-Confidential-
[Report materials]
Hikawa, Okutama-machi, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo. Approximately 100m south of Okutama Station, near Hikawa Ohashi Bridge.
Mission to intercept attackers of unknown affiliation
Excerpts from the records of questioning of personnel and demons related to the above mission.
Questioner (hereinafter Q): Hirofumi Yoshida
Interviewee (hereinafter referred to as A): Nayuta Hayakawa
Q: Please, have a seat.
A: Hey, is this conversation being recorded?
Q: Yes. But don't worry, even if you were to confess during this questioning that you killed an innocent civilian, you wouldn't be punished based on this record. This questioning record will be destroyed after the report is compiled. Okay?
A: Okay, I'll leave it at that.
Q: I appreciate your quick understanding. So, let me get straight to the point: what exactly happened at that time and place?
A: What was that time?
Q: I'm asking how they defeated Santa Claus. Or rather, I want to know what happened before and after the fight.
A: Why specifically ask me? Doesn't the Public Security Bureau know about this?
Q: Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. So I want to compare the facts.
A: (Silence)
Q: Hmm... I don't like you being so quiet. Or is there something you can't talk about?
A: Nothing in particular. I just thought that if they're gathering information in this way, it means they don't trust us.
Q: Well, formalities are important, after all.
A: That's not all, is it?
Q: If you put that into words, it's all over, right?
A: That's fine. So, where do you want to start?
Q: Let's see... In terms of chronology, I'd like you to start from when the smaller fire demon started the indiscriminate fire attack.
A: Oh, that time... When all my crows burned up.
Q: That's right. At that time, all the security officers also caught fire. Fortunately, the fire was put out quickly, but what happened after that is still unclear.
A: So, you want to discuss and clarify that point?
Q: Yes.
A: Hey, like I said earlier, my crow got burned too, you know?
Q: So what?
A: (Silence)
Q: You captured a few demons a little while ago, didn't you? You should have been able to use that eye.
A: Well, I guess so.
Q: By the way, what kind of demon did you capture?
A: The Demon of the Basement. It can create an alternate dimension beneath the ground.
Q: Hmm... So you had them monitoring from there?
A: Hey, you should have known this much, right?
Q: Oh, I knew. I was just wondering how honest you'd be, so I kept quiet.
A: (Sigh) Well, I'll explain.
Q: Go ahead.
A: Do you know that the smaller fire genie... Polina... was defeated by Santa Claus?
Q: Tell me about the scene you saw.
A: His heart had been slashed open. Cut in half. So Reze and Anastasia, who were left behind, began fighting Santa Claus.
Q: Which side was winning?
A: Reze and her group. At first, that is. They repelled them a few times, but Santa Claus never died.
Q: Why is that?
A: Because he had absorbed pieces of the Dark Demon's flesh. Attacks in the darkness are completely ineffective against him.
Q: Yeah. That's right. So, light must have been needed to defeat them. ...Anastasia couldn't make fire in that rain. Besides that, streetlights, electric lights, petroleum fuels, basically everything that could be used as light had been disposed of by the puppet soldiers beforehand. ...How did they repel them?
A: What do you think?
Q: ...For example, what if you had a demon of light under your control and helped it?
A: There's no such person.
Q: So, how?
A: Anastasia suddenly awakened and became able to produce fire even in the rain.
Q: This isn't a manga, so there's no such thing as awakening, right?
A: So, how about Polina operating on herself and coming back to life?
Q: This isn't Blackjack. ...Hmm, I'd really like you to talk seriously.
A: I wasn't watching everything either. We were fighting our own battles, you know.
Q: So you don't know?
A: ...Hey, isn't that the wrong question?
Q: Huh?
A: What you really want to know isn't how they defeated him. It's who died and who survived. Because there was no one left at the scene afterward.
@
I returned to the dormitory for the Public Security Special Section 6.
Covered in blood and mud, I was shoved into a large police van, received only meager treatment, and was questioned by someone named Yoshida Hirofumi, who was supposed to be my new supervisor. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep and was in front of the dormitory in the morning.
"Huh? Where are the swimsuits...? And the camping...? We haven't had any fun at all!"
Denji was furious, all by himself.
