Hello, Is It Sasaki-San? It's Me, Ashiya
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Prologue The night Maou, Suzuno and Acies began their journey to Ente Isla through the ‘Gate of Hell’ at Ueno Park. An ambulance ruined the silence of the night, and left with Urushihara on board. However, Chiho did not have the leisure to worry about him and could only nervously stare at the person standing next to her. Chiho had seen that person once in a video. Shiba Miki----the landlady of Villa Rosa Sasazuka who frightened Maou and Ashiya immensely. Facing her directly like this, it could not be denied that the other party was a person with a strong presence. But when compared with angels and demons, it did not feel like she had a special power which surpassed humans. From Chiho’s point of view, Shiba just looked like a normal middle aged lady with a rather exaggerated attire. If there was any problem with the current situation, it would probably only be staying back in the apartment with Shiba, who she was meeting for the first time. Until just now, Chiho was still asking her previous employer, also Shiba’s niece, Ooguro Amane about the ‘truth of the world’. Amane seemed to have a good understanding about Maou’s true identity, the demons from Ente Isla, as well as the Sephirah and the Tree of Life. After Maou and Suzuno headed to the foreign world of Ente Isla to rescue Ashiya, Emi and Alas=Ramus, Chiho started to try to obtain information from Amane in their place. But Shiba visited unexpectedly. Because Urushihara, who complied with Chiho’s wishes and was eavesdropping on Amane, suddenly fainted, the conversation was brought to a halt. Amane started to panic after Shiba appeared, Urushihara had also fainted and was lying unconscious in the Demon Fortress. In the end, Amane followed Shiba’s instructions and contacted a certain place, an ambulance appeared shortly after that to take Amane and Urushihara away. Just like that, at almost 2am in the morning, Chiho was left behind at Villa Rosa Sasazuka together with the madam whom she was meeting for the first time. “That child Amane……” “Y, yes?” Shiba did not look at the flustered Chiho and asked directly, “since the beginning, she had always done things rather sloppily, did she act rudely towards you?” “E, erhm……by acting rudely, what do you mean……” “I meant that as a descendent of the Sephirah, did she say anything wrong.” “Ah……” Chiho did not expect Shiba’s question at all. In the conversation with Amane just now, she described Shiba in this manner---- “The landlady of this apartment Shiba Miki, is also an existence born from the Sephirah.” “E, erhm, I……” If so, it meant that this lady in front of her was closer to the core of the truth which Chiho wanted to know compared to Amane. Just as Chiho planned to speak and ask Shiba about the continuation to what she heard from Amane---- “Sasaki Chiho-san.” Shiba called her name. It was not the type of question Chiho should ask without even introducing herself, or when the both of them had only met for the first time. Chiho swallowed what she wanted to ask. She felt that her soul had immediately submitted. Once her name was called, all of Chiho’s will had submitted to Shiba. It was like she had remembered the feeling of being scolded when she had done something she was not supposed to when she was younger. Her mental state had commanded her. Her soul did not allow her to resist the existence in front of her. “Let me confirm something first. Even if you do the truth, you are unable to change anything. Even after understanding this, do you still plan to know everything?” “I…….I……” “You were born in this world, and do not have any special power, yet you are a special human. It looks like you are even unaware of what the small amount of holy magic which is stored in your body signifies. After knowing everything, your heart might not be able to withstand your powerlessness and break down. Even so, you still wish to know?” Chiho did not know why Shiba asked this. It was impossible for her to know. Because if she gave up on understanding, she would definintely be unable to understand the meaning behind what Shiba said just now. “I……” “Hm.” “Even if I am tormented by my powerlessness after knowing, even though I am afraid of regretting it after knowing……” Chiho spurred on her submissive soul. She could not back off now. She did not have the power to fight together with them, did not have the intelligence to fight together with them, and even did not have the life to fight with them, the things which Chiho could do were very limited. But completing these very limited things was the path Chiho should fight on. If she chose to run away because she could not do anything, and just watched everything from the sidelines, she would not be able to stay by their sides. “I still do not want to give up on understanding. Because it feels that once I give up on understanding, then everything will end.” “……” “After I know, even if I cannot do anything……at least I can create a situation of ‘I know about this’. I……” With her small body, Chiho fought against the silence of the night and the pressure causing her soul to submit. “I believe that someone with power who values me would be able to treat ‘the me who knows things’ as a motivation or pawn, and fight in order to change the situation!” In this instant, Chiho felt the power restraining her heart decrease slightly. Then, Shiba looked down at Chiho with a surprised look on her face. “……Admirable……” Shiba gripped thee gold chain on her handbag tightly. “I’m sorry, saying such arrogant things……I don’t have any power, and I did not say these words because of any noble ideals. It’s just that……” Chiho looked up towards Villa Rosa Sasazuka and said, “I wish to continue interacting with the people I like the most. I am here because of this.” “No, to habour these feelings, and to fight for them, such people are rare. I am starting to see why ‘she’ would like you.” “……Eh?” Without being aware of it, the strong power restraining Chiho’s heart had already disappeared, Shiba stretched her hand towards Chiho. “You can come to my house today. I cannot ask you to go back now, I also do not wish to enter and disturb the place while the tenants are out.” “A, alright……” Right now, she was unable to enter room 201 belonging to Maou and the others, and Amane, who was in room 202 helping Suzuno to look after the place had also left in the ambulance. Chiho accepted Shiba’s proposal, and after that, she followed the latter to a western style house next to Villa Rosa Sasazuka. This building that was three times the size of Chiho’s house with a huge yard could be categorised as a luxurious house within the city of Tokyo. After passing through the entrance hall which was decorated such that it resembled that of a movie set, Chiho arrived at an elegantly designed living room. “Even though it’s late, I also have some things to ask you. Could you keep me company for a while?” Shiba invited Chiho to sit on a sofa with silk embroidery on it. Then she helped Chiho, who did not look very calm, get a hot cup of red tea. Even if she was very nervous, after drinking one mouthful of the warm sweet black tea, Chiho finally relaxed her shoulders. “Then, you might have already heard this from Amane. this world----Earth had an existence known as the Tree of Life in the past, the jewels born from the Tree ‘Sephirah’ form the world, and created the foundation of humans.” “Y, yes……” At this moment, Chiho remembered that she had left her notebook and pen in Suzuno’s room. “If you don’t mind these, it’s fine if you wish to record these down.” Shiba took out a notebook, a feather pen and an inkwell from somewhere and passed them to Chiho. “T, thanks.” As Chiho struggled with the feather pen and inkwell which she never used before and before she was ready to take notes, Shiba threw out a bomb. “In principle, all the Sephirah have to stay in the world they were born in.” After understanding the meaning of this sentence, Chiho covered her right hand subconsciously, but this small action did not escape Shiba’s notice. Shiba looked straight at the ring on Chiho’s right hand with the ‘Yesod’ Sephirah embedded in it, and continued to speak, “Recently, ‘Sephirah which do not belong to Earth’ have visited Earth. Even though their presences can no longer be felt, it looks like they did not return to their original location.” With regards to the ‘Sephirah which do not belong to Earth’---- “Sephirah are jewels making up the world. Once the jewels are lost, the humans of that world will slowly go extinct. Even though it’s not something which will happen in a few days, the Sephirah have to be returned to their original world as soon as possible.” From what Chiho knew, it should be three existances with human forms. One was a boy brought over by the demons, Iron. One was a girl together with Maou, Acies=Ara.