"Huh?"
The girl let out a small, involuntary sound of confusion at Kuon's words. Kuon, for his part, didn't waver in the slightest—if anything, he stepped one pace closer and held her gaze with even more steadiness than before.
"That power only works by throwing away your own life. Do you truly think the lives of the people you hate are so precious that they're worth ending with the sacrifice of yourself? How absurd."
The girl opened her mouth, wanting to say something. Kuon immediately judged that she was probably about to say something like "What do you know?" while forcing out an expression of anger. But before she could get the words out, Kuon cut her off.
"If you want to kill someone by sacrificing your own life, then make it a sacrifice worth making—whether for yourself, or for someone else."
The clearly forced expression of anger slowly faded, replaced by the face of a girl who was confused and desperate. Seeing that, Kuon tilted his head.
" … Hey, what's your name?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly parted her lips. " … Kanon," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Kanon … 'rule', 'standard', 'sound of flowers', 'sound of blessings', is it? A remarkable name, indeed."
The girl—Kanon, couldn't make sense of the situation she now found herself in.
Setting aside everything that had already happened, what she understood even less was why the man standing beside her kept saying things she couldn't make any sense of.
Even as Kanon was thinking, the man kept murmuring to himself as though he had forgotten she existed, and it irritated her slightly. She wanted to say something, but once again the attempt was foiled as he cut in first.
"Well then, my name is Kuon. I hope you'll remember it."
Kanon lifted her face again and tried to see the face of the figure called Kuon, who was probably looking at her right now.
Her vision was unclear. Only a faint silhouette amid the light, same as always. Her mind was wandering. The name Kuon was obviously not something you came across often anywhere, but that wasn't what drew her thoughts—it was what the figure—Kuon, said next.
"It's quite amusing given that I don't put much faith in fate. But perhaps I can say it just this once."
Kuon cleared his throat briefly, then spoke again in a voice that somehow carried genuine energy.
"Kanon, I think our meeting here is fate at play. That power of yours—use it on me."
" … I said, what do you mean?"
This time, Kanon finally got to speak. Kuon didn't even try to stop her. And this time, Kuon answered her directly.
"I have a great goal that I must reach regardless of what happens to the world—no, I will make the world accept the reality I bring to it."
Kanon couldn't see him, but she was certain Kuon was looking at her right now—whatever kind of look that was.
"But however you look at it, I am a human being, and for a human being, 'going astray' is something that will absolutely happen—especially for someone with a goal as great as mine."
Kanon could sense Kuon moving again. But what was he actually doing? She could feel the presence of Kuon's hand extending toward her.
"That is why, Kanon—with that power of yours, become the executioner who will kill me when I have strayed from the path I believe in. That way, I won't let you die feeling empty, dragging someone worthless into death alongside you."
"Death is a terrifying thing that will only happen to you once in your lifetime. For that reason, isn't it better to spend it on something far greater?"
"Something greater…."
Kanon didn't know what to say. The words Kuon had spoken so fluently had lodged themselves in her head and left her confused. Even so, she chose to ask.
"What … is something greater?"
A dream? A goal? An ambition? Whatever it was, they all meant the same to her—and none of them meant anything at all.
Whatever answer Kuon gave, Kanon doubted it would truly 'save' her. On the other hand, the question made Kuon smile.
"Well, one thing I can think of—is dying while dragging a tyrant down from their throne."
" … Huh?"
The answer was completely beyond what Kanon had expected, and Kuon understood that entirely.
Truth be told, Kuon hadn't intended to give that kind of answer either. But he couldn't think of a better way to put it.
While Kanon was still silent in confusion, Kuon noticed movement from one of the bodies lying on the ground.
'He's still alive?'
From the way he was moving so carefully, it seemed he had already come to his senses and was trying to escape the moment he found an opening.
Kuon turned back to Kanon and asked, "Were these people criminals?"
For a moment, Kanon didn't follow what he meant, but then she realized Kuon was referring to the people she had killed in this place.
" … I don't know. They captured me, and I killed them in self-defense."
"Good enough."
That was all the information Kuon needed to validate what he was about to do.
Kuon pulled one of the ice spears from the ground and walked toward the figure who was currently lying helpless.
"…."
Kuon said nothing as he looked down at him. He raised the ice spear now in his grip.
'This will be my first time.'
