"Kotone, I remember."

Once, Kotone's mother had told her this.

"There's a certain branch. One that can protect you in times of danger. Can you go outside? I left something with someone long ago."

And then, she told Kotone.

About the house of a man who possessed that branch.

It was near the end of vacation when Kotone went there to retrieve that branch, driven by a change of heart.

She simply wanted to.

The way she smiled brightly while creating talismans as if she were drawing pictures—it reminded Kotone of a "mother."

Perhaps Kotone just wanted to do something together with her.

Whether that would have been enough or not, she couldn't say.

They decided to hide the talisman under a slightly loose floorboard.

Only the two of them and the goldfish watching them knew its location.

"Listen carefully, Kotone."

Kotone's mother said.

"Someday, they'll come to use you. You might not be able to do anything on your own. But I want you to continue living in this world."

Kotone just blinked, looking at her mother.

Her mother spoke, rattling her chains.

"So, shall we take out an insurance policy? I'm not certain, but it's insurance that only you can have."

*

The body of "Kotone" looking in the mirror suddenly "unraveled."

It was like unwinding a ball of thread.

I couldn't tell what that mirror was, but perhaps it was a tool that revealed the "true form" beyond it.

What lay beyond was a monster of the indescribable kind.

It wasn't even a "flesh mass." Sota momentarily wondered if it could even be considered a material of this world.

As if his brain refused to recognize its form, his vision blurred.

A scream escaped from Sota's mouth.

He thought he'd been hurt quite badly before, but this pain was the worst he'd ever experienced.

Crack, crack. A dangerous sound came from his left arm, which was borrowing Kotone's power.

"I'm sorry."

Such a voice reached Sota's ears.

Was it Kotone speaking?

"I guess this is the role I was meant to play after all."

No.

Sota wanted to say that.

That roles didn't matter. That once born, all one had to do was live.

"Thank you for everything until now."

Sota wanted to respond to those words.

He felt pathetic that he could only scream. How could he convey his message? That there was no need to thank him. That they could continue seeing each other. That they should go out together again.

He wanted to say such things.

It was heartbreaking.

So heartbreaking. Why did a girl who simply liked sweet things, fireworks, and playing in water—a girl no different from others—have to end up like this?

Wasn't this too heavy a burden for one girl's shoulders?

"You've helped me this far... I'll handle the rest from here."

Saying that, Kotone "let go" of Sota's hand.

The pain subsided in an instant.

The flesh mass that had been wrapped around Sota's arm fell off.

And then, as if being sucked in, it went to Nirras and enveloped her body.

Sota looked up at the scene in dismay.

Blood was flowing freely from his arm. Much of the skin on his left arm had been peeled off, but he didn't care about that.

Sota slowly rose from his spot.

Nirras—or at least the human form she had taken—collapsed instantly and turned into a mass of flesh.

It was all over.

Everything.

The plan to save the world, the plan to save Kotone—

What should he do? What on earth should he—

That's when it happened.

Kotone's body was suddenly engulfed in blue flames.

Sota, who had been standing unsteadily, stared blankly at the sight. So did Yuka, who was trying to get up somehow.

"Is that...?"

Yuka shook her head.

Sota went to Yuka and helped her up. The two barely managed to stand and maintain their balance.

Screams were heard.

Screams coming from all over the flesh mass.

Tears flowed from Sota's eyes.

Kotone had said, "I'll handle it from here."

Whatever she had done, however she had done it.

"Yuka."

"...Yeah."

At the very least, they couldn't betray that trust.

Somehow moving together, they picked up the sword. When Sota handed it to Yuka, she grasped it with trembling hands.

The two limped toward the direction of the blue flames.

Though the fire was blazing so fiercely that it seemed it would cause burns, strangely, it didn't feel hot.

Amidst the screams, laughter could be heard. Nirras's laughter. A laugh that seemed to find even this situation amusing.

From above, pieces of flesh were falling in all directions like meteors. The flesh masses that had risen so high were now falling in fragments, burned by the fire.

Yuka held the sword, and Sota stood beside her, holding her hand.

And they stabbed and cut through that pillar of burning flesh with the sword.

Inside was Kotone.

Kotone, engulfed in flames, burning away.

"Isn't it fascinating?"

Nirras laughed and said.

"That a fool who should have known nothing was thinking of a way to drive me out."

"...A way to drive you out?"

"It seems such a method existed. I don't know much about it. Perhaps she heard it from her mother."

"..."

"That woman named 'Mirror' who smiled as she died, hearing someone call her 'mother.' It's strange. She never treated the flesh masses she gave birth to as her children, but then she gives birth to another 'flesh mass' just like the others and suddenly has maternal instincts. Because it can speak, because it looks a bit cuter, hmm, I don't understand. Why such fixation on things that aren't essential?"

