Nanako-chan SOS (Part 5)
Music: Play Track 10
It was before we moved into this house.
Fortunately my older sister was at school, and only my parents, grandmother, and I were at home.
"Suddenly there was a loud rumbling sound. After the floor shook a little, the roof and everything else collapsed, and so without even knowing what was going on, I was crushed by wreckage.
Well, as I said before, I survived by getting stuck between the wreckage, but the crack was dangerous. Squeaking, they seemed like it was about to collapse, too.
It was like supporting a desk with matchsticks, and my young mind thought it couldn't last even one minute. Plus, it was dark all around, and even though there was enough of a crack to breathe, I didn't want to stay there for even one more second."
"Wow, that must have been scary. Arihiko-san, how long did you have to wait?"
"I couldn't tell, but they said it was three days. I was saved by a rescue team, but I was the only survivor among the third floor residents."
"Th, th, three days……! Arihiko-san, you had to be so patient for so long. Didn't you scream or squirm at all?"
"Idiot, if I did that I'd be dead. For three days I did nothing, I just stared straight ahead."
"Wow, I'm really impressed by you, Arihiko-san. Steel heart?"
"No, it's not that I had a lot of patience.
…… When I think about it, I don't know if it was lucky or unlucky. In front of me, my grandmother had fallen down."
That's right, she had fallen.
Lying prone like I, only her upper half was visible.
But unlike me, where her bottom half should have been was a steel beam.
"I didn't know the situation. Once she realized that I was in front of her, my grandmother painfully reached out at me.
Then, she coughed and threw up blood. Not just blood, but she threw up other things too.
Breathing heavily, it was actually amazing that she was still alive.
And, I realized at that moment. That in just a few moments, if this miraculous space between the wreckage should collapse, I'll become just like my grandmother."
"When I thought that, I wanted to scream, and I wanted to run away. But my grandmother was in front of me. Her chin was covered in red, and as if saying 'help me, it hurts,' she was stretching out her arm. It seemed that she couldn't even talk any more; just panting, she was looking at me with bloodshot eyes.
…… That wasn't the grandmother I knew. It was just that, because she didn't want to die, because it hurt, she was a creature jealous of me, the only one unharmed.
I was so scared of that that all I could do was stare.
I couldn't possibly scream. If she knew that I was alive, grandmother would definitely make me her companion. So I didn't even make a sound or move.
I stared at my grandmother, who was looking at me full of resentment and with eyes saying 'save me, why aren't you helping me,' and prayed that she would die even one second sooner. I was scared that I might die, and I was scared that such a creature was before me."
"Then when I thought I didn't even know the creature in front of me, I heard the sound of a cough.
My grandmother started to have a severe coughing fit. I thought that that was dangerous. If you create a tremor, everything starts to creak. If everything starts creaking, the wreckage will collapse.
Then my grandmother, raising her head to look at me with her bloodshot eyes, said 'I'm sorry,' and bit her tongue."
----That moment, for no reason, tears flowed down my cheeks.
Looking at myself who was crying for no reason and my grandmother who could no longer even keep panting, I realized it.
My grandmother was my grandmother.
She had raised her hand not to ask for help.
My grandmother only wanted to help me.
Realizing that that was impossible, and also realizing that if she moved, I would die as well, my grandmother decided to not do anything.
---What I was thinking then, my grandmother knew as well.
That's why she said that.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry that I made you think such thoughts.
I'm sorry I made you scared.
I'm sorry I couldn't help you.
And so, thinking that she might cause harm by her uncontrollable coughing, even though she couldn't even breathe right, she finally apologized to me, and then bit her tongue.
Of course, at that moment I didn't have the chance to think something like that.
I had become a statue, so without even knowing the meaning of my tears, while staring at my grandmother's body, I was rescued.
I have never experienced a terror that surpassed that time.
And I realized that death wasn't as ugly a thing as everyone thought.
Everyone dies at some point.
Me too, I'll definitely die some time.
That's what that story is.
it's just a trivial little tale about how I learned what I should do when I die.
Music: Stop
Music: Play Track 14
"Well, that's what happened. Since I saw someone die before my eyes, I'm a little more reflective than most people.
And also---since I've decided on what I have to do when I die, maybe I feel prepared for it."
"Hah. Arihiko-san, you've decided on what to do when you die?"
"Ah. Since I've caused such a nuisance to everybody, at my last moment, I should at least lower my head. If I leave a regret in this world, I'll become a ghost."
"Hm, I see. Since I've already died, I don't have anything like that."
"Ah--, that's right, you are a ghost. …… Wait, did you say you didn't have any regrets?"
"Yes. I didn't die while leaving behind a regret. I'm not wicked like Arihiko-san."
The damned ghost speaks bluntly.