How did he feel right now? Kuon wasn't sure how to put it. What was clear was that, strangely, he felt calm—perhaps because he had wanted this to happen for so long.
There was no hesitation in his gaze or in the way he held the spear. Without anyone noticing, Kuon had already driven the spear into the throat of the bandit who had somehow survived while lying face-down on the ground.
"Sacrificing your own life for such a trivial reason—and to end someone whose life isn't even worth yours—all of that disgusts me."
After confirming the death of the bandit who had been unable to make a sound until the end, Kuon pulled the spear back and fixed his gaze on its blood-soaked tip.
"Rather than spending it on people like them, wouldn't it be better for you to serve as an 'agent of humanity' who will execute me when the time comes? That way, not only will your death be honorable for the world, but you might also get to experience things you've never been able to have before."
Kuon walked back toward Kanon, and after throwing the spear far away, he extended his hand once more.
"I'm not doing this out of sympathy for you, Kanon. You have already taken lives, and in my eyes, those who have taken a life are people who have already proven themselves capable of answering for their own actions. That is why I'm giving you this special role."
Kanon looked up, and this time the light seemed to burn all the more into her empty retinas.
"Become my executioner's blade—the one who will kill me someday. Until that day comes, travel with me as I pursue that great goal. In doing so, I'll give you not only the opportunity to die, but also the chance to watch how I bring that dream to life."
Kanon didn't immediately reach for his extended hand, and that was exactly what Kuon had hoped for. Had she taken it right away, Kuon would have reconsidered the decision he had just made.
What he needed was not a puppet follower who would obey his every word without question, but someone who held genuine conviction even at the edge of despair. That was the kind of person Kuon wanted as his executioner.
Instead of taking his hand, Kanon asked, "What … is your goal?"
Kuon withdrew his hand, then narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kanon, who remained frozen in place. Their faces were toward each other, and their eyes seemed to be meeting now. Yet it was precisely that which made Kuon even more certain that Kanon truly couldn't see anything. He spread both arms casually before answering.
"To overturn the order, become a king, and realize an ideal world. That is my great goal."
***
Kanon understood less and less.
No—she understood what Kuon had said about his goal. What she couldn't grasp was why he would bother wanting any of it.
Her silence stretched for a while before she decided to ask, "Why?"
For the good of many? For justice? Unfortunately, answers like those held no appeal for Kanon at all. She doubted that whatever answer Kuon gave to that question could pull her out of the dark.
"Because I have the power."
Kuon's answer came without hesitation into Kanon's silence.
"I have the power to realize what I want, so I pursue my goal. I don't care how difficult it will be, but I won't stop—at least not until I succeed, or until someone comes to take my head."
Kuon lowered his arms and looked up at the sky before bringing his gaze back to Kanon. The sky had turned orange at some point without him noticing.
Before him, Kanon was still silent, doing nothing, saying nothing. He thought about it again—why did he feel so inclined to bring Kanon along? Kuon was certain he felt no sympathy whatsoever for the girl in front of him. Was it simply because he needed her power?
True, he wanted Kanon's presence as a last resort for when he began to stray from the path he believed in. But was that really all?
'No.'
Kuon shook his head inwardly.
This was his ambition—a dream he had once abandoned in the past. Because of that, Kuon himself understood it better than anyone.
"But rather than dying at the hands of those who oppose me, I would prefer to be killed by one of my own—not a betrayal, but a rebuke—that is why I want you, Kanon. Not only are you worthy of living in the world I will create, but with that power of yours, you would be the only one capable of posing a genuine threat to me."
Even though he didn't regard Kanon with pity for her condition or situation, in the end Kanon was more than worthy of living in the world he dreamed of.
"But all of that is what I want. I haven't offered anything worth making you accept me."
Kuon extended his hand toward Kanon once more. "Come with me, Kanon. I'll show you the things you want to see, and give you the things you want to feel—whether that's happiness, the satisfaction of desire, love, or even revenge. In exchange, when the time comes, sacrifice yourself and kill me."
Kuon understood it better than anyone—that those who hold power tend to lose their way somewhere along the road and end up straying from the path they believed in. And he was certain that the same would happen to him someday.
That was why, while he was still clear-headed—while he still held the strong desire and drive to reach his ambition—he wanted to prepare the final weapon that would end everything. Let that ambition be buried with him. That was better than living a life that went against his own convictions.
