ABYSS – The Sea Of ⬛ Trickling Down (Chapter 9–12) & Epilogue

Characters

Writer

Akira

Translation

310mc

Proofreading

ryuseipuka

Chapter Index

Ch 9 - Ch 10 - Ch 11 - Ch 12 - Ep 1 - Ep 2 - Ep 3 - Ep 4 - Translation Notes

Chapter 9

Flashback. A site somewhere a little far from the Abode of God. The depths1 of a mountain of industrial waste…

Traaansform!2

there it is~ mikejima’s ‘transform’~♪

do more~♪ do the ‘transform’ where your arms go round~♪

How many times are you gonna make me do this…? God’s seriously getting way too hyped up~…

it made kanata happy, after all~♪

thank you, mikejima. for preparing something this pretty for kanata—

If you like it, then aall the hard work was worth it.

You kept saying you wanted to see the outside world, after aall~ God would always mention that there’s only boulders and saltwater around, so you wanted to see something else.

That’s why I cleared up this unused garbage dump, plowed it, and planted flower seeds. That was a preeetty while back, though.

You went outside just the other day, so I guess I’m kinda late with taking you here.

But all the seeds I planted finally sprouted, as you can see.

I didn’t expect the whole place to be covered with flowers, though… What’s in this soil? It’s waaay too fertile.

amazing, amazing! pretty, so pretty!

there are so many colors, so pretty!

mikejima, what color is this? red? blue? yellow?

Sound of footsteps

—Shh! Keep quiet!

fwah!? eh? what? what is wrong, mikejima…?

Someone’s coming. I hear footsteps.

eh? eh? this is a confined land, though? is it the caretakers?

Yeah. On a general basis, regular worshipers are forbidden from entering this confined land — The vicinity around the “Abode of God”.

The only ones allowed are the selected caretakers.

yes. that is mikejima, and also grandpa and grandma3, who have been worshipers for a very long time.

I’m still an apprentice, thooough… My parents forcibly nominated me as a caretaker, saying the two of us being the same generation means we should be able to talk on the same wavelength—

Then again, I committed a huge offense by taking God outside, so I’m prooobably seriously close to losing the right to be a caretaker.

do not say that. be a caretaker forever, mikejima.

when grandpa and grandma prepare meals for kanata, all they do is pray afterwards. it is boring.

Yeah, they’re worshipers to the very core, after aaall…

Buuut the ones approaching don’t seem to be any of those withered up people or anything.

Their footsteps sound so rough. They’re getting closer and closer.

I have a bad feeling about this… Let’s hide from sight over there, God.

m-mm… kanata will do as mikejima says.

mikejima is always right. so, doing as mikejima says will bring kanata relief.

I’d prefer it if you think for yourself sometiiimes… But I guess there’s no helping that, since you’re in an environment that doesn’t really foster a “thinking brain”.

You prooobably won’t be allowed to go to school either, huh.

school? what is that? is it fun?

almost everything mikejima teaches kanata is pretty and fun~♪

I told you to stay quiet… I can finally see who’s behind those footsteps.

mmghh— do not cover kanata’s mouth. it is stressful.

(What’s with those guys? They’re a bunch of men dressed in black from top to bottom — They look just like a bunch of combatants4 you’d find in a tokusatsu movie…)

(Is this really real life…? Or am I starting to confuse my delusions with reality from watching too many tokusatsu shows…?)

abyss.

Mm? What is it, didn’t I say to keep your mouth closed—

those people are abyss.

ABYSS? That’s the suspicious group of people the adults have been gossiping about lately, right?

mm. they are saying things like, ‘for the sake of abyss,’ and, ‘as a member of abyss’. so they are probably part of the abyss clan.

I’m amazed you can hear them from thiiis far away.

kanata has good ears. having one’s eyes covered makes one’s hearing better.

Hmm… ABYSS, huuuh… This is a weird place to hear a weird name…

what is abyss? does mikejima know?

Mm, apparently, there’s an internal rift on the verge of happening in our religion.

Probably ‘cause since God — as in, your mom — passed away, everyone’s been reaaally shaken up.

It seems that there are forces trying to take advantage of this turmoil to gain hegemony within the religion.

kanata does not understand such difficult topics…

mikejima is amazing for knowing so many difficult words.