"What of it. Then let me ask you, if you died without any regrets or wants, why did you become a ghost?"
"As I said, I'm not a ghost, but rather a familiar. I'm not a being who remained in this world to fulfill a grudge--"
"That again. So what's a familiar?"
"Urgh, you really want to know? …… I guess I can't help it. Alright, it's originally supposed to be a secret, but since Arihiko-san told me a personal story about his past, I'll tell you about my origin."
Hehehe, Nanako laughs ominously.
…… For some reason I get the feeling that the conversation will go towards something occult.
"It has already been about a thousand years since I became like this. Among familiars there are those of nature and those of animals, and among them there are those who naturally and those who unnaturally got turned into protective familiar, and I'm the latter kind of protective familiar.
So whether from nature or from animals, a familiar of some type is combined with the spirit of a human to put them on the side of humans. Eh--, also, there are ranks among the nature familiars and protective familiars, and there are even amazing people who have attached themselves to sacred grounds as protective familiars."
"...... As I thought. You just had to immediately bring up this talk that I can't follow. Stop it, stop, I don't want to listen to things like that."
"I can't do that. If you stop me, I'll curse you, Arihiko-san."
"Agh----! Don't, don't don't don't say such unsettling things!"
"Or I'll just kick you. Like this."
(Action flash; screen shakes)
"Agh!"
"Huh? If you stand in line with me, you'll get hit."
"--------"
…… I'm already hit.
And a hit right on target. Due to the amazing force, I feel dizzy.
"Eh--, then I'll continue the story.
I was originally a human just like Arihiko-san.
I was born in a town with a beautiful forest and lake, and people said that I was the most beautiful in our town, but regrettably, our family was poor. I guess the heavens don't give you everything."
…… That brat. Taking the opportunity when I can't move, she decided to continue talking by herself.
"At that time, a unicorn that lived in the forest died. It was a divine animal spirit who granted people's wishes. Part of its corpse, the horn, had turned into a nature spirit, but some people who came from the church said that they were going to turn it into a holy scripture for themselves.
However, a nature spirit originally belongs in nature, so it refused to join humans. So, a spirit with the same values as their own…… in other words, a human, was offered and combined with the nature spirit."
"The spirit of the human was of a much lower rank than the nature spirit and was thus absorbed in, but as a result, it acquired knowledge as a human, and gradually acquired a human's values.
So, now, do you understand?
What Arihiko-san calls 'Nanako' was originally the girl who was offered as that human spirit. Eh--, the origin of the nature spirit was a unicorn, and that's why I ended up half spirit half human like this."
"-------"
Oh, my nausea is finally starting to go away.
"Eh. That's why I'm still around even without having a regret. ...... Really, to gain control of myself took a few hundred years, and to gain a body like this took another few hundred. As a result, even though it took a thousand years, I came out like this."
Ehehe, Nanako laughs bashfully.
Seeing that,
"Hey you, what kind of joke are you trying to pull?"
Yes, unlike myself, I confronted her.
"What? I didn't tell any lie."
"That's a lie. You said you were a human offering. A human offering is a sacrifice. To put it simply, you were killed for the purpose of strangers."
"That's a misunderstanding. I offered my body by myself. There wasn't much I could do while alive anyway, and I thought doing this would make me happier."
"Plus, you know, my funeral was amazing! Ah, I was already dead by then, so I was the spirit of unicorn-san, but it really was amazing.
It was such a clear day that day, and from the entrance of the town to the top of the tower everything was covered in white flowers. Townspeople whom I hadn't even talked to participated in the funeral, and several bishops came to send me off.
Yes, that was so beautiful, I thought for the first time that I had led a good life and I was overjoyed."
'So I don't have any regrets,' she said.
Well, if she says that, that's how it is.
"Ah---but after that there were some regrettable things.
It was about my mother; my father had been exiled, so after that she didn't have the money to keep going. My mother made up her mind and left me with a bishop, and thanks to that she received a lot of money.
But, it was strange.
After my funeral, my mother became weaker and weaker, and even though she could buy whatever she wanted, she stayed inside her home and just kept saying 'I'm sorry.'"
"I stood next to her many times and told her 'thank you, I was happy,' but my mother never heard me.
That was it.
Even though my mother received enough money to live comfortably for a long time, in the end, she became even weaker than before and passed away.
That made me very sad.
I was so sad that I closed off my mind and melted into unicorn-san, and I kept obeying the people who were using me.
…… Well, until that devil of a master appeared and so this happened."
Hihihi, she laughs at herself as usual.
"--------"
Indeed, it seems that she has problems of her own.
I don't know how the conversation came to this point, but I don't think it was a waste of time.
Maybe it's something about me, but I'm weak against people like her.
She is so thoroughly flexible that she is a huge idiot who can say 'thank you' even after she's dead.