For that, he needed someone who could end his life without hesitation, and Kanon was the best candidate for it—especially considering her ability to kill someone in a way that person could not resist.
After hearing all of that, Kanon's eyes visibly trembled. She slowly raised her right hand, her lips parting at the same time.
" … How arrogant," she said as she reached for Kuon's outstretched hand.
Kuon smiled faintly. "Arrogance is part of the fundamental nature of a person who has desire, so I'll take that as a compliment."
That answer made Kanon tilt her head and ask, "Why?"
"Because it means my humanity is still intact."
***
Kuon tossed a dry branch into the burning fire, feeding the flames that were the only source of light here.
Sitting across from him was Kanon, staring blankly at the fire, her face lit by a faint orange glow.
Their silence held with quiet ease until Kanon opened her lips. " … You're a Drifter?"
Kuon's eyes widened for a moment before he gave a small scoff and tossed another branch onto the embers. "That question—I'll take it to mean you're also a Drifter."
If Kanon was a Drifter, it wouldn't be difficult for her to know that Kuon was one too.
'But wait….'
His gaze shifted to suspicion for a moment, and Kuon asked what was puzzling him. "Apologies if this is intrusive. But your vision isn't very good, is it? How are you able to interact with the broadcast system?"
"I don't really understand it either, but I remember Schesile saying something about a 'special feature'…."
Hearing that name made Kuon almost crush the branch in his hand. His expression pinched briefly as he looked back at Kanon.
"Schesile? Was he the one overseeing you before you were sent here?"
Kanon nodded, and that was enough confirmation. Learning this only made Kuon exhale with resignation. "So, what did he say to you?"
This was only his own judgment, but the Schesile he had met was someone with a vulgar and repulsive personality. Whatever he might have said to Kanon—Kuon was curious.
"Schesile said that because of my condition, I was given a 'special feature' to see the broadcast system directly in my own mind. I can also read the comments there."
There was also the matter of language barriers that Kuon had wanted to ask about, but that issue likely had the same resolution for everyone. After all, Kuon had also been able to automatically understand the language his viewers used in the comments back when he was still in that place.
Kuon had asked Schesile about it at the time, but Schesile had answered with, "Everything is translated into a 'universal language' that everyone can understand." Without any further explanation.
Right now, Kuon felt as though he was speaking and thinking in his own native language. But perhaps that was only a false sensation, while everything he said, thought, or even wrote was in an entirely different language.
'A translator? I don't think it's that simple. 'Universal language' might be more accurate.'
Even now, he could speak directly with Kanon without any barrier, despite them being from different ethnicities and places of origin.
While Kuon's thoughts were still wandering, Kanon only sat there in silence, staring blankly at the campfire. But suddenly she felt a compulsion to say something, even though she didn't know what she actually wanted to say.
" … I am blind, but I'm not completely unable to see."
In the end, that was what she said. Kanon bowed her head, cursing herself for giving in to the urge to say something.
"A gradual blindness, then?"
That response made Kanon lift her face again. This time, she tried to turn toward the sound of Kuon's voice.
The way Kuon answered was different from what she had imagined. Kanon had thought Kuon might feel awkward after hearing it, but Kuon behaved as though he simply didn't care—and that, strangely, made Kanon feel relieved for a moment.
"Yes. I could still see clearly when I was young, but my sight gradually faded. Now, I can only make out faint silhouettes."
"Hmm…."
Kuon wasn't sympathizing, but his voice indicated he seemed genuinely interested in the condition.
"Well, that doesn't matter right now. There are a few things I want to ask you, like how you managed to survive until reaching this place. But you're probably tired, so rest here for now."
Kuon then stood and walked off into the darkness of the night that Kanon could not see.
Once she was sure Kuon had truly gone, Kanon immediately closed her eyes. In her mind, a screen appeared at once, displaying the stream of comments that had been flooding her broadcast all this time. Her viewer count showed seven thousand.
That was far more than she remembered, but she immediately understood why when she read the comments.
> Anon4833: "Damn, that's actually Kuon. What are the odds you'd run into him on the road?"
> Anon4834: "I came here because that bastard Kuon can't access his own stream anymore. Anyone else?"
> Anon4835: ">4834, pretty much everyone here feels the same. I actually feel bad for Miss Kanon for invading her stream."
> Anon4836: "Oh, you're right. Sorry for invading your stream, whoever you are."