"You're right."

Yuka said.

"The afterlife is just a place everyone goes to when they die. You probably wanted immortality."

Yuka raised her sword.

Was the trembling tip of the sword due to her lack of strength? Or because she knew what she had to do?

"But that's why you lost."

"Think that if you wish."

Nirras said.

"Indeed, she must have known the method and searched for it after being forcibly transferred to that body."

Kotone's body laughed.

"This is the Kurosawa family's main house. She must have been able to find it somehow. Remarkable child. It must have been difficult to maintain sanity after being transferred there. I didn't think she could maintain her sanity in a place like a furnace where countless souls are entangled."

So that's what Kotone had been searching for. Was it because she wanted to die?

If both that flesh mass and the girl's body were Kotone. Kotone must have known that she couldn't befriend anyone while remaining as such a flesh mass.

Even if she imitated appearances, she would ultimately know her true nature.

"From the moment she found and swallowed that dagger, the outcome was decided. One could say the problem was how perfectly they merged."

Nirras murmured.

"But can this be called a 'victory'?"

"..."

Kotone, who had her eyes closed, slowly opened them.

"Kotone."

Sota called Kotone's name—

The sword clashed with flesh.

Yuka's sword had blocked the blade that was swung toward Sota.

"Persistent till the end."

"Hmm."

Kotone's body laughed.

"Even in this situation, you should know I can do anything."

Nirras said.

Yuka and Sota were thrown back.

Kotone walked out from within the flesh mass.

Of course, the entity controlling the body was Nirras.

The body was still on fire, but unlike the flesh masses writhing in pain, her expression seemed very serene.

"With this, it's a body that cannot die. Even if you've heard the story—"

Nirras's voice stopped.

"...I know."

And a calm voice answered.

Slowly, Kotone's body knelt on the ground.

"...But I heard another story too."

Kotone's gaze turned to Yuka.

"About a sword that can cut down someone like me."

Yuka's faint breathing could be heard.

"...Yuka."

"Yes."

Yuka rose from her spot again.

Sota helped her.

Staggering, the two approached Kotone.

"Ha, hahaha!"

Laughter flowed from Kotone's mouth.

"Yes, I see. So that's why you merged with my body."

"...That's right."

To die.

To kill.

Kotone had made a choice.

If they were in the same body, and if she could take control of that body even for a moment.

By being stabbed by Yuka's sword—

Thud.

Yuka and Sota also knelt before Kotone.

And they grasped the sword.

They pointed the tip of the sword at Kotone.

"...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

In the end, Sota broke down in tears.

He didn't want to accept this situation. He couldn't believe things had ended up like this.

Until now, they had always been able to save people. At least, they had saved those right in front of them.

He thought they could do the same for Kotone.

Yuka was also sobbing like Sota.

Kotone raised her trembling arms. And she embraced the necks of the two.

"...It's okay."

A calm voice was carried on Kotone's breath.

"It's okay, really. ...I had fun. For the first time since I was born."

Sota couldn't say anything more to Kotone.

Kotone held the two tightly until the end.

With her lips tightly closed, as if to prevent Nirras from mocking them.

A smile rested on Kotone's lips as she closed her eyes.

*

The tombstone was erected in the cemetery near the Yuuki family.

There was no one left in the Kurosawa family to hold memorial services.

It took quite a long time for Sota, Yuka, and the other children to properly recover their daily lives.

Sota and Yuka had to be hospitalized for a long time. They had so many wounds all over their bodies that it took a very long time to recover.

Unfortunately, it was during the school term, so the two couldn't attend school properly for a long time.

"Considering the time needed to gather your thoughts, perhaps..."

Yuka's grandfather couldn't finish his sentence, but Sota and Yuka knew it was because he felt sorry, so they just nodded.

Sota found it a bit absurd that he was taking something like a leave of absence from high school.

His father came to see Sota, but they didn't have a long conversation. It was fortunate that he said he wouldn't completely cut off support even if Sota attended school for another year.

"Shii, I'm sorry. Really."

"No, Onii-san."

Shii held Sota's hand with trembling hands and said with teary eyes.

"Thank you for coming back. I mean it..."

To such a Shii, Sota couldn't think of anything to say other than apologizing a few more times.

By sheer coincidence, the hospital where Sota and Yuka were admitted was the same one where Fukuda's friend was hospitalized.

"...Yuu seems to be doing a bit better. I haven't told her about Kotone yet."

Fukuda, who came to visit Sota, said.

"...I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

Fukuda exhaled deeply.