For things to be balanced, someone as gullible as she is shouldn't be besides someone who fools others like me but rather should be with someone who has no intention to fool others.
"Nanako. Even though you say that, you must go through a lot of pain."
"I can't even say it. Really, I was such a pure and chaste book. Then in less than half a year, I'm like this! Ah really, I got a really unbelievable master. Until now, I had never made a form for myself. But since my master did such unspeakable things, I'm appearing like this and complaining."
`"...... Hm. Do you hate your owner that much? For example, enough to kill that person?"
`"Eh-----Th,th,that's ridiculous! First of all, that person doesn't even die when killed!"
"Is that right. Hm, I thought if you wanted to end things with that person, that would be the easiest way."
"Eh…… end things with, what?"
"Don't you want to end things with that person? You said your owner was a devil of a master."
"Th, that's true, but…… well, I don't like seeing hitting or cutting or blood.
But, shall I say, it can't be helped. Master has reasons to be desperate. So, I could stand it if I was used with more care--"
"Hoho. You are quite defensive of your owner. Even though you ran away."
"…… That's true, but, how should I say, I can't leave that person alone. It would be difficult alone so I have to be a protector, and this person is so amazing as to make me materialize. …… Plus, that master was the first one to speak with me."
Nanako mutters.
"---------"
Huh, I guess I was quite stupid there too.
Even if I don't worry about her, her life already has balance.
"Hey, you know?"
"Ah, yes! What is it, Arihiko-san!"
"Aren't you saying that you actually like your master? That's why you ran away and are complaining, isn't it?"
"Urg…… Th, that's not it……! I hate that master, and this time I'm really running away to become a proper book……!"
Shaking, Nanako disagrees.
…… Hah. Well, I got the feeling that this problem would solve itself sooner than I expected.
Music: Stop
4/
It ended as abruptly as an urgently shipped express package.
Music: Play Track 14
"Huh?"
The doorbell rang.
The time was 6 o'clock in the morning. I would have ignored it if I hadn't stayed up all night and come home in the morning.
"What the, who is this?"
"Yes--, who is it--"
I open the front door.
Then there.
Standing there is someone who for some reason I feel like I've seen before.
"This is the Inui house, right?"
"Hah, that's right, what is it?"
"Please excuse me, but I'm here to pick up something called----"
"----, you mean?"
…… I couldn't quite understand.
I couldn't understand, but for some reason, I understood that she was talking about that.
"……………"
Does that mean that this person is her master?
"----What is it?"
"Ah, nothing. Wait just a second, I'll bring it down. If it doesn't want to, I'll do it forcibly with a leash tied around its neck."
"…… I'm very grateful. Please do that."
"Alright, then please wait here."
I close the door and run up to my room.
Then,
"Hey, there's someone here to get you, you stupid horse!"
I forcibly opened the closet door.
…… Then.
There was a quivering ghost in the closet.
"What, are you ready already?"
"Wah, waaaaaaaaah. A, as I thought it's the amazingly black master……!"
Nanako shakes.
Ignoring that, I took out that piece of junk from the deepest part of the closet.
"Whoa! W, what are you doing, Arihiko-san! You'll get hurt picking that up!"
I ignore the panicking Nanako and pull it out.
In the end, this was the cause of everything.
The hunk of metal that was flowing down the river on that rainy day.
A strange weapon with a barrel and a trigger and even a bayonet attached.
It's Nanako's main body.
"Oh, there's some blood on it. Ah, maybe it fell from my wound when I was first getting it."
I clean the blood off.
"Ahah----------!"
Nanako screams.
…… But, now I can't see her or hear her voice.
So that was the connection between her and me.
"----Alright. Even if I found it, if there's an owner, I have to return it."
I might have picked it up, but I was only holding it for a while.
I can think of it as a rental.
While I was borrowing it, well, at least it wasn't boring.
(outside Inui home)
"Thank you for your cooperation. But, about this gun---"
"Huh? What are you saying, I just picked up a model gun, and you're calling it 'this gun.' Sis, you sure are a kidder."
"---------"
That person who resembled someone swallows her words, nods lightly, and leaves.
…… The black uniform gets farther and farther away.
In her hands is one truly ugly looking gun.
The person in the uniform mutters to the gun as if talking to herself.
Like that.
I don't know why, but it looked to me like it was saying goodbye.
"----How pitiful. Will she be alright like that?"
Looking at her situation, I think she'll probably run away again and cause a nuisance for someone, but that's something that doesn't concern me anymore.
"------Ah-ah."
I scratch my head while grabbing the front door.
"So I guess I won't be able to have any horse meat for now."
Muttering to myself, I was shocked at my own stupidity.
That's not right.
You usually don't eat horse meat anyway, do you?
Music: Stop