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

I now understand why Jjapgurasu silently listened to me.

Anyone can see that I’m in an extremely dangerous state.

The size of the injury is so small that I can’t see it properly, but sitting in a raincoat on the toilet with my arms drooping and blood dripping from me looked like nothing but a high school girl who committed suicide. And that too, in the middle of the night.

I might even seem unconscious. Of course, it would be expected.

I must be breathing, right? Even so, I don’t think Jjapgurasu would block that. That would mean I’d actually die.

Quack! Quack!

Even if I try to protest, that’s all that comes out of my mouth.

If I leave it like this and go out, someone passing by will probably see me and freak out, calling the police.

And I might end up alerting Yuka, who lives nearby too.

But Yuka is not the issue. Miura thought I was a victim of sexual violence. Now that I think about it, my usual behavior and what I did today would all look just right for “preparing for suicide.”

Even though it’s hard to die by cutting my wrist like this, still, it’s not something to laugh off in terms of ‘attempt.’

I had no sensations in my body, yet I still felt chills running down my back.

Speaking of having no sensations, I’m not sure if Chi doesn’t originally have the ability to feel or if it’s because I’m just borrowing this temporary body and can’t feel properly.

I realized while trying to take a breath that I don’t have lungs, but it’s also possible that I may have taken a breath. Since I can’t feel anything, I’m not sure.

Still, there’s one advantage.

I have to crawl on the filthy bathroom floor like a snake, and if I had sensations…

Well, it’s fine.

No matter what I say, Jjapgurasu wouldn’t listen to me, so I decided to head towards that place where the fire was.

I should check as fast as I can… there’s no need to come back. I could just end up falling into a nearby sewer and bursting.

Alright. Thinking of my last moments, not having sensations felt like a blessing.

I don’t even know why I should feel good about that.

I quickly turned my body and came out of the bathroom door. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be anyone wanting to use this filthy restroom afterwards, so no one would see the sight of a living, bloody mass crawling around.

After that, I paused for a moment to assess the situation.

Chi’s resilience isn’t very good. If I get hit by a passing car, that would be bad enough; I would just burst if someone steps on me. If I’m unlucky, I could encounter a bird or cat mistaking me for a bug and attacking me.

Once again, I marveled at Jjapgurasu’s bad taste.

My current field of vision… it felt like looking at a screen through an endoscope. It was like someone wrapped thick, black cloth around my eyes, blocking any light from seeping in.

Even looking around, the angle of vision wasn’t wide at all. Just a little distraction and I could easily lose my sense of direction.

“……”

At least it was fortunate that the surroundings were dark. Plus, since the streetlights were still yellow, it would be hard to see the reddish color of Chi’s body. If I’m lucky, they might just think I’m a worm passing by.

Alright.

Knowing the situation calmed me down a bit.

I wriggled Chi’s body as quickly as I could toward the site of the incident.

*

Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any cats or birds while walking. It wasn’t too far from the scene of the incident, and even with the narrow view, I didn’t struggle to find the way.

Although there were a few police officers keeping watch, it seemed they didn’t notice since I crawled flat against the wall. Or maybe they thought I was just a worm even if they did see me.

In any case, thanks to that, I was able to enter the fire site.

Quack.

Instead of a sigh, the sound that came out was that quacking noise.

I really don’t know what makes that sound.

…But right now, that’s not important.

When trying to move Chi’s body, the most useful thing about it is how easily I can cling and crawl up surfaces.

Sure, it would leave bloodstains, but when everything is said and done, there won’t be a single wound remaining on my body. I could just pack the raincoat back into my bag later and deal with it, and there’s no way there would be any CCTV in the bathroom.

A perfect crime… well, if coming in on my own at a crime scene the police are guarding is also a crime, then I guess let’s count it that way.

The first place I checked was the gas stove. If the fire started because of gas, then that area would likely have sustained the most damage.

