Chapter 28: The End of Unreasonable Malice (2)

“Osiris?”

What’s that supposed to be? I don’t understand.

I steel myself, ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

The presence before me is that unsettling.

“That’s right. It is the god of resurrection and the exalted king who symbolizes abundance.”

He looks at me and gives an unpleasant smile.

“At first, I denied your existence. Resurrection from death doesn’t make sense.”

Death? Resurrection? What is that all about? Am I going to die?

“But you resurrected. It is a phenomenon that violates the rules. Is it because you are the manifestation of Osiris?”

My head is in chaos.

I feel a headache coming on.

Osiris, resurrection… what is this all about?

“No. I don’t think so. It is because you are you that you received the mystery of Osiris.”

My head hurts. I know this black entity. We are not strangers. It’s quite a bad relationship, too.

“The absurd phenomenon of resurrection… It is an act that completely denies the rules of the world. An ordinary being could never obtain the mystery of Osiris.”

He approaches me. He looks at me as if he’s very interested.

“What exactly are you?”

“Get away from me!”

I swing my gun at the black entity that’s closing in. I don’t fire, knowing that if I did, the room would be a mess.

He easily dodges my attack as if he had expected it.

─Senpai…!!!

My head hurts so much.

Even if it was just pain, I’m also confused, and I can’t think straight.

“You don’t have any memories, do you?”

My body flinches at the black entity’s words. I glare at him with wide eyes. Regardless, he continues to speak his mind.

“Besides, why has your sublimity been reversed? The experiment must have failed…. Have you ever come into contact with the colors?
If so, you may have lost your memory due to the side effects. It doesn’t make sense to take a price as a condition of the mystery.”

I still don’t know what he’s talking about. My head is so confused, my heart feels like it’s going to break, and I can’t stand.

“You don’t need to be so wary. I am an observer and a researcher. All my actions are because I am curious about what results you will face, who has deviated from the rules.”

─Hime-chan.

─Senpai, don’t say anything! Blood, blood…!

Unknown voices echo in my head. I’m dizzy. I’m so confused. The sensation of the gaps between memories shrinking little by little causes me to lose all my strength.

─No, I, I’m sorry, Senpai….

“For Osiris, death is not the end but an ‘opportunity.’ If you want to regain your lost memories, try to seize the opportunity through death.”

My consciousness is fading. The black entity hands something to me in the flickering vision.

But I can’t confirm it. My eyes are almost closed, and my consciousness is faint.

“Don’t forget.”

I lose consciousness with the black entity’s last words.

It’s dark.

Where am I? Something is holding me tight. I can’t move.

But I can open my eyes.

When I open my eyes, I see a room with a strange atmosphere. Looking down, I see myself bound by red lines.

I struggle, but it’s useless. Even the physical strength of a Kivotosian cannot sever them. It seems like a rather advanced device.

But that’s not the problem. My body hurts all over. It’s better than being pierced by a spear in that nightmare, but I still feel an immense pain.

It looks fine on the outside, but is the inside broken?

“Ugh.”

Blood spills from my mouth.

“Senpai, don’t say anything! Blood, blood…!”

Someone is speaking to me. I lift my head following the voice, and an image suddenly appears. I still can’t recognize the face. The voice also sounds unstable, like it has noise.

But I do know that the figure before me is my junior.

She is very worried about me.

Also, she’s sad.

I want to comfort her. It’s okay, I’ll tell her, this is just a memory anyway, so don’t worry.

…….

But I’m bound all over.

I can’t do anything.

“No, I, I’m sorry, Senpai….”

I didn’t hear, but I think I said something. The figure in front of me apologizes to me.

I don’t understand.

What is there for such a kind child to apologize for?

How do I know if she’s kind? Well, isn’t she the one who’s so worried about me and sad for me, so of course she’s a kind child?

But it seems that the ending for such a kind child is determined.

My heart is gradually stopping.

Is my junior going to lose me, her senior, after all?

More than that, am I really going to die? This is a memory, but if I really die, what is the current me?

Can I resurrect through death, as the black entity said?

“…Hime Senpai? No…?”

Oh, I stopped my heart at some point. I really died.

And so, my unknown junior lost me. Looking at it, it seems like we were quite close, which is really awful.

Why is this happening?

“Ah, no. That can’t be. Se, Senpai. Don’t joke. It’s not funny.”

My junior denies reality. I understand. When such a cruel reality comes, humans cannot accept it and reject it.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, Senpai…”

But soon she faces reality. My junior is quite mature.

I don’t know what she’s doing right now, but she’s surely going to do well in anything.

My junior embraces me, who is cold to the touch, and cries. She cries like a child, sobbing.

Fragments of wet emotion fall on my blood-soaked clothes.

It hurts.

It’s not physically painful, but a place in my heart, a place I don’t understand, hurts so much.

I want to hug her, who cries like a child. I want to tell her not to cry.

I want to tell her that she doesn’t have to be sad anymore.

But I can’t. I am just a spectator in the memory, and in reality, I don’t know who my junior is.

I don’t even know who I am.

It’s most important for me to regain my memories right now.

A way to regain all my memories as soon as possible.

…….

‘For Osiris, death is not the end but an ‘opportunity.’ If you want to regain your lost memories, try to seize the opportunity through death.’

The black entity’s words suddenly come to mind.

I thought what he was saying was all nonsense.

But I had experienced death as he said.

And I resurrected.

If his words are true, I may be able to regain my memories through death.

I close my eyes tightly. And when I open my eyes again, what I see is my room.

The room is quite messy, as if I’ve made a mess. Some of the furniture is even broken.

Ah—

The cell phone Mika-san gave me is also broken.

That’s a little sad.

It’s okay.

This life will end soon.

I’m going on a journey to find the truth. It’s probably going to be very difficult, and it’s a gamble.

I have little to lose. I’ve already lost a lot and started.

If I can regain my memories at the end, it doesn’t matter.

-Hoshino, are you free?

-Uheh~ Sensei is contacting me first. What day is it today~?

-I think it’s just a guess, but… I found a student related to your… Hime Senpai.

-…….

-I think it would be good if you met her.

-When can I go?

-Do as you like.

-Then I will visit in two days, Sensei.