Chapter 81

Prologue The place was like paradise. It was a remote island in the middle of the deep blue—a small piece of land far from the mainland. Clouds near the horizon glowed silver in the light of the gentle afternoon sun. The expansive beach was white as snow, the sea dyed a faint emerald green. Flowers of vivid colors bloomed among trees that were wrapped in the songs of the birds carried by the breeze. A cozy-looking structure stood near the entrance of the forest on the cove. It was a log cabin of crude, clearly amateurish fabrication. On the wooden deck at the door stood a young man around twenty years old, with black hair and eyes. In his right hand he held a well-maintained cooking knife. He deftly sliced and salted fish on a tray. The young man suddenly halted his work as he heard a voice come from the cabin. A young woman screamed. It was a scream of joy. “LET’S GO! I BEAT IT!” Her excited shout penetrated the soundproofed walls with ease. Then he heard a loud thud. The young woman must have kicked over some equipment in her excitement. The young man set the knife down and shook his head as if he was thinking good grief. He washed his hands in a bucket of water and went into the cabin. In contrast with the crude exterior, the cabin’s interior was fully furnished. In addition to the handmade furniture, there was a satellite radio receiver and a television, and the kitchen had a large commercial refrigerator. High-efficiency solar panels provided all the energy they needed, and they had a diesel generator on standby for emergencies. Most prominent of all was the streaming setup. A top-of-the-line gaming PC was hooked up to a high-speed LEO satellite connection. About half the entire building’s space was occupied by a streaming booth, and that was where the scream had just come from. The soundproofing was inexpertly done, so the streamer’s voice was booming out. “Thank you for watching all the way to the end. I finally beat it, thanks to your support!” The stream, which had begun last night, seemed to finally be coming to an end. One had to commend the girl’s ability to remain so cheerful after more than half a day of nonstop game streaming. “Ahh… That was fun. Oh, don’t forget to like and subscribe, guys. See you all next stream! Waooon! Iroha Waon signing off! Bye-bye!” She waved good-bye while ending the stream. Then she shut down the camera, mic, and PC before crawling out of her gaming chair and opening the booth’s door. The streamer, also about twenty years old, was clad in a skimpy outfit and animal-eared wig. Her eyes—colored via contacts—grew wide when she spotted the young man standing in the cabin’s living room. “Yahiro! Did you watch the stream? I beat that hidden boss! And it was so close, too! I had just the tiniest bit of stamina left. I’ve come so far, huh? I can dodge the seemingly impossible chain blows now!” The streamer threw herself at him, begging for praise. The man, Yahiro—Yahiro Narusawa—caught her. “I mean, it’d look pretty bad if you didn’t get better after playing for so long. Do you realize how long you were in there? The sun’s gonna set soon.” “Hmm, I started last night, so that means it’s been around sixteen hours? I’d say that’s pretty quick, actually. I was ready to spend two whole nights on that.” She shook her head slightly before taking off her silver wig. She then freed her long chestnut hair from her hairnet. The enigmatic persona was replaced by a regular Asian girl. Streamer Iroha Waon transformed into Iroha Mamana. Her cosplayer facade was widely known for a variety of reasons. “Sixteen hours… Yeah, no wonder you stink,” Yahiro remarked bluntly while patting her sweaty head. Iroha’s happy expression was replaced with a blush and a frown. “Hey! I can’t believe this! You’re telling your favorite, adored, darling streamer that she stinks?! What am I supposed to do about it?! It’s hot in there! And it’s not like you smell good, either! Can you really talk when you smell like fish?!” “Keep your ego in check. I was just cutting fish. But if you don’t like the smell, then don’t eat it.” “Wait, hold on. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.” “Then go take a bath. I’ll get the food ready.” “Yay!” Iroha’s good mood returned immediately, and she skipped to the back of the cabin. There were natural hot springs all over the tiny volcanic island. By installing a waterline, they were able to have hot baths in the cabin any time they wanted. “Hey! Don’t take your clothes off here!” Yahiro frowned at the sight of Iroha, already scantily clad to begin with, undressing before reaching the bathroom. “I’m wearing a swimsuit underneath, don’t worry!” Iroha turned around—half undressed—and leaned forward, accentuating her cleavage. She was indeed wearing a white bikini under her costume. “Why were you wearing that under the costume?” “I’m skipping the changing-out-of-my-underwear part so I can jump into the ocean or the bath at a moment’s notice.” “What are you, a grade-schooler going to the pool on summer vacation?” Iroha grinned, and Yahiro flicked her forehead. “Ow!” She clutched her head in pain while glaring at him through tears. “Why?! Don’t worry, I’m not streaming in a bikini. You’re the only one who gets to see cute li’l me like this, you lucky dog.” “Just go take a bath already. Save your teasing for after you get that stench off.” “Hey! I don’t smell that bad!” Iroha puffed her cheeks out in a pout and walked into the bathroom. Yahiro watched her leave and then sighed. The sunlight flowing through the window did a good job disguising the red in his cheeks. The sky faded from orange to purple as the sun reached the horizon. It was a calm evening, with the relaxing sound of waves crashing on the seashore. Yahiro reveled in the rhythmic lapping as he sat on the deck’s bench. Meanwhile, Iroha sat by the grill at the center of the deck, watching the food cook. The scent of the sauce on the charcoal-grilled fish and vegetables began to waft through the air. “Is it done yet? Can I eat it now?” “You can if you want, but it’ll be tastier if you let them cook a bit longer.” “Aww… I’ll wait a little more, then.” Yahiro used a pair of tongs and cooking chopsticks to flip the food. The day’s main dish was longtail snapper. While the island’s waters were abundant with seafood, this fish dwelled in deeper places, and he rarely caught them. Yahiro had taken a boat out early in the morning to get the high-grade feast. Complementing the meal were smoked meat and veggie skewers, as well as earthenware-cooked rice. For dessert there was a banana pie, courtesy of the island’s produce. It had become Yahiro’s staple dish lately. “This is amazing! You’re getting even better at this, Yahiro.” Iroha was adoring her mouthful of fish. “Anybody would get this good after three years of cooking. Especially when there’s not much else to do.” “No, don’t downplay your skills. I am blessed to get to eat your feasts. Gimme seconds.” “All right.” Yahiro grabbed the bowl she held out and filled it with another serving of rice. The afterglow lit their profiles as the stars began shining in the sky. Yahiro wore a simple T-shirt and shorts. Iroha was dressed in a casual summer dress. They looked like a young couple on their honeymoon, but this was just a regular day for them. “That reminds me… Nuemaru used to get us fish sometimes back when we were in the 23 Wards. Ren couldn’t handle the bones, and Ayaho always deboned them for him. And then Rinka got jealous when she found out…” “Wow,” Yahiro responded softly as Iroha reminisced about her siblings. A drop of fat fell from the fish onto the charcoal and sparked a burst of flame. The light illuminated Iroha’s smiling profile, and Yahiro’s breath caught. “Iroha, do you want to see them?” “Of course I do. I’d be overjoyed to see them. But it’s fine. I’m happy just to know they’re okay. We can’t go meet them.” “Yeah…,” Yahiro whispered, and his shoulders slumped. The spice of the kebab tickled his nose as he bit into it. Three years earlier— Yahiro and Iroha had saved the world from doom, and their world turned out to be the underworld. The world of the dead, protected by a dragon. They lived in the illusion of the Ouroboros as part of the mechanism of reincarnation. A place to wait for people to purge their souls of their past lives’ regrets. However, the underworld was on the brink of collapse. The world dragon was nearing the limit of its life. Iroha was chosen as the dragon medium to give birth to the Dragon Slayer. Yahiro claimed the title and granted her wish. The heroic Dragon Slayer—the one to become the new Ouroboros. Just as the snake ate its own tail, the one to slay Ouroboros became the new world dragon. Thus, the dragon medium’s wish became reality. Iroha became able to create a new world to her liking. Yet she did not wish for that. Her wish was for their world to continue. And it was not the wish of a single dragon medium; all the people in the world wished for a continuation, a