Then, at noon that day, Denji appeared in the garden on the property, carrying a mountain of camping gear. He set up a tent, and somehow managed to get his hands on a plastic pool, and started making a fuss, saying, "It's leisure time! Let's swim! Change into your swimsuits!"
Of course, I refused.
"picture!?"
"I don't even own a swimsuit."
"Yeah!?"
Denji was stunned.
Then what was the point of all this...? I stumble and fall to my knees.
When I leaned in to look, his face was like that of a Chinese person whose cryptocurrency, which they had bought with all their money, had crashed. I almost found myself gazing at it in a daze.
Denji immediately stood up with great energy.
"barbecue...!"
Why don't you try it?
Upon hearing this, Denji silently began preparing the equipment.
Connect the legs of the grill set and arrange the ingredients on the erected steel table. Place the cooler box filled with drinks on top, set up the outdoor chairs around it, and prepare disposable paper plates, paper cups, and garbage bags.
Perhaps my mistake was being impressed by their efficiency.
I was sprawled in a chair reading a book when Denji asked me this:
"Hey, do you have any pine cones?"
"There's no way it's there. It's not like it's in the middle of the mountains. Why?"
He flipped the page. He answered, his eyes fixed on the first line of the new page.
"Ah, the firewood just won't light."
"Why don't you use a fire starter?"
"That's a good idea. Hmm, where was it again..."
They start rummaging around.
Apparently unable to find it, he went inside the house, made some noise for a while, and then came back out. Denji stood in front of the grill, saying, "This should get it done." I thought I heard the sound of liquid being poured in, "thump, thump, thump..."
Place your finger on the next page.
There was a "bang!" sound.
"Wow, that's incredible momentum!"
Flip.
"Wow, this is amazing. Seriously amazing. Wait, isn't this too strong? Is this a bad idea?"
Flip.
"Ah ah the tent, ah this is bad, seriously bad, ah ahhhh"
"...Enough already. What is it?"
I was startled.
The entire grilling set was engulfed in a column of flames.
A fierce flame roared, rising into the sky. Sparks flew all around. I looked at Denji, stunned by the heat that felt like it was burning my skin, and saw that he was holding a bottle of gasoline.
Did they really use that?
Upon closer inspection, the fire had spread to the tent.
In a panic, Denji reached for the cooler box. He grabbed a two-liter plastic bottle and, without warning, tried to pour it over the source of the fire.
"Hey"
A flash of light,
"G-Gyaaaaaaa!?"
"Wa!?"
Denji had turned into a Flame Monk.
The burning gasoline splattered everywhere, splattering onto surfaces. Surrounded by the spreading flames, I instinctively jumped off my chair. A whirlwind of solutions flashed through my mind, but none seemed to work. I was no match for gasoline.
"Gyoaaa! Achachaa achachaa!"
"...That's right, a fire extinguisher!"
He turned on his heel and rushed inside with his shoes still on. He reached for the doorknob of the room, hoping to find the fire extinguisher at the end of the corridor, when Denji, burning up, came chasing after him, shouting, "Fire extinguisher! Aaaah, spray it!"
"What,"
The fire rippled like a living thing, spreading to the household belongings.
Curtains, carpet, sofa, bookshelf—in no time at all, the room was engulfed in flames.
"Why did you come in?! You idiot!!"
That's how the dormitory for the Public Security Special Section 6 caught fire.
The building wasn't completely destroyed by fire, thanks to the sprinkler system that activated.
However, the cost was high. Automatic fire extinguishing systems, which prioritize putting out the fire above all else, are inflexible. The entire house, including areas where the fire hadn't spread, was flooded, rendering the electrical system unusable. Furthermore, all household goods and personal belongings were rendered unusable.
I got scolded by a high-ranking official in public security.
I got yelled at a lot.
I was also burdened with an enormous amount of debt.
Naturally, the rooms were unusable until repairs were completed, so we ended up sleeping and waking up in the garden on the property.
"Nayuta-chan, don't get so angry."
"..."
The setting sun is slowly sinking, casting a golden glow into every corner of the garden. The wind is gentle, and the only sound is the soft rustling of leaves.
Denji and I were sitting idly on small folding chairs. We both smelled of burnt food and were covered in soot.