Well, all my studies for school and cram classes are boooring, so I’m always reading books.

Anyway, ABYSS is rumored to be a new religious group that’s trying to split off and become independent.

It’s made up of a group of people who’ve abandoned our current religion, and are trying to establish a new one — a new-age organization, so to speak.

The adults aren’t sure who’s becoming a worshiper of the new religion, as in, the “ABYSS religion”—

In other words, the adults don’t know who has betrayed the current religion and switched sides, so it seems like things are strained right now with all of them suspecting each other.

a dreadful story… it is forbidden to convert to another religion.

Personally, it all sounds reaaally fishy to me… It feels like nothing more than baseless rumors.

why do you say that?

Those ABYSS guys don’t have any presence. There are no traces of their activity, either.

My parents perform the task of evaluating internal affairs within the religion as well, so I get to learn a lot by sneaking a peek at their documents.

I saw the name “ABYSS” in some of the documents, but there was no specific information written about them, like who the members are and such.

To an unnatural degree… Humans are bound to leave a trace as long as they exist, yet there wasn’t even an ounce of it written in there.

It sounds like just a product of their intangible delusions… As in, the name is mentioned only in rumors and documents. This is a weird way to put it, but it feels like a ghost or youkai or something.

Everyone’s holding anxiety in their hearts now that God is dead. So I thought that maaaybe they just slapped the name “ABYSS” onto that anxiety…

it is like the evil thing.

Hm? Oh, yeah, that “evil thing” that’s talked about in our religion— It’s also likely a product of those intangible fantasies, riiight?

All the adults are sooo stupid, getting caught up in something that doesn’t even exist.

…………

Ahh, nah, I’m the last person to say that, considering I dream of becoming an ally of justice…

no. mikejima… —behind you!

……!?

(What!? I didn’t notice a presence! The guys in black — The ABYSS group out of nowhere came behind us—…!)

(These guys may look suspicious, but they move like professionals! My father forced me to watch the police’s judo tournament before, and they move just like the strong players there!)

(I let my guard down! I’m so stupid! I failed again! I shouldn’t have been relaxing here and chatting — if only we had run away immediately—)

Chapter 10

Content Warning

The following chapter contains casual mentions of self-injury.

Location: Underground Waterway

(…!? Was that a scream!?)

(This atmosphere seems unsettling…! What my father spoke about with the guest must have been true, after all!)

(Those evil people from “Abisu” are trying to abduct God — the blue-haired child I encountered at the funeral venue!)

(After kidnapping, they will attempt to enshrine that child as their object of worship for a new religious group! A new living god, for a new religion!)

(Father spoke about such rumors! He mentioned that that is why everyone will have to be on their guard!)

(That is why I grew worried for that child, for God—)

(So I came all the way here, even intruding in that child’s dwelling. I heard my father reveal where it was in a conversation he was having earlier—)

(…What am I doing…? I was just reprimanded earlier for acting without permission…)

(But, this really seems to be dangerous…! It was the very first time I’d heard my father speak in such a grave tone!)

(We are having a crisis! An enormous crisis! Thus, as a samurai, I must make sure to fulfill my duty!)

(A samurai is one who fights for the sake of protecting those who are weak! Perhaps I would be scolded for calling God “weak,” but even so—!)

(I must protect that child! That child showed concern for me and patted my head! I could never overlook such a kind child falling victim to evil people!)

(As a samurai! No— As a human being, this is the natural thing to do!)

(…!? That voice…! I believe it came from around that corner?)

(Let me sneak in and observe the situation without being seen… I’m nervous.)

Give Kanata-kun back! Give him back RIGHT NOW!!! DAMMIIITTT!!

(…! That’s the child I spotted at the funeral venue! He was with that God— “Kanata,” I believe? He’s the same child who was close to Kanata-sama!5)

(The detestable one who hit me on the head and made me faint!)

(Mmm… He was likely fighting with “Abisu” in hopes of protecting Kanata-sama…)

(However, they are adults… He seems to have a better build than me, but there is still no chance he could win against trained people through brute force.)

(Unfortunately, it appears that he was beaten down, then had his hands tied to his back, and was thrown down here…)

(I will not say he got what he deserves, nor that this is his divine punishment for doing something so cruel to me.)