The place was so burned that you could say it was ‘completely charred,’ but if the fire truck had set out promptly and succeeded in putting out the flames, I could at least infer where the fire started. In simple terms, the ignition point would be the most burned.

And while the wall near the stove was blackened, some spots still retained color.

However, things weren’t just tossed about like they’d exploded everywhere.

In fact, to really figure things out, I’d need to bring various things and investigate, but I didn’t have the luxury for that right now.

The next place I checked was the boiler… but.

This side had hardly burned at all. It was just covered in soot.

That means:

Of course, the police must have removed any corpses, but thinking from the assumption that “the fire started from a corpse”…

Quack! Quack!

The area that burned the most was definitely the living room. It looked like the people who were sitting on the sofa spontaneously combusted; all the things nearby had burned and melted away without leaving a trace.

Human spontaneous combustion.

While many claims in the mystery genre suggest that people suddenly burst into flames due to supernatural phenomena, typically, the real cause is different.

The most common reason is cigarettes.

Elderly people or those suffering from chronic illnesses tend to die while smoking, causing the cigarettes to fall onto their corpse or the surrounding area. Thus, the cause of ignition appears conveniently placed on the ‘corpse’ side.

But those cases, of course, happen to those who live alone. If someone else were around, they would react before the corpse could catch fire.

They said a whole family died.

The deceased couple were in their mid-30s. They seemed like an ordinary family with a young child.

It’s too far-fetched to say they both suddenly died in the same spot and one of them dropped their cigarette and set the corpse on fire.

Murder-suicide? In that case, evidence would have to appear, because human bodies don’t easily catch fire. For a body to catch fire by itself, the surroundings would have to be ablaze first, or someone would need to splash flammable substances on the body beforehand.

It would be unthinkable for a person wanting to die to pour oil on themselves from a distance just to ignite themselves here.

I searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but everything being so burnt left it nearly impossible to find any other clues.

Moreover, there was almost no light. Chi’s eyes are significantly better at seeing in the dark than human eyes, but there are still limits to that.

Quack.

Shall I call it a day for today?

Just confirming that the fire started from a person was a success.

…I’ll have to look into the other incidents later.

With that, I slipped out of the house.

*

Ugh.

Sitting slumped over on the closed toilet wasn’t the most pleasant experience.

Plus, my left wrist throbbed painfully. Obviously, since I cut it with a knife, blood was flowing profusely.

How much time has passed?

Luckily, it doesn’t seem like a long time has passed. Checking my phone, it was about 30 minutes.

Still, if it gets any later, Yuka and Koko will start to worry.

I hurriedly got up from my seat—

Thud.

I heard footsteps from outside the door.

“……”

Uh.

I quickly ducked my head. There was blood everywhere on the floor. The amount of blood I had leaked in just those 30 minutes was quite a bit, painting the filthy tiles of the public restroom red.

What should I do?

My heart raced. If I get caught here, it would definitely be a ticket to the police station. The person coming in was probably not a man, but—

Thud.

…Wait, hold on a second.

The footsteps had a slight heaviness to them.

I’m no master of recognizing people just by their footsteps, but I had heard the children’s footsteps plenty of times.

Sasaki’s footsteps and Yuka’s footsteps are, of course, different.

Thud.

And the unmistakably approaching footsteps that were coming towards my stall weren’t the sounds of a high school girl.

Well, there are definitely some bigger girls among the women.

I thought that, but still, my pounding heart wouldn’t calm down.

The bathroom was dimly lit, but there was still some light.

The red blood surely would be visible.

And yet strangely, there was neither a scream of shock nor the sound of heavy breathing from beyond the door.

No.

To be precise.

There wasn’t even the sound of breathing.

I felt a chill run down my spine.

This wasn’t a chill felt from simply being scared of the current situation. It wasn’t a surprise-induced chill.

It was something else—

I tried to keep my breathing as quiet as possible and slowly moved.

The kitchen knife I’d been holding had dropped to the right. As I picked it up, I lowered my waist to look below the door.

