I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

Still, my feelings for Mako were nothing but a ‘thank goodness.’

Anyway, I remember that the description of a student at Hanagawa High School dying was the only one in the original work.

There are many students attending school. There are about thirty in each class, and with many grades having a large number of students, Hanagawa High School alone has a four-digit count.

However, that doesn’t mean that no one would notice if a student died.

Though there are hundreds of students in each grade, there are only about thirty in each class. And each class would have friends, and naturally, those relationships would intertwine, allowing rumors to spread quickly.

If someone died or went missing, the same grade would undoubtedly be aware of it, even if the other grades weren’t.

I’m not sure if Mako was such an interconnected character in the original work, but regardless of how it actually turned out, that concern had disappeared.

At least, I could feel relieved about that worry.

…But that’s just my feelings for Mako, and furthermore, my feelings for my friends.

The person who was worried about me wasn’t just Mako.

Kagami arrived a little later than Mako.

Did she talk to someone on the way? Or was there another reason?

No, to begin with, the conversation about me probably reached Kagami late. Sometimes, those systems get complicated, and it ends up being delayed when telling the person who actually needs to know.

“…Mom.”

When I called Kagami, Mako quickly got up from her seat. Yuka seemed to have distanced herself from us for some reason.

Fortunately, Koko was still snuggled up next to me, asleep.

Luckily, my body was fine now. There were no wounds. So, what Kagami saw was just the usual me.

Dad followed behind, standing near the hospital room door.

Kagami silently approached me and sat down on a chair.

Kagami’s hand rested on top of mine.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“…Yeah.”

I answered that I was truly okay, but then,

“You must have been in a lot of pain, right?”

Kagami pierced my gut.

That made me unconsciously open my mouth slightly.

I couldn’t lie. Even in this body, getting hit or cut hurt. I didn’t know how much it hurt compared to others, but it hurt, nonetheless.

I didn’t want to lie to Kagami about this.

Kagami reached out and hugged me.

“……”

No one else spoke resentfully.

As if enduring it all while thinking it was their fault, Kagami simply held me without saying a word.

The warmth of her embrace brought me much more relief than when I had just thought ‘thank goodness’ a moment ago.

So much so that I didn’t know how to react.

Kagami simply kept stroking my head. Without a sound of crying, as if she didn’t want to let me go.

No one who could speak up in that place.

*

*

*

I want to believe it’s not my fault.

That it’s just a fate I was born into, just bad luck.

Both me, Koto Ne, and Koko.

That we were born into such a family with bad luck— it’s just that we’re going through these things because I gave birth to my daughter.

But no matter how much I think about it, no matter how many times I reconsider, in the end, it’s still my fault.

If I had taken care of my child from the start, acknowledging that lifeless mass as my child, Koko wouldn’t have had to endure the time equal to her age in a place with nothing.

If by any chance, she continued to live in that house.

If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better than it is now?

“……”

No.

Perhaps, it wouldn’t have worked out that way.

Koto Ne wouldn’t have been Koto Ne.

The Koto Ne who was always sharp yet never caused trouble while growing up under this immature me, the one who grew up beautifully despite me not being able to do anything, wouldn’t exist.

She would have just lived as a sacrificial body for God. One day, that body wouldn’t have even been her own anymore, and she wouldn’t have been able to cuddle up all warm like this.

Koko wouldn’t have been Koko.

She wouldn’t be the lovely child clinging to me with a lovely expression like she is now. If it were Kosuzu, she would surely have raised Koko to be a tool for murder.

…Yes, it’s thanks to Koto Ne.

If it weren’t for Koto Ne, the three of us— mother and daughters— would never have turned out this way.

What should I do?

Should I just leave Koto Ne as she is? Should I just watch her as someone with just that kind of job?

Koto Ne always says she’s okay.

It would be nice if she could just cry and say that nothing was okay, that it was so hard.

Always with a look as if something is on her mind, Koto Ne always says she’s fine…

“……”

I slightly turned my head and saw Koto Ne’s friend leaning against the window.

When our eyes met, Yuka flinched and avoided my gaze. She looked out the window, but clearly, she was concerned about my gaze.

I tried to live a normal life.

But I couldn’t. Because I could do nothing, in the end, neither Koto Ne nor Koko could live a normal life at all.