(…He is surely feeling frustrated, having been unable to protect his friend.)

Dammit, dammit, dammit… Damn it all!

Why am I so weak!?

(Hm, I don’t sense anyone else around. So this means it is right after God— after Kanata-sama was abducted.)

(It seems the “Abisu” group left after fulfilling their duty. If that is the case, it should be fine to speak to him.)

Pardon me, hello.

…!? Huh!? W-What!?

Do you not remember who I am? You truly are rude. My head still aches as a result of your punch, you know?

Why’re you here…?

No, forget that! Loosen up these ropes on my hands, now!

I cannot stand your imperative tone, but very well. Do not move.

I am still too young to be allowed to wield a katana, so I am not used to its weight.

……?

Kieeeeh!

…!? Ah, eep—?

That was so clooose! Where’d you pull out that katana from!?

I had it behind my back this whole time. I brought over my treasured family’s katana, as I thought I may end up in a fight.

But if my father found out, I may really have to disembowel myself this time, so please do keep it a secret.

Well, you did help me out… But man, that katana’s insaaanely sharp. The edge only lightly grazed the ropes, but they still sliced apart easily.

What on earth happened? Where is God— as in, Kanata-sama?

He was kidnapped by those guys… by ABYSS. I tried my best to resist, but I was no match for them…

I got tied up right after Kanata-kun, and then they carried us off like luggage… Ughh, I’m so frustrated!

But I kept wriggling as best as I could, so those guys saw me as a nuisance. They just threw me here and left.

From their point of view, acquiring Kanata-kun was enough for them, I bet…

Hm. So, where have the “Abisu” people gone?

The ocean. This passage leading to the “Abode of God” is connected to all sorts of places, so they headed off to the ocean, only a few minutes ago.

Then we should be able to catch up in time.

Yeah. Lend me that katana; I’m gonna slice them down and annihilate every single one of them.

Don’t say something so disturbing… Even if we had the katana, two children have no chance of fighting against a group of adults, no?

Then what am I supposed to do!? It’s all my fault that Kanata-kun—!

Calm down. Fortunately, you are not alone.

With two people around, we have more options.

I’ve thought of something, but are you up to the task? Ermm— Oh yes, I did not ask your name, did I?

I’m Mikejima Madara.

I see. I’m Kanzaki Souma.

Mikejima-dono6, are you, for the sake of that God—

No. For the sake of a friend, are you willing to do anything?

……?

Chapter 11

Sound of the ocean

(………)

(floating, and floating7.)

(softly… swaying, and swaying.)

(where is this?)

(kanata has never seen this scenery before.)

(but, it feels like a scenery kanata always sees.)

(how strange.)

(is this, a dream?)

(kanata is within the water, and yet…)

(somehow, it feels very warm—)

—Kanata-kun!

fwah—

Are you alright!? Are you still conscious!? Dammit, I can’t tell what sorta expression you’re making ‘cause of that cloth hiding your face!

mikejima.

mikejima~…♪

There, there. It’s gonna be oookay, God. You’re safe now.

I’ve come to save you.

…Sorry. I’m sorry for failing to protect you — for letting you suffer through something so scary…

no. kanata believed in mikejima. kanata knew that mikejima would definitely save kanata.

Haha. Even though God is meant to save people, not be saved…

kanata is still not god yet—

—mm, no. kanata probably cannot use that usual excuse anymore.

kanata has to get it together. kanata has to work hard.

kanata absolutely must become god, who will save everyone.

because kanata does not want to cause mikejima to make that face ever again.

…What sort of face do I have?

a horrible-looking face. it is in tatters… is mikejima alright? does it hurt?

I’m fiiine! Injuries like these are a medal of honor for an ally of justice!

were you fighting again? that is not good, okay? why can you not get along with everyone…?

That’s ‘cause a world where everyone’s happy, smiling and getting along aaall the time feels creepy.

Keep this in mind: In our world, when there’s someone laughing, there’s someone angry. When there’s someone happy, there’s someone who wants to force them to be unhappy.

I’m gonna protect you from all those evil and awful people. This time, for sure — I’m never letting you make that face ever again.

that is what kanata said. do not take it, mikejima. it is forbidden to copy.