I wasn’t completely down on the floor, but since this was an old restroom, the space under the door was quite large. I could see a little beyond.

…There was nothing outside.

I clearly heard footsteps only moments ago.

Clenching my teeth, I slowly started to lift my body.

Holding the knife-less left hand up to my forearm, I extended my bag forward as if to hold it like a shield.

I wasn’t sure how effective it would be.

Then, I placed the knife over my left wrist.

The blood had dried, but the wound above the tattoo was still there. It was evidence that my deal with Jjapgurasu had ended.

Hah.

And finally realizing what Jjapgurasu had meant just now, I let out a breath.

That’s right.

This was it.

Damn.

I pressed the knife against my left wrist—

—but something beyond the door was quicker.

I heard a sound that suggests a public restroom door is made to open easily. The places where the elderly and disabled frequent most in homes are bathrooms; public restrooms aren’t much different.

But usually, the sound of making a door easy to open means overcoming a lock somehow.

It wasn’t meant to burst the door open like that.

The outer surface of the restroom door, which looked relatively smooth, was crumbling inward. The plywood’s cross-section was very visible.

Before I could cut my wrist, whatever it was moved.

A presence that I couldn’t see.

…Was it Kosuzu sent something?

Eek…!

I swung my foot hard. My toe hit something sticky and heavy, and I heard the sound of liquid splattering everywhere.

No, it actually splattered. There was something transparent and sticky in the air— or moisture adhering to that sticky surface splattered my way.

Having raised my hands first, both of them slowly spread apart to the sides. My left wrist had a bit of blood pooling on the end but wasn’t perfect.

Wheytly.

Something that followed around behind Kosuzu. It was invisible but certainly present.

I could feel the blood leaving my face.

My body was slowly rising into the air.

If seen from someone else’s perspective, it must have looked like an incredibly bizarre sight—a high school girl wearing a transparent raincoat over her school uniform, completely stained in blood, floating in mid-air like being crucified.

It wasn’t just a simple hovering feeling. Clearly, someone was lifting me up.

With an immense number of hands.

“Let go of me!”

It was dangerous.

My brain was screaming about that. With the prophecy saying I wouldn’t die until it was executed, and Jjapgurasu wouldn’t lure me toward death, I thought those things, but they didn’t come to mind.

It was just an awareness that— whatever this presence was, it seemed to be gazing at my left wrist.

“Gah…!”

Something pressed hard against my left wrist and roughly twisted my arm, pulling it in front of itself. Was there a head there?

How long has it been since I was unarmed in front of a Yōkai? I had even been blocked from even summoning the one means to arm myself.

Not yet, not yet—

I won’t die, but.

For the first time, I felt that way.

I wouldn’t die, but what if I were rendered in a state worse than death?

What if I was chopped up and not dead? No, even if not, slicing my limbs for experimentation could certainly be done like that.

You will die.

At the hands of your most trusted ally.

—Why?

Maybe out of sheer pity, the presence ended up taking my life after confirming my state.

Maybe I had begged for my death. And the being, how somehow, got my pleas turned down until it realized it wouldn’t help at all—

“Ah.”

Fulfilling that thought, a sound escaped my mouth.

“Not, not, not like that!”

That’s not it, that’s not it!

I kicked my legs. While dangling in mid-air, I desperately tried to pull my feet up to stomp on whatever was holding me down, but unsurprisingly, it didn’t budge at all.

Yet even so, I kept resisting. I had no choice.

I don’t want that kind of future.

I would, I would— be at peace with my friends. There would be days when I face Yōkai, conflicts with friends, or perhaps be chased by the government.

But in the end, when my time comes to die…

Silently, the being gripped my right hand tightly.

“Aah!”

I screamed and dropped the knife. As it fell, it drew a line in the air.

Drip.

The sound of green liquid dripping to the floor from that line.

Drip.

And this was the sound of my right hand breaking.

I must have shrieked.

