Chapter 70 / Epilogue

 As I look up, I see the white leaves of the giant tree of death. My entire body is full of blood. Said blood slowly runs out of my body, onto the white lilies around me. They turn red and thus look exactly like the red spider lily: The flower of death.

I can hardly breathe. I can hardly think. I can hardly… live.

And yet I do.

If even for a single day, if even for a single hour, if even for a single minute, if even for a single second… I will keep on living. I will keep on enjoying each and every second I get to spare on this planet.

I sense Lady Death. She is watching from the side lines.

Ah, I see… this time I will really die.

The first time I had lived was from my birth to the moment my village was destroyed.

The second time I had lived was from that moment on until Phanes killed me the first time.

Then, I revived myself and thus lived a third time. I revived again and lived a fourth time.

Nagano, Itoh, Sherlock and Aomade revived me and I lived a fifth time.

Mister Kazuki, Mister Hideo, Miss Headmaster and Miss Cho revived me and I lived a sixth time.

Okubo and Iwata revived me and I lived a seventh time.

Uyeno revived me and I lived an eighth time.

Kida, Muraoka and Ari revived me and I lived a ninth time.

Hanebana revived me and I lived a tenth time.

Hira and the people from my village revived me and I lived an eleventh time.

Lady Death and Itu watched over me as I lived a twelfth time.

And after all this I revived once more. For no reason other than to live. I am now living my thirteenth and final life.

The leaves slowly start falling down. The night sky stares down at me.

I cry. I love life. If only a single second… Please, just let me live a single second longer… I do not want my life to end… Please, let me live…

But I know that this is impossible.

I know that I will die.

And yet, I wish. Yet I plead for just a single day longer.

I have long since accepted that I will die… but that does not mean that I want to die. I know that I must.

Lady Death approaches me. As the leaves fall tonight and she looks at me, I slowly close my eyes.

Everyone ends up dying in the end… but that does not mean that life itself is meaningless. Because there is an end, each and everyone must use their time to the fullest. Because there is an end, no person should ever give up on life but meet their natural end. Because life is enjoyable, we are blessed.

Toji ume

chiri yuku hate ga

nishi no tsuki

The longest winter night:

plum petals fall and finally

the western moon.

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After the giant battle between Yokai and humanity, climaxing in Phanes' great massacre and the following death of Phanes, everything changed. Tojiume was rebuilt. The military started anew. Miss Haruka ended up becoming the one and only teacher remaining, so she was in charge of the academy. She doesn’t really like it, but if not her, who else should do it?

Also, as if she wasn’t already stressed enough with all of that school stuff, she and Aki actively try to form a bond between humanity and the Yokai. After all, we are not nearly as different as we thought… Though such peace is most certainly still a thought of the future. Well, at least it is a thought now.

Hibiki and I tell of those who died. Our friends may be dead, but they will not ever be forgotten: Their stories shall be heard throughout all of the world. No matter who it is, someone will hear of them. That is something that I will be sure of and make sure of: That I promise.

When I arrive at our usual meeting spot, I can already see Aki there.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Hibiki? How are you? Are you ready to start?” I nod.

The two of us start. We start running. We run around the town, for no certain reason.

Running and talking about everything that happened… is fun. Running in itself is fun. Living in itself is fun. And thus, we keep on living. Thus, we keep on running. Thus, we never stop. For stopping is stopping to enjoy life itself.

Someone has taught me the worth of life. And, for as long as I live, I will teach this worth. I will tell his story. I will keep on running.