We’re similar, aren’t we? So it isn’t weird for us to think the same thing, riiight?

hrmph… mikejima is always arguing just for the sake of it.

fwah!? w-what was that? that loud voice…

Heheh. God, remember that weird kid that was at your mom’s funeral venue?

He’s helping me rescue you.

eh? that poor child, who got hit by mikejima?

That’s how you remember him? He’s preeetty impressive, actually. Still a weird kid, but — if he weren’t here, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.

Our rescue mission was simple. That kid acted as a decoy and caused a huge ruckus as much as possible. Meanwhile, I sneaked inside the ship while they’re distracted.

ship?

You were this close to being carried off on a ship, y’knoow? You don’t remember?

oh, kanata sort of remembers floating and swaying…?

kanata was scared and closed one’s eyes, so kanata is not sure.

Those ABYSS guys who abducted you were probably trying to escape overseas through that ship.

mikejima watched a movie like that before?

Yeah. Buuut I can’t believe something from a movie could happen so easily in real life—

Sooomething feels really unnatural about this…

what do you mean?

I learned this the hard way, but kids can barely ever win against adults. The possibility of a clever kid outwitting the dumb adults and turning the tables to his side is impossible.

Not to mention how absolutely well-trained those ABYSS guys were… They’re professionals in that line of work, I think.

Could a bunch of adults like that reaaally fall for a decoy plan — a diversion trick thought up by kids?

mm~? kanata would not know the answer…?

Well, whatever. I was able to save you, so it’s fine. This is enough for a happy ending, so I’ll leave all the trivial questions aside.

Anyway, we need to hurry and get out of here. Can you walk, God?

I swam through the ocean, snuck into the ship, took down some guards with a stick while they weren’t looking…

Then I carried you on my back, swam back to shore and ran back here, sooo…

I’m pretty exhausted after all of that. I’d be real glad if you could walk on your own feet.

mm~… kanata is not good at walking, but kanata will try.

to only be saved would be shameful as god, after all.

Yeah, try your best. I’ll lend you my shoulder if you need it.

ah, kanata understands now. it was mikejima all along.

? What’re you talking abooout?

while kanata had one’s eyes closed, kanata felt something warm every once in a while. when kanata made contact with it, it gave kanata relief.

kanata cannot recall it anymore, but it felt like when kanata would be cradled by mother.

that was mikejima all along. you were carrying kanata on your back, so it felt warm.

I’m drenched wet from swimming back and forth, so I think my body is more cold than anything…

it does not matter. kanata would prefer thinking of it that way. it is much better than the thought of being touched by an unknown thing.

Chapter 12

more importantly, one must hurry, right? there is no time to rest. you must run, mikejima. ♪

mikejima is so slow! mikejima is the one who should train his legs more. ♪

Oh? Someone’s cheeky. You seem to be doing waaay better than I expected. Great, that’s perfect! ♪

I’m so relieved. Really, I mean it.

Mikejima-dono! Over here! Hurry!

ah— that poor child from that time.

Souma-kun, right? Did everything go okaaay?

Of course! I am always prepared for anything! I am the son of samurai, strong and clever! Heh~! ♪

…Rather, after a while of running around the area while causing a ruckus, the “Abisu” group took their leave instantly.

I feared that they uncovered our strategy, so I rushed here as soon as possible.

Mm~… Something’s reeeal off about how those ABYSS guys operate…

But whatever, no point in thinking about that. We need to get outta here fast, maybe even take shelter with the police.

I gotta make those parents of mine work for me a little sometimes.

…………

…? W-What is the matter, erm, God9— I mean, Kanata-sama? You look pale; are you feeling unwell by any chance?

no, it is nothing.

you— erm, souma? thank you to souma, too, for saving kanata. ♪

Nay! To be courageous is to do what is just no matter what.10 I simply did what is natural to do.

Haha. You’re exaaactly what an ally of justice is all about.

…………

(it seems that mikejima and souma have not noticed, but. somewhere far away, there are people watching over here.)

(and those people are having a private conversation in secret.)

(“this will do,” “it went well,” “those kids did a great job, too”—)

(kanata recognizes those voices. mikejima’s father and mother, and kanzaki’s—)

(what does this all mean?)

(what was all of this about, exactly…?)