Kuon's stream viewers had migrated over to her, and dozens of comments kept pouring in one after another, overwhelming Kanon as she tried to read them all.
" … What do you mean, Kuon can't access his stream?"
Several of her original viewers were asking the same thing.
As far as Kanon remembered, her viewer count had almost never exceeded two thousand. The highest she had gotten was when she was in that special place before being dropped into Lios.
What surprised her was the fact that Kuon was actually quite well known.
She hadn't noticed because she hadn't checked her own stream at all while the encounter with Kuon was unfolding, but that was precisely when her viewer count had surged, far beyond what she was used to seeing.
> Anon5921: "If Schesile was your Overseer too, then you should have gotten the same offer. Remember the equivalent exchange system?"
Kanon remembered it, though she herself hadn't used it at all.
The way Schesile presented it had made the offer sound so enticing, but Kanon herself had nothing she wanted, nor anything she could sacrifice. For someone who had never owned anything, what could she possibly ask for?
Though Schesile had given her a full day to think, Kanon had absolutely no idea what to do with it. She had only ever lived going with the flow, so whatever happened to her, she wouldn't care. Kanon had been more than ready to die on the first day she was sent into Lios.
But whether lucky or unlucky, she had been dropped in a relatively safe spot despite being in the middle of a forest. And though she had ended up captured by bandits who happened to be on patrol at the time, she had ultimately been saved by her own power—which seemed to force her to keep living.
From the start, it was strange how someone with no will to live like her could be chosen to become a Drifter. Even if it was all determined at random, Kanon still thought there were people far more deserving of being sent here.
> Anon4928: "Kuon sacrificed all his access to the broadcast system, so he can't see his own stream at all—comments included."
That answer made Kanon open her eyes in an instant. She had never thought that was something that could be done. But even if it could, what was the point? Kanon couldn't help but wonder why Kuon had gone so far as to sacrifice that.
No—she more or less already understood. After all, the Kuon she knew was someone who declared his goals with open confidence. What confused her was what had driven Kuon to go so far for that ambition.
Kanon found that hard to understand.
> Anon4947: "On top of that, he also sacrificed his surname and all records of his existence on Earth. That's why even those of us who have been watching since day one haven't been able to find his identity. Information about him is extremely limited."
That made Kanon fall silent once more. She scrolled through the comments further and found only a fragment of real information about Kuon.
> Anon4966: "He seems to have mixed Russian and East Asian heritage. His nationality is unknown, but I'd guess he was living in Germany before coming to Lios."
> Anon4967: ">4966, why do you think he was in Germany?"
> Anon4968: "Remember the ring he wears? I'm certain that's a platinum ring given only to the top graduates of Imperial St. Solenne University in Germany. But he looks very young, so I'd put him at only two or three years older than Miss Kanon here."
> Anon4969: "I just checked, and it is indeed a ring from Imperial St. Solenne University. But I can't find his name anywhere, even with a facial scan search. I guess the equivalent exchange really is absolute, huh?"
Kanon didn't know that name, nor the terminology the viewers were using as they explained their understanding of Kuon's background. She could only stay silent and read each comment that came in. As for his age, she was surprised, but there was nothing she could do with that since she didn't understand what was remarkable about it.
But after seeing that extraordinary background, Kanon's thoughts wandered again. Kuon looked like someone who had already won at life. Why would he bother throwing all of it away for a goal that might never come to pass?
Kanon had only intended to do a minimal background check on Kuon, but she ended up absorbing all the information that existed about him.
She then thought back to what Kuon had offered her, and what Kuon expected from her.
'Killing you, huh…. Will that really be easy?'
Personally, Kanon didn't mind doing it. She actually felt relieved to finally have a valid reason to throw away her own life.
But reality was always different from imagination. Kanon could easily picture herself driving the dagger from her Gift into her own throat—taking Kuon's life with her. Yet the question of when she would actually do it was the real one.
When that moment came, would she still hold the same conviction? Because as Kuon had said, people with power tended to stray from the path they believed in—and Kanon met that criteria too.
But what Kuon had offered her then—about Kuon giving her everything she could ever hope for—Kanon wondered just how far Kuon would go to fulfill that 'contract'.
Kanon exhaled and let the broadcast system fade from her mind. Now, both her eyes and her thoughts were filled with nothing but the empty void of the dark night. Only the soft crackling of the fire before her gave any sound at all.