I LIKE TO TAKE IT SLOW (ROLL THE KATAMARI) (2)

"That thing's yer' MOTHER?!" Mizuki-sensei looks to her in shock.

"Y-yeah... or I guess, was...?" I chuckle nervously, unsure of what to do.

Well, I mean, I should probably transform, right...? Mom or not, she's still an Anxi. I can't afford to hesitate.

I place a hand to my hear--

SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM

In an instant, her m-massive, slimy palm crashes into me, sending me straight into the wall...!!

"Gggagaahhkkk....!!"

Thankfully...... I can take blows that would shatter the b-bones of any normal human being..... But fuck me that still hurts, mom!!

I collapse to my knees, struggling to regain my footing. She's quicker than I'd thought. Maybe I don't have the time to transform. That's fine-- if people see me, then so be it. I'd rather be outed than killed...!!

Instead, flick my fingers, summoning my hammer. It falls to the ground with a massive THUD.

"C-c'mon, Chisaki... we've gotta wait for the others." Mizuki-sensei seems rattled. She's not even using that teasing nickname.

Ignoring her, I rush for my mother, skidding my feet against the ground as I make a massive swing at her. The hammer-

!!

S-she... grabs the head of my hammer, arm bending to absorb the impact. Elbows shouldn't bend that way... right? Before I can react, she... pulls the hammer out of my hands... and t-throws it away?! I've never... had that happen before...!!

"Ggaaffhhh!!"

She... g-grabs me by the waist...!! C-can't breathe... s-so... tight!!

"H-hang in there, Chisa-"

In the blink of an eye, I see Mizuki-sensei flying off, having been knocked away by my mother's free hand.

...I need to get my hammer back. ...They're too far away for me to transform back into my familiar. ...I wish I could just re-summon it beside me, but I'd have to be able to de-summon it first.

That just leaves......

I've always been too scared to use my proper witch powers-- they're too hard for me to control. But... it's life or death here, isn't it? ...This must've been how Asahi-sensei felt, back at the hotel.

I close my eyes, channelling my earth magic to manipulate the gravity around the hammer. Thank god it's still within my sights...!! Gradually, it starts moving towards me, faster... and faster... and faster and faster and fasterfaster faster fasterfasterfasterfasterfasterfaster faster wait, how do I slow it down-

CRRRAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHH

The hammer slams straight into my mother's hand, causing the two of us to tumble straight to the ground. I've never been hit by my own hammer before... T-thank god she was blocking the attack!! Though... it seemed more like she was deliberately trying to take the brunt of the attack... was she protecting me? It's hard to make sense of this, with my head rattling from the impact.

We lock eyes together... it seems as though she's thinking on instinct, like any other Anxi. But every other one we've fought presides over a particular area. This one... mom... is presiding over, me...?

Does she want to protect me, then...?

...!!!

She... starts to move me towards her stomach... p-pressing me deeper and deeper inside....!!!

S-shit... shit SHIT!! I should've transformed when I had the chance! This... this is going to suck.

"G-gghagggbgffffffnnkkk....gaggkgkkk...."

Her sludge starts... to press into my lips, creeping gently yet forcefully into my mouth as if to tell me I don't need to think anymore. As if to tell me I can be at peace, if I just submit. I-i-it's... filling up my lungs... and my stomach... nngghfgghh...... I want to throw up, but my passageways are blocked. My body feels as though it's going to explode.

I can't breathe... I can't... breathe...!!

I close my eyes, blocking out the technicolor kaleidoscope of bile as I desperately try to meet my demise on my own terms. And then...

My mind falls out of my body.

I find myself alone... in a featureless, colorless void. No... that's not entirely true. Staring at the ground in an attempt to focus my vision leads me to realize that the ground is made of the same watercolors as that of an Anxi. I swore I didn't see that pulsating, pastel pattern before. Maybe... the world is reshaping around me?

Almost as if to respond to my musing, The ground bristles, taking on the form of... grass? Grass. A... familiar grass.

Am... I back home? Back at my old home...? It's as though I'd woken up from a terrible nightmare.

Or, as I look to my hands and realize they're completely devoid of color, as though I've fallen deep into a nightmare.

I look up. I see the back door that leads to my home. I feel compelled to return... to the warmth and familiarity my family life once had.

But... I don't need that, do I? I've got a new family. One that actually cares about me. One that accepts me for who I am.

I turn around, rejecting my past. Ready to live in the present. Ready to face-

prrat

A balloon I hadn't seen bursts before me, spraying me in the powder contained within.

...Blue, powder. Light blue powder.

prrat, prrat, prrat prraat

Another explosion of color. Then another. Another, and another. Bit by bit, my body becomes coated, like meat being coated in flour. I realize my body... once gray, is becoming a distinct... sickening... blue.

"N-no.... no...!!" I try to jump away, avoiding the explosions that come from nowhere in particular. Instead, I tumble to the floor, unable to break free. I try to push myself up, try to run away... nothing. This world refuses my attempts at freedom. Reminding me of what I once was. Reminding me of what I always will be.

I... I'm...

...I fall to my knees, choking down tears. No matter how far I run from the past, I can never truly avoid reality. That's what you're trying to tell me right, mom? If this is even your doing...?

I don't want to run away anymore... but I don't want to face "reality," either. Is it alright if I just stay here... trapped in my own cage for all eternity...?

No... I- I need the comfort. I need... the peace. Even if it shackles me, I need anything to hide myself away from my guilt. I pull myself up, staring miserably at my own body, before rushing into my house. Maybe mom will be there, telling me I did the right thing. Maybe dad will be there, congratulating me for my "courage."

...?

I see... through the window of my living room... Mizuki-sensei?

No wait... they're... a demon. A tricksteress, banging on the window. Trying desperately to lead me astray. That's... what she always said witches were, right?

I'm conflicted. She's my close friend-- she wants to free me from this prison. Yet... as I attempt to approach, my body becomes paralyzed with fear. I... shouldn't make friends of demons. That's what I've been told right...? They lead you astray, convincing you that right is wrong and wrong is right, and...

I... I can't. I just... can't.

M-mom...! D-dad...!

I bolt away from the scary demon, rushing to try and find my parents' room. Past the hall, third door on the...

I slide the door open as quick as possible, tripping and falling to the floor as I force my way in.

...I see it. In front of me, resting on the floor, I see it.

Dad's shoes...

and a rope.