(is this truly a ‘happy ending,’ like mikejima said?)

Kanata-sama?

What is the matter? You really do look pale…

Haha, you probably already know this, but God— Kanata-kun has been living partially confined aaall his life, so his legs are weak. He’s probably tired from walking.

Confined!? That refers to locking someone up somewhere, right? How inhumane…!

Poor Kanata-sama… You must have suffered through so much. Here, support yourself on my shoulder at least.

That’s my duty, y’knoow?

…Mm?

What’s the matter, Mikejima-dono?

I was in such a panic for so long that I didn’t notice until now, but there’s something in Kanata-kun’s chest pocket.

What is this…? An urn…?

Epilogue 1

Location: Beach

Present time. After Madara has collected the cremation urn (?) from the Marine Life Club room…

puka, puka~

haa~… somehow, even [soaking] in [water] feels like something i have not done in a while.

Heeey, Kanata-saaan~♪

I’m finally back! I completed the mission flaaawlessly~♪ Look, I brought back the loot in question with me right heeere!

i see~ fufufu, mikejima became a child who can do things if he tries, yes?

Anyone can easily do a kid errand like this, thouuugh. I can really feel just how much your opinion of me’s fallen off…

Even though you used to be so adorable when we were little, always acting spoiled and depending on me while calling, “Mikejima, Mikejima~♪”.

no, mikejima is wrong~ it is the other way around~ you were the one who [prided yourself] on [taking care] of me, weren’t you?

that means mikejima is the one who acted spoiled and depended on me.

And he’s grown a silver tongue… Reaaally ticks me off.

…Guess that just means we’re both no longer kids, yeaah?

yes. now that i have grown a little bit [older] since then, there are some things i understand better.

—[abyss] never [existed] in the first place.

Yep. I was also always curious since then, and did some research, so I’m aware of what happened to some extent.

It was confidential information for a long time, but that religious group has already disbanded, sooo yeah.

Preservation of the documents also got sloppy, and the people involved stopped keeping it a secret, ‘cause they no longer need to maintain their duty to God. Only to a certain extent, though.

That’s how I finally got the answer to a question I’ve had for a very long time.

yes. it was all a [scheme] devised by the [adults].

—it started when god died.

as in, my mother.

but. even that itself was a [lie], wasn’t it?

Yeah, probably. Your mother faked her death, and vanished from sight. There’s no way we could chase after her, so who knows what she’s doing right nooow…

Honestly, it’s impossible to say if she’s even still alive.

she is alive. i think so. i feel it.

whenever i come in contact with the [ocean], i feel mother.

It’s rare to hear you say something so God-like, isn’t iiit?

do not poke fun at me, please. that is a bad habit of yours, mikejima.

at that time, i was almost [kidnapped].

i was tied up and unable to move, and because i had my [blindfold] on, i could not tell what was going on.

but when i closed my [eyes] out of fear, feeling [faint]… it was as if i was being [cradled] by someone the whooole time.

that might have been my mother. that warm feeling i felt.

Yeah, that’s not impossible… Your mother officially retired from her position as God by faking her death. We don’t know the motive behind that, and it doesn’t really matter either.

She might’ve grown exhausted from reigning as God when she was really a human being all the while, or something like that.

There might’ve been a more incomprehensible, unrelatable reason behind it, as well.

But it has nothing to do with us anymore. After all, your mother abandoned her worshipers, her religion — even her own child — and went off on her own somewhere.

She’s not qualified to be a mother.

You don’t have any obligation to call such an awful human being your “mother”.

i think that could not be helped, though. mother was a [god] muuuch longer than i ever was.

it is not her fault that she did not have enough [experience] as a human being.

it does feel lonely, though. i still miss her a little to this day.

but. i am no longer a [child] yearning for his mother. after all, i now have so many warm people around me.

there is no [need] to feel lonely; not one bit.

besides, my mother likely did not abandon me because she wanted to. she tried to take me away with her at first.

but she changed her mind, and decided to stop trying.

why do you think she made that choice, mikejima?

Epilogue 2

It miiight’ve been some kinda test. She was probably trying to make sure you were capable of overcoming any sort of hardship.

At the same time, she was likely trying to confirm whether or not you have someone who’d risk their life to save you.