That’s why I thought.

I was someone who could contain such a body.

So, if I just get someone’s help, somehow…

Would that be okay?

Even knowing that the reason Koto Ne suffers is because she wants to protect our family, would it be alright for me to step in?

I don’t know.

Just like when I was running while holding that tiny Koto Ne, when it was so cold that the warmth of the baby in my arms was the only warmth I had, I still don’t know anything now.

I just want to keep running away from something.

But Koto Ne has already grown too big for me to carry and run. Now, Koko is here too.

How far can I run?

How far can I escape?

Will we be able to live the life we’ve longed for if we flee?

I don’t know.

But still.

I’m not going to give up.

Because Koto Ne hasn’t given up until now.

*

*

*

I had planned to go back to school the next day, but due to Kagami’s insistence, I ended up skipping a day.

I only told them that I suddenly wasn’t feeling well at school. I couldn’t say I got that way fighting a Yōkai.

Kagami also took the day off work.

From the fruit basket Mako brought, she took out the fruits one by one, carefully peeling them and placing them on the plate next to me.

I dipped the fork into the fruit and slowly put it in my mouth.

It was sweet and delicious. I didn’t have the knowledge about food ingredients to know for sure, but judging by the taste, this seemed to be quite an expensive fruit basket.

I thought Kagami would say something, but she didn’t say a word.

She simply smiled softly every time our eyes met.

That smile bore no signs of fatigue or sadness. It was just a face that calmly told me I was Kagami’s daughter.

Koko threw a tantrum this morning and eventually headed to school with Yuka and Mako. Even as she left the hospital room, she turned back to look at me several times, which was a bit heart-wrenching.

“…Mom.”

“Koto Ne.”

When I called Kagami, she answered.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Koto Ne.”

Kagami gently shook her head.

“No one needs to apologize.”

Well, that’s true.

The Yōkai I needed to apologize to is gone now.

“However, Koto Ne.”

Kagami spoke gently.

“Is there something… you know?”

“Know?”

“Yes, anything at all.”

Yesterday, Kagami had held me close for a long time, and she had been with me in the hospital room until this morning.

But during that time, she hadn’t spoken about anything, seeming deep in thought about something.

Whenever our eyes met, she would give me a gentle smile, and she stroked my head several times.

“Anything, you say?”

The way Kagami brought up that topic made me feel a bit tense.

“Hanagawa High School isn’t an easily memorable school.”

Kagami said while leaving just a little bit of apple peel in the shape of a rabbit with its ears folded.

“Although it was in the neighborhood we lived, Koto Ne, you’ve never once said you wanted to go to Hanagawa High School. If Mako-chan wanted to attend the same school as her other friends, there would have been a way to find out.”

“……”

“So I wondered if, for some reason, Koto Ne might know something.”

She must have been wondering about it for a long time. The reason Kagami hadn’t mentioned it until now was probably only because she thought I would feel uncomfortable.

“Could you tell me, perhaps?”

I kept my mouth tightly closed and stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “I know a little.”

I couldn’t hide it anymore, considering everything that had happened.

Kagami’s hand stopped moving.

“About the future, just a bit.”

“I see.”

Kagami didn’t seem surprised. It might be an act, though.

“Yeah, it’s… not about my future. Just that I know of a story. And if I’m in that story, I think I’ll come up with a way to avoid it.”

I said that.

I didn’t really know.

I didn’t know what would happen.

But, still.

I couldn’t make Kagami worry any more than she already was.

Just knowing how it would end might allow her to feel a bit more secure.

“Is it avoiding it?”

“Yeah. Because there are people targeting us.”

“……”

Kagami moved her hand again.

“Is it possible to avoid?”

“……Yeah. Probably.”

Because that’s what I was thinking I would do.

If possible, I didn’t want to just avoid them; I wanted to overcome my opponent, too.

“I see.”

Kagami nodded.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes, I will trust you.”

“Just like that, so easily?”

“…I’m Koto Ne’s mom, after all.”

Kagami raised her head again.

This time, Kagami was smiling.

But she couldn’t completely hide her underlying sadness.

I pretended not to notice the sadness and ate the fruit as calmly as I could.

…I didn’t think it would turn out well.

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