"Hey, it was just bad luck, right? I'll do better next time."
"There won't be a next time."
"Uh..."
"I will never let Denji handle fire again."
"I'm sorry. I apologize."
"What angered me the most was that the public security officers thought I was stupid too."
"Really?"
"Guess what they said?"
"You're probably thinking, 'This happens the moment the previous person in charge leaves,' right? I heard about it too..."
"I was able to live a normal life even before Reze came. I was able to blend into human society."
"I agree..."
Denji sighed.
It seemed as if he was trying to break the tense atmosphere by stringing together all sorts of words in his head.
As the setting sun's light illuminated the two of us, Denji took a step forward to get closer, but seeing that my eyes remained cold, he stopped and took another step back.
"Ahhh... I wonder what Reze is doing right now..."
"i don't know"
"I wonder if they're eating something tasty. Not some half-price Chainsaw Man bread like this."
"I don't know. Or rather, I don't understand what it means... A journey of self-discovery."
Denji shrugged slightly when he said it curtly.
:
:
That night—only Reze survived.
Under a sky where a fierce blast had torn through the trees and blown away most of the rain clouds, she sat alone at the site of the blast. The paved road was scorched by the high temperatures, and smoke rose from everywhere—
Reze stood there almost completely naked, arms crossed, frowning and groaning.
When Denji asked what was wrong, if her stomach hurt, Reze whispered in a low voice, "...I've decided."
"I want to find myself."
"teeth?"
"teeth?"
Reze clenched her fist and gazed at the starry night sky.
"I've been thinking about it for a while...that I don't know what's normal so I don't really have any choices. But I can't quit the Public Security Bureau, so I guess I have no choice but to continue being who I am now. In that case, I'd like to just reset everything and start over from scratch as a complete stranger in a place where nobody knows me...and you know what? I think now is the perfect opportunity to do that."
Reze hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and stomped towards Denji and the others.
He clenched his entire body into a fist.
Her gaze drifted uncertainly from side to side, her face bright red up to her ears, and she declared with the earnestness of a naive elementary school girl confessing her first crush to an upperclassman she admired.
"I'm going on a journey of self-discovery!"
Nayuta could only stare blankly with her mouth wide open and a multitude of question marks floating above her head.
What is this person talking about???
Even if we generously set aside the fact that the statement was incomprehensible,
Her attitude was like that of a completely different person. Her childlike face was a jumble of embarrassment at having said it and defiance at having said it, a stark contrast to the professional image of Reze we had seen up until then. She fidgeted restlessly, like a toddler caught in mischief.
What kind of acting is this? Or is it brainwashing? Is she under some kind of psychological attack?
While Nayuta was confused, Denji was the only one smiling faintly.
"Isn't that good?"
In the pristine center of the blast site, he affirmed it with the same casualness as if predicting tomorrow's weather.
"Looks like fun."
Reze looked like a child who had just received the birthday present she had always wanted.
"Yeah... yeah. So, so, I'm really sorry, but could you pretend I died here? That I'm missing? I'd like you to go along with that story..."
"Sure. I don't know anything. I'll just pretend no one was here when I arrived. Is that alright?"
"Oh... thanks. Sorry for the suddenness."
"Don't worry about it. Actually, I'd like to go somewhere too. Maybe we should go together?"
"Um, well, I just wanted to try doing it on my own for a bit..."
"I see."
The wind died down, and the air suddenly felt cool and pure. The whole world seemed to be enveloped in the light of the stars.
The moment they saw that beautiful sight, it seemed as if everything had changed. In the calm, boundless silence that followed the raging blast, Denji and Reze quietly gazed up at the stars.
"W-wait a second."
Just as the two seemed to be getting close to an agreement, Nayuta hastily interrupted.
I still don't fully understand it, but basically this means escaping from the Public Security Bureau, right...?
No matter how she tried to sugarcoat it, the investigation would still be ongoing if Reze's body wasn't found, and even before that, what would happen to Denji and Nayuta's work if she suddenly quit? There must be many other tasks that Reze herself is responsible for. Training new devil hunters, dealing with devils that appear in Tokyo, leading Public Safety Special Section 6... I pressed her on all of these issues, questioning her responsibility and credibility as a working adult, but Reze just clapped her hands together and replied with a single word.