And as the result shows — though Souma-san and I made a move that was set up by the enemy — we did manage to overcome that hardship. We rescued you from the evil clutches of ABYSS.

Seeing us perform that feat, your mother might’ve felt relief, thinking, “This child will surely be alright.”

“You would be much happier staying in your place of belonging, instead of living a life on the run with me, with no discernable future.”

That’s also a pretty selfish story in of itself, but well, it really can’t be helped. I don’t think your mother had everything her way, either.

The incident likely originated from your mother, and later our parents got involved.

yes, it seems so… if we were to consider what [happened] afterwards.

Yeah. After that turmoil, Souma-san and I made a name for ourselves within the religion for rescuing the kidnapped Kanata-san.

Thanks to that, I got to continue being your caretaker despite all my rule-breaking, and Souma-san also got entrusted with performing rituals.

Alongside all this, our parents’ reputation improved, gaining them prestige, influence, and authority. Their kids gave them the leftovers of their accomplishments and they took it.

No… I’m sure that was the entiiire purpose of the whole scheme.

Those guys who tried to kidnap Kanata-san, too— When I investigated it, I found out they were just subordinates of my parents.

It’s no wonder they were so well-trained and proficient.

They were reaaal professionals meant for actual fights.

Even during the kidnapping scare, they were only pretending to lose to us, despite seeing right through our naïve plan.

That’s what ABYSS was — The “bad guys” contrived just to be defeated by us. Their role was to be taken down.

By creating an “enemy” — in this case, ABYSS — all the worshipers who were shaken by the death of their god would unite and work as one…

Hmph, I feel like I’ve heard of this story before…

I’m sure that even if there wasn’t a kidnapping scare, the plot would’ve still come to a close with a “and all the worshippers joined forces to defeat ABYSS~”…

Even the devil himself, the enemy of mankind, is a creation of God. When you think of it that way, the story sounds extremely and pointlessly religious.

At any rate, the “big baddie” of the Shinkai religion is ABYSS, as in “the deep sea”11 — They were exposing themselves all on their own with that name.

Everything’s so carelessly put together… and yet, as expected of worshipers, they were deceived by it all the same.

Well, anyway, in short… Every single thing was orchestrated by my parents and a few others.

What brought on that farce of playing superheroes was all just a combination of various people’s agendas.

that was mikejima’s father and mother—

Yeah. And Souma-san’s father too; he likely got involved somewhere in the process.

Souma-san coincidentally found out about our predicament from overhearing his father’s conversation, and even learned where the concealed Abode of God is located…

Then conveniently saved us at the exact perfect time… There’s just no way that all happened by chance.

I didn’t question it at the time, but in hindsight, Souma-san must’ve been guided by his father, too.

He was given the hero role of saving us, and executed it without even knowing about it.

but even so, souma could have pretended that he heard nothing, and [feigned ignorance].

despite that, he [risked] himself to come and save us.

he came for us, who he only met once — who were not even his friends.

that is all because he is a [virtuous] child.

both now and then, he is a gooood boy~♪

Back then, he said he was “simply doing what’s natural to do as a human being” or something of the liiike.

But it’s not common to find someone who can actually carry out “what’s natural to do”.

That kid’s remarkable, really. Maybe it was his ignorance as a kid that made him so recklessly brave, but…

Ever since then, and even now, I have always had quite a bit of respect for that kid.

—The hero who saved us.

let’s say all of that to [him]. souma is [honest], so he will surely be happy.

Hell no. It frustrates me… I can’t believe the hatchling that fainted from my punch became a waaay more outstanding hero than me — the hero I yearn to be.

gosh… mikejima is the [opposite] of souma. you are not [honest] at all… you never have been — since a looong time ago.

Well, I diiid kinda repeat many mistakes, get beaten down by reality, and then sulked over it and became distorted all over.

I can’t be a kid who dreams anymore.

is that so… i personally still have [dreams] sometimes.

[dreams] of those days.

back then, i was [blindfolded], and i could not see much — so my [dreams] are mostly pitch dark.

but i clearly remember others’ [voices] and [touch].

that time — after my mother abducted me, she probably [cradled] me the whole time.

while doing something [mother]-like after so long, she began to cry.

it trickled down on me. something salty and warm.

i do not know the reason behind those [tears]. only mother knows.

maybe she was happy to be free and cradle her child… maybe she felt sorrow knowing we may have to separate.

i am not sure what it could be, but i will never eeever forget it.

that warmth, and that salty feeling.

mother tasted like the [ocean].

