Chapter 57

Without hesitating a single second I arrive at the Yokai. And my red sword curves across existence itself and slowly meets them.

I kill. That is a truth that each and everyone must understand and fully accept. By merely my blade meeting those Yokai, they end up exploding into giant puddles of blood and instantly withering away, ending up as nothing more than dust on the ground. Black dust, that covers each and everything, to be precise.

As they die and the blood starts dropping down onto the two of us like rain from the sky, time resumes. If I need to, time itself will simply die. That is all there is for me to know.

I look at Hibiki. She does not say a single word upon seeing me, covered in blood and carrying Death itself around with me.

She extends her arm. She wants to shake my hand. She wants to connect with me. She wants to tell me that I am not alone. She wants to greet me.

It matters not what her intention is: After all, I can not return whatever it is that she desires. For I fear of touching other people. I fear of connecting with other people.

Whatever I touch dies. I can see the fragile heart of Hibiki clearly. Just like with Aki: If I were to touch her here and now, I may or may not simply destroy her very soul, her very heart, her very life, even without desiring it.

Thus, I do not connect with her.

“Sorry… I… can’t right now.”

The View of Death. As long as everything around me is black, as long as I can see and shatter the very hearts of the people around me… I will not touch. I will not connect. I feel as though the lives around me are constantly near death on their own… There is no need to literally bring them even closer, much less to actually kill them.

Has it not been like this: Whenever I was ready to die, whenever I was closely connected to dying… I ended up seeing things in this view. However, it is not stopping: Am I ready to die any second? Will I die any second? Is it because there are people dying at all times? Are all of those true? Are none of these true?

As Hibiki looks at Aki, she smiles.

“I’m… glad you’re okay, Hibiki.” Hibiki waits a second, then she nods. “Me too.”

“Do you know of a safe place?” Before any of the two can actually answer my question, I remember. Of course there is a place where no monsters reside: No resides there at all.

Thus, we leave the training grounds and head back inside of the academy. It is still quiet. Everything is still dark… Well, of course it is now. After all, I see everything black.

But, despite that; Everything is still the same. The only sound echoing through the halls are our steps. There is no one here.

We open a random door. Behind it is a single classroom.

We slowly enter it and sit down. None of us say something at first. Then, Hibiki breaks the silence.

“Is everyone else dead?”

“No idea about Miss Haruka and Doctor Itu, but… the rest is most certainly dead, yes.”

“I am alive.”

All of a sudden, out of the darkness, steps Miss Haruka.

Her eyebags are deep and while she looks the same as always, she most certainly does not feel like it.

All three of us are shocked. Of course we are: This woman just hid here and did not say anything when we entered. Instead, she decided to creep us.

“...and yet, I am not.”

What?

What does she mean by that?

“Eh… How come?”

Her deep eye bags make her look tired. She looks… kind of pathetic. Kind of nice. Kind of hopeful and kind of like she has given up all hope long ago.

I wonder where Doctor Itu is.

“I want to finally rest… to finally sleep… But I cannot: For I am wandering across this earth until I will be killed.

You know, we Yokai do not age.”