"sorry!"
"...teeth?"
"I've decided to be selfish!"
"Huh??"
"Hahahaha!"
The stars seemed to stretch on endlessly, as if the universe itself were enveloping them. All constraints vanished, leaving only their beauty.
"Hey! Why are you acting like it's all over? Are you really going to run away? That's not okay...right?!"
:
:
"Haaah..." Nayuta sighed, a sigh that seemed to reach the depths of hell.
"And then she actually went..."
Incidentally, less than 24 hours have passed since then.
I didn't really feel it. To be honest, I felt like if I called his name, he would suddenly pop his head out from behind the wall in the garden.
"Well, that's fine. I promised not to tell the Public Security Bureau, and that I'd come to your aid if I ever got into trouble."
"lonely?"
"Who are you talking to?"
"Oh, that's scary."
I slowly stood up.
He glanced at Denji, then turned his gaze towards the distant twilight. The setting sun was casting its last rays, painting the sky orange. A slightly chilly, distant world.
He snorted and took a bite of the Chainsaw Man bread.
Humans are so foolish.
We live in a world of lies and illusions, believing in, relying on, and being led astray by things that don't exist. And because of that, we might lose the happiness that was right in front of us and fall into the abyss of ruin.
But, well?
It's also true that there are people who are useful.
A great demon should maintain an elegant, dignified, charismatic, and confident demeanor.
With his mouth pursed, he muttered to himself.
I hope it will be sunny tomorrow as well.
@
The sun is shining brightly in the sky.
A country road running through the middle of a vast rural area.
There are no cars in front or behind. With Mount Fuji, Japan's most sacred mountain, behind me, a dilapidated mini-truck rattles and shakes as it speeds down a perfectly straight road.
In the driver's seat, the woman gripping the steering wheel is smiling, her eyes sparkling. In her other hand, she has a can of beer. Reze thinks it's dangerous and she wishes she'd stop.
"Hahaha! You're so strong, sis, you're so cool! I was amazed at how you just easily took down all those convenience store robbers!"
"Well, I do enjoy martial arts a little."
"Wow, what kind of martial art is that? You took down five of them in one go. Ah, I get it, you were in the special forces or something!?"
"It's a secret~"
"Oh, that's great! Mysterious beauties always have secrets! ...Yeah, she's good-looking, strong, and mysterious...I'm smitten! Hey, be the star of my movie! Become one!"
"...yes?"
"I'm the director! You're the lead! Okay?"
"Haha, what's that?"
"I love movies. I've seen hundreds of them... Lately, I haven't felt anything for any of them, big-budget or even terrible movies... But you! When I saw you and met you...! I felt a thrill and excitement for the first time in a long time! Your face, your strength, your mystery, everything! I'm in love! Because it's my movie, I'm going to make the person I'm in love with the main character. So you're the main character."
"What the heck is that?"
"Okay, I've decided! Action! Let's start filming!"
"Whoa, you've let go of my hand!"
The woman introduced herself as Togata.
Togata's way of speaking was extremely self-centered, and he didn't seem to listen to my opinion at all, but I'd dealt with plenty of similar people before, so it didn't bother me. In fact, I realized that his straightforwardness in expressing his likes and dislikes was refreshing and pleasant.
I rolled down the car window.
A warm breeze caressed my cheeks. The warm, humid weather enveloped me, and occasionally the scent of grass and earth wafted through the air, giving me a refreshing and uplifting feeling.
"Is that movie an independent production? What genre is it?"
"I don't know! Wait, so you're saying I can take pictures? Seriously?! Yay!"
"No way! It would be a problem if it were made public!"
"why!"
"Well... that's because..."
"Huh?"
"Yes, that one."
"I get it, he's a criminal!"
"No! ...Or maybe not? Hmm..."
"I get it, a humanoid demon!"
"different!"
"This is too much trouble! Whatever!"
"Huh?"
"Come on, talk. The camera's rolling. The viewers will get bored!"
"So, what genre is it?"
"Shut up! Stop rambling! The tempo is too slow! Let's get up to a good pace! First, let's grab the audience's attention."