Epilogue 3

Well, either way; good for you, Kanata-san. I’m not proud to say it, but I don’t have a single good memory with my mom, y’knoow?

you should try to get along with her… mikejima’s [mother] is clearly [alive], after all.

Hahaha. Maybe it was a gooood thing your mother left you.

Moms are only overbearing once you hit puberty. I think you would’ve toootally fought with her if she was by your side then.

yes, maybe so. but i want to have had those [fights].

i want to have had those normal [parent-child], [family]-like things.

that is my one true [regret] — it aaalways lingered in me, that i even held onto [this].

the last remaining [connection] with my mother.

Ahh, that cremation urn, yeah? That was empty from the very start, right?

yes. my mother only [pretended] to be [dead], so there was never a [corpse] from the very start. that of course means no [remains] nor [ashes], either.

it is because the [cremation urn] was empty that i knew my mother was still [alive].

this [cremation urn] was meant to be that sort of [message]. there is no deeper [meaning] to it.

She disappeared on her own, but she still wanted it to be known that she’s alive?

yes. [mother] is alive. and she is watching over me from somewhere far away—

i would like to [interpret] it in good light, for it to be that sort of [message] to me.

She might’ve just pushed the things she deemed unnecessary onto you, y’knoow? Like the position of God~ The empty cremation urn might’ve actually been that sort of message.

my [mother] is not like mikejima; she would not say something so [unkind], okay~?

Heeey, Kanata-kuun~ (waves)

kaoru.

I knew you’d be nearby somewhere. You’ve always been the type to make others run errands without doing much yourself, yeah?

doing so is an old [custom]… but, that aside, is there [something] you needed from me?

Nah, it’s not a big deal or anything… See, Souma-kun’s doing a huge cleanup of the club room, so we should go help him out, as alumni of the Marine Life Club.

The club room’s a mess — mostly ‘cause of all the water tanks you left behind. So you should at least tidy up that part, right?

I know I’m late to say this, but — it’s just simple courtesy to clean up after yourself when leaving, y’know~

When something meaningful is left behind somewhere, the remaining people around will start wondering if there’s some sort of message behind it.

Like that “cremation urn,” yeah?

…………

Heheh, I’m glad for you, Kanata-kun.

I’m happy to know that your mother didn’t pass away in the end.

…did you tell kaoru everything, mikejima?

Nah. It sounded like Souma-san already told him the story to a certain extent, so I did fill in a bit of the rest.

‘Cause if people don’t get any explanation, they might get curious and investigate.

Buuut in terms of the cremation urn, I only explained that it’s one of the items related to the case.

I did explain enough to hint at the truth, but the explanation got tedious halfwaaay… I mean, I personally hadn’t reached a conclusion yet, anyway.

so in other words, kaoru [deduced] it, and reached the [truth] by himself.

that is incredible. i expect nothing less from the son of a [scholar].12

Thanks. That’s the best compliment I could ever get.

But I think Souma-kun figured out the truth, too.

That kid’s grown a lot more than we thought. He may look like an idiot, but he’s always strangely been clever.

I think he’s just always considerate of his seniors, so he won’t ask for more details if they don’t wanna talk about it.

ahh, that is just like him.

but, yes, that is true… that boy would always look at me with [sparkles] in his [eyes], both back then and now.

it makes me want to look good and reliable in front of him… to [pretend] as if everything connected to my embarrassing [past] never happened.

that is exactly why [once again], i asked mikejima to [collect] this [cremation urn] for me.

I know I keep saying this, but how about doing it yourself? It’s something related to you, so why not do it without leaving it to someone else?

Epilogue 4

That part about you is exactly like your mom, Kanata-kun.

…? kaoru, have you met my mother before?

Nope, not once. I mean, it’s not like I really had any connection with you guys in the past.

It’s just that I can sorta imagine what kind of person your mother was, based on the little I’ve heard. I think she was probably just like you, Kanata-kun.

well, that is because she was raised in the same kind of [environment] as me.

she was raised to live her life as a [god], not a [human].