"..."

And he remained silent for a while, leaning forward.

"Those who remain... those who remain, well, have to live on, right?"

Sota couldn't bring himself to answer.

"And, well, if she was a divine being or something. Then, someday, she might appear again in a way we can't understand. We can just greet her happily when that happens."

Fukuda said as he got up.

"At least it seems souls definitely exist, so doesn't that mean she'll visit whenever we pray or hold memorial services? For now... that's how it is, I guess."

And as if he didn't want to hear any rebuttal, he turned his back on Sota and left the room.

"..."

Nanami visited Sota with a very angry face.

"...If you do the same thing again, I'll kill you myself."

Sota trembled in fear at the sight of Nanami, who said just one thing with a truly murderous expression.

But even while glaring as if she would really kill him, Nanami left after peeling many apples into rabbit shapes.

At least she seemed relieved that Sota had returned.

Hagiwara-senpai also came, cried for a while, and left, and many other classmates visited as well.

The apartment where Kotone lived remained as it was. Strangely enough, the apartment remained "as it was" even afterward, except for the window glass that Sota had broken.

Even the goldfish that Kotone had kept was still there. It had survived through all that chaos. It even seemed to have grown bigger despite not being fed for a long time because everyone had forgotten about it.

That goldfish was now being kept at Yuka's house.

Yuka came to Sota's hospital room after her condition had improved considerably.

"...I'm quitting."

Yuka said.

"Exorcism and such, I can't do it anymore."

"...Yeah."

Sota nodded to Yuka.

"...Was what we did the right thing?"

Yuka asked.

Sota couldn't bring himself to answer.

Yuka didn't say anything either.

"Hey, Sota."

Yuka, who was looking out the window, whispered softly.

"Yeah."

"...If you're going to hate me..."

"I don't."

Sota said.

"That day, it wasn't just you holding the sword."

Sota answered.

Yuka hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"Fukuda came and said that since she's a divine being, she might suddenly pop up and say hello someday."

So he said the same thing there too.

Words that only someone who knows nothing can say. A vain hope.

No, it wasn't even that. If anything, it was closer to a defense mechanism.

That's why Sota couldn't help but be a little surprised by what Yuka said next.

"I just feel like I'd like that to happen."

"...Yeah."

Sota answered with a small smile.

"That would be nice."

Both of them looked out the window.

Autumn was coming.

The sky was indifferently blue.

*

Several months later.

After taking a complete break for the second semester, when the weather had not yet warmed up.

Some time had passed since being discharged, but there were still uncomfortable areas.

But at least they were well enough to leisurely stroll outside together with Yuka.

Though still a bit troubled by those memories, they felt they were gradually recovering. They were meeting friends occasionally, and even talked with that girl named Yuu.

Perhaps, after a few years, it might be possible to return to normal life?

"It's been a while since you've come to my house."

Yuka said with a smile.

"Yeah, it has been a while. Just the two of us, too."

"Why? Do you have some weird expectations?"

"Wh-what?"

"I'm joking, just joking."

Yuka poked Sota's side with her elbow.

After quitting her job, Yuka had become much brighter. She also had an expression as if she had let go of something.

Sota thought that wasn't a bad thing.

Of course, since Yuka's grandfather and father were at her house, nothing unusual would happen, but still, when going to a girl's house, one can't help but have various thoughts. He was just acting rationally.

"Kotone's goldfish has grown a lot."

"Are goldfish originally large ornamental fish?"

"I looked it up and they can get quite big. They also live quite long. I think we might need to get a bigger tank."

As Yuka said, the goldfish—

"...Huh."

Yuka, who had opened her room door, froze.

"What? What's wrong?"

Sota looked over Yuka's shoulder into the room and similarly froze.

"Huh?"

And made the same sound as Yuka.

The room was in disarray.

More precisely, the fish tank was broken. Water had splashed everywhere, and the goldfish was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on? What on earth..."

As Sota and Yuka quickly entered the room and looked around,

"Sota. Yuu."

A voice calling the two was heard.

It was a voice both of them knew.

Though it was a bit small—

"Kotone!?"

Both of them turned toward the bed where the sound came from.

And there, miraculously.

Yes, as Fukuda had said, miraculously—

"Hello."

There was a friend greeting them.

Though her body had become much smaller, no, almost as small as a palm.

The person there was clearly the Kotone that the two remembered.

There would be many stories to share.

How this happened, no, how she could possibly be here like this.

Whether this was even possible. If there were any dangers. How she would live from now on.

But, for now, such rational responses didn't immediately come.

The action that Sota and Yuka chose was, somewhat embarrassingly, to burst into tears.