Togata then fell silent, staring intently at the mirror and clicking his tongue.
"Hey, this isn't the battle part yet!"
The next moment, a siren and a flash of red police lights came into view in the rearview mirror.
Reze turned around. Through the rattling back of the truck, she could see three police cars aggressively pursuing her.
"Oh no. It's because Togata is driving under the influence."
"What the hell?! Blaming it on me! Ugh!"
"What should I do?" Reze wondered.
In a situation like this, the passenger will surely be charged as well. They'll probably ask to see my ID. That would be a problem. A huge problem. I've only just escaped Tokyo, so I really don't want my escape route to be exposed.
You might be able to escape the police, but it's impossible to avoid being seen. Your identity will be revealed.
"Hey sis, I guess we'll just have to film the battle first."
"Huh? You can't beat up a police officer, can you?"
"Those guys aren't cops."
"Hmm?"
Squint your eyes and check carefully.
"Who would have three cars on a country road like this? The license plates are weird, and look at the back seat of the lead car—it looks like there's a guy with horns growing out of his head."
"Oh, you're right. It's a demon."
"That's the ringleader of the gang we beat up earlier. He's come back for revenge, to rape and kill us. Yep, it's safe to say that killing them is now justified. There's a certain catharsis in seeing the bad guys get killed, so this is your moment to shine, lead actor, give it your all!"
"Hey, is it really necessary to kill him?"
"Don't talk back! I'll kill you! I'm the director!"
The main character.
I only know well-known movies that are talked about a lot, but that word alone drew me in.
I'm the main character.
Yes, I am the protagonist of my own life.
Togata honks his horn as loud as he can.
"Alright, let's begin! 5, 4, 3, 2... Action!"
Along with the sound of the engine, a thin stream of white exhaust fumes rose into the sky, slowly being absorbed into the cumulonimbus clouds. Under a clear blue sky that foreshadowed the midsummer sun, Reze slammed her body into the door and jumped out.
Reze believes.
I'm sure something good awaits me ahead.
At the end of a moratorium period.
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has read this far.
This concludes the work.
Now, what should I write in the afterword?
There are so many things I want to write, but I can't shake the feeling that it would all be superfluous and that I should just keep quiet and end it.
However, during this past year and a half of being left unfinished, the thought of how to make it even slightly better has crossed my mind at random moments in my life and tormented me, so I would like to vent at least a little. Is it okay if I do? Yes, then I will continue writing. I intended the first half of this story to be "the story of Reze going from negative to zero," and the second half to be "the story of going from zero to positive."
If I may say so myself, I think the first half turned out well, but to be honest, I feel like I really messed up with this second half.
There are many reasons why I messed up, but listing them here would only sound like complaining, so I won't write them. I somehow managed to finish it, but I am very embarrassed.
However, I am glad that I wrote it. That is true.
Um... This is more of an explanatory piece.
The theme is exactly as the subtitle says: "It's time to decide your future." I wanted to recreate that feeling of approaching the deadline for exams or job hunting, something every reader has probably experienced, from the perspective of someone who doesn't know what they want to do, by setting it up so that their remaining lifespan is running out. Or at least, that was the intention. The numerous original characters each have a background as "someone who's swept up in trends," "someone who moved to Tokyo and jumped into the dream industry only to be exploited," "someone who's only good at schoolwork," or "a bullied kid who's had a meltdown." I set them up with the intention of contrasting them with Reze or having them be influenced by her in some way, but it didn't work out. What a pain.
In the epilogue, I think Reze and Togata are a good match.
There's still a backup of Santa, and he's become part of the client's "family" who appeared at the beginning, and Polina is a patchwork corpse (conscious) being used as a pawn by Nayuta, quietly living (?) saying, "Ugh, I don't want to live anymore, seriously, but I have to live anyway, this world is so tough." I was planning to include that story.
However, I decided it would be better to end it neatly, so I omitted it. Although I've already written it here. Hehe. I'm relieved that I was able to finish writing it before the end of the second part of the original work.
I wonder if I'll ever see the original Nayuta again. I don't think so. I feel like there's a bitter undercurrent of having broken up with her. So I won't be able to see her again. It's sad.