face.

“Everyone must know how starved for love Miri is.”

If they know, then why don’t Father and Mother love me the way they love my sister?

“Is that really true, I wonder …”
“Yes. Even I understood the moment I met you. They understand too, but none of them will answer your need because they lack the courage to bear that responsibility. It is shameful. At the very least, the parents who brought you into this world have a duty to do so.”
“But … it’s my fault I got sick, isn’t it? If I weren’t sick—if I could run around outside like other children—I wouldn’t have caused everyone so much trouble.”
“A family is supposed to embrace all of that along with you … though perhaps expecting so much is unrealistic. My own family was the same.”
“Yours too, Chigusa?”

I had not expected her to say that.
Chigusa held me with so much love that I had assumed she must have grown up surrounded by people who loved her too.

“No one loved me. If anything, they hated me for no reason. The one person who did love me was hurt by those who hated me, and in the end, that person came to hate me as well.”
“That’s awful. You’re so wonderful and kind, Chigusa.”

At my insistence, Chigusa smiled—troubled, but happy—and gently rested her forehead against mine.

“You and I are alike, Miri. Perhaps that is precisely why I was able to find you.”
“Alike …?”

But Chigusa and I were nothing alike.
She was so far beyond my reach that I could not understand why someone like her would take an interest in someone like me.
Still … Chigusa would never lie to me.
Maybe it was true.
If Chigusa had once been like me, then—

“Does that mean I can change too? Can I become someone wonderful like you?”
“You can. Once you are reborn, Miri, you should be able to reclaim your sister as well.”
“But you’re going to eat me, aren’t you?”
“Yes. But what I shall consume is the human called Miri. I am not going to kill you.”
“… What does that mean?” Continue reading →

Interlude 1: Träumerei Never Ends — Part One

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/14/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

My world is very small.
All I can do is sit quietly in a dim room like a cage and look outside.
I hardly ever go out, so I have no friends. To me, my big sister Rellie is practically my whole world.
Father and Mother are kind, but their work does not seem to have been going very well lately, and they often argue when Rellie is away.
They never take it out on me, but they visit my room far less than they used to, and on the rare occasions when we talk, they can be terribly cold.
The way they look at me has grown cold too, and that hurts so much.

I take up only the tiniest bit of space, but it seems that even living requires me to have some value.
Then why was I born? I ask the stars that question every night, but no one ever answers.
It is because I do not shine.
People without value do not shine, so the stars surely cannot find me either.

If Rellie were not part of my family, she never would have found me.
It was not because I shone. She merely happened to be near me.
Without a stroke of luck like that, I could not even make someone notice me.
That is why I want to treasure what I have now. I do not want to lose Rellie.

“Rellie, why do you have to go …?”

But Rellie is going to marry Dick.
She will become part of someone else’s family, and all that will remain in this house are Father and Mother, who do not need me, and me, who is nothing but a burden.
I understand. Dick is rich, and once she marries him, things will surely become easier for our family.
In fact—ever since her marriage to Dick was settled, Father and Mother have stopped arguing, and even their eyes have grown warmer when they look at me.
But that only makes it hurt more.
Because whether I like it or not, it has shown me that my value to Father and Mother comes down to money.
Only Rellie has never changed.
As long as I have her, I need nothing else.

“Please don’t go, Rellie. Stay my sister forever—mine and mine alone—” Continue reading →

13. The Girls Sink into a Sea of Happiness

Author: Kiki
Raw: https://novel18.syosetu.com/n2498fn/13/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

I sat alone in the chapel, now completely dark with no light coming in from outside.
The preparations were already complete. All that remained was to wait for the guest of honor.
Then I heard the door open, and the room that should have been pitch-black filled with light.

“Mistress, might you at least turn on a light?”
“Nunnally … Where is Ellis?”
“She is spending time with the others. You said we were free to do as we pleased until Rellie arrived.”

Looking more closely, I saw that Nunnally was flushed and perspiring.
It seemed that she and Ellis had been helping prepare our new companions.

“How was she?”

When I asked, Nunnally answered with a dreamy expression.

“Miri is thirteen, is she not? At first I was understandably cautious, but I have accepted her as one of us.”
“I am glad you can accept her. I expect she will live here at the church with us, so please be kind to her.”
“Of course. But … we have no habits made for children. We shall have to order one.”

Nunnally began arranging the matter in her head, though I wondered whether it was truly necessary.
An oversized habit would do for now, since they frequently changed clothes during their private rituals.

“… Rellie may arrive soon. I shall return to the room.”
“Then, when the time is right …”
“Yes. I am to bring the two of them here.”

Once we had confirmed the plan, Nunnally returned to the rear of the church.
I was alone once more in the now-lit chapel.
I understood that Rellie could not leave immediately after her fiancé’s death.
But she had to be searching desperately for someone to save her.
I had expected her to shake off every restraining hand and force her way to the church. Had I not poured enough power into her?
Judging from everything that had happened before, so much prolonged contact should already have made her ready to surrender body and soul.
Perhaps compatibility differed from person to person.
Even so, she had entrusted herself to me once already. There could be no doubt that she was very close to falling completely.

I passed the time staring down at my feet as they swayed idly.
In a space so quiet that I could hear the insects outside, I closed my eyes and waited patiently for approaching footsteps.
Now and then, faint voices carried from the rooms beyond, which made waiting somewhat difficult.
As I smiled wryly, I finally heard someone outside strike the ground at a run.
It appeared our leading lady had arrived at last.
I rose from the pew, stepped onto the long red carpet across the chapel floor, and waited for Rellie to appear beyond the doors.

“Hah, hah, hah …” Continue reading →