world with gradual transformation. Iroha refused to become the god of a new world. As a result, the world escaped collapse and continued to exist. However, Yahiro and Iroha had no place in that world anymore. Naturally. They were the creators—the foundations of the world. They were meant to be trapped in the Afterlife, a place outside the world. Yet, because Iroha had wished for the old world to continue, they were spared from banishment. But that did not change the fact that they maintained the power of the Ouroboros. So Yahiro and Iroha had sealed themselves on an island. They confined themselves to a remote stretch of land so the power of the Ouroboros would not affect the rest of the world. This nameless island was their Eden, and at the same time, their cage. It was hard to tell if their situation was unfortunate, or if it was a better conclusion than ending in the Afterlife, but Yahiro and Iroha were mostly satisfied. In the end, it was they who had wished for it. “Well, we just can’t talk directly, but I can do my streams. That way, they know I’m doing okay. So I’m fine with it. And my subscriber count keeps rising.” Iroha spoke nonchalantly while reaching for the pie. “And the Moujuufied Japanese have returned to normal. There are more people to watch your streams now.” “I have more rivals, too, though. Oh, hey, you should do some streams yourself. I’m pretty sure there’s demand for fishing and cooking livestreams.” “No, thanks. Sounds like a bother.” “You say but still upload pictures on social media.” “Only when I get a big catch.” Yahiro averted his gaze when he realized Iroha knew about the social media account he ran anonymously. Iroha grinned. “I think it’s great. Giuli and Rosé said we gotta enjoy life.” “That whole thing about who knows what effect there will be on our mental stability after losing our human emotions?” “Yeah, that. It’s why I’m doing my streams.” “They didn’t ask you to stream until you sweat-stink, though.” “Hey, I already took a bath! And I was streaming a marathon!” Iroha whacked Yahiro’s shoulder as he let out a sarcastic chuckle. It was their usual lighthearted banter. But this time, just as Iroha’s fist hit Yahiro, a flash lit up the night sky. Thunder followed after a moment’s delay, and the earth shook as well. “…Wh-what was that?” asked Iroha fearfully after she tensed with shock. Yahiro stood and scanned their surroundings. “I don’t know. I thought lightning at first, but…” “…the sky’s clear,” Iroha finished for him. Yahiro nodded. Indeed, there wasn’t a single rain cloud among the stars. There was no sign of the passing showers that were common there in the south, either. Yet there was something odd about the air on the island. They hadn’t felt anything like it before in their time there. Then Yahiro noticed the source of the feeling and froze. At the water’s edge, there was an unfamiliar silhouette on the ground. “Someone’s there.” “Huh?” Iroha blinked, taken aback by Yahiro’s remark. Yahiro put the tongs down and grabbed the shovel for the charcoal. It was an unreliable weapon compared to the katana he had once wielded, but it would work for intimidation. “An intruder.” “Intruder? On this island? How did they even get here?” “Who knows?” Yahiro jumped off the deck after his curt response, then approached the person on the beach. Iroha followed right behind, and he didn’t bother trying to stop her. She was a dragon medium and the creator of the world. Basically a goddess. Nobody could hurt her, at least while she was by his side. She was safer following him. As he drew closer to the outsider, he became less guarded. Confusion replaced the wariness in his expression. The intruder was a young woman. She had dazzling golden hair and wore a dress like a nun’s habit, which was torn all over, exposing most of her skin. She looked like a castaway who had spent days at sea. “Uh… Wha…?” The blond girl noticed them approaching and raised her head. Her facial features appeared Japanese, but her eyes were a clear, piercing blue. She was terribly beautiful. “Who are you?” Yahiro asked, crouching before her. She looked at him and smiled weakly in relief. She reached out to him with trembling hands and threw herself against his chest. “…Yahiro… Narusawa…” “Wha—?” The sudden embrace had Yahiro frozen in place. “…Yahiro… Yahiro…” She called his name again and again as she buried her face in his chest. Iroha’s shriek reverberated across the shore. “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”