And everyone couldn’t bear to see such a “pitiful person,” so they all poked their noses in to do something about it, I bet. Just like how Souma-kun and Mikejima-kun tried to support you and save you, Kanata-kun.

That might be the real truth behind the whole incident. And Kanata-kun, you might’ve been tracing after your mother’s life subconsciously.

After all, you also eventually quit being a “god” before I even knew it, yeah? Just like your mother did.

Don’t you think your current feelings would have a lot of overlap with your mother’s feelings when she quit back then?

It would’ve been so much easier to completely vanish without a single trace, without ever passing on a message. If you were to take into account how the people left behind would feel, yeah? Tidying up the aftermath is tough on them, after all.

But despite that, you two made sure to leave behind something.

Why do you think that is?

…ahh, i see. now i get it. thanks to kaoru, i think i finally understand my mother’s [feelings] back then.

i personally love everyone.

surely, my mother felt the same.

so she wanted to remain somewhere within the people she loves, didn’t she?

that is why she left something behind. even if it is with something small — even if it makes those left behind have lingering feelings of sadness and regret.

she wanted to be on their minds — to be remembered.

it is because she wanted to remain in everyone’s [hearts] that she left something behind, yes?

that is all there is to it.

Shinkai-dono~! Mikejima-dono~! And Hakaze-dono, I suppose!

Is it just me, or am I the only one who got the “whatever” treatment?

fufu, if anything, it feels like you are getting [special treatment] from souma. it makes me feel jealous.

Ohh? You feel jealous of me, too? That kinda makes me happy.

What are you discussing? Regardless, look! The sky is crying!

In other words, it is raining! I believe it would be best if everyone were to take shelter from the rain in the club room, before all of you become drenched wet.

i am already [drenched wet], though~?

You truly are… You will only catch a cold again, Shinkai-dono. It worries me. You need to wipe your body and warm yourself up.

That is another reason why taking shelter is necessary. I would be grateful if you could help clean the club room as well, while we’re there.

Yup. It’s much more efficient to do things with other people’s help instead of all by yourself, after aaall.

I’ll personally help you out. ‘Cause that’ll make us even for when you helped me rescue Kanata-san in the paaast.

That is just like you to say, Mikejima-dono, but wouldn’t the favor given and the service received in return be unproportionate to each other…?

…Hahaha! ♪

…? what is so funny, mikejima?

Nah, it’s probably all just a coincidence, and there are no gods or ghosts in this world, but…

It’s as if your mom got worried seeing you all by yourself, so she sent rain down in hopes that everyone would mingle with you.

Even though that’s entirely impossible, the thought of it made me laugh.

fufu. yes, that’s right. mother is no longer a [god], so she cannot make [rain] fall.

but. mhm, i hope that’s true.

—thank you, mother.

as you can see, i can assure you that i am living quite happily.

so please, don’t cry anymore.

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Translation Notes

1. ↑ The word for depth here is fuchi (淵), the same kanji used in “deep abyss” (shin-en 深淵)
2. ↑ “Transform” (henshin) is what tokusatsu heroes say before transforming into their hero form.
3. ↑ In Japanese, this can also refer to an old man/woman, and is not necessarily a family member or relative.
4. ↑ Combatants refer to the troopers of an antagonist group in a tokusatsu show, and are typically low-level. An example would be the Shocker Combatmen from Kamen Rider.
5. ↑ Souma calls Kanata with “sama” to show respect to his status as a god.
6. ↑ Young Souma calls Madara by “Mikejima-dono” just like present Souma, but as a young kid the dono is in hiragana, whereas present Souma says dono with the kanji 殿.
7. ↑ He says puka puka in Japanese here, which can mean bubbling or floating.
8. ↑ This is a classic samurai catchphrase from the old ages, typically used in stories set in those days.
9. ↑ Here, Souma says kami-sama (God). This is different from the way Madara refers to young Kanata, which is simply kami.
10. ↑ This is a motto that samurais live by. The quote comes from Confucius.
11. ↑ As mentioned in Chapter 5, abyss can mean the deep sea, the same word as Kanata’s last name.
12. ↑ Kaoru’s mother was a marine biologist.