It was an incredibly realistic pain. Being pierced through the heart, or bitten by a Yōkai’s huge jaws. It was a pain that was virtually absent in reality, and I hadn’t had the time to feel that sensation since I was in the middle of fighting. Each time, my body was already pushed to the edge of fainting, and when it suffered a serious injury, I would soon lose consciousness.

That’s why I couldn’t help but scream at the pain.

I was already filled with terror.

A knife floated in the air.

And unpleasantly, it slowly rose onto my left wrist, drawing a soft curve.

“Gah!”

With a thud, the knife plunged into my left wrist. Then, slowly, as if confirming something, it began to drag downwards.

It hurt more than I usually cut myself. It went in far deeper, slicing through skin and muscle, while audibly scraping against my wrist bone.

Blood gushed out. Had I cut an artery?

Despite being drenched in blood, Jjapgurasu did not respond.

Again, again, repeatedly, the knife was dragged across my wrist.

“……”

The being tilted its head—

“……Ah?”

Yeah. That’s how it looked.

It didn’t appear nearly as clear as the forms exposed in blood before. Still, for a brief moment, the shape of a man much larger than me became visible.

A thin, gaunt figure.

With tentacles sprouting from its back.

“……”

Ah, I understand.

“……If you want an answer.”

My voice made the man— whom I now assumed to be Wheytly— turn his face towards me.

“…You should match the mood of the other party. Whether the great one answers or not, it doesn’t depend on such trivial conditions.”

I gasped for breath.

Hah. Fine.

Right now, I was working on my left arm. Was it decided that since my right arm was broken, I didn’t need to worry about holding onto it any longer?

“Are you suggesting what I did is less than what you have done?”

A strong voice filled with self-importance. An irritating tone typical of beings with such traits.

“Yeah. Yeah, you are right. I must look more beautiful than you, right?”

I said that on purpose to provoke.

The kitchen knife was still held by the monster. Struggling to keep my fading vision from drowning, I spoke while looking at Kosuzu past the creature.

“Can’t you tell that I woke up just after you had just given up on trying hard?”

Kosuzu stared emotionlessly at me.

Honestly, it was terrifying.

There was only one chance. If I get stuck here, I would really be dragged alive and experience all kinds of insane things.

Where are the people who should be protecting me? Kosuzu must have devised some way to come here too.

Hah.

Fine.

It’s not exactly great, but let’s call it good anyway.

“The magnificent existences like them wouldn’t easily respond to not even something like us disgusting beings, right? Naturally, we’d attract that much more attention.”

Kosuzu kept gazing at me.

“Isn’t it possible that it’s you who misunderstood? If you put yourself as the center of the world, of course, those beings will look down and smirk.”

“……”

Were they angry? I hope they are.

Yeah. Keep staring at my face like that.

With all my strength, I moved my right arm.

Fortunately, I could slide my fingernail between the injury before the being could react.

Even though both my injured right wrist and bleeding left wrist felt agonizing, I gritted my teeth and said in a gap.

“…You can do it like this, to impress them.”

Then, I pulled my scratched-up fingernail back out.

My right hand was completely covered in blood, and there was flesh stuck under my nails.

And.

“A splendid answer. But I can’t say it’s perfect.”

I heard Jjapgurasu’s voice.

“Just because you copied me, don’t think I’ll answer.”

Wait, in that pause, Jjapgurasu whispered in my ear.

“Do you have any desires?”

“…Please, save me.”

I spoke honestly.

A humph filled the air with laughter.

“Good. I think I might like to hear a bit more of your plea.”

I paused for a moment and opened my mouth again.

“Please, let me live…”

“You want to explain why.”

“I still have people I want to see and things I want to do.”

“If you had been honest from the start, it would have been nice. I do enjoy those who squirm about.”

…And I suppose you’d also enjoy watching me not escape the pain.

“I will grant your wish.”

Jjapgurasu stated.

“I would like to hear your splendid singing voice.”

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